Quotes of the Day:

"Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water."

– Zen Proverb

"Those who know do not talk. Those who talk do not know."

– Lao Tzu

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see."

– Arthur Schopenhauer

1. North Korea Has a Secret Long-Range Missile Base Near Chinese Border, Report Says

2. North Korea brands South ‘faithful dog’ of US, says reunification ‘will never’ happen

3. South Korea revives inter-Korean pacts despite North’s hostility

4. North Korea to take ‘immediate’ diplomatic steps to counter South: Kim Yo Jong

5. ROK military blocks unconverted POW from crossing into North Korea

6. North Korea's Kim gives nuclear order

7. Lee, Trump may discuss U.S. troop cut, OPCON transfer as part of 'alliance modernization' in summit: expert

8. U.S. senator says Congress to review shipbuilding reforms after Lee-Trump summit

9. Defense chief reaffirms S. Korea-U.S. alliance with visit to key wartime command post

10. Nat'l Assembly speaker invited by China to attend World War II military parade

11. Lee to meet Bill Gates to discuss global health issues, collaboration

12. Kim Jong Un orders unprecedented inspection of army corps security units

1. North Korea Has a Secret Long-Range Missile Base Near Chinese Border, Report Says

Not so secret anymore.

We need to recognize Kim Jong Un's strategy, understand it, EXPOSE it and then attack the strategy.

Sun Tzu said: "What is of supreme importance is to attack the enemy's strategy."

Here is the link to the CSIS report at Beyond Parallel.

https://beyondparallel.csis.org/undeclared-north-korea-sinpung-dong-missile-operating-base/

The key strategic assumption is that Kim Jong Un will not negotiate away his nuclear program. This is one indication that that may be a valid assumption. The "treasured sword" is key to regime survival. The north Korean nuclear network is here to stay as long as the Kim family regime remains in power.

North Korea has assembled around 50 nuclear warheads, with enough fissile material to produce up to 40 more warheads, according to an annual estimate from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 

Pyongyang’s impetus to build its network of underground missile bases has only grown in the wake of the U.S. strikes in June of three nuclear sites in Iran—facilities that North Korea reportedly helped to build decades ago. Leader Kim Jong Un refers to the country’s nuclear program as a “treasured sword” that helps deter potential attacks and safeguards the nation’s independence.

Meanwhile, Russia’s use of North Korea’s short-range, solid-fuel weapons in the war in Ukraine has given the Kim regime’s valuable real-world know-how on how to operate them.

North Korea Has a Secret Long-Range Missile Base Near Chinese Border, Report Says

Previously undisclosed site could potentially store intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking U.S. mainland, according to CSIS

By Timothy W. Martin

Follow

Aug. 20, 2025 3:00 pm ET

SEOUL—North Korea has a heavily fortified, covert military base that could house its newest long-range ballistic missiles, which are potentially capable of striking the U.S. mainland, according to a new report.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, has identified what it believes is a secret base near the village of Sinpung-dong, about 17 miles from the Chinese border.

According to CSIS, construction of the base started around 2004 and it became operational a decade later. Until recently, however, the site remained undisclosed. CSIS used interviews with informed sources, as well as declassified documents, satellite images and open-source information, to identify the base.

SINPUNG-DONG MISSILE OPERATING BASE

Perimeter: 13 miles

Underground

facility entrances

Hardened drive-through facilities

Branch valley #4

Earth-bermed support structure

Headquarters and

administration area

Branch valley #3

Earth-bermed

support structure

Branch valley #2

Entrances and

checkpoints

Branch valley #1

Drive-through bunkers

Note: As of July 11, 2025

Sources: Center for Strategic and International Studies, Beyond Parallel (analysis); PlanetLabs (satellite imagery)

Sinpung-dong is one of roughly 15 to 20 of North Korea’s undeclared ballistic-missile bases and support facilities spread across the nation, according to CSIS, which has published reports on nine of these sites. The missiles stored at many of these sites—including Sinpung-dong—can carry nuclear warheads.

North Korea took great pains to conceal the site, said Jennifer Jun, a co-author of the CSIS report. “Sinpung-dong has been the most challenging to find thus far,” she said. 

What distinguishes the Sinpung-dong missile base from the others is the absence of adjacent launchpads or nearby air-defense systems.

Undeclared missile-operating bases

CHINA

Hoejung-ni

Sangnam-ni

Yongnim

Sinpung-dong

NORTH KOREA

Sino-ri

Sea of Japan

(East Sea)

Yusang-ni

Kumchon-ni

Pyongyang

Kal-gol

Sakkanmol

SOUTH

KOREA

Seoul

Yellow Sea

Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies

Emma Brown/WSJ

According to CSIS, that signals the Sinpung-dong base could be designed to accommodate mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles using solid fuel—a weapons system that poses a particular threat to countries as far away as the U.S. These types of ICBMs can be fired from massive trucks that can move around to evade detection. The fact that they contain solid-propellant engines means the missiles can be largely pre-fueled and kept out of sight, ready to go in case of a conflict.

“It’s not good news at all,” said Victor D. Cha, a co-author of the CSIS report and a former U.S. National Security Council official. “North Korea wouldn’t need a lot of time to fire these things, making it hard to take them out before they launch.”

CSIS says that construction continues on the site to augment its facilities.

The base—which is about the size of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport— appears capable of storing six to nine of North Korea’s advanced ICBMs, the launch vehicles required to wheel them into position, and the thousands of troops needed for operations, CSIS said.

