Quotes of the Day:
"Give the future enough thought to be ready for it - but don't worry about it. Live each day as if you were to die next sunrise. Then face each sunrise as a fresh creation and live for it, joyously. And never think about the past. No regrets, ever. Lazarus Long looked sad, then suddenly smiled and repeated, No regrets."
- Robert A. Heinlein - Time Enough for Love
"Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something."
- Morihei Ueshiba
"Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself."
- Potter Stewart
1. S. Korea-U.S. joint drill reduced in size to start on second week of August
2. Stricken N.Korea Goes Back to Bluster
3. High-ranking North Korean military official executed for calling Kim Jong Un's special order "unrealistic"
4 Trading company officials in N. Hamgyong Province arrested for making and smuggling drugs
5. Getting Outside Information Past Big Brother in North Korea
6. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Sudden mass release of detainees, easing of punishments, but no food for the detainees.
7. Bandage on back of Kim Jong-un's head draws unsolicited theories
8. No decision yet on annual military exercise with US: defense ministry
9. Flexible approach (ROK/US Combined Training)
10. 10. N. Korea blames U.S. again for anti-gov't rallies in Cuba
11. South Korea seeks to improve ties despite North's threat
12. N.K. state media reveals footage of ICBM blasting off from mobile launcher
13. Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, Japan hold phone talks on cooperation for peninsula peace
14. Cheong Wa Dae says inter-Korean hotlines should be kept
15. Kim Yo-jong dials up pressure over joint drill
16. DP chief insists joint military drills proceed as planned amid calls for suspension
17. N. Korea sends S. Korea detailed info on illegal fishing in Yellow Sea via restored hotlines: sources
1. S. Korea-U.S. joint drill reduced in size to start on second week of August
This kind of reporting makes no sense. Announcing the reduction in the size of a Combined Command Post Training event has no positive effect. It is not visible to anyone. It gives the appearance of weakness and it does not appease the regime. Perhaps the only people who this placates are political leaders who want to provide "carrots" to the north in the fantasy hope that the north will return to north-South engagement and denuclearization negotiations. But that will not happen because of announcements like this. It will only result in future threats from Kim Yo-jong since she is proving very effective at helping to drive a wedge in the alliance and getting political concessions for her blackmail diplomacy.
S. Korea-U.S. joint drill reduced in size to start on second week of August
Posted August. 02, 2021 07:26,
Updated August. 02, 2021 07:26
S. Korea-U.S. joint drill reduced in size to start on second week of August. August. 02, 2021 07:26. by Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com.
South Korea and the U.S. will start the joint military drill for the second half of this year from the second week of this month with its size reduced. Some within the government suggested the necessity to delay or suspend training to secure the momentum to resume talks with North Korea after restoring the inter-Korean communication channel, but the military authorities of the two allies decided to conduct the drill as planned.
According to multiple government insiders on Sunday, military authorities of South Korea and the U.S. started preparations to conduct the drill from August 16 to 26, starting with the Crisis Management Staff Training on August 10 to 13. The South Korean government delivered a suggestion to reduce the size of the military drill to that of the first half of this year considering current situations including inter-Korean relations to the U.S. that prioritizes reviewing the military readiness posture by normalizing the drill. The two countries are known to have aligned on this issue. “There are ongoing discussions related to the drill in the National Security Council,” said an insider. “Military authorities will continue to discuss details while preparing for the drill as planned until the NSC makes the final decision.” Military authorities will make an official announcement on August 15, a day before the drill starts.
A level two full operational capacity (FOC) verification for the transfer of wartime operation control, which the Moon Jae-in administration actively worked on will be conducted only as a dry run. The transfer is not likely to be done within the term of this administration as the U.S. once again revealed its intention that it will not conduct a full-scale FOC verification in this drill, just like last year.
2. Stricken N.Korea Goes Back to Bluster
Back to? One duty officer picking up the phone and answering a call after 13 months is not breakthrough. And the regime has never given up on its blackmail diplomacy.
Stricken N.Korea Goes Back to Bluster
August 02, 2021 11:48
Impoverished North Korea returned to bluster this weekend after agreeing to reopen communication lines with South Korea last week.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Yo-jong, who frequently acts as her brother's attack dog, in a statement on Sunday night called for an end to planned South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises.
Pyongyang "will closely follow whether the South Korean side stages hostile war exercises in August or makes other bold decision," she said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong speaks at a Workers Party meeting in Pyongyang on July 29, in this grab from [North] Korean Central Television the following day.
The U.S. and South Korea are staging a scaled-down military exercise later this month.
"The restoration of the communication liaison lines should not be taken as anything more than just a physical reconnection," Kim Yo-jong fumed. "Hasty speculation and groundless interpretation will only bring despair."
The surprise reopening of the communication lines last week sparked speculation that the North is desperate for food aid after sealing its borders for fear of coronavirus. The UN Food Programme has warned that the North faces a dire food shortage this year.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
3. High-ranking North Korean military official executed for calling Kim Jong Un's special order "unrealistic"
A couple of points. This illustrates the importance of the three "chains of control" of the nKPA - the traditional military chain, the political officer, and the security officer. Second, the military chain is not the first among equals. This may have significant impact on actual military operations when political and loyalty considerations are placed above military necessity. Can that be exploited from a PSYOP perspective? How can we create fractures within and among these three chains of control? Who is working on this?
High-ranking North Korean military official executed for calling Kim Jong Un's special order "unrealistic" - Daily NK
The execution was made known after the authorities sent a “notification” to military officers ranked department head and above
A high-ranking military cadre was reportedly executed for the crime of criticizing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s recent “special order” to supply food to the people as “unrealistic.”
A source in North Korea told Daily NK on Wednesday the major general in charge of the logistics headquarters of Training Camp 815 was court-martialed and shot on July 18 after he criticized Kim’s special order as “an order ignorant of reality.”
Kim’s special order called for the release of military stores of rice for public distribution.
According to the source, people learned of the execution after the authorities sent a “notification” to military officers ranked department head and above. Sent on July 22, the notification detailed recent examples of “stern judgments.”
The notification said that after receiving the special order from the ruling party, the commander “indiscreetly” complained that “military granaries are facing more serious problems than the food [shortage] issue facing the people.”
He also reportedly said: “If they’re going to squeeze us while remaining ignorant of the situation in lower-level rear areas, from where on earth are we going to produce all that rice, not sand from the river bed?” By criticizing Kim’s supposedly insufficient sense of reality, he basically became a “sectarian” in the view of the authorities.
North Korean soldiers in Sakju County, North Pyongan Province. / Image: Daily NK
By openly describing the events in the notification, the authorities apparently intend to spark fear and emphasize that “those who outright challenge party policy will receive no forgiveness, regardless of who they are.” It also suggests that the authorities want to set straight conspicuously flagging military discipline, even with military rice stores empty.
