Quotes of the Day:
“The folly of war is that it can have no natural end except in the extinction an entire people.”
- Joyce Carol Oates
“We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it.”
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
"War: first, one hopes to win; then one expects the enemy to lose; then, one is satisfied that he too is suffering; in the end, one is surprised that everyone has lost."
- Karl Kraus
1. N.K. leader again inspects apartment construction site for riverside flats
2. U.S. nuclear envoy arrives in Seoul for talks with S. Korean, Russian counterparts
3. Jet flight similar to N.K. leader's personal plane raises speculation about Kim's trip
4. 7 additional video reunion centers for separated families to be completed this month
5. New Northern Policy shows some results, but lacks deeper philosophy
6. Former science and education department head Choe Sang Gon sent to political prison camp
7. Laid to rest, freedom fighter puts veterans in limelight
8. North Korea threat actor hacked South Korean site, researchers say
9. Suspects in North Korea espionage case to be turned over to prosecution
10. McDonald’s Won’t Transform North Korea
1. N.K. leader again inspects apartment construction site for riverside flats
Taking care of the elite in Pyongyang?
You have to love this phrase: "builders' patriotism and loyalty despite lack of everything and difficulties"
This explains so much about north Korea. Everything is about patriotism and loyalty and that means personal loyalty to Kim Jong-un.
But "lack of everything" is really telling.
(LEAD) N.K. leader again inspects apartment construction site for riverside flats | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: ADDS more info throughout; CHANGES photo)
SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a site for riverside apartments under construction in Pyongyang again in nearly five months, state media said Saturday.
Kim inspected the construction of the residential district in Pothong River running through Pyongyang and called on timely measures for the supply of equipment and materials, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
"Expressing great satisfaction over the radial change brought about in the riverside area, making it totally different from how it was about 140 days ago, by the builders' patriotism and loyalty despite lack of everything and difficulties, he highly appreciated the labor feats of all the builders," it said.
The KCNA did not reveal the exact date of the field inspection.
The construction site area was where a special residence was located until the 1970s for Kim Il-sung, late state founder and grandfather of current the leader. The area is considered in the North most propitious and sacred.
The site had been left vacant since it was destroyed in 2009, though houses were built in its surrounding area.
As he conducted the field inspection, Kim instructed the relevant sector to name the district "Kyongru-dong," meaning a beautiful gem terrace.
He also stressed the need to take thorough "sci-tech measures" to improve the quality of the river water.
In March, North Korea unveiled a plan to build around 800 "terraced apartments" along the Pothong River running through Pyongyang. Kim visited the apartment construction site in March and April.
Jo Yong-won, secretary for organizational affairs of the party's Central Committee and a close aide to leader Kim, was called upon second to another party official.
"He was greeted on the spot by Jong Sang-hak, Jo Yong-won, Ri Hi-yong and other cadres of the Central Committee of the Party and commanding officers and leading officials of the units involved in the construction," the KCNA said.
Just last month, Jo was called upon before Jong as they accompanied leader Kim to a monument symbolizing friendly relations with China.
Jo, a member of the Workers' Party of Korea's Presidium, is considered to be in the country's No. 3 position.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
2. U.S. nuclear envoy arrives in Seoul for talks with S. Korean, Russian counterparts
I hope there are productive talks.
Excerpts:
Morgulov arrived here for a six-day trip. While in Seoul, he will meet with Noh on Tuesday.
No trilateral session among Noh, Kim and Morgulov has been arranged yet, according to a ministry official.
The planned talks between the nuclear envoys come amid concerns over the North's possible military provocations in protest over the ongoing South Korea-U.S. military maneuvers, which the North has berated as a rehearsal for a war of invasion.
The North had reportedly issued a navigational warning for early this week for ships off the east coast, a possible indication that it had prepared a weapons test, such as a missile launch.
I wonder if Morgulov has ever had a 6 day trip to Pyongyang? Or is that next on his itinerary?
(LEAD) U.S. nuclear envoy arrives in Seoul for talks with S. Korean, Russian counterparts | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with arrival of Russian diplomat in paras 4, 9)
SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, arrived in Seoul on Saturday for talks with his South Korean and Russian counterparts, as they seek North Korea's return to dialogue amid renewed tensions over the ongoing military exercise between Seoul and Washington.
