Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

“If we are to have another contest… Of national significance, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon’s, but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other.”

– Ulysses, S Grant, 1875

"The less talent they have, the more pride, vanity and arrogance they have. All these fools, however, find other fools who applaud them."

– Erasmus, 1509

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If...if...We didn't love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation.... We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.”

– Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn , The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956

1. Joint Statement by President Joseph R. Biden of the United States of America and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea on U.S.-ROK Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula

2. Yoon, Biden warn any N.K. nuclear attack will be met with 'overwhelming,' 'decisive' response

3. Top US official for North Korea resigns after less than year in role

4. Foreign Ministry to Maintain Close Communication Amid Resignation of Top US Official on N. Korea

5. S. Korea urges Japan to drop its repeated claims to Dokdo in defense white paper

6. Yoon wraps up NATO summitry focusing on cooperation against N. Korea-Russia alignment

7. S. Korea pledges $24 mln for NATO's assistant package for Ukraine

8. Seoul’s defense ministry to revamp North Korea policy office over new threats

9. N. Korean fishery to start exporting products to China

10. Why North Korea is shunning Chinese tourists who used to be cash cow for regime

11. North Korea executes 30 teens for watching South Korean TV shows: Report

12. Experts, officials urge pressure on Pyongyang to improve human rights at Seoul forum

13. South Korea, U.S. form 'integrated' extended deterrence system on sidelines of NATO summit

14. South Korea to deploy 'StarWars' laser weapons targeting North Korean drones

15. North Korea doubles down on English education amid growing tensions with US

16. 59 pct of N. Korean defectors advocate for changing legal terminology: survey

17. DP launches task force to prevent anti-Pyongyang leafleting campaign

18. FM Cho meets Blinken to discuss alliance, joint response to N. Korea-Russia cooperation

19. Yoon returns home from U.S. trip focused on security

20. Biden's North Korea strategy under scrutiny following top US nuclear envoy's resignation

21. Yoon welcomes Germany's application for UNC membership

Although there will continue to be for many reasons, there should be no question about the commitment.:

Excerpt:

The Presidents reaffirmed their commitments in the U.S.-ROK Washington Declaration and highlighted that any nuclear attack by the DPRK against the ROK will be met with a swift, overwhelming and decisive response. President Biden reiterated that the U.S. commitment to extended deterrence to the ROK is backed by the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear. President Yoon reiterated that the ROK’s full range of capabilities will greatly contribute to the Alliance’s combined defense posture.

Joint Statement by President Joseph R. Biden of the United States of America and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea on U.S.-ROK Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/07/11/joint-statement-by-president-joseph-r-biden-of-the-united-states-of-america-and-president-yoon-suk-yeol-of-the-republic-of-korea-on-u-s-rok-guidelines-for-nuclear-deterrence-and-nuclear-operations-o/

President Joseph R. Biden of the United States of America (U.S.) and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (ROK) met on July 11, 2024 to reaffirm the advancements in U.S.-ROK security cooperation on extended deterrence since their announcement of the U.S.-ROK Washington Declaration in April 2023. The progress made since the establishment of the U.S.-ROK Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) demonstrates the truly global, comprehensive, strategic alliance between the two countries, the ever-stronger mutual defense relationship, and our shared interest in peace, stability, and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The NCG was established as an enduring bilateral consultative body that has implemented the U.S.-ROK Washington Declaration, directly strengthened U.S.-ROK cooperation on extended deterrence, and managed the threat to the nonproliferation regime posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The NCG has facilitated joint U.S.-ROK nuclear and strategic planning with a focus on ensuring the continued safety and security of the people of the ROK, as well as the U.S. servicemembers deployed to the Korean Peninsula, in the face of the advancing nuclear threat posed by the DPRK. The NCG contributes to the efforts by the U.S-ROK Alliance to enable joint planning and execution for ROK conventional support to U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency. The NCG also facilitates continuous improvement to U.S.-ROK combined exercises and training activities, including through regularized table-top exercises and whole-of-government simulations.

President Biden and President Yoon commend and endorse the tremendous progress that the U.S.-ROK Alliance has achieved in the first year of the NCG, as evidenced by the signing of the U.S.-ROK Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula (“Guidelines document”) by the U.S. Department of Defense and the ROK Ministry of National Defense. The Presidents underscored that the Guidelines document provides a solid foundation for enhancing U.S.-ROK extended deterrence cooperation in an integrated manner. The Guidelines document provides guidance to Alliance policy and military authorities in maintaining and strengthening a credible and effective nuclear deterrence policy and posture. The Presidents reiterated the need to continue to make swift progress on NCG workstreams, including security protocols and expansion of information sharing; nuclear consultation processes in crises and contingencies; nuclear and strategic planning; ROK conventional support to U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency through conventional-nuclear integration; strategic communications; exercises, simulations, training, and investment activities; and risk reduction practices.

The Presidents reaffirmed their commitments in the U.S.-ROK Washington Declaration and highlighted that any nuclear attack by the DPRK against the ROK will be met with a swift, overwhelming and decisive response. President Biden reiterated that the U.S. commitment to extended deterrence to the ROK is backed by the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear. President Yoon reiterated that the ROK’s full range of capabilities will greatly contribute to the Alliance’s combined defense posture.

2. Yoon, Biden warn any N.K. nuclear attack will be met with 'overwhelming,' 'decisive' response

Again, there should be no question.

Strategic reassurance and strategic resolve.

Yet, the calls for South Korea nuclear weapons or deployment of US nuclear weapons to Korea will continue.

So I fear we are all walking into KIm Jong Un’s political warfare trap. Neither US nuclear weapons in the ROK nor the ROK’s development of its own nuclear weapons will significantly contribute to deterrence or "Increased" deterrence. Instead, Kim is looking at these debates with pleasure because they support his major objective of dividing the alliance. This is the issue we should be focusing on: how to protect the alliance. Those calling for nuclear weapons in the ROK are supporting KJU’s political warfare strategy and are actually contributing to the weakening of deterrence.

(2nd LD) Yoon, Biden warn any N.K. nuclear attack will be met with 'overwhelming,' 'decisive' response | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · July 12, 2024

(ATTN: UPDATES with press briefing; ADDS photo)

By Kim Eun-jung

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden warned Thursday that any North Korean nuclear attack against South Korea will be met with a "swift, overwhelming and decisive" response, as they highlighted "tremendous" progress in their joint deterrence efforts.

Following their meeting on the margins of a NATO summit in Washington, they issued the warning in a joint statement that commended the signing of the allies' nuclear deterrence guidelines designed to ensure the credibility of America's "extended deterrence" commitment to South Korea in an integrated manner.

"The presidents reaffirmed their commitments in the U.S.-ROK Washington Declaration and highlighted that any nuclear attack by the DPRK against the ROK will be met with a swift, overwhelming and decisive response," the statement read.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) and U.S. President Joe Biden shake hands during their meeting held on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit held in Washington D.C. on July 12, 2024. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

ROK and DPRK stand for the official names of South Korea and North Korea, the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, respectively.

Seoul's defense ministry and the Pentagon signed the "Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula" in an apparent deterrence message amid growing concerns over North Korea's unceasing pursuit of advanced nuclear and missile programs and its deepening military alignment with Russia.

The guidelines document is a key byproduct of the allies' Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) launched last July based on the Washington Declaration that Yoon and Biden issued at their White House summit last April to enhance the credibility of the United States' extended deterrence.

Extended deterrence refers to the U.S.' commitment to defend its ally with all of its military capabilities, including nuclear arms.

In their joint statement, the two leaders highlighted the alliance's readiness to face down North Korean threats.

"Biden reiterated that the U.S. commitment to extended deterrence to the ROK is backed by the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear," it said. "Yoon reiterated that the ROK's full range of capabilities will greatly contribute to the alliance's combined defense posture."

Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo explains President Yoon Suk Yeol's attendance to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington during a press briefing on July 12, 2024. (Yonhap)

The signing comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty during last month's summit in Pyongyang, which has stoked security concerns over the two countries' tightening military alignment.

Their meeting is seen as part of efforts to reaffirm Washington's security commitment to South Korea as deepening relations between Russia and North Korea are refueling the debate over whether South Korea should have its own nuclear program.

The deterrence guidelines involve South Korea's role to provide conventional military support for U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency.

The NCG sets up the guidelines for joint efforts to enable "joint planning and execution" for South Korea's conventional support for U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency, the statement said.

"The NCG also facilitates continuous improvement to U.S.-ROK combined exercises and training activities, including through regularized table-top exercises and whole-of-government simulations," it noted.

South Korea and the U.S. will conduct Ulchi Freedom Shield, a joint, combined, and interagency exercise held in late August that will reflect some of the guidelines for the first time.

First Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo said the NCG document provides both principles and guidelines for the alliance's nuclear deterrence policy and nuclear operations.

"This is the first time that it has been explicitly stated in a document that U.S. nuclear assets will be assigned to missions for deterring and responding to North Korean nuclear threats," Kim said in a press briefing.

"The U.S.-ROK alliance, which has been based on conventional forces, has now been firmly elevated to a nuclear-based alliance," he added.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · July 12, 2024

3. Top US official for North Korea resigns after less than year in role

This headline, while technically accurate, is somewhat disingenuous. Yes she only replaced Ambassador Sung Kim this past fall but she was his deputy for the past four years as well as the Deputy Assistant secretary of State for EAP for the past four years. all the while working on the Korea issue as well as many other issues from alliances to the South Pacific Islands. The headline seems to imply she could not last a year.

Top US official for North Korea resigns after less than year in role

Jung Pak’s departure leaves Biden administration without leader on DPRK issues as Pyongyang expands its nuclear arsenal

https://www.nknews.org/2024/07/top-us-official-for-north-korea-resigns-after-less-than-year-in-role/?t=1720790584

Ifang Bremer July 10, 2024

Jung H. Pak | Image: U.S. Department of State, edited by NK News

The top U.S. official for North Korea policy has resigned after less than a year in the role, leaving the Biden administration without high-level leadership on peninsula issues as it faces growing DPRK nuclear threats.

The State Department confirmed that Jung H. Pak left her job as U.S. senior official for the DPRK last week, without commenting on the reason for her resignation.

“She has stepped down, and we do thank Dr. Pak for her tireless dedication and strong leadership on DPRK,” department spokesperson Michael Miller told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday.

Miller said Assistant Secretary of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Dan Kritenbrink will oversee DPRK policy for the State Department going forward.

Pak previously served as deputy assistant secretary for multilateral affairs from 2021 to 2023, and she took over the role of senior official for the DPRK last year from Sung Kim, who retired in Dec. 2023.

Before joining the State Department, Pak was a researcher at the Brookings Institute and an analyst at the CIA. She authored a book about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after pivoting from her career in national security.

Benjamin Engel, a research professor at Seoul National University’s Institute of International Affairs, told NK News that Pak was one of the architects of President Joe Biden’s North Korea policy that has seen Washington focus on enhancing trilateral cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo.

“The U.S. remained committed to dialogue but North Korea basically refused,” he said. “The Biden administration has been committed to strengthening alliances, especially with South Korea and Japan, and sought to restart humanitarian assistance [to North Korea.]”

The expert declined to speculate about the reason for Pak’s resignation but noted that such high-level jobs “can be difficult and taxing on families and people.”

“Obviously, if there was disagreement, that would be significant. But I don’t think there are any signs of that,” Engel said.

Joshua Stanton, a Washington-based sanctions expert and author of the One Free Korea blog, told NK News that Pak is a “smart woman of sound judgment who could not be better at her job than this administration allowed her to be. I’m sad it has lost her voice of reason.”

While serving in the role, Pak said the U.S. and North Korea should take “interim steps” toward denuclearization, appearing to soften Washington’s repeated calls for Pyongyang’s “complete denuclearization” in recognition of the fact that this won’t be immediately achievable.

But experts told NK News that the U.S. was sticking to the goal of denuclearization rather than embracing arms controls, stating that the Biden administration was unlikely to convince Pyongyang to engage in diplomacy.

North Korea has continued to test new weapons throughout 2024, including new tactical missiles with a “super-large warhead” and a multiple warhead missile, while strengthening military ties with Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Edited by Bryan Betts

4. Foreign Ministry to Maintain Close Communication Amid Resignation of Top US Official on N. Korea

Of course there is depth to the bench so there will be no trouble maintaining close communication. On the other hand we might make the case as to whether we need all these special envoys and special positions and why can't the already appointed secretaries (under and deputy, and deputy assistant) have these issued as part of their normal portfolios.

Foreign Ministry to Maintain Close Communication Amid Resignation of Top US Official on N. Korea

world.kbs.co.kr

Politics

Written: 2024-07-11 17:08:59 / Updated: 2024-07-11 17:09:59

Photo : YONHAP News

Foreign ministry says it will maintain close communication with its allies following the recent resignation of a top U.S. official on North Korea policy.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, a ministry official said that South Korea is maintaining close communication with the United States and Japan after Jung Pak resigned as the head of North Korea policy at the U.S. State Department last week.

Pak took over the post after Sung Kim earlier this year, and also doubled as the chief representative for North Korean nuclear negotiations.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday that Seth Bailey, the Director for the Office of Korean and Mongolian Affairs at the State Department, will serve as the Deputy Special Representative for North Korea, adding there is no announcement of a successor for now.

While the Seoul government continues to express confidence in South Korea-U.S. cooperation against North Korea, there are still concerns that the Biden administration's role in diplomacy with the regime may diminish amid increased provocations and strengthening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

List

Editor's Pick

world.kbs.co.kr

5. S. Korea urges Japan to drop its repeated claims to Dokdo in defense white paper

The two countries must put national security and national prosperity first while managing these historical issues.

(2nd LD) S. Korea urges Japan to drop its repeated claims to Dokdo in defense white paper | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · July 12, 2024

(ATTN: REWRITES lead; UPDATES with more details in paras 5-6; ADDS photo)

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea strongly protested Friday after Japan restated its territorial claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo as the foreign and defense ministries called in senior officials at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to lodge a complaint.

The move came as the Japanese government adopted the 2024 defense white paper at a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, in which it reiterated the argument that Takeshima, the Japanese name for Dokdo, is part of its own territory and the issue over the territorial claims to the set of outcroppings "still remains unresolved."

Dokdo has long been a recurring source of tension between the two neighbors, as Tokyo continues to make the sovereignty claims in its policy papers, public statements and school textbooks.

South Korea maintains a small police detachment on the islets, effectively controlling them.

This photo shows the page in Japan's latest defense white paper showing South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo marked with a blue circle just above the northwest of Japan on July 12, 2024. (Yonhap)

Kim Sang-hoon, director general for Asian and Pacific affairs, called in Taisuke Mibae, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, to protest against Tokyo continuing to make false claims about Dokdo.

Earlier in the day, the defense ministry summoned a defense attache from the embassy to protest Japan's move and called for the immediate correction and future prevention of such actions.

"We strongly protest against Japan's unjust claims to Dokdo, which is clearly our inherent territory historically, geographically and by international law, and we urge Japan to retract the statement immediately," Lim Soo-suk, foreign ministry spokesperson, said in a commentary.

South Korea will take stern action against any action by Japan in relation to Dokdo and Tokyo's claims to the islets do little to change the fact that it belongs to South Korea, Lim said.

Lim added that Japan also should realize that its Dokdo claims do not help efforts to move bilateral relations forward in a future-oriented manner.

