Quotes of the Day:

“Evil people always support each other; that is their chief strength.”

– Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“A seed grows with no sound, but a tree falls with huge noise. Destruction has noise, but creation is quiet. This is the power of silence… Grow silently.” 

– Confucius

"No one of understanding says that our system works perfectly. It does not. The human race is not perfect. Nevertheless, the movement of a true civilization is toward freedom rather than regimentation. This is our ideal." 

– Herbert Hoover

1. South Korea’s reunification plan based on human rights risks deepening row with the North

2. N. Korea slams U.S. nuclear strategy, vows to build up nuclear arms

3. Denuclearization of North Korea — Passed Over in Democratic and Republican Platforms — Erupts as an Issue at Seoul

4. Presidential office says discussions with U.S. taking place over nuclear plant project in Czech Republic

5. S. Korea, US to build capabilities against 'any type' of NK nuclear threats: foreign ministry

6. What Would Kamala Harris Do on North Korea?

7. South Korean drivers scramble to get rid of electric vehicles, citing safety concerns following fires

8. Sung Kim to receive US diplomatic award

9. North Korea could create a 'nuclear domino' effect in Asia: Seoul

10. Historic former U.S. base near DMZ to become stronghold of culture and learning

11. North Korean ‘gray zone provocations’ are targeted during large-scale joint drills

12. North Korea to fuel Russian space city with 500 workers

13. South Korea Expands Missile Export Range to 500km for Middle Eastern Clients

14. North Korea’s International Network for Artificial Intelligence Research

15. 'Anti-communist literature' that neutralized North Korean propaganda

16. “North Korean flood victim who shouted ‘Long Live Putin’ was dragged away by the Ministry of State Security”

17. Argentina Arrests Russian Man for Laundering $100 Million in Cryptocurrency Stolen from North Korea

Please note:

Small Wars Journal is in the process of some major changes. The Small Wars Foundation is working closely with the new owners of the website at Arizona State University (ASU). We are transitioning to a new staff, a new website, and rebranding that will honor SWJ's important legacy and forge a powerful new discourse on small wars, irregular warfare, and competitive statecraft. Small Wars Journal will continue to publish original works from authentic voices across the spectrum of stakeholders in small wars. 

https://smallwarsjournal.com/

1. South Korea’s reunification plan based on human rights risks deepening row with the North

Again, I have to throw a BS flag on this article and this dangerous and counterproductive thinking.

If we don't execute a human rights upfront approach we are ceding a win to Kim Jong Un's political warfare strategy. We must not be deterred by arguments that human rights will prevent engagement or a denuclearization agreement.

Recall during the 1980s, even as President Raegan was pushing arms control with the USSR (which we should NOT do with nK) he never abandoned human rights (Gorbachev, "tear down this wall.")

Human Rights are not only a moral imperative but a national security issue as well because Kim must deny the human rights of the Korean people in the north to remain in power and he must deny their human rights and make them suffer and sacrifice in order to develop nuclear weapons and missiles.

Tell me you are willing to sacrifice the human rights (and lives of many) of 25 million Koreans in pursuit of a fantasy denuclearization agreement based on 70 years of history Kim Jong Un will simply cheat on and not ever execute or live up to.

South Korea’s reunification plan based on human rights risks deepening row with the North

• President Yoon Suk-yeol has called for ‘proactive’ steps in bringing about changes in the North through ideas of freedom

Park Chan-kyong

+ FOLLOWPublished: 4:45pm, 22 Aug 2024

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3275468/south-koreas-reunification-plan-based-human-rights-risks-deepening-row-north

South China Morning Post · August 22, 2024

In his speech on Liberation Day on August 15 marking the end of Japan’s 1910-1945 rule over Korea, Yoon emphasised the need to expose North Koreans to ideas of freedom by providing them with access to outside information.

“We must be more proactive in expanding the value of freedom to the North and inducing substantive changes. Above all, we will take a multifaceted approach to significantly improve human rights in North Korea,” Yoon said.

Yoon also proposed the creation of an inter-Korean working group to address a range of issues including tension reduction, economic cooperation and climate change.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during the celebration of the 79th National Liberation Day in Seoul on August 15. Photo: EPA-EFE

Kim told the media despite Pyongyang’s efforts to suppress foreign influence, North Koreans have been secretly watching and sharing South Korean dramas. He also referred to a law passed by the North last year prohibiting using South Korean-style language.

In 2020, Pyongyang passed a law banning foreign cultures and ideas, imposing harsh punishments on those caught consuming or distributing them.

Kim also emphasised the Yoon administration’s doctrine reflected South Korea’s constitution on the indivisibility of the Korean peninsula and the pursuit of peaceful reunification under a free democracy.

However, analysts say Yoon’s doctrine represented a shift from the South’s traditional reunification strategy, which has been based on mutual respect and exchanges.

“Yoon’s reunification formula marks a departure from the existing approach as it seeks changes in the North despite the lack of reconciliation,” Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told This Week in Asia.

01:27

North Korean trash balloons flying into South seen at border

North Korean trash balloons flying into South seen at border

“Regardless of the South’s intentions, the North is likely to perceive this as a hostile move, viewing it as an attempt by the South to instigate regime change by exposing North Koreans to outside information.”

In 1989, Seoul mooted the “Korean National Community Reunification Formula”, calling for a two-stage reunification process. Under this policy, the first stage entailed a confederation by building inter-Korean economic and social communities followed by a final stage of a unified Korea under one government.

Despite his initial scepticism, the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il found some similarities between Seoul’s proposal and Pyongyang’s concept of reunification through a Koryo (Korea) confederation.

This understanding led to a historic inter-Korean summit between him and the late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung in 2000, ushering in a reconciliation phase and bilateral exchanges.

However, the detente did not survive the conservative shift in South Korea’s politics in 2008.

Then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il raise their arms before signing a joint declaration during a summit in Pyongyang. Photo: AP

Reconciliation resumed under former liberal President Moon Jae-in but the failure of the 2019 summit in Hanoi between former US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-il’s successor and son, Kim Jong-un, halted progress on exchanges between the two Koreas.

Koh Yu-hwan, an emeritus political science professor from Dongguk University, said Seoul’s new unification policy was openly aiming to create divisions between North Koreans and their regime through campaigns promoting freedom and human rights. “This contradicts the South’s offer for dialogue,” he added.

The policy is likely aimed at rallying conservative support behind Yoon, who has faced low approval ratings and mounting calls for investigations into several scandals including one involving his wife Kim Keon-hee, according to Koh.

Lim Eul-chul, a senior analyst at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said South Korean authorities likely thought that Pyongyang could be losing its grip on the population, making it an opportune moment to push for reunification through absorption.

“But it’s another matter whether the South can achieve this,” he cautioned.

A worker dismantles loudspeakers set up for propaganda broadcasts near the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea. Photo: AP

Earlier this year, Kim Jong-un declared that inter-Korean ties had become permanently fixed as relations between two hostile states, effectively repudiating the reunification goal governing inter-Korean ties since 1991.

In recent months, tensions have flared with the North launching trash-filled balloons across the border in retaliation for anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by South Korean activists, many of whom were former defectors.

In response, South Korea resumed propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers along the border.

South China Morning Post · August 22, 2024

2. N. Korea slams U.S. nuclear strategy, vows to build up nuclear arms

I can hear the gnashing of teeth and see the wringing of hands and the cries of "Oh no, we are causing Kim Jong Un to increase his nuclear arsenal. We must abandon our nuclear strategy so he will not increase his nuclear threats."

At least we know Kim is paying attention. Maybe we should use that to our advantage.

N. Korea slams U.S. nuclear strategy, vows to build up nuclear arms | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Park Sang-soo · August 24, 2024

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Saturday strongly lashed out at a revised U.S. nuclear strategy plan, vowing to further strengthen its nuclear capability.

Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that President Joe Biden approved the revised strategy in March this year to focus on China's growing nuclear threats and prepare for possible coordinated nuclear challenges from North Korea, China and Russia.

Biden's approval of the revised strategy, called the "Nuclear Employment Guidance," came amid North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats, China's rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal and Russia's perceived nuclear saber-rattling.

"The DPRK will as ever bolster up its strategic strength in every way to control and eliminate all sorts of security challenges that may result from the U.S. dangerous nuclear posture readjustment, and resolutely counter any type of nuclear threat," a spokesperson from the North's foreign ministry said in a commentary carried out by its official Korea Central News Agency.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

This photo, captured from North Korea's Korean Central TV on April 8, 2023, shows the testing of a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone, called the Haeil-2, conducted from April 4-7. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

"No matter how desperately the U.S. may exaggerate the 'nuclear threat' from other countries, the DPRK will push forward the building of nuclear force sufficient and reliable enough to firmly defend the sovereignty and security interests of the country on its fixed timetable," the spokesperson said.

Nuclear threats from the three countries came into sharper focus recently as Russia has been deepening its strategic cooperation with both North Korea and China in the midst of its diplomatic isolation caused by Moscow's war in Ukraine.

In a telling sign of their burgeoning cooperation, Russia and the North signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty during their summit in June.

