Quotes of the Day:
“Beware of over concern for money or position, or glory. Someday you will meet a man who cars for none of these things. Then you will know how poor you are.”
- Rudyard Kipling
“Thinking is difficult, that’s why most people judge.”
- Carl Jung
“When books are rung out of school classrooms, and even out of school libraries, I etc kids, “Don’t get mad, get even, Don’t spend time waving signs or carrying petitions around the neighborhood. Instead, run, don’t walk, to he nearest non school library or to the local bookstore and get whatever it was that they banned. Read whatever they’re trying to keep out of your eyes and your brain, because that’s exactly what you need to know.”
- Stephen King
1. South Korea to create new command that would control strategic weapons
2. S. Korea to join U.S.-led space security exercise later this month
3. U.S. State Department adviser visits S. Korea for talks on alliance, N. Korea
4. F-35A Purchase Raises Questions Over South Korean Aircraft Carrier Program
5. Complaint filed against Moon gov't officials in repatriation of N.K. fishermen in 2019
6. N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases fall below 1,000: state media
7. North Korean COVID-19/Fever Data Tracker
8. S. Korea, US to Hold Combined Military Drill from Aug. 22
9. [EXCLUSIVE] Samsung going bigger in Texas with site enlargement plan
10. N. Korea tightens grip on the unauthorized use of mobile phones and computers
11. Yanggang Province encourages residents to comply with livestock excrement-related rules
12. Field maneuvers with U.S. grow under Yoon Suk-yeol
13. New U.S. envoy starts making the rounds
14. Speedy OPCON transfer unfeasible: experts
15. Korea seeks to launch space economy via moon landing
16. NATO summit poses both opportunities, challenges for Korea
17. Building value-based alliance with Washington
18. In Yongbyon, activity detected at nuclear waste storage facility for first time since 2016
19. S. Korean ambassador discusses alliance, NK nuclear issues with US deputy secretary
20. Construction of nuclear reactors in Korea to resume in 2024
21. Yoon resumes in-office interviews after just one day -- at a distance
1. South Korea to create new command that would control strategic weapons
Circular reporting. I have not seen too much other reporting on this. I wish the journalists would ask the questions about command relationships. What will be the relationship of this command to the ROK/US CFC in armistice and during war. We should keep in mind that it is the ROK./US CFC that is charged with deterrence and defense of the ROK.
I wonder if the ROK is creating this as a statement about the fact that the US maintains control of nuclear weapons through the USSTRATCOM. Is this a ROK statement that it will control its "strategic weapons" outside of the ROK/US CFC? Is this more about the alliance than about deterrence and defense?
South Korea to create new command that would control strategic weapons
SEOUL — South Korea will establish a strategic command by 2024 to oversee the country’s preemptive strike strategy and the assets to execute it, the Defense Ministry said during a meeting with the newly elected president.
During a July 6 seminar led by President Yoon Suk Yeol, the ministry discussed key defense policies meant to counter the threat of North Korean nuclear missiles, including the Kill Chain strategy and well as more efficient efforts to develop defense capabilities.
The ministry said the strategic command, which would fall under the purview of the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, is to integrate and efficiently operate all South Korean armed forces’ strategic weapons systems, currently controlled by each military branch individually. The command would also give the orders to subordinate military assets to strike enemy targets or intercept hostile missiles as part of the Kill Chain strategy and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation plan.
Kill Chain is a preemptive strike strategy that the South Korean military would implement against key North Korean military facilities, such as missile silos, when intelligence organizations confirm an imminent attack. KMPR involves the use of ballistic missiles and highly explosive weapons against an offensive nuclear attack. Its purpose is essentially the total destruction of North Korea’s capital Pyongyang.
The units and capabilities that would fall under the forthcoming strategic include:
- The Army’s Missile and Strategic Command, which operates Hyunmoo ballistic missiles.
-
The Air Force’s Missile Defense Command, which operates PAC-3 anti-air missiles, F-35A fighter jets and Global Hawk surveillance aircraft.
- The Navy’s 3000-ton submarines that feature sub-launched ballistic missiles.
- Military surveillance satellites.
- Cyberwarfare- and space-focused forces.
The military is also expected to adjust the duties of the Army’s Missile and Strategic Command and the Air Force’s Missile Defense Command.
“The key assets of Kill Chain and KMPR are individually managed by the Army, Navy and Air Force. I can assure that the STRATCOM [strategic command] would be highly efficient if those divided strategic assets of each military branch are combined as one single unit,” Uk Yang, the associate research fellow of Asan Institute for policy studies, told Defense News.
The former commander of the Air Force’s Air Defense Command, Myung-guk Kwon, agreed. “This means that one commander at a combined command center could execute offensive and defensive operations based on analyses of coherent information. I believe this will be an efficient command system.”
For the chain of command, a three-star general or admiral is expected to take the lead of the planned command, with the military branches taking turns to lead.
The Defense Ministry also said it plans to strengthen intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities; preemptive strike capabilities; and the country’s missile defense architecture.
Daehan Lee is a South Korea correspondent for Defense News. He previously worked at the U.S. and Belgian embassies in Seoul, for the People Power Party, and for election camps. He also served as a translator for the South Korean Navy. His interests include Asia-Pacific security, defense acquisition, South Korean politics and foreign policy.
2. S. Korea to join U.S.-led space security exercise later this month
Excerpts:
For this year's edition, Seoul plans to send two Air Force personnel, one official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and one from the state-run Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.
South Korea has taken part in the exercise as a full participant since 2018.
S. Korea to join U.S.-led space security exercise later this month | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to join a U.S.-led multinational space security exercise slated to begin later this month, its officials said Tuesday, as Seoul seeks to strengthen defense cooperation in the increasingly crucial security domain.
Led by the U.S. Space Command, the Global Sentinel exercise is set to take place from July 25-Aug. 3. It involves participants from 18 countries, including South Korea, according to the officials.
The exercise focuses on promoting collaboration among participating countries over combined space situational awareness operations.
"Our military plans to participate in the Global Sentinel to prepare against risks of possible clashes and drops in outer space," a Seoul official said on condition of anonymity.
For this year's edition, Seoul plans to send two Air Force personnel, one official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and one from the state-run Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.
South Korea has taken part in the exercise as a full participant since 2018.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
3. U.S. State Department adviser visits S. Korea for talks on alliance, N. Korea
Sustained high level diplomatic engagement with allies.
Excerpts:
It followed his department's announcement that he would make a two-day trip to South Korea from Monday for consultations on the alliance as well as regional and global affairs, including North Korea and Myanmar, which Washington calls Burma.
Serving at the rank of under secretary as a senior policy adviser to Blinken, he is tasked with conducting "special diplomatic assignments" as directed by the secretary, according to the department.
U.S. State Department adviser visits S. Korea for talks on alliance, N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- A key aide to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Tuesday with a South Korean foreign ministry official for discussions on the bilateral alliance and other issues.
State Department Counselor Derek Chollet tweeted that he had a meeting with Yeo Seung-bae, deputy minister for political affairs, in Seoul.
"We spoke about the U.S.-ROK Alliance and our joint efforts on regional and global issues. I appreciate the ROK's partnership on Burma," Chollet wrote, using the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. He stopped short of providing details.
In a Twitter message posted hours earlier, he wrote, "It's great to be in Seoul! The U.S.-ROK Alliance is the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and our nations are working closer than ever on a range of global issues."
It followed his department's announcement that he would make a two-day trip to South Korea from Monday for consultations on the alliance as well as regional and global affairs, including North Korea and Myanmar, which Washington calls Burma.