Last month, South Korea's foreign ministry dismissed Japan's protest over South Korea's routine maritime survey around the rocky islets.

Taisuke Mibae, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, walks into the South Korean foreign ministry's headquarters on July 12, 2024, as the ministry called him in to protest against Tokyo's repeated claims to Dokdo in its defense white paper. (Yonhap)

elly@yna.co.kr

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · July 12, 2024

6. Yoon wraps up NATO summitry focusing on cooperation against N. Korea-Russia alignment

Yoon wraps up NATO summitry focusing on cooperation against N. Korea-Russia alignment | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 12, 2024

By Song Sang-ho and Kim Eun-jung

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol concluded his trip to the United States Thursday, rallying support from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members to counter deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, and reaffirming his diplomatic credo based on universal values.

Yoon attended the NATO summit in Washington, where the leaders of the 32-member alliance and its four Indo-Pacific Partners -- South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand -- discussed cooperation in supporting Ukraine and addressing a series of shared challenges, including disinformation and cybersecurity.

His attendance at the summit came after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty during their summit in Pyongyang last month, escalating concerns about the security implications of their military alignment.

On the margins of the summit, he met bilaterally with a series of world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

During a meeting on Thursday, Yoon and Biden reiterated their readiness to face down North Korean threats, warning that any North Korean nuclear attack against South Korea will be met with a "swift, overwhelming and decisive" response.

"Biden reiterated that the U.S. commitment to extended deterrence to the ROK is backed by the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear," the leader's joint statement read. "Yoon reiterated that the ROK's full range of capabilities will greatly contribute to the alliance's combined defense posture."

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks as he arrived at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington on July 11, 2024 to attend a NATO summit. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

ROK and DPRK stand for the official names of South Korea and North Korea, the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, respectively.

The summit between Yoon and Biden coincided with the signing of the allies' joint nuclear deterrence guidelines in a milestone of bilateral endeavors to sharpen cooperation against evolving North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

Also on Thursday, Yoon and the NATO secretary general met and reached an agreement on the sharing of information regarding North Korean weapons used in Russia's war in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Yoon and Kishida met bilaterally and agreed to reinforce security cooperation with the transatlantic alliance as Seoul and Tokyo have been aligning themselves closely to tackle Pyongyang's advancing threats.

During a NATO public forum on Thursday, Yoon took a swipe at burgeoning cooperation between Russia and North Korea, calling it a "collusion of convenience."

"Russia wants North Korea to actively engage in anti-American, anti-Western rhetoric while serving as its arsenal," he said. "North Korea hopes that Russia will provide it with advanced military technology and energy resources and also help them weaken the monitoring of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions."

At the forum, he also voiced concerns over "new and challenging forces" that reject an "international order based on universal values and norms."

"Autocratic regimes maintain their power by restricting freedoms of their own citizens and subjecting them to constant surveillance. The collusion of those who advocate for altering the status quo through force directly challenges the peace and prosperity established by the free world," he said.

"At this moment, the security of both Europe and Asia is a simultaneously under threat. This is why IP4 countries have attended the NATO summit for the third consecutive year."

IP4 refers to NATO's four Indo-Pacific partners -- South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

While in Washington, he also met with other foreign counterparts, including Czech President Petr Pavel.

In his meeting with Pavel, Yoon highlighted South Korea's nuclear technology, production capacity and financial packages needed to build advanced nuclear reactors, Park Chung-sup, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, told reporters in a briefing.

The talks come as South Korea's state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and France's state-owned utility EDF are competing to win the bid to build four 1,200-megawatt nuclear reactors in Czech.

Before arriving in the U.S. capital, Yoon visited U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, where he stressed the importance of combined defense capabilities between South Korea and the U.S. to counter North Korean threats.

An official welcoming reception marking the 75th founding anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in progress at the White House in Washington on July 10, 2024. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 12, 2024

7. S. Korea pledges $24 mln for NATO's assistant package for Ukraine

It is in South Korea's national interests to come to the aid of a fellow democracy. It is what a global pivotal state that chooses to be a peaceful nuclear power, that is a partner in the arsenal of democracy, that defends the rules based in international order must do.

S. Korea pledges $24 mln for NATO's assistant package for Ukraine | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · July 12, 2024

By Kim Eun-jung

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol unveiled a plan Thursday to double South Korea's contributions to a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) trust fund for Ukraine to US$24 million next year, in yet another show of support for the war-torn country.

Yoon announced the plan during a session of NATO allies and partners held in Washington, where participants discussed how to support Ukraine ravaged by Russia's ongoing invasion.

"(South Korea) will continue to provide security support, humanitarian aid and reconstruction assistance (to Ukraine)," Yoon said. "Next year, we will double our contribution to NATO's Ukraine Trust Fund compared to this year."

In June, South Korea contributed $12 million for the NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine Trust Fund that will support the military medical clinical treatment rehabilitation center project.

South Korea provided $100 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine in 2022 and has pledged $150 million in short-term aid in 2023, and $300 million in short-term aid for this year.

It will also offer $2 billion in long-term, low-interest loans via the Economic Development Cooperation Fund beginning next year and provide 200 power generators to support Ukraine's energy sector.

President Yoon Suk Yeol (4th from L) attends a session of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's allies and partners held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington on July 11, 2024. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

Yoon's attendance at this year's NATO summit has drawn keen attention as South Korea said it would reconsider its ban on sending lethal weapons to Ukraine in response to a sweeping military pact between North Korea and Russia, but no new measure was announced during the summit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned it would be a "big mistake" if Seoul sent arms to Ukraine, while President Yoon insisted Seoul's decision would depend on Moscow's approach to its military cooperation with Pyongyang.

Seoul officials are concerned that Moscow could provide technological assistance to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile program in return for its munitions and weapons support for Russia's war in Ukraine.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · July 12, 2024

8. Seoul’s defense ministry to revamp North Korea policy office over new threats

Policy to strategy.

Excerpts:

Shin Seung-ki, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, told NK News that the restructuring efforts are aligned with the Yoon administration’s policy direction on Pyongyang and reflect Seoul’s response to the geopolitical developments in the region.

The expert noted that Seoul’s existing “North Korea Policy Division” within the defense ministry was more suited to negotiations and various forms of cooperation with North Korea.

But given that currently “there is no conducive environment for dialogue and negotiations as in the past,” the direction has now evolved to reflect growing Russia-DPRK ties and other security threats to the ROK.

Seoul’s defense ministry to revamp North Korea policy office over new threats

Restructuring to reportedly shift office's focus from military engagement to sanctions amid frozen inter-Korean ties

https://www.nknews.org/2024/07/seouls-defense-ministry-to-revamp-north-korea-policy-office-over-new-threats/?utm

Joe Smith | Joon Ha Park July 11, 2024

South Korean defense minister Shin Won-sik oversees operational command for F-35A fighter jets at the ROK 17th Fighter Wing’s runway control center. | Image: ROK Defense Ministry (Jan. 24, 2024)

South Korea’s defense ministry is restructuring its North Korea policy office to enhance its ability to respond to DPRK threats, reportedly seeking to focus more on sanctions enforcement.

The existing North Korea Policy Division has been renamed as the North Korea Strategy Division to “proactively counter the escalating nuclear and missile threats and various provocations from North Korea,” the ministry told NK News.

While the defense ministry offered scant details on the restructuring, such as a timeline for changes to take effect, South Korean media reported that the newly revamped office will shift its focus from facilitating inter-Korean military engagement to developing new and more effective policies for enforcing sanctions against Pyongyang.

This follows the collapse of a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, which Seoul fully suspended in response to North Korea’s recent trash balloon launches and continued weapons development.

Several South Korean government ministries have reshuffled and restructured departments and offices focused on North Korea since last year, seeking to bring their operations in line with the Yoon administration’s more hardline stance toward Pyongyang.

