Quotes of the Day:
“You will kill ten of our men, and we will kill one of yours, and in the end it will be you who tires of it”
- Ho Chi Minh (1969)
The United States has a strategy based on arithmetic. They question the computers, add and subtract, extract square roots, and then go into action. But arithmetical strategy doesn't work here. If it did, they would already have exterminated us with their airplanes.
- Gen Vo Nguyen Giap
"An opinion can be argued with; a conviction is best shot."
- T.E. Lawrence
1. Full text of President Moon Jae-in's address on Korea's 76th Liberation Day
2. S. Korea, U.S. to kick off scaled-back combined exercise this week
3. North Korea and China must team up to take on ‘common US threat in Asia-Pacific’
4. Both Koreas to benefit from 'institutionalizing' peace, Moon says in Liberation Day speech
5. Yanks welcomed on their arrival in newly liberated Korea
6. Remains of Korean independence fighter Hong Beom-do return from Kazakhstan
7. Should North Korean YouTube be banned?
8. A bilateral free trade deal between two Koreas
9. How India’s independence movement influenced Korea’s struggle for freedom from Japanese rule
10. Kim, Putin exchange messages on anniv. of Korea's liberation from Japan
11. N.K. organization demands Japan's atonement for wrongdoings during its colonial rule of Korea
12. S. Korea voices deep regret over Suga's offerings, other leaders' visits to Yasukuni
13. Harvard professor Ramseyer denies Japanese military's forced mobilization of comfort women
14. U.S. nuke envoy expected to visit S. Korea this month: official
15. Moon's Liberation Day speech calls for cooperation with Japan, North
1. Full text of President Moon Jae-in's address on Korea's 76th Liberation Day
With everything going on in Afghanistan I know people I know the only people focused on Korea will be Korean watchers.
A lot to parse from this speech. Overall and from a cursory reading it is a very positive view of the ROK, its history, accomplishments, and place in the world.
I like the emphasis on paying respect to the independence fighters but I would have hoped he could have directed this toward a truly unified Korea - a United Republic of Korea (UROK). This would have been the perfect opportunity to undermine the legitimacy of the Kim family regime because it rests on the myth of anti-Japanese partisan warfare and that Kim Il-Sung liberated Korea as the great freedom fighter which is not the truth whatsoever. But that does not fit the administration's policy direction. Unfortunately, President Moon is focused on peaceful coexistence and peace at any cost and this puts the ROK in a precarious position when dealing with the north.
I think the "olive branch" to Japan is an important part of the speech.
Since normalizing diplomatic relations, Korea and Japan have long been able to achieve economic growth together through a division of labor and cooperation based on the common shared values of democracy and a market economy. This is the direction our two countries should continue to go in, moving forward together.
But there are some troubling signs - Self-reliant is used twice. The parallels to juche (Chuche) could be troubling. Of course it may only be a Korean translations issues
Han S Park. ed. North Korea: Ideology, Politics, Economy, (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall,1996), p. 15 in which Han S. Park describes Juche as theology. See also the Korea military news paper “KuK Pang Ilbo” editorial on 15 MAR 99, p. 6. Chuje’s (Juche) basic concept is this: “Man rules all things; man decides all things.” “The Kim Il Song Chuche ideology is based on these precepts: In ideology Chuche (autonomy); in politics, self-reliance; in economics, independence; and in National Security: self-defense.” See also Mattes Savada, ed., North Korea: A Country Study (Washington: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 1994), p. 324., “Kim Il Sung’s application of Marxism-Leninism to North Korean culture and serves as a fundamental tenet of the national ideology. “Based on autonomy and self-reliance, chuch’e has been popularized since 1955 as an official guideline for independence in politics, economics, national defense and foreign policy.”
From the text:
Regardless of the hardships faced, our forebears never lost sight of their dream -- self-reliant independence.
This is a great paragraph lauding the military but the parallel to juche is troubling but again it may be a Korean translation issue.
Self-reliant national defense has been our desperate dream for the past century. Upholding the spirit of the independence armies and the Korean Liberation Army, our Army has grown into a cutting-edge, formidable military force that has deployed the world-class K2 Black Panther tank, K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer and K21 infantry fighting vehicle. Our Navy, founded with patrol boats and rusted battleships abandoned by the Japanese military, has become an oceangoing navy that has commissioned some 150 naval vessels in total, including 19 submarines and nine destroyers -- some of which are armed with the Aegis Weapon System. Our Air Force had only 20 light aircraft back in 1949, but it has become only the eighth air force in the world to independently develop an advanced supersonic fighter jet -- the KF-21 -- and is soaring into space as a mighty air force. Now, Korea is the 6th strongest military powerhouse in the 2021 Global Firepower ranking. To prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and new security environment in the space era, we are building defense capabilities that no one dare challenge.
And I am sure Kim Jong-un and the propaganda and agitation department probably like the second paragraph below. This is exactly the path Kim Jong-un wants to take through his political warare straegy to seek domination of the peninnusla. While Presiednt Moon seeks peaceful coe-xistance, Kim Jong-un seeks domination fot he Korean peninusla under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State,
This year marks the 30th anniversary of South and North Korea's joint accession to the United Nations. One year before that, in 1990, East and West Germany achieved unification after 45 years of division. East and West Germany built trust by exchanging good faith and intentions. They created a "German model" that pursues universalism, pluralism, coexistence and co-prosperity. Moreover, by overcoming neighboring countries' concerns about their unification through sincere reflection on the past, Germany has become a pacesetting country in the European Union, a leader championing universal values and standards shared globally.
Division is the biggest obstacle blocking our growth and prosperity and simultaneously a tenacious barrier to permanent peace. Like Germany, we can also remove this barrier. Although unification may take some more time, we can create a Korean Peninsula model in which the two Koreas coexist and contribute to the prosperity of Northeast Asia as a whole through denuclearization and permanent peace on the Peninsula.
Full text of President Moon Jae-in's address on Korea's 76th Liberation Day | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- The following is an unofficial translation of President Moon Jae-in's speech Sunday to commemorate the 76th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule. It was provided by his office, Cheong Wa Dae.
Fellow Koreans, decorated independence activists, relatives of those departed and all Koreans living abroad,
Today, as we mark the 76th Liberation Day, the remains of General Hong Beom-do will finally arrive in his homeland. General Hong was the commander of the Greater Korea Independence Army that fought against imperial Japan from bases in China. He spearheaded historic victories at the battles of Fengwudong and Qingshanli. Later, he became a spiritual anchor for the ethnic Koreans that migrated to Kazakhstan. I am very pleased that my Administration's diplomatic efforts to repatriate his remains have come to fruition. I am deeply grateful to Kazakh President Tokayev and the Korean diaspora there for all of their cooperation, both emotionally and materially.
As of today, the remains of 144 patriotic independence activists have been returned to their home country, starting with those of the patriotic martyrs Yun Bong-gil and Lee Bong-chang in 1946 right after liberation on up to General Hong Beom-do's today. It is indisputably our duty and privilege as a nation and descendants to bring our independence heroes back home. We will do our best to that end.
Regardless of the hardships faced, our forebears never lost sight of their dream -- self-reliant independence. They mounted a Korean independence movement wherever they found a home. Their indomitable will has been steadily carried on by posterity and, even now, serves as a source of strength to overcome national crises. I extend my deepest respect and gratitude to our forebears, decorated independence activists and their bereaved families.
Fellow Koreans,
Culture Station Seoul 284, where this ceremony is being held today, was a place of suffering and sorrow during the Japanese colonial period. Crops and goods produced on our land were plundered and shipped out from here. At this place, independence activists who set out on perilous paths and farmers who lost their fields bid farewell to their homeland. Student soldiers who were forcibly dragged off to battlefields in the prime of their youth and their loved ones shed tears here.
However, this station and its square came to house dreams and hopes after the country was liberated. Trains that departed from Manchuria and Russia's Maritime Province in Siberia were full of Koreans coming back to their hometowns. Busan, Incheon, Gunsan and other port cities were bustling with returnees filled with hope.
The overwhelming emotions and hopes that were felt on Liberation Day are still a part of our future. The hearts of all our people swelled with the vision of building a new nation. Fathers and mothers dedicated their lives to securing an education for their children. There had been 1.45 million primary, middle and high school students across the country at that time, but just two years after liberation, the number increased more than 60 percent to 2.35 million. People's ardent zeal for education drove the country to introduce compulsory education. Talented individuals became the growth engines of the Republic of Korea.
Agricultural production also rose significantly. Crop yields, which had been suppressed due to pillage from imperial Japan, surged after farmland reforms. Around the 1970s, they showed a three-fold increase from the Japanese colonial period, finally making it possible to end our recurring periods of scarce food.
The people's determination to "be well off," which sprang from the 1960s' five-year Economic Development Plans, led to the Socioeconomic Development Plan and New Economic Plan and fostered the IT industry as well as green growth and the creative economy. It has served as the foundation for Korea to emerge as one of the world's 10 largest economic powerhouses. The country's per capita GDP surpassed US$30,000 in 2017 and also overtook that of a G7 member state last year.