Serving at the rank of under secretary as a senior policy adviser to Blinken, he is tasked with conducting "special diplomatic assignments" as directed by the secretary, according to the department.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
Related Articles
4. F-35A Purchase Raises Questions Over South Korean Aircraft Carrier Program
Excerpts:
The CVX decision has been controversial since its announcement in the Mid-Term Defence Plan (MTDP) 2021-2025 published in 2020. It is the centrepiece of the RoKN’s ambition to become a blue water navy. It failed secure funding, despite a memorandum of understanding signed in October 2021 between Korean Aerospace Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries to design and develop CVX.
Kim said he believes that because it was assumed CVX would conduct operations in and around the Korean Peninsula, such as along the littorals of North Korea or near disputed islands like Dokdo (or Liancourt Rocks), it was not the best use of an expensive asset when alternatives were available.
The RoKN will likely need to highlight the advantage of a light aircraft carrier in order to have more support for the program, Kim said.
“This includes CVX’s contribution to multinational missions with the U.S. Navy and other regional allies and partners,” he said. “In this case, the CVX may carry out a greater role in dealing with the maritime threat from China, rather than Japan.”
F-35A Purchase Raises Questions Over South Korean Aircraft Carrier Program - USNI News
Republic of Korea Navy CVX carrier concept. RoK Navy Image
South Korea is expected to purchase 20 new F-35A Block 4 Lightning II stealth fighters for the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) – raising questions about the future of the South Korean aircraft carrier program.
A decision is expected to be announced later this month, according to local media reports, with the aircraft slated to be introduced no earlier than mid-2020s. But these plans indicate a wider shift in the defense posture of South Korea and signals a change in the threat priorities as viewed from Seoul.
There is speculation that the advance of the F-35A project will come at the expense of Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) plans for the procurement of a 30,000t light aircraft carrier – dubbed CVX – and a similar accompanying number of about 20 F-35B variant short take-off and vertical landing aircraft.
The stealthy F-35As for the RoKAF are designed to be used as pre-emptive strike and counter-strike assets that will target North Korean military installations and nuclear weapon launch facilities and storage sites. This brings the focus on potential threats directly on the Korean Peninsula and South Korea’s unstable neighbor. The RoKAF already has 40 F-35A Block 3 aircraft in-service.
Meanwhile, a light carrier is designed for operations against more distant threats in support of expeditionary operations further away from South Korea. The decision to buy the F-35As will likely mean a delay in the procurement of CVX. Both sets of aircraft are estimated to cost about $3 billion.
The change in priorities is a result of the recent change in government in Seoul, where, following elections in March, President Yoon Suk-yeol, from the People’s Power party, replaced the former President Moon Jae-in, from the Democratic Party of Korea.
Kim Jae Yeop, a defense and senior researcher at Sungkyun Institute for Global Strategy (SIGS), Sungkyunkwan University told USNI News that CVX had been a “landmark project” for Moon “who actively sought to expand the focus of Korea’s defense modernization beyond threats from Pyongyang.”
Two F-35A Lightning IIs from the 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, depart from a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 117th Air Refueling Squadron, Forbes Field Air National Guard Base, Kansas, over the Indo-Pacific, March 10, 2022. US Air Force Photo
Kim explained that one of the driving forces behind this expansion was to enable the RoKN to stand up to Japan following trade disputes and a naval clash in the East Sea in 2019. Moon wanted the navy to have its own carrier to confront the naval power of Japan after it decided to convert its two Izumo-class helicopter carriers into light carriers.
As a result, South Korea invested in Aegis-capable destroyers, new classes of submarine and a pair of Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) amphibious assault ships over the past two decades.
Yoon seems to have very different priorities for defense modernization.
“His government believes that bolstering deterrence on Pyongyang’s growing arsenal of weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, is more important and urgent,” Kim said.
That would mean the F-35A decision is the better option, Kim said. However, the RoKAF is limited by older aircraft.
The RoKAF has more than 400 aircraft in its inventory, but these include more than 100 1970s- and 1980s-vintage F-4 Phantom and F-5 fighters.
“These fighters are blamed for the loss of air force pilots due to a number of flight accidents,” Kim said.
These will be replaced with the introduction of indigenously built aircraft the KF-21 from 2026 and FA-50 light combat fighter as well as the F-35, he said.
The CVX decision has been controversial since its announcement in the Mid-Term Defence Plan (MTDP) 2021-2025 published in 2020. It is the centrepiece of the RoKN’s ambition to become a blue water navy. It failed secure funding, despite a memorandum of understanding signed in October 2021 between Korean Aerospace Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries to design and develop CVX.
Kim said he believes that because it was assumed CVX would conduct operations in and around the Korean Peninsula, such as along the littorals of North Korea or near disputed islands like Dokdo (or Liancourt Rocks), it was not the best use of an expensive asset when alternatives were available.
The RoKN will likely need to highlight the advantage of a light aircraft carrier in order to have more support for the program, Kim said.
“This includes CVX’s contribution to multinational missions with the U.S. Navy and other regional allies and partners,” he said. “In this case, the CVX may carry out a greater role in dealing with the maritime threat from China, rather than Japan.”
Related
5. Complaint filed against Moon gov't officials in repatriation of N.K. fishermen in 2019
This was a terrible action by the ROK government at the time. This is going to be an ugly scandal.
Complaint filed against Moon gov't officials in repatriation of N.K. fishermen in 2019 | Yonhap News Agency
By Kim Han-joo
SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- An organization monitoring North Korea's human rights filed a complaint Tuesday against 11 former ranking South Korean government officials over allegations that they mishandled the deportation of North Korean defectors in 2019.
In November 2019, the former Moon Jae-in administration sent back two North Korean fishermen captured near the eastern inter-Korean sea border. The two confessed to killing 16 fellow crew members and expressed a desire to defect, but authorities dismissed their intentions as insincere.
The investigation into a North Korean defector usually takes between 15 days and one month, but the probe at the time only took around three to four days, stoking suspicion that the Seoul government tried to repatriate the defectors in an effort to curry favor with Pyongyang.
On Tuesday, the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) asked the prosecution to investigate 11 former officials under the Moon government, including Chung Eui-yong, the then national security adviser.
Charges include abuse of power, dereliction of duty, destruction of evidence, and aiding and abetting criminals, the NKDB said.
The NKDB said the two fishermen at the time were South Korean nationals, in accordance with the Constitution, and sending them back to the North was a human rights violation and infringement of sovereignty.
Earlier, Seoul's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, also filed a complaint with the prosecution against its former chief, Suh Hoon, on allegations that he had ordered an early end to an internal investigation into the case.
khj@yna.co.kr
(END)
6. N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases fall below 1,000: state media
north Korea getting better while cases increase in the South?
(LEAD) N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases fall below 1,000: state media | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATE with details from 6th para)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases dropped below 1,000, according to its state media Tuesday.
More than 900 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters.
It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported.
The total number of fever cases since late April had come to over 4.76 million as of 6 p.m. Monday, of which 99.96 percent had recovered and at least 1,850 others are being treated, it added.
The North's daily fever tally has been on a downward trend after peaking at over 392,920 on May 15.
The North has further tightened its virus control and prevention measures near the border areas since it blamed "alien" materials found near its eastern border with South Korea as the source of its first coronavirus infection.
"An atmosphere of helping and controlling each other is further strengthened everyday to prevent contact with unusual objects or wild animals," the KCNA said in an English-language article.