The ICBMs aren’t generally stored with the nuclear warheads already affixed, in part to limit damage from any attack on a base. That would likely happen off-base at pre-surveyed sites reachable within 30 minutes or so.

Entrance and checkpoint

Entrance and checkpoint

Note: As of Feb. 20, 2025

Sources: Center for Strategic and International Studies, Beyond Parallel (analysis); Maxar (satellite imagery)

North Korea has assembled around 50 nuclear warheads, with enough fissile material to produce up to 40 more warheads, according to an annual estimate from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 

Pyongyang’s impetus to build its network of underground missile bases has only grown in the wake of the U.S. strikes in June of three nuclear sites in Iran—facilities that North Korea reportedly helped to build decades ago. Leader Kim Jong Un refers to the country’s nuclear program as a “treasured sword” that helps deter potential attacks and safeguards the nation’s independence.

Meanwhile, Russia’s use of North Korea’s short-range, solid-fuel weapons in the war in Ukraine has given the Kim regime’s valuable real-world know-how on how to operate them.

After talks abruptly broke down between President Trump and Kim in 2019, North Korea resumed missile tests and lifted its self-imposed moratorium on long-range weapons launches. Pyongyang has since unveiled newer ICBMs that have longer ranges and the ability to carry multiple nuclear warheads. The Kim regime has shown no interest in reviving nuclear disarmament talks with the Trump administration.

HEADQUARTERS AREA

Motor-vehicle

maintenance

and storage

compound

Barracks and

administration buildings

Probable cultural

education hall

Motor-vehicle

storage compound

Monuments

Note: As of May 31, 2022

Sources: Center for Strategic and International Studies, Beyond Parallel (analysis); PlanetLabs (satellite imagery)

On Monday, Kim, the 41-year-old dictator, called for a “rapid expansion” of North Korea’s nuclear arms and blasted the joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises that started the same day.

The Kim regime has positioned more shorter-range firepower closer to the border with South Korea and within range of Japan. But it has often stored ICBMs in the northwestern part of the country near the China border.

The fact that the Sinpung-dong base sits so close to the Chinese border is deliberate, said Cha. 

“North Korea puts these missile bases near the Chinese border to make it harder for the U.S. to contemplate taking them out,” he said.

Write to Timothy W. Martin at Timothy.Martin@wsj.com

2. North Korea brands South ‘faithful dog’ of US, says reunification ‘will never’ happen

The world's most evil and dangerous woman. She is her brother's attack dog.

But she is really sticking it to the Lee Administration which of course has said it wants to reach out and engage with the regime to reduce tensions. This is likely KJU's negotiating tactic to drive up the costs that the South will have to pay just to have a meeting. The Lee Administration has tipped its hand by showing that it wants talks and engagement at any cost. The regime is going to make it very expensive for President Lee. After all, it worked so well for his father who extorted Kim Dae Jung when he was president.

We (the ROK/US alliance) need to execute a superior political warfare strategy to defeat the regime. We must not fall victim to the regime's political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies. We have been duped by the regime too many times over the past seven decades. Kim and his father and grandfather are the best poker players in the world because they keep winning with nothing more than a pair of twos.

Korea Betrayed: Kim Dae Jung and Sunshine

https://www.donaldkirk.com/korea_betrayed__kim_dae_jung_and_sunshine_89232.htm

Excerpt:

In her meeting on Tuesday, his sister suggested that Pyongyang sought to compete with Seoul diplomatically, claiming the South “will not even have a subordinate role in the regional diplomatic arena”, which she claimed would be centred on the North.

North Korea brands South ‘faithful dog’ of US, says reunification ‘will never’ happen

The sister of leader Kim Jong-un claims that Lee Jae-myung’s peace gestures conceal a ‘sinister intention’ against Pyongyang

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3322435/north-korea-brands-south-faithful-dog-us-says-reunification-will-never-happen?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article

Associated Press

Published: 9:14am, 20 Aug 2025Updated: 4:12pm, 20 Aug 2025

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said her country would never see South Korea as a partner for diplomacy, state media reported on Wednesday, in what was her latest taunt of Seoul’s new efforts to mend ties.

Kim Yo-jong, who is one of her brother’s top foreign policy officials, denounced the ongoing South Korea-US military drills as a “reckless” invasion rehearsal and claimed Seoul’s peace gestures conceal a “sinister intention” against Pyongyang.

Her comments came during a meeting on Tuesday with senior Foreign Ministry officials about her brother’s diplomatic strategies in the face of persistent threats from rivals and a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.

On Monday, the North Korean leader condemned the South Korean–US military drills and vowed a rapid expansion of his nuclear forces as he inspected his most advanced warship being fitted with nuclear-capable systems.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (centre) inspects the warship Choe Hyon in Nampo, North Korea, on Monday. Photo: KCNA/AP

The North’s news agency said Kim Yo-jong condemned the South as the “top-class faithful dog” of the United States and that the reparation of inter-Korean relations desired by Seoul “will never” happen.

The siblings’ back-to-back statements followed the latest outreach by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who said last week that Seoul would seek to restore a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement aimed at reducing border tensions, while urging Pyongyang to reciprocate by rebuilding trust and resuming dialogue.

In response to Kim Yo-jong’s latest comments, South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said Lee’s government would continue to take “proactive steps for peace” and called for mutual respect between the countries.

Since taking office in June, Lee has moved to repair relations that worsened under his conservative predecessor’s hardline policies, including removing front-line speakers that broadcast anti-North Korean propaganda and K-pop.

