Quotes of the Day:
"You didn't wait six months for a feasibility study to prove that an idea could work. You gambled that it might work. You didn't tie up the organization with red tape designed mostly to cover somebody's rear end. You took the initiative and the responsibility. You went around end, you went over somebody's head if you had to. But you acted. That's what drove the regular military and the State Department chair-warmers crazy about the OSS."
- OSS veteran and DCI William Casey
"I venture to say no war can be long carried on against the will of the people."
- Edmund Burke
"Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel . . . And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for "the universal brotherhood of man" - with his mouth."
Mark Twain
1. Blinken says US is prepared to make adjustments to military posture in response to North Korea
2. N. Korea ready to conduct nuclear test any time: ministry
3. Pyongyang estimated to have 20 nuclear warheads
4. Latest B-1 Bomber Task Force Deployed to Guam Hones Coordination With Allies
5. Presidential office to be called 'Yongsan Presidential Office' for now
6. S. Korea cautious about whether N. Korea's replacement of top diplomat heralds policy change
7. S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rebound to near 10,000, deaths drop to 9-month low
8. Yoon’s election a strategic boon for Biden
9. Seoul, Washington, Tokyo plan missile-tracking exercises in Aug.
10. Seoul, Washington are stressing extended deterrence again
11. As North Korean missiles fly, Seoul signals need to revitalize intel pact with Tokyo
12. N. Korean nuclear test will be met by united, firm response from U.S., S. Korea: ministers
13. Yanggang Province calls on security and police officials to help resolve food shortages
14. US to keep up North Korea pressure; Seoul urges China to use influence
15. North Korea plans crackdown as Kim pushes for internal unity
16. Biden hopes to "work together" with Xi on North Korea amid U.S.-China feud
1. Blinken says US is prepared to make adjustments to military posture in response to North Korea
Strategic reassurance and strategic resolve. I understand the Minister and the Secretary had a good meeting (according to his Facebook page).
I know I'm beating the horse here but I think it bears reinforcing. The Biden Administration continues to work very hard at sustaining our alliances. The continuous high level engagement combined with engagement through working groups and other meetings really indicates a commitment to managing alliances. I believe our alliances are one of the most critical components of US national security.
Blinken says US is prepared to make adjustments to military posture in response to North Korea
CNN · by Jennifer Hansler, CNN
Washington (CNN)The Biden administration is "prepared to make both short and longer-term adjustments to our military posture" to respond to provocations from North Korea, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday.
Blinken's comments, made alongside his South Korean counterpart at a news conference at the State Department, come as North Korea has conducted numerous missile launches and as the US worries about a potential nuclear test by Pyongyang.
"We remain concerned about the prospects for what would be a seventh nuclear test over multiple administrations," Blinken said. "We know that the North Koreans have done preparations for such a test. We are being extremely vigilant about that."
Blinken said the US is "preparing for all contingencies" and in "very close touch" with partners like South Korea and Japan "to be able to respond quickly" if the North Koreans carry out such a test.
The top US diplomat said the US is committed "to talking about how we expand the scope and scale of combined military exercises for defensive and preparedness purposes, training on and around the Korean missile."
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"And of course, we want to make sure that we have in place all the defensive capacity to deal with any possible provocation or aggression coming from" North Korea, he added.
Blinken did not provide specific details about the adjustments to US military posture that are under consideration. In March, US Indo-Pacific Command announced it had ordered "intensified Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance collection activities in the Yellow Sea, as well as enhanced readiness among our ballistic missile defense forces in the region" in response to missile launches by North Korea.
Last week, US and South Korean fighter jets conducted a joint flyover of the Yellow Sea -- a show of force that came days after North Korea's launch of eight short-range ballistic missiles.
"South Korea and the US have demonstrated their strong ability and will to strike quickly and accurately against any North Korean provocations by demonstrating their combined defense capabilities and posture through this combined air force demonstration flight," South Korea's Defense Ministry said.
South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup said Sunday that his country will "strengthen capabilities to better implement the US extended deterrence and will dramatically enhance response capabilities ... military to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats."
North Korea's "repeated missile provocations" were advancing in "quality and quantity," Lee said, adding that this and preparations for a nuclear test were a "grave challenge threatening peace and stability."
Despite the continued provocations from Pyongyang, Blinken reiterated Monday that the US remains "committed to a diplomatic approach," is prepared to engage with North Korea without preconditions and has "no hostile intent" toward the nation.
"But our efforts to engage without preconditions thus far have not been met with a response from" North Korea, he said. "In fact, the only response we've seen thus far has been this multiplicity of missile tests."
CNN's Simone McCarthy, Heather Chen, Brad Lendon, Yoonjung Seo, Ellie Kaufman and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
CNN · by Jennifer Hansler, CNN
2. N. Korea ready to conduct nuclear test any time: ministry
I wish the Unification MInistry would stop making these statements and instead focus on real in depth detailed planning of unification. These statements should come from the "Yongsan Presidential Office," the NIS, MOFA, or MND. Not the Ministry of Unification.
N. Korea ready to conduct nuclear test any time: ministry | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is ready to carry out a nuclear test any time at leader Kim Jong-un's discretion, Seoul's unification ministry said Tuesday.
There has been widespread speculation that the secretive North's nuclear test might be imminent amid reports it has completed relevant preparations at its northeastern testing site in Punggye-ri.
"North Korea is currently prepared to conduct a nuclear test at any time in case Chairman Kim Jong-un decides to do so," a ministry official told reporters on the customary condition of anonymity when asked about the issue.
The official added that Seoul and Washington are discussing various countermeasures, including those through the U.N. Security Council.
The North conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017.
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
3. Pyongyang estimated to have 20 nuclear warheads
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI
Pyongyang estimated to have 20 nuclear warheads
Posted June. 14, 2022 08:16,
Updated June. 14, 2022 08:16
Pyongyang estimated to have 20 nuclear warheads. June. 14, 2022 08:16. by Seong-Ho Hwang hsh0330@donga.com.
The global stock of nuclear weapons, which has been continuously curbed since the end of the Cold War, is expected to grow again over the next decade. As of January, North Korea was suspected to have 20 nuclear warheads and in possession of enough nuclear fissile materials to produce a maximum 55 warheads additionally. In an interview with the Deutsche Welle on Monday, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned that the risk of nuclear war is much higher than it was a decade ago.