On July 10 alone, North Korean authorities conducted strict inspection of river water collected from 15 city and county locations in border areas of the country, as well as drinking water from reservoirs and fishery units of the East and West Seas, it added.
Earlier this month, the North claimed its coronavirus outbreak originated from the "alien things" near the border, alluding to such materials as anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent in large-sized balloons by North Korean defector groups in South Korea.
North Korea disclosed its first COVID-19 case on May 12 after claiming to be coronavirus-free for over two years and implemented nationwide lockdowns.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
7. North Korean COVID-19/Fever Data Tracker
North Korean COVID-19/Fever Data Tracker
Article last updated on July 11, 2022.
After two years of claiming no confirmed COVID-19 cases, North Korea disclosed a nationwide outbreak on May 13 and launched emergency epidemic prevention measures. The epidemic began in late April.
Officially, only a handful of cases have been confirmed as COVID-19, with the rest attributed to an unidentified “fever.” This is likely due to insufficient testing capabilities, and many are assumed to be COVID-19 related, however, that might not be the entire picture. North Korean state media has been publishing daily data on the outbreak, which is featured below. 38 North will update these numbers daily as new information becomes available.
Current Situation
Two North Korean regions have reported no cases of Covid-19/fever for the first time since the government began providing epidemic data in mid May. Cases in Nampo and Kaesong hit zero on Saturday, July 9, according to figures broadcast on Korean Central Television on Sunday.
Both regions had once been among the worst affected by the outbreak but hit zero cases as numbers have consistently dropped nationwide since the end of May.
There were 1,280 new cases reported nationwide on Sunday and the total number of people under treatment at 6pm was 2,280.
8. S. Korea, US to Hold Combined Military Drill from Aug. 22
Good.
From my previous writing:
“Stern deterrence:" This is about revitalizing the ROK/U.S. military alliance and strengthening defense capabilities to include returning exercises to a level that will sustain readiness (and support OPCON transition) and reverse the dangerous trend established by the previous administration that was welcomed by the current Moon administration. The ROK/U.S. alliance cannot back down in the face of North Korean increased tension, threats, and provocations.
"How Joe Biden Can Push Back Against North Korea’s Political Warfare Strategy" https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/01/how-joe-biden-can-push-back-against-north-koreas-political-warfare-strategy/
S. Korea, US to Hold Combined Military Drill from Aug. 22
Posted July. 12, 2022 08:06,
Updated July. 12, 2022 08:06
S. Korea, US to Hold Combined Military Drill from Aug. 22. July. 12, 2022 08:06. by Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com.
The South Korean and U.S. military have tentatively agreed to conduct annual combined military exercises from Aug. 22 to Sept. 1. With the combined command post-training (CCPT) - a computer simulation-based training exercise - field training exercises (FTX) could also resume after a four-year hiatus.
According to the military authorities on Monday, the two countries will be conducting joint military drills from Aug. 22 to Sept. 1. During the combined military drills this fall, South Korea and the U.S. also plan to conduct a two-step assessment of the combined forces command’s Full Operational Capability (FOC), which is being led by South Korea after the OPCON transfer. In addition, they will discuss whether to resume the field training exercises, which have been practically suspended under the former Moon Jae-in administration. The two allies' new move came in line with the joint statement from the May summit between the two leaders, to begin a dialogue on expanding the "scope and scale" of combined drills against North Korea's evolving threats. That being said, even if the field training exercises restart, it would be difficult to hold a large-scale one, mobilizing troops and equipment at the regiment level or above considering the force employment of the U.S. troops and Covid-19 situations.
In the meantime, the ROK Air force, and the U.S. Air Forces in South Korea and Japan confirmed that they carried out military drills using a life-size mock warhead of Scud missiles as rehearsals for North Korea’s chemical attacks. Although South Korea and the U.S. have been holding military drills in key air bases to prepare for North Korea’s possible chemical attacks using short-range missiles, it was the first time they publicly confirmed that they had used a life-size mock warhead of Scud missiles.
The Department of Defense disclosed that the military drill was held at Suwon Air Base on Wednesday with the participation of U.S. soldiers from the JASDF Misawa Air Base in Aomori, Japan as well as EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) soldiers from the ROK Air force and the U.S. Air Forces in South Korea. It added that the drill was carried out to enhance the interoperability and preparedness of the ROK and the U.S. Air Forces by acquiring tactics on explosive ordnance disposal procedures.
9. [EXCLUSIVE] Samsung going bigger in Texas with site enlargement plan
Tuesday
July 12, 2022
[EXCLUSIVE] Samsung going bigger in Texas with site enlargement plan
Old and new investment zones. Areas outlined in red will be added. [CITY OF TAYLOR]
Samsung Electronics has applied to add land to the site of its Taylor, Texas, chip manufacturing site, increasing the footprint by almost 14 percent.
The Korean chip maker has filed a request with the city clerk to enlarge the boundaries of the existing investment zone, according to the documents on the City of Taylor website.
Two filings listed the expansion of investment zone as an agenda item for a city council meeting set for July 14.
The new land area totals 176.76 acres (71.5 hectares), the documents said, an equivalent to 13.9 percent of the existing 1,268-acre site.
"Samsung has submitted a request to amend the boundaries of the existing Reinvestment Zone # 2, to incorporate more properties purchased after the original ordinance was passed in September," the documents read.
"This only expands the footprint of the zone and makes the new properties eligible for any abatements," they read.
Samsung Electronics filed an application for a soon-to-expire tax incentive program in Texas in May.
The Suwon, Gyeonggi-based chipmaker plans to custom manufacture high-performing system-on-chips. The selection of the location is intended to get a better access to big clients, like Qualcomm and Tesla.
Construction site of the Samsung Electronics manufacturing facility in Taylor, Texas [YONHAP]
Underground utilities are being installed and building foundations are being established for the factory, which will sit on 138 acres of land.
A groundbreaking, which was supposed to have been held in the first quarter of 2022, has not been announced.
The company's plan to expand the size of the project site comes at a tricky time for chip manufacturers.
With weaker demand and a delay in the allocating of funds for the CHIPS Act in the United States, TSMC and Intel are postponing the building of their facilities in the country or delaying construction.
Intel said that its $20 billion project in Ohio is being put on hold because Congress has dragged its feet on funding, while a TSMC board member warned of delay.
"The addition of the land appears to be based on more long-term perspectives," said Jeong In-seong, a semiconductor specialist who authored "The Future of the Semiconductor Empire."
"As the pace of construction in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, shows, Samsung has shown a very flexible approach in adjusting production after it acquired a massive plot of land," Jeong said, projecting that the Taylor plants will produce chips marketed 5 nanometers or smaller.
Samsung Electronics started production of 3-nanometer chips last month in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi.
BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]
10. N. Korea tightens grip on the unauthorized use of mobile phones and computers
This can be assessed as an indicator that there is extensive communications and information transmission capabilities within north Korea. This provides evidence that our information and influence activities can have effects (if we chose to execute them).
Information is an existential threat to the regime.
N. Korea tightens grip on the unauthorized use of mobile phones and computers - Daily NK
The government believes that IT experts are involved in developing and selling circumvention programs and has thus moved to crackdown on their activities, a source told Daily NK
FILE PHOTO: A North Korean talking on a phone in an area outside of Pyongyang. (Daily NK)
North Korean authorities recently instructed all mobile phone users and registered computer owners to update their software while ordering all IT-related organizations to submit reviews of their activities over the past two years.