Self-reliant national defense has been our desperate dream for the past century. Upholding the spirit of the independence armies and the Korean Liberation Army, our Army has grown into a cutting-edge, formidable military force that has deployed the world-class K2 Black Panther tank, K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer and K21 infantry fighting vehicle. Our Navy, founded with patrol boats and rusted battleships abandoned by the Japanese military, has become an oceangoing navy that has commissioned some 150 naval vessels in total, including 19 submarines and nine destroyers -- some of which are armed with the Aegis Weapon System. Our Air Force had only 20 light aircraft back in 1949, but it has become only the eighth air force in the world to independently develop an advanced supersonic fighter jet -- the KF-21 -- and is soaring into space as a mighty air force. Now, Korea is the 6th strongest military powerhouse in the 2021 Global Firepower ranking. To prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and new security environment in the space era, we are building defense capabilities that no one dare challenge.
Korean independence movement leader Kim Gu, pen name Baekbeom, envisioned "a state with a highly developed culture." Today, his aspiration is being fulfilled on the global stage through our culture and arts. BTS recently became the first band to replace itself at the top of the Billboard chart with a new single. The film "Parasite" won the top prize at Cannes and multiple Oscars at the Academy Awards. Actress Youn Yuh-jung won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Not only K-pop and our movies but also games, TV dramas, webtoons, animation and content in various other fields are loved around the world. Annual content exports broke the US$10 billion mark for the first time last year. The high caliber of our culture and arts are not limited to modern and popular genres. Our culture and arts figures have made remarkable achievements even in such traditional fields as classical music and ballet. Embracing traditional and modern elements harmoniously, they have achieved such feats through creativity and passion. These accomplishments represent the potential of the Korean people who love culture and the arts.
Fellow Koreans,
We have always had new dreams. We have been able to come this far as we have not lost those dreams. Our dreams for independence, liberty and decent lives set the country free. This past June, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development unanimously agreed to upgrade the status of Korea to an advanced economy, the first time ever for a developing nation. As we have now become an advanced country, we have yet another dream: to become a peaceful, dignified advanced nation and to become a country that fulfills its fair share of duties within the international community.
We have pioneered a path that had never been traveled. Emerging from colonial rule and third-world status, we have forged a new model of success for developing economies. Our most unique and greatest strength lies in the fact that we can share our growth experience with developing countries. In confronting the raging challenges posed by COVID-19, we have demonstrated the power of our people's strong sense of community, giving the world an example of how to overcome crises.
We have inherited from our ancestors the resilient power of mutual benefit and cooperation. Even after suffering humiliation, discrimination, violence and exploitation under colonial rule, our forebears opted to embrace rather than retaliate against the Japanese still in our newly liberated country. We have always come together with one mind to fulfill our dreams. We have banded together even more tightly in the face of a crisis. We have turned countless crises into opportunities while empowering one another. The power of working together for mutual benefit will enable us to move toward new dreams and take the lead in the post-COVID-19 era.
The country that all of our people envisioned through the candlelight revolution was "a properly functioning country" and "a country where everyone prospers." We are expanding basic labor rights by implementing the 52-hour workweek system, raising the minimum wage and ratifying key ILO conventions. By increasing the number of employment insurance subscribers, raising senior citizens' basic pension, strengthening the coverage of health insurance and implementing a national system that cares for dementia patients, we are enhancing the inclusiveness of our society.
When it comes to the COVID-19 crisis -- compared to any other advanced nation -- our country is overcoming it in a stable manner. We will also surely prevail over this fourth wave fueled by the spread of the Delta variant. The inoculation is also approaching its target. In October, 70 percent of the total population will have received their second shots, and vaccination rate targets will be raised once more.
We will recover together and leap forward together. Extensive compensation will be provided to cover COVID-19-related damage to microbusiness owners, and everything possible will be done to create decent jobs and increase employment opportunities for the vulnerable. We will expand the living allowance support for low-income families to achieve an inclusive recovery that reduces disparities.
The world order is taking shape anew. At this critical watershed in history, the Republic of Korea is facing an opportunity to move toward a pacesetting country. A pacesetting economy uses creative ideas as its core competitiveness, and its growth pivots around people.
The number of unicorn companies increased to 15 last year, and venture investments in the first half of this year reached a record high. As such, the second venture boom is spreading. Having claimed the top spot in global shipbuilding orders and become one of the top five automobile manufacturers in the world, our country has built on its success with memory semiconductors and has also been performing well in the system semiconductors market as well as those for batteries and biohealth. Amid this process, exports are setting new records. The Government will make our economy stronger by instilling the values of innovation, mutual benefit and inclusiveness.
The Korean New Deal, through which a total of 220 trillion won will be invested by 2025, is both a roadmap for moving toward a people-centered, innovative and inclusive country and a national development strategy to achieve a new leap forward. In addition to the Korean New Deal's Digital and Green New Deals, the Government has erected yet another support pillar: the Human New Deal. We will knit the social safety net more tightly -- for instance, by introducing universal employment insurance and completely abolishing mandatory family support requirements -- and spearhead the digital and green transitions through investments in people. We will provide young people with decent jobs by fostering workforces for such forward-looking sectors as software engineering and artificial intelligence. Our efforts will also focus on ensuring a just transition, so the digital and green transitions leave no one behind.
The vision of balanced national development pursued by my Administration will become a reality through the Regionally Balanced New Deal. We will further strengthen financial decentralization for local areas and reverse the trend toward concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area. This will be made possible by sharing models of successful pan-regional cooperation as with the megacity in southeastern Korea. The economy is showing a fast and strong recovery, but its warmth has yet to reach many areas. By sharing the benefits of the economic recovery with all of our people, we will ensure that the vision of a country where everyone prospers becomes a tangible reality.
Becoming a dignified advanced country begins with a culture of respect and consideration. We should move forward, one step closer to a society of inclusiveness and tolerance, not discrimination and exclusion. When we show consideration for the socially disadvantaged as well as acknowledge and respect the differences in each other's positions and thoughts, our society will be able to move closer to being a dignified and respected advanced country.
Fellow Koreans,
In the process of emerging as an advanced country, we have been practicing the spirit of mutual benefit and cooperation across borders. By embracing market opening and trading nation status, Korea has become one of the world's seven largest exporters and contributed to the development of the global economy. Since the inauguration, my Administration has expanded the scope of cooperation by signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and concluding FTAs with Indonesia, Cambodia and Israel.
If the world does not work together, we cannot prevail over COVID-19 and surmount the climate crisis. The Republic of Korea will serve as a bridging nation that spearheads mutually beneficial cooperation between advanced and developing countries.
The Republic of Korea has been invited to the G7 Summit for two years in a row, which signifies the start of a new world order. Building upon capabilities nurtured through openness and cooperation, we will actively contribute to overcoming the COVID-19 crisis as well as to establishing a peaceful order and the reconstruction of the global economy in the post-COVID-19 era. In particular, we will take the lead in creating value and order in the new era based on our experience with economic growth -- having moved from a developing to an advanced country -- and the soft power amassed through Hallyu and Korea's response to COVID-19.
First, our country will become a vaccine hub. We will use our biopharmaceutical production capacity -- the second largest in the world -- and the Korea-U.S. global vaccine partnership to take the lead in overcoming crises from infectious diseases that all of humanity faces. On the 5th of this month, a committee was launched to hasten our becoming a global vaccine hub. It will play a pivotal role by providing intensive support for developing and supplying the raw and processed materials needed for vaccines. The Government will join the efforts of businesses to put the first homegrown vaccine on the market before the end of the first half next year.
Second, we will further enhance our role in the global supply chain. With semiconductors and batteries -- industries where Korea has unmatched competitiveness -- we can contribute to supply chain stability worldwide. We will solidify our position as a leading international base by making current technological gaps even wider.
Third, we will fulfill our responsibilities as needed to tackle the climate crisis. Last year, we set out to achieve a new milestone by declaring "2050 Carbon Neutrality." This goal was made possible thanks to people voluntarily working for the environment and businesses actively seeking management guided by ESG best practices. With the 2050 Carbon Neutrality plan announced on August 5, the Government will fulfill its responsibilities as a member of the international community by canvassing public opinion broadly and pledging feasible greenhouse gas reductions within this year through a 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution.
Achieving 2050 carbon neutrality will by no means be easy, but it should not be perceived merely as a burden. This grand, global socioeconomic transformation toward carbon neutrality will bring unprecedented innovations and create numerous jobs. This is also a golden opportunity for us to leap forward as a pacesetting nation. The Government has nurtured eco-friendly vehicles, batteries and the hydrogen economy as future growth engines. We are expanding such new and renewable energy power generation as solar and offshore wind power while reducing coal's role in our power mix. We will take the initiative in our transitioning to a low-carbon economy by focusing on the fields in which we currently lead.
The scope of international solidarity and cooperation will also be expanded. In particular, we will assist energy transitions among developing countries that are highly dependent on coal to generate power and share green technologies and knowledge gained from our Green New Deal.
Fellow Koreans,
On August 16, 1945, the day after our liberation, Ahn Jae-hong -- a nation leader -- gave a speech broadcast to 30 million Koreans. Then vice chairman of the Preparatory Committee for National Construction, Ahn proposed that defeated Japan and liberated Korea move toward an equal and mutually beneficial relationship. It is truly a bold and inclusive sense of history that transcends the victim mentality of the colonized. National consciousness was heightened to the fullest after liberation, but we did not drift toward an exclusive or hostile form of nationalism.