Relatedly, Kim — who belatedly learned how bad things were with military stores of rice after the June 29 enlarged meeting of the politburo — ordered the punishment of high-ranking cadres in charge, while simultaneously instructing the military’s Political Guidance Department and Military Security Command to inspect conditions in the low-level logistics units.
Moreover, by punishing cadres, Kim seemingly intends to turn attention away from his own loss of face in ordering “three months of food provisions” without first ascertaining the state of military food stocks. This means Kim plans to minimize risk by turning the situation into a political and ideological issue regarding the military’s logistics commanders.
There is talk of a “bloodbath” of purges and sackings in the name of “drawing out the ideological poison of military sectarianism.”
However, hostility is reportedly rising within the military regarding such merciless punishment.
Soldiers are reportedly asking how “shooting logistics commanders and sending officers to political prison camps” will resolve rice shortages, and whether leaders intend to label everyone “sectarians” every time there is a problem because they issued an order ignorant of the situation on the ground.
Regarding the joint investigation by the military’s Political Guidance Department and Military Security Command, the source noted emerging criticism that stores of military supplies “have been empty since the time of Kim Jong Il” and “it’s a bigger problem that the government is starting to get a grip on conditions on the ground only now, 10 years after Kim Jong Un took power.”
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
4. Trading company officials in N. Hamgyong Province arrested for making and smuggling drugs
Corruption rampant. So much to unpack here. The people's economy, people reporting on each other, foreign currency, defector operations.
Trading company officials in N. Hamgyong Province arrested for making and smuggling drugs - Daily NK
Provincial prosecutors believe mere trading company workers could not have possibly come up with such a scheme on their own
North Korean authorities have reportedly arrested workers at the Unha General Trading Company branch in Onsong County, North Hamgyong Province, for allegedly manufacturing and smuggling drugs to achieve their foreign currency quota.
A source in the province told Daily NK last Thursday that workers at the Unha General Trading Company were arrested in the middle of this month for involvement in the drug trade, apparently to pay this year’s foreign currency contribution to the “people’s economy.”
According to the source, with the state previously ordering that units unable to make this year’s foreign currency quota be barred from restarting trade when the border reopens, trading units have been mobilizing every means possible to achieve the quota.
Faced with pressure from above to satisfy its quota “at all costs” despite being able to do nothing due to the closure of the border, employees at the Unha General Trading Company began searching for ways to earn a bit of cash. Ultimately, they decided to manufacture drugs, setting up a manufacturing process and even smuggling the product.
“After holding discussions with several workers, the president of the Onsong branch of Unha General Trading Company brought in a drug manufacturer from Hamhung, feeding and housing him,” said the source. “They set up a lab, and for a year after the border closure, they diligently smuggled the drugs they manufactured, contributing foreign currency to the party.”
However, when nearby residents caught wind of what they were doing, the branch president and all others involved were arrested and taken to the provincial branch of the Ministry of State Security.
Musan County, North Hamgyong Province. / Image: Daily NK
Provincial prosecutors believe mere trading company workers could not have possibly come up with such a scheme on their own, and that members of the Ministry of State Security, Ministry of Social Security, and Onsong County officials were clearly involved. Working through local residents, law enforcement agents are reportedly rounding up and questioning other suspects.
“When the authorities searched their homes, they found big wads of dollars and yuan stored in kimchi pits and underground tunnels,” said the source. “Moreover, a serious issue is also arising with rumors going round that the trader who distributed the drugs is part of a group that helps North Koreans in China defect, so there are calls to determine where ‘dirty money’ infiltrated [the party].”
The case has yet to be concluded, but as the incident follows North Korea’s enacting of a law to prevent drug crimes, the suspects likely face severe punishment.
“With the law being enacted, those arrested will serve even longer prison terms, and they say even the implicated cadres won’t skate by this time,” said the source. “Judicial officers murmur that all of them will get life imprisonment or be executed.”
Early this month, the 15th plenary meeting of the 14th Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly adopted the “Law of the DPRK on Metal Industry, the Law of the DPRK on Chemical Industry, the Law of the DPRK on Machine-building Industry and the Law of the DPRK on the Prevention of Drug-related Crimes.” North Korean media reported that the law stipulated articles on “preventing violations of laws detrimental to the stability of the state and social system and the lives and health of the people” and “principled issues arising in enforcing the relevant laws.”
The adoption of a separate law despite pre-existing articles in North Korea’s criminal code punishing the illegal manufacture and trade of drugs seemingly demonstrates that the North Korean government is aiming to crack down even harder on drug-related activities.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
5. Getting Outside Information Past Big Brother in North Korea
Influence and information activities should be an alliance main line of effort during armistice to support both operations during war or instability and regime collapse and ultimately to prepare the Korean people in the north for eventual unification.
And per the UN Commission Inquiry in 2014 restrictions on information access is a human rights abuse. The international community has to take action and help the Korean people in the north.
Information is an existential threat to the Kim family regime.
Excerpts:
In a country as restrictive as North Korea, alternate sources of information are critical for allowing the North Korean people to forge informed opinions about the state’s place in society. Amb. Robert King, former U.S. special envoy for North Korea human rights issues, writes that North Korea’s efforts to restrict access to outside ideas and influence “reflects Kim Jong-un’s conviction that foreign media represents a significant challenge to his totalitarian regime.”
A sudden change in North Korea’s political system is an extremely remote possibility. However, in the long run, the shifting values and perspectives of large chunks of the population could bring North Korea increasingly closer to a different assessment of its interests and willingness for change. While North Korea’s regime remains one of the most repressive governments on the planet, it still strives to instill loyalty and it perceives foreign media as undercutting this effort. Outside information undermines dubious claims made in state propaganda, such as the notion that Kim is an internationally respected statesman or that South Korea started the Korean War. Armed with information to compare the poor performance of the Kim government with other countries and governments around the world, North Koreans feel discontent and disillusionment.
Furthermore, capitalist countries or those with experience in economic reform should redouble efforts to share with North Korean academics and officials knowledge and knowhow on market economic policies that they can take back to their country, adjust, and apply as North Korea continues to experiment with reform-oriented economic measures. A North Korea that has a clear roadmap for economic change is likely to be more receptive to change across social, cultural, and even political realms.
South Korea, the United States, and civil society organizations in both countries should continue to support North Korean defectors and refugees living in South Korea and elsewhere. Should the North Korean government collapse or open up, these individuals will be the natural bridge between the outside world and North Korea, and will prove instrumental in any scenario involving either a breakdown or integration.