According to a Daily NK source in Pyongyang on Friday, the Bureau of Publication Inspection and Bureau of Broadcast Supervision issued a joint order on July 2 that spelled out measures for technological and administrative inspections in the IT sector aimed at “eliminating” the use of mobile phones and computers for unauthorized purposes.
In Pyongyang, the authorities immediately handed down the order to everyone working in the country’s IT industry, including those affiliated with information and service centers, post offices, computer repair and sales organizations, and agencies specializing in computer programing and app development for mobile phones.
Moreover, workplace political organizations conveyed the gist of the order to all mobile phone users and computer owners.
Daily NK’s source said the order pertains to supplementary provisions to North Korea’s Mobile Communications Act on Technological Administration, amended in late May of last year. The order has put in motion the first inspection by the two bureaus ever since the law mandated that mobile phone users visit a service center or other organization to update their software once every six months, rather than just once a year.
Specifically, the order called for:
- Mobile phone users and registered computer owners to complete inspections of their devices by the end of August to ensure their software has been updated.
- Inspections to ensure that device users have installed programs to block “impure publications and propaganda materials.”
- That the IT sector, including information centers, service centers, sales centers and repair centers, submit organization-wide reviews for the last two years.
- Reports on and the self-surrender of individuals who have developed and commercialized illegal mobile phone technology.
The source said the order called on mobile phone users and registered computer users to “visit, without fail, a nearby service center or Ministry of State Security office by the end of August” to obtain a stamp verifying that they have updated their software. Moreover, the order called on workers in the IT sector to submit reviews of their “technological administration activities” over the last two years since the Eighth Party Congress.
Inside North Korea, the order has sparked concern that the authorities are trying to ascertain how people are using their phones by inspecting their devices.
“People are saying that the ‘upgrade’ is just an excuse to have the state manage what people are doing even more closely by examining their private lives through regular inspections of browsing histories,” the source said.
Meanwhile, some North Koreans say the order for IT workers to submit reviews of their activities over the past two years represents a “warning.”
Outwardly, the order aims to ensure IT-related workers have properly filed reports with the Bureau of Publication Inspection or Bureau of Broadcast Supervision on managing the mobile phone browsing histories of users or illegal activity.
In reality, however, some people claim that the order signals that the authorities have begun efforts to uncover software experts who develop, install or illegally sell programs that circumvent North Korea’s controls and surveillance, and that the authorities will crack down hard on nationwide distribution of such software.
All North Korean phones have an app called “TraceViewer,” which allows the government to see what document or video files users have watched on their phones.
Some North Koreans have used circumvention programs to get around the app to open illegal files. The source explained that the government believes that IT experts are involved in developing and selling the programs and has thus moved to crackdown on their activities.
“The state tries to monitor [people’s digital activities] using browsing history apps, but circumvention programs keep appearing and people keep trafficking them,” said the source. “The leadership believes that IT workers cultivated by the government make all these programs, and intend to eradicate [the software at the source].
“Despite the fact the unified command on non-socialist and anti-socialist behavior is already quite active, the joint order was issued because [the government believes] reactionary thought and culture is being spread most prominently through electronic devices,” he continued, adding, “Taking the lead in [allowing the the spread of reactionary thought and culture] are young IT experts who have been cultivated by the party.”
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
11. Yanggang Province encourages residents to comply with livestock excrement-related rules
Desperate measures.
Yanggang Province encourages residents to comply with livestock excrement-related rules - Daily NK
Specifically, the province is demanding an end to people mixing excrement with powdered lime to make pig feed
Pigs at North Korea's Daedong Pig Farm. (DPRK Today's Pinterest Feed)
Yanggang Province is calling on its residents to strictly comply with rules regulating livestock excrement.
A source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Friday that the province pointed to problems in the management of livestock farming in accordance with state quarantine policy. It took particular issue with how many counties are failing to strictly follow regulations for managing livestock excrement, rules that “help livestock and prevent harm to residents.”
Yanggang Province officials criticized some counties such as Kapsan County and Pochon County for improperly processing livestock excrement, hurting residents and hindering quarantine activities, and called on county authorities to take the lead in preventing such harm.
Calling on agricultural hamlets and villages to effectively process their livestock excrement, the province is demanding an end to mixing excrement with powdered lime to make pig feed. Rather, farmers should boil livestock excrement before using it as feed, at least for the time being, with the province strongly warning agricultural communities to suspend raising livestock if they lack the necessary kindling.
The authorities are essentially demanding that livestock farms and private livestock farmers boil all their fodder at over 100 degrees celsius. If they cannot, they must suspend their livestock-related activities.
The province also ordered that farms should stop sending pig and dog excrement to breeding grounds for black fly larvae, which are used as animal feed, because of questions over whether using such unsanitary material to breed black fly larvae is a good idea.
Farmers have welcomed this last order in particular. According to them, it was the party that ordered people to gather excrement to send to the breeding grounds, so they are happy to stop doing that if the party says so.
However, the source also said the leadership made it clear there will be only a temporary suspension, and that farms will have to resume excrement collection in the future “since party livestock policy calls for black fly larvae production.”
Meanwhile, Yanggang Province’s party committee called on city and county quarantine agencies to ensure strict compliance with regulations by paying frequent visits to livestock bases and households that raise livestock to see if they are breaking the rules, and to punish any violators.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
12. Field maneuvers with U.S. grow under Yoon Suk-yeol
The national instruments of power of diplomacy, economics, and information must be employed resting on a foundation of strong deterrence and defense. Readiness cannot be sacrificed as a negotiating concession. Kim focuses on exercises not because of any perceived threat or as a requirement for a "security guarantee." He tries to halt exercises to split the ROK/US alliance, weaken military readiness and ultimately to try to drive US forces off the peninsula. We must understand the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime. I think the current ROK/US alliance leadership now have a realistic understanding of their assumptions about north Korea and the regime are better aligned as evidenced by a return to aggressive readiness training.
Tuesday
July 12, 2022
Field maneuvers with U.S. grow under Yoon Suk-yeol
South Korean and U.S. special operations forces train together during the ongoing U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) exercises in Hawaii on July 3. [U.S. INDO-PACIFIC COMMAND]
Large-scale field maneuvers during South Korea-U.S. joint exercises may take place regularly under President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration beginning in August, a shift from the previous administration's downscaling of the exercises to avoid angering North Korea, official sources said.
“Yoon’s government has expressed its clear commitment to normalizing joint exercises in talks with the United States, and we will gradually expand outdoor field maneuvers above the brigade level, which have been suspended until now,” said a diplomatic official who spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo on condition of anonymity.
Seoul and Washington have been weighing the idea of conducting large-scale field maneuvers during their combined command post training (CCPT) scheduled to take place from Aug. 22 to Sept. 1 to guard against North Korea’s evolving missile and nuclear weapons arsenal.
The North has conducted 18 missile tests so far this year and is expected to conduct a seventh nuclear test.
Under the Moon Jae-in administration, the allies did not conduct large-scale field training with the semi-annual CCPT, which is augmented by computer simulations.
According to the official, Washington’s support for large-scale field maneuvers by the allies remained constant, but the Moon administration viewed them as an obstacle to improving inter-Korean relations.
“The Biden administration was steady in its position that joint exercises form the core of South Korea-U.S. combined defense, but the Moon administration considered them a relic, leading to a gap between the allies,” said the official.
The scale of the joint exercises was reduced in the wake of the U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore in June 2018. The Moon administration’s unofficial policy of downsizing the exercises was aimed at encouraging North Korea to denuclearize while also minimizing the risk of unintended conflict.