Kim, who doubles as ambassador to Indonesia, began his four-day visit here, after Pyongyang reacted furiously to the allied exercise, calling it the "most vivid expression of the U.S. hostile policy" toward the North and warning of a serious security crisis.
"I'm looking forward to very close consultations with our Korean government colleagues," Kim told reporters upon arrival at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.
Kim added he will also meet with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov, who arrived in Seoul on Saturday morning.
"So, I think it is going to be a very productive visit," Kim said.
On Monday, Kim is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Seoul's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, to discuss how to achieve substantive progress in the efforts for the complete denuclearization and the establishment of lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry has said.
In a separate press release, the U.S. State Department said that Kim's visit to Seoul "illustrates the U.S. and ROK commitment to ongoing close collaboration on DPRK issues as we seek to advance complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula."
ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea, while DPRK refers to the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Morgulov arrived here for a six-day trip. While in Seoul, he will meet with Noh on Tuesday.
No trilateral session among Noh, Kim and Morgulov has been arranged yet, according to a ministry official.
The planned talks between the nuclear envoys come amid concerns over the North's possible military provocations in protest over the ongoing South Korea-U.S. military maneuvers, which the North has berated as a rehearsal for a war of invasion.
The North had reportedly issued a navigational warning for early this week for ships off the east coast, a possible indication that it had prepared a weapons test, such as a missile launch.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
3. Jet flight similar to N.K. leader's personal plane raises speculation about Kim's trip
Where is Kim Jong-un and what is he up to?
(LEAD) Jet flight similar to N.K. leader's personal plane raises speculation about Kim's trip | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout; CHANGES headline)
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- An airplane of the same jet type used by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was spotted to have flown to the east coast, according to an aviation tracker, briefly raising speculation that Kim might have headed to his vacation home.
But the AN-148 jet, which took off from Pyongyang at 9:08 a.m. Thursday, was found later to have a different registration number, P-672, from the jet used as Kim's personal plane, with a registration number of P-671, according to Flightradar24, a flight tracking website.
The jet headed in the direction of the east coast town of Wonsan, but its last signal was recorded near the east coast, according to Flightradar24. Sources said the plane appears to have returned to Pyongyang without landing in Wonsan.
The North Korean leader has reportedly been staying in Pyongyang.
The flight comes amid lingering tensions on the Korean Peninsula after North Korea warned the South of a "serious security crisis" in apparent protest against the joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
4. 7 additional video reunion centers for separated families to be completed this month
This must be like torture for these families. And what has north Korea done about setting up facilities on their side? But seeing family members over video and not being allowed the freedom to meet when and where they would like and to travel to see families (especially travel from the north to the South) is truly a human rights abuse.
7 additional video reunion centers for separated families to be completed this month | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- An additional seven video conference facilities for separated family reunions will be completed by the end of this month, the unification ministry said Friday.
Earlier, a civilian-government committee on inter-Korean exchanges approved the decision to establish the additional video reunions centers outside Seoul, in addition to the existing 13.
"We believe it is very important to build the conference centers in advance so the reunions can resume immediately when inter-Korean relations are restored," Cha Deok-cheol, deputy spokesperson at the unification ministry, said during a regular press briefing.
South Korea has sought to hold reunions of separated families via video links but little progress has been made amid chilled inter-Korean relations.
The two Koreas held their last face-to-face reunions of separated families in August 2018 at the Mount Kumgang resort on the North's east coast.
Tens of thousands of people remain separated from their families in the North since the Korean War, which ended in a truce. Most of the survivors are in their 80s and older.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
5. New Northern Policy shows some results, but lacks deeper philosophy
Pay attention to Wi Sun-lac. He is one of South Korea's most experienced diplomats.
Excerpts:
The New Northern Policy was established by Moon back in 2017 with an aim to strengthen economic and political cooperation with countries to the north of Korea. President Moon also launched the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation to engage more actively with countries in the region covered by the policy.
The policy focuses on region-specific technology cooperation to deal with a variety of countries: from those of Eastern Europe to neighboring Russia and China. The focus for the Western Region, including Western Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, is technological cooperation in high-tech industries, while the focus of the Eastern Region, which includes the Russian Far East and the three northeastern provinces of China, focuses on building more substantial political and diplomatic partnerships with reinforced economic cooperation.
...
The New Northern Policy has produced noticeable results over the past four years, but Wi Sung-lac, former Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs and Korean Ambassador to Russia, sees the achievements as partial.
