Quotes of the Day:
"Resistance! Resistance! No oppressed people have ever secured their liberty without resistance!"
- Henry Highland Garnet
"Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art - the art of words"
- Ursula K. Le Guin
"Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."
- Sun Tzu
1. N.K. propaganda website warns S. Korea against staging joint military drill with U.S.
2. North Korean Nuclear Weapons Pose an Existential Threat to China
3. N. Korea continues to exploit own people, divert resources to weapons programs: State Dept.
4. Bruce Klingner: North Korea's Kim Jung Un – regime stability being questioned. Here's why
5. Can China Bring North Korea Back to the Negotiating Table? It Depends
6. Will China Prod North Korea Back to the Nuclear Negotiating Table?
7. Calls to scrap unification ministry rattle officials committed to reconciliation with N.K.
8. Opinion - Korean Americans Raise Their Voices for Peace in Korea - Echo
9. The Washington Post announces breaking-news reporters for Seoul hub
10. N. Korea reports no coronavirus cases: WHO report
11. New daily cases above 1,000 for week, delta variant spreading fast (South Korea)
12. South Korea’s Harvard-Taught Political Boss Rips China ‘Cruelty’
13. JCS chairman meets new USFK commander, discusses readiness, alliance
14. For 17th year running, Tokyo claims Dokdo in white paper
15. Kim Jong-un Honors Light-Entertainment Queen
16. Will North Korea make military provocation against combined drill?
17. UN says 42 percent of North Koreans undernourished
18. Park Jin from opposition party to run for president
19. North Korea may be using 5G mobile communications technology to monitor border
20. North Korea begins selecting new residents for Pyongyang's 10,000 new homes
1. N.K. propaganda website warns S. Korea against staging joint military drill with U.S.
I hope the pundits and the 76 National Assemblymen in the ROK do not overreact to these statements. It would be a huge mistake to cancel, postpone, or scale back the August exercise. These are normal statements variations of which are issued before every exercise. And we must remember since June 2018 we have been canceling, postponing, and scaling back exercises and there has been no reciprocity from the north and the regime has not made any kind of realistic effort to participate in substantive nuclear negotiations. Nor has it been receptive to restarting north-South engagement. The only thing cancelling, postponing, or scaling back exercises will do is reduce ROK/US combined military readiness and put the ROK at a greater security risk.
N.K. propaganda website warns S. Korea against staging joint military drill with U.S. | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean propaganda outlet on Tuesday warned South Korea against pushing ahead with its planned joint military drill with the United States, saying that war exercises and peace cannot go hand in hand.
Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda website, issued the warning as South Korea and the U.S. are expected to hold the joint military drill in August. Seoul's defense ministry earlier said that the allies are discussing when and how to stage their annual summertime military exercise.
"The blame for the current instability on the Korean Peninsula should be squarely placed on warmongers among the South Korean military colluding with outside power and engaging reckless confrontational machinations," the website said.
"War games and schemes to strengthen armed forces will never stand hand in hand with peace," it added.
The website mentioned the joint military drill South Korea carried out with the U.S. in March and its recent move to introduce high-tech weaponry, saying that Seoul is totally bent on conducting war exercises.
Meari, another propaganda website, also slammed South Korea for being bent on strengthening its armed forces despite the global coronavirus pandemic.
"Ignoring the livelihoods of its people suffering from the fast spread of the vicious virus, (South Korea) has been pouring a huge amount of taxpayers' money in arming its soldiers with high-tech weaponry," it said.
North Korea has long denounced Seoul and Washington's military drills as a rehearsal for an invasion of the North, calling on the U.S. to end its hostile policy. The allies say that the exercises are defensive in nature.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)
2. North Korean Nuclear Weapons Pose an Existential Threat to China
Not according to the Chinese I have spoken with. They do not believe the north would use such weapons against them and while they do fear loose nuclear weapons in an instability and regime collapse situation they fear the instability, regime collapse, and war more than the nuclear threat.
While we can see scenarios in which the north might employ its nuclear weapons against any outside force that might try to intervene, I am not sure how to convince China that the north's nuclear weapons pose an existential threat to China, either directly or indirectly.
Excerpts:
The United States already recognizes the existential threat posed by North Korean nuclear weapons to its allies the ROK and Japan, and within a few years to the United States. These threats motivate U.S. efforts to denuclearize North Korea. Only when China recognizes that it also might face a North Korean existential threat will China likely be prepared to be more of a partner with the United States in trying to denuclearize North Korea.
North Korean Nuclear Weapons Pose an Existential Threat to China
It may be possible that China’s cold war with the United States is blindsiding Beijing’s leadership with respect to the developing North Korean threat.
Despite the current border closures between their two countries, China and North Korea remain resolutely pledged to a “blood-alliance.” But this partnership has vastly different implications depending on which side of the border you consider. In many ways, COVID-19 provided a convenient excuse for Kim Jong-un to close the borders in the name of public health while simultaneously signaling to Beijing that he did not want Chinese aid, even if it meant having to starve his own people. Kim likely wants the border closed to also limit Chinese influence and leverage in the North’s internal affairs.
China’s main goal with North Korea has always been regional stability. From a Chinese perspective, while Kim’s nuclear weapons may not be ideal, the situation could become more dangerous should a power vacuum be introduced. Despite Beijing’s rhetoric purporting the desire for an eventual denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, China’s priority has always been maintaining the geopolitical status quo in the region. North Korea’s denuclearization efforts remain a secondary concern for China, Beijing apparently perceiving that Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons pose a minimal threat to China.
Moreover, Beijing is likely pleased that North Korea wants to drive U.S. forces off the peninsula. Once North Korea’s nuclear weapons are paired with a significant number of ICBMs over the next few years, they will raise questions about the U.S. extended deterrence for the region. This will potentially undermine the U.S. alliances with the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan. China would favor this outcome as it would weaken U.S. influence in the region.
The problem with these perspectives is that it fails to recognize the actual threat posed to China by North Korean nuclear weapons. A single North Korean nuclear weapon with the yield (explosive power) of the North’s sixth nuclear weapon test could kill or seriously injure several million people in Beijing. While this number would be a small fraction of the Chinese population, it would be a large fraction of its core leadership, risking government continuity. And according to Dr. Siegfried Hecker, a former director of Los Alamos who has visited the North Korean Yongbyon nuclear facility several times, North Korea may have 45 or so nuclear weapons.
China might want to consider whether they have reason to be concerned about the mid- to longer-term geopolitical implications of an unrestrained North Korean nuclear weapons program. Its current lack of concern is somewhat at odds with Beijing’s typical long-term strategic thinking. It may be possible that China’s cold war with the United States is blindsiding Beijing’s leadership with respect to the developing North Korean threat.
Indeed, Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons should be viewed as a double-edged sword for Beijing. Kim apparently views his nuclear weapons as an insurance mechanism to thwart any superpower from threatening his autonomy. They offer him a way to become a regional power—able to deter even partners and superpowers like China and the United States respectively.
And despite Kim Jong-un’s promises to negotiate North Korean denuclearization, he has been doing exactly the opposite. North Korea keeps building nuclear weapons, with some estimates that Kim could have as many as 200 nuclear weapons in the next decade or so. Kim does not need that many nuclear weapons for defensive purposes, raising questions of how Kim might use so many weapons for coercive and other purposes. China does not appear to recognize this possibility.
But perhaps it should. Pyongyang has demonstrated its willingness to defy Beijing’s interests. Kim’s continued launching of ICBMs in 2017 despite Beijing’s requests to halt testing demonstrated his personal defiance towards his “bigger brother.” Kim’s actions showed that despite sharing a border with the most populous military in the world, he would prioritize his own interests over the desires of his most critical ally. In many ways, North Korea seems to see China as a means to the North’s ends—Pyongyang recognizes Beijing’s importance in keeping the country fed, but also rejects any semblance of sadae (Korean for “serving the great”).
The United States already recognizes the existential threat posed by North Korean nuclear weapons to its allies the ROK and Japan, and within a few years to the United States. These threats motivate U.S. efforts to denuclearize North Korea. Only when China recognizes that it also might face a North Korean existential threat will China likely be prepared to be more of a partner with the United States in trying to denuclearize North Korea.
Bruce W. Bennett is a senior defense analyst at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation.
Diana Y. Myers is a student in the Pardee RAND Graduate School and a U.S. Air Force 1st lieutenant.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency of the U.S. government.
Image: Reuters
3. N. Korea continues to exploit own people, divert resources to weapons programs: State Dept.
The State department spokesman has it exactly right. It is Kim Jong-un , by his deliberate policy decision, who is responsible for the suffering of the Korean people living in the north.
N. Korea continues to exploit own people, divert resources to weapons programs: State Dept. | Yonhap News Agency
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, July 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea continues to exploit its own people by diverting their much needed resources to build weapons of mass destruction, a State Department spokesperson said Monday.
The remarks come in response to North Korea's recent accusation that the U.S. is using its humanitarian assistance as a way of pressuring other countries.
"We are aware of the statement. We remain concerned about the human rights situation in North Korea," the department spokesperson said in an email to Yonhap when asked about Pyongyang's accusation.
North Korea on Monday (Seoul time) argued many countries "have undergone bitter tastes as a result of pinning much hope on the American aid and humanitarian assistance."
Earlier reports suggested the U.S. may consider providing COVID-19 vaccine to North Korea if requested by the impoverished country.
"The DPRK continues to exploit its own citizens and divert resources from the country's people to build up its unlawful nuclear and ballistic weapons programs," the department spokesperson said, asking not to be identified.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
"Moreover, the DPRK has created significant barriers to the delivery of assistance by closing its borders and rejecting offers of international aid, while also limiting the personnel responsible for implementing and monitoring existing humanitarian projects," the State Department official added.
The United States has consistently named North Korea as one of the world's worst human rights violators in its annual report, also shortlisting Pyongyang as one of only 11 governments with a "policy or pattern" of human trafficking in its latest report released earlier this month.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
4. Bruce Klingner: North Korea's Kim Jung Un – regime stability being questioned. Here's why
Yes we must be concerned with the potential for instability and collapse. Just because we have worried about it in the past and it did not come to fruition because the north proved resilient (and it was bailed out by the Sunshine Policy) does not mean it might not happen. And although I would never predict with certainty if the regime will collapse and I would never never predict when it would collapse, I will say that if it does collapse it will be catastrophic for the ROK, the region, and the international community and most importantly for the Korean people living in the north. We should not wish for regime instability and collapse because things will get much worse before they get better and this could include some level of conflict ip to and including major war. But we need to be prepared for the full range of contingencies that might occur.