Pursuing world peace and happiness for all people, moving beyond Asia, is the spirit of the March First Independence Movement. This is the great founding spirit that the Provisional Republic of Korea Government and its liberated people practiced. The Republic of Korea has consistently upheld that spirit. Since normalizing diplomatic relations, Korea and Japan have long been able to achieve economic growth together through a division of labor and cooperation based on the common shared values of democracy and a market economy. This is the direction our two countries should continue to go in, moving forward together.
Our Government has always kept the door open for dialogue to jointly respond not only to our two countries' pending issues but also threats facing the world, including COVID-19 and the climate crisis. For historical issues that need to be rectified, we will resolve them through actions and practices that are consistent with universal values and the standards of the international community. I look forward to our two countries gathering wisdom and surmounting difficulties together, setting an example of the cooperation expected between neighbors.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of South and North Korea's joint accession to the United Nations. One year before that, in 1990, East and West Germany achieved unification after 45 years of division. East and West Germany built trust by exchanging good faith and intentions. They created a "German model" that pursues universalism, pluralism, coexistence and co-prosperity. Moreover, by overcoming neighboring countries' concerns about their unification through sincere reflection on the past, Germany has become a pacesetting country in the European Union, a leader championing universal values and standards shared globally.
Division is the biggest obstacle blocking our growth and prosperity and simultaneously a tenacious barrier to permanent peace. Like Germany, we can also remove this barrier. Although unification may take some more time, we can create a Korean Peninsula model in which the two Koreas coexist and contribute to the prosperity of Northeast Asia as a whole through denuclearization and permanent peace on the Peninsula.
The Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative for Infectious Disease Control and Public Health is now discussing sharing information and cooperating on projects such as the joint stockpiling of medical and epidemic prevention supplies and joint training of personnel to respond to COVID-19. Since COVID-19 is now clearly not a temporary threat, the importance of such cooperation has become all the more significant. While expanding cooperation, we will work hard to ensure that North Korea, a member of the East Asian community of life, can participate as well.
Firmly institutionalizing peace on the Korean Peninsula will definitely benefit both Koreas greatly. Most of all, the advantages that the Republic of Korea would be able to enjoy will be enormous once we shake off the so-called Korea discount and connect to the continent rather than exist as a virtual island nation. If we tirelessly envision peace on the Korean Peninsula, our imaginations can reach beyond it and spread across Eurasia. If we do not stop striving for reconciliation and cooperation, that tenacious barrier will finally crumble and new hopes and prosperity beyond our dreams will begin.
Fellow Koreans, decorated independence activities, relatives of those departed, and all Koreans living abroad,
Despite colonization and the ruins of war, we have held onto our passion and dream for a better future. We have taken steps to become a country that has proudly advanced, a country that prospers with its neighbors and a country that prevails over division and pursues peace.
Anyone who travels abroad would be able to sense that others have a much higher opinion of us than we have of ourselves. The international community is amazed at the Republic of Korea's capabilities and achievements in many fields, including the economy, epidemic prevention and control, democracy, culture and the arts. We are not the Republic of Korea of the past. It is our turn to be proud of ourselves and dream once more. I hope that all of our people will move forward together toward that vision.
I pay homage with all my heart to our forebears who have bequeathed a great legacy -- a strong will for freedom and peace, a dedication to community and solidarity and cooperation.
Thank you.
(END)
2. S. Korea, U.S. to kick off scaled-back combined exercise this week
I am curious as to why the JCS would make this statement. We now have vaccinated personnel. We have conducted two exercises in August 2020 and March 2021 (both computer simulation command post exercises) using strict COVID protocols and there were no reports of COVID outbreaks among the combined command and components.
Excerpt:
The nine-day computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training will not include outdoor drills, and the size of troops involved will be minimized in consideration of the virus situation, the JCS said in a statement.
The only purpose for stating something like this seems to be in support of the misguided approach that it will somehow improve relations with north Korea. Does anyone really think that by saying there will be fewer troops participating because of COviD that this will in any way satisfy the Kim family regime? That is not the intent of the regime. It does not care about postponed, cancelled. or scaled back exercises. It is simply trying to reduce combined military readiness and to drive a wedge in the ROK /US alliance and foment political chaos among various groups with opposing views on how to deal with north Korea.
The problem is our general lack of understanding of the nature, objectives, and strategy for the Kim family regime. We think it is just about the exercises. It is not and it is so much more from Kim's perspective.
(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. to kick off scaled-back combined exercise this week | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: ADDS photo, more details, background throughout, byline)
By Choi Soo-hyang
SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will kick off a major summertime combined exercise in a scaled-back manner on Monday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced, after North Korea vowed to punish the two countries when they started a preliminary training last week.
The nine-day computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training will not include outdoor drills, and the size of troops involved will be minimized in consideration of the virus situation, the JCS said in a statement.
The decision to go ahead with the exercise was made in consideration of "the COVID-19 situation, the maintenance of the combined defense posture and the diplomatic efforts for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of peace," the JCS said.
North Korea is expected to bristle again.
When the South and the U.S. started a preliminary exercise on Tuesday, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un blasted the drills as an "unwelcoming act of self-destruction for which a dear price should be paid."
Kim Yong-chol, a senior North Korean official handling inter-Korean relations, also issued a statement the following day pledging to make the two countries "realize by the minute what a dangerous choice they made and what a serious security crisis they will face because of their wrong choice."
Pyongyang has long railed against such exercises, denouncing them as a rehearsal for invasion, though Seoul and Washington have stressed that they are regular ones that are purely defensive in nature.
"It is an annual command post exercise centered around computer simulations that is defensive in nature," the JCS said.
Since Tuesday, North Korea has been refusing to answer the South's regular phone calls via liaison and military hotlines in an apparent protest against the military exercise.
The lines were restored late last month following a yearlong severance after President Moon Jae-in and the North's Kim agreed to improve their chilled ties amid little progress in nuclear negotiations.
During the nine-day exercise, some of the drills will be conducted under Full Operational Capability (FOC) conditions "to maintain the progress on the conditions-based transition of the wartime operational control (OPCON)," according to the JCS.
The two countries have been working for the OPCON transfer of South Korean forces from Washington to Seoul, though no specific deadline has been set.
An FOC test is a crucial step to check if South Korea is on course to meet conditions required for retaking the OPCON.
It was supposed to be held last year as part of the allies' combined training, but the two countries failed to do so due to the COVID-19 situation.
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)
3. North Korea and China must team up to take on ‘common US threat in Asia-Pacific’
I would argue the Kim family regime is actually a global problem and one that could be a spoiler in great power competition. What is a spoiler? – The extreme type is the total spoiler which is defined as groups or individuals that will never compromise or negotiate. Although the international relations theorists say this is actually extremely rare, I would argue that it applies to north Korea and that has important implications for the US and all the powers competing in Great Power Competition. North Korea has the potential through words and deeds to upend cooperation and competition and this could lead to conflict. And what makes north Korea a spoiler most of all? It’s absolute unwillingness to negotiate the denuclearization of north Korea. It is its nuclear weapons that provide it with the ability to operate around the world to achieve its objectives and this can put a wrench in great power competition.
North Korea and China must team up to take on ‘common US threat in Asia-Pacific’
- Pyongyang’s ambassador in Beijing says Washington’s military exercises are being used to tighten its encirclement of China
- As long as US troops stay in South Korea, the problem will not be eliminated, he says
+ FOLLOW
Published: 7:00pm, 14 Aug, 2021
The United States is a threat to both China and North Korea and the two neighbours need to step up cooperation to tackle it, according to Pyongyang’s envoy to Beijing.
North Korean ambassador Ri Ryong-nam said US military exercises in the region, including those with South Korea, were being used to tighten Washington’s military bonds with its allies and further strengthen its strategic encirclement against China, Chinese tabloid Global Times reported on Saturday.
“It’s not difficult to see that the US will strengthen its military activities against the Asia-Pacific countries including China. The US is the common threat to North Korea and China, and the two countries should deal with it by strengthening their cooperation,” Ri was quoted as saying.
The US is mounting a range of drills with its allies in the Indo-Pacific region, moves seen as targeting China.
The United States and South Korea began a preliminary military training drill on Tuesday ahead of their annual summer exercise next week.
Ri said the US-South Korean exercises were a signal of US hostility towards the North.
“It’s unwelcome and they will definitely pay the price for that,” he was quoted as saying in the report.
The drills are a rehearsal for war, with the purpose of launching pre-emptive strikes against Pyongyang, he added.
“The current situation proves that North Korea’s decision to strengthen its national defence is an absolutely correct and legitimate measure,” Ri said.
“As long as US troops stay in South Korea, the problem ... will not be eliminated.”
Pyongyang would not sit and watch the various threats from the US. Instead, it would strengthen its absolute deterrence to crush the increasing military threat from the US, Ri said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un describes nation’s food situation as ‘tense’
In an address to an online Asean foreign ministers forum last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the US-South Korean exercises would undermine efforts to resolve tensions on the Korean peninsula.
Wang also said sanctions imposed on the North should be lifted because the North had already stopped nuclear and long-range missile tests.
The two Koreas have also reconnected a communication hotline cut by Pyongyang a year ago, an apparent attempt by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in to repair damaged ties.
Chinese analysts said the North agreed to resume the hotline because it needed food aid from both the South and China as it battled the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trade between China and North Korea hit a record low in the first half of the year as the pandemic and food shortages took their toll.
