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Quotes of the Day:
"So long as we remain amateurs in the critical field of political warfare, the billions of dollars we annually spend on defense and foreign aid will provide us with a diminishing measure of protection."
-- Sen Thomas J Dodd, 1961
“I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single, intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.”
– Johannes Kepler.
“They came with a Bible and their religion, stole our land, crushed our spirit, and now they tell us we should be thankful to the lord for being saved.”
– Pontiac (1718-1769)
1. Pyongyang to Manhattan: Escaping North Korea to take a bite of the Big Apple
2. Yoon expected to warn against N. Korea-Russia defense cooperation at NATO summit
3. With South Korean Rockets, Ukraine Could Wipe Out Russian Warplanes At Their Bases
4. NATO summit to discuss with Indo-Pacific partners resilience, cybersecurity, disinformation: U.S. official
5. N. Korea calls for loyalty to leader ahead of late founder's death anniversary
6. Stoltenberg announces ‘flagship project’ with South Korea on Ukraine
7. Russia-South Korea standoff: Will the 'red lines' be crossed?
8. [Kim Seong-kon] The image of South Korea overseas
1. Pyongyang to Manhattan: Escaping North Korea to take a bite of the Big Apple
My good friend and colleague, Hyun Seung Lee and his sister Seo Hyun (also my friend!).
Hyun Seung will be leading the North Korean Young Leaders Assembly this month for the second year bringing escapees from north Korea to Washington, Philadelphia, and New York to meet with US officials, think tanks, and civil society groups to discuss the future of north Korea and the ultimate aim: a free and unified Korea.
Pyongyang to Manhattan: Escaping North Korea to take a bite of the Big Apple
They were part of North Korea's 1%. They fled in their 20s, and now they’re graduates of Columbia University
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/lee-hyunseung-seohyun-escapees-columbia-university-new-york-pyongyang-elite-07052024160344.html
By Park Jaewoo and Jamin Anderson for RFA Korean
2024.07.06
New York
Lee Hyunseung, left, and Lee Seohyun visit Times Square, March 2024 in New York. (RFA)
Photo: RFA
Born into a wealthy, elite North Korean family, the siblings fled 10 years ago with their parents.
In May, they graduated from Columbia University, among the very few North Korean escapees to do so.
Along the way, Lee Hyunseung, 38, and his sister Seohyun, 32, have had to adjust to a wholly different culture and to a more ordinary lifestyle – earning money at part-time jobs, buying groceries, watching movies with friends and experiencing freedom – something they’re still not completely used to.
“For the first three years after escaping from North Korea, I was more focused on settling down and dealing with various overlapping situations rather than truly feeling free,” said Hyunseung. “I’ve been learning the concept of freedom as I engage with society and receive education.”
As a college student, he was impressed by the ease with which his classmates expressed themselves and even gathered to protest – freedoms they seem to take for granted, but still seemed extraordinary to him.
In late April, he felt envious as he witnessed demonstrations materialize on Columbia’s campus against Israel’s military strikes on Gaza.
“The fact that the United States truly respects freedom of expression strikes a chord in my heart,” he said. “In North Korea or China, it’s unimaginable to even think about such things.”
But when the protests turned violent and the demonstrators occupied buildings on the campus, he felt they had gone too far. “This freedom of expression has gone beyond freedom and is causing discomfort to other students,” he said.
‘One-percenters’
Hyunseung and his sister were born into a privileged family in North Korea – the so-called “one-percenters” who lived at the top of the country’s economic pyramid, far above the masses who often struggled to make ends meet.
Lee Hyunseung, March 2024 in New York at Columbia University. (RFA)
Their father, Ri Jong Ho, was a senior economic official who served under all three generations of the Kim Dynasty – national founder Kim Il Sung, his son Kim Jong Il and his son Kim Jong Un, the current supreme leader.
Stationed in Dalian, China, Ri led a trading corporation under the control of Office 39, a clandestine group formed in the 1970s to manage slush funds for the North Korean leader.
Hyunseung and Seohyun went to an international school in Dalian, where they learned English as well as Mandarin.