Excerpts:
Speculation over internal conditions in North Korea and the stability of its regime is even more rampant than usual.
Reports of food shortages, a COVID outbreak and political volatility have fanned much of the speculation. Kim Jong Un’s recent extended absence from public view simply fueled the fire, triggering renewed rumors of health problems.
Still, it never pays to sell the regime short. It has outlived countless previous reports of its imminent demise.
Bruce Klingner: North Korea's Kim Jung Un – regime stability being questioned. Here's why
Yeonmi Park, a North Korean human rights activist who escaped North Korea, says the attitude of hatred she observed while studying at Columbia University reminded her of North Korea.
Speculation over internal conditions in North Korea and the stability of its regime is even more rampant than usual.
Reports of food shortages, a COVID outbreak and political volatility have fanned much of the speculation. Kim Jong Un’s recent extended absence from public view simply fueled the fire, triggering renewed rumors of health problems.
Still, it never pays to sell the regime short. It has outlived countless previous reports of its imminent demise.
Kim has now reappeared much thinner than before, but this has only fueled more speculation. His return to the scene coincided with senior leadership meetings in which he warned of dire food shortages, a dangerous influx of foreign influence and a "grave" breach of the country’s defenses against the COVID virus. Some experts interpreted the trifecta of failings as potentially leading to regime instability or collapse.
Kim acknowledged that the country’s food situation is getting "tense," going so far as to warn of another "arduous march," a reference to the 1990s famine that killed an estimated one million people. Crop shortages, skyrocketing food prices and closure of markets have led to increasingly dire conditions.
The Geneva-based Assessment Capacities Project concluded more than 10 million North Koreans are in need of humanitarian assistance. Last month, an unconfirmed report from within North Korea indicated less than 30% of households are having proper meals.
North Korea’s harvest is habitually a million tons short of what is needed for minimal nutritional levels, which is made up in trade or food aid. Pyongyang blames the food crisis on last year’s typhoons and flooding, but decades of failed socialist economic mismanagement and draconian COVID restrictions imposed last year are primarily responsible.
The regime closed its borders last year to prevent a virus outbreak. Subsequently, trade with China, the regime’s principal trading partner, plummeted by 90%. Representatives of international nongovernmental organizations, which could facilitate food aid, have all departed the country. Pyongyang has repeatedly refused international offers of COVID support and food or rejected monitoring of aid distribution.
Three generations of the Kim family have proven remarkably adept at outlasting and outmaneuvering threats to their hold on power.
North Korea officially claims it hasn’t suffered even a single case of COVID. Yet Kim Jong Un recently strongly denounced senior officials for failing to properly implement COVID safety procedures that caused a "great crisis [and] grave consequences" for the security of the state and safety of the people. State media did not provide details on the incident but it could refer to a COVID outbreak or a breach of border security. Several officials were likely purged from office to deflect blame from Kim.
Since assuming power in December 2011, Kim has augmented regime efforts to prevent foreign information from reaching the populace, perceiving it as a contagion undermining regime stability. Recently he denounced even foreign clothing or speaking styles as a "malignant tumor that threaten the life and future of our descendants."
Kim Yo-jong, the leader’s powerful sister, demanded South Korea prevent civil rights groups from sending information, rice and currency into the secluded north. Seoul quickly capitulated, even introducing legislation to criminalize such efforts – an action that drew rebukes from the U.S. Congress, the UN rapporteur for North Korean civil rights, and human rights advocacy groups.
While the combination of these factors seems to portend regime instability or even collapse, three generations of the Kim family have proven remarkably adept at outlasting and outmaneuvering threats to their hold on power.
Some experts blame international sanctions for food shortages. However, there are no U.N. or U.S. sanctions on food, medicine or humanitarian assistance. All U.N. resolutions and U.S. laws have language highlighting that any punitive measures do not cover those items. That said, Washington should work with the U.N. sanctions committee to expeditiously process requests for sanctions exemptions to ensure humanitarian assistance is not inadvertently blocked.
The populace, impoverished and malnourished, is at high risk to a devastating outbreak of COVID. The country’s decrepit medical system, even in normal circumstances, is undersupplied. U.S. policy has long been to keep humanitarian assistance separate from denuclearization negotiations.
Despite previous North Korean rejections of aid, Washington should again offer to provide medical and humanitarian assistance, while maintaining sanctions until the regime ceases the nuclear and missile activity that triggered the sanctions response.
Would Kim accept the offer? Probably not. While the North Korean people suffer, he still enjoys a life of luxury. Still, it is an offer worth making.
5. Can China Bring North Korea Back to the Negotiating Table? It Depends
Zhu Feng is well known to Korea watchers as he is often the CHinese interlocutor at Korea conferences to provide the Chinese view. He seems to be making the case for resuming the 4 party talks (North and South Korea, China, and the US) of the late 1990s.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the revitalization of China’s productive role in bringing the DPRK back to negotiation talks rests on whether negotiation could include China. The bilateral and trilateral talks between the United States, South Korea, and North Korea might be engineered. But the resumption of the four-parties talks among the U.S., China, and two Koreas should be under sincere reconsideration.
Can China Bring North Korea Back to the Negotiating Table? It Depends
Since the Biden Administration took office, Washington has impressively changed its policy toward North Korea. The White House declares it will not adhere to Trump’s “grand bargain” tack, and will also step back from Obama’s “strategic impatience”. Biden’s policy toward North Korea could strike sequential negotiation in workable terms with Pyongyang to realize denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula. A new show of resilience from the White House would necessarily reopen the door to a diplomatic solution of nuclear dismantlement of North Korea. There is no question that Beijing sincerely favors President Biden’s new approach to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
From the beginning, China was fully opposed to any “grand bargain” -based policy option towards North Korea. Beijing has been convinced that North Korea, long and severely stuck in extreme international isolation, domestic gloom, and ultimately the powerful grip of an autocratic family would be completely unlikely to hand over its nuclear amulet in exchange for American embrace and sanction lifting. Nuclear weapons are the only reliable bargaining chip that Pyongyang could play up. President Obama’s policy choice of “strategic patience” actually slapped down the potential for negotiation and preferred to wait and see until the DPRK melts down with heavy, suffocating sanctions. However, uncertainties will surge over any long-protracted North Korea policy as China is afraid that either DPRK’s pickup of the brinksmanship or its possibility of domestic implosion would bring about huge uncertainties. These include North Korea’s nuclear unsafety, chilly spill-over of its domestic “levee failure”, and even massive military conflict between the North and South. Therefore, China's top concern regarding North Korea is that its domestic transition would pose great risks to China while its denuclearization would be phased in without causing any forms of dam collapse overnight.
Back to the Six Parties Talks between 2003 and 2008, Beijing had been quite in high profile in its insistent on the principle of “action to action” and “promise to promise”, meaning a gradual phase-out of nuclear weapons by the DPRK. Its policy of realizing denuclearization of the DPRK in this regard has barely changed since then. In other words, Beijing still prefers a step-by-step approach to fulfill denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula. Thus, China’s role in bringing North Korea back to the negotiation table depends on whether or not the international community could achieve some convergence in handling the North Korea factor.
Washington must not underestimate the productive role Beijing could play in starting up new negotiation with North Korea. First of all, proclaimed “strategic competition” between the United States and China would hardly reverse Beijing’s geostrategic assessment of the DPRK effect in East Asia. There is no way China could return to its previous policy during the Cold War as Beijing tried to keep Pyongyang within its arms. Geopolitical complexity on the Korean Peninsula has never been more pronounced: China is firmly betting on better relations with Seoul rather than with Pyongyang as the China-ROK (Republic of Korea) relationship has much outweighed China-DPRK relations. Despite Beijing’s unwillingness to crack down on North Korea, it is quite clear that the DPRK will be waning down sooner or later.
Secondly, China is quite clear about the reality that the nuclear dismantlement of North Korea would always strengthen, rather than loosen, the U.S.-centered military alliance system in Northeast Asia. A nuclear DPRK is never any form of “report card” of China’s geostrategic gaming in the region.
In conclusion, the revitalization of China’s productive role in bringing the DPRK back to negotiation talks rests on whether negotiation could include China. The bilateral and trilateral talks between the United States, South Korea, and North Korea might be engineered. But the resumption of the four-parties talks among the U.S., China, and two Koreas should be under sincere reconsideration.
Zhu Feng is a Professor and Executive Dean at the School of International Studies at Nanjing University.
Image: Reuters
6. Will China Prod North Korea Back to the Nuclear Negotiating Table?
A view from Australia warning us to beware of a Chinese trap and recommends instead that we should outmaneuver the north on the chess board. I fear that while we think we are playing chess we might only be playing Chinese Checkers while China is playing Go (or Paduk).
Conclusion:
Beijing is in a strong position to manipulate North Korea in a manner that facilitates Chinese advantage in the region over the United States. But only if the United States under Biden walks into that trap. A more sensible approach would be for the United States to double down on extended nuclear deterrence, and work towards enhancing regional cooperation on effective missile defense to checkmate Pyongyang’s nuclear threat.
Will China Prod North Korea Back to the Nuclear Negotiating Table?
Everyone knows that Beijing will seek to exploit the nuclear dispute between Pyongyang and Washington.
The sixtieth anniversary of a “friendship pact” between China and North Korea has recently passed, and China’s Xi Jinping and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un have indicated a desire to take relations to a new stage. But does this include working towards finding a negotiated solution to bring about North Korea’s ‘denuclearisation’? Or is it more likely that China finds it convenient that the United States is confronted by Pyongyang equipped with nuclear weapons?
The language used by North Korea on China-North Korea ties emphasized “smashing the high-handedness and desperate maneuvers of hostile forces.” China’s Xi claimed he sought “friendly cooperation between [China and North Korea] to . . . excel to new levels.” Whether that implies Beijing expects North Korea to coordinate any diplomacy with the United States in a manner that benefits China geopolitically is key.