"There were some achievements in bilateral relations with Russia and Central Asian countries, but the bigger, pivotal projects are going nowhere," Wi said in a phone interview with The Korea Times.
...
"Establishing diplomatic ties with Russia and China was a big step for Korea, breaking away from Western-centric diplomacy. However, Korea's diplomatic mindset has remained in the Cold War era, rather than transforming into a global diplomatic strategy balancing among the U.S., Russia and China," Wi said.
Korea's diplomacy historically tends to focus on formality, and has made bombastic, unrealistic project proposals in Korea-Russia relations, such as the Trans-Siberian Railway, as well as electric and road infrastructure.
"Korea proposes these plans to Russia periodically, but little has been done. In the New Northern Policy, we can see the problems and limitations of Korea's previous northern diplomacy. To become a true strategic partner with Russia, Korea needs more than just words. The New Northern Policy should be approached with a critical mind and the relevant philosophical background," Wi said.
New Northern Policy shows some results, but lacks deeper philosophy
By Kwon Mee-yoo
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited Korea last week, becoming the first foreign head of state to visit Korea since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the significance of the Central Asian country in Korea's New Northern Policy.
While reciprocating President's Moon Jae-in's visit to Central Asia in 2019, President Tokayev discussed how the two countries will promote cooperation in the post-COVID-19 era at the Korea-Kazakhstan Summit.
Moon emphasized during the summit, held on Aug. 17, that Kazakhstan is an important partner in the administration's New Northern Policy and that the bilateral relationship has a lot of potential in the future.
The New Northern Policy was established by Moon back in 2017 with an aim to strengthen economic and political cooperation with countries to the north of Korea. President Moon also launched the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation to engage more actively with countries in the region covered by the policy.
The policy focuses on region-specific technology cooperation to deal with a variety of countries: from those of Eastern Europe to neighboring Russia and China. The focus for the Western Region, including Western Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, is technological cooperation in high-tech industries, while the focus of the Eastern Region, which includes the Russian Far East and the three northeastern provinces of China, focuses on building more substantial political and diplomatic partnerships with reinforced economic cooperation.
Central Asian countries such as Mongolia are noted in the policy for their great potential in terms of resource development and infrastructure. Based on strong historical and cultural bonds, Korea seeks to expand exchanges with more Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Kazakh President Tokayev's statement during his state visit resonates with Korea's efforts in accordance with the New Northern Policy.
"Korea is one of the most important Asian trading partners for Kazakhstan, with more than $6 billion of South Korean funds invested into Kazakhstan's economy. ... In terms of developing our bilateral relations, Kazakhstan has a special interest in Korea's advanced technologies and wants to introduce them into the Kazakh economy," Tokayev said.
The New Northern Policy has substantially increased trade, as well as people-to-people exchanges between Korea and countries in the New Northern region. Major areas of cooperation under the New Northern Policy include infrastructure ― namely the Trans-Korean Railway and Trans-Siberian Railway ― as well as energy, the operation of an innovation platform and other forms of investment.
The overall trade volume with the New Northern countries increased from $16.7 billion in 2016 to $30.5 billion in 2019, but slipped down slightly to $24.2 billion in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thanks to the spread of hallyu, the Korean wave, exports of consumer goods such as cosmetics and food have increased considerably, diversifying the export portfolio beyond traditional export items like automobiles, ships and machinery.
Korea also won a number of contracts for large-scale energy and infrastructure projects in the region, strengthening the basis for industrial cooperation. Notable projects include the front-end engineering design (FEED) for the Bukhara Oil Refinery in Uzbekistan, ferro-alloy electric furnace plants in Kazakhstan and the Kiyanly gas chemical complex in Turkmenistan.
The Korean government's Official Development Assistance (ODA) program also targets the New Northern countries of Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan to complement the policy. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the amount of ODA being provided to New Northern countries jumped 1.65 times, from 47.3 billion won in 2017, to 77.8 billion won in 2021.
The Kazakhstan presidential visit also shed light on new areas of cooperation such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution sectors of digital infrastructure, big data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, as Tokayev showed interest in partnering with Korea's high-tech industries.
In March, the Presidential Committee rearranged the priorities of the New Northern Policy initiatives into eight key areas. Some of the major initiatives are disease control strategy and healthcare, as well as cooperation in the digital and green economies.