In 2014, the family saw many members of the upper echelons being arrested or suddenly disappearing in the wake of Kim Jong Un’s purge and execution of his uncle Jang Song-thaek.
Fearing that they could be next, Ri decided to defect. The four family members drove to a local park in Dalian, left their phones in the car and discreetly discussed their escape plans.
Lee Hyunseung’s family fled from China 10 years ago. At that time, they discussed escaping from North Korea in a park, leaving their cell phones and other electronic devices in the car to avoid wiretapping. (Rebel Pepper/RFA)
“I couldn’t even dream of escaping,” said Hyunseong, 28 at the time. “I wanted to go to America, but I was at a loss because I didn’t know how to get there.”
They left China in late 2014 for South Korea in what Seohyun described as “a whirlwind” or “a dream” – but declined to describe the details for various personal reasons.
“It was hard to believe that this was actually happening to us,” she said. “It was incredibly tense. We didn’t know who might appear or who might attack us.”
The family landed in South Korea, which readily welcomes escapees, thinking they would be safe there. But they said they were spied on and targeted in hacking attacks by North Korea.
Two years after their escape, the North Korean propaganda website Uriminzokkiri ran a hit piece on Ri featuring his mother and siblings publicly denouncing him and demanding that the family return.
Lee Hyunseung, center, gives a presentation in a class about the war in Ukraine and North Korea-US relations, March 2024 in New York. He introduced himself as a North Korean refugee. (RFA)
The family took it as a message of intimidation from the North Korean authorities, who are known to punish family members for the actions of its citizens living abroad.
So in 2016, the family left for the United States to seek asylum.
Friends with former enemies
At Columbia, one of Hyunseung’s friends was a member of the U.S. military – an enemy during his previous life in North Korea, where he was required to serve time in the army.
“He is one of my best friends,” said James Brown, an intelligence officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, one of a group of friends meeting at a bar near Columbia after class.
“We have a great relationship. But at one point in time, I’m South of DMZ and he is North of it,” he said. “We were probably doing exercises against each other, so it’s kind of funny.”
The next evening, both Hyunseung and his sister attended a screening of “Beyond Utopia,” a documentary about escape journeys of several North Korean families.
The movie ‘Beyond Utopia’ is screened, March 2024 at Columbia University in New York. The screening event was arranged by Lee Seohyun, the younger of the North Korean escapee siblings, along with a Korean American club. (RFA)
The event was hosted by Korea Focus, a student group affiliated to the university, and Seohyun helped to organize it. “As a student who escaped North Korea, I feel it is my duty to spread awareness,” she said.
Later, while walking through bustling Times Square in the rain, Seohyun reflected on how her journey has contrasted with so many of her compatriots.
“There are many smart and talented individuals in North Korea,” she said. “However, it’s heartbreaking that they live like tools and slaves to the regime, without even the opportunity to realize their own talents.”
Walking with her, Hyunseung said that “when you don’t have freedom, you don’t even realize whether you have it or not. But once you experience freedom, you’ll do everything in your power to never lose it. It becomes more precious.”
Hyunseung often visits a Korean supermarket near the Columbia campus, and is struck by how expensive food has become.
“Prices are quite high here, so it’s hard to decide when shopping for groceries,” he said while perusing the produce aisle with two RFA reporters.
He looks at some expensively priced meat. “I wonder if there are any sales going on?” he wonders out loud.
Lee Hyunseung rides the ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty, March 2024 in New York. (RFA)
The total for his groceries quickly climbs above $50, and after another comment about high prices he invites the reporters into his apartment for a meal.
In his tiny kitchen, he chopped vegetables, added spices to a broth on the stove and fried meat. About 40 minutes later, the food was ready to eat – North Korean-style dubu kimchi-jjigae (kimchi stew with tofu) and South Korean-style Dwaeji-kalbi (pork spare ribs).
Pyonghattan
Though Hyungseung is not hurting for money, his living situation, in which he shares a small apartment with two roommates, is a far cry from the life he was born into.