Getting Outside Information Past Big Brother in North Korea - War on the Rocks
South Korean-inspired hairdos, slang, and dances are becoming increasingly popular in North Korea. While that might not sound like a pressing security threat to most people, Chairman Kim Jong Un is not like most people. His regime believes that these superficial expressions represent a deeper well of social change that corrodes socialist culture and undermines the country’s ideological conformity.
The stakes are getting higher for information flows into North Korea: Despite the risk of severe punishments, many North Koreans secretly consume information and entertainment from the outside world. For its part, the government in Pyongyang views outside information as a threat to the regime because it disabuses the people of beliefs planted by state propaganda and enables them to compare their living conditions to those of the outside world.
Will outside ideas have the power to transform North Korea in the way Kim fears? Or will Kim succeed in his quest to stomp them out and ensure that the young generation become “the heroes and builders for the future of socialism”?
In our view, the best hope for peaceful, long-term change lies in helping North Koreans to become more knowledgeable about their own country and the outside world. This could plant the seeds for a civil society that could eventually favor rapprochement over indefinite hostility and improve protections for human rights. North Koreans are hungry for information and the outside world is taking measures to help, but the country’s authoritarian government won’t sit idly by. While the Kim regime strives to seal off the country, the outside world should augment information access by utilizing new methods and technologies, and provide both elites and ordinary people with objective reporting, useful information, and entertainment.
How North Koreans Get Access to Foreign Ideas and Information
North Korea is attempting to complement its COVID-19 border closures by firming up its ideological blockade. The country’s foreign ministry accused Western governments of conducting “false propaganda using mass media and modern information and communication tools” to “interfere” in sovereign states’ internal affairs. It also criticized the U.S. State Department’s annual press statement on North Korea Freedom Week, which explained that America will continue to raise awareness on North Korea’s “egregious human rights situation,” and “support access to independent information.” In addition, Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, warned defectors in South Korea to stop scattering leaflets across the border.
A more informed population might end up undermining the domestic loyalty that has become all the more critical for the Kim regime’s goal to achieve “self-reliance” in the face of prolonged sanctions and a steep reduction in trade during the pandemic. More fundamentally, a populace enlightened about the goings-on of the outside world poses a threat to the legitimacy of Kim’s rule and his ability to exert control. Understanding this, his regime has ratcheted up crackdowns on illicit streams of information and is vying to reverse the dramatic social changes that have already resulted from them. But can he succeed?
In the mid-1990s, a devastating famine struck North Korea, forcing the government to loosen restrictions at the border. As a result, North Koreans were in contact with an unprecedented influx of ideas and products from the outside world. Entertainment and news media in the form of thumb drives, micro memory cards, DVDs, and pirate radio broadcasts, all began circulating through illicit networks of importers and sharers in North Korea. This was especially remarkable since North Koreans were and still are severely punished for spreading information that has not been vetted and filtered by the North Korean Workers’ Party’s Propaganda and Agitation Department.
An array of international organizations disseminate material across the border into North Korea, distributing content that is often curated by North Korean defectors. Many of these organizations have the support of the U.S. government, which is authorized to spend $3 million per year to increase “the availability of sources of information not controlled by the Government of North Korea.” In 2020, the National Endowment for Democracy funded initiatives to broadcast medium-wave radio programs into North Korea, help to identify new methods and technologies to enhance information access, and “instill democratic norms and ideals and foster independent thinking” by distributing materials to “reform-minded North Koreans in the Asia region.” Additional radio broadcasts into North Korea are carried out by the BBC, Radio Free Asia, and Global Korean Network, a service by Korean Broadcasting System, South Korea’s national public broadcaster.
According to a defector survey conducted by the Seoul-based Unification Media Group in 2019, 80 percent of North Koreans who watch and listen to foreign content do so at night and 40 percent consume this content at least once per week. Although over half of the survey respondents say they hear people discussing South Korean media content, these conversations are typically restricted to close friends and family members. DVDs were fashionable a few years back, but these days, North Koreans prefer thumb drives and micro memory cards because they are small and easy to hide. This makes them ideal for quickly stashing during a crackdown by fearsome officers from the Ministry of People’s Security and the Ministry of State Security, especially when one doesn’t have enough cash on hand to pay a bribe.
Cat-and-Mouse Games
North Korea was forced to wrestle with the influx of information from the outside world as the border loosened, new foreign goods were traded in less-regulated marketplaces, and mobile phones became more prevalent. Defector surveys carried out by Marcus Noland and Stephan Haggard for their book Witness to Transformation revealed a correlation between the consumption of foreign media and “more negative assessments of the regime.” They also found a positive relationship between the degree of reliance on market-based income (versus government sources) and “perceptions of tightening restrictions and joking with peers about the government.” Some North Koreans secretly use foreign mobile phones near the border with China to make calls to family and business contacts abroad, but the authorities use high-tech radar detectors and phone tapping devices to catch and punish these people.
In response, the regime adopted an aggressive three-pronged approach that includes blocking access to foreign media, punishing consumption, and offering alternatives. The government has empowered crackdown squads with high-tech tools to block the circulation of illicit materials. Under Kim, the country has also revised its criminal code and amplified the surveillance and punishment of offenders.
The results of this campaign are stifling. North Korea ranked 179th out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index, which says “the totalitarian regime continues to keep its citizens in a state of ignorance.” The vast majority of defectors (85 percent) polled by Intermedia in 2018 said that punishments for consuming foreign content had become more severe under Kim. The Unification Media Group survey found that three out of four respondents had witnessed someone being punished for watching foreign content.
North Korea further tightened the noose across all realms of life following the second U.S.-North Korean summit in Hanoi in February 2019, when Kim, one month after returning from Vietnam without a major diplomatic victory, renewed the self-reliance campaign. State media have since noticeably stepped up rhetoric on conducting ideological education, combating “anti-socialist” elements, and obeying the country’s draconian laws.
North Korea’s social control campaign was elevated during the COVID-19 lockdown, with the party underscoring the importance of combating “non-socialist” elements at a high-profile meeting. This culminated in the state passing a “law on rejecting reactionary ideology and culture.” The main goal of the law is reportedly to block the inflow and consumption of South Korean cultural content. North Korea’s authorities also reportedly stepped up crackdowns on the consumption and spread of South Korean content since the passage of the law.
In an effort to make its propaganda material more competitive, North Korea has modernized its state-run television, especially since Kim’s public debut in 2010. Examples include: enhancing the visual quality of state-run television, calling to improve the signal quality for broadcasts, and offering limited access to party-approved foreign cultural content such as foreign films and dramas. However, it is questionable whether enhanced visualization and curated foreign content will be enough to keep up with the tastes of North Koreans. Despite the extraordinary efforts of the Kim regime to block information from entering the country, many North Koreans have already developed an appetite for foreign trends and South Korean culture.