Korea's participation in green transition projects in the New Northern countries, such as a pilot project to overhaul aging water pipes and improve the waste management system in Uzbekistan, and a master plan for air quality control in Mongolia, shows where bilateral cooperation could expand in the future.
The Future of New Northern Policy
The New Northern Policy has produced noticeable results over the past four years, but Wi Sung-lac, former Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs and Korean Ambassador to Russia, sees the achievements as partial.
"There were some achievements in bilateral relations with Russia and Central Asian countries, but the bigger, pivotal projects are going nowhere," Wi said in a phone interview with The Korea Times.
Wi was a staff member on Korea's northern diplomacy team decades ago, when Korea established diplomatic relations with Russia and China in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
"Establishing diplomatic ties with Russia and China was a big step for Korea, breaking away from Western-centric diplomacy. However, Korea's diplomatic mindset has remained in the Cold War era, rather than transforming into a global diplomatic strategy balancing among the U.S., Russia and China," Wi said.
Korea's diplomacy historically tends to focus on formality, and has made bombastic, unrealistic project proposals in Korea-Russia relations, such as the Trans-Siberian Railway, as well as electric and road infrastructure.
"Korea proposes these plans to Russia periodically, but little has been done. In the New Northern Policy, we can see the problems and limitations of Korea's previous northern diplomacy. To become a true strategic partner with Russia, Korea needs more than just words. The New Northern Policy should be approached with a critical mind and the relevant philosophical background," Wi said.
The New Northern Policy also needs to take another step as a prospective vision of national development, especially in the post-pandemic era of transformation.
Choi Young-mi, a political science professor at Chonnam National University, suggests improving the New Northern Policy from the perspective of defensive realism in the study, "Limits and Prospects of Northeast Asia Plus Community of Responsibility: Focusing on the New Northern Policy."
She says that the existing discussions about the potential economic benefits of cooperation with the Northern countries should be upgraded to the level of security cooperation, and that the Moon administration needs to utilize existing regional cooperative institutions, combining them in more efficient ways to deal more concertedly with security threats.
Choi also said the New Northern Policy should not be recognized only as a change in Korea's diplomatic policy, but rather as a strategy towards "open regionalism."
6. Former science and education department head Choe Sang Gon sent to political prison camp
The inner workings and the brutality of the regime:
The source said Kim and other critics called for Choe’s immediate and severe punishment, slamming his record. Ultimately, agents of the Ministry of Social Security’s special security bureau dragged him off. “After he was dragged from the meeting venue, he was immediately handed over to the Ministry of State Security,” he said.
Choe’s wife told the Ministry of State Security that she wanted a divorce, which freed the rest of his family from being sent to a political prison camp. However, they were immediately forced out of their official residence – provided to officials of Choe’s rank – and expelled from Pyongyang.
Former science and education department head Choe Sang Gon sent to political prison camp - Daily NK
Choe’s wife told the Ministry of State Security that she wanted a divorce, which freed the rest of his family from being sent to a political prison camp
The former head of the ruling Workers’ Party’s science and education department, Choe Sang Gon, has been sent to a political prison camp, Daily NK has learned.
Choe was rebuked during an enlarged meeting of the Second Politburo of the Eighth Central Committee in late June.
A source in North Korea told Daily NK that Choe was transported to a political prison camp in North Hamgyong Province within 48 hours of being arrested during the enlarged meeting of the politburo. “Word is only now quietly emerging as it’s been over a month since this happened,” he said.
According to the source, Choe fell afoul of the party for negligence in activities focused on child education, a focus of the Workers’ Party. There had been earlier speculation that he was punished for failing to carry out party decisions regarding COVID-19 vaccine and treatment development, given his position as head of the party’s science and education department, which oversees the public health sector. However, the source reiterated that he was punished for failings in the educational sector.
In fact, Choe was missing when high-ranking party, government and military cadres paid tribute to late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the 27th anniversary of his death on July 8. This contrasted with other cadres who were sacked or demoted during the enlarged meeting of the politburo such as Ri Pyong Chol and Pak Jong Chon, amplifying speculation as to Choe’s fate.
“With the coronavirus pandemic breaking out, educational doctrine – considered a ‘legal task’ in the country – became a mess,” said the source. “In this situation, the person responsible for the party’s educational policies was punished because he did not formulate proper strategies to implement educational doctrine, leading to a grave problem in carrying out revolutionary tasks.”