In 2016, the Washington Post introduced Hyunseung’s family as part of North Korea’s top 1%, saying that when they lived in Pyongyang, they enjoyed a standard of life similar to that of wealthy Manhattan residents.
The report described the lifestyle of young rich Pyongyangers: working out just to be seen, meeting friends in trendy coffee shops for a chat over overpriced cappuccino and going overseas for shopping trips.
The official salary in North Korea at the time was $10 per month, according to the report, but at one of the restaurants frequented by the 1%, a steak with a baked potato costs almost five times as much.
The Washington Post introduced Hyunseung’s family as the top 1% of North Korea in a May 14, 2016 story. As the children of high-ranking official Ri Jong Ho, they received an elite education. (The Washington Post)
They were living the good life in their insulated elite-class bubble, which the Post described as ‘Pyonghattan.’
When they fled to South Korea, their mother was worried that they had become used to having so many advantages in North Korea that they might not be able to adapt.
“My wife was worried about how we would survive in a capitalist society without money,” their father, Ri Jong Ho, told RFA Korean. “But the kids reassured her, saying, ‘We will go and earn money, so don’t worry about that.’”
It has now been eight years since the family moved to the United States, and their life here has been anything but luxurious. Gone are the days where they could spend money freely. Instead they know the struggles of life as immigrants.
“I worked as a waiter at a ramen restaurant and a valet parking attendant,” Hyunseung said. “I made a mistake while working in the parking lot. A customer got angry with me and he called me ‘some Chinese guy’” – not realizing until later that he was subjected to discrimination.
Lee Hyunseung, left, and Lee Seohyun at the United Nations, March 2024 in New York.
His sister Seohyun is now used to living in New York, and blends in with everyone around her. Ironic considering that when she was in North Korea, she had not even heard of “the city.”
“I had no idea at all,” she said. “We learned about countries and their capitals back in North Korea, so I knew about Washington D.C., but I hadn’t heard of New York specifically.”
At first, she was afraid of going out at night, but now it doesn’t bother her at all.
Hyunseung sits in front of the Alma Mater statue on the steps in front of Low Library, pondering his place in the city.
“I haven’t really thought of myself as a New Yorker yet,” he said. “So I guess I’d say I’m more of a Pyongyang-New Yorker,” he said, with a chuckle.
Translated by Claire S. Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong.
2. Yoon expected to warn against N. Korea-Russia defense cooperation at NATO summit
Yoon expected to warn against N. Korea-Russia defense cooperation at NATO summit | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · July 7, 2024
SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to warn against deepening defense cooperation between North Korea and Russia as he is set to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit this week, according to presidential officials on Sunday.
Yoon will visit Washington from Wednesday to Thursday to take part in the summit, becoming the first South Korean president to participate in the gathering for the third year in a row.
On Wednesday, Yoon will hold back-to-back talks with the heads of more than five NATO members, including the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland and Norway, as well as with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
The talks are expected to discuss bilateral issues and the regional and global security situation, with a focus on energy and security cooperation.
This file photo, taken June 15, 2024, shows President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) and first lady Kim Keon Hee before they board their flight back to South Korea at Samarkand International Airport in Uzbekistan. (Yonhap)
Later that evening, Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee will attend a dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, at the White House.
On Thursday, Yoon will participate in a summit between NATO's Indo-Pacific partners, which also include Japan, Australia and New Zealand, before attending the main NATO summit.
The gathering of the Indo-Pacific countries may produce a message critical of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo said Friday Seoul seeks to send a "strong message" over the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea through the NATO summit.
"While sending a strong message against military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, (we) will discuss ways for cooperation with NATO to respond to this," he said in a briefing.
Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty pledging mutual military assistance in case either of them comes under attack, raising concerns over their deepening ties.
Meanwhile, possible bilateral summits with the United States and Japan as well as a trilateral one on the sidelines of the NATO summit have yet to be confirmed.
Yoon is also scheduled to make a speech at the NATO Public Forum, co-organized by NATO and five think tanks in the United States and Europe, on Thursday. It will mark the first time a South Korean president will make a speech at the forum.