In Sept. 2023, the unification ministry announced a decision to cut 81 staffers and eliminate entire divisions related to inter-Korean dialogue. Experts warned NK News at the time that such a move could undermine the institution’s efforts to promote peaceful ties with Pyongyang.

The foreign ministry also downgraded divisions responsible for North Korean affairs in May, including its headquarters for denuclearization talks, while demoting its top nuclear envoy in the process.

North Korea too has taken steps to overhaul inter-Korean bodies amid the deterioration of ties with South Korea. At the end of last year, leader Kim Jong Un deemed unification “impossible” and called for eliminating organizations related to this issue, leading to a widespread purge of all things inter-Korean.

Shin Seung-ki, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, told NK News that the restructuring efforts are aligned with the Yoon administration’s policy direction on Pyongyang and reflect Seoul’s response to the geopolitical developments in the region.

The expert noted that Seoul’s existing “North Korea Policy Division” within the defense ministry was more suited to negotiations and various forms of cooperation with North Korea.

But given that currently “there is no conducive environment for dialogue and negotiations as in the past,” the direction has now evolved to reflect growing Russia-DPRK ties and other security threats to the ROK.

Edited by Alannah Hill

9. N. Korean fishery to start exporting products to China

The buried lede: The regime cannot tolerate private trading.

Excerpt:

The factory is also cracking down on its own workers, the source said, telling them never to give its products to private traders.

N. Korean fishery to start exporting products to China - Daily NK English

The company is certain that the joint venture with China will yield positive results

By Jeong Seo-yeong - July 11, 2024

dailynk.com · by Jeong Seo-yeong · July 11, 2024

Fish at the Donghae Area Seafood Enterprise. (Screen capture from the North Korean media outlet Seogwang)

The Taegyong General Fishery Enterprise in Kimchaek will soon send its first export products to China after building a processing plant with imported equipment through a joint venture with its giant neighbor, Daily NK has learned.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Monday that Taegyong General Fishery Enterprise “completed a factory capable of fishing, processing and health and product quality control in mid-June with seafood processing equipment imported through a joint venture with China.” He said the factory had started production and would send its first export items to China on July 10.

According to the source, the Chinese side established a factory in North Korea as a joint venture to sell processed seafood produced in North Korea worldwide, while the North Korean side hopes to earn foreign exchange by exporting to China.

“The factory is ready and staffed with workers and officials,” the source said. “Technical transfers related to fish processing have already taken place, so the factory has a certain production capacity. All that remains is to produce goods and export them.”

Optimism abounds ahead of first exports

Taegyong General Fishery Enterprise is confident that the establishment of the factory as a joint venture with China and its production of export items will serve as a foothold for bilateral trade and economic cooperation. The company is also certain that the joint venture will yield positive results – namely, giving the company world-class competitiveness through the latest processing technology and health and product quality management systems.

In particular, the company appreciates how the factory provides a sustainable base for foreign exchange earnings. It also plans to strengthen its competitiveness in international markets through continuous technical innovation and improved product quality.

The company even said it hopes local residents will enjoy continuous exchanges with China, and looks forward to more joint ventures to improve people’s lives.

“Ahead of the launch of its first export products, the factory is pushing its workers, telling them that the items flawlessly processed in a more sanitary environment must boldly appear throughout the world through China,” the source said. “It is urging workers to plan their organized activities well so that there are no cracks in production, including quality inspections.”

The factory is also cracking down on its own workers, the source said, telling them never to give its products to private traders.

Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons.

Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean

dailynk.com · by Jeong Seo-yeong · July 11, 2024

10. Why North Korea is shunning Chinese tourists who used to be cash cow for regime

I offer this additional comment from my good friend and colleague from north Korea, Hyun Seung Lee, that I think is important.

Hyun Seung Lee:

My take: North Korea's economic woes aren't due to external factors. It's so-called leader, KJU focused on personal gain, not the people. Plus, tensions with Xi Jinping are likely to stay high.

From the article below:

Hyun-seung Lee, a defector from an elite North Korean family, suggested the “strained relationship” between leaders Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un is likely affecting the DPRK’s current stance on Chinese tourism.

“In North Korea, policy decisions are driven more by the personal judgment and mood of the leader than by national interest,” he said, despite the fact that Chinese tourism could provide “greater financial gains for Kim personally.”

ANALYSIS

Why North Korea is shunning Chinese tourists who used to be cash cow for regime

https://www.nknews.org/2024/07/why-north-korea-is-shunning-chinese-tourists-who-used-to-be-cash-cow-for-regime/

DPRK has only allowed Russian tours to date, a trend experts say bodes poorly for tourism industry and broader reopening

Joe Smith July 10, 2024

North Koreans in the city of Chongjin | Image: NK News (Sept. 2019)

North Korea has slowly restored important aspects of its relationship with China as it has emerged from its pandemic isolation over the last year, ramping up trade, welcoming diplomats and delegations, and resuming exchanges of students and business people.

But nearly five years since COVID-19 spread around the world, Pyongyang still has given no indication of when it will allow Chinese tourists to return, despite previously netting the regime close to $200 million in foreign currency per year and the resumption of tourism from Russia.

Experts told NK News that a range of factors may be leading the DPRK to shun this potential source of revenue, from lingering virus concerns and questions about profitability to strained ties as North Korea focuses on relations with Moscow.

But they said the shutting out of Chinese travelers doesn’t bode well for the future of the North Korean tourism industry or a broader reopening to the outside world, as it continues to turn away humanitarian workers, Western diplomats and others.

SHUTTING OUT CHINA

Before the DPRK sealed its borders, NK News estimated that more than 350,000 Chinese tourists visited North Korea in 2019, the most ever. Experts assessed international tourism brought in around $175 million that year, with China responsible for roughly 95% of that total.

But all tourism to North Korea came to a halt when the country closed its borders to even its own citizens in early 2020.

Since then, the DPRK has evidently remained a place of fascination to many Chinese citizens. The 2021 opening of Changbai Millennium Cliff City on the two countries’ border allowed visitors to peek into the North Korean city of Hyesan, and there has been a reported increase in tourism since last year to the Chinese border city of Dandong, formerly the point of departure for group tours to the DPRK’s Sinuiju.

North Korea has also continued the construction of tourism infrastructure in recent years, most notably the Wonsan-Kalma beach resort on the east coast. Experts say the size of the resort suggests that the DPRK may have built it with Chinese tourists in mind.

Pyongyang even adopted a law on “revitalizing” tourism last year, suggesting that it hasn’t given up on the industry.

However, the DPRK has only allowed a few hundred Russian sightseers to enter the country since February, prompted by closer ties between the countries. The numbers remain far below pre-pandemic levels, and experts have expressed skepticism about the growth potential for tours from Russia, with at least one scheduled tour canceled due to a lack of demand.

Balazs Szalontai, a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University, suggested that the DPRK’s reluctance to allow Chinese tourists to return may stem from its reduced need for the foreign income they can provide.

The large numbers of Chinese that visited before the pandemic “was a source of legitimate income for North Korea,” he explained, while the fact that tourism isn’t sanctioned meant “China could uphold the image of adhering to international rules and simultaneously helping out North Korea.”

“Now the situation is quite different, as Russia and, to a lesser extent, China is much less willing to sanction the DPRK,” Szalontai told NK News.

Both China and Russia have vetoed additional sanctions resolutions on North Korea in recent years, and they played a key role in the recent disbanding of the U.N. Panel of Experts that monitored the implementation of sanctions against the Kim regime.

Szalontai said DPRK authorities may still be concerned about COVID-19 as well, while not wanting to be “overwhelmed” by large numbers of Chinese visitors like in the past.