In a nationally televised speech on Friday, Lee said his government respected North Korea’s current system and that the wealthier South “will not pursue any form of unification by absorption and has no intention of engaging in hostile acts”.

South Korea removes border loudspeakers in push for peace with the North

But he also stressed that the South remained committed to an international push to denuclearise the North and urged Pyongyang to resume dialogue with Washington and Seoul.

Kim Dong-yub, a professor at South Korea’s University of North Korean Studies, said Kim Yo-jong’s latest remarks were a response to Lee’s speech, “essentially bolting the door shut”.

Angered by expanding South Korean-US military drills, Kim Jong-un last year declared that North Korea was abandoning long-standing goals of a peaceful unification with South Korea and rewrote the North’s constitution to mark the South as a permanent enemy.

Kim Yo-jong has repeatedly dismissed calls to revive negotiations aimed at winding down the North’s nuclear and missile programmes, which derailed in 2019 following her brother’s collapsed summit with US President Donald Trump during his first term.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kim Jong-un has made Moscow the priority of his foreign policy, sending troops and weapons to support President Vladimir Putin’s war, while also using the conflict as a distraction to accelerate his military nuclear programme.

In her meeting on Tuesday, his sister suggested that Pyongyang sought to compete with Seoul diplomatically, claiming the South “will not even have a subordinate role in the regional diplomatic arena”, which she claimed would be centred on the North.

3. South Korea revives inter-Korean pacts despite North’s hostility

Pay any price? How much is the Lee Administration willing to pay just to be duped by the regime again. How much is the government willing to sacrifice in terms of combat readiness and ISR to try to make KJU happy? Again and again I have to say that as Kim Jong Un surveys the battlefield he is reading that his political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies are working.

I fear we have Lucy (Kim Yo Jong) holding the football.

South Korea revives inter-Korean pacts despite North’s hostility

President Lee Jae-myung’s peace feelers come as Pyongyang slams Seoul’s ‘provocation’ over an annual US-South Korean military exercise

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322248/south-korea-revives-inter-korean-pacts-despite-norths-hostility?module=perpetual_scroll_1_RM&pgtype=article

Park Chan-kyong

Published: 8:00am, 19 Aug 2025Updated: 3:41pm, 19 Aug 2025

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s attempt at engagement with the North by unilaterally reviving some inter-Korean agreements despite Pyongyang’s persistent hostility is a long-term reconciliation strategy, according to analysts.

Lee on Monday ordered government ministries to prepare for a phased implementation of the suspended agreements, beginning with those that Seoul could act on independently.

His latest call for trust building came as the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise began across South Korea, bringing together 18,000 South Korean troops and thousands of American soldiers for 11 days of joint drills from Monday until August 28.

Long described by Pyongyang as a rehearsal for invasion, the event has consistently spurred North Korea to engage in past brinkmanship, from missile launches to artillery drills.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Lee said: “It is better to win without fighting than to win by fighting. Even better than that is to create a peaceful state in which fighting is unnecessary – this is the most reliable security.”

Calling for “the courage to steadily take steps to ease tensions while firmly maintaining an ironclad defence posture”, he added: “True security lies in safeguarding peace.”

It was the clearest signal yet that Lee intends to pursue reconciliation with North Korea, regardless of Pyongyang’s response.

Lee’s persistence marks a definite break from his conservative predecessor, the impeached former president Yoon Suk-yeol, who analysts say did not initiate any major moves to engage with the North or ease tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Apache attack helicopters in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Monday as the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise began. Photo: dpa

“President Lee keeps reaching out with an olive branch towards Pyongyang, without being frustrated at its stonewalling,” Kim Yong-hyun, a political-science professor at Dongguk University, told This Week in Asia.

“He is telling Pyongyang that Seoul’s basic stance is always in favour of tension reduction and reconciliation, even during military exercises that are defensive in nature.”

Yang Moo-jin, head of the University of North Korean Studies, argued that Lee’s remarks were aimed at two audiences.

“To the North, President Lee wants to send a message that the goal of the joint military drill is also keeping peace,” he said.

“To South Koreans, he is seeking to give them a sense of stability by reiterating his pledge to work for peace and reconciliation amid growing global uncertainties.”

Yang added that Lee was also repeating his stock narrative: “Tension reduction and peaceful coexistence are always better than confrontation, especially when navigating current economic difficulties.”

That narrative has been consistent with remarks Lee made on Friday, known as Liberation Day in South Korea, when he pledged to respect North Korea’s political system, vowed not to pursue unification by absorption, and promised to revive the 2018 inter-Korean military pact designed to reduce tensions along land and sea borders.

Restoring the deal would prevent accidental clashes and rebuild military trust through “proactive, gradual steps”, Lee said.

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has dismissed Seoul’s outreach towards Pyongyang as “a pipe dream”. Photo: AP

The North has not been swayed by Lee’s comments, however.

Just a day before Lee’s speech on Friday, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, dismissed Seoul’s outreach as “a pipe dream” and ridiculed the idea of dialogue while joint drills continued.

Lee’s persistent overtures are unlikely to achieve any breakthrough for some time as Pyongyang has shown no interest in reciprocating, according to analysts.

His strategy has also drawn stinging criticism from his political opponents in Seoul.

Choi Eun-seok, a spokesman for the conservative opposition People Power Party, said on Sunday: “Peace does not come from begging but from strong deterrence.”

Kim Moon-soo, a front runner to become the party’s new leader, has accused Lee of making “a declaration of surrender” to the North by saying he would respect its regime and refrain from hostile acts.