Ahead of the NATO summit, Yoon will travel to Hawaii from Monday to Tuesday to visit the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, in a series of events intended to enhance the bilateral alliance.
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · July 7, 2024
3. With South Korean Rockets, Ukraine Could Wipe Out Russian Warplanes At Their Bases
With South Korean Rockets, Ukraine Could Wipe Out Russian Warplanes At Their Bases
Forbes · by David Axe · July 6, 2024
David Axe
Forbes Staff
David Axe writes about ships, planes, tanks, drones and missiles.
Following
Jul 6, 2024,12:00pm EDT
An older South Korean Hyunmoo-1 rocket.
Wikimedia Commons
On June 19, Russian president Vladimir Putin flew to Pyongyang for the first time in 24 years and inked an agreement with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
The details of the pact are unclear, but Kim announced the two countries had a “fiery friendship.” It’s widely assumed the agreement will result in closer industrial and military ties between the authoritarian states—ties that could feed and prolong Russia’s costly wider war on Ukraine.
The South Korean government responded swiftly. If Pyongyang supplies Moscow with more arms, then Seoul may supply Kyiv, South Korean National Security Advisor Chang Ho-jin told reporters on June 20.
South Korea hasn’t yet announced closer ties with Ukraine—but if and when it does, it’s possible Ukrainian officials will ask South Korean officials for the same kinds of munitions Russia is already getting from North Korea.
Specifically, short-range ballistic missiles, or SRBMs. Sometime late last year, Russian acquired from North Korea a batch of powerful KN-23 SRBMs—and used them to devastating effect.
South Korea has developed an SRBM of its own, the Hyunmoo-2B, which is even more powerful than the KN-23. “If North Korea can sell KN-23 SRBMs to Russia, South Korea can sell Hyunmoo-series SRBMs to Ukraine,” quipped Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
The 7,500-pound, solid-fuel KN-23 ranges around 450 miles with an 1,100-pound warhead. The 12,000-pound Hyunmoo-2B ranges 400 miles or so with its biggest one-ton warhead—but travels 500 miles with a smaller warhead. It’s a safe bet the South Korean missile is more accurate than the North Korean one.
Whether Ukraine ever gets Hyunmoo-2B is one question. How it might use them is another. The United States has donated to Ukraine scores of Army Tactical Missile System rockets that range as far as 190 miles—but has insisted on limits on their usage.
Washington allows Kyiv to aim the ATACMS at targets in Russian-occupied Ukraine, but not at targets in Russia itself. That means front-line Russian air bases, home to dozens of Sukhoi fighter-bombers armed with devastating glide bombs, are off-limits.
Ukraine can strike at these bases with its locally developed explosive drones. But the lightweight drones lack the firepower to knock out the rows of parked Sukhois at airfields such as Voronezh Malshevo, in southern Russia 100 miles from the border with Ukraine.
With a few well-aimed ATACMS or other ballistic missiles, “Ukraine could potentially incapacitate the entire operational fleet” of fighter-bombers at Voronezh Malshevo, Ukrainian analysis group Frontelligence Insight explained. But only “if permitted to conduct such a strike.”
Even without permission for strikes inside Russia, Ukraine could put South Korean rockets to good use. There are plenty of valuable Russian targets inside Ukraine’s borders that would almost certainly be fair game.
To be clear, South Korea and Ukraine could forge an alliance similar to the North Korea-Russia alliance—but haven’t yet done so. For now, Ukrainian Hyunmoo-2Bs exist strictly in the realm of possibility.
But every bullet, shell or rocket North Korea gives or sells to Russia makes a Hyunmoo-2B deal likelier. Fabian Hoffman, a researcher with the Oslo Nuclear Project in Norway, anthropomorphized the South Korean rocket as a jealous young woman. “She thinks it's very unfair that her mean North Korean cousin gets to play in Ukraine, while she has to stay home,” Hoffman wrote.