The Danger of a Freed Mind
The spread of outside information could help to form the basis for a civil society in North Korea. In turn, this could lead to pressure on the government to treat its people better and reconsider its hostile international posture. In the long term, continued exposure could even improve the relationship between state and society and boost prospects for a revised foreign policy calculus that favors rapprochement.
The exposure to ideas, language, and values from abroad helps to transform the way in which North Koreans view themselves, their society, and the wider world. The increased availability of outside sources of information has caused North Koreans to trust state media less, blame Kim for the country’s problems more, and decrease their support for the state ideology of Juche (which roughly translates to “self-reliance”), according to defector surveys carried out by Seoul National University. These changes can be a source of inspiration for action. In particular, multiple studies indicate that South Korean cultural content has a particularly significant impact, in some cases influencing the decision to defect and easing refugees’ integration into the South.
North Korean defector and Ewha Womans University professor Dr. Hyun In-nae recently told one of the authors that “the younger generation [of defectors] has a much faster time adjusting” to life in South Korea. She explained that the new generation has “typically already seen South Korean dramas and publications.” This has made it possible for them to adjust to their new lives within just a year or two, compared to the typical 10-year adjustment period for defectors who arrived in Hyun’s cohort more than 15 years ago.
North Korea’s informational control is without parallel. But perhaps the nearest peer on this front — East Germany — no longer exists. Radio broadcasts produced by West Germany were also consumed in the Communist East. These entertainment and news programs enjoyed popularity on both sides of the divide, and helped to create a common sense of identity and community. East Berliner Anna Kaminsky said that the broadcasts led many East Germans to “recalibrate their mentalities … leading to the democratic protests and the border reforms.”
This precedent is certainly on the mind of North Korea’s leadership. The party-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun recently published an article warning, “The former socialist states in Eastern Europe were unable to prevent the ideological deterioration of the youth, muddying the fresh air of the socialist society, [and causing] waves of capitalist thoughts and corrupt trends.”
North Korea’s central media have expressed concern about the ideological purity of young North Koreans. The official media campaign is supplemented by internal educational materials and guidance on crackdowns. During weekly indoctrination and criticism sessions, North Koreans are sometimes shown videos demonstrating bad behavior. One video, shown by defector and National Assembly member Thae Yong Ho in 2019, featured footage of North Koreans wearing contraband clothing with non-Korean letters on them. To discourage these trends, the offenders were named and shamed.
Growing regime sensitivities to the youth’s preference for Western cultural influences culminated in a letter that Kim sent in April of this year to a national youth league congress, where he called for inculcating the youth with socialist principles and values. Kim said it was patriotic to “defend the purity and future of our young people” against “anti-socialist and non-socialist practices.” Furthermore, at party and youth league meetings, Kim himself explicitly pointed out that the youth’s clothing and hairstyles require rectification. This theme is occasionally brought up by North Korean media, but it is highly unusual for the country’s top leader to personally mention it.
Bottom Line
In a country as restrictive as North Korea, alternate sources of information are critical for allowing the North Korean people to forge informed opinions about the state’s place in society. Amb. Robert King, former U.S. special envoy for North Korea human rights issues, writes that North Korea’s efforts to restrict access to outside ideas and influence “reflects Kim Jong-un’s conviction that foreign media represents a significant challenge to his totalitarian regime.”
A sudden change in North Korea’s political system is an extremely remote possibility. However, in the long run, the shifting values and perspectives of large chunks of the population could bring North Korea increasingly closer to a different assessment of its interests and willingness for change. While North Korea’s regime remains one of the most repressive governments on the planet, it still strives to instill loyalty and it perceives foreign media as undercutting this effort. Outside information undermines dubious claims made in state propaganda, such as the notion that Kim is an internationally respected statesman or that South Korea started the Korean War. Armed with information to compare the poor performance of the Kim government with other countries and governments around the world, North Koreans feel discontent and disillusionment.
Furthermore, capitalist countries or those with experience in economic reform should redouble efforts to share with North Korean academics and officials knowledge and knowhow on market economic policies that they can take back to their country, adjust, and apply as North Korea continues to experiment with reform-oriented economic measures. A North Korea that has a clear roadmap for economic change is likely to be more receptive to change across social, cultural, and even political realms.
South Korea, the United States, and civil society organizations in both countries should continue to support North Korean defectors and refugees living in South Korea and elsewhere. Should the North Korean government collapse or open up, these individuals will be the natural bridge between the outside world and North Korea, and will prove instrumental in any scenario involving either a breakdown or integration.
Jonathan Corrado is director of policy at the Korea Society, where he helps to produce programming and conduct research projects related to Korean Peninsula security issues. Jonathan is also a Pacific Forum non-resident James Kelly Fellow, a National Committee on American Foreign Policy Emerging Leader, and a contributor to NK Pro.
Rachel Minyoung Lee is a nonresident fellow with the 38 North Program at the Stimson Center. Lee was a North Korea collection expert and analyst with Open Source Enterprise under the CIA from 2000 to 2019. During that time, she wrote on a broad range of North Korean issues, from leadership, domestic politics and economy, and foreign policy, to social and cultural developments.
6. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Sudden mass release of detainees, easing of punishments, but no food for the detainees.
What a dilemma. But note what are the "serious crimes" that will result in arrest and punishment.
I think the "reporting partner"i n the excerpt below meant South Korean footage versus north Korea.
Excerpts:
"It is no longer possible to arrest them and give them food. In an increasing number of cases, the security bureau (police) does not detain people when they are arrested but leaves it to the labour party organizations and youth alliance organizations to 'educate' them. Crackdowns have also been loosened."
Due to financial difficulties, the government has not been able to secure enough food, which has hindered the operation of the detention facilities, the heart of the people's control. For example, in the "labour training unit," detainees were dispatched to construction sites and made to work from early morning until night under quotas. However, it is said that the construction companies where they are dispatched are having a hard time running their businesses and cannot provide enough food for the detainees. Therefore, recently, the duration of forced labour has been shortened, and the content has been lightened to the extent that ordinary residents are mobilized for labour service.
However, it is a different story when the authorities consider it a serious crime. The most severe crimes are those related to foreign images and propaganda materials such as Korean dramas. According to the Law on the Elimination of Reactionary Thought and Culture enacted last December, the maximum penalty for viewing or possessing such materials is five years in prison. The maximum penalty for disseminating such materials is death.
"There is absolutely no mercy when it comes to North Korean footage. Even those who take bribes and overlook their crimes are punished. They treat it much more harshly than murder," said the reporting partner.
＜Inside N. Korea＞ Sudden mass release of detainees, easing of punishments, but no food for the detainees.