“Such words could only come from Kim Jong-un’s spokesman,” he said on Sunday.

South Korean ex-first lady Kim Keon-hee arrested amid bribery probe

Since taking office in June, Lee has made small but tangible gestures to ease inter-Korea tensions, including halting propaganda broadcasts along the border and pressing activists to stop floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets towards the North.

South Korean officials had said the North responded by silencing some of its own loudspeakers, which prompted Kim Yo-jong to dismiss the claim.

North Korean Defence Minister No Kwang-chol has also ratcheted up the rhetoric against Seoul, blasting the South Korea-US military drills as “a direct military provocation” and vowed that Pyongyang would respond with a “resolute counteraction posture”.

Warning of “negative consequences”, No said last Monday that the North would exercise its “self-defence right” against the drills.

Seoul’s unification ministry noted that the denunciation was from No personally rather than Pyongyang. Nonetheless, the ministry’s spokesman Koo Byoung-sam described the tone as “relatively measured”, focusing more on laying out Pyongyang’s stance than issuing explicit threats.

Park Chan-kyong

Park Chan-kyong is a journalist covering South Korean affairs for the South China Morning Post. He previously worked at the Agence France-Presse's Seoul bureau for 35 years. He studied political science at Korea University and economics at the Yonsei University Graduate School

4. North Korea to take ‘immediate’ diplomatic steps to counter South: Kim Yo Jong

We must understand the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime and deal with it as it really is and not as we would wish it to be.

North Korea to take ‘immediate’ diplomatic steps to counter South: Kim Yo Jong

DPRK leader’s sister slams US-ROK drills, calls for ‘preemptive counteraction’ at rare foreign ministry meeting

Colin Zwirko August 20, 2025

https://www.nknews.org/2025/08/north-korea-to-take-immediate-diplomatic-steps-to-counter-south-kim-yo-jong/

Kim Jong Un and Kim Yo Jong deliver speeches at a National Meeting on August 11, 2022 | Image: KCTV

North Korea will conduct an “immediate” and “preemptive diplomatic response” to South Korea’s continued military cooperation with the U.S., the leader’s sister and spokesperson Kim Yo Jong said in a statement Wednesday, without detailing specific actions.

Kim repeated the DPRK’s position on opposing joint U.S.-ROK military drills, which kicked off this week, while harshly criticizing South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

It was her fourth statement released via the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in the last month claiming that North Korea is not interested in relations with South Korea, though all appear aimed at convincing Seoul to abandon its partnership with Washington.

It comes as Lee is set to travel to Washington next week to hold talks with President Donald Trump.

Unlike the previous statements, however, KCNA said Kim delivered her remarks and “conveyed and laid out [Kim Jong Un’s] foreign policy conception” at a “consultation meeting with major directors of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)” held on Tuesday — suggesting Pyongyang will take concrete related actions this time.

“Based on the conclusion of our head of state, who pointed out the true nature of South Korea, the MFA must carefully seek out appropriate countermeasures regarding relations with the most hostile state and those countries listening to its instigation,” she reportedly said.

She also conveyed Kim Jong Un’s “foreign policy plan for taking a preemptive counteraction in a diplomatic way against the enemy states posing a lasting danger to the sovereignty and security of the DPRK,” and his plan for “steering the rapidly changing regional and international geopolitical situation favorably to our national interests.”

Kim Yo Jong and MFA officials “conducted serious discussions regarding the direction of immediate diplomatic activities.” The report did not include the result of these discussions.

The bulk of Kim’s statement was dedicated to insulting ROK President Lee and pointing out perceived contradictions between his recent public remarks on improving inter-Korean relations and his decision to continue annual joint military drills with the U.S.

“Lee Jae-myung is not the sort of man who will change the course of history,” she declared. The statement did not include any comments on Trump, focusing on the ROK and calling the country “America’s special loyal dogs.”

“Taking this opportunity to clarify once again, South Korea cannot become a diplomatic partner of our state.”

In response to Kim on Wednesday, President Lee’s office reportedly said it “regrets the North’s authorities distorting our sincere efforts,” and that he intends to “leave behind the era of hostility and confrontation.” The office did not address Kim’s complaints about joint military drills or the alliance.

Kim has sought to separate South Korea and the U.S. in her recent statements, leaving the door open to a “meeting” with Trump if he fundamentally changes his DPRK policy and officially recognizes North Korea’s nuclear status, while dismissing the possibility of ROK participation.

On Tuesday as well, she said South Korea “lacks weight” and “will not even be assigned menial tasks on the regional diplomatic stage that unfolds centered on our state,” again implying Pyongyang plans to take diplomatic actions.

Kim also appeared to clarify Kim Jong Un’s accusation earlier this week that the U.S. and South Korea have recently engaged in “military collusion that includes nuclear elements.” 

She referred to the allies “reviewing a new combined operation plan (OPLAN 5022) to ‘eliminate’ our nuclear and missile capabilities early and expand attacks into” DPRK territory during this month’s Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) military drills.

The joint drills kicked off on Monday and are scheduled to continue into next month.

A separate unsigned KCNA commentary released Wednesday sought to send a message to “the world” that Pyongyang sees the UFS drills as a severe threat and practice for an “invasion.”

It criticized “America’s hostile policy” and repeated North Korea’s position on countering the U.S. by taking “practical actions” like developing nuclear weapons.

The KCNA commentary was published on the last page of the domestic facing newspaper Rodong Sinmun. The paper did not print Kim Yo Jong’s statement, suggesting sensitivity over public perception of her remarks.