According to a major report published by SIPRI, the number of nuclear warheads has marginally fallen from January last year to January this year, but it warned of an increase of nuclear weapons worldwide over the next 10 years. Since President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly mentioned the possibility of using nuclear weapons, disarmament will make little progress over the next few years, SIPRI predicted. Vladimir Solovyov, the presenter of the show who is dubbed the “mouth of Putin,” claimed on June 6 that everything is moving in the direction of nuclear war.
Currently, 90% of nuclear weapons across the globe are in America and Russia. According to SIPRI, the number of nuclear warheads in America and Russia has fallen from 5,550 to 5,428 and from 6,255 to 5,977, respectively, over the past year, with the global stock dipping from 13,080 to 12,705. The global stock of nuclear warheads has steadily decreased since it peaked out at over 70,000 in 1986.
However, SIRPI warned of a potential nuclear proliferation in the longer term, citing the developments of seven other nuclear states that are either deploying new weapons systems or preparing for a new development. The movements in China are highly unusual for starters. A satellite imagery analysis by SIPRI found that over the past two years, China has newly built some 300 silos for ballistic missiles, and a few more nuclear warheads were deployed in operating forces last year. On Sunday, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said China had made impressive progress in developing new nuclear weapons over the past 50 years.
4. Latest B-1 Bomber Task Force Deployed to Guam Hones Coordination With Allies
No mention of Korea but it is included in "allies." Need a little work on their talking points to support strategic influence.
Latest B-1 Bomber Task Force Deployed to Guam Hones Coordination With Allies - Air Force Magazine
June 13, 2022 | By
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ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam—U.S. and Japanese pilots exchanged silent high fives from their respective cockpits during the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron’s bomber task force mission to Guam.
“When we’re talking to any ally or partner out there, the procedures are standard—everything’s the same,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffrey Carter, a B-1 pilot deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, from the 34th EBS at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.
“It doesn’t feel like I’m working with one person or one country versus another. It’s just, we’re all up there,” Carter said on the flight line at Andersen next to one of the four B-1s that deployed recently and have been exercising with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Other partners and allies are to follow in the coming weeks.
“When we see each other through the cockpit windows, and we’re just doing our high-fives and fist bumps in the air, it seems like you’re just flying with someone else in your squadron,” he added. “And that’s kind of, I think, the biggest improvement with all this integration.”
In April 2020, the Air Force announced that it would stop its continuous bomber presence outside the continental United States, ending a 16-year run at Andersen. Since then, however, B-1s—with their three weapons bays and supersonic speeds—have made regular return visits on rotating bomber task force missions ranging from one to three months.
Practicing Pacific Skills
On a recent afternoon, two of the weapons bays on a B-1 were equipped with fuel tanks carrying 20,000 pounds each, capable of extending the flight time of the bomber over the vast distances of the Pacific.
Capt. Jack Maliksa of the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, describes the two 20,000-pound fuel tanks loaded into the weapons bay of a B-1 Lancer. Staff photo by Abraham Mahshie.
Even with the capacity to fly longer distances without refueling, crews typically refuel from a tanker multiple times on the 17-hour flight from Ellsworth to give younger Airmen the opportunity to practice aerial refueling.
Since the 34th EBS arrived, Airmen have also practiced addressing the unique challenges posed by the Pacific theater.
“Each region has its own nuances, where it just takes a different set of skills or processes to get to the right answer more efficiently,” said Carter, noting the different airspace, constructs, and international rules to follow. Other crew members noted how sudden rain showers during the coming typhoon season in Guam can double the stopping distance on the runway.
Carter explained how flying over the Pacific Ocean is not as disconnected from headquarters as it once was.
“Crossing these vast distances doesn’t seem as large or daunting anymore because of the amount of control, the amount of touch points you have,” he said, acknowledging the benefit of satellite communication. “So, you’re not really alone, and not afraid anymore.”
Allies Unite to Deter China
As China continues to rapidly grow its military capacity with a powerful defense manufacturing sector, the U.S.’s Pacific allies are increasingly integrating to keep up. That is especially true for a capability only provided by the U.S. Air Force: manned bombers.
“Countries are interested in doing some bomber missions with us,” Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach said during an interview at PACAF headquarters at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
“We do a lot of bomber missions with the Japanese,” he said. “We’ve done some bomber missions with other countries in the region, and we’re trying to expand that as we go forward.”
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Carter, a B-1 pilot deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, describes the motivation of working with allies in the Pacific. Staff photo by Abraham Mahshie.
Zack Cooper, research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said in an interview that Guam’s standoff location from China, in the second island chain, makes it an ideal location to host bombers.
“Bombers and fighters need very different runways—they need different support systems,” said Cooper. “As far as the bomber force goes, it means probably more focus for the Air Force on larger facilities that are a little bit further away, so places like Guam make a fair amount of sense.”
Anderson has four total runways. Its two main runways are 10,500 feet and 11,200 feet in length, while the newer northwestern runways, used for practicing austere exercises, are 4,200 feet and 9,000 feet. The B-1 requires about 8,000 feet to land.
Retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, helped to establish the continuous bomber presence on Guam in 2004, but he now believes the bomber task force (BTF) concept is proving efficient for the Air Force.
“It was expensive,” he said of maintaining a continuous bomber presence so far from the mainland.
“They figured with these bomber task forces, they can fly in a more random nature,” Deptula added. “It’s also one of the strengths that you can home-base your bombers in the continental United States, but you can forward-deploy them, if necessary, pretty rapidly.”
Wilsbach said that while Guam is the typical site for BTF missions, they can be done from other locations in the Pacific, such as Australia.
“We’ll have some other places that we can do bomber task force missions,” he said. “The bomber missions have been going pretty well in the Pacific.”
Capt. Jack Maliksa, also deployed with the 34th EBS, said the Air Force’s concept of agile combat employment, or operating from austere locations, and the BTF concept both serve as a foundation for working with partners and allies.
“Flexibility is always the key to air power,” Maliksa said. “Going forward, we’re helping build that foundation. It’s only going to help build that rapport. “
5. Presidential office to be called 'Yongsan Presidential Office' for now
YPO. Will it catch on?
(LEAD) Presidential office to be called 'Yongsan Presidential Office' for now | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with announcement in paras 1-6; CHANGES headline)
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- The presidential office will be called the "Yongsan Presidential Office" for now after all five candidate names were deemed unfit, the presidential spokesperson said Tuesday.
The decision was made during a meeting of a naming committee, according to the spokesperson, Kang In-sun.
"After holding a final meeting and debating for nearly two hours, the committee decided not to recommend a new name for the presidential office," Kang said during a press briefing.