Russia and China have also boasted their "no limits" partnership, while Washington has decried Beijing for its support for Russia's defense industrial base.

sam@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Park Sang-soo · August 24, 2024

3. Denuclearization of North Korea — Passed Over in Democratic and Republican Platforms — Erupts as an Issue at Seoul

And Kim Jong Un is sitting in Pyongyang sipping cognac and smoking a cigarette (or many) and saying: "My work here is done. My political warfare strategy to divide the alliance is being executed successfully by Americans and Koreans in the South. Keep up the good work."

Paradoxically, the path to denuclearization is through establishment of a free and unified Korea and neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have embraced that seriously either.

Denuclearization of North Korea — Passed Over in Democratic and Republican Platforms — Erupts as an Issue at Seoul

Conservative government in South Korea responds almost angrily to absence of the issue from the party platforms in America.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends a ceremony featuring 600mm super-large multiple launch rocket systems at Pyongyang. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

DONALD KIRK

Friday, August 23, 2024

06:39:52 am

Gift this article

nysun.com

Seoul wants to make one thing totally clear: North Korea has got to denuclearize. The conservatives in power in South Korea are responding decisively, almost angrily, to the absence of “denuclearization” of the North from the platforms of both the Democratic and Republican parties.

The South’s unification minister, Kim Yung-ho, responding to a question from the Sun, called for revision of the platforms of both parties when it came to the issue of standing up to North Korea on its nuclear program.

“We can only hope there will be a mention of complete denuclearization” when the Sun asked him if he feared America under the next president would weaken its longstanding policy calling for complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization, known as CVID.

President Yoon of South Korea salutes during a repatriation ceremony to receive the remains of South Korean soldiers killed in the Korean War, on July 26, 2023. Jung Yeon-Je/Pool via AP, file

”The Korean government stance is clear,” he said. “We want complete denuclearization.” Otherwise, he warned, “there will be a nuclear domino effect throughout the region.” The inference, though he did not say so specifically, is that other countries would also go nuclear.

The Democrats gave an impression of backtracking, answering Seoul’s concerns, when a former deputy defense secretary, Colin Kahl, briefing reporters, said “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula remains an objective of this administration and, I would have to imagine, a Harris-Walz administration.”

The question of whether South Korea should develop its own nuclear weapons is a matter of intense debate among Koreans. South Korea has eight nuclear power plants with 25 reactors — and the technology and resources to produce nuclear warheads.

Increasingly, conservatives are calling for the South to produce its own warheads. The mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon, a member of the ruling People Power Party,has seized on the North firing balloons carrying trash into South Korea as reason to consider going nuclear.

South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, left, President Biden, and Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, on August 18, 2023, at Camp David. AP/Andrew Harnik

“As I witnessed the fifth round of trash balloons arriving today,” he said recently. “I could not help thinking that we should also develop nuclear capabilities.”

At a seminar sponsored by the Committee To Prepare for a New Future, a conservative grouping, a National Assembly member, Na Kyung-hwan, said “the time has come for us to arm ourselves with nuclear weapons too.”

The issue, though, has not yet risen to the level of a real possibility. The South’s conservative president, Yoon Suk-yeol, has said the idea is not an option while America is providing a “nuclear umbrella” for defense against North Korea leader Kim Jong-un’s threats to fire tactical nukes.

Japan is in an even better position to fabricate nuclear warheads. It possesses 30 nuclear power plants but is constrained from debate on going nuclear by memories of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II 79 years ago this month.

nysun.com

4. Presidential office says discussions with U.S. taking place over nuclear plant project in Czech Republic

The Republic of Korea is a global pivotal state that chooses to be a peaceful nuclear power and a partner in the arsenal of democracy that supports and defends the rules based international order with its friends, partners, and allies.

Presidential office says discussions with U.S. taking place over nuclear plant project in Czech Republic | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · August 24, 2024

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean presidential office said Saturday it is in close discussions with the U.S. government to resolve a dispute between the two countries' companies over a nuclear power plant construction project in the Czech Republic.

"We are in talks with the U.S. government through various channels to smoothly resolve the dispute," an official at the presidential office said, referring to the conflict between the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) and American energy firm Westinghouse Electric Co.

A South Korean consortium, led by KHNP, was named as the preferred bidder for a nuclear power plant project in the Czech Republic last month, which is estimated at around 24 trillion won (US$18.06 billion).

If a deal is finalized, it will mark the first time since 2009 that South Korea has won an overseas nuclear power plant construction project, following its contract to build the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates.

But the project is expected to be involved in an ongoing court case that Westinghouse raised against KHNP in 2022 to prevent the Korean company from exporting nuclear power plants to other nations under a U.S. export control regulation.

Last year, a U.S. district court dismissed the lawsuit, determining Westinghouse is not qualified to take the legal move as it "lacks a private cause of action," but the U.S. energy firm appealed the ruling.

The presidential office said it plans to "closely consult" with the U.S. on the matter to successfully export South Korea's nuclear power plant to the European country.

"The governments of South Korea and the United States also have reached a consensus that the two sides need to cooperate on all aspects of energy, from nuclear power to renewable energies, including hydrogen," the presidential office said.

President Yoon Suk Yeol is arranging a visit to the Czech Republic next month to deepen bilateral economic ties and discuss the nuclear power project.

The presidential office in central Seoul (Yonhap)

nyway@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · August 24, 2024

5. S. Korea, US to build capabilities against 'any type' of NK nuclear threats: foreign ministry

​As we must. And then we will employ the right capability (conventional or nuclear) against the right threat at the right time. This is the good work of the NCG.

S. Korea, US to build capabilities against 'any type' of NK nuclear threats: foreign ministry

The Korea Times · August 23, 2024

Cho Chang-rae, head of the South Korean defense ministry's policy bureau, right, shakes hands with Vipin Narang, U.S. principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy in Va., in this photo provided by the Defense Ministry, July 12. Yonhap

South Korea and the United States will continue efforts to enhance practical capabilities and readiness to respond to "any type" of North Korean nuclear threats, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.

The ministry made the statement after The New York Times reported that U.S. President Joe Biden approved a secret strategy in March to focus on China's growing nuclear threats and prepare his country for possible coordinated nuclear challenges from North Korea, China and Russia.

The highly confidential Nuclear Employment Guidance, updated around every four years, was only distributed to a handful of security officials and Pentagon commanders, the newspaper said.

When asked to comment with regard to the news report, a foreign ministry official in Seoul said the allies are continuing to enhance the effectiveness of extended deterrence, citing the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), in response to the North's advancing nuclear and missile threats.

"Going forward, the U.S. and South Korea will continue to develop practical capabilities and readiness to effectively deter and respond to any type of North Korean nuclear threats," the official said on condition of anonymity, without elaborating further.

The NCG was launched last year to strengthen the U.S.' commitment to using the full range of its capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

As part of the NCG efforts, the defense officials of the two sides signed a set of nuclear deterrence guidelines in July, but questions have lingered over what the guidelines actually entail as the details have been kept undisclosed. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · August 23, 2024

6. What Would Kamala Harris Do on North Korea?

Many have and are in the process of writing policy (and strategy) recommendations for the next administration, whoever may be elected in November.

Here is one from a working group led by Ambassador Robert Joseph which explains why our policies have failed for decades. I think this is the first or at least one of the earliest proposals to go to the campaigns from both parties.

National Strategy for Countering North Korea

https://nipp.org/information_series/robert-joseph-robert-collins-joseph-detrani-nicholas-eberstadt-olivia-enos-david-maxwell-and-greg-scarlatoiu-national-strategy-for-countering-north-korea-no-545-january-23-2023/

Since the emergence of the nuclear threat from North Korea in the early 1990s, the primary objective of U.S. policy has been to convince Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program. While successive administrations have adopted different combinations of incentives and disincentives to achieve this end, all have pursued denuclearization through diplomacy and negotiations as the signature component of their North Korea policy. All have failed. Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s Eve call for an “exponential increase” in the North’s nuclear arsenal only underscores the need for a fundamental shift in U.S. policy.[1]

​However, the answer does not lie in lifting sanctions, making concessions, and pursuing arms control negotiations.

What Would Kamala Harris Do on North Korea?

If Kamala Harris wins the 2024 election, she will face the same problem many of her peers confronted: a North Korea steadfastly committed to retaining its nuclear weapons arsenal.

The National Interest · by Daniel R. DePetris · August 23, 2024

Every U.S. president over the last two decades has arrived at the White House thinking that with enough perseverance, resolve and dexterity, they can solve—or at the least substantially mitigate—the North Korea conundrum. Without fail, every single U.S. president over the last two decades has left that very same building passing on the conundrum to their successors.

President George W. Bush entered the job highly skeptical of the Clinton administration’s “Agreed Framework” deal with Pyongyang, tore it up, and began the process of enacting a U.N. Security Council sanctions regime against the North Korean economy to pressure the Kim dynasty into eliminating its nuclear weapons program. The result: failure.