In reality, there seems little prospect of a comprehensive solution between the United States and North Korea, with the latter continuing to build up its stockpile of ballistic missiles, with some capable of delivering nuclear weapons against the United States. North Korea certainly has no intention of agreeing to “comprehensive, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization.” President Joe Biden would know that diplomacy isn’t going to lead to a grand bargain. Yet diplomacy must continue in some form.
It is more likely that Biden will seek a calibrated and practical approach to diplomacy with the DPRK that focuses on boosting stability and reducing the risk of miscalculation, rather than the type of meaningless summitry that former President Donald Trump indulged in with Kim. China’s role in this process might potentially be as a facilitator, but the risks of bringing China to the table are high.
China will seek to exploit the dispute to its favor. Although Beijing doesn’t want an aggressive North Korea making nuclear threats against its neighbors, it must see the objective of any negotiation between Washington and Pyongyang as reducing U.S. presence and influence on the Korean Peninsula. What might facilitate that outcome is open to speculation.
For example, one possible quid pro quo arrangement might see China push Kim to eliminate older liquid-fueled missile capabilities such as the Hwasong 14, Hwasong 15, and the more recent Hwasong 16 that could threaten the United States, but in return, the United States would have to reduce the nuclear threat to Pyongyang and also withdraw THAAD missile defense systems from the Korean Peninsula. That would be a big concession for the United States to make in return for North Korea to retire older missiles, even as it develops new solid-fueled missile technologies.
The United States would have to consider the interests of Japan and South Korea in any altering of the regional correlation of nuclear-capable forces, especially in terms of air-delivered weapons such as the B61-12 gravity bomb that could be delivered by tactical combat aircraft. Any withdrawal of such nuclear-capable forces would undermine the confidence of Tokyo and Seoul in U.S. extended nuclear deterrence, even if the United States could still strike North Korea with strategic nuclear forces in a crisis.
Finally, North Korea’s missile development isn’t standing still, and solid-fueled ICBMs and submarine-launched ballistic missiles are proceeding. Even if the United States were to withdraw nuclear forces from the region, the development of North Korean nuclear weapons wouldn’t stop. Biden must be cautious of a bad bargain in any negotiation, particularly where China seeks to exploit a short-term win for the United States to create a long-term advantage for China.
Conversely, not engaging in delicate diplomacy risks the likelihood that North Korea will move quickly to a confrontational posture, which could see a resumption of long-range missile testing, and even more nuclear tests.
Beijing is in a strong position to manipulate North Korea in a manner that facilitates Chinese advantage in the region over the United States. But only if the United States under Biden walks into that trap. A more sensible approach would be for the United States to double down on extended nuclear deterrence, and work towards enhancing regional cooperation on effective missile defense to checkmate Pyongyang’s nuclear threat.
Malcolm Davis is a senior analyst in defense strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Image: Reuters
7. Calls to scrap unification ministry rattle officials committed to reconciliation with N.K.
As I have argued, I think the Ministry of Unification should be strictly a planning agency to develop the plans and identify and harness the resources necessary for the unification process and achieving a United Republic of Korea. It should be the coordinating agency among all the interagency elements of the Korean government and be the integrator of all the elements of national power once the unification process begins. It should not duplicate or conflict with foreign affairs and intelligence activities. And it has no business making statements about calling for cancellation of readiness exercises or other statements that impact on the ROK/US alliance.
(News Focus) Calls to scrap unification ministry rattle officials committed to reconciliation with N.K. | Yonhap News Agency
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- Unification ministry officials expressed frustration Monday after the leader of the main opposition People Power Party called for dismantling the ministry that has overseen efforts toward reconciliation and unification with North Korea for over half a century.
PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok made the case questioning the existence of the unification ministry during a radio interview last week, saying that it is inefficient to separate the duties of the unification ministry from the foreign ministry.
Lee lumped the unification and gender equality ministries together as bodies "whose lifespans were up or which had no role to play in the beginning" and should be scrapped as part of efforts to make the government smaller.
Unification Minister Lee In-young on Friday expressed strong regret over his remarks.
PPP leader Lee took the issue even further in a Facebook post on Saturday, calling the presence of the unification ministry a "waste of tax money" and accused it of failing to make progress in inter-Korean reconciliation, leading to the North's blowing up of a joint liaison office last year.
These attacks rattled the ministry, with Minister Lee In-young accusing the PPP leader of demonstrating a lack of "historical awareness." The opposition leader struck back, saying the ministry should have the guts to confront the North when the South's interests are hurt.
The exchange of barbs also flustered officials working to advance inter-Korean relations.
"(Such remarks) are unfortunate and a great disappointment considering that unification is dictated in the Constitution based on a consensus among the people and that the unification ministry is in charge of this task," an official said.
"Each employee here is taking it in all differently ... there are those emotionally exasperated but we are watching the situation with concern as civil servants," he said.
The ministry came into being in 1969 as the Board of National Unification under then President Park Chung-hee. The agency was later upgraded into a full ministry responsible for all issues related to inter-Korean relations and unification.
Ministry officials stressed the role of the ministry in handling cross-border cooperation and promoting dialogue between the two Koreas given the unique situation of the Korean peninsula.
They pointed out that the opposition leader's remarks show a lack of regard for the "special" relationship between the two Koreas put forward in the Constitution and inter-Korean agreement.
In December 1991, the two sides signed the Inter-Korean Basic Agreement to facilitate inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation. The agreement dictates that the two Koreas are not in a relationship between "states" but constitute a "special interim relationship" stemming from the process towards unification.
Article 4 of South Korea's Constitution also dictates that the country shall "seek unification" and "formulate and carry out a policy of peaceful unification based on the basic free and democratic order."
The unification ministry said that the organization is necessary in realizing this "constitutional spirit" toward a peaceful unification and to advancing peace between the two Koreas.
Officials also noted that the foreign ministry cannot play a sufficient role in advancing inter-Korean relations, stressing the different approach and characteristics of the two ministries.
"The basic task of the foreign ministry is in the form of diplomacy between countries, including close cooperation with the U.S. and neighboring countries as its top priority," an official said.
"Improving and developing inter-Korean relations take a different form. If we're talking about improving relations and not neglecting it, I believe that is something difficult for the foreign ministry to carry out," the official said.
He stressed that officials at the unification ministry have expertise and actual experience meeting with North Koreans, while diplomats at the foreign ministry have their own expertise in dealing other countries, such as the U.S.
"If the government gets rid of this organization, we are putting to waste at least 50 years of expertise built through inter-Korean dialogue and exchange," the official said.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, stressed that the unification ministry must remain as a government body independent of the foreign ministry.
"The creation of a ministry of foreign affairs and unification will put foreign affairs as its key task and it will take precedence over tasks related to unification," he said. "I'm not sure whether North Korea would try to deal with such a ministry."
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
8. Opinion - Korean Americans Raise Their Voices for Peace in Korea - Echo
This is very worrisome. I of course want peace on the Korean peninsula (and unification with a United Republic of Korea). But these peace activists and unfortunately some US legislators have some very naive ideas that will put the ROK/US alliance at great risk. They are proposing legislation without taking into account and fully understanding the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime. And worse, they are either unwittingly or wittingly supporting north Korean narratives and objectives.
Opinion - Korean Americans Raise Their Voices for Peace in Korea - Echo (Hyunsook Elizabeth Cho)
Opinion | Korean Americans Raise Their Voices for Peace in Korea | Echo (Hyunsook Elizabeth Cho) Skip to main content
People lay flowers as they pay their respects before a sculpture entitled ‘Victory’ at the ‘Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum’ on the occasion of 67th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice agreement, an event which North Korea refers to as ‘the Korean people’s victory of the great Fatherland Liberation War’, in Pyongyang on July 27, 2020. (Photo: Kim Won Jin/AFP via Getty Images)
The only way for peace to begin on the Korean Peninsula is for the United States to end the war with North Korea.
July 12, 2021
Like many Americans, I grew up largely ignorant of Korean history. Even though I was born in South Korea and lived there until age 12, I didn’t know, for example, that the Korean War technically never ended and was only halted by an armistice. I never heard anything that diverged from the dominant narrative that the US presence in Korea was only as a benevolent protector.
I realized that the threat and impact of the unresolved Korean War is very current to my homeland, and the only way for peace to begin on the Korean Peninsula is for the United States to end the war with North Korea.
That’s why this week, I am joining hundreds of people across the country—mostly Korean Americans—to urge members of Congress to support the Korea peace process as part of the “National Action to End the Korean War.”
The annual event, which started six years ago and has grown from just a dozen people to more than 200, reflects the growing political participation of Korean Americans. This year’s event will consist of virtual lobby visits with 167 Congressional offices in 31 states.
For Korean Americans like myself, ending this forever war will not only help reunite families and stop the endless arms race, it will also be an important step toward healing the division within our own community.
While Korean Americans aren’t a monolithic political group and don’t share the same opinion on what to do about North Korea—in fact, the four Korean Americans in Congress are divided equally on this issue—there is a growing and vocal contingent advocating for a peace-first approach. They often have family members in North Korea, or were impacted (directly or indirectly) by the Korean War, which killed approximately 4 million people, most of them civilians. Most everyone would agree that another military conflict on the Korean Peninsula—especially one involving nuclear weapons—should be avoided at all costs.
Unfortunately, since President Biden took office, there has been little movement toward renewed diplomacy with North Korea. US officials have said they’re ready to resume talks, but North Korea shows little eagerness to do so.
That shouldn’t be surprising given that the Biden administration’s strategy doesn’t seem to offer anything new. While recognizing that past approaches have failed, the administration has yet to put forth a realistic plan that would advance peace or diplomacy with North Korea.
Like many Korean Americans and peace activists, I believe that the unresolved status of the Korean War is the root cause of tensions between the two countries. July 27 will mark the 68th anniversary of the armistice signing. Replacing the armistice with a peace agreement would help build a foundation of trust between the United States and North Korea, which is necessary to then address issues such as denuclearization and human rights.
One tool to advance this strategy is H.R.3446, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act, introduced by Rep. Brad Sherman, which calls for serious, urgent diplomacy in pursuit of a binding peace agreement to formally end the Korean War. In the last Congress, H.Res.152, which also called for formally ending the Korean War and a peace agreement, garnered 52 co-sponsors. I hope there will be even more support for H.R.3446.