"Rather than choosing hastily, we decided to take more time until a suitable name emerges naturally," she said.
The five candidate names -- The People's House, Itaewon-ro 22, The People's Government Office, Mineum Government Office and Bareunnuri -- were chosen from among 30,000 entries in a public contest.
None of them, however, got a majority of votes in an online preference survey, and each got negative public feedback, leading to the conclusion that none could win public consensus, Kang said.
The naming contest got under way after President Yoon Suk-yeol decided to move the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae to draw closer to the public. The former presidential office, which was called Cheong Wa Dae because of its blue roof, was located on a secluded compound on a hill.
The new presidential office occupies the building formerly used as the headquarters of the defense ministry.
The word Mineum derives from Chinese characters that mean "people" and "voice." Bareunnuri roughly translates to "righteous world," while Itaewon-ro 22 combines the street address of the presidential office with 2022, the year the office opened.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
6. S. Korea cautious about whether N. Korea's replacement of top diplomat heralds policy change
It is correct to be cautious. Again to beat a dead horse: We must understand the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime. And in terms of its strategy – we need to recognize it, understand it, expose it, and attack it (with information).
S. Korea cautious about whether N. Korea's replacement of top diplomat heralds policy change | Yonhap News Agency
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's promotion of veteran diplomat Choe Son-hui, known for her experience in negotiations with the United States, to the post of foreign minister is not necessarily an indication of a shift in its external policy, a government official here said Tuesday.
Pyongyang announced the pick of Choe, vice foreign minister, for the position in a decision made at the plenary meeting of the ruling party's Central Committee last week. The move has raised speculation about the possibility of the reclusive North changing tack to seek to restart denuclearization talks with Washington that have been stalled for more than three years.
"It is difficult to construe the replacement of a particular official as being necessarily related to any change in North Korea's external policy," the South's unification ministry official told reporters on background.
The government will keep an eye on the North's policy measures following the reshuffle, according to the official.
In yet another attention-grabbing appointment, Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon was tapped to lead the party's United Front Department tasked with handling inter-Korean relations. Ri, reportedly in his early 60s, replaced Kim Yong-chol, 76, as head of the organ.
Ri, a former military officer, showed a hawkish stance toward Seoul, leading the North's delegation to inter-Korean talks, Cheong Seong-chang, director of the center for North Korean studies at the Sejong Institute, pointed out.
The appointment of Ri, seen as a measure considering the need for a generational change and the power shift in South Korea to the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol administration, may suggest that the Kim Jong-un regime will further intensify an offensive on Seoul, according to the expert, who has long monitored the North's leadership and followed relevant news.
In the latest key party meeting, Kim stated the principle of "power for power and head-on contest" and urged efforts to boost its national defense capabilities as he cited a "very serious" security environment. Pyongyang has a history of escalating tensions on the peninsula in the early months of a new South Korean government.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
7. S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rebound to near 10,000, deaths drop to 9-month low
(2nd LD) S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rebound to near 10,000, deaths drop to 9-month low | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: ADDS details in last 6 paras)
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases bounced back to nearly 10,000 on Tuesday, while the number of deaths came down to a nine-month low.
The country added 9,778 COVID-19 infections, including 41 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,239,056, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
Tuesday's case count rose after it dropped to 3,828 on Monday, the lowest since the 3,094 reported on Jan. 11.
The increase in the caseload was attributed to the growth in the number of tests on weekdays after declining over the weekend.
Daily infections have shown a downward trend after posting an all-time high of over 620,000 in mid-March.
The number of deaths reached two, bringing the death toll to 24,390. New deaths came to the lowest since Sept. 13, 2021, when a single case of death was reported.
The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent.
The number of critically ill patients stood at 98, up from 95 the previous day, the KDCA said.
Of the 9,737 locally transmitted cases, Seoul accounted for 1,763 cases, with the surrounding Gyeonggi Province reporting 2,346 cases. There were 590 infections in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul.
As of Tuesday, 44.61 million, or 86.9 percent of the population, had completed the full two-dose vaccinations, and 33.34 million, or 65 percent, had received their first booster shots.
About 4.27 million people, or 8.3 percent of the population, had gotten their second booster shots, the KDCA said.
Authorities also found an additional 67 cases of the omicron subvariant here last week, which brought the total caseload to 176.
As the spread of COVID-19 slows, the South Korean government is mulling ways to lift or shorten the seven-day isolation for COVID-19 patients. A decision on whether to maintain or remove the mandatory isolation measure will be announced Friday.
Meanwhile, health authorities are in consultation to bring in 500 doses of antiviral drug Tecovirimat next week to deal with potential monkeypox cases amid growing concerns over the fast spread of the virus across the globe.
Authorities said they plan to treat monkeypox patients under quarantine at the National Medical Center in Seoul. Officials are also considering mandating a 21-day self-isolation period for those with high risk of transmission after having had close contact with monkeypox patients.
South Korea has yet to report an occurrence of monkeypox.
Last month, the KDCA decided to place monkeypox at the second level of contagious diseases out of a four-tier scheme in the wake of growing concerns over the virus.
Currently, COVID-19, cholera and other contagious diseases are listed in the second-highest tier in South Korea.
jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)
8. Yoon’s election a strategic boon for Biden
Actually for the US, not just the Biden administration. Strong alliances are key to US national security. and the ROK/US alliance is the foundation of ROK foreign and national security policy.
Yoon’s election a strategic boon for Biden
Former president Moon Jae-in was visibly uneasy about placing South Korea within broad US efforts to contain China
The goals of US President Joe Biden’s recent trip to Japan and South Korea were simple – to shore up the alliance system and make clear to allies that the United States is not going to abandon Asia because of the war in Europe. The well-planned visit displayed a three-pronged strategy.
Traditional alliances with Japan, South Korea and Australia as well as a de facto alliance with Taiwan remain at the center of US strategy in Asia. On one side is the Quad, the four-party security dialogue that has become the core of multilateral security cooperation in the region.
The third component emerged during the trip itself in the form of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) – a loose economic association designed to compensate for the retreat from free-trade agreements.
Most commentators marked the trip a success, except for Biden’s murky signaling on Taiwan. But it was hardly a sure thing. The ability of the Biden administration to make this show of American leadership in Asia rested on a stroke of political luck – the election of conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Alliance relations with the previous Moon Jae-in government, and likely with a potential successor progressive government, were by no means hostile. Moon and Biden issued an extensive joint statement last year with a long list of shared goals. It even contained a muted acknowledgement of the importance of peace and security in the Taiwan Strait, unusual for a South Korean government.