In 2009, President Barack Obama vowed to talk to Washington’s traditional adversaries if they were willing to “unclench" their fists and in 2012 even arrived at an understanding with the North Koreans known as the “Leap Day Deal,” which traded a nuclear and missile launch moratorium for U.S. aid. Yet after that arrangement blew up months later, Obama largely gave up on diplomacy with the North, spending the rest of his presidency piling on the sanctions pressure and hoping Pyongyang would reform its ways.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, started blustery but came to see top-level diplomacy with Kim Jong-un as his best chance to wriggle something out of the North. It didn’t work; the two men walked away from their second summit in Hanoi in February 2019 with nothing to show for it. As far as President Biden’s tenure, there's frankly nothing much to say.

If Kamala Harris wins the 2024 election, she will face the same problem many of her peers confronted: a North Korea steadfastly committed to retaining its nuclear weapons arsenal. The only difference is that North Korea has more of those weapons in its stockpile today than it did previously, not to mention an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program, newer launch platforms to shoot off those missiles if the time comes, and a more impatient Kim Jong-un who no longer seems to care whether Washington extends him an olive branch or not.

Harris would also be starting her work in a more hostile geopolitical environment—hostile not because the U.S. is on the cusp of losing its power and influence in East Asia but rather because North Korea is now in a better position to refuse U.S. demands and counteract U.S. economic pressure. Unlike in 2017, when North Korea's nuclear development was still very much a unified issue for the U.N. Security Council, the Kim dynasty is essentially walled off from further sanctions at the U.N. level and has gone to considerable lengths to improve its bilateral relationships with Russia and China, two powers that aren’t necessarily thrilled with North Korea’s behavior but have nevertheless chosen to look the other way to complicate Washington’s policy agenda in the region.

The North Koreans have cannily used Russia’s desperation in Ukraine to become Moscow’s go-to foreign source for basic munitions—the U.S. State Department assesses that North Korea has sent more than 11,000 containers of munitions to the Russians since September 2023—and have parlayed that into a comprehensive strategic partnership with Moscow. Kim likely hopes that his budding ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin will unnerve Chinese President Xi Jinping to the point where Beijing increases its assistance to North Korea in the form of agricultural equipment, food aid, machinery, and diplomatic cover.

Harris won’t have much to work with, so she is likely to take the path of least resistance by putting Biden’s North Korea policy on auto-pilot. With Pyongyang not amenable to dialogue with Washington, she will focus on the deterrence side of the coin—redoubling the U.S.-South Korea alliance and bolstering the trilateral security arrangement between the U.S., South Korea and Japan (an item that was mentioned in the 2024 Democratic Party Platform). Expect more visits by U.S. nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines in South Korean ports, more fly-overs of the Korean Peninsula by strategic assets like the B-2 bomber, and more talking points about why nothing short of a disarmed North Korea is acceptable.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. On North Korea policy specifically, the U.S. has been consistently insane. Washington can’t get out of the trap unless it understands a basic concept many analysts in the Beltway are too thick-headed to acknowledge: the Kim dynasty is never going to denuclearize. If the U.S. wants to make progress on the North Korean file, it needs to tailor economic and political concessions to realistic asks that the North Koreans might accept such as a suspension of North Korean nuclear and ICBM tests, re-entering the 2018 military de-escalation accord with South Korea and working with the international community and the U.S. specifically on risk-reduction measures that will minimize the prospects of conflict. The alternative, adopting the same old stance, is no alternative at all.

About the Author:

Daniel R. DePetris is a fellow at Defense Priorities and a syndicated foreign affairs columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

The National Interest · by Daniel R. DePetris · August 23, 2024

7. South Korean drivers scramble to get rid of electric vehicles, citing safety concerns following fires

Does this foreshadow anything for the US?

South Korean drivers scramble to get rid of electric vehicles, citing safety concerns following fires

There are more than half a million EVs in South Korea, accounting for about 2 per cent of registered vehicles

Lim Yun Suk

@YunSukCNA

Jalelah Abu Baker

@JalelahCNA

23 Aug 2024 08:50PM

(Updated: 23 Aug 2024 08:55PM)

channelnewsasia.com

SEOUL: South Korean taxi driver Park Jeong-soon bought his electric vehicle (EV) about four months ago as he wanted to spend less on fuel.

The switch has had the intended effect – he now pays around 400,000 won (US$299) per month – about a third of what he used to fork out for his previous car powered by diesel.

While he is happy with the savings, recent incidents of EV fires are putting him on edge.

"In my apartment, I charge my car fully in the underground parking lot, and that makes me nervous,” he told CNA.

On Aug 1, a Mercedes-Benz electric sedan with batteries made by Chinese company Farasis Energy caught fire in the underground garage of an apartment in the South Korean city of Incheon.

The blaze took over eight hours to extinguish and reportedly damaged more than 100 cars. More than 20 people also suffered smoke inhalation and had to be hospitalised.

Preliminary investigations show that the fire was made worse because the sprinklers in the parking lot did not work properly.

Just days later, a Kia EV6 burned out in a parking tower in South Chungcheong province, taking more than an hour to put out.

In a report published in February, the Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters said 1,399 fires occurred in underground parking lots in South Korea between 2013 and 2022 with 43.7 per cent attributed to vehicles.

It said electrical sources accounted for more than half of car fires in underground garages.

EV ADOPTION IN SOUTH KOREA

Currently, about 14 per cent of the 240,000 registered taxis across South Korea are EVs.

They are among more than half a million EVs in the country, which account for about 2 per cent of registered vehicles.

However, safety concerns are now hurting South Korea's EV market.

Used-car dealer Song Su-chan said more EV owners are trying to sell their cars but there are few takers.

"We have (EVs) being put on the market, but we can’t accommodate them because they’re just not selling. We need to be able to sell one to buy another,” said Mr Song, who has 45 years of experience in the trade.

“Even if the prices drop, the deals are not happening. We used to sell a few units a day, but now, not even one or two,”

Other dealers at Seoul’s largest used-car market Jang-an-dong had similar stories to tell.

According to used-car trading platform K Car, listings from motorists wanting to sell EVs rose 184 per cent in the first week of August from a week before.

One dealer for second-hand Mercedes Benz EVs said while he has received enquiries from potential buyers, most of them just wanted to know if prices will fall further.

FEARS OVER EVs

Experts said the massive damage after the recent Mercedes Benz EV fire has changed people's perspectives on EVs.

It was the first time such a large-scale incident took place, noted automotive and transportation design academic Kwon Yong-joo.

“Before, if one or two cars caught fire, people were somewhat able to accept it. But when one vehicle causes damage to 160 cars … that’s a huge shock. This leads people to think: ‘Should I really keep driving an electric vehicle?”” said the adjunct professor from Kookmin University.

Because of such fires, EVs are now banned from some places like underground apartment parking lots, hospitals and even public parking spaces in downtown Seoul.

Professor Kwon believes the negative sentiments will cool down, especially since the government is putting in place new measures, including urging carmakers to reveal what batteries they use.

Still, other observers said more needs to be done, given that EVs are here to stay. The government also needs to enforce strict regulations to make sure safety measures like sprinklers are in place, they added.

channelnewsasia.com

8. Sung Kim to receive US diplomatic award

One of our great diplomats in the modern era.

Presidents should consider the efficacy of appointing career foreign service officers to multiple ambassadorships in critical countries.

Sung Kim to receive US diplomatic award

koreaherald.com · by Kan Hyeong-woo · August 23, 2024

Former US ambassador to S. Korea, now Hyundai Motor adviser, recognized for decadeslong diplomatic service in Asia

By Kan Hyeong-woo

Published : Aug. 23, 2024 - 14:27

Sung Kim, Hyundai Motor Group advisor (Hyundai Motor Group)

Sung Kim, a former United States ambassador to South Korea and currently an adviser for Hyundai Motor Group, has been chosen as this year’s recipient of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy’s George F. Kennan Award for Distinguished Public Service, the Korean auto conglomerate said Friday.

The NCAFP, which was established in 1974 as a think tank for supporting the US government’s diplomatic and foreign policies, underscored that Kim has built an outstanding diplomatic career and greatly contributed to US diplomacy as he held the ambassador post in not only Korea but also the Philippines and Indonesia.

“I think that this award goes beyond individual achievements and is the result of the efforts of many colleagues who have served in public service together for a long time,” said Kim.

“I will continue to make efforts to bring positive changes to the international community and diplomacy.”

The award was established in 1994 to honor late George F. Kennan, a US diplomat best known for his successful advocacy of a containment policy to oppose Soviet expansionism in the aftermath of World War II.

Kim joined the foreign service at the US State Department in 1988 and held the ambassador post in South Korea from 2011 to 2014, in the Philippines from 2016 to 2020 and in Indonesia from 2020 to 2023. He also served as the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs and US special representative for North Korea.

Hyundai Motor Group appointed Kim as an adviser in January this year to bolster its ability to predict the uncertain global business environment and lay the foundation for sustainable performances. Kim has supported Hyundai Motor Group’s foreign market strategies and global commerce and policy measures while strengthening its networking capabilities.

koreaherald.com · by Kan Hyeong-woo · August 23, 2024

9. North Korea could create a 'nuclear domino' effect in Asia: Seoul

north Korea, as a member of the Dark Quad, may be the head domino.