This is to say, Choe was accused of failing to properly provide class hours as per educational doctrine due to COVID-19, and displayed an “easy-going” approach to promoting and graduating all students despite plummeting educational standards. This, the authorities claimed, created major problems in education efforts to transform the next generation into revolutionaries.
Kim Hyong Sik, the head of the party’s justice department, criticized Choe during the enlarged politburo meeting, saying that “implementing educational doctrine is the standard for determining whether you’re moving the revolution forward and making a retreat.” He further claimed that “an irrevocable error had occurred in revolutionary tasks because educational doctrine was not properly followed” and that “to call those who fail to carry out the party’s educational doctrine anti-party and counter-revolutionary doesn’t go far enough.”
Kim Jong Un at the leadership podium during the Party Foundation Day military parade in Pyongyang on Oct. 10, 2020. / Image: KCNA
The source said Kim and other critics called for Choe’s immediate and severe punishment, slamming his record. Ultimately, agents of the Ministry of Social Security’s special security bureau dragged him off. “After he was dragged from the meeting venue, he was immediately handed over to the Ministry of State Security,” he said.
Choe’s wife told the Ministry of State Security that she wanted a divorce, which freed the rest of his family from being sent to a political prison camp. However, they were immediately forced out of their official residence – provided to officials of Choe’s rank – and expelled from Pyongyang.
The source said the meeting room fell silent when Choe was dragged off, with participants so fearful they were “afraid to even breathe.”
“They thought that tomorrow they could be next, since everyone – despite working in different sectors – is facing the coronavirus. So nobody said anything while this was happening, frightened even more than they were when Jang Song Thaek was punished,” he added.
Quiet grumbling by educational officials has been growing since the incident. They believe it is nonsense for the authorities to tell them to carry out educational doctrine while at the same time ordering them against gathering students together.
“Educational officials say what happened to Choe was absurd,” said the source. “Remote classes are impossible because many people don’t own computers and tablet computers, and there aren’t enough teachers to conduct classes via home visits. So they are saying nobody- not even Choe – could have done anything.
“If there’s a problem, the party should present plans [to improve the situation],” the source said, adding, “But all they do is tell people to decide on their own what they’ll do and report it to the Central Committee. So people are saying that in the end, this means the Central Committee has no solutions, either.”
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
7. Laid to rest, freedom fighter puts veterans in limelight
There is a lot to this story, more than just bringing the remains of a hero hoeme. I did not know north Kozrea tried to claim the remains. They probably wanted to do this to negate the propaganda value the ROK could explicit because this freedom fighter did much more for the cause than Kim Il-sung ever did. His actions undermine the legitimacy of the Kim family regime.
The story also discusses how the government recognizes and cares for different categories of patriots and veterans. (note discussed in thai article is the treatment of the Korean partisans who fought under the control of the UN Command in the Korean War - they are not fully compensated as veterans.). And of course also not fully recognized and cared for are the 76,000 pluss ROK OWs that were held in north KOrea and not allowed to return when the Armistice was signed.
[Weekender] Laid to rest, freedom fighter puts veterans in limelight
Revered independence fighter against Japan’s colonial rule laid to rest in Korea, 78 years after death in Kazakhstan
Published : Aug 21, 2021 - 16:00 Updated : Aug 21, 2021 - 16:45
A military transporter carrying the remains of the late Gen. Hong Beom-do enters South Korean airspace Sunday, as fighter jets fire flares to welcome his return from Kazakhstan, where he died in 1943. (Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs)
Hong Beom-do, a highly revered independence fighter against the Japanese occupation of Korea, was laid to rest at home Wednesday, 78 years after his death in Kazakhstan. The previous day, President Moon Jae-in posthumously awarded him the highest national order of merit.
At a burial ceremony held at Daejeon National Cemetery, Moon called Hong a war hero and the commander-in-chief of the Korean Liberation Army, whose return he said “gives hope to South Koreans working together to find their way out of the pandemic crisis.”
Moon highlighted the hardship Hong and many South Koreans had to endure during Japan’s 1940-45 colonial rule, saying, “The first step for us not to repeat that is we make sure our freedom fighters and their families get what they deserve.”
Battles that frightened Japan
Gen. Hong is known for the Battle of Bongodong in June 1920, when he led the Korean Liberation Army to score its first major victory against the Japanese forces in Manchuria. At least 157 Japanese soldiers were killed and 200 were injured. The victory emboldened the poorly equipped KLA.