But Moon was visibly uneasy about placing South Korea within broad US efforts to contain China and focused on achieving an engagement breakthrough with North Korea.
When the war in Europe hit, South Korea was slow to join Western sanctions and embrace the common cause with Ukraine. This reflected its desire to keep the door open to renewed talks with Pyongyang.
Yoon, who took office only 10 days before Biden’s arrival, moved quickly to align South Korea more fulsomely with Biden’s goals. The new government prioritized reinforcing the security alliance, announcing the resumption of consultations on extended deterrence, deployments of strategic US forces to counter escalation threats, and restoring joint military exercises.
The Yoon administration shares the American view that China and Russia are no longer willing to join efforts to restrain North Korea. They believe that the recent spate of North Korean missile tests and preparation for a nuclear test partly reflect a green light from the two countries.
Perhaps even more striking is the readiness of the new South Korean government to embrace a more global role in step with the United States and Europe. Moon was hesitant to participate in Biden’s assertion of a global struggle of democracies versus autocracies, particularly regarding China.
The joint statement issued by Yoon and Biden envisages an alliance that “has grown far beyond the Korean Peninsula, reflecting the pivotal role of our countries as global leaders in democracy, economy, and technology.” Yoon’s attendance at the NATO summit in late June will be a manifest expression of this more global stance.
A key piece of this shift in policy, with strong US encouragement, is the improvement of relations with Japan and tighter trilateral security cooperation. There are clear efforts from both sides to shift the tone in relations away from the nearly dysfunctional state reached under the Moon administration.
A visit by the South Korean foreign minister to Tokyo is expected soon. The Korean and Japanese leaders may also meet on the sidelines of the NATO summit and perhaps in a trilateral summit with Biden.
Yoon’s ability to make compromises on difficult wartime-history issues was aided by the surprisingly strong showing for the conservatives in the June 1 South Korean local elections. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida faces pressure from the Japanese right but may have more maneuvering room after the July Upper House elections.
The trickiest areas of cooperation between South Korea and the new Biden framework remain the Quad and the IPEF. The Yoon administration is ready to explore at least some level of participation in the Quad. But there is some resistance from Tokyo regarding Seoul’s full participation, reflecting a persistent view in Japan that South Korea is not a reliable partner.
The Biden administration is treading carefully on this for now, waiting to see if steps to improve South Korea–Japan relations yield real progress.
Yoon’s quick embrace of the IPEF was essential to a claim by the Biden administration that it represents the largest economies in the region outside of China. The joint statement with Biden laid out a long list of areas of technological cooperation with an implicit agenda of joining hands in a strategic rivalry with China. This agenda builds on the Moon-Biden joint statement of last year.
Yoon may be ready to go farther down this road, but South Korean tech firms, like their counterparts in Japan and the United States, reject any talk of decoupling as unrealistic. Seoul is being careful not to close the doors to Beijing in an effort to restrain Pyongyang.
Uncertainties exist, but there is little doubt that the change in power in South Korea was a strategic boon for Biden’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific. For that, he needs to thank the voters of South Korea’s vibrant democracy.
Daniel Sneider is a lecturer of international policy and East Asian studies at Stanford University and a Non-Resident Distinguished Fellow at the Korea Economic Institute. Follow him on Twitter @DCSneider.
9. Seoul, Washington, Tokyo plan missile-tracking exercises in Aug.
Three words (again): Integrated Missile Defense.
Tuesday
June 14, 2022
Seoul, Washington, Tokyo plan missile-tracking exercises in Aug.
South Korea, the United States and Japan will conduct a combined missile detection and tracking exercise near Hawaii in August. The photograph depicts joint U.S.-South Korea naval drills that took place off Okinawa, Japan earlier this month. [JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF]
South Korea, the United States and Japan will conduct a combined missile detection and tracking exercise near Hawaii in August to guard against North Korean missiles, according to South Korean defense officials Tuesday.
The combined drills, known as the Pacific Dragon exercise, have taken place every two years. The South Korean Navy participated in the exercise in 2018 and 2020, but the Moon Jae-in administration did not disclose details of the drills at the time.
South Korea’s decision to participate again in the biennial exercise — and be more open about it — comes after the three countries’ defense chiefs met on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore over the weekend and agreed to regularize and conduct the drill publicly.
The missile tracking drills represent trilateral security cooperation between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo amid tensions caused by Pyongyang’s 18 missile tests this year and speculation that it could conduct a nuclear weapons test in coming weeks
According to defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity on Tuesday, Australia will also participate in Pacific Dragon. Canada, which is a member of the Five Eyes program along with Australia, is also likely to participate.
Five Eyes is a confidential intelligence-sharing alliance involving five countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Pacific Dragon will begin toward the end of this year’s multinational Rim of Pacific Exercise (Rimpac), which focuses on improving tactical and technical coordination among its participants, including the detection, tracking and reporting of ballistic missile targets.
Rimpac is scheduled to run from June 29 to Aug. 4.
The dates for Pacific Dragon are Aug. 1 to 14, but there is a possibility they could change depending on weather or other contingencies.
In addition to the missile tracking exercise, Seoul, Washington and Tokyo are expected to conduct their quarterly combined missile warning drills later this year.
The announcement of joint ballistic missile detection drills by the three countries came as the North revived its use of the term “confrontational struggle” to describe its approach to external relations, and leader Kim Jong-un called for stronger “self-defense” measures to tackle “very serious” security challenges during a key ruling Workers’ Party meeting last week.
Continuing missile and nuclear threats from North Korea have prompted the South to draw closer to the United States and even Japan, despite a succession of diplomatic spats with the latter.
While Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup acknowledged in Singapore on Sunday in a speech at the Shangri-la Dialogue that the two countries had “unresolved issues” stemming from Japan’s colonial rule, he said Seoul wants “the two sides to put their wisdom together to reach reasonable solutions in a way that is in line with shared interests.”
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
10. Seoul, Washington are stressing extended deterrence again
As we should. But we should know that we are deterring war and nuclear war. But we cannot deter north Korean "provocations"(and we must recognize that every missile test is not necessarily meant to send a message- often they are to advance their military capabilities which are intended for enhancing warfighting). But when Kim conducts provocations as part of the messaging of his political warfare strategy and blackmail diplomacy we need to respond by showing him that his strategy cannot be successful. As President Yoon has said there can be no more appeasement.