The exercises remained scaled down after denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea broke down with the collapse of the 2019 Hanoi summit, leading to criticism that Moon’s administration was pursuing an overly submissive policy towards Pyongyang.
The North has regularly characterized the joint exercises as preparations for an invasion.
Comments from the Moon administration and then-ruling Democratic Party members last year suggested that they also saw the joint exercises as an obstacle to an end-of-war declaration that Moon announced in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Speaking to reporters in a closed-door briefing in July last year, a high-ranking official from the Unification Ministry said that “it is desirable to postpone the joint exercises.”
In August, then-National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won also told the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee that it was “necessary” to approach the exercises with a “flexible attitude” to continue “the momentum of inter-Korean dialogue and realize North Korean denuclearization.”
Park’s comments appeared particularly mindful of remarks by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s powerful sister Kim Yo-jong that same month, in which she singled out the exercises as a stumbling block in inter-Korean relations.
“If the South conducts joint exercises with the United States, there will be no improvement in [inter-Korean] relations,” Kim was quoted as saying by Pyongyang’s state media.
The joint South Korea-U.S. exercises in August are just one of several being conducted by the allies to signal their readiness for a major North Korean provocation.
South Korea, the United States and Japan are also scheduled to conduct a combined missile detection and tracking exercise, known as Pacific Dragon, near Hawaii in August to guard against North Korean missiles.
Pacific Dragon will begin toward the end of the ongoing multinational Rim of Pacific Exercise (Rimpac) in Hawaii and southern California, in which South Korea is also participating.
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
13. New U.S. envoy starts making the rounds
No time to overcome jet lag.
Tuesday
July 12, 2022
New U.S. envoy starts making the rounds
U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg speaks with Foreign Minister Park Jin at the ministry headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday. [YONHAP]
U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg said he looked forward to expanding Washington’s cooperation with Seoul on not only defense and security but also issues of wider regional consequences such as supply chain resilience in a meeting with Foreign Minister Park Jin in Seoul on Tuesday.
“[As] you mentioned and I can say that the alliance between the United States and Korea has been and continues to be a bedrock of security here in the Korean Peninsula, and also in the region,” said Goldberg at the ministry headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday.
“And now, thanks to our two presidents, and the communique that they issued when President [Joe] Biden was here in Seoul, we are embarked on a global strategic partnership, one that is so important to the security and economic wellbeing of our two countries.”
Goldberg arrived in Seoul on Sunday as the new American ambassador to Korea, and submitted a copy of his credentials to the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday morning. The official submission of his credentials to President Yoon Suk-yeol has yet to be scheduled.
In the meeting, Park highlighted what he called “common values” between the United States and Korea such as respect for human rights, freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
“These are the core values that bridge Washington and Seoul,” Park said, adding that he expects their global comprehensive strategic alliance to develop further based on these values.
“Before us, there are economic and security challenges such as the nuclear missile problem [of North Korea] and changes in the supply chain as well as the pandemic,” Park said. “The Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance will only become stronger as we take on these challenges together.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Goldberg visited the Japanese Embassy’s public information and cultural center in Seoul to pay his respects at a memorial altar for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Goldberg was scheduled to speak on the topic of diversity at the Seoul Queer Culture Festival this Saturday.
The U.S. ambassador position had been vacant for nearly two years.
Goldberg is a career ambassador, the highest rank in the U.S. Foreign Service, having served as ambassador to the Philippines and Bolivia before heading the mission in Colombia from 2019 to last month.
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
14. Speedy OPCON transfer unfeasible: experts
Field training is a red herring.
Excerpts:
If it gets approved by the defense ministers of both sides, a Full Mission Capability (FMC) test will be subsequently carried out. The two sides carried out an initial operational capability (IOC) test in 2019.
"The South Korean military must show that it can lead a combined command architecture through the envisaged field drills, but the exercise has not been conducted for the past four years. In addition, we are pressed for time, preventing the allies from holding a full-scale training like before," said Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum.
"I think next year or the year after next, the allies might be able to fully assess the South Korean military's readiness for the OPCON transfer," he continued.
Former Defense Minister Suh Wook and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin agreed during last year's Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul to conduct the FOC assessment this fall. The field training has begun to take shape following the summit between President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in May. At the summit, they agreed to begin talks on expanding the "scope and scale" of combined drills on and around the Korean Peninsula.
Speedy OPCON transfer unfeasible: experts
U.S. military helicopters are parked at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province during joint exercises with South Korea in this April 18 photo. Newsis
Combined drills to take place in late August
By Kang Seung-woo
As South Korea and the United States are poised to test Seoul's military readiness to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) of its forces from Washington during their envisaged combined field drills next month, questions are growing over whether South Korea's delayed plan will pick up speed.
However, military experts say that the one-time exercise will not be enough to determine if South Korea ― which has the world's sixth-most-powerful military ― is fully prepared for the transfer of OPCON.
The OPCON transfer has already been pushed back twice in the past and the two allies agreed upon a condition-based OPCON transition plan in 2014. Under the Moon Jae-in administration, South Korea sought to take back the authority by the end of his term in May of this year, but the postponing of field exercises various times dashed such hopes. Seoul regained peacetime OPCON in 1994.
According to military sources, the two countries have been weighing the idea of conducting field maneuvers during their combined command post training (CCPT) from Aug. 22 to Sept. 1. During the period, they are also seeking to hold the full operational capability (FOC) assessment of the future Combined Forces Command, the second of the three-phase verification process to check the South Korean military's readiness for OPCON, which did not happen last year in part due to COVID-19.
If it gets approved by the defense ministers of both sides, a Full Mission Capability (FMC) test will be subsequently carried out. The two sides carried out an initial operational capability (IOC) test in 2019.
"The South Korean military must show that it can lead a combined command architecture through the envisaged field drills, but the exercise has not been conducted for the past four years. In addition, we are pressed for time, preventing the allies from holding a full-scale training like before," said Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum.
"I think next year or the year after next, the allies might be able to fully assess the South Korean military's readiness for the OPCON transfer," he continued.
Former Defense Minister Suh Wook and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin agreed during last year's Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul to conduct the FOC assessment this fall. The field training has begun to take shape following the summit between President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in May. At the summit, they agreed to begin talks on expanding the "scope and scale" of combined drills on and around the Korean Peninsula.
Along with the pundits' negative views, Yoon himself is also skeptical about a speedy OPCON transition.
In an interview with Voice of America in May, Yoon said South Korea lacks sufficient readiness to operate intelligence assets, which are essential in commanding a wartime operation.
"The issue of returning wartime operational control to South Korea should depend on factors that are the most effective in winning a war," he added.
The OPCON transfer is often seen as signifying the restoration of South Korea's military sovereignty, but Shin said that its actual meaning has been misunderstood.
"The goal of the OPCON transition is to build a unified strategy between South Korea and the U.S. in order to effectively respond to North Korea's threats," he said, questioning if South Korea would be able to lead the U.S. Navy or Air Force, which have military capabilities superior to those of its South Korean counterparts.
15. Korea seeks to launch space economy via moon landing
Will a Moon (someone with surname Moon) be the first Korean to land on the Moon? (apologies for a slight attempt at humor)
Korea seeks to launch space economy via moon landing
Danuri lunar orbiter to be launched on Aug. 3
By Baek Byung-yeul
Korea is set to launch its first lunar orbiter, the Danuri, aboard SpaceX's rocket in the United States on August 3. The successful launch of the Danuri will mark the first step for Korea to join the space economy following other advanced countries active in the field, according to industry experts and government officials.