Another tool that could help restart diplomacy with North Korea is H.R.1504/S.690, the Enhancing North Korean Humanitarian Assistance Act, which aims to ease the impact of sanctions on much-needed humanitarian aid to North Korea. There’s also H.R.826, the Divided Families Reunification Act, to facilitate the reunion of Korean Americans and their family members in North Korea. Many Korean Americans still have family members in North Korea whom they remain separated from—another tragic consequence of the unresolved Korean War.
By cosponsoring these bills, members of Congress would send a strong signal to the Biden administration that there are concrete steps the United States can take to end the stalemate with North Korea. As the Korean War drags on, and North Korea continues to develop its nuclear weapons, the need for a new strategy is urgent.
For Korean Americans like myself, ending this forever war will not only help reunite families and stop the endless arms race, it will also be an important step toward healing the division within our own community. War has divided us for too long. It’s time we come together in the name of peace.
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Echo (Hyunsook Elizabeth Cho) is an Organizer at Women Cross DMZ, a movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War.
9. The Washington Post announces breaking-news reporters for Seoul hub
Journalists for Korea watchers to be on the lookout for. We are all familiar with Andrew Jeong's excellent work at the Wall Street Journal but I am not familiar with Rachel Pannett and Bryan Pietsch.
The Washington Post announces breaking-news reporters for Seoul hub
The Washington Post · by WashPostPRJuly 12, 2021|Updated today at 3:47 p.m. EDT · July 12, 2021
Foreign Editor Douglas Jehl, Deputy Foreign Editor Eva Rodriguez and Seoul Hub Editor Kendra Nichols today announced breaking-news reporters for The Washington Post’s Seoul hub. This hub, in addition to another base in London, will allow The Post to become a more global newsroom. Launching this summer, these operations will be staffed by reporters and editors whose primary focus will be covering live news for a worldwide audience as it unfolds in the United States and around the globe during nighttime hours in Washington.
Andrew Jeong
Andrew comes to us from the Wall Street Journal where he was a Seoul-based correspondent, focusing on North Korea. He has deep experience in writing about Asian security, including North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, missiles, cyberhackers and escapees. He has also written about South Korea’s economy, Korean-Japanese relations and the region’s ties with Iran. He had worked previously as a reporter for the Korea Herald and the Acuris group, focusing on regulatory affairs.
Andrew grew up in South Korea but spent part of his childhood in the D.C. suburbs as a superfan of the Washington football team. He did his military service as a medic in the South Korean army, assigned to a U.S. Army garrison. He is a graduate of Cornell University, with a double-major in history and economics. In addition to English, he speaks fluent Korean and has intermediate skill in classical Chinese.
In moving to The Post, Andrew will have an easy relocation; his current office is in the same flexible workspace as the Seoul hub’s location. He starts work Aug. 2.
Rachel Pannett
Rachel joined The Post earlier this year after more than a decade with the Wall Street Journal, where she was deputy bureau chief for Australia and New Zealand. She has been based in Sydney, acting as our correspondent in the region on an interim basis until Mike Miller could take the reins as bureau chief. She has written with verve and voice about a vast range of subjects, including Australia’s mouse problem, a climate visionary and a pandemic silver lining (a New Zealand no longer overrun by tourists). She has also demonstrated her speed and range, covering global stories (including a worldwide criminal roundup) as they unfolded overnight in the United States.
Rachel started as a journalist in her native New Zealand and has reported from around the world, covering wildfires and terrorist attacks, elections and political upheavals, and tracing the journeys of Myanmar Rohingya refugees and Afghan migrants seeking a better life abroad. She is a graduate of Massey University, with a B.A. in social anthropology and journalism.
Rachel lives in Sydney with her husband and two school-age boys, and she will remain in Australia while working as a member of the Seoul-based team. She began her new duties on July 8.
Bryan Pietsch
Bryan is a versatile and energetic journalist who has spent the last year covering breaking news for The New York Times as a member of the 2020-2021 fellowship class. With The Times’s newsroom closed for the pandemic, Bryan was based in Denver as a general assignment reporter for The Times’s Express Desk and covered all manner of stories from the virus to human compost to the grocery store shooting in Boulder, Colo. Bryan previously reported for Business Insider in New York and Reuters in Washington.
Bryan’s move to Seoul will mark a kind of homecoming. He was born in South Korea but left the country as a baby; he was adopted by American parents and grew up in Minnesota. He speaks Spanish, is learning some Korean and has told us that he looks forward to getting to know his native country and finding opportunities for outdoor adventure.
Bryan starts work in the Seoul hub July 12.
The Washington Post · by WashPostPRJuly 12, 2021|Updated today at 3:47 p.m. EDT · July 12, 2021
10. N. Korea reports no coronavirus cases: WHO report
Still no COVID. A result of the draon=conian population and resources control measures that have protected the north? Or is the regime effectively controlling information so that it can report no cases despite the likelihood that it has had outbreaks. And will those draconian population and resources control measures lead to worse suffering and bring about instability because they contribute to the failed economy and hardship and potential famine that may be the worst in decades.
N. Korea reports no coronavirus cases: WHO report | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has conducted coronavirus tests on around 35,000 people so far but found no infections, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday, amid the global spread of the more contagious delta variant.
According to the WHO's weekly report on COVID-19, 718 North Koreans underwent virus tests from June 25 to July 1, bringing the total number of tested citizens to 32,512, but none were found to have been infected.
Of the 718 newly tested citizens, 127 people with symptoms turned out to be those with flu-like illness or acute respiratory illness, the report said.
North Korea has claimed to be coronavirus-free but has taken relatively swift and tough measures against the pandemic, such as imposing strict border controls since early last year.
The North was expected to receive around 2 million doses of coronavirus vaccines through a global vaccine distribution program, but they have not been delivered to the country yet.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
11. New daily cases above 1,000 for week, delta variant spreading fast (South Korea)
And I am sure the north continues to report no COVID because it wants to draw a favorable picture of the north while South Korea's transparency makes it appear that it cannot control COVID.
(LEAD) New daily cases above 1,000 for week, delta variant spreading fast | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 4, 7-8, 17, last 4 paras)
SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose by more than 1,000 for the seventh consecutive day Tuesday, as worries ran high over a further uptick in new infections amid the fast spread of the more contagious delta variant and the summer season despite toughened virus curbs.
The country added 1,150 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,097 local infections, raising the total caseload to 170,296, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally is slightly up from 1,100 on Monday.
South Korea set a record high for daily cases Saturday with 1,378.
The country added two more COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 2,046. The fatality rate came to 1.2 percent.
As the delta variant is spreading fast and the summer vacation season is near, the KDCA warned that daily virus cases may rise to the mid-2,000s in mid-August.
Health authorities estimate the delta variant accounted for 26.5 percent of newly reported cases in the capital area over the first week of July, soaring from just 2.8 percent posted a month earlier.
The delta strain also accounted for 60 percent of all variant infections reported in the country over the past week, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.
The reproduction rate, which refers to the number of people a single patient can infect, came to 1.24.
Infections with unknown transmission routes also accounted for around a third of newly added cases over the past week, further raising concerns over asymptomatic patients.
In an effort to flatten the virus curve, the country implemented a semi-lockdown in the greater Seoul area, home to around half of the nation's population, under which gatherings of more than two people are banned after 6 p.m.
Under the highest social distancing measures of Level 4, entertainment establishments, including nightclubs and bars, are ordered to shut down in the capital area, while restaurants are allowed to have dine-in customers only until 10 p.m.
Areas other than the capital region are under Level 1 in principle, but major cities, including Busan and Daejeon, implemented tougher measures amid a steady rise in new infections outside Seoul.
While authorities believe the country's inoculation program will help reduce daily cases to as low as the 600s by the end of next month, the nation has been slow in offering vaccine shots.
A total of 15.6 million people, or 30.4 percent of the country's population, have received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines, remaining almost unchanged from 29.8 percent tallied at end-June.
The KDCA said 5.9 million people have been fully vaccinated, accounting for 11.6 percent of the population.
Of the newly confirmed domestic cases, 414 were from Seoul, 313 from the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and 67 from the western port city of Incheon.
The southeastern port city of Busan reported 47 new infections, and Daegu, 302 kilometers south of Seoul, added 36 more.
There were 53 additional imported cases.
Imported cases were mostly traced to Asian countries, with Indonesia accounting for 17 patients. Arrivals from Uzbekistan also took up five.
The total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries was 154,752, up 565 from a day earlier. This indicates 90.87 percent of the patients reported here have been cured.
The number of patients in critical condition came to 146, up eight from the previous day.
South Korea has carried out 10,964,299 COVID-19 tests so far, including 44,401 the previous day.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)
12. South Korea’s Harvard-Taught Political Boss Rips China ‘Cruelty’
Very interesting politician. Read his humble admission about running for president in 2027.
Excerpts:
“We’re definitely going to have to fight against the enemies of democracy,” Lee, the youngest person ever selected to lead a major South Korean political party, said from his office Friday. Lee, who took part in Hong Kong protests in 2019, said the pro-democracy movement in the Asian financial hub was reminiscent of South Korea’s campaign in the 1980s that toppled its autocratic government.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s administration is filled with people who were part of pro-democracy protests in the 1980s. Moon has walked a fine line with China, his country’s biggest trading partner, taking a softer tone than the U.S. and European Union in criticizing moves from Beijing they say are suppressing autonomy in Hong Kong and causing forced labor in Xinjiang.
South Korea was conspicuously absent in a joint statement from the U.S. and 20 of its allies that criticized a crackdown by Hong Kong authorities on the outspoken Apple Daily newspaper and its staff. The statement over the weekend from the “Media Freedom Coalition” called on Hong Kong and Chinese authorities to uphold press freedom “in line with China’s international legal obligations.”
South Korea’s Harvard-Taught Political Boss Rips China ‘Cruelty’
- Seoul needs to fight “enemies of democracy,” Lee Jun-seok says
- The opposition made him their youngest political leader
The 36-year-old leader of South Korea’s biggest opposition party said his fellow millennials will push back against Chinese “cruelty” in places like Hong Kong, indicating a tougher line with Beijing if his political group regains power.