On Tuesday, DPRK state media reported that Kim Jong Un believes the drills are an “expression of a will to provoke a war,” as he inspected a new warship under construction and promoted nuclear weapons development.

The recent string of messages to the U.S. and South Korea come as the ruling Kim family actively sends missiles and thousands of soldiers to support Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

Edited by Kristen Talman

Updated on Aug. 20 at 2:14 p.m. KST to include a response by the Lee administration 

5.

Provide him with a ticket to Beijing and let him travel back to north Korea that way. Do not allow him and the regime to generate a propaganda story.

And how many South Korean prisoners of war desired to die in their homeland in the South but were not allowed to? (Some 78,000 POWs [82,000 is the number in the article below but some have long used the number 78K] never came home and died under the most horrific circumstances in the north.) I recall the story of one daughter who escaped twice from north Korea. She went back to try to get her father out (a South Korean POW from the Korean War) so he could die at home but instead he passed before she could and was only able to return with half of his cremated ashes (the other half were destroyed by the Chinese who arrested her in China and held her until she could bribe officials to get out).

ROK military blocks unconverted POW from crossing into North Korea

95-year-old Ahn Hak-sop stopped at the Unification Bridge after announcing his desire to die in the DPRK

https://www.nknews.org/2025/08/rok-military-blocks-unconverted-pow-from-crossing-into-north-korea/

Jooheon Kim August 20, 2025

Former North Korean soldier Ahn Hak-sop attempts to cross the DMZ with the help of supporters on Aug. 20, 2025. | Image: Screenshot from the People's Democracy Party's YouTube

A former North Korean soldier who spent over four decades imprisoned in South Korea failed to return to the DPRK on Wednesday after the military blocked his attempt to cross via a border bridge.

Ahn Hak-sop, a 95-year-old unconverted prisoner of war (POW), announced at a press conference last week that he would return to the North even without Seoul’s approval, calling the South a “U.S. colony” and stating that he does not want to be buried in an occupied country. 

Along with members of a committee advocating for his repatriation, Ahn held a rally at Imjingang Station in the border city of Paju around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, then marched toward the southern end of the Unification Bridge. 

Ahn traveled by car with the group at first due to health issues, but later he walked toward the bridge with help from the Committee for the Repatriation of Ahn Hak-sop members. 

According to the committee, Ahn’s group reached a checkpoint around 11:40 a.m., where it was stopped by South Korean military authorities for attempting to enter without prior authorization.

Passing the Unification Bridge is restricted as it is a civilian control line and requires military permission. In areas such as Panmunjom within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the U.N. Command must give prior approval for all entries. Unauthorized entry can lead to prosecution under laws such as the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act.

Ahn unfolded the North Korean flag as he turned back before he was taken to a hospital by ambulance. 

“His vision suddenly got worse so he had to go to the hospital,” a committee member told NK News.

Ahn previously said he had pulmonary congestion and that his doctor warned he is at high risk of sudden death.

During the rally near Imjingang Station, Ahn said he “endured years of humiliation, torture and violence” following his capture during the Korean War because he “refused to sign a conversion statement.” 

“I was born under Japanese rule and suffered under American oppression. It is too painful to think I may die and be buried here,” he added.

During the rally, committee members sang “Comrades” (동지가), a protest song commonly used at labor movement gatherings in South Korea. 

The Committee for the Repatriation of Ahn Hak-sop argues that Ahn has a legal right to repatriation under international humanitarian law, the Korean War Armistice Agreement and inter-Korean accords such as the 1991 Basic Agreement.

However, Seoul’s unification ministry said Ahn’s repatriation would be difficult due to time constraints and the need to coordinate with relevant agencies and North Korea, but added it will review the matter. 

The ministry revealed that five other former DPRK soldiers have recently requested repatriation to North Korea in addition to Ahn. All are unconverted long-term prisoners in their 80s or 90s.

Born in 1930 on Ganghwa Island during Japanese colonial rule, Ahn moved to North Korea during the Korean War out of dissatisfaction with U.S. military rule in the South. He was captured in 1953 while fighting for the DPRK and imprisoned under Seoul’s National Security Act. 

Following the June inter-Korean summit in 2000, Ahn had a chance to return to the North but declined, saying he would remain in the South until U.S. forces withdrew. Now in poor health, he made his first official repatriation request last week.

Meanwhile, as Ahn and others push for their repatriation to the DPRK, human rights groups in South Korea on Wednesday called on Seoul to do more for the repatriation of ROK prisoners in the North.

At a press conference, the organizations urged the Lee Jae-myung administration to devise measures to secure the release of ROK nationals from North Korea, including POWs.

“At the time of the armistice in 1953, there were about 82,000 South Korean POWs, but North Korea hasn’t repatriated between 50,000 and 60,000 of them,” Hubert Young-hwan Lee, head of the Seoul-based nonprofit Transitional Justice Working Group, told NK News.

According to Seoul’s unification ministry, six South Korean nationals, including three missionaries and three defectors who had previously resettled in the South, are currently being held in North Korea against their will.

Edited by Alannah Hill

6. North Korea's Kim gives nuclear order

North Korea's Kim gives nuclear order

Newsweek · Robert Birsel · August 19, 2025

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stressed his order of a quick expansion of his forces' nuclear capabilities, citing the annual U.S.-South Korea military exercises, according to the country's state media.

Kim said the "security environment" around North Korea is "getting more serious day by day" and "requires us to make a radical and swift change in the existing military theory and practice and rapid expansion of nuclearization," the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported, paraphrasing his remarks.