North Korea could create a 'nuclear domino' effect in Asia: Seoul - UPI.com

By Thomas Maresca

 Aug. 22, 2024 / 5:16 AM

upi.com

South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho speaks at a press conference with Seoul foreign press in Seoul, South Korea on Thursday. Kim said he hoped the next U.S. administration would adopt North Korean denuclearization as a policy goal. Photo by Jeon Heon-kyun/EPA-EFE

SEOUL, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Recognizing North Korea as a nuclear state threatens to create a domino effect that will cause an arms race around Northeast Asia, Seoul's top official on inter-Korean affairs warned Thursday, as he called on the United States to reaffirm support for denuclearization on the Peninsula.

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho made the remarks at a press briefing for foreign journalists while discussing the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

Neither the Democratic nor Republican platforms mention denuclearization as a goal for American policy on North Korea -- a departure from the Democrats' 2020 platform and an omission that has sparked some concern in the South.

Kim, whose ministry oversees inter-Korean relations, said he believes that either incoming administration will take a closer look at the North Korean nuclear issue when taking office.

"Whichever party comes in, there will be a North Korean policy review at the beginning and during this process, we sincerely hope there will be a mention of the complete denuclearization of North Korea as one of the priorities," Kim said. "The South Korean government will also work closely to ensure that this idea is implemented in U.S. policy."

North Korea and the United States held nuclear negotiations during a period of detente in 2018 and 2019, but discussions ended after a Hanoi summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump ended without an agreement.

Pyongyang restarted its weapons programs and in 2022 passed a law officially declaring itself a nuclear state with the right to conduct pre-emptive strikes -- a decision Kim Jong Un called "irreversible."

On Thursday, the minister emphasized the importance of strengthening deterrence against North Korea's provocations and protecting the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty regime.

"The South Korean government's stance is clear that we want the complete denuclearization of North Korea," Kim said. "When we start to recognize North Korea as a nuclear state, there will be instability in Northeast Asia. There will be a nuclear domino for the countries surrounding the region, and this will be the fall of the NPT regime."

Kim's remarks come a week after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outlined a vision for unification with North Korea and offered to open a working group for dialogue.

Yoon's blueprint for unification includes sparking change within the North through access to information from the outside world.

Kim echoed the importance of information reaching North Koreans, citing a ministry survey that found 80% of defectors had seen foreign media, including South Korean dramas and movies, within a year before escaping the country.

"There is a high level of voluntary desire for media content from North Korean people, " he said. "We will try our best to make sure that North Koreans' access to outside information is protected."

Two North Korean defectors made risky crossings at the inter-Korean border this month, with some speculation that South Korean propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts may have contributed to their decisions.

Seoul has been conducting the broadcasts in the DMZ since mid-July, blasting K-pop songs and South Korean news and information across the border.

The move came in response to North Korea sending thousands of balloons carrying scrap paper, shredded clothing and manure into the South since early June, including one that spilled trash on President Yoon's compound.

upi.com

10. Historic former U.S. base near DMZ to become stronghold of culture and learning

Nearly three years of my life was spent here. I met my wife here.

When I was there it was home first to 1-9th Infantry (Manchu - Keep up the Fire) and then 1-506th Infantry (Currahee - Stands Alone)

DMZ patrolling was one of the best "peacetime" (armistice) missions for infantry soldiers during the Cold War when the US was not employed in direct combat because the patrols were all live ammunition combat patrols (to include claymore mines and on call indirect fires, 4.2in and 81mm mortars and 155mm artillery)  with the intent to engage the enemy if they were caught crossing the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the DMZ (and we did in depth ROE training!). Some of the best small units (squads and platoons) were trained and employed at Camp Greaves (and the other infantry battalions in 2ID at Camp Casey) and on the DMZ. If I were king for a day we would return US troops to patrol the DMZ but this time throughout the DMZ and integrated and partnered with ROK units (TACON) rather than having a separate "American Sector" like we had.

Thursday

August 22, 2024

 dictionary + A - A 

Historic former U.S. base near DMZ to become stronghold of culture and learning

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-08-22/national/socialAffairs/Historic-former-US-base-near-DMZ-to-become-stronghold-of-culture-and-learning/2118521

Published: 22 Aug. 2024, 17:39

Updated: 23 Aug. 2024, 15:11

Korea JoongAng Daily

Historic former U.S. base near DMZ to become stronghold of culture and learning

4 min

People view the exhibits at Greaves Gallery, which was formerly a bowling alley for U.S. forces. It was remodeled to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire, showcasing the Korean War Armistice Agreement and the stories of student soldiers. [GYEONGGI PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT]

More sections of a historic former U.S. military base north of  Seoul will open to the public in October.

The Gyeonggi provincial government announced on Thursday that the accessible areas of  Camp Greaves in Paju, Gyeonggi, will be expanded to include 10 exhibition buildings, including an ammunition depot.

Under the local government’s plan, 33 percent, or 39,000 square meters (419,792 square feet) of the camp’s total 118,395 square meters will be open to visitors, a significant increase from the current 2 percent. 

Visitors can reach the camp by taking an 850-meter (2,788 feet) gondola ride across the Imjin River.

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A gondola that operates from Imjingak, a park located on the banks of the Imjin River in Paju, Gyeonggi, to Camp Greaves. [PAJU CITY GOVERNMENT]

The Gyeonggi government says it is actively preparing to welcome tourists by creating visitor programs and installing amenities and infrastructure, such as water supply systems, wastewater treatment plants and water and sewage lines.

Camp Greaves's buildings, built between 1950 and 1990, are due to undergo remodeling. The project will preserve the facades' original architectural style while updating the interiors with the latest equipment. 

Camp Greaves served as the base of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Division's 506th Infantry Regiment for about 50 years after the armistice ending the 1950-53 Korean War was signed in July 1953.

U.S. soldiers were stationed at the base until August 2004, when its last American occupants were deployed to Iraq. The land was returned to the Korean government in 2007.

The buildings of Camp Greaves hold significant modern and contemporary historical value, offering insights into the lives of U.S. soldiers and the architectural style of that era, according to the Gyeonggi provincial government.

A facility in Camp Greaves that was remodeld into an exhibition hall. [GYEONGGI PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT]

The Gyeonggi provincial government plans to transform the ammunition depot into a gallery space featuring multimedia displays and installation artwork, while the orderly room and staff sergeant dormitory will exhibit materials related to the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC). One of the buildings will be restored as a military officers’ office from the period immediately following the armistice.

Other facilities, such as the supply room and restrooms, will be converted into galleries and interactive spaces related to the Korean War and the U.S. armed forces in Korea. A former U.S. military vehicle depot will be repurposed as a rest area. 

Visitors can also access additional amenities, including a ticket booth, information desk and public restrooms.

The local government has operated the Camp Greaves DMZ Experience Center since 2013 through an agreement with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The center is approximately 2 kilometers from the DMZ and offers diverse programs, including educational tours.

Since 2022, the city has also managed the 2,760-square-meter Greaves Gallery, which it took over from the ministry.

The existing Greaves Gallery, formerly a bowling alley for U.S. forces, was remodeled to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of active hostilities in the Korean War. It showcases the signing of the armistice and the stories of Korean student soldiers. 

Over 490,000 individuals visited the gallery via the Paju Imjingak Peace Gondola in 2023.

Cho Chang-bum, head of the Peace and Cooperation Bureau of Gyeonggi, said they are “repairing decrepit facilities and developing programs to shed more light on  Camp Greaves,” which he called a “special area” that the provincial government hopes will help visitors “remember the past and understand the present.”

BY JEON IK-JIN, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]

11.  North Korean ‘gray zone provocations’ are targeted during large-scale joint drills

north Korea has been a master of the gray zone for seven decades and long before we invented or discovered the gray zone.

North Korean ‘gray zone provocations’ are targeted during large-scale joint drills

Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · August 23, 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to point to a spot south of South Korea's capital in this image released by the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on April 11, 2023. (Rodong Sinmun)

SEOUL, South Korea — The U.S. and South Korea for the first time are developing plans for combatting wartime disinformation as part of a broader military exercise underway throughout the country.

U.S. Forces Korea, the National Intelligence Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Korea Communications Commission met at an unspecified command center Tuesday to respond to North Korea’s “gray zone provocations,” or the spread of false information, according to a Ministry of National Defense news release Thursday.

Officials discussed potential threats, including spoofed government messages and viral, manipulated videos, the release said. USFK did not immediately respond Friday to an emailed request for comment about the meeting.

The disinformation conference was one element of Ulchi Freedom Shield, 11 days of air, land and sea training between the U.S. and South Korea. The exercise kicked off Aug. 19 and includes roughly 2,000 sorties by 200 aircraft, counterterrorism drills in Seoul and tests of the country’s ability to respond to a cyberattack, according to the National Defense Ministry.

Tuesday’s meeting was “an important steppingstone” for a government-wide response to disinformation, particularly in light of real-world cases from the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars, the ministry said.

The State Department and Defense Department have long accused the Russian government and Hamas of spreading disinformation to advance their interests on their respective fronts.

Russia-affiliated websites have been linked to the spread of COVID-19 misinformation and the proliferation of “Kremlin talking points with detailed knowledge of military systems and ongoing conflicts,” according to a State Department report in August 2020.