The KLA recorded its biggest victory against the Japanese forces four months later in October 1920 near the region, where Hong jointly led the Battle of Cheongsanri. The Korean militia dealt the hardest blow to the Japanese armed forces, though Japan disputes the claim to this day.
A photo of Hong Beom-do taking part in the 1922 Congress of Peoples of the Far East in Moscow. (Yonhap)
“The two battles represent a history of triumph and hope that average people made,” Moon said, describing Hong as a motivator who instilled self-respect and self-determination in every Korean at the time.
But in 1937, Hong was forced to move to Kazakhstan, along with fellow Koreans living in Manchuria as the Soviet Union sought to push them out of the region where it was dealing with an increasingly belligerent Japan.
Hong settled in Kyzylorda, a southern city in the Central Asian country, and died there in 1943, just two years before Korea’s independence.
Long journey back home
It was North Korea who first asked Kazakhstan to repatriate Hong’s remains in 1993. But Korean communities there refused to hand them over. Meanwhile in 1994, South Korea reached a tentative pact with the Kazakh government to bring back the remains. But it took decades for the deal to go through.
“Bringing back remains isn’t one-way, top-down. We’ve had to engage people and the government there. The Korean communities in particular needed time to think through our proposal that Hong would be best remembered with his remains here,” an official at the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said.
The official said Moon’s state visit to Kazakhstan in 2019 helped to avert a bureaucratic slowdown, though the remains arrived here a year later than South Korea had hoped because of the coronavirus pandemic. The government had planned to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1920 battles Hong led with his remains.
President Moon Jae-in (front row, left) and first lady Kim Jung-sook attend a ceremony to bury the remains of the legendary Korean independence fighter Hong Beom-do at the Daejeon National Cemetery on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
“Doing right by freedom fighters”
Moon was emphatic that he would make sure independence fighters and their families get what they deserve. But those given the promise say the government has to and could do more to recognize what they did for their country when it was ripped apart in pieces.
“Few freedom fighters and their families have a financially stable life. The government could certainly do better with its benefits,” said Nam Joo-woo, a grandson of an independence fighter who heads a regional branch of Heritage of Korean Independence, the only freedom fighter group the government funds.
Freedom fighters receive an average of 3 to 4 million won or $2,500 to 3,400 a month, while their families get a little more than one-third of that. This year, the average Korean worker earns a minimum wage of around $1,500 a month.
And the paycheck goes to only three family members: a spouse, a son or daughter and a grandchild of the fighters’ choice. There is room for change, said Nam, 64, who asked media for help in getting the message out in the open because veterans cannot press the issue too hard.
“That makes everything look like there is a price tag for what we did. We just want a decent recognition of our service, for us and for next generations who should be able to believe their government will look after them if they risk their lives to support it,” Nam said.
A senior veterans affairs official, however, said the veterans have a stronger safety net, because they can ask for a cheaper loan, better terms on a house they buy and preferential treatment on college and job applications. “There is more to it than just the monthly paycheck if you look at the big picture,” he said.
Foreign fighters only half recognized
Seventy-two foreign fighters worked for Korea’s independence, along with 16,932 Korean fighters, but they have been denied their share of benefits, said Kim Dong-jin, chairman of the Hulbert Memorial Society in Korea. The group was named after American missionary Homer Bezaleel Hulbert who had helped with independence efforts.
Foreign fighters have all been awarded the order of merit but are left out of the monthly pension service because they are not Korean nationals. The veterans affairs ministry said their nationality is important because the service involves dispensing taxpayer money.
“That’s just ridiculous. Why do we put a distinction between the foreign fighters and Korean fighters? They equally risked their lives. And we’re already spending taxpayer money on foreign refugees coming here. Are we saying foreign fighters deserve less?” Kim said. Others also share the same sentiment.
Nam Young-woo, who completed his 21-month mandatory military service, said he believes the government should treat the foreign fighters alike, noting, “Anyone in good conscience would hardly object to extending the same benefits.”
A veterans affairs ministry official said he also saw the upside but said the ministry would need social consensus to revamp the pension service.
“We still have many independence fighters who have not been fully honored for what they had done for this country, who have been overshadowed,” President Moon said.
8. North Korea threat actor hacked South Korean site, researchers say
The regime's all purpose sword. Daily NK is a target.
Excerpts:
Researchers Damien Cash, Josh Grunzweig, Matthew Meltzer, Steven Adair, and Thomas Lancaster said in their analysis that Daily NK was the target of a "strategic web compromise" that included the planting of malicious codes.