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Sources:
1. Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/vladimir-putin-kim-jong-un-russia-north-korea-summit-ukraine-a6b8d2c12de7ee2ab6716d4747c9850e
2. Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/south-korea-says-will-reconsider-providing-weapons-ukraine-yonhap-says-2024-06-20/
3. Frontelligence Insight: https://frontelligence.substack.com/p/impact-and-defense-mitigating-the
4. Jeffrey Lewis: https://x.com/ArmsControlWonk/status/1743051955721625606
5. Fabian Hoffman: https://x.com/FRHoffmann1/status/1745453399183901161
David Axe
Following
Forbes · by David Axe · July 6, 2024
4. NATO summit to discuss with Indo-Pacific partners resilience, cybersecurity, disinformation: U.S. official
NATO summit to discuss with Indo-Pacific partners resilience, cybersecurity, disinformation: U.S. official | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 6, 2024
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, July 5 (Yonhap) -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and its Indo-Pacific partners, including South Korea, plan to discuss resilience, support for Ukraine, disinformation, cybersecurity and emerging technologies during their summit in Washington next week, a senior U.S. administration official said Friday.
The NATO summit is set to take place in the U.S. capital from Tuesday through Thursday. The leaders of the alliance's four Indo-Pacific partners (IP4) -- South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Japan -- have been invited to the summit that marks the 75th anniversary of NATO's founding.
"We are bringing together some of our closest non-NATO partners to have a discussion around issues like resilience, cyber, disinformation, technology and the like," the official said in a virtual briefing.
He added, "This particular grouping of IP4 as we call them in NATO lingo -- Australia, Japan, New Zealand and ROK ... These are some of our closest partners that we work with in the region." ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
The NATO summit involving Indo-Pacific partners is set to take place on Thursday.
The official did not elaborate on the issue of resilience. In a NATO context, resilience refers to the capacity to prepare for, resist, respond to and quickly recover from shocks and disruptions across the full spectrum of threats, according to an article on NATO's Allied Command Transformation website.
At the NATO gathering, there will be a "strong" demonstration of U.S. and allies' support for Ukraine, the official said, highlighting Washington's plan to announce new steps to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses and military capabilities.
"Together, the Washington summit will send a strong signal to Putin that if he thinks he can outlast the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine, he's dead wrong," he said.
"We are also sending an important message to the rest of the world, including through our partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, as we stand together united and in support of democratic values," he added.
The summit comes amid growing concerns about Biden's mental health and physical fitness, which was called into question again following a poor debate performance last week.
Observers said that Biden is likely to capitalize on the summit to highlight that he is up for the job and capable of leading the nation for another four year term.
"Foreign leaders have seen Joe Biden up close and personal for the last three years. They know who they are dealing with and they know how effective he's been," the official said.
"What the president has done over the last three years is to reinvigorate the NATO alliance, including expanding it, making it more capable. He has stood up to President Putin's unprecedented aggression against Ukraine by mobilizing a coalition of a minimum of 50 allies and partners to provide capabilities to Ukraine."
This photo, taken on March 12, 2024, shows flags at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels. (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 6, 2024
5. N. Korea calls for loyalty to leader ahead of late founder's death anniversary
Loyalty above all else.
N. Korea calls for loyalty to leader ahead of late founder's death anniversary | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · July 7, 2024
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's state media on Sunday called for loyalty to its leader Kim Jong-un ahead of the death anniversary of the founder of the country, Kim Il-sung, later this week, amid tensions over the North's weapons testing and defense pact with Russia.
The North's main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, made the call as the nation is set to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of Kim Il-sung, who ruled the country from 1948 to 1994 and is the grandfather of the current ruler, Kim Jong-un, on Monday.
"The path of wholeheartedly following the will of (Kim Jong-un), it is on this path there lies the eternal life of the great leader, and the path to most perfectly and excellently realizing the great leader's lifelong wish," an article on its front page read.
State media refer to Kim Il-sung by the title "great leader."
The article listed a series of projects undertaken by the current leader, such as building a new training school of the ruling party, calling them wishes of the late founder.