(Photo) A policeman keeps a close eye on a checkpoint. Photographed by Kim Dong-chul in South Pyongan Province in January 2011 (ASIAPRESS).
North Korean authorities are easing their crackdown and punishments by releasing people who had been detained for social order violations and minor misconduct. It is believed that the reason for this is that the number of people arrested has increased too much since the Kim Jong-un regime announced its policy of tightening social control this year, causing difficulties in providing food and other necessities. At the end of July, a reporting partner in North Hamkyung Province informed us (Kang Ji-won).
◆Detention Facilities Overflowing with People
"The detention facilities, such as indoctrination centres (prisons) and 'labour training units,' are all overcapacity. Especially the 'labour training units' are overflowing with people," said the reporting partner.
After the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea held this January, Kim Jong-un's regime has stepped up its crackdown on activities that disrupt the socialist order. At the same time, the extreme measures taken against coronavirus since last year have led to severe economic turmoil. As a result, more and more people are turning to illegal activities due to hardship in their lives.
Many of those who have been forced to sell their houses and live a wandering life, or those who have refused to go to work without rations or salary, have no way to eat even if they are released after the arrest, and some are even detained willingly.
※A "labour training unit" is a "short-term forced labour camp" where those who are deemed to have disturbed the social order, disobeyed the authorities, or committed minor crimes are detained without judicial procedures and sentenced to forced labour for up to one year. These camps are located in cities and counties throughout the country and are managed by the security bureau (police).
◆Economic hardship has made it impossible to provide food for detainees.
So why are they trying to reduce the number of detainees? Our reporting partner explain as follows:
"It is no longer possible to arrest them and give them food. In an increasing number of cases, the security bureau (police) does not detain people when they are arrested but leaves it to the labour party organizations and youth alliance organizations to 'educate' them. Crackdowns have also been loosened."
Due to financial difficulties, the government has not been able to secure enough food, which has hindered the operation of the detention facilities, the heart of the people's control. For example, in the "labour training unit," detainees were dispatched to construction sites and made to work from early morning until night under quotas. However, it is said that the construction companies where they are dispatched are having a hard time running their businesses and cannot provide enough food for the detainees. Therefore, recently, the duration of forced labour has been shortened, and the content has been lightened to the extent that ordinary residents are mobilized for labour service.
However, it is a different story when the authorities consider it a serious crime. The most severe crimes are those related to foreign images and propaganda materials such as Korean dramas. According to the Law on the Elimination of Reactionary Thought and Culture enacted last December, the maximum penalty for viewing or possessing such materials is five years in prison. The maximum penalty for disseminating such materials is death.
"There is absolutely no mercy when it comes to North Korean footage. Even those who take bribes and overlook their crimes are punished. They treat it much more harshly than murder," said the reporting partner.
7. Bandage on back of Kim Jong-un's head draws unsolicited theories
I hate to think of what might have happened to the barber who nicked Kim Jong-un while giving him a Kim Il-sung special high and tight haircut.
But what is the bandage for? Couldn't be the hoped for lobotomy as that would be an incision near the frontal lobe I think.
Monday
August 2, 2021
Bandage on back of Kim Jong-un's head draws unsolicited theories
The flesh-colored bandage on the back of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's head is visible as he speaks to senior military and party officials during a session which lasted four days from July 24 to 27. [KCNA]
Photographs showing a large bandage on the back of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's head at an official meeting drew attention after they were released by the North's state news agency on Friday.
It is not confirmed whether the reason for attaching the flesh-colored patch was related to surgery or wounds caused by injury, resulting in various interpretations.
North Korea's ruling Workers' Party and state media released the photos on July 30, reporting that Chairman Kim presided over a lecture session for military commanders and political executives which lasted four days from July 24 to 27.
The meeting was held in Pyongyang and attended by commanders of the military, Workers’ Party Politburo members, the general political bureau of the People's Army and officials from the North's Defense Ministry.
Another photograph of Kim's side profile shows a dark area where the bandage had previously been. [KCNA]
While the bandage was caught in one photograph of Kim’s side profile, another photograph showed the same area with only a dark spot, suggesting the bandage that had been removed originally covered a surgical incision or a wound of some kind.
However, neither the bandage nor the dark spot could be clearly seen on the back of Kim’s head during his visit to the Sino-Korean Friendship Tower the next day.
Some experts say the dressing on the back of Kim’s head was likely placed to cover the removal of a non-life-threatening condition, such as an abscess or lipoma.
One professor of infectious diseases, who spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo on the condition of anonymity, said, “Neither an infected pimple nor a lipoma poses a serious health risk.” He explained that lipoma can occur wherever an area of fat in the body grows to become tumorous for no particular reason, and that it can occur in various parts of the body, such as the arms or the legs.
He added, “You can usually leave lipomas as they are, but often people remove them for cosmetic reasons.”
Konkuk University Professor Oh Sang-woo, who specializes in family medicine, said, “It appears that he did not undergo a serious operation,” but cautioned that it was hard to glean any significant facts about Kim’s state of health from the presence of a bandage.
Since taking power in December 2011, following the sudden death of his father, Kim Jong Il, due to a heart attack, Kim has gained a large amount of weight. He is approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs over 300 pounds.
However, more recent photographs of Kim at official ceremonies have shown he has lost a noticeable amount of weight, prompting rumors about the state of his health and the intent of state media’s coverage in highlighting his slimmed-down appearance.
The health of the North’s leader is usually a taboo topic under the reclusive regime, leading observers to suggest that an official propaganda machine is attempting to show Kim as sharing in the food struggles of his people.
The bandage on the back of Kim’s head also recalls the efforts of his grandfather and North Korea’s founder, Kim Il Sung, to conceal a calcium deposit tumor which grew to the size of a baseball on the back of the elder Kim’s head in the latter years of his life before his death in 1994.
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
8. No decision yet on annual military exercise with US: defense ministry
Why aren't we just transparent and explain the exercise program, its history, purpose, and objectives and most of all, its importance to the security of the ROK?
The North Korea Threat Is Growing. U.S.-South Korea Military Training Must Press Forward.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/06/the-north-korea-threat-is-growing-u-s-south-korea-military-training-must-press-forward/
The U.S. Military And South Korea Must Train To Deter North Korea
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/03/the-u-s-military-and-south-korea-must-train-to-deter-north-korea/
No decision yet on annual military exercise with US: defense ministry
The U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province / YonhapSouth Korea and the United States have not yet decided when and how to conduct an annual summertime exercise, the defense ministry said Monday, after North Korea warned the drills will cloud the future of inter-Korean ties.
On Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North's leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement saying that the combined exercise could undermine efforts to improve inter-Korean relations at "such a crucial time" after the long-severed cross-border communication lines were restored last week.