Hyun-seung Lee, a defector from an elite North Korean family, suggested the “strained relationship” between leaders Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un is likely affecting the DPRK’s current stance on Chinese tourism.

“In North Korea, policy decisions are driven more by the personal judgment and mood of the leader than by national interest,” he said, despite the fact that Chinese tourism could provide “greater financial gains for Kim personally.”

But Ben Crowley of Saiga Tours told NK News that tourism “ultimately brings very little in the way of foreign currency” to the DPRK, making it of relatively little importance to the regime.

Allowing small numbers of Russian tourists to visit was likely a political decision that North Korea made at the Kremlin’s request to make “closer relations more palatable to the Russian people.”

“Chinese individuals can now also enter North Korea on business visas,” he said, which shows that “China-DPRK relations are primarily business, whereas Russia-DPRK relations are political.”

North Korean saleswomen waving their hands in front a shop entrance at the Mount Kumgang Tourist Region in North Korea | Image: Eric Lafforgue (Sept. 2011)

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

Experts emphasized that Pyongyang’s stance on Chinese tourism could serve as a bellwether for broader policies on reopening to the world.

Zoe Stephens of Koryo Tours told NK News that there is still a lot of uncertainty about how North Korea plans to resurrect its tourism industry.

“There could be a slow opening” that allows Chinese tourists before Western visitors, or a “general opening” to all, depending on the political climate, she said.

Either way, she said North Korea is clearly “not eager” to reopen to tourism, assessing that the foreign currency tourists supplied must have had a “minimal impact” on the country.

Crowley said he doesn’t think North Korea will continue to use tourism for primarily “political ends” like it is now, but he stressed that COVID-19 and U.S.-China tensions have created a “unique time in post-Cold War history” that makes it hard to anticipate what will come next.

Lee said North Korea might limit the number of Chinese tourists if it does allow them to return, suggesting that Pyongyang will “prioritize relations with Russia and continue to disregard China” as it attempts to reduce its “economic and political dependence” on Beijing.

North Korea’s attitude to shutting out Chinese tourism may also have broader implications for the return of Western diplomats and humanitarian workers, Stephens said, stating these groups that the DPRK views as more “invasive” will likely be “last in line.”

Currently, several Western countries are still waiting to reopen embassies in Pyongyang that they shuttered during the pandemic. There have also been no updates on when humanitarian organizations can return amid concerns over citizens’ needs after enduring years of pandemic-related shortages.

For now, the future of Chinese tourism to the DPRK remains unclear.

Tour Beijing, a Chinese company that organizes tours to the DPRK, told NK News on Monday that it hopes to resume operations in North Korea by 2025 but is waiting for “official notification” from relevant authorities.

Oct. 6 notably marks the 75th anniversary of bilateral ties between Beijing and Pyongyang, and this could provide a basis for further cooperation and even a summit between the two countries’ leaders.

Until then, Stephens believes North Korea is in “absolutely no rush to reopen.”

Edited by Bryan Betts

11. North Korea executes 30 teens for watching South Korean TV shows: Report

Although not confirmed, it is likely to have occurred on some scale. The important point is that Kim fears external information more than almost anything else.

Thursday

July 11, 2024

dictionary + A - A

Published: 11 Jul. 2024, 18:57

Updated: 11 Jul. 2024, 19:43

North Korea executes 30 teens for watching South Korean TV shows: Report

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-07-11/national/northKorea/North-Korea-executes-30-teens-for-watching-South-Korean-TV-shows-Report/2088417

North Korea executed around 30 middle school students for watching South Korean dramas, as shown in a report from TV Chosun. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

North Korea has reportedly executed around 30 teenage students for watching South Korean dramas.

Citing a South Korean government official, local cable channel TV Chosun reported on Thursday that the North Korean authorities publicly shot the middle school students last week for allegedly watching South Korean dramas stored on USBs.

These USBs allegedly had been sent via balloons by North Korean defector groups from Seoul last month.

The South Korean Unification Ministry declined to confirm the report.

"However, it is widely known that North Korean authorities strictly control and harshly punish residents based on the three so-called 'evil' laws, including the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act," a ministry official told reporters Thursday under the condition of anonymity.

"The 2024 North Korean Human Rights Report published by the ministry also records cases of executions for watching South Korean dramas," the official added.

The North's Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act, enacted in December 2020, mandates the death penalty for those distributing South Korean media and up to 15 years in prison for viewers.

The law also targets books, songs and photos, with a clause that imposes up to two years of forced labor for using South Korean speech or singing styles.

Last month, to curb the spread of South Korean culture within their borders, North Korean authorities sentenced some 30 teenagers, around 17 years old, to life imprisonment and death.

Earlier this year, a public trial video showed two 16-year-old boys being sentenced to 12 years of forced labor for watching South Korean dramas. The video, produced by North Korean authorities for internal ideological indoctrination, also depicted Pyongyang women being punished for imitating clothing and hairstyles from South Korean dramas.

The 2024 North Korean Human Rights Report includes testimonies from defectors, revealing harsh punishments for residents exposed to South Korean culture or food.

According to the report, North Korean authorities classify wearing a white dress instead of a traditional hanbok at weddings, drinking from wine glasses and wearing sunglasses as "reactionary behavior." Words like appa (dad) and ssaem (teacher) are also prohibited.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]

12. Experts, officials urge pressure on Pyongyang to improve human rights at Seoul forum

Human rights upfront is a key element to a pressure campaign.

However, we must focus on human rights because it is the right thing to do because of the suffering of the Korean people in the north. It is also a national security issue because Kim must deny human rights in order to stay in power.

Thursday

July 11, 2024

dictionary + A - A

Published: 11 Jul. 2024, 19:27

Updated: 11 Jul. 2024, 19:49

Experts, officials urge pressure on Pyongyang to improve human rights at Seoul forum

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-07-11/national/northKorea/Experts-officials-urge-pressure-on-Pyongyang-to-improve-human-rights-at-Seoul-forum/2088478

From second left, U.S. special envoy on North Korean human rights Julie Turner, former Secretary-General of the UN Ban Ki-moon, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Unification Minister Kim Young-ho and UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea Elizabeth Salmon pose for a photo during the Seoul Forum on North Korean Human Rights 2024 held at City Hall in central Seoul on Thursday. [NEWS1]

The top U.S. envoy for North Korean human rights called on the international community to press Pyongyang for “concrete progress” in a forum held in central Seoul on Thursday.

“This fall, the international community has numerous opportunities, including the upcoming General Assembly committee meeting and the DPRK’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), to press for concrete progress on human rights,” said Julie Turner, the U.S. special envoy on North Korean human rights, at the Seoul Forum on North Korean Human Rights held at City Hall in central Seoul.

DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

“We should step up as an international community to continue implementing the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) and subsequent special rapporteurs’ reports to the international community and member states.”

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) Report on North Korean Human Rights.

Turner’s remarks were made as she participated in the forum as a panelist to discuss the status of human rights issues in North Korea and international cooperation strategies. The American special envoy on North Korean human rights visited Seoul this week for the annual North Korea Freedom Week, which culminates in North Korean Defectors’ Day on Sunday.

During the session, Turner highlighted the significance of the Yoon Suk Yeol government’s actions to recognize the critical role of defectors and escape community members.

“Democracy takes work, and it is a government’s role to be responsive to the people,” she said.

Noting that the human rights situation in Pyongyang is “inextricably linked to international peace and security,” the special envoy stressed that diplomacy represents the only “viable path toward peace and to reiterate dialogue” with the North on any issue.

Other delegates and experts, including UN Special Rapporteur Elizabeth Salmon, stressed the necessity of international cooperation and contributions from civil society to improve North Korean human rights during the forum.

Salmon urged the Kim Jong-un regime to change its practices that violate human rights.

“The unwillingness or inability of the DPRK to fulfill its duty must trigger the obligation of other states to act,” Salmon said, stressing that those responsible for human rights violations must be held accountable.