Kim Jong-un's hair and fashion style early in his rule was similar to that of Kim Il-sung, with observers saying the look was intended to secure loyalty from the public and consolidate power.
North Korea usually holds big commemorative ceremonies on every fifth or 10th anniversary of a major national event. The country held large-scale commemorations for the 20th and 25th death anniversaries of the late founder in 2014 and 2019, respectively.
This combined set of file images, provided by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency, shows North Korea's late founder Kim Il-sung (L) and current leader Kim Jong-un (R). (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · July 7, 2024
6. Stoltenberg announces ‘flagship project’ with South Korea on Ukraine
Stoltenberg announces ‘flagship project’ with South Korea on Ukraine
ukrinform.net
This was announced by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Ukrinform reports citing Yonhap.
Stoltenberg said he has invited the leaders of South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand to the NATO summit for the third consecutive year to expand the security alliance's partnership with the countries in the Indo-Pacific region, when Russia is continuing its war in Ukraine with help from North Korea, Iran and China.
"Iran and North Korea are fuelling Russia's war with drones and shells. China is propping up Russia's war economy, and providing microelectronics and other dual-use goods for Russia's war. The closer that authoritarian actors align, the more important it is that we work closely with our friends in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
At the upcoming summit, Stoltenberg noted, NATO will build on practical cooperation for "flagship projects" on Ukraine, cyber and new technologies and discuss defense industry cooperation with South Korea.
“The flagship project is partly about the medical education of Ukrainian soldiers. We are also looking into how we can expand the exchange of intelligence information with South Korea,” Stoltenberg said.
As reported by Ukrinform, the South Korean government, in response to the signing of an agreement by Russia and the DPRK with mutual obligations to provide immediate military assistance in the event of an attack on the other side, announced its intention to reconsider its position on arms supplies to Ukraine.
At the same time, Seoul emphasizes that it will determine the types of weapons and the amount of supplies to Ukraine based on Russia's actions in its cooperation with North Korea.
South Korea's National Security Advisor Chang Ho-jin said that Seoul will not be bound by anything with regard to its assistance to Ukraine if Russia provides North Korea with precision weapons.
Photo credit: Yonhap
ukrinform.net
7. Russia-South Korea standoff: Will the 'red lines' be crossed?
Excerpt:
Since then, a diplomatic stand-off has persisted between Russia and South Korea. So far, each side has refrained from taking the actions threatened by the other: Russia has not provided advanced military technology to North Korea, and South Korea has not supplied arms directly to Ukraine.
Russia-South Korea standoff: Will the 'red lines' be crossed?
The Korea Times · July 7, 2024
By Lee Jong-eun
Lee Jong-eun
On June 19, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin traveled to North Korea for a one-day summit with the reclusive nation's leader Kim Jong-un. At the summit, the two leaders signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, which included a clause committing the two countries to provide “immediate” military assistance if either side is in a state of war. After the summit, Putin expressed openness to advancing military and technical cooperation with the DPRK.
South Korea responded by warning that Russia’s sending sophisticated weapons or assisting the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile program would be crossing a “red line” for South Korea. South Korea’s National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin warned that to counter Russia-North Korea military cooperation, South Korea would consider providing military aid directly to Ukraine. Putin, however, responded with his warning: South Korea would be making a “big mistake” by supplying weapons to Ukraine, motivating Russia to take actions unfavorable to the South Korean government.
Since then, a diplomatic stand-off has persisted between Russia and South Korea. So far, each side has refrained from taking the actions threatened by the other: Russia has not provided advanced military technology to North Korea, and South Korea has not supplied arms directly to Ukraine.
For Russia, providing advanced nuclear and missile technology to the North presents three key dilemmas. The first is the fairness of the exchange. Providing Russia’s sophisticated military technology in return for North Korea’s conventional, often low-quality arms may disproportionately benefit North Korea. The second dilemma concerns the reliability of the North as a strategic partner. Receiving advanced military technology might embolden the North to further destabilize Northeast Asia's geopolitical security without consulting Russia. Putin’s reluctance to describe the Russia-North Korean relationship as an “alliance” and his assertion that Russia will only defend the North in case of aggression against it might reflect Russia’s reservations about the Pyongyang’s unpredictable actions.