Harvard-educated Lee Jun-seok, the newly installed leader of the People Power Party, said in an interview with Bloomberg that generational change is taking place and he aims to harness it at home to return his conservative group to the presidency, and abroad to revisit Seoul’s relations with the international community.
“We’re definitely going to have to fight against the enemies of democracy,” Lee, the youngest person ever selected to lead a major South Korean political party, said from his office Friday. Lee, who took part in Hong Kong protests in 2019, said the pro-democracy movement in the Asian financial hub was reminiscent of South Korea’s campaign in the 1980s that toppled its autocratic government.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s administration is filled with people who were part of pro-democracy protests in the 1980s. Moon has walked a fine line with China, his country’s biggest trading partner, taking a softer tone than the U.S. and European Union in criticizing moves from Beijing they say are suppressing autonomy in Hong Kong and causing forced labor in Xinjiang.
South Korea was conspicuously absent in a joint statement from the U.S. and 20 of its allies that criticized a crackdown by Hong Kong authorities on the outspoken Apple Daily newspaper and its staff. The statement over the weekend from the “Media Freedom Coalition” called on Hong Kong and Chinese authorities to uphold press freedom “in line with China’s international legal obligations.”
Lee Jun-seok at his office inside the National Assembly in Seoul.
Photographer: Jean Chung/Bloomberg
For more on South Korean politics:
The Moon government has pledged to protect human rights but has faced criticism from the opposition for not taking a stronger stand against countries faulted for their records like China and North Korea. “I can definitely say the Moon administration is leaning towards China,” Lee said, adding the Korean public is “not happy about it.”
Moon’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the Foreign Ministry has previously stated it supports Hong Kong’s “high degree of autonomy” in accordance with China’s “one country, two systems” principle.
Lee is also staking out new territory for the conservative bloc toward China, after Park Geun-hye -- its last leader to become president -- courted Beijing as she sought to better diplomatic and commercial ties.
Moon’s single five-year term ends in 2022 and one of Lee’s biggest tasks will be finding a conservative candidate to lead his party’s charge. Lee’s too young to run, with the South Korean constitution requiring a person be at least 40 to become president.
Lee also had questions about the current policy with the North Korean regime of Kim Jong Un, a year older than the PPP leader. Lee said the North Korean system has little to offer now when it comes to unification. “Do we want to preserve anything from their economic system? I say no.”
“It’s a different relation from before. That almost means that it could be a little harder negotiation with the North because we have nothing to lose now but they have everything to lose,” Lee said.
Lee speaks during an interview on July 9.
Photographer: Jean Chung/Bloomberg
In the interview, Lee also addressed qualification tests for party candidates, one of the widest gender inequality gaps in the developed world and the meaning of democracy for younger South Koreans.
Here are some highlights:
Qualification Tests
“When they have to deal with articles and numbers, I expect them to actually know what the numbers mean. The younger generation definitely expects their representative to be more qualified than them,” Lee said. “We are going to provide education and training programs for our current party members. Whoever can adapt to that change, will survive the test.”
Democracy
“The younger generation definitely cares much about democracy. I was born in 1985 and the Korean people earned, or acquired democracy in 1987. We were definitely born given the privilege of democracy. This younger generation believes that if people of other countries are deprived of such a privilege, we feel sorry for them.”
Kim Jong Un
“He studied in a Western school, I heard, and that means he knows the values of democracy and social systems of a developed country. Then, why is he acting in such a way?”
Young generation:
“I am pretty confident that they are actually looking forward to the next presidential election coming up in March. They believe that they can change the nation.”
Gender inequality:
“In the 1960s and 70s there was definitely some point where Korean women were excluded from education opportunities and say working opportunities. It was our mothers’ stories, but in year 2021, I think none of the Korean girls and women are excluded from basic education in Korea and they have equal chances for jobs. But the Moon Jae-in government is trying to say there is still too much inequality to be fair competition.”
Presidential bid in 2027
“Definitely no. I believe if you were to run for presidency, you have to be prepared to debate in global situations for your people, and I need more training.”
(Updates with statement on Hong Kong newspaper.)
13. JCS chairman meets new USFK commander, discusses readiness, alliance
A permanent Military Committee meeting.
JCS chairman meets new USFK commander, discusses readiness, alliance | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Won In-choul met with new U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Paul LaCamera Tuesday and discussed ways to boost a combined readiness posture and the bilateral alliance, officials said.
LaCamera took office earlier this month to lead the U.S. military in South Korea, as well as the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Korea and the United Nations Command.
During the meeting, Won stressed the importance of maintaining a robust combined defense posture and advancing the bilateral alliance. LaCamera vowed to "strive towards an even greater and stronger Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance, which was forged in blood 70 years ago," according to JCS.
"The two sides agreed to beef up cooperation and coordination, and to work more closely for a firm readiness posture," JCS said.
Key pending issues include the combined military exercise slated for August. Seoul's defense ministry said discussions are under way with the U.S. about when and how to stage the summertime exercise amid North Korea's protest and the COVID-19 pandemic.
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)
14. For 17th year running, Tokyo claims Dokdo in white paper
Sigh....
For 17th year running, Tokyo claims Dokdo in white paper
Soma Hirohisa, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy, is summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in central Seoul Tuesday after Tokyo renewed claims over Korea’s easternmost Dokdo islets in its annual defense white paper for the 17th consecutive year. [NEWS1]
Seoul protested Tokyo's renewed claims over Korea's easternmost Dokdo islets in its annual defense white paper Tuesday for the 17th consecutive year.
The "Defense of Japan 2021," reported by Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi in a cabinet session led by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga earlier that morning, described Dokdo, which it calls Takeshima, an "inherent part of the territory of Japan."
The white paper states that Japan has an "unresolved" territorial dispute over the islets, and maps included in the document label Dokdo in the East Sea as Japan's territory.
Seoul's Foreign Ministry and National Defense Ministry immediately summoned Japanese officials to lodge formal protests.
Choi Young-sam, spokesman for Seoul's Foreign Ministry, in a press briefing Tuesday afternoon said the Korean government "strongly protested" Japan's defense white paper and called on Tokyo to "immediately withdraw" its claims over Dokdo.
Korea, the spokesman added, expressed "strong regret" over the Japanese government's "recent intensification of its unjust claims over Dokdo," including in the latest defense white paper.
The Foreign Ministry said that the Japanese government's "unjust claims do not and will not have any impact on Korea' sovereignty over Dokdo," adding that Seoul "will respond strictly and firmly" to any provocations by Tokyo over the islets.
Seoul maintains that there is no territorial dispute as the Dokdo islets in the East Sea are historically, geographically and under international law an integral part of Korean territory.
Lee Sang-ryeol, director general for Asia and Pacific affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, summoned Soma Hirohisa, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.
Likewise, Lee Kyung-koo, deputy director-general for international policy at the Ministry of National Defense, summoned Adm. Takashi Matsumoto, a defense attaché at the Japanese Embassy.
Japan's latest claims over Dokdo come as the two sides have been discussing the possibility of a visit by President Moon Jae-in to the Tokyo Olympics next week and hold a first bilateral meeting with Suga in an attempt to thaw icy bilateral relations.
The Japanese annual defense white paper explains the security issues surrounding the country. Tokyo has been claiming Dokdo as its territory in these white papers since 2005, during the Junichiro Koizumi administration.
The new white paper, unlike previous years, focuses on an increase in South Korea's defense budget, which analysts say could be intended to provide a pretext to increase Japan's own defense spending.
The paper said that South Korea spent more than Japan in defense purchases in 2018 and predicted that its defense budget will be 1.5 times than that of Japan by 2025.
It dedicated a page to saying that the South Korean defense budget has increased for 22 consecutive years. It said Seoul's spending for 2021 increased by 5.4 percent compared to the previous year and that it plans to increase the budget by an average of 7.5 percent annually.
In this year's document, as in the 2020 paper, South Korea came fourth behind Australia, India and Asean on a list of Japan's defense cooperation partners aside from the United States.
The paper also noted sources of friction with Seoul, such as the South Korean Navy holding military drills in the waters surrounding the Dokdo islets, included in the paper for the first time this year.
Like last year, it mentions that the Korean government in November 2019 announced suspending its notification to terminate the bilateral General Security of Military Information Agreement, or Gsomia.
Seoul attempted to end its Gsomia with Tokyo after Japan's implementation of export restrictions on Korea in July 2019. Tokyo's trade restrictions were seen as a backlash against the Korean Supreme Court decisions in late 2018 ordering Japanese companies to compensate victims of forced labor during World War II.
The paper included language describing "negative responses from South Korean defense authorities," appearing to blame Seoul for the bilateral problems.
The white paper also spent more time dwelling on the Sino-U.S. rivalry for the first time including that "stabilizing the situation surrounding Taiwan is important for Japan's security and the stability of the international community."
It said that it believes that North Korea already has the ability to attack Japan with nuclear weapons fitted to ballistic missiles and that such trends "pose grave and imminent threats to Japan's security."
Japan’s 2021 defense white paper is released Tuesday. [JOONGANG ILBO]
The cover of the latest defense paper featured an ink painting of a samurai riding on horseback in contrast to last year's of cherry blossoms and geometric patterns. Some observers see that as symbolic of Japan's intention to become a military power and turn away from its Peace Constitution, which renounces war.
While an annual event, the latest defense policy paper comes as Seoul and Tokyo struggle to find a way out of current diplomatic tensions, which have extended to trade and security affairs.
The paper also urges South Korea to resolve pending issues so as not to damage cooperation between Korea and Japan and trilaterally with the United States.
Moon has not yet decided whether to attend the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics set for July 23. Seoul's Foreign Ministry has expressed disgruntlement over Japanese officials unilaterally leaking discussions over a possible Moon-Suga meeting to the press.
The Dokdo issue has been a source of tension even for the Tokyo Olympics. Its official website includes the islets as Japanese territory in a map of its torch relay route. Japan's refusal to remove Dokdo from the map has prompted some politicians to call for a boycott of the games.
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
15. Kim Jong-un Honors Light-Entertainment Queen
Just what the Korean people in the north need. I am sure this makes them feel good and boosts their morale - right along with more ideological training (note my attempt at sarcasm.)
Kim Jong-un Honors Light-Entertainment Queen
July 13, 2021 13:52
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has rewarded the country's queen of official entertainment, Kim Ok-ju, with the title of "People's Artist."