She encouraged member states to “make the most of the forthcoming UPR of North Korea at the Human Rights Council set to be held in November.” She called on North Korea to report on the implementation of its 132 accepted recommendations made during the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review in May 2019. The recommendations include “granting access to the UN and other humanitarian organizations to provide assistance to the most vulnerable groups” and “maintaining the design of action to guarantee the well-being of its population.”

Thursday’s discussion marks the first forum on North Korean human rights issues held by a local government in Korea.

In his welcoming remarks, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon highlighted the importance of addressing and improving North Korean human rights, as evidenced by the testimonies of escapees.

“The task at hand is to have a correct understanding of the realities of human rights in North Korea, systematically pursue follow-up measures to the North Korean Human Rights Act enacted in 2016, and actively cooperate with the United Nations, allied nations and the international community to further improve human rights in North Korea,” Oh said.

Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the UN, also underscored the importance of "looking ahead to the next 10 years."

In his congratulatory remarks, Ban said, “We must explore various international measures, including those by the UN, to address the long-term and widespread human rights violations [in North Korea] and continue to bring them to public attention.

"We need to keep knocking on North Korea's door so that its residents become aware of their human rights situation and the ongoing movements on their behalf in the outside world. Additionally, we must ensure that the testimonies of North Korean defectors about the human rights abuses they experienced continue to be heard.”

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]

13. South Korea, U.S. form 'integrated' extended deterrence system on sidelines of NATO summit

Integrated deterrence. Integrated extended deterrence.

Friday

July 12, 2024

dictionary + A - A

Published: 12 Jul. 2024, 14:21

Updated: 12 Jul. 2024, 14:36

South Korea, U.S. form 'integrated' extended deterrence system on sidelines of NATO summit

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-07-12/national/defense/South-Korea-US-form-integrated-extended-deterrence-system-on-sidelines-of-NATO-summit/2088985?detailWord=

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, and U.S. President Joe Biden shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit on Washington on Thursday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday reaffirmed the Washington Declaration, which strengthened the South Korea-U.S. alliance to a nuclear-based partnership last year, and announced a statement on a set of guidelines jointly adopted by the Defense Ministry and the Pentagon aimed at strongly responding to North Korea’s nuclear provocations.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington.

The "Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula" adopted by South Korea's Defense Ministry and the U.S. Defense Department confirmed that “any nuclear attack by the DPRK against the ROK will be met with a swift, overwhelming and decisive response,” referring to the North and South Koreas by their official names, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea.

“All categories of South Korean capabilities will greatly contribute to the joint defense posture of the South-U.S. alliance,” said Yoon. “An integrated extended deterrence system has been established between Seoul and Washington.”

Yoon, Kishida pledge closer cooperation in wake of North Korea-Russia pact at NATO summit

Yoon arrives in Hawaii, begins U.S. trip for NATO summit

Yoon to head to U.S. next week to attend NATO summit, visit Indo-Pacific Command

NATO invites Korea to summit for third consecutive time

“The United States’ extended deterrence commitment to South Korea is supported by the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear,” said Biden.

“The progress made since the establishment of the U.S.-ROK Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) demonstrates the truly global, comprehensive, strategic alliance between the two countries, the ever-stronger mutual defense relationship, and our shared interest in peace, stability and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” the two leaders said in the joint statement announcing the newly adopted guidelines.

“The NCG was established as an enduring bilateral consultative body that has implemented the U.S.-ROK Washington Declaration, directly strengthened U.S.-ROK cooperation on extended deterrence, and managed the threat to the nonproliferation regime posed by the DPRK,” the statement continued. “The NCG has facilitated joint U.S.-ROK nuclear and strategic planning with a focus on ensuring the continued safety and security of the people of the ROK, as well as the U.S. service members deployed to the Korean Peninsula, in the face of the advancing nuclear threat posed by the DPRK.”

Yoon and Biden further discussed “security protocols and expansion of information sharing; nuclear consultation processes in crises and contingencies; nuclear and strategic planning; ROK conventional support to U.S. nuclear operations in a contingency through conventional-nuclear integration; strategic communications; exercises, simulations, training, and investment activities; and risk reduction practices,” according to the statement.

“The main task of the South Korea-U.S. NCG has been to prepare a document providing principles and guidelines for the alliance’s nuclear deterrence policy and nuclear closure,” said Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the National Security Office, during a briefing in Washington on Thursday after the two leader’s meeting. “Today, the two countries’ defense ministries made an official signature, and the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. approved it through a joint statement, completing the nuclear deterrence and operation guidelines.”

The presidential office said an integrated extended deterrence system between South Korea and the United States has been established. An integrated system means that U.S. nuclear power and South Korea’s cutting-edge conventional power are integrated to surpass and respond to North Korean nuclear provocations simultaneously.

"Whereas traditional extended deterrence was determined and provided by the United States, it now means that our organization, people and assets in nuclear operations on the Korean Peninsula have evolved into extended deterrence with the United States," Kim said. “And the United States has confirmed that it will allocate the nuclear assets needed to deter and respond to North Korea to the Korean Peninsula mission in wartime and peacetime."

This means not only responding to an actual nuclear attack but also trying to understand North Korea's movements to determine if it intends to attack.

This would require the activation of U.S. nuclear forces, including nuclear submarines, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and strategic bombers.

"This is the first time that U.S. nuclear assets will be assigned to missions to deter and respond to North Korea," Kim said. "It's a clear upgrade from a conventional forces-based alliance to a nuclear-based alliance."

Meanwhile, NATO's Indo-Pacific Four Partners (IP4), which includes South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, issued a separate joint statement on Thursday condemning the heightened military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

"We express grave concern over the increasing military and economic cooperation commitment between the Russian Federation and the DPRK, as highlighted by the signing of the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership, which is contrary to multiple UN Security Council resolutions," read the statement. "We urge the Russian Federation and the DPRK to abide by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and immediately cease all such activities that violate these resolutions."

Yoon is currently traveling back from Washington to Seoul after wrapping up a four-day trip.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]

14. South Korea to deploy 'StarWars' laser weapons targeting North Korean drones

Is this a game changer?

South Korea to deploy 'StarWars' laser weapons targeting North Korean drones

By Ju-min Park

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-deploy-starwars-laser-weapons-targeting-north-korean-drones-2024-07-11/

July 10, 202410:26 PM EDTUpdated 2 days ago

A view shows caution signs on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea, January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

SEOUL, July 11 (Reuters) - South Korea will deploy laser weapons to shoot down North Korean drones this year, becoming the world's first country to deploy and operate such weapons in the military, the country's arms procurement agency said on Thursday.

South Korea has called its laser programme the "StarWars project".

The drone-zapping laser weapons the South Korean military has developed with Hanwha Aerospace (012450.KS), opens new tab are effective and cheap, with 2,000 won ($1.45) per shot, but quiet and invisible, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in a statement.

"Our country is becoming the first country in the world to deploy and operate laser weapons, and our military's response capabilities on North Korea's drone provocation will be further strengthened," DAPA said, calling those weapons as a game changer in the future battlefield.

The laser weapons shoot down flying drones by burning down engines or other electric equipment in drones with beams of light for 10 to 20 seconds, a DAPA spokesperson explained at a briefing.

Five North Korean drones crossed into South Korea, which is technically still at war with Pyongyang, in December, prompting Seoul to scramble fighter jets and attack helicopters, and try to shoot them down, in the first such intrusion since 2017.

Fighting in the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, and a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas.

North and South Korea have both violated the armistice that governs their shared border by sending drones into each other's airspace, the United States has said.

Countries including South Korea, China and the United Kingdom are racing to develop and deploy laser weapons, also known as directed energy weapons, according to a U.S. nonprofit think tank RAND Corporation.