Defense ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan said when and how to stage the drills have yet to be finalized, adding that they are issues to be decided by Seoul and Washington.
"South Korea and the U.S. are having close consultations taking into account related situations," Boo told a regular press briefing, citing the pandemic, a combined defense posture, the transfer of wartime operational control and denuclearization efforts as some of the factors being taken into consideration.
The annual summertime military exercise, usually held in August, has been a focus of attention amid concern it could negatively affect a conciliatory mood created in the wake of the restoration of inter-Korean communication channels.
Pyongyang has long bristled at such combined drills, branding them as a rehearsal for invasion.
"Our government and army will closely follow whether the South Korean side stages hostile war exercises in August or makes other bold decision," Kim said in Sunday's statement.
On Friday, Defense Minister Suh Wook held phone talks with his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin and reaffirmed their commitment to a posture of strong combined readiness.
Asked if Seoul could propose holding inter-Korean defense talks to discuss the issue, Boo said they have no such plans for now. (Yonhap)
9. Flexible approach (ROK/US Combined Training)
"Flexible approach" and "wise decision" are code words for the intent to cancel, postpone or scale back training in the fantasy hope that Kim Jong-un will somehow become a responsible member of the international community.
And adding in COVID defense is a weak argument with the level of vaccinations and the ROK/US CFC's demonstrated ability to defend against COVID in the last two training events last August and last March when there were no reported outbreaks. We have to "fight through" COVID and sustain the highest level of military readiness to ensure integrated deterrence.
Conclusion:
A flexible approach is needed for South and North Korea to maintain a conciliatory mood created after the cross-border communication hotlines were reconnected July 27. Most of all, the two allies should put top priority on protecting their troops from COVID-19, as they rearranged the joint exercises scheduled for the first half of last year when the pandemic broke out.
Flexible approach
Korea, US should make wise decision on joint drills
The Ministry of Unification has asked for a flexible approach toward the annual joint summertime military exercises between South Korea and the United States, scheduled to start Aug. 16, in an apparent move to rekindle inter-Korean dialogue.
"We have maintained that the combined military drills should not lead to heighten military tension on the Korean Peninsula under any circumstances," ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said during a regular press briefing Monday. "We have been making efforts to deal with the matter (of the joint exercises) wisely and flexibly and will continue such endeavors in the future."
Her statement came after a ranking ministry official cited the need to postpone the drills during a press meeting Friday. The ministry made clear its position on the matter in order to restart the stalled inter-Korean dialogue after the two Koreas restored their severed communication hotlines last week.
It has, however, triggered a dispute over the possible weakening of the South Korea-U.S. alliance. Yet, the prospective postponement of the exercises is unlikely to undermine the country's defense posture seriously in light of the Korea-U.S. combined forces' strong capabilities, though the exercises are essential in enhancing military preparedness. Rather, a flexible approach is necessary given the persistent COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ministry of National Defense said Monday that Seoul and Washington were still discussing the matter. The U.S. Department of Defense also said a mutually agreed-upon decision will be made. The Moon Jae-in administration seems to prefer postponing or scaling back the joint drills in order to pursue the President's ambition of resuming his inter-Korean peace process. But Moon still faces a dilemma because the possible postponement or scaling-down of the joint exercises may foil his bid to take over wartime operational control of South Korea's armed forces from the U.S. by the end of his term.
It is inappropriate to push for the joint drills as planned, given the persevering fourth wave of COVID-19 infections spreading here. Conducting large-scale military exercises is feared to incite mass infections. In addition, the computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training (CCPT), set to take place indoors, is more vulnerable to mass infections than outdoor training.
The U.S. is allegedly opting for the exercise to be held as planned; so the two countries should have closer consultations on how to scale down the drills and shorten their duration. President Moon already expressed negative views on the joint exercises in May during a meeting with political party leaders, saying, "I believe massive drills are unfeasible because of the coronavirus pandemic." Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might have also discussed the matter in the letters they exchanged from April.
A flexible approach is needed for South and North Korea to maintain a conciliatory mood created after the cross-border communication hotlines were reconnected July 27. Most of all, the two allies should put top priority on protecting their troops from COVID-19, as they rearranged the joint exercises scheduled for the first half of last year when the pandemic broke out.
10. N. Korea blames U.S. again for anti-gov't rallies in Cuba
Again, Kim Jong-un is watching Cuba closely. He is deathly afraid of the example it could set. We should ponder that.
Excerpt:
This marked the fourth time since July 16 that the North has blamed the U.S. for causing instability in Cuba, including its capital city of Havana.
N. Korea blames U.S. again for anti-gov't rallies in Cuba | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Monday denounced the United States again for meddling in internal affairs in Cuba by instigating anti-government demonstrations and unrest in the Caribbean country.
"The U.S.'s intention has been laid bare outright that it seeks to instigate internal unrest by influencing anti-government elements and bolstering anti-Cuba sentiment globally," the ministry said in a posting on its website.
"The U.S. has been involved in behind-the-scene manipulation of anti-government demonstrations and causing a stir by launching new sanctions schemes against the country," it added.
This marked the fourth time since July 16 that the North has blamed the U.S. for causing instability in Cuba, including its capital city of Havana.
North Korea has been seeking to maintain closer ties with its traditional friendly countries, including Cuba, amid an impasse in nuclear negotiations with Washington.
In April, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent multiple congratulatory messages to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, expressing hope that relations between the two countries will "grow stronger."
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)
11. South Korea seeks to improve ties despite North's threat
Fall is approaching. Lucy and Charlie Brown will be kicking off with the football soon.
South Korea seeks to improve ties despite North's threat
AP · by HYUNG-JIN KIM · August 2, 2021
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Monday it’ll keep pushing to improve ties and resume talks with rival North Korea, despite the North’s threat to rekindle animosities if Seoul holds its summertime military drills with the United States.
On Sunday night, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned the drills would seriously undermine efforts to restore mutual trust between the Koreas and becloud prospects for better ties if the training is launched as scheduled this month. Her statement raised a question about the sincerity of North Korea’s recent decision to reopen long-stalled communication channels with South Korea.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Monday the exact timing, size and other details of the drills haven’t been fixed and that they were the issues that must be determined by South Korean and U.S. authorities. Spokesman Boo Seung-Chan repeated his previous statement that Seoul and Washington are examining factors like the pandemic’s current status, diplomat efforts to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and South Korea-U.S. military readiness.
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Lee Jong-joo, a spokeswoman at the Unification Ministry, said Seoul views the communication channels’ restoration as a starting point for restoring long-suspended ties between the Koreas. She said Seoul will steadily seek to resume talks with North Korea, but without haste.