The space economy refers to the economy beyond our planet, including exploring deep space, extracting resources that are rare on Earth and developing technologies necessary for space exploration.
Space-related industries are drawing a lot of attention for their vast growth potential. In 2017, Morgan Stanley projected the global space industry to grow in size from $348 billion at the time to around $1 trillion by 2040. Meanwhile, Bank of America predicted in 2020 that the industry will grow in size to $1.4 trillion by 2030, showing that the growth potential of the industry is rising sharply.
The rapid growth might be possible because a few private sector players, such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, have set up their own space development companies and have been making huge investments into technological development.
"Securing space-related technologies can lead to the development of other industries, especially the defense sector, and ultimately, we can also expect to collect minerals that are not available on Earth," Ahn Jae-myung, a professor at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), told The Korea Times.
"The Danuri lunar orbiter project is a program that orbits the moon, and the government sees a moon landing to be possible by the early 2030s. Its next mission, which is collecting resources there and returning to Earth, is a more difficult mission than simply landing on the moon. The plan should be carried out in the long run, but the economic benefits of implementing the plan are expected to be significant," Ahn said.
Ahn added that he cannot say exactly how many years it will take for Korea to reap any economic benefits, such as being able to utilize resources found in space, but that it will not be in the very distant future.
"These activities will lead to exploring metal-rich asteroids in the end. I don't know how long it will take to achieve this goal, but I don't think it'll take a hundred years and it will be visible in 10 or 20 years," Ahn said. "Creating a human-friendly village on a planet outside Earth is also a direction we should pursue," he added.
President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with an engineer at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) in Daejeon, July 6. During his visit to the agency that supervises the country's space program, Yoon vowed that the country will make a bold investment in the space industry. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon
Danuri, a stepping stone
From that perspective, the government has high expectations for the Danuri, hoping that the lunar orbiter will become a stepping stone for the country's space development plans.
Beyond just supporting space-related research activities, President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed that the government "will open the era of the space economy," and promised to help the public and private sectors create economic benefits through research and development in the space industry and space-related products and services.
"It is not an exaggeration to say that our future depends on space, which is a key area of national competitiveness," Yoon said during his visit to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's (KARI) Daejeon office on July 6.
After presenting pizza and coffee to the KARI researchers who succeeded in launching Korea's Nuri rocket into space on June 21, the president said, "The government will make a bold investment and establish the Korea Aerospace Administration to thoroughly support the space industry."
"Starting with the launch of the lunar orbiter in August of this year, we will develop a lunar lander by 2031, and expand participation in the Artemis program," Yoon added. The Artemis program is the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) human-led moon exploration project.
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), which supervises the country's space program, views that the successful completion of the Danuri will be an important starting point for such a plan.
"We are making every effort to prepare for the launch and operation of Korea's first lunar orbiter, the Danuri," Lee Sang-ryool, the president of KARI said at a press conference in June. "Through the Danuri, we will do our best to secure the technology that will be a mainstay of the country's space exploration technology and become one of the world's seven space powers."
The Danuri, which recently arrived at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, is currently going through about a month-long inspection at the launch site.
Weighing 678 kilograms, the Danuri will be equipped with five pieces of observation equipment using technology developed in Korea and a ShadowCam device from NASA to observe the darkest parts of the moon's surface.
If the Aug. 3 launch goes well, the Danuri will sail through space for about four and a half months and settle in lunar orbit in December. Circling 100 kilometers over the moon, the orbiter will conduct scientific missions, including finding a landing site for spacecraft on the moon, measuring the magnetic field and gamma rays, and testing space-based internet communication from February to December 2023.
16. NATO summit poses both opportunities, challenges for Korea
A concern but the growing closeness will not be a result of Aisan alignment with NATO. The growing closeness has been determined to be the strategic interests of the three countries. We should ask if asian countries did not participate in the NATO summit and NATO did not recognize China as a strategic challenge would that prevent the growing closeness of China, Russia, and north Korea? I think not.
Excerpt:
South Korea's concern is that its growing closeness with Japan and NATO could lead China and Russia to more actively support North Korea. Already China and Russia have been blocking further sanctions on North Korea at the U.N. since the invasion of Ukraine began. North Korea might end up being one of the big winners of the Ukraine war.
NATO summit poses both opportunities, challenges for Korea
By Kim Sang-woo
The NATO summit in Madrid on June 30 adopted a new Strategic Concept. And for the first time, NATO members included China as posing a "systemic challenge" to Euro-Atlantic security.
The most significant concern is the "deepening strategic relationship" between Moscow and Beijing.
In a statement on June 30, the White House said the inclusion of leaders from Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea at the NATO summit had provided the opportunity to "strengthen the rules-based international order."
During the summit, South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol warned of threats to universal values at a time of new conflict and competition, referring to Russia's aggression in Ukraine and Beijing's engagement with Russia.
This was the first time a South Korean president had been invited to a NATO summit, and it showed that South Korea and other Asian democracies are being driven closer to European democracies by mutual fears of Russian and Chinese power.
While in Madrid, U.S. President Joe Biden, Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met briefly on the sidelines of the NATO summit. It was the first such trilateral meeting since 2017.
In a separate address to NATO members, Yoon reportedly said the international community must show that its will to denuclearize North Korea is stronger than Pyongyang's "reckless will to develop nuclear and missile programs."
The newly adopted Strategic Concept of NATO also states that "the erosion of the arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation architecture has negatively impacted strategic stability," specifically citing North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and use of chemical weapons.
There is undoubtedly unease in Seoul over how Beijing perceives Yoon's participation in the NATO summit. Beijing certainly views the summit with deep suspicion, as representing the emergence of a Cold War-style global alliance to contain China, particularly in light of other developments such as the AUKUS partnership comprising Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States and the potential expansion of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.
The Yoon administration has been trying to assuage Beijing's concerns by publicly stating that South Korea has no intention to join an international anti-China coalition or become a NATO member, while also conveying its deep concern about China's growing power, its crackdown on human rights, its unwillingness to enforce sanctions on North Korea as it once did and its strong ties with Russia.
Russia was also concerned about South Korea's attendance at the summit. South Korea has already become the first Asian country to join NATO's cyberdefense unit based in Estonia. And Russia labeled South Korea an "unfriendly nation" because it joined the sanctions regime against Russia.
South Korea's concern is that its growing closeness with Japan and NATO could lead China and Russia to more actively support North Korea. Already China and Russia have been blocking further sanctions on North Korea at the U.N. since the invasion of Ukraine began. North Korea might end up being one of the big winners of the Ukraine war.
Nevertheless, it was a successful debut on the world stage for South Korea's newly elected president, earning him newfound respect internationally.
Speaking at a press conference on June 30, Biden said that Americans and the rest of the world will have to pay more for gasoline and energy as a price of containing Russian aggression. How long? "As long as it takes," he said.
However, his remarks neglected the enormous problems that he and other NATO leaders face in keeping their people committed to backing up Ukraine with money, weapons and sanctions against Russia, despite the damage it is doing to their countries and an uncertain outcome on the battlefield.
"Russia is waging two wars right now," Greg Ip writes in the Wall Street Journal. "A hot war with Ukraine whose costs are measured in death and destruction, and a Cold War with the West whose costs are measured in economic hardship and inflation."
Russian leader Vladimir Putin might fold over time in the face of a more determined West and better armed Ukraine, writes Ip, but he's wagering that Putin can "inflict a high enough short-term cost on Western consumers that political support for Ukraine will crumble."