He accused the U.S. and South Korea of intensifying their exercises and demonstrating "their will to ignite a war".

The military exercises "have always been provocative and dangerous in their nature but the gravity is increasing from the characteristics that they are recently plotting military nexus with the nuclear element involved," Kim said, per Rodong Sinmun.

The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war, divided by the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea and South Korea.

Kim was inspecting the warship Choe Hyon, a 5,000-ton-class destroyer first unveiled in April, during a visit to the western port of Nampo on Monday, August 18.

It came as the South Korean and U.S. militaries kicked off their annual large-scale summertime exercise to bolster readiness against growing North Korean threats.

The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield, which the allies describe as defensive, will mobilize 21,000 troops, including 18,000 South Koreans, for computer-simulated command post operations and field training.

This is a developing article. Updates to follow.

This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, inspects the warship Choe Hyon in Nampo, North Korea, on August 18, 2025. In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, inspects the warship Choe Hyon in Nampo, North Korea, on August 18, 2025. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

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About the writer

Robert Birsel is a Newsweek reporter based in Asia with a focus on political and general news. Robert joined Newsweek in 2025 from Radio Free Asia and had previously worked at Reuters. He is a graduate of the London School of Economics. You can get in touch with Robert by emailing r.birsel@newsweek.com. Languages: English.

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Robert Birsel andShane Croucher is a Breaking News Editor based in London, UK. He has previously overseen the My Turn, Fact Check and News teams, and was a Senior Reporter before that, mostly covering U.S. news and politics. Shane joined Newsweek in February 2018 from IBT UK where he held various editorial roles covering different beats, including general news, politics, economics, business, and property. He is a graduate of the University of Lincoln, England. Languages: English. You can reach Shane by emailing s.croucher@newsweek.com

Writers Page

Shane Croucher

Robert Birsel is a Newsweek reporter based in Asia with a focus on political and general news. Robert joined Newsweek in 2025 from Radio Free Asia and had previously worked at Reuters. He is a graduate of the London School of Economics. You can get in touch with Robert by emailing r.birsel@newsweek.com. Languages: English.

Robert Birsel is a Newsweek reporter based in Asia with a focus on political and general news. Robert joined Newsweek ...

Newsweek · Robert Birsel · August 19, 2025

7. Lee, Trump may discuss U.S. troop cut, OPCON transfer as part of 'alliance modernization' in summit: expert

Will this be a "perfect storm" that allows Bridge to get what he wants?

Do we have sufficient strategic foresight?

Lee, Trump may discuss U.S. troop cut, OPCON transfer as part of 'alliance modernization' in summit: expert | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · Song Sang-ho · August 21, 2025

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump may discuss a U.S. ground troop cut in Korea and the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul as part of the two countries' efforts to "modernize" the alliance during their summit next week, a U.S. expert said Wednesday.

During a press briefing on the White House summit set for Monday, Victor Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), also raised the possibility of North Korea conducting provocations in connection to the summit and the allies' ongoing military exercise.

Lee and Trump are set to have their first in-person meeting since Lee took office in June, as Washington is pushing to rework the alliance under the name of the "modernization" at a time when it focuses on deterring the "pacing threat" from an increasingly assertive China.

"(Alliance modernization) refers to potential changes in the U.S. force posture on the Korean Peninsula that could include the reduction in ground troops, enhancement of air and naval capabilities, greater South Korean defense spending, changes in the cost-sharing arrangement (and the) return of wartime operational control," Cha said during the online briefing.

This photo, taken on Oct. 17, 2024, shows Victor Cha, currently president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, speaking during a forum in Seoul. (Yonhap)

His remarks came amid speculation that the Trump administration might seek to reshape the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to ensure that it can be mobilized for contingencies outside Korea, including those related to China -- a move further away from USFK's traditional focus on deterring North Korea.

A ground troop reduction in the Army-centric USFK has also been seen as a possibility as the United States apparently sees naval and air force components as more fit for potential operations outside the Korean Peninsula.

The alliance modernization efforts have proceeded as the Lee administration is expected to pursue the retaking of wartime OPCON within its five-year term -- a goal that some observers say might fall in line with the Trump administration's push for allies to take greater responsibility for their own defense.

Seoul and Washington have been working on the "conditions-based" OPCON transfer. Conditions include South Korea's capabilities to lead combined Korea-U.S. forces, its strike and air defense capabilities, and a regional security environment conducive to such a handover.

South Korea handed over operational control of its troops to the U.S.-led U.N. Command during the 1950-53 Korean War. Control was then transferred to the two allies' Combined Forces Command when the command was launched in 1978. Wartime operational control still remains in U.S. hands, while South Korea retook peacetime OPCON in 1994.

Next week's summit between the two leaders will come in the midst of the allies' military exercise, called Ulchi Freedom Shield. Pyongyang has already responded angrily to the exercise, which it has long criticized as a war rehearsal against it.

In light of the North's angry response, Cha said the likelihood of Pyongyang's military action cannot be ruled out.

"I don't think we can rule out some sort of North Korean action next week. This is because three things come together next week," he said. "One is, of course, the summit meeting. The second is ongoing U.S.-ROK military exercises ... And the third is the lack of any contact or diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea."

ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

The combination of three things does not bode well, Cha underscored, citing CSIS empirical research.

"It usually results in some not insignificant North Korean belligerence, which could come in the form of missile tests or even a nuclear test ... We just don't know," he said.