Kim Jong-un seems to have taken a fancy to the celebrated interpreter of such a propaganda classic as "We Call Him Father" who is still only in her 30s.
Even her nearest rival, the leader's rumored ex-girlfriend Hyon Song-wol, has not been given the honor, though she has risen from the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble to his protocol officer.
The official Rodong Sinmun on Monday carried a photo of Kim Jong-un with young entertainers who were being honored in a ceremony at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang the previous day. On his right, with an arm draped over his shoulder and flashing her trademark coy smile, sits Kim Ok-ju.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (center) poses with Kim Ok-ju (in a red circle), other entertainers and artists in Pyongyang on Sunday, in this photo from the North's official Rodong Sinmun the following day.
Last month, she made headlines when she sang more than half of the songs during a big concert for the nomenklatura. And in February, during a performance marking the birthday of former leader Kim Jong-il, the smitten leader demanded two encores from her.
Kim Ok-ju has even performed in South Korea, coming here as a member of the Samjiyon Orchestra during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Kim Jong-un's patronage of young performers may also be aimed at stemming the corrupting influence of South Korean pop music in the Stalinist country or rewarding entertainers who most enthusiastically toe the party line.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
16. Will North Korea make military provocation against combined drill?
Maybe or maybe not. But one thing is for certain: we would not make decisions based on north Korea threats and propaganda. To do so would be to confirm to Kim Jong-un that his political warfare strategy and blackmail diplomacy works. Cancelling, postponing, or scaling back will not result in reciprocity, a change in behavior of a restart of north-South engagement or nuclear negotiations. It will only lead Kim to double down on his proven strategies - strategies proven by our actions and reactions.
And north Korean provocations and missile tests are not something we should be afraid of. We should also keep in mind that the regime must continue to test to advance their capabilities. So they may use the excuse of exercises to "justify" such tests but it is likely they will test when it is necessary to advance to the next level in their program.
Will North Korea make military provocation against combined drill?
Hellicopters and vehicles are deployed at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, during this year's first Combined Command Post Training between South Korea and the U.S. in this March 8 photo. The two sides are yet to reveal the scale of the drill, which is anticipated to take place next month. Yonhap
Pyongyang issues warning against August exercise plan
By Nam Hyun-woo
North Korea has resumed its belligerent rhetoric against a combined summertime military exercise between Seoul and Washington, raising questions about whether the Kim Jong-un regime will escalate the situation with a military provocation.
Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda website, issued a warning Tuesday to South Korea and the U.S. with regard to the drill expected to be held in August, saying that "war exercises" and peace cannot exist simultaneously.
"The current instability on the Korean Peninsula is fully attributable to the warmongers among the South Korean military colluding with an outside power, and engaging in reckless, confrontational machinations," the website commented.
Citing previous exercises including the Combined Command Post Training in March and Seoul's participation in the cooperative maritime exercise Pacific Vanguard, it alleged "(South Korea) showed its craze for war exercises."
Uriminzokkiri also mentioned the recent deliveries of material and equipment to upgrade the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense base in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and South Korea's deployment of RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude unmanned surveillance aircraft, saying "war games to strengthen armed forces will never stand hand in hand with peace."
Another propaganda website, Meari, also slammed the South Korean government for "pouring taxpayers' money into introducing and developing weapons without considering the South Korean people's toughened livelihood amid the fast spread of a vicious virus."
North Korea's newly developed submarine-borne ballistic missile Pukguksong-5 is shown at a military parade held Jan. 14 to mark the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's eighth congress, in this photo released by the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap
South Korea and the U.S. are yet to reveal the scale and detailed plans for the annual summertime combined exercise. A Ministry of National Defense spokesman said Tuesday that the ministry was still "consulting with the U.S. about the military exercise, considering the COVID-19 situation, diplomatic efforts for peace of the Korean Peninsula and other factors."
With the Moon Jae-in administration seeing a glimmer of hope on improving the inter-Korean relations, anticipation is growing that Seoul and Washington may scale down the exercise so as not to anger North Korea. The fast spread of the delta variant of COVID-19 is also increasing uncertainty.
Recently, the North has refrained from publicly denouncing South Korea or the U.S., after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the North's leader Kim, said in June that Washington had the "wrong" expectations for talks.
Since then, Pyongyang has not responded to overtures by Seoul and Washington. Tuesday's commentary by the "news" website Uriminzokkiri is also seen as a way to more delicately control tension before the exercise, experts said.
"I believe the chances are slim for North Korea to stage an immediate military provocation, even if the drill takes place as scheduled," said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Dongguk University's Department of North Korean Studies.
"The regime is facing difficulties in battling the pandemic and other economic adversities including its food supply, while the U.S. is unfolding its North Korea policies," he said. "Against this backdrop, a military provocation may result in the North starting off on the wrong foot. Though it is using bellicose rhetoric, the chances of Pyongyang staging an actual provocation seem to be very slim."
But others think the North may test a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) if a full-scale exercise takes place.
"If the summertime exercise takes place on a similar scale to the March drill, the North may end up launching short-range missiles," the Institute for National Security Strategy said in a report released last week. "If it is on a full scale, however, there is the possibility that the North will launch a solid-propellant SLBM, which it seeks to conduct a technology test on."
17. UN says 42 percent of North Koreans undernourished
And I wonder if that estimate is still too low.
But look at the comparison:
The UN defines undernourishment as habitual food consumption being “insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normal active and healthy life.”
The percentage is the sixth-highest in the world, after Somalia, the Central African Republic, Haiti, Yemen and Madagascar.
In an indication of chronic or recurrent malnutrition, around 1 in 5 children under the age of 5 in North Korea had suffered stunted growth as of the end of 2020.
UN says 42 percent of North Koreans undernourished
Published : Jul 13, 2021 - 15:00 Updated : Jul 13, 2021 - 16:33
North Korean flag (AFP-Yonhap)
Around 42 percent of North Koreans were undernourished last year, a UN report said Tuesday, as the impoverished nation faces acute food insecurity amid the prolonged pandemic and severe weather conditions, compounded by international sanctions.
As many as 10.9 million people in North Korea, or 42.24 percent of the population, were undernourished from 2018 to 2020, according to the report jointly published by five UN agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Program and the World Health Organization.
The UN defines undernourishment as habitual food consumption being “insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normal active and healthy life.”
The percentage is the sixth-highest in the world, after Somalia, the Central African Republic, Haiti, Yemen and Madagascar.
In an indication of chronic or recurrent malnutrition, around 1 in 5 children under the age of 5 in North Korea had suffered stunted growth as of the end of 2020.
The child stunting rate came to 18.2 percent, or about 300,000 children under the age of 5, according to the report. The figure is an improvement from 26.2 percent in 2012, but still high in a global comparison.
Meanwhile, the FAO has also designated North Korea as a food-deficit country in need of external aid, warning that the country is expected to enter a “harsh lean period” next month.
In the latest Crop Prospects and Food Situation Report, the FAO put North Korea on its list of 45 countries in need of external assistance for food.
North Korea has been categorized as a country with “widespread lack of access” to food, where a large proportion of the population suffers from “low levels of food consumption and very poor dietary diversity.”
“The economic constraints, particularly resulting from the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, have increased the population’s vulnerability to food security,” the report said.
The UN agency said the North is expected to face a food shortage of around 860,000 tons this year, which is equivalent to approximately 2.3 months’ worth of food for the country.
“If this gap is not adequately covered through commercial imports and/or food aid, households could experience a harsh lean period from August to October, when the 2021 main season grain crops are expected to be available for consumption.”
Of the countries requiring external food aid, 34 are in Africa, two are in Latin America and the Caribbean, and nine are in Asia. The other Asian countries on the list are Myanmar, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Pakistan and Syria.
Concerns are rising as North Korea appears to be bracing itself for a serious food crisis, with observers worrying the condition could be as dire as the famine that struck the country in the 1990s.
The North has suffered chronic food insecurity for years, but the situation was aggravated by last year’s flooding, which wreaked havoc on its farming sector. The COVID-19 outbreak has also exacerbated the country’s food crisis, as the North, which relies on China for food and other materials, suspended all trade with its main partner to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
At a key party meeting last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a rare admission that his country was facing “tense” food shortages due to last year’s typhoon and floods, stressing that resolving the food issue was a “top priority.”
18. Park Jin from opposition party to run for president
Below this article is his "platform" which he posted on Facebook yesterday (we are Facebook friends). It is a Facebook translation from his Korean statement.
Park Jin from opposition party to run for president
Published : Jul 13, 2021 - 14:53 Updated : Jul 13, 2021 - 14:53
Park Jin of the main opposition People Power Party declares his presidential bid on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
With the race for the presidential election kicking into gear, a string of senior lawmakers from the main opposition People Power Party are announcing their candidacies one after another.
Four-term lawmaker Park Jin on Tuesday declared his bid, becoming the third current lawmaker from the People Power Party to enter the fray, following Ha Tae-keung and Yun Hee-suk.
Considered a diplomacy expert in the National Assembly, Park is known to be close to US President Joe Biden. He visited the US in May as part of a vaccine delegation to make contact with the US administration, including Sung Kim, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, as well as the US Congress, think tanks and the pharmaceutical industry.
“We want to create a country where the people are free and happy, a country where future generations can challenge to realize their dreams and a country that shows global diplomacy and politics that suits the dignity of developed countries,” Park said at a press conference.
He denounced the Moon Jae-in government, saying it has failed the people’s expectations of the candlelight revolution and has only brought disappointment and frustration to the powerless, socially disadvantaged and young people. “Now we have to fix it.”
Park pledged to turn the economy into an advanced country paradigm and create a productive welfare system with sustainable growth and without blind spots.
The candidate stressed he would stabilize the housing market through a balance of supply and demand, deregulation and tax cuts, and create job-led growth -- not income-led growth.
He also vowed to guide Korea and the US beyond a security alliance to establish a value alliance that shares the core values of democracy and to develop the relationship into a technology alliance that will lead the era of the “fourth industrial revolution.”
“We will make the Korea-US technology alliance the strongest on the planet to advance the era of $50,000 per capita income and develop a cooperative partnership with China, Korea’s largest trading partner, through strategic communication,” he said.