The Madrid summit ended with an overwhelming consensus among Europeans and Asian democracies that a Ukrainian defeat would be disastrous for Europe and the world order. Yet, there are still lingering doubts about the eventual outcome.
It was tragic news that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died on July 8 after being shot while giving a speech at a campaign event in the city of Nara.
The tragedy has generated an extraordinary outpouring of sympathy for the former prime minister, both at home and abroad. No doubt, it will act as a unifying moment for the nation.
Japan's governing party and its coalition partner scored a major victory in the July 10 parliamentary election, possibly propelled by sympathy votes in the wake of the assassination.
Results in the race for the parliament's upper house showed the governing party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, securing more than a majority. The results suggested an amendment to Japan's pacifist constitution is now a real possibility.
The Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner as well as two supportive opposition parties together are certain to secure enough seats needed for an amendment proposal, which requires a two-thirds majority in both houses. The governing bloc already has secured support in the lower house.
The gains may allow Kishida to revise Japan's war-renouncing constitution, a dream Abe never achieved in his lifetime, but ironically may have facilitated by his death.
It may well be a game-changer for the geopolitical chessboard if Japan becomes a "normal state" that can wage war.
Kim Sang-woo (swkim54@hotmail.com), a former lawmaker, is currently chairman of the East Asia Cultural Project. He is also a member of the board of directors at the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation.
17. Building value-based alliance with Washington
This is an economics focused OpEd. However, when I see values based I am reminded that the ROK/US alliance and north Korea are in an ideological war and it is a competition among values while the north tries to actively subvert the ROK and the alliance through its political warfare strategy.
Subversion:
•The undermining of the power and authority of an established system or institution.
–As in: "the ruthless subversion of democracy"
•Ideological War – a choice between:
–Shared ROK/US Values
•Freedom and individual liberty, liberal democracy, rule of law, free market economy, and human rights
–Kim family regime (KFR) “values”
•Juche/Kimilsungism, Socialist Workers Paradise, Songun, Songbun, Byungjin, rule BY law, and denial of human rights to sustain KFR power
•nK engages in active subversion of the ROK as well as the ROK/US Alliance through political warfare
Building value-based alliance with Washington
By Ahn Choong-yong
President Yoon Suk-yeol set the tone of South Korea's new economic diplomacy by declaring during his inauguration that he would "build a nation that espouses liberal democracy and ensures a thriving market economy."
Yoon's commitment in his inaugural address on May 10 to "work together with like-minded nations that respect freedom and encourage creativity" is particularly important for Seoul to navigate turbulent economic competition in the Asia-Pacific region amid the intensifying U.S.―China rivalry.
At the ROK―U.S. summit in Seoul on May 21, the leaders of the two countries agreed to upgrade their security alliance into a global comprehensive strategic alliance. This move calls for South Korea to take a more active role on the global stage to promote the common values of democracy, the rules-based international order, freedom, sustainable growth and a fair playing field for international trade and investment.
The previous Moon Jae-in administration cautiously engaged with China, after initially saying in 2017 that Korea would share in Chinese President Xi Jinping's "Chinese dream." South Korea's geoeconomic strategy has historically taken a dichotomous approach after China's rapid economic rise ― balancing its security alliance with the United States with its economic ties with China, its largest trading partner.
South Korea relies heavily on China to acquire key intermediate goods and essential materials such as electronic equipment, chemicals, rare earths and urea water, to complete many of its supply chains.
The long-cherished ROK―U.S. security alliance and lenient U.S. market access have greatly benefited South Korea's economic rise. New ROK―U.S. relations now ensure a "high-tech alliance" that is essential for South Korea to maintain its international competitiveness.
The alliance secures trade for cutting-edge semiconductors, electric vehicles and batteries. The ongoing pandemic and war in Ukraine have shown that national security is directly linked to economic security. Indeed, the resilience of interconnected supply chains is ultimately secured through the removal of supply-side bottlenecks.
As the first concrete step toward a comprehensive ROK―U.S. alliance, Yoon declared South Korea's role in the U.S.-initiated Indo―Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) to address supply chain resilience, digital trade, anti-corruption and decarbonization. The 13-member framework aims to become a high-standard rule-making process for international trade and investment without offering direct market access to the United States.
New disciplinary rules are good news for East Asia because they signal increased U.S. engagement with East Asian economies. South Korea should play an active role in making the IPEF a durable, credible and open architecture for countries willing to adhere to rules-based economic connectivity.
A stronger South Korean alliance with the United States will also revitalize trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan against North Korean nuclear threats.
Actively reviving the trilateral alliance will help mend South Korea―Japan relations, starting with the removal of sensitive trade restrictions. The two countries became formally connected in January 2022 through the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) ― an agreement that will expedite the mending process.
Yoon's new economic diplomacy with the United States is likely to make China uneasy. In ROK―China relations, Yoon has emphasized the need for mutual respect and principled diplomacy to achieve pragmatic win-win outcomes. This is unsurprising given that East Asian economies prefer to avoid choosing between the United States and China.
This dilemma could be mitigated by upgrading the China-driven RCEP to match the high standards of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Doing so would mean addressing the issues of state subsidies, labor conditions, intellectual property rights, cross-border data transfers and environmental concerns.
China has already submitted a formal application to join the CPTPP, but South Korea has not yet applied, although it approved an entry plan. Joining the CPTPP would enable deeper South Korean integration with regional trade.
All CPTPP members have vetoes over new membership applications, so China will need to carry out domestic reforms to meet the high standards of the CPTPP to ensure "competitive coexistence" with the United States.
Yoon's domestic economic agenda is a challenging feat to achieve. South Korea needs to tackle everything from the prospects of stagflation, mounting household and national debt and record youth unemployment. Some of these issues are chronic, while others emerged amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and others have been aggravated by the ongoing Russia―Ukraine war.
In this landscape, Yoon's pro-growth agenda of tax cuts and deregulation needs to deal effectively with inequality. Yoon may run into heavy criticism from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) ― which prioritizes labor rights and equitable distribution ― in the National Assembly if he ignores this issue.
After Yoon's party was mostly victorious in the local elections last month, his political support should be enough to push for a U.S.-aligned economic strategy while maintaining trade engagement with China. Still, upgrading the ROK―China FTA on the basis of "mutual respect and principled diplomacy" remains his big test.
Ahn Choong-yong (cyahn@cau.ac.kr) is distinguished professor at the Graduate School of International Studies, Chung-Ang University. This article was published on July 5 in East Asia Forum, an English-language international policy forum based at the Australian National University's Crawford School of Public Policy.
18. In Yongbyon, activity detected at nuclear waste storage facility for first time since 2016
In Yongbyon, activity detected at nuclear waste storage facility for first time since 2016
Yongbyon nuclear complex not at risk of being flooded, satellite imagery shows
Published : Jul 12, 2022 - 17:55 Updated : Jul 12, 2022 - 18:01
North Korean flag (Flicker - dion gillard)
New excavation activity was detected at a nuclear waste storage facility within the Yongbyon nuclear complex for the first time since 2016, which could be part of North Korea’s preparations to produce plutonium.
Commercial satellite images acquired on July 3 showed the new excavation activity on the west side of the waste storage building leading to an unused bay door, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said Monday.
The facility, commonly known as Building 500, was used to store radioactive and toxic waste from earlier reprocessing campaigns at the radiochemical laboratory located at the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center.
Pyongyang can extract plutonium for use in nuclear weapons at the laboratory by reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods obtained from the 5-megawatt nuclear reactor.