China’s exports to North Korea fell by 85.2 per cent year on year to US$56.77 million in the first six months of 2021.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: North Korea seeks China cooperation on US ‘threat’
4. Both Koreas to benefit from 'institutionalizing' peace, Moon says in Liberation Day speech
There is only one way to "institutionalize peace" on the Korean peninsula. That is to solve the "Korea question" and establish a United Republic of Korea (UROK).
(2nd LD) Both Koreas to benefit from 'institutionalizing' peace, Moon says in Liberation Day speech | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: CHANGES slug, headline; UPDATES throughout; ADDS photo, bylines)
By Lee Chi-dong and Chang Dong-woo
SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in proposed Sunday that South and North Korea "institutionalize" peace on the peninsula and create a Germany-style trust-building system toward the longer-term goal of unification.
"Firmly institutionalizing peace on the Korean Peninsula will definitely benefit both Koreas greatly," Moon said during his Liberation Day speech to commemorate the 76th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule.
He described division as the biggest obstacle blocking "growth, prosperity and permanent peace," saying the two Koreas can take lessons from Germany.
The two sides also can remove the barrier and create a "Korean Peninsula model," in which they coexist and contribute to the prosperity of Northeast Asia, although unification may take some more time, he stated.
"Most of all, the advantages that the Republic of Korea can enjoy will be enormous once we shake off the so-called Korea discount and connect to the continent rather than exist as a virtual island nation," he added. "If we tirelessly envision peace on the Korean Peninsula, our imaginations can reach beyond it and spread across Eurasia. If we do not stop striving for reconciliation and cooperation, that tenacious barrier will finally crumble and new hopes and prosperity beyond our dreams will begin."
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the two Koreas' joint accession to the United Nations, a year after East and West Germany achieved unification after 45 years of division, the president noted.
He reiterated a request for North Korea, as a member of the "East Asian community of life", to join the Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative for Infectious Disease Control and Public Health, especially as cross-border cooperation has become more important amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moon's remarks came as North Korea is strongly protesting at the annual combined military exercise between South Korea and the United States.
In his last Liberation Day address as president, however, he stopped short of making specific overtures, including those on a push for another round of summit talks with the North's leader Kim Jong-un. Moon's single five-year tenure ends in May 2022.
On Japan, he made clear again that his government "always" leaves the door open for dialogue.
"For historical issues that need to be rectified, we will resolve them through actions and practices that are consistent with universal values and the standards of the international community," he said. "I look forward to our two countries gathering wisdom and surmounting difficulties together, setting an example of the cooperation expected between neighbors."
Meanwhile, Moon reaffirmed a pledge to overcome the ongoing fourth coronavirus wave here, fueled by the spread of the delta variant, without fail.
"In October, 70 percent of the total population will have received their second shots, and vaccination rate targets will be raised once more," he said.
The government launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign in February and it aims to offer at least the first dose of vaccine shot to 36 million people, or 70 percent of its 52 million population, by September.
Moon's 25-minute televised speech focused largely on South Korea' future vision, with the words "dream" and "world" each used more than a dozen times.
He said that South Korea will become a "vaccine hub," further enhance its role in the global supply chain of such key industries as semiconductors and batteries and fulfill its responsibilities in tackling the climate crisis.
The annual ceremony was held at Culture Station Seoul 284 in central Seoul, a historic site symbolic of Korea's fight against Japan's colonization from 1910-45.
lcd@yna.co.kr
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)
5. Yanks welcomed on their arrival in newly liberated Korea
History not often remembered.
Yanks welcomed on their arrival in newly liberated Korea
The Port of Incheon, circa 1945-49 / Robert Neff Collection
By Robert Neff
On Sept. 8, 1945, American soldiers began arriving in Incheon. Everett Shipley informed his parents in a letter home that his unit arrived in the port at about 3 p.m. and were greeted by the Japanese who provided them with trucks and other logistical support to off-load their equipment.
The following morning, American soldiers were transported by train to Seoul, where, upon arrival, they marched in silence to their positions at Bando Hotel and the Japanese headquarters in Yongsan. Donald Clark, in his book "Living Dangerously in Korea," notes that while the soldiers marched in silence, American "planes roared overhead 'providing striking demonstrations of power that could hardly have failed to impress both Japanese and Koreans.'"
Later that afternoon, at around 4 p.m., General Hodges and Admiral Kincaid arrived at the Government-General Building and, after a short speech ― "listened glumly to by the Japanese" ― Hodges accepted Japan's surrender.
Welcoming the Allied Forces, The Korea Times, Sept. 5, 1945 / Robert Neff Collection
Shipley simply wrote that after the official surrender, they "pulled down the [Japanese] flag and raised Old Glory. It looks better than any flag in the world." However, an English-language newspaper bearing the name The Korea Times (with no relation to this paper founded five years later), went to some length in describing the event:
"American soldiers were lined up around the tall flag-pole, and multitudes of Koreans gathered outside of the building ground, expecting a dramatic event to take place. There, the Japanese flag, long a symbol of autocracy and wickedness, was lowered, and amidst the resounding tune of the Star Spangled Banner played by the American Army Band, and whilst some forty American planes were encircling the scene high up in the sky, the American flag, an emblem of justice and liberty, a standard banner of peace and goodwill, slowly and slowly soared up. Deeply moved by the scene and overjoyed, the assembled crowds outside cheered 'Mansei! Mansei! ― America Mansei, Korea Mansei!'"
Shipley and his unit were housed in a "Japanese barracks within 50 yards of the capital building." Prior to moving in, the buildings were hosed down and then disinfected by the American medics making them "O.K." for the soldiers to dwell in.
Shy Korean children encounter an American soldier with a camera in Seoul circa 1947-48 / Robert Neff Collection
Shipley was quite impressed with Seoul:
"This is the nicest city I have seen in the East. The population is one million. They have standard gauge railroads and street cars, as well as a few automobiles. The streets are paved and kept cleaner than in some of the towns in the States."
He, and his fellow soldiers, were, however, a little unsettled by the attention they were receiving from their Korean hosts.
"These people surely like to stand around and stare at us, but I guess we are as much of a novelty to them as they are to us."
Shipley also described seeing Russians in the city but did not elaborate on his encounters with them. Perhaps they were members of the Soviet Consulate ― at the time, Consul-General Alexander Poliansky was the "only remaining Western diplomat" in the city.
The Seoul Times, Sept. 14, 1945 / Robert Neff Collection
The Russians were also welcomed by the population. An editorial in the first edition of The Korea Times declared: "Russia has been a great neighbor and trusted friend of Korea. Thousands of our patriots found their safe shelters and their field of activity in Russia and hundreds of thousands of our famers driven out by the Japanese received from the hands of the Russians every opportunity for their peaceful living and progress."
It noted that the Russian influence on the Korean youth in recent years was overwhelming but encouraged every Korean to "open the ice-free ports of his warm heart in order to receive the best of all ships ― even the Russian friendship." This was obviously in reference to Russia's perceived attempts in the 19th century to obtain an ice-free port on the Korean Peninsula.
Over the next couple of weeks, the animosity towards the Japanese continued to increase. At a large demonstration, Japanese police ― under American orders to keep the peace ― shot and killed two Korean students of Choson Christian College (today's Yonsei University).
Russians in Northern Korea in 1945-46 / Robert Neff Collection
On Sept. 12, their funerals were held at a middle school in Seoul that, despite the rain, was "attended by the students of all the institutions in Seoul." The students accompanied the funeral carriages "carrying banners inscribed with 'Down with Japanese imperialism,' 'Cheers for the Korean People's Republic' and 'Cheers for Free and Independent Korea.'"
A careless comment from General Hodges turned some of the demonstrators' anger from the Japanese to the Americans. According to Donald Clark, "General Hodges was quoted as having said that he saw Koreans and Japanese as 'the same breed of cat.'" Military authorities later explained that the general was "referring only to Korean collaborators as being 'the same breed of cat,' as the Japanese, and not all Koreans."
Hodges' speech on Sept. 12 sought to reassure the Korean people that the peninsula would once again become independent but it could not be done in one or two days or even weeks ― it would take some time. He also cautioned:
"Young people of all nations like to get out into the streets and march. But the enthusiasm of parades I often misunderstood. I ask you to keep down your demonstrations in number and size…The best demonstration is that of good citizens working at their tasks."
Japanese soldiers are searched in Busan before being sent back to Japan, September 1945. / Robert Neff Collection
Over the next couple of months, the two English-language newspapers in Seoul ― The Korea Times and The Seoul Times ― were filled with articles praising the Allied Forces and denigrating Japan. On Sept. 28, The Seoul Times reported that disarmed Japanese forces were being transported back to Japan from Busan at the rate of 4,000 men daily. The Japanese soldiers were only allowed to take with them their personal equipment and 10 days' worth of food and medicine.
Later, The Korea Times reported that as of Oct. 25, just over 110,000 Japanese soldiers and a little over 70,500 Japanese civilians had been returned to Japan. It announced that two additional trains would begin to operate between Seoul and Busan so that another 30,000 Japanese in the vicinity of Seoul could be deported within three days. The paper also noted the imbalanced numbers of repatriations: On Oct. 25, almost 9,300 Japanese were returned to Japan but only 1,821 Koreans were returned to Korea.
Comparing the two newspaper, The Korea Times was, for the most part, a weaker newspaper than The Seoul Times. It published less frequently and seemed more directed towards the American soldiers as evidenced by its propaganda-like descriptions of American soldier―Korean civilian encounters and articles describing Korean culture and historical sites. It did, however, publish an editorial in October titled, "Why a Dixie Line in Korea?"