North Korea sees regular military drills between South Korea and the United States as an invasion rehearsal and often responds them with its own weapons tests. In the past few years, however, South Korea and the U.S. have canceled or downsized some of their training to support the now-dormant diplomacy on ending the North Korean nuclear crisis or because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inter-Korean ties flourished after North Korea reached out to South Korea and the United States in 2018 for talks on its nuclear program. North Korea later cut off ties with South Korea after its larger nuclear diplomacy with the United States stalled in 2019.
Last Tuesday, the two Koreas restored their phone and fax lines after a 13-month hiatus, raising hopes of improved ties between the divided Koreas. But some experts say North Korea merely aims to use South Korea to let it convince the United States to make concessions before and when the stalled North Korea-U.S. nuclear diplomacy resumes eventually.
AP · by HYUNG-JIN KIM · August 2, 2021
12. N.K. state media reveals footage of ICBM blasting off from mobile launcher
Internal or external propaganda? Intended message? Target audience(s)?
N.K. state media reveals footage of ICBM blasting off from mobile launcher | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has revealed a video clip of what appears to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) blasting off from a transporter erector launcher (TEL), raising questions over whether Pyongyang has boosted its capability in recent years or fabricated the footage.
The footage, which was shown during a concert for participants in the first-ever workshop of military commanders last month, showed an ICBM, presumed to be the Hwasong-15, taking off from a TEL vehicle. The North's state TV showed the footage while reporting on the concert Saturday.
Observers say it is likely the video clip could have been fabricated, because the North test-fired the Hwasong-15 ICBM only once in November 2017. At that time, the missile was fired from a launch pad fixed to the ground.
An additional test would not have been gone unnoticed, observers say.
In November 2019, South Korea's defense intelligence agency said the North is not believed to be capable of launching ICBMs from a TEL vehicle.
Missiles fired from TELs pose greater threats as they can move around freely and are harder to detect.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
13. Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, Japan hold phone talks on cooperation for peninsula peace
Possibly some good news. Please place national security (and national prosperity) above historical issues.
Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, Japan hold phone talks on cooperation for peninsula peace | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, held phone talks with his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, on Monday to discuss cooperation to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said.
The talks came after last week's restoration of inter-Korean communication lines raised hopes for the resumption of nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang, though Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned Sunday the planned summertime military drills between the South and the United States will cloud the future of cross-border relations.
"The two sides shared assessments of recent Korean Peninsula situations, including the restoration of inter-Korean communication lines," the ministry said in a press release.
"They exchanged opinions on ways to cooperate between the South and Japan, and among the South, the U.S. and Japan for substantive progress in the efforts for the complete denuclearization of the peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace," it added.
The two Koreas reactivated communication lines on Tuesday, 13 months after the reclusive regime unilaterally severed them in anger over South Korean activists sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.
Since then, Seoul has been cranking up diplomacy with the U.S. and other concerned countries to advance its drive to build peace with the North. On Thursday, Noh held phone talks with his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
14. Cheong Wa Dae says inter-Korean hotlines should be kept
Of course they should but we just need to be realistic about how the regime exploits them in support of its political warfare strategy and blackmail diplomacy.
(LEAD) Cheong Wa Dae says inter-Korean hotlines should be kept | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: ADDS remarks on military drills in last 2 paras)
SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- The office of President Moon Jae-in stressed the need Monday for the two Koreas to maintain their direct communication channels.
It was responding to the warning Sunday by Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister who is in charge of inter-Korean affairs as a senior Workers' Party official. She pressed South Korea to cancel its annual joint military exercises with the United States scheduled to kick of next week.
Kim stated that the plan for the drills could undermine efforts to restore inter-Korean relations that started with the reconnection of the hotlines last week.
A Cheong Wa Dae official said, "South-North Korea communication lines, restored under an agreement between their leaders, should be maintained for stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula."
The South's government will do its best for substantive progress in the Korea peace process, without rushing toward it, via talks between the two Koreas as well as between Pyongyang and Washington, the official added on the customary condition of anonymity.
On the allies' military training, the official said Cheong Wa Dae has the same position with the Ministry of National Defense.
The ministry said earlier in the day that the allies are in consultations on the matter in comprehensive consideration of "various situations."
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
15. Kim Yo-jong dials up pressure over joint drill
The bad cop retains her form.
As Churchill says:
“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
― Winston Churchill, Never Give In!: The Best of Winston Churchill's Speeches
Monday
August 2, 2021
Kim Yo-jong dials up pressure over joint drill
Military helicopters fly over Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Monday, after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader, warned Sunday that a summertime military exercise between Seoul and Washington could undermine inter-Korean relations. [NEWS1]
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korea's leader, warned Sunday that annual summertime military exercises by Seoul and Washington could undermine inter-Korean relations, putting South Korea in a bind over the drills once again.
“For some days I have been hearing an unpleasant story that joint military exercises between the south Korean army and the U.S. forces could go ahead as scheduled,” said Kim, vice department director of the Central Committee of the North’s ruling Workers' Party, in an English-language statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) Sunday.
“I view this as an undesirable prelude which seriously undermines the will of the top leaders of the north and the south wishing to see a step taken toward restoring mutual trust and which further beclouds the way ahead of the north-south relations.”
Kim also referred to the restoration of inter-Korean communication lines last week, which has led to speculation of another leaders’ summit, and said that the South Koreans are “freely interpreting its meaning their own way.”
On July 27, the two Koreas revived four hotlines that were unilaterally severed by Pyongyang on June 9, 2020, in protest of what it claimed were Seoul's failures to prevent activists from sending propaganda leaflets across the border. The Blue House revealed that a series of letter exchanges has been made by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un since April, which led to the decision to restore the communication lines.
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, speaks at a Workers’ Party Politburo meeting on June 29, broadcasted on state television on June 30. [YONHAP]
Kim Yo-jong however said that the restoration of the communication lines “should not be taken as anything more than just the physical reconnection,” adding that “hasty speculation and groundless interpretation will only bring despair.”
She pointed to “undesirable turns” over the past three years in inter-Korean relations despite the “momentous” joint declarations at the two leaders’ summits at the Panmunjom and in Pyongyang in 2018.
In recent years, Kim has used bellicose rhetoric against Seoul and Washington as a mouthpiece for her older brother, who seems to be refraining from personally making remarks that could jeopardize future negotiations with the United States.
Pyongyang has traditionally protested Seoul-Washington military exercises, which it views as war rehearsals, and such annual springtime and summertime drills have often been times of exacerbated tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Such large-scale joint drills have been postponed or scaled down since 2018, in the spirit of North-U.S. denuclearization talks and more recently because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kim said in her statement that there have been no discussions on “the scale or form of the joint military exercises,” which are coming up “at a crucial time.