The third dilemma involves Russia’s relations with the strategically more important China. China might view Russia’s increased support for North Korea, especially in nuclear and missile development, as encouraging provocations that threaten regional stability and strengthen the rival U.S.-led alliance in Northeast Asia. China has, in fact, distanced itself from being described as part of a trilateral partnership with Russia and North Korea.
South Korea also faces risks in following through on its threat to supply weapons to Ukraine. Firstly, the South Korean government risks deteriorating its relationship further with Russia, with whom it has sought to build a strong economic partnership since the end of the Cold War. Secondly, the South Korean government risks exacerbating domestic political polarization. While the South Korean public has generally supported providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, sending military assistance has been more controversial. Consequently, the Yoon government may face political opposition, with critics arguing that it jeopardizes South Korea’s security by excessively intervening in overseas conflicts.
Though Russia and South Korea have so far displayed caution in crossing each other’s red lines due to the risks accompanying such actions, a major challenge is that the two countries are more likely to cross the “orange line,” more limited actions that are still unfavorable to the other’s strategic interests. Prompted by urgent requests from the United States and Europe, South Korea may expand its indirect involvement in Ukraine’s and Europe’s security, such as exporting arms to countries providing direct military aid to Ukraine. Russia may enhance its cooperation with the North to upgrade Pyongyang's conventional military capabilities (such as munitions rockets, and drones), as this will benefit Russia by improving the quality of the North's conventional arms.
Russia and South Korea will likely face the dilemma of tolerating others' actions that fall short of explicitly violating the “red line” warning. Will Russia tolerate South Korea’s indirect involvement in the Russia-Ukraine War? Will South Korea tolerate Russia’s assistance upgrading the North’s conventional military capability? If either Russia or South Korea attempts retaliation against the other’s actions, it risks escalation of bilateral conflict. Mutual hostility and distrust may eventually motivate the two countries to risk direct confrontation in Europe and Northeast Asia.
For South Korea, the challenging decision lies in whether to counter all aspects of the Moscow-Pyongyang partnership, risking escalated conflict with Russia, or to tolerate a limited partnership, provided it doesn't involve nuclear collaboration. Each response has pros and cons, but South Korea risks greater strategic vulnerability from exchanging retaliation with Russia. While South Korea's direct military aid to Ukraine is unlikely to alter the dynamics of the Russia-Ukraine War significantly, Russia's advanced military and technological support to North Korea could considerably affect the nuclear balance and deterrence in Northeast Asia.
What should be South Korea’s response? South Korea should continue to warn Russia of the consequences of providing excessive military support to the North while reassuring South Korea’s intent to limit involvement in the Russia-Ukraine War. Additionally, South Korea should reach an implicit understanding with Russia that limited bilateral conflict is inevitable in the current geopolitical context. Just as South Korea cannot ignore its geopolitical ties with the West, Russia cannot refrain from leveraging its strategic partnership with North Korea. Paradoxically, maintaining mutual restraint to uphold the "red lines" may require tolerating "orange-level" tensions between Russia and South Korea.
Finally, the United States should support South Korea's efforts to apply credible pressures and reassurances on Russia. For the U.S. geopolitical strategy, preventing Russia’s advancement of the North's nuclear capability is of greater strategic importance than South Korea's direct arms supply to Ukraine. By supporting South Korea in maintaining mutual red lines with Russia, the U.S. achieves “sacrifice the skin, to preserve the bone” in containing the geopolitical challenges from revisionist states such as Russia and North Korea.
Lee Jong-eun is an assistant professor of political science at North Greenville University.
The Korea Times · July 7, 2024
8. [Kim Seong-kon] The image of South Korea overseas
[Kim Seong-kon] The image of South Korea overseas
koreaherald.com · by Korea Herald · July 2, 2024
By Korea Herald
Published : July 3, 2024 - 05:31
I recently came across an intriguing article on alot.com by Ron Winkler, entitled, “AI shows what people actually look like in these 30 countries.” The writer asked an artificial intelligence system what the average person would look like in the 30 included countries, and the article features 30 images of people presented by AI for each country, followed by the writer’s brief comments on them.