The threat actor was identified as "InkySquid." The group also could be suspected North Korean cyber espionage group, APT37.
APT 37 is believed to have been active since at least 2012, when Kim Jong Un fully assumed power in North Korea. The group has hacked systems in South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Kuwait and other parts of the Middle East, according to reports.
North Korea threat actor hacked South Korean site, researchers say
By Elizabeth Shim
Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A South Korean media organization specializing in North Korea news may have been hacked, according to a U.S. cybersecurity solutions provider.
Volexity said in a blog post this week on its proprietary website that Daily NK, a news site that has received funding for its reporting from the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy, was hacked from March to June, South Korean network YTN reported Friday.
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Researchers Damien Cash, Josh Grunzweig, Matthew Meltzer, Steven Adair, and Thomas Lancaster said in their analysis that Daily NK was the target of a "strategic web compromise" that included the planting of malicious codes.
The threat actor was identified as "InkySquid." The group also could be suspected North Korean cyber espionage group, APT37.
APT 37 is believed to have been active since at least 2012, when Kim Jong Un fully assumed power in North Korea. The group has hacked systems in South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Kuwait and other parts of the Middle East, according to reports.
The threat actor used malware called BLUELIGHT that exploits vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser, researchers said.
"In April 2021, through its network security monitoring on a customer network, Volexity identified suspicious code being loaded via" the Daily NK site, the analysis read.
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"These URLs lead to legitimate files used as part of the normal function of the Daily NK website; however, their contents were modified by the attacker to include code redirecting users to load malicious JavaScript."
Researchers said that security patches for Internet Explorer could protect browser users from the malware.
Daily NK issued a response Friday, stating the company has responded to the security threats and that the malicious code has been scrubbed.
"So far, no damage has been reported among employees or readers," the company said.
9. Suspects in North Korea espionage case to be turned over to prosecution
I hope the NIS can track down this entire network and all others that are operating in South Korea.
Suspects in North Korea espionage case to be turned over to prosecution
By Elizabeth Shim
Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Three South Korean suspects arrested and charged with spying for the Kim Jong Un regime have been turned over to prosecutors in the South Korean city of Cheongju, according to reports.
Three members of the North Chungcheong Province Branch for Independent Unification have been identified by their last names.
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A 57-year-old with the surname Park served as "adviser," a 50-year-old Yoon acted as vice chair, and a 50-year-old Park served as liaison officer, Yonhap reported.
Yoon previously was identified by South Korean network KBS as a suspect who approached members of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party in North Chungcheong Province for "interviews." Yoon may have been arrested as early as 2020, the report said.
A fourth suspect and member of the group deemed a low-flight risk was not turned over to the prosecution. The suspect, identified as a 47-year-old with the surname Son, is expected to meet with prosecutors after investigators examine the suspect for corroborating evidence, according to News 1.
South Korea's spy agency has charged the group with receiving a total of 84 directives from North Korea. The orders from Pyongyang, found on a flash drive, were encrypted using steganography.
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The suspects are being charged under South Korea's anti-Pyongyang National Security Law. The group is accused of making illicit contact with North Korean agents and engaging in recruiting activities targeting more than 60 South Korean individuals, according to Yonhap.
A warrant for their arrest obtained by Yonhap showed that the suspects also approached chairman of ruling Democratic Party, Song Young-gil. The group allegedly met with Song for a 27-minute interview last October, when Song was serving as chair of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.
Son, one of the suspects, said in a memo after the meeting they discussed a project to send 1 million chestnut seedlings to North Korea, according to the report.
South Korean authorities have said the defendants held public demonstrations and condemned the acquisition of U.S. F-35 fighter jets.
10. McDonald’s Won’t Transform North Korea
I do love the subtitle. The problem is few seem to understand and appreciate the nature of the Kim family regime and its objectives and strategy.
But Mr. Bandow is right, McDonald's will not change it.
McDonald’s Won’t Transform North Korea
The ROK must deal with North Korea as it is, not as most everyone around the world wishes it would be.
One problem with progressivism is the tendency to believe that everyone is basically decent and nice. And with the proper instruction—maybe just a good talking to, pointing out their mistakes—they can be raised to a higher, more perfect level. So it is with South Korean liberals and their view of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Earlier this month Song Young-gil, head of the Republic of Korea’s Democratic Party, offered an industrial park and hamburgers as answers to potential conflict between North and South Korea. He first argued that “The Kaesong industrial complex (KIC) has a very essential role in easing tension between the two Koreas and is a very, very efficient way to change North Korea.”