There's substantial interest in those weapons to help counter the proliferation of unmanned systems, as well as targeting missiles in flight or satellites in orbit, the think tank has said.

($1 = 1,382.1500 won)

Get the latest news and expert analysis about the state of the global economy with Reuters Econ World. Sign up here.

Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Michael Perry

15. North Korea doubles down on English education amid growing tensions with US

Say what you will about north Korea, the regime is practical in this respect.

Excerpts:

In the Kim Jong Un era, English has become an essential means to benefit from developments in global business and technology.

Lee Hyun Seung, a North Korean escapee and former chair of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League branch in Dalian, China, told VOA’s Korean Service that one of the reasons behind Kim Jong Un’s push for the English use was linked to the advancement of technology.

“You need to know English to learn about information technology,” said Hyung Seung, who now lives in the United States.

Accordingly, North Korea’s English language education has increasingly focused on enhancing pragmatic skills.

A comparative analysis by VOA’s Korean Service of North Korean English textbooks and other educational materials produced before and after the 2013 education reform confirms this trend.

North Korea doubles down on English education amid growing tensions with US

July 12, 2024 7:40 AM

By Young Gyo Kim
Kim Hyungjin

voanews.com · July 12, 2024

In contrast to the open hostility toward the United States, North Korea has been doubling down on English education in its public schools under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, according to North Korea internal documents, textbooks and other educational materials reviewed by VOA’s Korean Service.

North Korea is typically wary of American influence flowing into the country, warning its citizens against “a rotten Yankee culture.” The isolated country’s state-run media, however, is touting the value of English language education.

North Korea’s Korean Central Broadcasting Television last month aired clips of interviews with North Korean teachers, stressing the importance of English education.

“Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un has told us in particular about strengthening education in computer technology and foreign language,” Ahn Sung Ae, principal of Pyongyang’s Sangshin Middle School, said in one of the clips. “In the education contents, including the foreign language, we are encouraged to teach the students in a more practical manner.”

The state-run television network also ran footage of a new “English learning room” for students at public schools.

Under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, North Korea has increased its hostility toward the United States and escalated tensions with a series of weapons tests, violating multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.

In June, North Korea tested a multiple-warhead missile, which is intended to strike multiple targets in the United States.

59 pct of N. Korean defectors advocate for changing legal terminology: survey | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · July 12, 2024

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- Nearly 60 percent of North Korean defectors believe there is a need to change the legal term describing them, citing persistent negative perceptions associated with it, according to a survey released on Friday.

The survey was conducted by the Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-run think tank, ahead of the official day for North Korean defectors, which falls on Sunday and was designated for the first time this year.

South Korea has a longstanding policy of accepting any North Korean defectors who want to live in the South and repatriating any North Koreans who stray into the South if they want to return. The total number of North Korean defectors came to 34,121, according to data from the unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs.

The survey showed that 58.9 percent of defectors responded that the term should be changed. In contrast, 28.9 percent of the respondents felt there was no need for a change, and 12.2 percent were unsure.

Among those who supported changing the term, 61 percent cited confusion and negative perceptions as the main reasons, it said.

When asked about their preferred alternative terms, 27.9 percent of the respondents chose "Hanamin," implying the unification of the two Koreas, followed by another term, "Bukhyangmin," meaning people whose hometown is North Korea.

The survey also highlighted a noticeable difference in perception between defectors and the general public regarding the level of support for defectors' settlement.

The survey showed 78.1 percent of the defectors believe that support should be increased while 48.6 percent of the general public felt that the current level of support should be maintained.

The government provides 26 million won (US$18,800) in settlement fees for a single household, along with additional support packages, such as job-seeking assistance and household expense subsidies, the unification ministry said.

"While continuing to use the official legal term 'North Korean Defector,' it might be beneficial to consider using 'Defector National' socially to emphasize their status as citizens," Lee Gyu-chang, a senior researcher, said.

The survey was conducted online from April 4 to April 11, targeting 500 general citizens and 505 North Korean defectors, all aged 18 and above.

The Korea Institute for National Unification holds a forum in Seoul on July 12, 2024. (Yonhap)

khj@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · July 12, 2024

17. DP launches task force to prevent anti-Pyongyang leafleting campaign

The DP supporting Pyongyang? Certainly its reaction is another indicator of the success of Kim's political warfare campaign. It would be useful if political leaders in the ROK and US understood Kim's political warfare campaign so they would not provide support to it as the DP is doing here.

DP launches task force to prevent anti-Pyongyang leafleting campaign | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · July 12, 2024

SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Friday launched a task force to prevent activists in South Korea from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets to North Korea.

The DP will also propose a bill that bans the distribution of leaflets in a measure intended to prevent provoking the North after it sent thousands of trash-carrying balloons to the South since late May.

"(The government and the ruling party) are hiding behind the rhetoric of freedom of expression while ignoring the anxiety and fear felt by residents in the border areas and the public," DP floor leader Park Chan-dae said during a ceremony at the National Assembly celebrating the launch of the group.

Lawmakers in the relevant standing committees will "actively support" measures that ban the "harmful and useless" distribution of leaflets, he added.

Rep. Yoon Hu-duk, head of the task force, also said he will come up with all possible measures to prevent activists from sending the leaflets at the scene.

For years, North Korean defectors in South Korea and conservative activists have sent to the North balloons carrying leaflets critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Park Chan-dae (C), floor leader of the Democratic Party, speaks during a launching ceremony of a task force to address the anti-Pyongyang leafleting campaign in Seoul on July 12, 2024. (Yonhap)

julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · July 12, 2024

18. FM Cho meets Blinken to discuss alliance, joint response to N. Korea-Russia cooperation

FM Cho meets Blinken to discuss alliance, joint response to N. Korea-Russia cooperation | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · July 12, 2024

SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul has met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit and discussed the two nations' alliance and ways to jointly deal with growing cooperation between North Korea and Russia, Cho's office said Friday.

Cho and Blinken held talks in Washington on Thursday (U.S. time) to discuss the latest outcome of the summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden, and ways to enhance bilateral nuclear cooperation and the allies' coordinated response to the Pyongyang-Moscow ties, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

In particular, they assessed that a joint declaration adopted after the summit affirmed Yoon and Biden's commitment to strongly respond to illegal cooperation between North Korea and Russia, it added.

On Thursday, Yoon held a bilateral meeting with Biden and adopted a statement on updating the guidelines for the Nuclear Consultative Group, which outlines the allies' planning and coordination of a joint nuclear response in case of North Korea's nuclear attacks.

Cho and Blinken also agreed to maintain close coordination between Seoul and Washington, as well as among South Korea, the United States and Japan, to send a powerful message condemning the North-Russia cooperation and North Korea's provocations at upcoming meetings of foreign ministers involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to be held in Laos later this month.

They also discussed facilitating communications between the two countries' high-level officials, according to the ministry.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (L) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) are seen in this photo provided by Cho's office on July 12, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

nyway@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · July 12, 2024

19. Yoon returns home from U.S. trip focused on security

Yoon returns home from U.S. trip focused on security | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · July 12, 2024

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol returned home Friday from his five-day trip to the United States that was focused on bolstering security against rising threats posed by deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia.

Yoon attended the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday as South Korea was invited to the summit for the third consecutive year as one of four Indo-Pacific partners alongside Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and first lady Kim Keon Hee arrive at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on July 12, 2024, returning from their trip to the United States to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Washington. (Yonhap)

During the main session and a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings, Yoon expressed concerns over North Korea's forging of a sweeping mutual defense pact with Russia last month, stressing the interlinked security between Europe and Asia.

On Thursday, Yoon held a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the summit to adopt a statement on updating the guidelines for the Nuclear Consultative Group, which outlines the allies' planning and coordination of a joint nuclear response in case of North Korea's nuclear attacks.