Korean police in Seoul with horse and bicycle, circa 1947-48 / Robert Neff Collection
The editor assured the readers that Korea was grateful to the Allied Forces which had suffered great losses of men in helping Korea regain its independence, but…
"Joyful and grateful as we are, it is very difficult for us to understand why Korea has been divided into two….Why a Dixie Line in Korea? The inquiry comes not merely from the wailings of millions in the Northern party of Korea, but from common sense and statesmanship. Korea has been racially and culturally homogeneous."
The editor then claimed (somewhat loosely) the Korean people had not been divided in over a millennium and he wondered what wrongs the Korean people had done to deserve this punishment. Was it because the country was too weak and helpless to assist in its own independence? Surely "this could not be the cause for such a curse."
He argued that the northern part of the peninsula had all the important resources including coal, dams, chemical fertilizer factories and timber ― all of which were now unavailable to those living in the south. He warned, "The winter is approaching. Unless some sagacious statesmanship is displayed in solving this tragedy the Koreans are bound to starve and freeze this winter."
The Seoul Times, March 24, 1946 / Robert Neff Collection
As long as Korea was divided, the peninsula would continue to suffer an inconceivable amount of miseries. He pointed out that the Dixie Line in the United States was "still the sore spot in the American national life."
He ended his editorial with a plea: "Let there be no Dixie Line in the Land of Morning Calm."
It has been a little over 75 years since the editor made his plea but the morning calm has not returned, and the peninsula remains divided.
My great appreciation to Diane Nars for her invaluable assistance.
Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books including, Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.
6. Remains of Korean independence fighter Hong Beom-do return from Kazakhstan
Remains of Korean independence fighter Hong Beom-do return from Kazakhstan | Yonhap News Agency
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- The remains of Hong Beom-do, a historic Korean independence fighter, were brought home from Kazakhstan on Sunday, 78 years after his death in the Central Asian nation.
President Moon Jae-in received and honored his remains at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, as Korea marked Liberation Day to commemorate the anniversary of its liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
Hong, who served as general commander of Korea's independence army, is a historic figure in the nation's fight for liberation. He is especially famous for leading a historic victory in the Battle of Fengwudong, called Bong-o-dong in Korea, in northeastern China against Japanese forces in 1920.
He spent the end of his life in Kazakhstan, forced to migrate there under then Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin's policy. He died in 1943 at the age of 75. His remains had been buried in the Kazakh region of Kyzylorda.
Moon formally requested cooperation for the repatriation of the remains during his summit talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the Central Asian nation in April 2019.
The two sides initially agreed on the return of Hong's remains in 2020, the centennial anniversary of the Battle of Fengwudong. But it was put off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Saturday, Moon dispatched a special delegation, led by Patriot and Veterans Affairs Minister Hwang Ki-chul, to bring the remains home on a KC-330 special military aircraft.
Moon made a nighttime trip to the airport, along with first lady Kim Jung-sook, to observe the national flag-draped coffin unloaded from the plane by an honor guard in a solemn ceremony.
Moon and Kim then burned incense and paid silent tribute in front of the coffin.
As the aircraft carrying the remains entered South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ), it was escorted by six fighter jets -- the F-15K, F-4E, F-35A, F-5F, KF-16D and FA-50 -- in a show of "utmost respect."
The late general will be laid to rest at a national cemetery in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wednesday following an official mourning period.
The Kazakh president is scheduled to make a two-day state visit to South Korea from Monday, during which he will hold a summit with Moon.
Moon said in his Liberation Day speech earlier in the day, "I am very pleased that my administration's diplomatic efforts to repatriate his remains have come to fruition."
He added, "I am deeply grateful to Kazakh President Tokayev and the Korean diaspora there for all of their cooperation, both emotionally and materially."
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
7. Should North Korean YouTube be banned?
No. We need to watch, understand, and explain north Korean propaganda.
Should North Korean YouTube be banned?
North Korean presenter Un A of "Echo DPRK," a YouTube channel believed to be managed by the North Korean regime, introduces goods at a department store in Pyongyang. Korea Times fileBy David A. Tizzard
If people in Pyongyang could watch Polish student v-logs, check reaction videos to the latest Italian espresso machines, and listen to Senegalese lo-fi beats while they travel around the city, things would be very different for them. But rather than focusing on what those inside North Korea can or can't engage with, how about those of us in more open and democratic societies: What should we be allowed to access on social media? And who should and shouldn't be allowed to post things?
The reason the question is important is because YouTube has once again shutdown a North Korean channel. While much is said about South Korea's cultural outputs and the influence of hallyu, few are as aware that North Korea, in an effort to attract others and soften their image, has also embarked on a little soft power trip of its own, creating social media-friendly videos and posts for international viewers. Unfortunately, for them and for us, their content is being taken down very quickly and without notice. The American platform YouTube did not provide a reason for the latest closure but it does have form for banning content produced in Pyongyang. In December 2020, it closed two accounts featuring v-logs from North Korea starring a woman called Un A. Those videos looked at "daily life" in the capital, trips to the supermarkets, and what kind of snacks people enjoy.
The latest North Korean YouTube channel to face the axe is Sonamu TV, a collection of v-logs featuring Jin Hui as she goes shopping for clothes, checks out historic sites, and visits athletes. Jin Hui certainly wouldn't look out of place in a South Korean drama or glossy high-end advert ― she has big round eyes, a clear complexion, and the videos focus on her appearance and natural beauty. While Kim Yo-jong, Choe Son-hui and Ri Sol-ju are often the only women seen in the halls of power around Pyongyang, with Hyon Song-wol taking a more cultural position, the recent videos that North Korea has been putting out all heavily feature women in their 20s and 30s. In one, Jui Hui visits the women's football coach Ra Un-sim. This seems part of a clear attempt from Pyongyang to reflect values, identities, and attitudes in-line with international trends. It also seeks to dispel ideas that the country is little more than a gerontocratic patriarchy.
The videos themselves are an attempt at modernity. They are certainly not as fire as the latest TikToks being yeeted out by Gen Z and Generation Alpha in other countries, but they aren't actually that bad. They don't have Ed Sheeran writing their lyrics for them, but whatever else one thinks of the soundtrack, the editing, and the filters, it at least gives us a view of North Korea made by North Koreans. And that's all we can ask for.
But then the question again: Who are we to deny them that opportunity? And to then further deny others from observing their creations? We have become accustomed to certain users online being given checkmarks of legitimacy or disclaimers that they are from a state-run operation, but if we are denied the opportunity to watch certain videos or content because of political and ideological differences, how "open" are we really?
Of course many see this North Korean content as little more than propaganda and far-removed from the reality people experience there, but aren't we all promoting ourselves in some way or another online anyway? Every filtered photo and curated tweet is self-branding; every Insta story self-aggrandizing; our entire content a romanticized view of who we actually are. Surely the argument isn't being made that after watching a few North Korean videos we're going to suddenly find ourselves goose-stepping around the living room singing the latest banger from the Moranbong Band and championing Juche to our loved ones?
The one thing that anyone interested in North Korea needs is up-to-date information from as many sources as possible: diplomatic, economic, cultural, political, geographic, sociological, internal and external. It's actually very hard, if not impossible, to be truly informed about North Korea, but it remains a subject on which everyone has an opinion. And the more extreme the opinion, the more traction it will receive. Park Yeon-mi will get millions of views and huge book deals by talking about human feces used as fertilizer and people eating rats; a German diplomat's 8-year account of living and working in North Korea will barely register outside a circle of 10 or 12 people.
That's why it's disappointing YouTube continually denies us the opportunity to watch contemporary North Korean-produced social media content. Although the differences are obviously stark, perhaps sometimes we should also not forget that we too live under the eyes of our tech giant's loving embraces and fatherly care as it dictates what passes as acceptable discourse for us to consume.
Dr. David A. Tizzard (datizzard@swu.ac.kr) has a Ph.D. in Korean Studies. He is a social/cultural commentator and musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. The views expressed in the article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.
8. A bilateral free trade deal between two Koreas
This reminds me of listening to negotiation experts telling a bunch of Korea watchers on how to get to a "win-win" agreement in Korea -how to "get to yes" with north Korea when they have no understanding of the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kimfamily regime.
I wonder if this will not be demand of the Kim family regime to restart north-South engagement and denuclearization negotiations?
A bilateral free trade deal between two Koreas
gettyimagesbankBy Michael Schluter, Jeremy Ive
Michael SchluterWe should never give up on the hope for long-term peace, and even eventual unification of the Korean Peninsula, even though it might be easy to do so. Indeed, there are a number of reasons for believing that this is just the time to look for a major move forward. More importantly, as we outline below, there is a way to overcome the obvious obstacles in the path to achieve this.
What exactly are we proposing? An incremental Bilateral Free Trade Agreement (BFTA) between South Korea and North Korea, initially for trade in agricultural products, but then extending step-by-step to other sectors over a period of 10 years. The goal would be to further intra-Korean cooperation and relieve humanitarian hardship in North Korea without the need for aid. For agricultural trade, sanctions exceptions would be needed to enable North Korea to export fish and marine products ($200m), nuts and forestry products ($150m) and products of lesser but still significant value including ginseng, beer, high quality water, and kimchi. North Korea would likely import from South Korea's agricultural machinery such as small tractors and other agricultural equipment, fertilizers (phosphates and potash), insecticides/pesticides among others. North Korea could even buy rice from South Korea in any future state of emergency.