The fourth candidate from the People Power Party is to be Rep. Kim Tae-ho, who will officially announce his candidacy at the National Assembly two days later. Kim expressed his intention to run for office last week, saying, “I will cut off the link of political retaliation and plant seeds of coexistence.”
Other political bigwigs -- Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min and Jeju Island Gov. Won Hee-ryong -- are also said to announce their bids soon.
Respected citizens!
This is park jin of the National Assembly of the National Assembly of the National Assembly.
I declare the th presidential election today.
A country where the people are free and happy, a country where the future generation can challenge to make their dreams come true, a country where the global diplomacy and politics that fits the classy of the nation that fits the nation, this kind of country like this kind of country I want to make it.
To go to the true freedom of the collapsed fair and justice again, recover the damaged liberal democracy and correct the identity of South Korea, and to go to the true free market economy and freedom democracy unification I'm going to start the blacksmith from today.
Recently, the un trade development meeting (UNCTAD) has changed the position of Korea to the existing development country. This is the first time since the un trade development meeting has been in the middle of the year.
South Korea is already a country that has already joined the seventh time in the ′′ countries that have been gathered in the population of the population of the population of the population of the population.
Economic Scale is virtually a country where you can leap to g7 or world
It is the result of the people's indomitable challenge and sacrifice spirit of the people's indomitable challenge and sacrifice spirit.
Now in the th century global era we stop division and conflict and the people become one
We need to create a hopeful future in South Korea.
But what about our political reality?
Last Moon Jae-in administration, the people's political disbelief has been bigger for years, and the people's party has happened to the people's party, not the people's party.
The Moon Jae-in administration has split the people and retreat politics rather.
Our politics that needs to move to the future has been sent to a well-being frog.
We are not able to see the back of political retaliation, corruption, localism, and pabeol fight.
Moon Jae-in administration has lost the expectations of the people called candle revolution.
I was looking forward to the moon Jae-in administration, and I was disappointed and frustration to the people who have no power to support the moon Jae-in administration.
The political experiment of the forces of the forces of the forces of the forces of the forces of the forces of the people who are the one who is the
It ended with failure due to hypocritical self-Gadangchag-Eulo.
The economy has also failed to populism.
The people are suffering from indiscriminate tax bomb and disciplinary regulations.
The freedom of the people's residence has been deprived by the failure of real estate policy.
The public institutions in charge of land and housing, who have a house, and the public institutions in charge of land and housing has become the temperature of corruption.
The Anti-market real estate policy that moon Jae-in administration has opened, failed nudeogisig real estate policy
Now, we have to get it right away.
The growth of the income judo that moon Jae-in administration pushed reckless without deep concerns, has been rather disappearing the jobs of our society.
It has become a country where electricity can't be used freely with nuclear power plant.
Electric cars won't be available in the future.
Hours of workers who have not considered the characteristics of a drastic minimum wage increase and businesses are tightening small businesses and small businesses.
If the wrong policies continue as it is, our economy will be in a state of incapacity to recover.
The Moon Jae-in administration has fallen in diplomacy.
There is a fierce technology competition in the global dimension, but South Korea is being lost in China's notice and lost the sense of direction.
The Alliance of the United States planted disbelief, and the people who are treated by China, and they are pretending to be treated by the neighbors, and they are consistent with the people who are consistent with North Korea. There is.
In the meantime, the national interest is lost and the national flag has crashed.
South Korea has never been so isolated and alienated.
In the meantime, I can't see the end of the dark and long tunnel called corona pandemic.
There was a new crisis coming to the th car trend, but the government's vaccine supply ability has revealed the floor.
The vaccine diplomacy failed, so the vaccine is happening.
The government has quickly accomplished the collective immune of the United States, Israel, etc.
If you listen to the voice of the opposition party that does ′′ vaccine swap ′′
There wouldn't have been such a vaccine disaster.
The government is now the unilateral pain and sacrifice of the people's unilateral pain and sacrifice
I'm forcing it.
Recently, the 'Deltabyeon-Ivirus' is breaking the peaceful life of the people who just started to find again.
The people are now tired of being tired.
Regime Replacement is the answer.
Dear people!
Even though this is in the presidential election, the naichi (zhì) is of course in the shout out (wài zhì)
We need a president elected with the ability and vision to take charge of the country's future.
That's how you can overcome the crisis of South Korea and open the future of new hope.
We need to seek our national interest in the international society that changes away from consumable domestic politics and find the strategy of national survival.
A leader who responds with reality sense of politics, economy, diplomacy, and security environment in the corona era, and security environment, a leader who is definitely a leader who is definitely a leader who is definitely in the international stage, our nation in technology. The leader of the global sales diplomacy is the president of the global sales diplomacy.
In order to go to the advanced country in the postcorona era, you need to change the national government more than anything.
If I become a president, I will evolve politics from politics.
We will do a big politics that will stop the politics of hatred and division that will stop the people and integrate the people with the people with the people who are in the middle of the day.
We will do the politics of embrace that the president will discuss the wisdom of compromise for the politicians and the people.
In the era of artificial intelligence and digital democracy era, we will expand the people's political participation of the people's political participation in the era of the people's political participation and the people's political participation.
The economy will also change to the paradigm of the advanced country.
We will make a productive welfare system without sustainable growth and blind spot.
Real Estate will stabilize the market through the balance of supply and demand, regulation and tax.
The power of national growth is a job and the first button is to make a good country to enterprise.
I will make a job judo growth, not the growth of income.
In the godohwadoen industrial structure, venture companies continue the challenge for technology innovation,
Small businesses will strengthen competitive through funding and technology support, and big companies will keep the law and look at the example, and lead the national economy to make a balanced national economy.
We will secure the flexibility of labor market with reasonable labor reform and operate a elastic labor policy through the nosa agreement.
Low-birth, strengthening the academic reform and lifelong education for talent revolution in the era of chogolyeonghwa, etc.
We will take a look at the reform of education.
We will build a national childcare system that can be possible for care and nurture, work and home.
We will give you a chance to expand the old welfare and create silver jobs that elders can work healthy and open the tricks of life on the site.
I will put the diplomacy that has been taken away from the orbit.
We will resume the union military training to recover damaged trust by normalize the us alliance and strengthen the union defense.
We will develop the technology alliance that leads to the era of democracy beyond the security alliance of democracy, and the era of the era of the th industrial revolution.
We will make the most powerful Korea Technology Alliance on earth and pull the era of the people's income of the people's income of the republic of Korea.
We will develop a real and confident sovereignty diplomacy through strategic communication with the maximum trade opponent.
We will reduce economic dependence on brawler China, and we will change overseas export markets such as Southeast Asia, Middle East, Europe, South America, Africa, etc.
Through a serious conversation with Japan, we are comprehensive and serious conversation, etc. We are looking for the future-oriented partnership of the Korean Peninsula, safety and prosperity in the Korean Peninsula and prosperity in the Korean Peninsula. We will build a cooperation system for Korea-Japan.
Russia will strengthen resources, energy cooperation, and the development of the development and the development of the development of the development and the polar port.
Based on normal peace coexistence that has been entered into mutual principles about North Korea
We will develop the predictable South Korea relations.
For North Korea's real denuclearization, we will strengthen cooperation with the international society, such as the United States, and we will be able to take a look at the United States to suppress North Korea.
We will strive to separate the residents of North Korea, improve North Korea's human rights, and attract North Korea's gradually change, and we will strive to choose freedom and human rights and peace unification.
Beyond the Korean Peninsula, we will be actively responding to the global supply network and security environment change in the Indian Pacific Region.
We will actively participate in the local democracy union quad (Quad) and expand expand expand expand expand expand expand the overseas economic territory such as East Asia Rcep and hwantacific cptpp, etc.
We will also be in front of climate change response.
Climate change crisis is a task that the whole world will cooperate, not just one nation's assignment.
ESG (Environment, society, dominant structure) Management for carbon neutral realization is no longer a matter of choice.
South Korea will play the role of international social cooperation to respond to climate change, fine dust, global warming, and marine pollution.
We will introduce esg to the national operation.
I'll take care of science technology.
One Nation's science technology is the power that shows the capacity of the people, and the leadership of the national leader should be the leadership of the national leader.
The Moon Jae-in administration's reckless and dangerous nuclear power plant policy, and we will be based on the peaceful nuclear power that South Korea can leap the world leading the world.
We will create future jobs through investment and development of core technology, such as semiconductor, electric battery, clean energy, bio health, etc. We will create a national competitive.
We will strengthen vaccine diplomacy to overcome corona pandemic crisis and accelerate domestic vaccine production.
From the advanced country to the high-tech vaccine technology and combined with our mass production ability to be able to leap into Asia's global ' vaccine herb ' I will.
I will go to spur in the development of space airlines technology.
Actively participate in NASA 'Artemis project' for the moon exploration and contribute to the new frontier pioneer of humanity and future food creation.
Expanding the implementation of smart farming using high-tech science technology for food security
We will open a bow to export eco-friendly agricultural products abroad.
We will build a global hallyu platform to open the era of hallyu, and build a global hallyu platform to consume 'made in Korea' culture content.
Respected citizens!
That Park Jin can do it.
years ago, the republic of Korea's government selected by the republic of Korea
I have resolved myself that I left studying abroad.
Don't ask me what the motherland can do and ask me what I can do for the motherland John F. I have lived with responsibility and duty that President Kennedy should pay grace to the country like President Kennedy's inauguration speech.
Kim Young-Sam, the blue house secretary of the blue house of the blue house, has built an experience of valuable national operation while working for years.
At the site of many summit diplomacy, we have kept the president of Korea and kept the republic of Korea.
In August, the republic of Korea's politics, Seoul, Seoul, Seoul, Seoul, and the National Assembly, and the National Assembly, and the conservative party has built a variety of political experiences in the center of Seoul.
In The National Assembly of the National Assembly, the National Assembly of the National Assembly, we stood in the center of the National Assembly, and communicated with the world's political leaders of the world.
In the years that left politics, we had a time to recharge while having a heated discussion about the youth and the national future with the university campus.
And I made a policy sink tank and studied the future strategy.
Last year in April, we were elected in gangnam, and we joined the National Assembly as a member of the National Assembly as a member of the National Assembly.
In The National Assembly, we designed the future of South Korea by leading global diplomacy security forum and future policy research society, and the United States of Korea's vaccine and vaccine swap with Israel through the United States of Korea. Contributed.