Ahead of the summit, Yoon visited Hawaii on Monday and Tuesday to meet U.S. military commanders at the Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees the U.S. Forces Korea and other key strategic posts in the Indo-Pacific region.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · July 12, 2024

20. Biden's North Korea strategy under scrutiny following top US nuclear envoy's resignation

Will the way forward be a shift to arms control versus denuclearization?

Biden's North Korea strategy under scrutiny following top US nuclear envoy's resignation

The Korea Times · July 11, 2024

Jung Pak, then-senior U.S. official for North Korean policy, speaks during a meeting between top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, Jan. 18. Pak recently stepped down from her position, according to the U.S. Department of State. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seok

Washington urged to increase efforts to halt Pyongyang-Moscow military cooperation

By Lee Hyo-jin

The U.S. Joe Biden administration's lack of engagement with North Korea has come under fresh scrutiny following the resignation of its top nuclear envoy without an immediate appointment of a successor, according to diplomatic observers Thursday.

According to the U.S. Department of State, Jung Pak, senior official for North Korean policy and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, recently stepped down.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a briefing on Tuesday that he did not have any additional personnel announcements following Pak's resignation.

He added that Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Dan Kritenbrink would continue to oversee North Korea policy, while Seth Bailey, director for the Office of Korean and Mongolian Affairs, would remain as the deputy special representative for North Korea.

South Korea's foreign ministry said Thursday that Bailey is expected to act as the U.S. counterpart to Seoul's top nuclear envoy, Lee Jun-il, director-general for Korean Peninsula policy.

Pak assumed her position at the end of 2023 following her predecessor Sung Kim. Notably, she was given the title of "senior official," differing from Kim's title of "special representative." This distinction had raised speculation about whether the Biden administration is reducing its focus on the North Korean issue.

Harry Kazianis, senior director of national security affairs at the Center for the National Interest, a Washington-based think tank, said that the absence of an immediate successor to Pak shows that "North Korea is not an important issue for Biden."

"Even though I give Washington and Seoul high praise for building up the alliance over the Biden presidency, Team Biden has done little to stop North Korea's missile and nuclear program from getting ever more dangerous," Kazianis told The Korea Times in an email.

The U.S. expert did not anticipate major ramifications in this stance, as the Biden administration does not consider North Korea an important foreign policy priority.

He said, "(Biden officials) have done little to press Russia or China to enforce sanctions, and, in fact, President Biden has never even given a major address on the North Korea issue itself as the exclusive topic of his remarks, something strange when you consider how dangerous the North Korea's missile and nuclear program have become ... He appears to accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state and sees very little he can do about it."

A news program shows file images of U.S. President Joe Biden and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on a TV screen at Seoul Station in the South Korean capital, July 22, 2023. AP-Yonhap

The Biden administration's policy in Northeast Asia largely focuses on bolstering trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan to counter North Korean threats and create a regional counterbalance to China. However, other global crises like the war in Ukraine and Middle East conflicts seem to have pushed the Korean Peninsula down the list of its policy priorities.

Joseph DeTrani, former U.S. special envoy to the six-party talks with North Korea, also viewed that the incumbent U.S. administration's approach to Pyongyang has not yielded fruitful results.

"Given North Korea's past desire to normalize relations with the U.S. — and others — and its recent decision to embrace Russia while supporting Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, I would have to say the Biden administration's approach to North Korea has not been effective," DeTrani said.

Regarding Pak's resignation, DeTrani suggested it might signal a reassessment of U.S. policy toward North Korea rather than indicating neglect of North Korean affairs. He noted that Pyongyang's increasing military ties with Moscow could have heightened the urgency of the Korean Peninsula issue among Washington officials.

The former diplomat also advised the United States and South Korean governments to renew efforts to engage with North Korea and confront the reality of growing ties between Russia and North Korea.

"That is something the Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol administrations need to address — and correct. Sanctions relief is what (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un asked for in Hanoi in 2019, and that is a tool we should use to re-engage with Pyongyang," DeTrani said.

The Korea Times · July 11, 2024

21. Yoon welcomes Germany's application for UNC membership

Another action under the radar at the NATO summit.

Yoon welcomes Germany's application for UNC membership

The Korea Times · July 11, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during their meeting on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday welcomed Germany's application to join the United Nations Command (UNC), a U.S.-led multinational command overseeing the armistice of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Yoon made the remark during his talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington.

"(South Korea) welcomes Germany's application for the UNC's membership," Yoon said during the meeting. "We look forward to Germany fulfilling its necessary role as a member of the UNC as soon as the related procedures are completed."

Germany's previous attempt to join the UNC was turned down in 2019 under the previous liberal government of President Moon Jae-in amid a reconciliatory mood with North Korea. Pyongyang has long called for dissolving the command.

The stance has changed under the conservative Yoon administration, which has sought to expand cooperation with UNC member states to deter North Korea's rising military threat.

"Earlier this year, Germany expressed its desire to rejoin the UNC to both South Korea and the U.S.," a senior presidential official told reporters. "The UNC has reviewed the request and the final review process by the U.S. Department of Defense is under way. We expect the membership to be finalized soon."

The 17-member UNC was established in 1950 to enforce the armistice and serve as a headquarters for potential troop contributions by U.N. sending states in the case of a crisis.

Germany provided medical assistance to South Korea from 1954-1959 but it was not recognized as a UNC member state because the armistice agreement was signed in July 1953.

During the talks, Yoon and Scholz expressed "grave concerns" over North Korea's continued provocations and deepening cooperation with Russia through a sweeping military agreement last month, vowing to expand security cooperation between NATO and South Korea. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · July 11, 2024

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."

Access NSS HERE

Company Name | Website

Joint Statement by President Joseph R. Biden of the United States of America and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea on U.S.-ROK Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula

(2nd LD) Yoon, Biden warn any N.K. nuclear attack will be met with 'overwhelming,' 'decisive' response | Yonhap News Agency

Top US official for North Korea resigns after less than year in role

Foreign Ministry to Maintain Close Communication Amid Resignation of Top US Official on N. Korea

Editor's Pick

(2nd LD) S. Korea urges Japan to drop its repeated claims to Dokdo in defense white paper | Yonhap News Agency

Yoon wraps up NATO summitry focusing on cooperation against N. Korea-Russia alignment | Yonhap News Agency

S. Korea pledges $24 mln for NATO's assistant package for Ukraine | Yonhap News Agency

Seoul’s defense ministry to revamp North Korea policy office over new threats

N. Korean fishery to start exporting products to China - Daily NK English

Why North Korea is shunning Chinese tourists who used to be cash cow for regime

North Korea executes 30 teens for watching South Korean TV shows: Report

Experts, officials urge pressure on Pyongyang to improve human rights at Seoul forum

South Korea, U.S. form 'integrated' extended deterrence system on sidelines of NATO summit

Related Article

Yoon, Kishida pledge closer cooperation in wake of North Korea-Russia pact at NATO summit

Yoon arrives in Hawaii, begins U.S. trip for NATO summit

Yoon to head to U.S. next week to attend NATO summit, visit Indo-Pacific Command

NATO invites Korea to summit for third consecutive time

South Korea to deploy 'StarWars' laser weapons targeting North Korean drones

North Korea doubles down on English education amid growing tensions with US

59 pct of N. Korean defectors advocate for changing legal terminology: survey | Yonhap News Agency

DP launches task force to prevent anti-Pyongyang leafleting campaign | Yonhap News Agency

FM Cho meets Blinken to discuss alliance, joint response to N. Korea-Russia cooperation | Yonhap News Agency

Yoon returns home from U.S. trip focused on security | Yonhap News Agency

Biden's North Korea strategy under scrutiny following top US nuclear envoy's resignation

Yoon welcomes Germany's application for UNC membership