Tuesday
June 14, 2022
Seoul, Washington are stressing extended deterrence again
Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin, left and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, hold a news conference at the U.S. State Department in Washington on Monday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
Foreign Minister Park Jin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged North Korea to cease its provocations and abandon any idea of staging a nuclear test, vowing to meet them with a strong response.
“We affirmed that any North Korean provocations, including a nuclear test, will be met with a united and firm response from our alliance and the international community,” Park told the press in a joint briefing with Blinken at the State Department on Monday. “Pyongyang’s continuous provocations will only lead to strengthened deterrence [by] the alliance and stronger international sanctions measures.”
Park met with Blinken at the State Department on Monday. The meeting came on the heels of Pyongyang's launches of 31 ballistic missiles this year, and signs that the regime may be gearing up for its seventh nuclear test.
Blinken, in response to a question about a possible nuclear test, said Washington is “in very close touch with our close allies and partners,” including Korea and Japan, to “respond quickly should the North Koreans proceed with such a test.
“A nuclear test would be dangerous, it would be deeply destabilizing to the region,” Blinken said. “We urge the DPRK to refrain from further destabilizing activity. We call on the DPRK to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy.”
DPRK is the acronym for North Korea’s full name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Extended deterrence by the U.S., though not spelled out in specifics, was also emphasized by both leaders.
“The United States is committed to extended deterrence, and that commitment will also take the form of, as we’ve discussed, re-establishing the Extended Deterrence Group, the working group, and my expectation, I think the minister’s expectation, is that that will get up and working very, very soon in the weeks ahead,” Blinken said.
U.S.-Korea Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group, or the EDSCG, was established in a U.S.-Korea Foreign and Defense Ministers’ meeting on Oct. 19, 2016. It was intended to serve as a channel for the allies to hold in-depth discussions on strategic and policy issues regarding extended deterrence against North Korea, including how to better leverage the full breadth of the two countries’ power, including diplomacy, information, military and economic capabilities.
The EDSCG has not met since its second meeting in 2018. Political analysts have attributed the group’s dormancy to attempts by the administration of former President Moon Jae-in to engage Pyongyang.
“Extended deterrence strategy and consultation group meeting should be reactivated as soon as possible,” said Park. “And, of course, the restoration of the Korea-U.S. joint military exercise will certainly help bring about [a safer] environment on the Korean Peninsula.”
Joint military exercises were scaled down since 2018 as the Moon administration tried to engage Pyongyang, and were reduced to computer simulations since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
It was the first meeting between Park and Blinken since Park was sworn in as foreign minister last month.
North Korea has been ramping up its provocations since the start of the year, launching the most number of ballistic missiles it has ever launched in a single year, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on May 25. Its previous record was 25 missiles in 2019.
Recent satellite images of North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear testing site, the site for all of its six nuclear tests, suggested the regime is gearing up for a seventh nuclear test.
The last nuclear test by the North was in 2017, after which it adhered to a moratorium on nuclear weapons and ICBM tests for what it called “confidence building” efforts for dialogue with the United States. That détente fell through with the collapse of the 2019 Hanoi summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
11. As North Korean missiles fly, Seoul signals need to revitalize intel pact with Tokyo
Good.
As North Korean missiles fly, Seoul signals need to revitalize intel pact with Tokyo
North Korea’s record-breaking number of missile launches this year continues to push Seoul and Tokyo closer after years of soured ties over wartime history issues, with South Korea’s top diplomat emphasizing the need for more regular use of a key intelligence-sharing pact between the two neighbors.
Speaking at a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken in Washington on Monday, new South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin signaled that Seoul hopes to breathe new life into its intelligence deal with Japan, the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). The pact, which was nearly terminated in 2019 amid a bilateral row over export controls and wartime history issues, was left to wither under the administration of previous South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
“We want GSOMIA to be normalized as soon as possible together with the improvement of the Korea-Japan relationship,” Park said. “In order to deal with the threat from North Korea, we need to have policy coordination and a sharing of information between Korea and Japan and with the United States.”
“I hope that this security cooperation and sharing of information can be normalized as soon as possible,” he added.
Pyongyang’s spate of weapons tests, including of missiles designed to evade defenses, has also added a sense of urgency to bolstering security ties, including a re-examination of the pact, after the left-leaning Moon pursued a North Korea policy centered on engagement.
In Tokyo on Tuesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the government’s top spokesman, highlighted the North’s growing missile and nuclear threat in stressing the need to fully utilize GSOMIA.
“Given North Korea’s repeated firing of ballistic missiles, as well as the presently severe security environment, the stable operation of the agreement is important,” Matsuno told a news conference.
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi also voiced hopes at a separate news conference the same day that intelligence would again be “smoothly” shared between the two neighbors.
A screen at a railway station in Seoul shows a news broadcast about a North Korean missile test. | AFP-JIJI
The GSOMIA pact, inked in November 2016 after years of prodding by Washington, allows the two U.S. allies to share sensitive information on missile threats from North Korea, among other things. It is automatically renewed annually unless one of the countries decides to pull the plug — a move the Moon administration threatened in 2019 as relations with Japan entered a tailspin.
The pact makes it far easier for Seoul to access information gathered by Tokyo’s powerful spy satellites, advanced radars and patrol planes. These high-tech systems, many of which South Korea lacks, are useful for analyzing North Korean military threats, including its missile launches and nuclear tests.
But it is also of immense value for Japan. Due to South Korea’s proximity to the North, Seoul can more quickly detect missile launches. GSOMIA also gives Tokyo access to Seoul’s network of spies, defectors and other on-the-ground human sources.
In the end, Moon was ultimately convinced to back down from his threats to scrap the agreement. Still, there has been little evidence of the pact’s activation or intelligence-sharing with Japan in the ensuing three years.
While the South Korean military was quick to announce that its neighbor had fired off eight of the weapons from different locations, the Japanese Defense Ministry maintained for five days that the North had launched “at least six ballistic missiles.” On Friday, it finally confirmed that eight missiles had been fired, including an additional two that it said flew at “extremely low altitudes,” a scenario that may have impacted Japan’s ability to track the launches.
Although the two sides have remained silent in public about GSOMIA’s functionality, South Korea’s JoongAng daily quoted an unidentified government official late last month as saying that the Yoon administration was “for the time being” sharing information with Tokyo through the Foreign Ministry’s Office of Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs. The report also quoted another unidentified source as indicating that a gradual resumption of GSOMIA’s functions was expected.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang in this image released Monday. | KCNA / KNS / VIA AFP-JIJI
Andrew O’Neill, an expert on North Korea and a professor at Griffith University in Australia, said an integrated operational approach to intelligence-sharing is “a prerequisite to the U.S. and its Northeast Asian allies” for managing the threat from Pyongyang.