Now I'm going to change South Korea new experience and knowledge and ability to change South Korea
Everyone wants to pour out.
The Postcorona era is stepping on acceleration pedal towards the future such as artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, quantum computing, etc.
Now we need a global leadership that can present the survival direction of the future generation in the Korean Peninsula and present the future generation in a fierce global competition.
As long as South Korea has raised global capacity and leadership, now that park jin will be the president of the president of the new free advanced country to create South Korea.
We will be a global president of the advanced country that opens the new future of South Korea!
Lastly I am with great presidential candidates who have been in the power of the people's power this time
I'm going to have a good time with the people who are in the middle of the day, and I'm going to
We will do our best to be able to take care of the people's party for the next year's regime.
Gather strength to that park jin!
Thank you.
19. North Korea may be using 5G mobile communications technology to monitor border
north Korea procures advanced equipment to further oppress the Korean people. The north Korean surveillance state may make China look like an open society.
North Korea may be using 5G mobile communications technology to monitor border - Daily NK
North Korean authorities installed new surveillance cameras near the Yalu River in Sinuiju last month, according to a source in the country
North Korean authorities are incorporating cutting-edge technology into their efforts to control the country’s border with China.
According to a source in the country, the authorities plan to use 5G mobile communications technology to monitor the situation along the border from as far away as Pyongyang with surveillance cameras.
In fact, the country has already created a 5G network along part of the border in the city of Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province, and has reportedly launched trial operations.
DISAPPEARING BLIND SPOTS
According to a Daily NK source in North Korea on Sunday, North Korean authorities installed new surveillance cameras near the Yalu River in Sinuiju last month.
The move is part of the country’s plan to construct a 5G surveillance network along the border, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Based on the source’s account, at least one camera was installed every 100 meters. The cameras were installed where smuggling and defections are rife because the authorities have difficulty keeping the area under direct surveillance.
Camera surveillance equipment on the Sino-North Korea border. / Image: Daily NK
Because the cameras rotate 360 degrees as they record, North Koreans may face more difficulty in attempting to conduct smuggling or defect across the border – as long as the equipment is operating properly. The installation of the new cameras basically means significant surveillance blind spots have disappeared, albeit only along parts of the China-North Korea border.
Although border patrol troops based along the Sino-North Korean border have managed the existing network of cameras, the new cameras are directly monitored and managed by the Operations Office of the Ministry of State Security in Pyongyang, according to the source.
Given the fact that border patrol troops often turn a blind eye to illegal activities in collusion with local smugglers and “brokers,” the security ministry has not given them authority to monitor the cameras. Instead, they have simply been tasked with physically maintaining and inspecting the devices, the source said.
The authorities can remotely monitor the border cameras from Pyongyang thanks to the installation of 5G equipment and recently-developed cameras along stretches of the border, he added.
There have been signs that North Korean authorities are researching 5G mobile communications technology. For example, an editorial in the publication “Information Science,” released by North Korea’s Science Encyclopedia General Publishing House in February of last year, said that “research efforts to adopt 5G mobile communications technology should be strengthened.”
CCTV camera in Jilin Province on the China-North Korea border. / Image: Daily NK
North Korea has allegedly been acquiring equipment from China to build 5G networks since 2019.
“I understand that China agreed to cooperate [with North Korea] as Beijing was building a 5G network along the border in 2019,” another source in North Korea said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “North Korea acquired 5G communications equipment [from China] at that time.”
North Korea reportedly intended to install the 5G equipment it received from China along the border last year. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, temporarily put a halt to those plans. North Korean authorities began constructing 5G systems along select stretches of the China-North Korea border only recently.
FOLLOWING THE CHINESE
China constructed its first 5G border checkpoint on the Sino-North Korean border in Jilin Province in April 2019 following an agreement between China’s border patrol and mobile communications company China Mobile. China Central Television (CCTV) reported that video from the checkpoint is transmitted in real time to a command center 40 kilometers away in Ji’an using 5G technology.
In a similar fashion, North Korea is apparently using 5G technology to transmit surveillance camera footage from the border to a command center in Pyongyang.
However, some people believe North Korea — where 3G networks predominate — will face difficulties skipping over 4G (LTE) to build 5G networks.
That said, experts told Daily NK that North Korea could construct 5G networks in certain regions as long as it has the equipment to do so. Kim Yu-hyang, an adjunct professor of economics and information technology at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul and a member of the National Assembly Research Service, said it would be hard for North Korea to build a citywide 5G network in a major metropolitan area due to the country’s domestic economic situation and international sanctions. Nonetheless, the country could install 5G networks in some areas as long as it had the gear, she said.
A camera that appears to have been recently installed along the China-North Korea border. / Image: Daily NK
Kim also noted, however, that while 5G networks are useful in transmitting large data files such as video in real time, wired networks would do just as well. “5G is not a logical communications system for a surveillance network,” she told Daily NK.
Kim So-gyeong, a senior researcher at the Korea Information & Communication Industry Institute (KICI), also said 5G networks are more expensive than LTE networks because they require much denser infrastructure. “If they are sending video footage from the border to Pyongyang, it seems highly likely they are capturing the video data at the border using 5G, but ultimately sending it to Pyongyang using a wired network,” he said.
This is to say, even if North Korea did install 5G equipment, they cannot make full and proper use of the mobile technology’s capabilities.
Moreover, because Sinuiju and Pyongyang are around 230 kilometers apart, with mountains accounting for much of that distance, building a 5G network between the two cities would likely prove difficult. It would also require a significant amount of equipment and money.
KICI’s Kim noted, however, that North Korea has repeatedly stressed the importance of acquiring 5G technology in recent years, which means that “it’s also possible they built a partial 5G network at the border to test for research purposes.”
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
20. North Korea begins selecting new residents for Pyongyang's 10,000 new homes
You do have to appreciate the north Korean naming conventions.
Excerpts:
Those who are familiar with the building sites are expressing concern about the excessively fast pace of construction. They are calling it the “Pyongyang Gust of Wind Technique,” which suggests that the construction work has been rushed and less-than-precise. Essentially, people are very worried that shoddy construction could result in building collapses.
Many people are reportedly complaining that the project is just another “exercise in self-reliance.” They are saying that it is clear that “80% of the homes supposed to be occupied by the end of the year” will “only be frames by that time,” and that they will only be able to survive the cold winter “if we install the underfloor heating, doors, windows, wallpaper, and windscreens ourselves.”
Meanwhile, the Urban Management Department of the Pyongyang People’s Committee has begun formulating new “occupancy regulations” in close cooperation with the project’s construction headquarters.
The source said the Urban Management Department is already stressing that selected families must be “all moved in” and living in their new homes within two months of being issued occupancy certificates and allocated an apartment. Violators could have their new apartments confiscated, the department warned.
North Korea begins selecting new residents for Pyongyang's 10,000 new homes - Daily NK
People with experience at the construction sites are very worried that shoddy construction could result in building collapses
North Korean authorities have already begun selecting families to move into 10,000 newly constructed homes in Pyongyang this autumn.
The move follows a recent order by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
A source in North Korea told Daily NK on Monday that Kim issued an order on July 5 to begin selecting residents for the 10,000 new homes in Pyongyang this year. “The order basically calls for the early selection of families to move into the Sadong and Songhwa districts based on recommendations from military and government institutions,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Cabinet issued the order to an agency in charge of constructing the new homes and the Pyongyang People’s Committee.
The directive was coined, “Plan for Executing the Policy of Comrade Kim Jong Un to Stabilize the Lives of Pyongyang’s People.”
The ruling party, government, and military have simultaneously begun scrambling to respond to the order, as it expresses the will of the “Supreme Leader.” Party and government organizations are focusing on the evicted residents of razed neighborhoods near the construction site, “innovative workers,” Korean War veterans, decorated soldiers, and retired military officers as residents for the new homes.
The military, for its part, is placing a priority on putting military families from nearby bases into the new housing. Military leaders reportedly plan to include families evicted from their homes and strawberry fields last July when Kim ordered the expansion of the General Artillery Shooting Range in Daewon Village, which is part of Pyongyang’s Sadong District.
A so-called “Speed Poster” outside a construction site in Pyongyang. / Image: Rodong SInmun – News 1
According to the source, though each region in North Korea is slightly different, residents of new apartments are chosen and issued “occupancy certificates” about a month prior to the certified completion of construction. As such, it is noteworthy that the selection process for the new apartments in Pyongyang is starting relatively early.
The early start of the selection process suggests that North Korea’s leaders — who publicly declared during the Eighth Party Congress in January that they would build 50,000 new homes in Pyongyang over the next five years — want to demonstrate they will follow through with their promise.
The authorities may also hope that gifting people new apartments will turn public attention away from their failure to deliver promised rations of rice from military stores. In short, the leadership may be trying to sooth public anger resulting from economic difficulties blamed on the global COVID-19 pandemic.
This atmosphere of discontent is being felt within the command center managing the building of the 10,000 new homes, according to the source. There is talk everywhere within the command center that they need to complete the first round of putting people into the new homes by Party Foundation Day (Oct. 10) and the second round by the end of November “if they want to survive.”
Ordinary people, however, are responding coolly to talk of speeding up the process. Many, in fact, have gotten a very good look at the construction sites because residents of villages close to the building sites have frequently been mobilized for construction work.
Those who are familiar with the building sites are expressing concern about the excessively fast pace of construction. They are calling it the “Pyongyang Gust of Wind Technique,” which suggests that the construction work has been rushed and less-than-precise. Essentially, people are very worried that shoddy construction could result in building collapses.
Many people are reportedly complaining that the project is just another “exercise in self-reliance.” They are saying that it is clear that “80% of the homes supposed to be occupied by the end of the year” will “only be frames by that time,” and that they will only be able to survive the cold winter “if we install the underfloor heating, doors, windows, wallpaper, and windscreens ourselves.”
Meanwhile, the Urban Management Department of the Pyongyang People’s Committee has begun formulating new “occupancy regulations” in close cooperation with the project’s construction headquarters.
The source said the Urban Management Department is already stressing that selected families must be “all moved in” and living in their new homes within two months of being issued occupancy certificates and allocated an apartment. Violators could have their new apartments confiscated, the department warned.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