Jeremy IveWhat are the obstacles to such a trade agreement? The most obvious are the political will in both North Korea and South Korea to engage in such an agreement, and the U.N. and other international sanctions. The latter could be overcome in return for North Korea indicating a willingness for step-by-step, verified denuclearization in return for incremental sanctions exemptions on bilateral trade. The terms of such a deal would be subject to negotiations between North Korea and the U.S.
The U.S. has recently clarified its willingness to talk to North Korea about anything, at any time, and anywhere; presumably, this would cover negotiations around incremental sanctions exemptions in return for incremental denuclearization. Indeed, the U.S. might welcome not only the initial conversation but the prospect of an annual conversation as North Korea and South Korea request to expand the trade agreement beyond the agricultural sector to others, such as textiles and mineral resources in exchange for energy and transport equipment.
U.S. support is even more likely if North Korea and South Korea agreed to use an SDR-type currency arrangement (see Intra Korean Won), which would in effect be using local currencies for trade settlement facilitated by the two countries' respective central banks, as no hard-currency would be involved.
From a wider strategic standpoint, China would likely welcome this contribution to a more politically stable North Korea, increased trade opportunities and better transport links across the peninsula, as well as steps toward the denuclearization of North Korea. Japan would welcome the reduced threat from North Korea, and the opportunity to trade with North Korea in the future. For the U.S., stronger relationships between North Korea and South Korea would offer the prospect of long-term peace on the peninsula, as well as finding at last a way forward toward tackling denuclearization.
What would be the benefits to North Korea? On the basis of what Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party, has repeatedly promised to his people, such an agreement would help with modernizing the economy. This step-by-step proposal for expanded trade with North Korea would give a practical roadmap for modernization of the whole economy. Starting with the agricultural sector, growth of agricultural incomes would generate demand for locally produced textiles and other consumer goods, and local construction with multiplier effects across the whole economy. It would also help to stabilize inflation.
What would be the benefits for South Korea? The BFTA would create the opportunity to build a relationship with North Korea based not on humanitarian aid but on mutual respect and to mutual benefit. It opens up future possibilities not only for trade but for economic and even social convergence through the exchange not only of goods but also of professional and civil servants across different sectors of public life. This could possibly even contribute to a future vision where the Korean peninsula could be a multi-connected neutral state, like Switzerland in Europe, rather than the DMZ becoming the "Berlin Wall" of a new Cold War between the U.S. and China.
How can the process be kick-started? We believe that one way would be for the South Korean government to indicate to North Korea that it is interested in exploring this possibility, and for the U.S. saying that it would be willing to negotiate sanctions exemptions for a BFTA in return for step-by-step denuclearization. Is not this the moment for both North Korea and South Korea to "seize the day," as all parties have an urgent interest to make it happen?
Dr. Michael Schluter is an economist and is President and CEO of Relational Peacebuilding Initiatives (www.relationalpeacebuilding.org) and Dr. Jeremy Ive is RPI's senior advisor. They have worked together on a number of high-level peace initiatives in Africa and Eastern Europe since 1986. Further details of these proposals can be found on the RPI website.
9. How India’s independence movement influenced Korea’s struggle for freedom from Japanese rule
An interesting read. I wonder how the Koreans feel about this interpretation of history?
How India’s independence movement influenced Korea’s struggle for freedom from Japanese rule
Newspaper clippings from the Korean peninsula under Japanese rule show that Gandhi’s aims of obtaining full independence from British rule through the Non-Cooperation movement that reached its peak in 1921, had an unexpected impact on the Korean independence movement.
Updated: August 15, 2021 2:00:49 pm
Tapgol Park in Jogno-gu, Seoul, South Korea, is the birthplace of the March 1st movement of 1919, against the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula. (Courtesy: Santosh Kumar Ranjan)
In the discourse surrounding freedom movements around the world that started a little before and after the end of the First World War, there is a belief among some Korean academics that India’s independence movement was inspired by the March First movement, explains Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Professor Santosh Kumar Ranjan, who conducts research on engagements between colonial India and Korea. In actuality, Ranjan says, historical documentation indicates it may have been the other way around.
Some scholars consider the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 1919 to be the start of the independence movement in the Indian subcontinent, but Indian historians recognise that the fight for the country’s freedom struggle started much before the massacre. Ranjan says, “data shows that Gandhi wasn’t inspired by the Korean independence movement.”
In his research on the subject, one of India’s leading experts on Korea’s colonial history, Professor Pankaj Narendra Mohan writes that “it is erroneous to assume that the March First movement influenced India’s Satyagraha movement of 1919, waged for the repeal of the draconian Rowlatt Act.” According to Mohan’s research, when Gandhi first planned the Satyagraha movement, he had no information about Korean independence activists planning the March First movement for their own freedom.
The freedom movements in the Indian subcontinent and the Korean peninsula originated independently of each other, he finds. “But the example of the March First movement was used by Gandhi and other leaders of the Indian national movement to encourage youth to participate in the Non-cooperation movement that commenced in 1921 and the other subsequent nationalist movements,” Mohan writes.
Read
Japanese rule in Korea
Between 1910 and 1945, the Japanese empire annexed and occupied the Korean peninsula, following the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876. The Eulsa Treaty, also known as the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905, made the Korean peninsula a protectorate of Japan, that five years later, was formally annexed by Japan. The Korean peninsula gained independence from Japan after a 35-year struggle in 1945.
This belief among some Korean scholars that the March First movement inspired freedom movements against British rule in the Indian subcontinent may be attributed to an interpretation of the subcontinent’s history that analyses the freedom struggle on the basis of the intensity and the impact that protests and fights had on a wider, perhaps more global scale, Ranjan believes. “After the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, these nationalistic movements in the Indian subcontinent just became more strong and larger,” he adds.
Dr. Ock-soon Lee, director of the Institute of Indian Studies in Korea (IISK), told indianexpress.com, “Much before the March First Movement took place in Korea, the nationalist movement led by M.K. Gandhi was already in full swing in India. What happened later, thus I assume, cannot affect what happened earlier.”
“Korean scholars have had difficulty approaching (this subject)”, explains Lee Jeong-eun, president of the March First Independence Movement Memorial Society in South Korea, “because they did not have access to Indian historical data. So they could only insist that the (Indian independence movement) was a part of the new independence movements that were starting in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, by those oppressed by global imperialism. This needs to be further verified by Indian historical documents.”
Regardless of any dispute that may exist among scholars regarding historical timelines, there is a consensus that 1919 marked the beginning of the end of imperialism in several regions, including the Indian subcontinent and the Korean peninsula.
A photograph of Koreans protesting near the pagoda inside Tapgol Park in Seoul during the March 1st movement of 1919. (Courtesy: Santosh Kumar Ranjan)
What there is no dispute about, however, is how nationlistic movements in both the Indian subcontinent and the Korean peninsula influenced the other in many ways. While there had been religious exchanges between the two regions, Ranjan says the subjugation of both regions and the movements against these revived interest in each other in an unprecedented way. In the absence of official diplomatic relations, he points to how newspapers and other publications printed post 1919, generated awareness and curiosity of a shared plight and a desire for freedom from brutal occupation.
In 1920, when the Chosun Ilbo and the Dong-A Ilbo newspapers launched their first editions, criticising Japan’s brutal policies, the imperial government deemed it to be subversive acts, often suppressing the newspapers’ operations. Ranjan has found at least 54 editorials that were published in Dong-A-Ilbo and Choson Ilbo between 1920-1930 that report on the Indian subcontinent’s fight against British colonial rule.
He says that these reports indicate how despite the absence of official diplomatic relations, the Korean peninsula was aware of and getting regular information about the Indian freedom movement, particularly Mahatma Gandhi. “There were almost daily reports on India’s Non-Cooperation movement of 1920-22 and the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1931-34.”
A photograph of Koreans protesting near the pagoda inside Tapgol Park in Seoul during the March 1st movement of 1919. (Courtesy: Santosh Kumar Ranjan)
Newspaper clippings from the Korean peninsula under Japanese rule show that Gandhi’s aims of achieving self-governance and obtaining full independence from British rule through the Non-Cooperation movement that reached its peak in 1921, had an unexpected impact on the Korean independence movement.
In September 1921, Gandhi was introduced to Koreans in an editorial in the Chosun Ilbo titled ‘Mr. Gandhi, the real enemy of England’. That was followed by a series of articles in the same newspaper as well as the Dong-A-Ilbo with headlines like ‘The Savior of New India’ and ‘Gandhi: the hope of entire India’.
Ranjan says by early 1922, Gandhi’s stature and awareness about the Indian nationalist leader had only grown in the Korean peninsula, and to such heights that Dong-A-Ilbo began referring to him as Mahatma Gandhi. In March that year, following Gandhi’s imprisonment by the British government, the newspaper published an editorial that said, “We respect Gandhi neither because of his status and position nor for his leadership qualities or political abilities. In fact, his commitment to truth and violence and his sacrifice of luxury and family pieties to come up with different hope of actions is respected by us.”