The timely sharing of intelligence that utilizes all collection methods for tracking the nuclear-armed country’s movements — including its development of weapons of mass destruction — “will help build confidence and unity of policy purpose in Seoul, Tokyo and Washington,” he said.
“The time is ripe for a reset of ROK-Japan relations,” O’Neill said, using the acronym for South Korea’s formal name. “That said, we’ve been here before … so the challenge will be to keep any reset on track. Both sides will need to resist domestic pressures to use closer defense-intelligence relations as a tool of retaliation in any political downturn in the relationship.”
Yoon, he added, appears keen to improve ties, “but his real test will be how he manages any domestic pushback in South Korea.”
Rapprochement with Japan could also take on increased importance — and perhaps receive greater public backing — as North Korea continues to test advanced weapons and gears up for a seventh nuclear test that officials in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo believe could happen soon.
However, any bold moves from Tokyo on improving ties with Seoul would likely have to wait until after an Upper House election slated for next month, as the ruling bloc will be focused on the poll, observers say.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang in this image released Monday. | KCNA / KNS / VIA AFP-JIJI
Park, speaking at Monday’s joint news conference, said that Pyongyang was at a “crossroads” and that he had affirmed with Blinken that “any North Korean provocations” — including a nuclear test — would be met “with a united and firm response” from the allies and the international community.
The two top diplomats echoed the view that a nuclear test, which would be the North’s first since 2017, could come at any time.
“I think that North Korea has now finished the preparation for another nuclear test, and I think only a political decision has to be made,” Park said, adding that he and Blinken had expressed “special concern” over Pyongyang’s “increasingly aggressive rhetoric regarding the use of tactical nuclear weapons.”
“Tactical nuclear weapons” refers to smaller, lower-yield nuclear bombs for use on the battlefield. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has triggered concern in recent months with repeated references to such weapons, including veiled threats over their use. Observers believe any fresh nuclear test could be of such a weapon.
12. N. Korean nuclear test will be met by united, firm response from U.S., S. Korea: ministers
Excerpts:
Park said the North may have completed all preparations for a nuclear test and that only thing left now may be a "political decision."
Blinken agreed, saying, "We remain concerned about the prospects for what would be a seventh nuclear test over multiple administrations."
North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test in September 2017.
"We are being extremely vigilant about that," said the U.S. secretary when asked about the possibility of a North Korean nuclear test in the near future.
"We are in very close touch with our close allies and partners, starting with the Republic of Korea, also with Japan and others, to be able to respond quickly," he added, referring to South Korea by its official name.
(2nd LD) N. Korean nuclear test will be met by united, firm response from U.S., S. Korea: ministers | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with additional remarks, more information, minor edits in paras 5-7, 10-13, 16-22; ADDS photo)
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, June 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken on Monday urged North Korea to refrain from staging additional provocations including a nuclear test, saying that they will only further isolate the impoverished country.
The top diplomats also said North Korean provocations will be met with a strong response.
"We affirm that any North Korean provocations, including a nuclear test, will be met with a united and firm response from our alliance and the international community," Park said in a joint press conference with his U.S. counterpart.
The Park-Blinken meeting, the first of its kind since the South Korean foreign minister took office last month, comes amid suspicions that North Korea may soon conduct a nuclear test.
Park said the North may have completed all preparations for a nuclear test and that only thing left now may be a "political decision."
Blinken agreed, saying, "We remain concerned about the prospects for what would be a seventh nuclear test over multiple administrations."
North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test in September 2017.
"We are being extremely vigilant about that," said the U.S. secretary when asked about the possibility of a North Korean nuclear test in the near future.
"We are in very close touch with our close allies and partners, starting with the Republic of Korea, also with Japan and others, to be able to respond quickly," he added, referring to South Korea by its official name.
Blinken said U.S. response to a North Korean nuclear test may include "short and longer-term adjustments to our military posture as appropriate."
The top U.S. diplomat reiterated that Washington remains committed to engaging in dialogue with Pyongyang.
"We urge the DPRK to refrain from further destabilizing activity," he said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"We call on the DPRK to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy, and indeed in that regard we are prepared, as we have been, to proceed with no preconditions," he added.
Blinken, however, also underscored the importance of keeping pressure on the recalcitrant country until it changes its behavior.
"Our goal, simply put, is a peaceful and stable region and world," he told the joint press conference at the state department. "Until the regime in Pyongyang changes course, we will continue to keep the pressure on."
Park said a new nuclear test will further isolate Pyongyang.
"If North Korea ventures into another nuclear test, I think that it will only strengthen our deterrence and also international sanctions. It will only isolate North Korea from the international community," he said, adding the allies will certainly push for a new U.N. Security Council resolution against North Korea if it goes ahead with a nuclear test.
The South Korean diplomat also said he and Blinken have agreed on the early reactivation of high-level alliance dialogue on extended deterrence, known as Extended Deterrence Strategy Consultation Group (EDSCG).
"The EDSCG will serve as a timely and effective mechanism to discuss concrete extended deterrence measures, as well as to send North Korea a firm message," said Park.
He added the countries have agreed to reactivate the strategic dialogue at the earliest date possible "because it deals with Korean security, peace and stability, and also including the timely deployment of strategic assets when necessary."
The strategic dialogue between Seoul and Washington was suspended in 2018 amid the fervor of engagement with Pyongyang, which included three inter-Korean summits, as well as two historic U.S.-North Korea summits in 2018 and 2019.
North Korea has since avoided any denuclearization talks. It also remains unresponsive to any U.S. overture since the Joe Biden administration took office early last year.
13. Yanggang Province calls on security and police officials to help resolve food shortages
Is this an indicator of the party losing central governing effectiveness? The loss of central government condition is one of the two conditions (along with the loss of coherency and support of the military) that could lead to internal instability and regime collapse. This bears watching.
Yanggang Province calls on security and police officials to help resolve food shortages - Daily NK
"The party committee is essentially passing responsibility for resolving food shortages onto security and police officials," a source told Daily NK
2022.06.14 2:47pm
FILE PHOTO: A group of North Korean security officers are seen at a park in Wonsan, Kangwon Province. (Daily NK)
Yanggang Province’s party committee recently ordered local security and police agencies to help resolve food shortages in the province.