Of course, the KIC did not bring peace and stability to the peninsula when it opened in 2004 and was always subject to political currents in Seoul and Pyongyang. The Republic of Korea (ROK) suspended operations in February 2016 after the North’s nuclear test and satellite launch, which was widely viewed as a sub-rosa missile test. The DPRK then expelled South Koreans from the zone. The KIC has been idle ever since, despite occasional proposals to reopen it. Subsequent sanctions have made restarting operations even more difficult.
Although reopening Kaesong would give Seoul something to offer North Korea, economic cooperation alone will not remake the North. The project expanded during progressive Roh Moo-hyun’s presidency. Yet nothing much was resolved between the two Koreas, even though Roh held a summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-il. Two conservative ROK presidents followed and bilateral relations tanked. In 2013 the DPRK suspended activity at the KIC; though the zone reopened a few months later, the South closed it after complaints that the hard currency earned was indirectly underwriting Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear programs.
Seoul should use Kaesong as a carrot but have modest expectations. The U.S. should work with the South to add sufficient flexibility to both American and United Nations sanctions to enable the industrial park’s reopening. Then the ROK should incorporate that possibility into a larger engagement initiative, but one also requiring North Korean concessions. To unconditionally open Kaesong’s doors would give Pyongyang a benefit that it would pocket, before demanding even more. Consider the fate of the liaison building constructed by Seoul.
Through everything, it is important to see the North plainly. Kim Jong-un is different from his father and grandfather: he wants economic development, is good at international diplomacy, and has a greater familiarity with the West. That does not make him a liberal, however.
Kim is no reformer like Mikhail Gorbachev, instead having ruthlessly executed anyone he perceived to be a threat to his power—including his uncle, who was believed to support a greater opening to the outside world. And though the events of 2018 gave great hope that a new era on the Korean peninsula had arrived, the DPRK has since sealed out the world. No doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic was an important factor. However, of late Kim has reversed course on economic reform and waged war against South Korean cultural influences. That suggests he has moved closer to Kims père and grand-père in viewing progress as a threat to his rule. ROK progressives, in particular, should temper hopes for any dramatic opening of the North, irrespective of Kaesong’s role. Especially since Kim is likely to take note that even his country’s supposed “friends” in the South hope to use the KIC to transform the North to his detriment.
Nor is the business park likely to do much to increase the DPRK’s faith in its interlocutors, which obviously would be necessary for any meaningful disarmament, let alone denuclearization, by the North. Song contended “that reopening the Kaesong industrial complex is a very critical point to building trust between the United States, South Korea, and North Korea.” Indeed, he seemed to fixate on America’s premier burger joint: “Can you imagine, if a McDonald’s store is located at the Kaesong industrial complex, it could be a strong symbolic sign that the United States does not have an intention to invade North Korea.”
This suggests that the no doubt well-intentioned Song should redirect his search for solutions. The ROK must deal with North Korea as it is, not as most everyone around the world wishes it would be. That should mean, first, creating an adequate military deterrent. This is the most basic responsibility of any state, whether run by conservatives or liberals. And if Seoul wants to make its own decisions in its own interest, it cannot forever rely on the U.S., in which many people are tired of subsidizing well-heeled allies and which will face increasing domestic financial strains.
Second, the South should develop a program directed at the real DPRK, a totalitarian state whose leader wants greater economic and diplomatic integration in the world but evidently fears the impact on his rule. It won’t be easy to thread the needle, but it is vital that South Koreans understand what and who they are dealing with. Kaesong might be one piece of the puzzle, but it is only one, and a fairly small one at that. Whether McDonald’s comes or goes isn’t likely to matter.
Next year’s presidential election could yet again result in a dramatic change in the South’s political direction. Relations with North Korea will be a vital issue, as always, and will present a difficult challenge to whoever wins. If that is Song’s progressives, they need to recognize that Pyongyang’s leadership is not like everyone else. And make policy accordingly.
Doug Bandow is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. A former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is author of several books, including Tripwire: Korea and U.S. Foreign Policy in a Changed World and co-author of The Korean Conundrum: America’s Troubled Relations with North and South Korea.
Image: Reuters
11.
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.