AI personifies South Korea as a charming K-pop girl with the background of “the famous neon streets of South Korea.” Winkler writes, “She looks beautiful bathed in the lights of the bustling downtown area, where tourists and locals alike flock.” South Korea has become conspicuous everywhere lately, especially thanks to the worldwide popularity of K-pop and K-drama.
When I traveled to Japan in the mid-'80s, the fabulous neon lights of Ginza fascinated me greatly. On my way back to Korea, I was disappointed by the relatively dim night scene of Seoul that I looked down upon from the plane. Today, things have changed and “the famous neon streets of South Korea” are attracting foreign tourists.
According to the AI, the image of Japan is a geisha, “a female Japanese performing artist and entertainer," who is "able to sing, dance and play the traditional instrument known as the samisen.” The geisha is merely one of many cultural icons of Japan, such as the samurai, ninja or sushi, and yet in the AI’s eyes, the image of a geisha with an intricate parasol and floral headpiece represents Japan.
Not all countries have female images. For example, the AI version of an American was a cowboy embodying the spirit of America, such as the frontier spirit, independence and freedom. The writer says, “He looks like he isn't afraid to step outside his comfort zone or stand apart from a crowd.” Then he continues, “Sometimes being a leader means you have to go against the grain, and this guy? He's definitely a leader, one his peers are happy to follow into battle.”
AI presents China’s image as a fierce ancient warrior wearing a stern facial expression and dragonlike armor. It may reflect China’s authoritarian rule and recent aggressive attempts to expand its influence overseas. For Russia, AI presented a tyrannical czarlike ruler who is a mixture of “Vladimir Lenin, Nicholas II and even some of Ivan the Terrible.” Perhaps Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and standoff with NATO have contributed to this hostile image.
The North Korean image was a scary army general who may symbolize the repressive government of the country. The writer points out that the fierce general exudes the scariest demeanor, which fits the image of people living in a totalitarian country. North Korea’s frequent ballistic missile launches and threatening remarks, too, might have led AI to draw the chilling image.
I also found South Korea in Dennis Michael’s recent article, “16 must-visit countries for every American,” which appeared on MSN. In the informative article, the writer provides the reason Americans must visit Korea: “More than a million Americans visited South Korea in 2023, thanks to its stunning palaces, mouthwatering street cuisine, rocky mountains and old culture.”
The writer continued, “Wandering through the renovated hanok homes of traditional Bukchon Village during the day and being mesmerized by neon-filled nightscapes that are recognizable to fans of K-drama after dark, Seoul is a true melting pot of the old and the new.” Then, he added, “try the vibrant fish market in Busan, a city on the south coast, or visit Jeju-do Island to see the island’s breathtaking mountain scenery if you have time.”
Lately, Business Insider carried the article, “These are the best airlines in the world, according to a survey of travelers.” Of course, the list includes Korean Air, which has impressed international passengers with its excellent inflight service, comfort and courtesy. Many foreigners have praised Korean Air’s excellence.
I also found South Korea in “These 7 countries are nicest to American tourists,” an article that appeared in The Travel. Unfortunately, however, South Korea could not make it in “The friendliest countries in the world ranked” in StarsInsider. That means we are not nice and friendly enough to all foreigners. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the image of South Korea is very favorable among the international community these days.
The only thing that downgrades and damages the image of South Korea is its never-ending political skirmishes that are ruining the otherwise good reputation of the country.
Most Koreans find their politicians a sheer disappointment because they seriously lack qualifications and are devoid of decency and integrity. They do not have any vision for the future of the country and are loyal to only their party bosses, not to the people they ostensibly serve. Instead, they play low and dirty in their factional scuffles.
If only we find a way to overhaul our political arena, we can be truly proud of our country.
Kim Seong-kon
Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. -- Ed.
koreaherald.com · by Korea Herald · July 2, 2024
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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