A source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Friday that at an emergency meeting held late last month, the provincial party committee discussed entrusting the Ministry of State Security and Ministry of Social Security with helping households suffering from food shortages.
“City and country branches of the Ministry of State Security and Ministry of Social Security in the province have ordered their district-level security and police officers to report by mid-June how they have helped resolve the food problems of at least five households,” he said.
People in the province are suffering from the worst food shortages ever, the source reported.
According to him, a growing number of people in Samsu County and Kapsan County are so weak from the lack of food that they just lie at home, suggesting that an increasing number of people cannot go to work because they have no food to eat. In fact, a total of 30% of people living in the Sampo and Yonhung villages in Kapsan County are unable to get up and leave their homes, he added.
The provincial party committee held the emergency meeting to discuss ways to resolve this situation. The Ministry of State Security and Ministry of Social Security are considered more powerful than other government agencies and have the economic power to make a difference, which explains why the provincial government tasked them with helping to resolve the food shortages.
Security and police officials in North Korea are tasked with monitoring their assigned districts for “ideological deviants.” The provincial party committee appears to have ordered them to help because they are in the best position to know which families are suffering from the lack of food.
However, North Korean authorities have also cut rations for the families of security and police officials due to economic troubles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the order amounts to telling them to “empty their own pockets to resolve the problems of food-short families,” the source said.
“The party committee is essentially passing responsibility for resolving food shortages onto security and police officials,” he added.
Unsurprisingly, the province’s security and police officials are complaining about the order. They think it is absurd that they are being told to resolve the food problems of families short of food when things are economically tough enough due to COVID-19, the source said.
For example, a security officer in Hyesan complained that many households have run out of rice with the city’s lockdown lasting nearly a month, and that “food doesn’t fall from the sky for free.”
The families of security and police officials also find the order bewildering as they, too, are suffering food shortages.
“Some people even ask why the local lockdowns continue when the propaganda says the number of fever cases is declining,” the source added.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
14. US to keep up North Korea pressure; Seoul urges China to use influence
My recommendation for the way ahead:
The way ahead is an integrated deterrence strategy as part of the broader strategic competition that is taking place in the region. There is a need for a Korean “Plan B” that rests on the foundation of combined ROK/U.S. defensive capabilities and includes political warfare, aggressive diplomacy, sanctions, cyber operations, and information and influence activities, with a goal of denuclearization but ultimately the objective must be to solve the “Korea question” (e.g., the unnatural division of the peninsula) with the understanding that denuclearization of the north and an end to human rights abuses and crimes against humanity will only happen when the Korea question is resolved to achieve a free and unified Korea; otherwise known as a United Republic of Korea (UROK).
US to keep up North Korea pressure; Seoul urges China to use influence
By Hermes Auto The Straits Times3 min
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin in Washington, DC on June 13, 2022. PHOTO: AFP
WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The United States will maintain pressure on North Korea until Pyongyang changes course, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday (June 13), while his South Korean counterpart urged China to persuade the North not to resume nuclear testing.
Blinken told reporters following a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin the United States remained open to dialogue with North Korea but Pyongyang had ignored the calls and instead tested missiles and made preparations to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017.
"Until the regime in Pyongyang changes course, we will continue to keep the pressure on," Blinken told reporters, referring to US-led international sanctions on North Korea.
Park said any provocations by North Korea, including a nuclear test, would be met with a united and firm response and urged China to use its influence.
Park said North Korea was at a crossroads - it could go ahead with a nuclear test and isolate itself, or return to diplomacy and dialogue. "I also think China should play a very positive role to persuade North Korea that maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula requires their new thinking," he said.
Park said he and Blinken had agreed on early reactivation of an extended deterrence working group, a policy body dealing with the US nuclear umbrella that protects South Korea. He said the body deals with deployment of strategic assets when necessary, but did not elaborate.
Blinken said Washington was prepared to make short and longer-term adjustments to its military posture, as appropriate. Blinken said he expected the working group would be back up and running in weeks ahead and said Washington and Seoul were committed to discussing how to expand the scope and scale of their combined military exercises.
Blinken said the United States had noted the appointment of North Korea's first female foreign minister last week, key nuclear negotiator Choe Son Hui, but added that the US approach to a country was based its policies, not individuals.
Blinken also said Washington would continue to impose sanctions on Chinese and Russian individuals and entities aiding North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.
China's UN envoy told Reuters last week Beijing does not want to see another North Korean nuclear test, which is partly why it vetoed a US-led bid to impose new UN sanctions on Pyongyang over renewed ballistic missiles launches.
But Ambassador Zhang Jun warned against making presumptions on how Beijing might react to a seventh test, which Washington has warned could happen at "any time."
In recent years China and Russia have been pushing for an easing of sanctions on North Korea on humanitarian grounds - and in the hope that it can be convinced to return to negotiations.
15. North Korea plans crackdown as Kim pushes for internal unity
Again, who does Kim Jong un fear the most, the US and the ROK/US military or the Korean people living in the north? It is the Korean people living in the north especially when armed with information about the South.
An internal crackdown may be an indicator of cracks in the regime.
North Korea plans crackdown as Kim pushes for internal unity
AP · by HYUNG-JIN KIM · June 13, 2022
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his top deputies have pushed for a crackdown on officials who abuse their power and commit other “unsound and non-revolutionary acts,” state media reported Monday, as Kim seeks greater internal unity to overcome a COVID-19 outbreak and economic difficulties.
It wasn’t clear what specific acts were mentioned at the ruling Workers’ Party meeting on Sunday. But possible state crackdowns on such alleged acts could be an attempt to solidify Kim’s control of his people and get them to rally behind his leadership in the face of the domestic hardships, some observers say.
Kim and other senior party secretaries discussed “waging a more intensive struggle against unsound and non-revolutionary acts including abuse of power and bureaucratism revealed among some party officials,” the official Korean Central News Agency said.
Kim ordered the authority of the party’s auditing commission and other local discipline supervision systems to be bolstered to promote the party’s “monolithic leadership” and “the broad political activities of the party through the strong discipline system,” KCNA said.
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Kim has previously occasionally called for struggles against “anti-socialist practices” at home in the past two years amid outside worries about his country’s fragile economy that has been battered by pandemic-related border shutdowns, U.N. sanctions and his own mismanagement.
The North’s elevated restrictions on movement in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak could cause a further strain on the country’s economic difficulties, some experts say.