North Korea has also tapped into cyberspace to spread its propaganda to the South, according to a U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report in September 2021.

Seoul’s intelligence agencies accused the North of mimicking websites to steal data and spread malware, a practice known as spoofing, last year and alleged the communist regime was behind the hacking that left North Korean propaganda on government websites in 2013.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency frequently publishes statements accusing Seoul and Washington of destabilizing the region and claiming North Korean success in technological feats.

Following the successful launch of a spy satellite on Nov. 21, North Korea claimed the device took high-quality photos of U.S. military assets and the White House.

South Korea’s military alleged in February that the satellite was indeed orbiting in space but showed no indication it was transmitting images back to the North.

North Korea’s Foreign Affairs Ministry described the ongoing Ulchi Freedom exercise as a “beheading operation” and said it was offensive in nature, according to a KCNA report Sunday.

David Choi

David Choi

David Choi is based in South Korea and reports on the U.S. military and foreign policy. He served in the U.S. Army and California Army National Guard. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · August 23, 2024

12. North Korea to fuel Russian space city with 500 workers

One of the most important north Korean exports: labor.

North Korea to fuel Russian space city with 500 workers - Daily NK English

Russia, struggling to recruit workers domestically or abroad, is turning to North Korean laborers believed to be from the External Construction Guidance Bureau

By Han Jae-deok - August 23, 2024

dailynk.com · by Han Jae-deok · August 23, 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks around the Vostochny space base during his visit to Russia at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 13, 2023. (Rodong Sinmun-News1)

North Korea plans to send about 500 workers to Svobodny, a city near Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome, next month, according to a Daily NK source in Russia.

“Currently, 30,000 housing units for spaceport technicians are under construction at Svobodny. New workers from North Korea are making their way there,” the source said Tuesday, speaking anonymously.

Svobodny is where North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit last year.

“Around 10,000 workers from Uzbekistan and other members of the Commonwealth of Independence States are currently in Russia to help build housing for spaceport technicians,” the source said. “But the current workforce isn’t adequate to complete construction before the end of the year, so Russia wants to recruit North Korean workers as well.”

Russia is reportedly struggling to recruit workers domestically or abroad. The North Korean workers are believed to be from the External Construction Guidance Bureau.

During his visit last year, Kim reportedly discussed sending workers to help build facilities at Vostochny Cosmodrome. Shortly after, about 50 workers were sent to the city of Svobodny.

North Korean construction workers in Svobodny earn around 100,000 rubles ($1,570) monthly from Russian companies, similar to wages in other parts of Russia. However, after deductions, workers receive only 10,000 rubles ($160) monthly.

As North Korea-Russia ties improve, the number of North Korean workers in Russia is expected to increase significantly.

“At least 600 North Koreans were recently spotted at Vladivostok Airport. Stronger ties mean the number of North Korean workers in Russia will keep growing,” the source said.

Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.

Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean

dailynk.com · by Han Jae-deok · August 23, 2024

13. South Korea Expands Missile Export Range to 500km for Middle Eastern Clients

South Korea Expands Missile Export Range to 500km for Middle Eastern Clients

armyrecognition.com · by Halna du Fretay

• Defense News Army 2024

South Korea has decided to extend the range of its export missiles from 300 kilometers to 500 kilometers in response to requests from Middle Eastern countries, as reported by The Korean Economic Daily. This decision follows a recent National Security Council (NSC) meeting chaired by the Office of the President of South Korea. Military industry sources indicate that this extension is aimed at addressing concerns raised by several Middle Eastern countries regarding the limited range of South Korean multiple rocket launchers, including the K239 Chunmoo.

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South Korea’s decision to extend missile range follows the lifting of a 42-year-old restriction on its missile development program by the United States in 2021 (Picture source: Hanwha Defense)

The K239 Chunmoo, a South Korean multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) developed by Hanwha Defense, began production in 2015 and was quickly deployed by the South Korean military. Designed to replace the older K136 Kooryong system, the Chunmoo is highly adaptable and capable of firing various rocket types, including 130mm, 227mm, and 239mm munitions, with ranges from 36 kilometers to 160 kilometers depending on the rocket type. The system is mounted on an 8x8 truck chassis, providing mobility and protection for the crew. It is currently in service in South Korea and has been exported to countries such as Poland and the United Arab Emirates.

Key features of the Chunmoo include its 360° rotating launch system, precision-guided munitions, and the ability to mix different types of rockets in a single mission. The system can also deploy the Korea Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile (KTSSM), with a range of up to 200 kilometers and an accuracy of less than 2 meters. With a maximum speed of 90 km/h and an operational range of 800 kilometers, the Chunmoo is a powerful artillery system designed for long-range precision strikes and rapid deployment in various combat scenarios.

This decision is particularly significant for countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which have already invested in South Korea’s Chunmoo system. The UAE acquired the system in 2017, and Saudi Arabia has recently purchased and deployed it. Additionally, Hanwha Aerospace Co., a major South Korean defense company, signed a $1.64 billion contract in April to supply 72 units of the CTM-290 Chunmoo to Poland. This deal is part of a larger $22 billion agreement between South Korea and Poland, aimed at strengthening Poland’s military capabilities in response to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

South Korea’s decision to extend missile range follows the lifting of a 42-year-old restriction on its missile development program by the United States in 2021. Although this allows South Korea to develop ballistic missiles capable of reaching far beyond the Korean Peninsula, exports remain subject to the restrictions imposed by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). The MTCR, an informal political agreement among 35 member states, aims to prevent the proliferation of missile technology. South Korea became a member in 2001.

The Chunmoo system, as configured for Poland, has a maximum range of 290 kilometers due to MTCR restrictions. However, following the NSC decision, South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) is expected to approve modifications that would allow for increased missile range in exports. Experts believe South Korean defense companies will achieve this by reducing warhead weight, thereby extending range without violating international agreements.

This decision has raised concerns about potential conflicts with MTCR regulations, particularly regarding the export of weapons of mass destruction. However, officials argue that multiple rocket launchers, such as the Chunmoo system, fall under Category 2 of the MTCR, where the intent of the importing country is a key control criterion. As tensions rise in the Middle East, particularly with the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and the threat of broader regional conflict, extending the range of the Chunmoo system could allow it to strike deeper targets in Iran across the Persian Gulf.

This extension could also provoke a response from Russia, especially as South Korean weapons play an increasing role in Europe. Some analysts suggest that the United States may have supported the range extension, anticipating a greater role for South Korean arms in the European theater.

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armyrecognition.com · by Halna du Fretay

14. North Korea’s International Network for Artificial Intelligence Research

Graphics at the link.

Excerpt:

Conclusion

Amid global advancements in AI, North Korea lags behind leading countries like China and the United States. However, despite sanctions, North Korea persists in academic partnerships for potential AI research, often relying heavily on China. Given China’s prominent role in the global AI landscape, it is crucial to consider how its collaborations with North Korea may influence North Korea’s AI capabilities. Specifically, monitoring cooperation between Chinese universities with known relations with North Korea and its institutions is crucial in assessing the North’s AI research direction, as well as monitoring sanctions compliance. Universities could also establish internal compliance programs (ICP) to ensure that all students’ and faculty members’ activities meet sanctions and nonproliferation regulations. Furthermore, other countries’ academia could be exploited by North Korea, highlighting the need for enhancing due diligence in international collaborations.

North Korea’s International Network for Artificial Intelligence Research

https://www.38north.org/2024/08/north-koreas-international-network-for-artificial-intelligence-research/?utm

• By: Hyuk Kim
• August 21, 2024

In recent years, North Korea has undertaken substantial efforts to bolster its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. These endeavors include reforming legal and institutional frameworks and promoting specialized AI education programs within academia. However, the extent to which the nation is cultivating talent and acquiring necessary technology for AI development beyond its borders remains uncertain. Because AI is a dual-use technology with potential military applications, exploring North Korea’s international collaboration in AI development is crucial, particularly given United Nations Security Council Resolution 2321, adopted in November 2016, which prohibits scientific and technical cooperation with North Korea.

As part of 38 North’s AI-focused series, this report investigates North Korea’s foreign collaborations in AI development, drawing from analysis of co-authorships of DPRK scientific journal articles on AI, and select case studies to get a better sense of the country’s position within the global AI landscape. The findings are significant, especially considering North Korea’s continued engagement in collaborative AI research with foreign universities and individuals—especially those in China, the US and South Korea—where stringent sanctions and export controls are implemented.

Methodology

Capturing a comprehensive view of a country’s international collaborations for AI development at the national level is challenging. AI technology is comprised of a broad set of techniques akin to a field of study that lacks a single and universally adopted definition. It also serves as a horizontal technology, applicable across various platforms to enhance functionality rather than as a standalone product. Consequently, this study employs a keyword-based analysis focusing on AI-related technical terms rather than conceptual or end-use-based words to acquire more direct insight into North Korea’s research activities.

This study focuses on open-source publication data, including scientific journal articles and conference papers on AI that involve North Korean researchers, extracted from a database of peer-reviewed literature. A list of search keywords was generated using two types of information sources: North Korea’s legal national standards for AI and technical terms in the index sections of AI-related educational materials.