“Our government and army will closely follow whether the south Korean side stages hostile war exercises in August or makes other bold decision,” she continued. “Hope or despair? Choice is not made by us.”
She seemed to be linking the combined military exercises with the future direction of inter-Korean relations, which also ties into reviving North-U.S. denuclearization talks that have been at a standstill since 2019.
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense on Monday said that Seoul and Washington have yet to finalize the timing and format of the joint drills but said it had no comment on Kim’s statement.
Boo Seung-chan, spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said Monday, “The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States are in close negotiations taking into consideration overall circumstances, including the spread of Covid-19 situation in relation to the command post exercise, maintaining a combined defense posture, creating conditions for a wartime operational control [Opcon] transition, and supporting diplomatic efforts for a policy of permanent on the Korean Peninsula.”
He continued, “However, the timing, scale, and method of the South Korea-U.S. command post exercise for the second half of the year have not been finalized.”
Lee Jong-joo, spokesperson for Seoul’s Unification Ministry, said in a briefing Monday that the “South Korea-U.S. joint military drills should not be used as an opportunity to heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula under any circumstances.”
A Blue House official told reporters on Kim’s statement, “Our government will do its best to make practical progress toward the peace process on the Korean Peninsula through inter-Korean and North-U.S. dialogue without haste."
Any decision on the joint exercise — whether to reduce its scale, postpone it or cancel it all together — has to come through close discussion between Seoul and Washington and is a tricky matter as it ties in with the alliance’s readiness posture.
Seoul and Washington’s military are reportedly in talks to conduct crisis management staff training (CMST) from Aug. 10 to 13, as a prelude to the summertime combined command post training (CCPT) scheduled from Aug. 16 to 26.
Last Friday, a senior Unification Ministry official said it would be desirable to postpone the summertime combine exercises for the sake of inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea dialogue.
On the same day, South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook held a phone conversation with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and discussed the security environment on the Korean Peninsula.
“Both sides agreed on the importance of maintaining a robust U.S.-ROK combined defense posture and continuing communication on important issues,” the U.S. Defense Department said in a statement, to ensure that the bilateral alliance “remains the linchpin of peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific.”
A Pentagon spokesman told the Voice of America Saturday, “Combined training events are a ROK-U.S. bilateral decision, and any decisions will be a mutual agreement.”
Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party, said in a party meeting Monday, "There is no choice but to proceed as scheduled" in regard to the joint drills scheduled for later this month.
He added that unlike Kim Yo-jong’s claims that they are “hostile war exercises,” they were “defensive drills to maintain peace.”
Song said, “The joint drills will be a computer-simulated combined command post training without maneuver exercises,” adding, “we are preparing appropriately for the Covid-19 situation and the peace process on the Korean Peninsula."
He added that the drills “are essential training for the verification of full operational capability (FOC),” a step needed for the transfer of wartime Opcon from the United States to South Korea.
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
16. DP chief insists joint military drills proceed as planned amid calls for suspension
As they should and must.
If we were really going to be "wise and flexible" we would add on a field training component and deploy some strategic assets as part of the routine and traditional training that takes place every August. but that would require not only flexibility but also some agility at this late date!
We should not be paying attenti0on to the MOU when it comes to military issues.
Excerpt:
Seoul's unification ministry said Monday that South Korea will deal with the issue of joint military drills with the U.S. in a "wise and "flexible" manner so as to not heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
DP chief insists joint military drills proceed as planned amid calls for suspension | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- The head of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Monday urged South Korea and the United States to proceed with their annual summertime military exercise as planned, despite North Korea's latest warning that the drills will complicate future inter-Korean ties.
On Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North's leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement saying that the combined Seoul-Washington exercise could undermine efforts to improve inter-Korean relations at "such a crucial time," after long-severed cross-border communication lines were restored last week.
The statement came as South Korea and the U.S. are expected to hold their annual summertime joint military exercise sometime this month.
In response to the latest Pyongyang statement, DP Chairman Rep. Song Young-gil insisted that the exercise should proceed as scheduled, stating that the nature of the exercise is centered on national defense and peace preservation.
"The upcoming exercise does not include field training elements and consists mainly of command center drills and computer simulation training," Song said, downplaying concerns of military aggression toward the North.
The DP chairman also underscored that the exercise was essential in testing the South Korean military's Full Operational Capability (FOC), arguing that it is required in completing the envisioned transfer of the wartime operational control (OPCON) of the Korean troops from Washington to Seoul.
Song's statement came amid voices raised within the DP calling for the exercise to be postponed, in light of ongoing efforts between Seoul and Washington to resume long-stalled talks with North Korea. Pyongyang has long bristled at such combined drills, branding them as a rehearsal for invasion.
Rep. Sul Hoon, a five-term lawmaker of the DP, proposed on social media that the allies delay the exercise, arguing that "a flexible response is required" to restore earnest talks with the North.
"South and North Korea have reopened communication lines for the first time in a year and have reactivated channels for dialogue," Sul said, adding that the postponement of the exercise could serve as a platform to advance "inter-Korean and Pyongyang-Washington relations."
Seoul's unification ministry said Monday that South Korea will deal with the issue of joint military drills with the U.S. in a "wise and "flexible" manner so as to not heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)
17. N. Korea sends S. Korea detailed info on illegal fishing in Yellow Sea via restored hotlines: sources
Perhaps some practical benefit. Is this an effort to show some kind of substantive use of the "hotline?"
Buried lede: north and South Korea are probably the only countries in the world that communicate using a fax machine (and a single one at that!)
Excerpt:
"The North has sent a fax message at 9 a.m. every day, which carries details about foreign fishing boats operating illegally in the Yellow Sea, such as their number and exact locations," a government source said.
N. Korea sends S. Korea detailed info on illegal fishing in Yellow Sea via restored hotlines: sources | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has sent detailed information to South Korea on fishing boats operating illegally in the Yellow Sea via inter-Korean military hotlines restored last week, government sources said Monday.
Last week, the two sides reopened all cross-border communication lines, including military hotlines, 13 months after Pyongyang cut them off in protest over anti-regime propaganda leaflets flying in from the South.
"The North has sent a fax message at 9 a.m. every day, which carries details about foreign fishing boats operating illegally in the Yellow Sea, such as their number and exact locations," a government source said.
"We also sent a message of our own assessment to the North, and there is little difference between what South and North Korea have figured out. Such information exchanges helps prevent accidental clashes in the Yellow Sea," he added.
Most of the illegal fishing boats are from China, and about 20 to 30 vessels have been found near the inter-Korean maritime border recently, according to another officer.
Since the hotlines were reactivated, the two Koreas have held regular liaison calls twice a day -- at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., the defense ministry said.
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)
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.