Against that backdrop, Building 500 has been closely watched as a “potential indicator of plutonium production and environmental pollution” since the early 2000s via commercial satellite images, the CSIS Korea Chair, which runs the Beyond Parallel project, explained in an online report.
In other words, the refurbishment of Building 500, located next to the laboratory, could constitute North Korea‘s move to reactivate the facility in preparation for a new reprocessing campaign.
“Among the potential reasons for this activity are to address structural issues or leakage from the building, an effort to reopen access to the building to accommodate new waste from the radiochemical laboratory, or as part of a strategic deception plan,” the CSIS Korea Chair said.
The CSIS Korea Chair elucidated that activity at Building 500 was detected for the first time since April 2016 when commercial satellite imagery obtained by 38 North, a US website monitoring North Korea, showed construction and excavation activities at the site.
The satellite images collected in April 2016 indicated that North Korea built a new dirt access road and began excavating a trench on the east of Building 500.
At that time, 38 North said the building was generally believed to have been shut down since the early 1990s, when North Korea started to use two other waste storage facilities at the Yongbyon complex.
No significant activity at reprocessing plant
But the CSIS Korea Chair explained Monday that there was no “activity of significance” at the laboratory in the July 3 satellite imagery.
For instance, a plume of smoke or steam emanating from the adjacent coal-fired thermal plant, which provides heat to the radiochemical laboratory, has been often referred to as an indication of a planned or ongoing processing campaign. A plume from the plant‘s stack was not observed in the recent satellite imagery.
But since early 2022, vehicles have been occasionally spotted at the laboratory’s shipping and receiving building -- where spent fuel rods are received and waste byproducts are shipped from -- and nearby motor vehicle maintenance and storage buildings.
No risk of being flooded
In addition, satellite imagery from July 3 and Saturday showed that recent heavy rains led to a rise in the water level of the Kuryong River that runs through the Yongbyon nuclear complex.
Water was seen flowing over the dams upstream and downstream of the river, which are used to supply water to cool the reactors and support nuclear facilities, including a uranium enrichment facility.
“None of the buildings within the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center are at immediate risk of being flooded,” the CSIS Korea Chair said. “However, it is uncertain how the flooding will impact ongoing operations or if the flooding will increase.”
The recent satellite imagery collected on July 3 also showed that North Korea has continued dismantling work in the area of the never-completed 50-megawatt-electrical reactor.
The CSIS Korea Chair said recent and previous images showed that several support structures, including its spent fuel rod building, are “in the process of being slowly razed.”
But at the same time, construction work adjacent to the experimental light water reactor -- which has not begun operations -- has been underway since July 2021.
The new support area of approximately 12,000 square meters consists of three buildings, of which two seem to be “nearing the point of being externally complete.”
Although the purpose of the consultation remains unknown, the location of new structures “suggests that it is for directly supporting reactor operations.”
The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency in June pointed out that North Korea appears to have operated a main 5-megawatt nuclear reactor that can produce weapons-grade plutonium.
But the CSIS Korea Chair said the standalone satellite images were not sufficient grounds to determine the operational status of the reactor.
(dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)
19. S. Korean ambassador discusses alliance, NK nuclear issues with US deputy secretary
S. Korean ambassador discusses alliance, NK nuclear issues with US deputy secretary
Published : Jul 12, 2022 - 15:42 Updated : Jul 12, 2022 - 21:22
South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Tae-yong (left) pose with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in Washington on Monday. (Cho Tae-yong’s Facebook)
South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Tae-yong met with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to discuss the bilateral relations of Seoul and Washington and North Korea’s nuclear issues on Monday (US time).
In a Facebook post, Amb. Cho explained how he had first met with Sherman when he was serving as the first vice minister of the Foreign Ministry, from February 2014 to October 2015.
“Deputy Secretary Sherman is the first women to serve in the post at the US Department of State. Having served as the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs and as North Korea Policy Coordinator, she has long been handling issues on the Korean Peninsula,” Cho wrote in the post.
“I had talked with Sherman before about the Korea-US alliance and issues on the Korean Peninsula, when I was serving as the first vice foreign minister and she was then the assistant secretary.”
During Monday’s meeting, in which Cho was visiting Sherman as the new Korean ambassador in Washington, the two sides shared various opinions on the current affairs in the region and on North Korea, among others, he said.
“I will closely communicate with the officials from the US government, including Deputy Secretary Sherman, for the Korea-US alliance that marks its 70th anniversary next year, to develop into a global comprehensive strategic alliance to speedily handle the new challenges of the 21st century,” Cho wrote.
Cho was tapped to the post in May. An expert on US relations and North Korea issues, Cho also served one term as a lawmaker of the current ruling People Power Party.
20. Construction of nuclear reactors in Korea to resume in 2024
Good.
Construction of nuclear reactors in Korea to resume in 2024
Published : Jul 12, 2022 - 15:31 Updated : Jul 12, 2022 - 15:59
Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang (second from left) speaks during his policy briefing to President Yoon Suk-yeol (center) at the presidential office in Seoul, Tuesday. (Yonhap)
SEJONG -- South Korea will resume construction of new nuclear reactors in the country's eastern industrial city of Uljin in the next two years, speeding up its nuclear energy drive announced earlier this month, the energy minister said in a briefing to President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday.
The construction of the Shin-Hanul No. 3 and No. 4 reactors in North Gyeongsang Province is set to begin as early as 2024, said Minister Lee Chang-yang, adding that about 130 billion won ($99 million) worth of nuclear energy-related projects will be offered within the year.
The plan is a follow-up on the Yoon government’s shift on nuclear power, reversing the declaration made by the previous Moon Jae-in administration to phase out the energy source. The Shin-Hanul project had been halted under the phaseout plan.
Yoon said his government would raise the share of nuclear power generated to 30 percent or more by 2030.
Similarly, the government plans to foster about 5,000 innovative, energy-related venture startups by 2030, creating more than 100,000 high-quality jobs through the energy-oriented policy.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy also plans to promote the private sector-led investment projects worth 337 trillion won, which had faced regulatory barriers, by conducting deregulations and offering incentives.
In the policy briefing to the president, the minister said that the government would induce an “investment-led growth,” in which businesses would take the initiative in the nation‘s GDP growth.
In a bid to promote investments, the government is moving to ease or remove regulations, which had hampered the private sector’s 27 projects worth 271 trillion won.
After the Yoon administration took office in May, policymakers conducted deregulations over 26 projects worth 66 trillion won.
Collectively, 337 trillion won worth of investment projects will launch implementation in the coming months via ongoing deregulations and incentives, like tax benefits, for the businesses, said the Industry Ministry.
It will also expand state funds for corporate research and development of the energy sector by up to 1 trillion won by the end of the year.
For the development of the overall industry, the ministry will mobilize a budget worth 1.53 trillion won, which will be used for developing a high-quality workforce of 140,000 people by 2026. The workforce project includes bringing 39,000 people into the new industries, 12,000 in the carbon neutrality sector and 39,000 in the industrial cooperation sector.
In particular, worker development will be focused on areas such as semiconductors, rechargeable batteries and futuristic cars, according to the ministry.
It also plans to map out deregulatory measures for mid-sized businesses during the second half of the year, which will involve tax benefits and investment-support funds.
For the commerce sector, the ministry informed President Yoon of its policy to carry out strategies to bolster the routes of inbound supply amid global disruptions to the supply of raw materials.
Alongside the project for the supply of goods, the government plans to promote trade for high-end knowledge and human resources.
By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)
21.
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