North Korea established legally binding national standards, called KPS (국규), for AI-related terms in the early 2000s. The KPS for AI is aligned with International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards 2382-28, 29, 31 and 34.[1] However, many terms defined in the respective ISO/IEC standards are conceptual and applicable across a broad range of academic fields, such as domain knowledge, knowledge base, and knowledge acquisition. Some terms more related to end-uses of AI, such as speech analysis and speech synthesis, were not considered in this analysis.

Furthermore, the ISO/IEC standards do not encompass many AI-specific technical terms. Because of this, the study sourced technical terms from the index of an AI-dedicated educational book to ensure comprehensive coverage. The keyword list derived from this index also includes terms for statistical methods commonly employed in AI research but not exclusive to AI, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). The project included such words to capture the widest possible scope of technical efforts by North Korea, albeit with the caveat of capturing scientific studies that are not strictly focused on AI.

Utilizing the keyword list of approximately 800 terms, this project gathered data on research studies published in North Korea from 2017 to 2023, a period subject to international sanctions. The data cleaning process included standardizing the names of universities and research institutes, as well as correcting misclassifications where South Korean entities were erroneously identified as North Korean.

North Korea’s Global Standing in Global AI Development

From a global perspective, when looking at the country’s publication volume, North Korea is not among the leading countries in AI development. From 2017 to 2023, 160 countries published over 2.5 million articles potentially involving AI, with China at the forefront, having published approximately 860,000 articles. China is followed by the United States, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Canada, and South Korea (Figure 1). Meanwhile, North Korea ranks 145th, with only 161 publications, comparable to the output of African countries like Togo and Swaziland.

However, using publication numbers as a quantitative measure may not accurately reflect the country’s AI capabilities, as the publication output is not necessarily proportional to technical capability. Furthermore, the database omits articles from North Korean domestic journals like the Journal of Kim Il Sung University and Information Science, which do not focus exclusively on AI but frequently feature AI-related content. Lastly, the project’s keyword list is a living document and may not encompass all AI and machine learning (ML)-related terms that North Korea might be focusing on.

Nevertheless, the significantly lower volume of publications from North Korea indicates that the country lags behind in academic research compared to other leading countries. In general, academia is crucial for supporting the AI industry by cultivating talent and conducting foundational studies, underpinning commercial AI development. Promoting AI-focused domestic educational programs and seeking international collaborations could be one of the major tasks that North Korea may need to focus on to keep abreast of progress made by other leading countries.

North Korea’s Research Collaborators for AI Development

During the specified period, North Korea co-authored with institutions from at least 12 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa and America. These countries include China, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Uganda, Canada and the United States. China was the most frequent collaborator, participating in roughly 70 publications, including studies directly involving AI. Many publications with other countries did not directly involve AI or were only nominally involved in co-authorship, such as writing a review paper summarizing an event in which North Korean scholars participated. Meanwhile, researchers affiliated with universities in South Korea and the United States each jointly published a paper on AI with North Korean scholars during the subject period, as covered in the select case studies below.

A total of 45 universities and research institutes share co-authorships with North Korean entities. Several Chinese universities in geographical proximity to North Korea, including Northeast Normal University, Northeastern University, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin Institute of Technology, and Harbin Engineering University, have been particularly active in potential AI research engagements with North Korea. Other notable collaborators include the University of Detroit Mercy in the United States and George Mason University’s campus in South Korea. These foreign universities primarily cooperated with three North Korean institutes: Kim Il-Sung University, National Academy of Science and Kim Chaek University of Technology.

Figure 2. North Korea’s Co-authorship Network. (Source: SCOPUS, Processed and created by Hyuk Kim. Size of node: the number of collaborations with other nodes. Color of node: Purple—North Korea, Red—China, Blue—Europe, Yellow—Asia, Black—America, Grey—Africa)

This suggests that North Korea’s international scientific collaborations on AI and related subjects have persisted despite the 2016 ban on such activities, including individuals affiliated with universities from the United States and South Korea. Furthermore, several Chinese universities that have collaborated with North Korea are currently on the US trade deny list called the Entity List due to their linkage with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). While there is no indication that North Korea’s international AI collaborations involve direct military applications, it remains critical to closely monitor these partnerships since technical know-how and tacit knowledge gained through these collaborations could potentially be diverted toward military AI development.

North Korea’s Research Collaborations on AI Development: Select Case Studies

North Korea’s research on AI between 2017 and 2023 spanned a wide array of industries, applications and academic fields. The relevant AI techniques were applied to textiles, robotics, telecommunications, aerospace and cybersecurity sectors. In addition, North Korea’s AI applications ranged from object detection to visual tracking, text-to-speech synthesis to remote sensing, and cryptocurrency. AI research topics extend into environmental, educational, medical, and geological studies, demonstrating North Korea’s broad scope of interest and investment in AI research.

Case Study 1: A Joint Publication With Chinese and American Universities

In 2017, North Korea published “Adaptive robust speed control based on recurrent elman neural network for sensorless PMSM servo drives.” The study aims to develop adaptive control schemes for sensorless permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) by employing a recurrent Elman neural network (RENN), suitable for processing sequential data.[2] PMSM is utilized in automation controls for industrial robots due to its high-power density, reliability, efficiency and controllability.[3] Furthermore, the removal of sensors from PMSMs can decrease their size and cost, enhancing their efficiency. However, this “sensorless” approach requires precise control to maintain the performance of PMSM, and North Korea applied AI techniques to tackle this technical hurdle. The study explicitly specified the intended end use of sensorless PMSM as joint motors in industrial robots. Possible dual-use applications of North Korea’s PMSM could include computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine tools, given the country’s heavy emphasis on CNC in its economic development. In addition, PMSM can also be used for a wide range of applications, such as aerospace science, the shipbuilding industry and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The study involves North Korean and Chinese universities that have most actively collaborated on potential AI research, as well as individuals affiliated with a university in the United States. North Korean author Myongguk Jong is a professor at Kim Chaek University of Technology. Another North Korean scholar, Ryongho Jon, earned his PhD from the School of Information Science and Engineering at Northeastern University in China, where Chinese scientist Zhanshan Wang is a professor. As a correspondence author, Wang might have played a crucial role in the project and brought extensive experience to the research given his extensive publications on PMSM and AI.[4] Moreover, the study involves Chaomin Luo, a scholar affiliated with the University of Detroit Mercy in the United States at the time of publication.

Wang and Luo’s involvement in the project does not necessarily constitute a violation of the sanctions. For instance, in 2016, the four scholars had already published a paper on sensorless PMSM under grants identical to the study published in 2017, provided by Chinese foundations such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.[5] This indicates the publications could have been deliverables for a multi-year project that commenced and had possibly concluded before the adoption of the sanctions measures on technical cooperation in 2016.

Case Study 2: A Joint Publication With South Korean Universities

In June 2019, South Korea and North Korea jointly published “A Study on Features for Improving Performance of Chinese OCR by Machine Learning.” Specifically, the study involves Chul Kim, a scholar affiliated with George Mason University in Incheon, South Korea, and Jangsu Kim and U Ju Kim from Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. Three scholars applied ML techniques, including k-Nearest-Neighbor (KNN) and tree classifier, to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of an optical character recognition system (OCR) designed to convert printed Chinese characters into digital information. The paper states that the authors planned to focus on behavioral authentication as a future endeavor by developing a signature verification system applicable to both off- and online domains. It is uncertain if the collaboration has continued for the authentication system as there has been no other publication by the authors added to the database since 2019.

Conclusion

Amid global advancements in AI, North Korea lags behind leading countries like China and the United States. However, despite sanctions, North Korea persists in academic partnerships for potential AI research, often relying heavily on China. Given China’s prominent role in the global AI landscape, it is crucial to consider how its collaborations with North Korea may influence North Korea’s AI capabilities. Specifically, monitoring cooperation between Chinese universities with known relations with North Korea and its institutions is crucial in assessing the North’s AI research direction, as well as monitoring sanctions compliance. Universities could also establish internal compliance programs (ICP) to ensure that all students’ and faculty members’ activities meet sanctions and nonproliferation regulations. Furthermore, other countries’ academia could be exploited by North Korea, highlighting the need for enhancing due diligence in international collaborations.