A copy of the January 8, 1910 edition of ‘India Opinion’ magazine published by Mahatma Gandhi, where the leader wrote about the assasination of Itō Hirobumi, Japan’s first prime minister, by Korean independence activist An Jung-geun, in retaliation for Itō’s role in the signing of the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 that allowed for Japan’s annexation of the Korea peninsula. (Courtesy: Santosh Kumar Ranjan)
At least more than a decade before the Korean peninsula learned of the Mahatma, Gandhi had been writing about Koreans rebelling against Japanese occupation. In the January 1910 edition of the ‘India Opinion’ magazine, published by Gandhi, the leader wrote about the assasination of Itō Hirobumi, Japan’s first prime minister, by Korean independence activist An Jung-geun, in retaliation for Itō’s role in the signing of the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 that allowed for Japan’s annexation of the Korea Peninsula.
Gandhi cited the incident to highlight the evils of imperialism and its implications for the Indian subcontinent under British rule. “The man who fired the revolver-shot bluntly admitted that he had killed Itō because he could not bear to see Japan ruling Korea,” Gandhi wrote, referring to An. “It is said that Japan has killed nearly 12,000 Koreans to teach a lesson to the people. This lesson shows that power is an ugly thing…..Some of our young men believe that the British can be driven out of India by killing (some of them). Even if this is possible, it is not worth doing. Some things in Japan are commendable, but her imitation of Western ways does not deserve to be admired.”
One of the earliest photographic documentations of the March 1st movement of 1919 in India was found in a Gujarati book. The image on top shows empty markets in the Korean peninsula being patrolled by Japanese soldiers. The image below shows Japanese soldiers barricading the entrance to Tapgol Park in Seoul to prevent Koreans from holding peaceful demonstrations against Japanese rule. (Courtesy: Santosh Kumar Ranjan)
Ranjan believes it was Gandhi’s imprisonment in March 1922 and the agitation in the subcontinent that followed, that made a noticeably deep impact on leaders of the Korean freedom movement. Of Gandhi’s political beliefs and non-violent campaigns, the one that may have directly influenced Koreans fighting against Japanese oppression was perhaps the Swadeshi movement.
Korean nationalist leaders, Cho Man-sik, inspired by Gandhi’s Swadeshi movement, pushed for economic self-reliance for Koreans living under Japanese rule. (Wikimedia Commons)
Historical texts indicate that one of the most prominent Korean nationalist leaders, Cho Man-sik, inspired by Gandhi’s campaign to boycott of foreign goods by relying on domestic production, proposed supporting Korean industrial production and pushed for economic self-reliance for Koreans. In July 1920, Cho formed the Society for the Promotion of Native Production (조선물산장려운동) based on Gandhi’s aims through the Swadeshi movement.
Ranjan told indianexpress.com that Cho gained exposure to Gandhi’s beliefs and work while attending college in Japan, a country that had more regular exchanges with Indian nationals than the Korean peninsula. Two years later, in December 1922, other nationalist leaders like Yom Tae-jin and Yi Kwang-su formed a group called the Self Production Association (자작회) in Seoul, to encourage the consumption of the local goods among the Koreans, similar to the Swadeshi movement.
Insert Gandhi letter 2 here:
Photo caption: A partial copy of the letter sent by the president of the Dong-A-Ilbo newspaper, Kim Sung-soo to Mahatma Gandhi in October 1926, asking the leader to send a message to the Korean people. Photo credit: Santosh Kumar Ranjan
Gandhi’s influence on the independence movement in the Korean Peninsula was perhaps so compelling, that in October 1926, the president of the Dong-A-Ilbo newspaper, Kim Sung-soo, wrote to the Indian leader: “You have inspired us, the Korean people, with hope and courage to follow after you; especially considering the cultural relationship which has existed between these two ancient nations since the past seventeen centuries, it is natural that the Korean people cherish the most sincere fellow-feeling with the people of “love” for whose deliverance you stand. India lives in our veins.….The name Gandhi, along with his four principles, is our jewel which is most treasured by us. To us you are not a stranger; you are our own beloved leader….”
During his research, one of India’s leading experts on Korea’s history under Japanese rule, Professor Pankaj Narendra Mohan, discovered this two-page letter that Kim had to Gandhi, requesting him to send a message for the Korean people, along with his photograph with the intent to publish it in his newspaper. A month later, Gandhi’s letter and photo arrived in Korea, with a single line: “The message I can send is to hope that Korea will come to her own through ways absolutely truthful and nonviolent.” Kim published these on the second page of the Dong-A-Ilbo the next year.
Mahatma Gandhi responded to the request of the president of the Dong-A-Ilbo newspaper, Kim Sung-soo, sending a letter with a message for the Korean people fighting against Japanese rule, and a photograph that was subsequently published in the November 1926 edition of the newspaper.
During the course of his research, Ranjan found that Gandhi’s Dandi March or the Salt March, one of his most iconic acts of civil disobedience that occurred between March to April 1930, resulted in a flood of news reports being published in occupied Korea, making it the highest number of articles that had ever been published in relation to the Indian subcontinent.
Despite the absence of direct political and diplomatic engagement between pre-Independence India and the Korean peninsula under Japanese rule, the Indian subcontinent’s long struggle for freedom from colonial oppression inspired and influenced the much younger battle for independence that was playing out some 5,000 km away, sustained by the Koreans for 35 years.
Independence activist and writer Rahul Sankrityayan was one of the first few Indians to travel to the Korean peninsula and documented his travels extensively in his book titled ‘Japan’. In this photo from 1935, Sankrityayan is sitting with Japanese Buddhist monk, Ekai Kawaguchi. (Courtesy: Santosh Kumar Ranjan)
Awareness about Gandhi and the Indian subcontinent’s struggle for freedom was not limited to the educated and political class in occupied Korea, Ranjan explains. Sometime in the 1930s, independence activist and writer Rahul Sankrityayan became one of the first few Indians to travel to the Korean peninsula and documented his travels extensively in his book titled ‘Japan’. “Sankrityayan wrote that the shopkeeper showed him a book on Gandhi published in the Japanese language and added, ‘this shows how popular Gandhi is in Korea,” Ranjan explains.
PM @narendramodi speaking at the unveiling of Mahatma Gandhi bust at Yonsei University : The solution to twin challenges of climate change and terrorism facing the world today, could be found in Mahatma Gandhi’s life and his philosophy . pic.twitter.com/b9mGyKk1Vy
Perhaps little has changed in this context, close to nine decades later, in modern-day South Korea where Gandhi remains one of India’s most recognised political figures. In 2019, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Seoul, in the presence of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, to mark the leader’s 150th birth anniversary. This statue, donated by India, was put on permanent display at Yonsei University’s campus in Songdo. But in readings of the history of both the Indian subcontinent and the Korean Peninsula, there is little mention of how freedom movements in both regions influenced the other.
10. Kim, Putin exchange messages on anniv. of Korea's liberation from Japan
Russia reinforces north Korean propaganda about the liberation of Korea.
Putin sent a message to Kim on the same day, in which he stressed that the two countries "cherish the memory of the service personnel of the Red Army and Korean patriots who dedicated their lives to the freedom of Korea," the KCNA said.
Remember that Kim Il-sung was in the Soviet Red Army as commander of the 1st of the 88th Special Independent Sniper Brigade. It would have been interesting if the Russians had pointed that out or perhaps produced a photo of him in a Red Army uniform.
Kim, Putin exchange messages on anniv. of Korea's liberation from Japan | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the friendly ties of their countries and vowed further bilateral cooperation as they exchanged messages to mark the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japan's colonial rule, Pyongyang's state media reported Sunday.
In a message sent to Putin on Sunday, Kim emphasized that the friendly ties "forged in blood in the struggle against the common enemy" have been carried forward for generations and hoped that the relations would grow stronger onto a "new strategic level," according to the Korean Central News Agency.
Putin sent a message to Kim on the same day, in which he stressed that the two countries "cherish the memory of the service personnel of the Red Army and Korean patriots who dedicated their lives to the freedom of Korea," the KCNA said.
Putin expressed "the belief that the bilateral cooperation of mutual benefits would be further promoted through the implementation of the agreements reached at the 2019 meeting in Vladivostok," it added, referring to the summit the leaders held in Russia's Far Eastern city.
"This would no doubt contribute to ensuring the security in the Korean Peninsula and the Northeast Asian region as a whole," he was quoted as saying.
Kim and Putin have exchanged messages to mark the anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
North Korea has strengthened relations, in particular, with other socialist countries, including China and Cuba amid prolonged stalemate in denuclearization talks with the United States and crippling global sanctions on its economy.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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11. N.K. organization demands Japan's atonement for wrongdoings during its colonial rule of Korea
The north has a different focus toward Japan than President Moon's speech.
N.K. organization demands Japan's atonement for wrongdoings during its colonial rule of Korea | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean organization called Sunday for Japan's sincere apology and atonement for its wrongdoings and atrocities committed during its 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, state media said Sunday.
The Korean Committee on Measures for the Sexual Slavery for Japanese Army and Drafting Victims made the request in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency on the occasion of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from Japan's rule.
"Still kept buried everywhere in Asia where the feet of the Japanese imperialist aggression forces reached and even under the sea, to say nothing of in Japan, are remains of the Korean people who met grievous deaths. With nothing can their grievance be relieved," the committee said.
"Far from making apology and repentance of the crimes against humanity committed by the Japanese imperialists, Japan has adopted mean hostile policy toward the DPRK, has extended sanctions against it year after year," it added.
DPRK is the acronym of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The committee noted such behavior clearly proves that Japan has "no guilty conscience for its past history of aggression, and instead it has become all the more reckless to return to its position in the past when it professed the 'leader of Asia.'"