During the briefing, Sydney Seiler, a former intelligence officer at the U.S. National Intelligence Council, also noted the chances that Pyongyang could engage in some type of "muscle flexing."

"It's always important to remember (the North's) million-man Korean People's Army is in the middle of its summer training cycle," he said.

"So this is a period where additional muscle-flexing ... launches of missiles, maybe artillery fire demonstrations ... probably not anything lethal or kinetic," he said.

Cha also noted that in preparation for the summit with Lee, U.S. defense officials may want to see more "explicit" South Korean commitments when it comes to contingencies with China, though their suggestion might be different from what Trump may want to talk about at the summit.

Ahead of the White House meeting, Lee plans to visit Japan on Saturday and Sunday for talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Katrin Katz, an adjunct fellow at the CSIS Korea Chair office, warned against Seoul and Tokyo unifying their position against Trump regarding ongoing trade and security negotiations.

"I would expect that behind closed doors, they might be trading notes in these areas, but I just don't see it as in those leaders' interests to publicly frame their engagement in a kind of ganging-up way vis-a-vis President Trump," she said, referring to the planned meeting between Lee and Ishiba.

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · Song Sang-ho · August 21, 2025

8. U.S. senator says Congress to review shipbuilding reforms after Lee-Trump summit

U.S. senator says Congress to review shipbuilding reforms after Lee-Trump summit | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · Kim Seung-yeon · August 20, 2025

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. senator said Wednesday that Congress will review what legislative reforms may be needed to facilitate shipbuilding cooperation with South Korea, based on the outcome of next week's summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) made the remarks during a press availability in Seoul, days before Lee and Trump are set to hold their first summit in Washington on Monday (U.S. time), following a recent tariff agreement between the two countries.

"There might be some reforms that can make it more efficient, speed the process, and we'll look at that appropriately," Kim said when asked about U.S. shipbuilding regulations prohibiting foreign involvement.

"I cannot move forward until I have a sense of what comes out from the summit next week. So we'll see how that's structured and how the investment is laid out, and then we'll move with the appropriate level of urgency," he said.

With the tariff deal, South Korea has proposed large-scale shipbuilding cooperation projects, dubbed "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA)," to held restore the sluggish U.S. shipbuilding industry, including building new shipyards in the United States and partnerships on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) projects.

However, concerns have been raised about how quickly the shipbuilding projects can move forward, as U.S. laws, such as the Jones Act and the Byrnes-Tollefson Amendment, remain as a legal barrier restricting foreign operations in commercial shipping and military shipbuilding.

"If there are proposals needed for reforms that make sense to both of our countries, I think it could move fast," Kim said.

Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) speaks during a media roundtable with the South Korean press during his visit to Seoul on Aug. 20, 2025. (Yonhap)

Kim also addressed the need for the U.S. to be clear about its goals in shipbuilding cooperation with South Korea, such as the number and type of ships it needs to build, saying that any legislative support would start from there.

As a New Jersey resident who lives about 15 minutes away from the Philly Shipyard, run by South Korea's Hanwha Ocean, Kim described South Korea as the "best partner" in boosting American shipbuilding capabilities.

"We are supportive of President Trump's efforts to continue to increase shipbuilding capabilities, and we're prepared to provide whatever type of legislation as well as resources behind it to be able to make that successful," he said.

Regarding the Trump administration's push for "modernizing the alliance," which potentially calls for reorienting the role of U.S. troops in Korea to deter China, Kim said related bilateral discussions should take place in a way that ensures U.S. commitment to deterring North Korean threats, as well as addressing shared regional challenges.

"I want to make sure that ... in the Indo-Pacific, (we) are able to address the array of different challenges and threats that we face. We can do that in a way that still protects extended deterrence, protects our interests here on the Korean Peninsula," Kim said.

"Any changes that we would see in significant ways to troop presence, we would want to make sure that Congress has a role in oversight," he added.

Kim, the first Korean American elected to the Senate, visited South Korea this week with Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Il) for meetings with government officials and business leaders. They also met with President Lee.

Kim said Lee's decision to stop in Japan before going to Washington for the summit with Trump was a "brilliant move."

"I can think of few opportunities that are more impactful than recommitment to the trilateral process between the United States, South Korea and Japan," he said.

elly@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · Kim Seung-yeon · August 20, 2025

9. Defense chief reaffirms S. Korea-U.S. alliance with visit to key wartime command post

Defense chief reaffirms S. Korea-U.S. alliance with visit to key wartime command post | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · Lee Minji · August 20, 2025

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Wednesday reaffirmed the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and urged efforts to strengthen it, as he visited a key wartime command bunker amid the allies' major summertime exercise currently under way, the defense ministry said.

Ahn made the call as he visited CP Tango, a key U.S.-controlled wartime command bunker complex, to meet U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson and receive updates on the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise.

Ahn called the UFS drills a "precious opportunity" to display the steadfast South Korea-U.S. alliance and further bolster it, urging troops to focus on establishing a firm combined defense posture based on the spirit of "fight tonight."

Brunson, who also serves as the commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, concurred on the importance of the summertime drills aimed at enhancing the allies' interoperability.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (2nd from R, front row) visits CP Tango, a key wartime command post, on Aug. 20, 2025, in this photo provided by the defense ministry. Also seen in the photo is U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson (R, front row). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

"Ulchi Freedom Shield is our premier exercise, a critical demonstration of the enduring strength of the U.S.-ROK Alliance, and our commitment to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," he said in a separate release. ROK refers to the acronym of South Korea's formal name.