1. [1]
2. Iso/IEC 2382-28 was eventually replaced by ISO/ICE 2382:2015. However, each term is marked with the original document and can be traced to what was written in 2382-28. See: Kang Yeong-sil, “2000년대 초 북한의 인공지능 개념과 범위 [The Concept the Scope of Artificial Intelligence in North Korea in the Early 2000s],” NK Tech, June 10, 2020; and “‘북한의 인공지능 뛰어나다’? [‘North Korea’s artificial intelligence exceptional’?],” NKTechTV, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBbWo-rkzJg.
3. [2]
4. “Sequential data” refers to data organized in a sequence where order matters, and can be replicable, such as a time series or sensor data.
5. [3]
6. See Pierre-Yves Brulin, Fouad Khenfri and Nassim Rizoug, “Generating Fault Databases Through Simulated and Experimental Multi-Rotor UAV Propulsion Systems,” IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology 73, no. 4 (2024): 4671-4682, https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10387779; and “Permanent Magnet Motors for Drones,” Unmanned Systems Technology, October 20, 2023, https://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/expo/permanent-magnet-motors-for-drones/.
7. [4]
8. See Ryongho Jon, Zhanshan Wang, Chaeomin Luo and Myongguk Jong, “Adaptive robust speed control based on recurrent elman neural network for sensorless PMSM servo drives,” Neurocomputing 222, (2017): 131-141,  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925231216313455; Zhanshan Wang, Longhu Quan and Ziuchong Liu, “Sensorless SPMSM Position Estimation Using Position Estimation Error Suppression Control and EKF in Wide Speed Range,” Mathematical Problems in Engineering 2014, no. 1 (2014): 1-11, https://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2014/480640/; Longhu Quan, Zhanshan Wang and Xiuchong Liu, “Sensorless control of SPMSM using complex number model based position estimation and EKF,” IEEE, (2014): 2663-2668, https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6852623; 1. Longhu Quan, Zhanshan Wang, Xiuchong Liu and Mingguo Zheng, “Sensorless PMSM Speed Control Based on NN Adaptive Observer,” Lecture Notes in Computer Science 8866 (2014): 100–109, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12436-0_12; and 1. Chao Cai, Fufei Chu, Zhanshan Wang and Kaili Jia “Identification and Control of PMSM Using Adaptive BP-PID Neural Network,” Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2013, 155–62, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39068-5_19.
9. [5]
10. 
    
11. The 2017 study states, “This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61473070 and 61433004), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. N130104001), and SAPI Fundamental Research Funds (Grant No. 2013ZCX01).” The 2016 study states, “This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61473070 and 61433004), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant Nos. N130504002 and N130104001), and SAPI Fundamental Research Funds (Grant No. 2013ZCX01).”

​15. 'Anti-communist literature' that neutralized North Korean propaganda

​This is a Google translation of an RFA report.

An interesting read from both a historical and psychological operations perspective. 

'Anti-communist literature' that neutralized North Korean propaganda

https://www.rfa.org/korean/weekly_program/b3c4ba85d559c758-b0a8bd81bb38d559ae30d589/literaturesnk-08232024115919.html

WASHINGTON-Hong Albot honga@rfa.org

2024.08.24

On October 11, 1983, hundreds of members of the Jongno District of the Korean Anti-Communist League held a rally to condemn North Korea's atrocities in the Burma bombings.

 /Yonhap News

00:00 /15:00

MC: Hello, listeners . It's time for , where we talk about South and North Korean literature with Do Myung-hak, a defector novelist from Seoul . I'm Hong Al-beot from Washington, D.C. Today , we'll continue from last time and look at various literary genres that were born from the situation of the divided Korean Peninsula . Hello, teacher .

Do Myeong-hak : Yes , hello .

MC: Yes , what kind of literature will you be talking about today ?

Do Myeong-hak : Yes , today I would like to talk about unification literature and anti-communist literature .

MC: Yes , last time when you were talking about unification literature , you mentioned ' anti-communist literature ' briefly , so I was curious about what that was . What is this ' anti-communist literature ' that you mentioned last time ?

Anti-communist literature : It literally refers to literature that aims to reveal the injustice of communist ideology and the harmful effects and toxicity caused by its institutional characteristics . However, some people think that the concept of anti-communist literature is limited to Korea, and there are even more people who do not know where its etymology originated . The country where the term anti-communist literature was first used is Taiwan . I do not know if the term originated in Taiwan, but after the Chinese Nationalist government lost to the Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War in 1949 and moved to Taiwan, it was used in earnest and many works referred to as anti-communist literature were published . After this, the concept of anti-communist literature began to be used on a global scale, and the phenomenon of classifying works that show the harmful effects of communism, such as “ Animal Farm ” by British author George Orwell and “ The Gulag Archipelago ” by Soviet dissident writer Solzhenitsyn, as anti-communist literature spread . Naturally, as the Korean Peninsula was divided due to extreme ideological conflict between the North and the South, and even bloody fratricide between the two sides, works were produced that promoted hostility toward communism , especially toward North Korea .

The photo shows translations of British author Allen A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh," George Orwell's "1984" and "Animal Farm," and a collection of poems by China's first president, Mao Zedong /REUTERS

MC: Why should we pay attention to anti-communist literature ?

Do Myeong-hak : Since anti-communist literature is a literature that sharply criticizes the communist ideology and system, I think that we can go beyond questioning whether socialism and communism are ideologies that can create an ideal society for mankind and awaken from our illusions about communism by looking into their true nature through literary forms . On the other hand, since anti-communist literature is also a special phenomenon in the history of literature, it is worth studying from an academic perspective, so I think we should pay attention to it .

MC: Teacher, what were your feelings and thoughts when you first encountered anti-communist literature ?

Do Myeong-hak : I have heard terms like anti-communist novels , anti-communist films, and anti-communist comics in North Korea, but I have never heard the term that defines them as anti-communist literature . Perhaps it is because North Korea is a socialist system . Instead, I have occasionally heard terms like “freedom writers” and “freedom literature,” but I have encountered them in films, novels , and dramas that criticize anti-communist writers and works active in South Korea . You asked me what I felt when I first encountered anti-communist literature, and to be honest, most of them seemed to have low artistic quality . Similar to North Korea’s propaganda works, anti-communist works also felt like propaganda works that shout anti-communist slogans at the top of their lungs . It is true that propaganda works, by their very nature, are difficult to achieve both effective propaganda and high artistry, whether they are communist propaganda or free world propaganda .

MC: What is the position of those who criticize anti-communist literature ?

Do Myeong-hak : I don't know about other countries, but in Korea, there are quite a few people who think negatively about anti-communist literature . The period when anti-communist literature began to be created in earnest in Korea was the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, when terms like "unification through the advance to the north , " " unification through the destruction of communism ," and "unification through victory over communism" were at the forefront, and when extreme confrontation with North Korea was established , until the 1980s when terms like "unification through the advance to the north" and "unification through victory over communism" gradually became rare . Of course, even after that , there were occasional works classified as anti-communist, although not many, and now there are people who say that works that deal with issues like human rights in North Korea or defectors are anti-communist . If you listen to the position of those who criticize anti-communist literature, there is a strong opinion that anti-communist literature demonizes all North Koreans and criticizes North Korea as a rigid society that does not understand love, kindness, or good customs, and because of this, there is a strong concern that it may promote confrontation and harm peace by attacking the other side rather than helping with reconciliation and cooperation between the South and the North and ultimately unification . Of course, there is some truth to that opinion, but in my opinion, the aspect of anti-communist literature that excessively exaggerates facts and incites agitation is a problem that must be overcome, but I do not think it is right to regard anti-communist literature itself as a work that harms peace and hinders unification . Communist ideology , specifically the ideology and system pursued by North Korea, is not something that the South and the North can coexist with . If there is peace without eliminating it, it can only be a fake peace, and unification that is attempted while ignoring it is in fact the same as supporting unification under a federal system according to North Korea's claim . Of course, the Kim Jong-un regime has recently taken steps to erase even the idea of ​​federal unification, but no matter how the situation changes in the future, anti-communist literature should not be literature that disappears, but rather it should play a role as a vaccine that prevents national security and the national spirit from being contaminated by the North's persistent and clever propaganda and agitation by overcoming and supplementing its shortcomings .

MC: Did you have any opportunity to come into contact with anti-communist literature while you were in the North ? What was it like ?

Do Myeong-hak : I didn’t have that opportunity . Well, even if they weren’t Korean works, I did see some anti-communist works created in China . Most of them reflected the evils of the Cultural Revolution during the Mao Zedong era, including the novel “ Green Tree ,” the films “ People Who Graze Horses, ” and “ Mr. Kim . ” These were created after the reform and opening up, and are called “ scar literature ” in Chinese literary circles . Scar literature refers to the traces of the wounds suffered during the Cultural Revolution . When I read those works, I thought that China’s reform and opening up had allowed writers a considerable amount of creative freedom . If it weren’t for the reform and opening up, this would have been unimaginable . That’s why I envied how great it would be if North Korea had reformed and opened up like China .

A portrait of former Chinese President Mao Zedong displayed at the Long Art Museum, a famous private art museum in Shanghai, China, in 2019. /Yonhap News

MC: Please introduce one representative work of anti-communist literature .

Do Myeong-hak : I think that anti-communist works created in communist countries are more realistic and contain vivid accusations than anti-communist works created in the free world, including Korea . In that sense, I would like to introduce the Chinese novel “ The Green Water . ” In this work, a woman who worked as a typist for a high-ranking official of the Chinese Communist Party had a forbidden love affair with the official. When the truth was revealed, the official falsely accused the woman and sent her to a concentration camp from which it would be difficult to return . The woman feels betrayed, but she does not dwell on it. She thinks that the official is just a worthless person, and does not oppose communist ideology or the Communist Party . However, as time passed, she began to feel that something was seriously wrong, and she decided to learn exactly what communism was before she died . So she started studying Capital and memorized all of Marx and Lenin’s books . The strange thing is that even though she studied that much, she still felt like something was lacking . So, I think you'll know everything if you just read Stalin's books .