North Korea on May 12 admitted the omicron variant of the coronavirus had infected people, and it subsequently has said about 4.5 million people — more than 17% of its 26 million people — have fallen ill with fevers and only 72 have died. Foreign experts widely doubt the outbreak was North Korea’s first, and they believe the statistics being disclosed in state media are manipulated to prevent political damage to Kim while bolstering internal control and promoting his leadership.
During a Workers’ Party conference last week, Kim claimed the pandemic situation has passed the stage of “serious crisis” and ordered officials to remedy “the shortcomings and evils in the anti-epidemic work” and take steps to build up the country’s anti-pandemic capability.
AP · by HYUNG-JIN KIM · June 13, 2022
16. Biden hopes to "work together" with Xi on North Korea amid U.S.-China feud
I hope China would help too. But I do not think we can count on China to help solve ROK and US security issues.
Biden hopes to "work together" with Xi on North Korea amid U.S.-China feud
Newsweek · by Tom O'Connor · June 13, 2022
President Joe Biden's administration is looking to foster renewed diplomacy with China with a close eye on the nuclear threat looming over the Korean Peninsula, a subject of the latest talks between top officials from Washington and Beijing.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Commission Director Yang Jiechi met Monday in Luxembourg for a four-and-half-hour session of discussion that a senior Biden administration official described as "candid, in-depth, substantive and productive" during a press call later that same day.
A readout issued by the White House offered few details of the meeting, simply saying that the two men discussed "a number of regional and global security issues, as well as key issues in U.S.-China relations," and Sullivan "underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to manage competition between our two countries."
The senior administration official, however, noted that among the areas of international affairs discussed by Sullivan and Yang were Russia's war in Ukraine and Washington's "Indo-Pacific" strategy, including the recent uptick in engagement with allies, partners and other countries in the region.
Specifically, the official said that Sullivan "raised concerns about Beijing's recent decision to veto a resolution at the U.N. Security Council amid North Korea's exploratory tests and indications that Pyongyang is preparing its nuclear test site for a possible weapons test."
North Korea has been under intensive international sanctions since conducting its first nuclear weapons test in 2006, but the ruling Kim dynasty has pressed on with five more tests over the years, including the latest and most powerful demonstration yet, carried out in September 2017 under Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
North Korea has yet to resume nuclear testing, but it carried out its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch in nearly five years in March, marking the furthest departure to date from a failed peace process launched by the U.S. and the two rival Koreas in early 2018.
China, an ally of North Korea, has traditionally supported sanctions against North Korea, but the issue has become overshadowed in recent years by a growing geopolitical rivalry between Beijing and Washington.
"I think that this scenario is one where the United States and China have had a history of cooperation, a history of [having the] ability to work together with aligned interests," the senior Biden administration official said. "I think what I would say is that each side laid out their positions and the way we see the situation."
"And certainly," the official added, "Jake made very clear that we believe this is an area where the United States and China should be able to work together."
Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese embassy in Washington for comment.
Central Foreign Affairs Commission Director Yang Jiechi (L) and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan (R) meet alongside their respective delegations for talks in Rome, Italy, on March 14. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The latest high-level interaction between U.S. and Chinese officials came just a day after the South Korean military's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported traces of North Korean multiple-launch rocket system fire. If confirmed, the test would mark the most recent in a series of demonstrations including a series of eight ballistic missile launches last week.
North Korea's state-run media has been largely silent on the launches, however, largely focusing on the country's attempts to rein in its first publicly acknowledged COVID-19 outbreak and anti-corruption efforts led by Kim.
Washington and Seoul, for their part, have taken the opportunity to reemphasize their alliance. As Sullivan sat down with Yang on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin in Washington.
"We are coordinating closely with each other on the threat posed by the DPRK's unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs," Blinken told a press conference alongside Park. "The recent increase in Pyongyang's ballistic missile testing has raised tension throughout the Indo-Pacific region and beyond."
And he reiterated the Biden administration's position on pursuing both deterrence and diplomacy with North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"We continue to pursue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and let me emphasize that the United States has absolutely no hostile intent for the DPRK," Blinken said. "We're open to dialogue without preconditions. We want to support the people of North Korea, including with COVID-19 vaccines. Indeed, we have offered our help consistently throughout the pandemic and again during the awful surge that they are now enduring, which comes on top of severe economic and humanitarian crisis."
Park said the U.S. and South Korea shared a common assessment of North Korea's recent moves and declared that "any North Korean provocations, including a nuclear test, will be met with a united and firm response from our alliance and the international community."
"We expressed special concern over North Korea's increasingly aggressive rhetoric regarding the use of tactical nuclear weapons," Park said. "And we agreed that the North Korea issue is one of the top policy priorities for the United States and the Republic of Korea. Continuous provocations will only lead to strengthen deterrence of the alliance and stronger international sanctions measures with a shared understanding of the importance of extended deterrence."
At the same time, the top South Korean diplomat also echoed Blinken's commitment to unconditional dialogue with North Korea, saying Seoul was prepared "to take a more flexible and open-minded approach to diplomacy" with Pyongyang.
Park appealed to North Korea not to further isolate itself through another nuclear test and to China to play a constructive role in de-escalating tension in the region.
"China should play a very positive role to persuade North Korea that maintaining peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula requires their new thinking and also making a right decision at this important critical juncture," Park said. "So I really hope that North Korea can look to the future and make the right decision."
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un presides over a meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Korean Workers' Party on June 12. Korean Central News Agency
The meeting came just two days after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
A Pentagon readout said the two men also discussed North Korea's recent missile launches as they "decided to coordinate closely on responses to future DPRK provocations and re-affirmed that trilateral cooperation with Japan sends a strong deterrent signal to the region."
Biden visited South Korea and met with newly sworn-in President Yoon Suk-yeol last month as the first stop in the U.S. leader's debut trip to Asia since taking office last year. He then went on to travel to Japan, where he met with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and participated in a meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a coalition consisting of the U.S., Australia, India and Japan.
The Quad has been criticized by Beijing as an attempt by Washington to establish a geopolitical bloc dedicated to countering and containing China's influence in Asia.
The senior Biden administration official on Monday's press call declined to discuss the possibility of a new call or meeting between the U.S. leader and Chinese President Xi Jinping but said that it was expected there would be "additional potential meetings in the months ahead" among representatives of the two top powers.
Speaking at a press briefing Tuesday, Beijing time, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters that "both sides agreed that it is necessary and useful to maintain open lines of communication," but said he had no more information to provide on the matter.
This article has been updated to include remarks from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.
Newsweek · by Tom O'Connor · June 13, 2022
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