Ahn's visit to CP Tango came as South Korea and the U.S. launched the UFS exercise Monday for an 11-day run through Aug. 28.

Seoul and Washington have described the annual drills as purely defensive and pushed back about half of some 40 planned field training exercises to September, as part of apparent efforts by South Korea to mend frayed ties with North Korea.

The North has long denounced the allies' joint exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion against it. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has condemned the latest drills as showing their will to "ignite a war" and called for a "rapid expansion" of nuclear arms.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (C) and U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson (4th from R, back) pose for a group photo with military officials at CP Tango, a key wartime command post, on Aug. 20, 2025, in this photo provided by the defense ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · Lee Minji · August 20, 2025

10. Nat'l Assembly speaker invited by China to attend World War II military parade

China is making a play for influence.

Nat'l Assembly speaker invited by China to attend World War II military parade | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · Yi Wonju · August 20, 2025

By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik was officially invited by China to attend Beijing's military parade marking the end of World War II next month, his office said Wednesday.

"Woo received an official invitation from the Chinese government to attend the Victory Day event on Sept. 3," the office said in a press release, following his closed-door meeting with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing.

Woo's office said it will announce the details after his attendance is confirmed.

China plans to hold a large-scale military parade in Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of its victory over Japanese aggression during World War II.

South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik (R) talks with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing during their meeting at the parliamentary building in Seoul on Aug. 20, 2025. (Yonhap)

julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · Yi Wonju · August 20, 2025

11. Lee to meet Bill Gates to discuss global health issues, collaboration

Lee to meet Bill Gates to discuss global health issues, collaboration | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · Chang Dong-woo · August 20, 2025

SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung plans to meet Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation and Microsoft Corp. co-founder, in Seoul on Thursday, the presidential office said Wednesday.

Gates, who has spearheaded initiatives on climate change, poverty reduction and global health through the foundation, is visiting South Korea to reportedly explore cooperation with Korean pharmaceutical companies on a vaccine supply project for low-income countries.

During the meeting at the presidential office, the two are expected to discuss global health issues and potential collaboration in the sector, according to officials.

Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation and Microsoft Corp. co-founder, arrives in South Korea via Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center in western Seoul on Aug. 20, 2025. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

odissy@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · Chang Dong-woo · August 20, 2025

12. Kim Jong Un orders unprecedented inspection of army corps security units

This could be a key indication and warning of the potential for internal instability. This bears watching.

I am saving this picture of KJU for future use. Photo at the link if it doesn't come through at the message.

Kim Jong Un orders unprecedented inspection of army corps security units

"Some military security guidance officers say the goal of the latest inspection isn't simply strengthening discipline," a source told Daily NK

https://www.dailynk.com/english/kim-jong-un-orders-unprecedented-inspection-of-army-corps-security-units/

By Jeong Tae Joo - August 20, 2025

dailynk.com · August 20, 2025

North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun reported on July 14 that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had carried out on-the-spot guidance on a range of construction projects underway in the city of Samjiyon on July 11–12. (Rodong Sinmun, News 1)

North Korea’s military authorities conducted a sweeping inspection of military security activities over the last five years by corps-level security departments. The latest inspection was conducted by the ruling party’s Military Government Guidance Bureau and the Korean People’s Army’s General Political Bureau.

“A full-scale inspection of the military’s corps-level security bodies was conducted from early July to early this month per a No. 1 directive,” a Daily NK source in the North Korean military said recently, referring to an order from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“Personnel from the Military Government Guidance Bureau and the General Political Bureau conducted an unprecedented inspection, personally visiting the security bodies at corps’ headquarters and conducting an unprecedented inspection of the security bodies’ activities over the last five years.”

The latest inspection follows a decision taken during the 12th expanded plenary meeting of the ruling party’s Eighth Central Committee in June, with the Military Government Guidance Bureau and the General Political Bureau directly entrusted with the task.

The results of the inspection and personnel moves involving major officials were sent as a final report to the Central Committee on Aug. 8 as “documentation on the completion of a No. 1 directive.”

According to the source, the latest inspection was conducted in two ways. Problematic or critical security departments received personal visits from inspection teams for onsite guidance, while the rest sent written reports to inspectors, who reviewed only the necessary parts.

Five-point inspection targets corruption and control

The inspection focused on five key areas: uncovering corruption, evaluating security officials and replacing personnel, revising security duty guidelines, adjusting the structure of corps-level security departments, and reestablishing cooperation between the administrative, political and security bodies within corps-level formations.

As a follow-up measure, military authorities will replace officials, punish those involved in corruption and inspect the application of revised duty guidelines through the end of the month. At the same time, they will put into trial operation an information reporting system that includes lower-ranked units.

“The report system was transformed so that corps-level security departments report information simultaneously to the responsible departments in the Defense Security Bureau and Military Governance Guidance Department within 24 hours,” the source said. “In the past, it took a long time to report incidents in lower units to the top via the Defense Security Bureau, but going forward, the time will be shortened.”

North Korean military personnel believe the inspection of corps-level security bodies was intended to strengthen internal control by establishing a centralized information and inspection system. This means they interpret the inspection as a move to enhance control over the military using the military’s own security bodies ahead of next year’s Ninth Party Congress.

“Some military security guidance officers say the goal of the latest inspection isn’t simply strengthening discipline,” the source said. “Given that the military was newly tasked with unifying its information network, people predict that going forward, a structure will take root in which internal trends within units will be quickly reported to the leadership.”

Read in Korean

dailynk.com · August 20, 2025

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com