"We will certainly take stock of how much human, material and mental damage Japan had caused to the Korean people after occupying Korea for over 40-year occupation of Korea in the last century and how viciously it antagonized the DPRK and persecuted Koreans in Japan for scores of years after its defeat and make it pay for its crimes," it said.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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12. S. Korea voices deep regret over Suga's offerings, other leaders' visits to Yasukuni
A step forward, two back.
(2nd LD) S. Korea voices deep regret over Suga's offerings, other leaders' visits to Yasukuni | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, first 4 paras)
SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Sunday expressed deep regret over Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's sending of offerings and other leader's visits to Yasukuni Shrine on the occasion of the anniversary of the end of World War II.
"The government voices its deep disappointment and regret over Japanese leaders repeating the sending of offerings and visits to Yasukuni Shrine that beautifies Japan's past war of aggression and enshrines war criminals," Choi Young-sam, foreign ministry spokesperson, said in a written commentary.
"The government urges responsible people in Japan to show with action their humble soul-searching and genuine reflection on history, while pointing out that only when based on such attitude, will Japan be able to build future-oriented relations with South Korea and gain trust from other neighbors," he added.
Earlier, Suga sent offerings to the shrine and three members of his cabinet, including Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Education Minister Koichi Hagiuda, paid homage there, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency.
Since taking over as premier in September last year from Shinzo Abe, Suga has not visited the shrine but sent offerings twice in October and April this year.
News reports also showed that Abe visited the shrine on Sunday, his fourth confirmed trip there since leaving office.
Yasukuni Shrine honors Japan's war dead, including 14 Class A war criminals. Japanese leaders' visits to the shrine have drawn strong condemnation from Asian neighbors, including South Korea, as they were viewed as an attempt to beautify the country's militaristic past.
On Friday, South Korea's foreign ministry called in a senior diplomat from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to lodge protest against Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi's visit to the shrine.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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13. Harvard professor Ramseyer denies Japanese military's forced mobilization of comfort women
Hard to believe any reputable scholar could believe this.
Harvard professor Ramseyer denies Japanese military's forced mobilization of comfort women | Yonhap News Agency
NEW YORK/SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- A Harvard professor has claimed that Japan did not force Korean and other women into sexual slavery during World War II, renewing his much-denounced claims that the victims were actually prostitutes.
J. Mark Ramseyer of the Harvard Law School made the claim in the preface to a recently published book on the victims, saying Japan's military did not need to forcibly mobilize what he characterized as prostitutes and had little room to do so.
Authored by Tetsuo Arima, a social science professor at Waseda University, the book was published on July 30 ahead of South Korea's Aug. 15 Liberation Day that marks the country's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, long a source of historical animosity between the neighboring countries.
In the Japanese-language preface, Ramseyer also said that it was only after Seiji Yoshida, a Japanese novelist, published a book entitled "My War Crimes" in 1983 that damage claims by former sex slaves started to emerge.
The book included Yoshida's claim that he took Korean women from the island of Jeju for sexual service.
Ramseyer then claimed that women, who worked at the military brothels to make money or due to pressure exerted by their fathers, started to claim that they were forced into sexual servitude by the Japanese military.
Ramseyer also mentioned the case of Yoon Mee-hyang, a South Korean lawmaker alleged to have embezzled public donations while running a civic group for former sex slaves, and questioned the credibility of victims' accounts.
His claims resurfaced as Seoul has been struggling to address a set of thorny historical issues, including Japan's wartime forced labor, through diplomatic talks with Tokyo, amid a U.S. push to bring the Asian allies closer.
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14. U.S. nuke envoy expected to visit S. Korea this month: official
We continue to maintain our high level diplomatic engagement. This is important.
U.S. nuke envoy expected to visit S. Korea this month: official | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, is expected to visit Seoul later this month for talks with his South Korean counterpart and a trilateral session involving the Russian nuclear envoy, a diplomatic source said Sunday.
Kim is expected to arrive on Saturday for a four-day visit, the source said. It will mark his second trip to South Korea since taking office as Washington's chief nuclear envoy. He last visited Seoul in June.
While Kim is in town, Russia's nuclear envoy, Igor Morgulov, is also expected to visit South Korea for possible trilateral talks with their South Korean counterpart Noh Kyu-duk.
Kim and Morgulov's expected visits come as North Korea has been ramping up pressure on South Korea and the United States over their annual combined exercise that will kick off Monday for a nine-day run.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced earlier in the day the two countries will stage the drills in a scaled-back manner in consideration of "the COVID-19 situation, the maintenance of the combined defense posture and the diplomatic efforts for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of peace."
When the South and the U.S. started a preliminary exercise on Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, blasted the drills as an "unwelcoming act of self-destruction for which a dear price should be paid," and the North began to refuse to answer the South's regular phone calls via their hotlines later that day.
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15. Moon's Liberation Day speech calls for cooperation with Japan, North
Japan cooperation, good. The north? Wishful thinking.
Sunday
August 15, 2021
Moon's Liberation Day speech calls for cooperation with Japan, North
President Moon Jae-in, center, and First Lady Kim Jung-sook, right, celebrate the 76th anniversary of Korea's Liberation Day at the Culture Station Seoul 284 in central Seoul on Sunday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Unlike his previous Liberation Day speeches, President Moon Jae-in stuck to the standard position on policies related to Japan and North Korea in his address Sunday.
“Since normalizing diplomatic relations, Korea and Japan have long been able to achieve economic growth together through a division of labor and cooperation based on the common shared values of democracy and a market economy,” Moon said in his speech at the Culture Station Seoul 284, located next to Seoul Station, on Sunday. “This is the direction our two countries should continue to go in, moving forward together [...] For historical issues that need to be rectified, we will resolve them through actions and practices that are consistent with universal values and the standards of the international community.”
Korea gained independence from Japan’s 35-year annexation on Aug. 15, 1945.
Some of the thorny issues between the two nations, such as the so-called “comfort women,” or women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, or forced labor, were not mentioned in detail.
During last year’s speech, Moon highlighted Korea’s Supreme Court decision in 2018 that obligated Japanese companies to pay compensation to the Korean laborers who were forced to work during Japan's rule over Korea from 1910 to 1945, pledging to uphold the court's verdict, despite Japan’s protests.
A characteristically divisive message on Japan was, however, delivered by Kim Won-woong, president of Heritage of Korean Independence, which researches Korea's independence history, in a pre-recorded video message played during the ceremony.
“The pro-Japanese groups have thrived for generations, whilst the descendants of independence activists still live in poverty,” Kim said. “And these pro-Japan groups are still active, fighting so that they will not lose the wealth they aggregated by being pro-Japanese during the Japanese occupation of Korea [...] and are calling for the publication of textbooks with pro-Japan interpretation of historical events.”
On North Korea, Moon stressed the need to focus on the peaceful unification of the two Koreas, using Germany's unification as an example, but did not go into details as he has previously done in Liberation Day speeches.
“Division is the biggest obstacle blocking our growth and prosperity and simultaneously a tenacious barrier to permanent peace. Like Germany, we can also remove this barrier,” Moon said. “Although unification may take some more time, we can create a Korean Peninsula model in which the two Koreas coexist and contribute to the prosperity of Northeast Asia as a whole through denuclearization and permanent peace on the peninsula.”
In his speech last year, Moon highlighted the Panmunjom Declaration, the agreement signed by Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their summit in 2018, where they agreed to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and end the war between the two sides. The two Koreas are technically still at war, as the Korean War (1950-53) ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
In vowing to the commitments made in the declaration, Moon floated ideas on an inter-Korean railway and other economic projects in his speech last year, which he had also discussed in detail during his Liberation Day speech in 2019.
The changes in Moon’s speech are not without reason, especially given the context of recent U.S.-Korea and inter-Korean events.
“President Moon’s conciliatory remarks concerning Japan were in line both with South Korean preferences to focus on post-pandemic economic recovery and the Biden administration‘s strategy of rallying allies against shared threats,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international politics at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
In her visits to Tokyo and Seoul last month, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman emphasized U.S.-Korea-Japan cooperation for key security and economic interests in the region.
“Regarding North Korea, Moon maintained his consistent message about building trust, peace and shared prosperity through functional cooperation and regional integration. But his enthusiasm appeared restrained after Pyongyang’s hostile rhetoric and continued rejection of Seoul’s engagement efforts,” Easley said.
Pyongyang slammed Seoul and Washington last week for pushing through with their summertime joint military exercises despite the North’s continued protests against them.
In his speech President Moon also highlighted Korea’s speedy economic development from the 1960s to today and the nation’s growth in soft power seen through the global popularity of K-pop as well as other Korean music, arts, films and games, urging people to recognize the role Koreans are expected to play to resolve issues common to the global community.
“The Republic of Korea has been invited to the G7 Summit for two years in a row, which signifies the start of a new world order,” he said. “Building upon capabilities nurtured through openness and cooperation, we will actively contribute to overcoming the Covid-19 crisis as well as to establishing a peaceful order and the reconstruction of the global economy in the post-Covid-19 era. In particular, we will take the lead in creating value and order in the new era based on our experience with economic growth — having moved from a developing to an advanced country — and the soft power amassed through Hallyu [Korean wave] and Korea’s response to Covid-19.”
This year's Liberation Day speech was Moon's last as his presidency will come to an end in May 2022.
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
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.