But even after reading them all, I still feel like something is lacking . I read all of Mao Zedong's works, including " On Contradiction . " And then I say, " Ah, now I think I understand something . It 's just a shame that if Chairman Mao had written just one more book, I would have understood everything . " In the end, the work leaves a lingering message that the communist ideology is an utterly absurd ideology . This work is highly regarded not only in China but also around the world for its artistic quality, but I understand that the Chinese Communist Party has banned it as a subversive work .  There are some good novels and poems among Korea's anti-communist works, but I think it would be good to watch a lot of anti-communist movies and dramas .

MC: Teacher , what lessons does anti-communist literature give us or try to convey to us ?

Do Myeong-hak : The lessons of anti-communist literature have a positive effect in recognizing the evils of communist ideology and system, so it will awaken people who have not directly experienced communism , especially the new generation in Korea, to the reality of communism . However, it also has overly provocative aspects, so we have to filter out what needs to be filtered out, which is not easy . I am convinced that the works of defectors who can distinguish between the positive and negative functions of anti-communist literature can become proper anti-communist works , but it is regrettable that the capabilities of defectors are still too limited .

Cover of the book "The Great Teacher of Journalists," published in North Korea about former National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong Il. /AP.

MC: How can we compare anti-communist literature and unification literature ?

Do Myeong-hak : As I said before, I also see South Korea's anti-communist literature as a broad category of unification literature . The difference is that South Korea's anti-communist literature tends to respond to North Korea's security threats and has a strong agitational nature toward liberal democratic unification based on the collapse of the North Korean regime, while unification literature focuses on reflecting the actual reality of South and North Korea, resolving the division , national reconciliation and exchange and cooperation , and humanitarian issues . However, we need to recognize that the unification literature that North Korea refers to is literature that cleverly incites anti-American and anti-government sentiments in South Korea, distorting the original meaning of unification literature .

MC: Finally, please summarize what we discussed today .

Do Myeong-hak : Today, I gave my own brief opinion on anti-communist literature . I also conveyed my feelings, although not sufficiently, about the positive and negative functions of anti-communist literature . I also mentioned that while there are differences between unification literature and anti-communist literature, they share the commonality of being literature that pursues unification in a broad sense .

MC: Yes , Do Myeong-hak's North-South Literature Journey , that's the end of the schedule for today . Thank you for your hard work, teacher .

Do Myeong-hak : Yes , thank you for your hard work .

MC: Thank you, listeners, for joining us . See you next time . Goodbye .

Editor Lee Jin-seo, Web Editor Han Deok-in

16. “North Korean flood victim who shouted ‘Long Live Putin’ was dragged away by the Ministry of State Security”

​The only way to survive under the regime is to demonstrate direct loyalty to Kim Jong Un and only Kim Jong Un.

Does anyone think we should ignore the human rights of the Korean people in the north?

This is a Google translation of an RFA report.

“North Korean flood victim who shouted ‘Long Live Putin’ was dragged away by the Ministry of State Security”

https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/food_international_org/floodrussiaaid-08232024085710.html

Seoul-Son Hye-min xallsl@rfa.org

2024.08.23

The North Korean Workers' Party Central Committee delivered relief supplies to flood victims in the Jeonchon and Songgan counties of Chagang Province, which suffered flood damage on the 10th, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 11th.

 /Yonhap News

00:00 /03:02

Anchor  :  Russia has supplied flood relief supplies to flood-stricken areas in North Korea .  The unusual supply of butter has residents rejoicing , but it has been reported that  a resident who shouted "Long Live Putin" was taken away by the State Security Department . Reporter  Son Hye-min reports from inside North Korea . 

Last week, when  Russian aid supplies such as food, sugar, butter, and cooking oil arrived by freight train at the Tumen River Station where the North-Russia railway (Rason-Hasan) is connected and were supplied to  the flood  - stricken area , the Ministry of State Security began to crack down on the movements of residents .

A source in North Pyongan Province ( requesting anonymity for safety reasons ) told Radio Free Asia on the 23rd, “  A  month’s worth of rice and flour ( about 50-60 kilos for a family of four ) was supplied to flood victims in Uiju County,” adding, “These are flood relief supplies sent by Russia.” 

The source said, “I heard from a railway executive that these relief supplies were brought in by train via the Tuman River Station in Rason City, which is connected to Khasan, Russia, over the course of two days starting on the 10th, and then transported by train to each flood-stricken area, where they were also supplied to flood victims in Uiju . ”

However, “we do not know how many bread bins ( cargo holds ) and how much flood relief material arrived from Russia, ” the source added . 

In particular, it is known that some supplies, excluding rice and wheat flour,  were delivered in a special supply format in line with ' 8.15 ' .

The source explained, “As ‘August 15 holiday supplies,’  one kilo of soybean oil and 200 grams of butter were provided to each household of flood victims, and word spread among residents through officials that the special supplies had also come from Russia . ”

For ordinary North Koreans, butter is known as a spread on bread in the West , but except for some wealthy people, it is a food they have never encountered before , and this is the first time that butter has been provided to flood victims .

Meanwhile, a source reported that “ a female flood victim in her 40s who had received supplies was caught saying ‘Long live Putin’ inside a temporary shelter tent and was taken to the Uiju County Security Department . ” 

The temporary accommodations provided by North Korea to flood victims are reportedly made up of outdoor tents imported from China, with 2-3 households and 6-9 people living in each tent .

The source added, “The woman left the area a day after writing a letter of criticism to the Ministry of State Security, but  flood victims are showing signs of discomfort, saying that authorities have planted spies inside the temporary shelters to monitor residents . ”

In North Korea,  surveillance of residents is so commonplace that there is a saying, “ If three people gather,  one of them is a security guard . ”

“North Korea  denounces Russia for ‘ abandoning socialism’ to block its people’s  longing ”     

[ North Korea Now  ]  North Korean Residents , “Our Houses Should Have Been Flooded”  

On the same day , another source from North Pyongan Province (requesting anonymity for personal safety) also reported , “  As Putin provided free food, sugar ,  and butter  to flood victims, the flood victims are expressing gratitude  ( to Russia ) . ”

Although North Korean authorities did not specifically explain that the supplies were aid from Russia, the source explained , “The flour bags ( packaging bags ,  sacks ) that were distributed had Russian writing on them, so the flood victims thought the supplies came from Russia . ”

The source explained, “The reason the flood victims are especially grateful for this support is because they believe that it is thanks to Russia, and not the love of the highest dignity, that they can now feed their children ‘ butter , ’ something they had  only seen in foreign movies and dramas . ”

“However, the news that the Ministry of State Security had planted spies in each of the tents, the temporary shelters for flood victims, to track down a woman who said ‘Long live Putin’ and take her to the Ministry of State Security, where she was forced  to write a ‘criticism of ideology’ and promise ‘not to say that again’ spread widely in the tent shelters where flood victims were densely packed,” he reported .  

The source added, “Some residents are saying, ‘What’s the crime of shouting ‘Long live Putin’ when they can breathe easier thanks to the Russian aid?”

Prior to this, on the 4th ,  the Rodong Sinmun introduced a letter of condolence from Russian President Putin regarding  flood damage, and reported Chairman Kim Jong-un's remarks regarding this, saying, "In the future, when we definitely need help, we will ask for help from Moscow , our truest friends .  " 

Editor Lee Hyun-joo,  Web Editor Kim Sang-il

17. Argentina Arrests Russian Man for Laundering $100 Million in Cryptocurrency Stolen from North Korea

This is a Google translation of an RFA report which is why the headline is misleading. I believe the cryptocurrency was stolen by north Korea and laundered by the Russian national.

Regardless, north Korea's all purpose sword of cyber is a global threat.

Argentina Arrests Russian Man for Laundering $100 Million in Cryptocurrency Stolen from North Korea

https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/food_international_org/moneylaundering-08232024143114.html

WASHINGTON-Jamin Anderson andersonj@rfa.org

2024.08.23

Illustration of North Korea's cryptocurrency hacking.

/Yonhap News

00:00 /03:04

Anchor : A Russian national has been arrested in Argentina on suspicion of money laundering linked to the North Korean hacking group Lazarus. Argentine authorities believe he may have received and laundered $ 100 million worth of cryptocurrency stolen by North Korea . Reporter Jamin Anderson reports.

Argentine authorities have arrested a Russian national accused of laundering millions of dollars in cryptocurrency linked to the North Korean hacking group Lazarus.

Argentina's leading daily La Nación reported this on the 22nd , citing an Argentine judiciary official .

According to La Nación, Argentine federal police raided a financial institution in Buenos Aires this week for conducting illegal foreign currency transactions and arrested its head, a 29- year-old Russian national named VB .

The investigation into the incident began in November last year , when intelligence emerged that some of the millions of dollars stolen by North Korean hacking group Lazarus in the June 2022 hack of Harmony Bridge had been funneled into cryptocurrency wallets located in Argentina .

La Nación reported that VB may have received cryptocurrency, including $100 million worth of funds stolen by North Korea in a hack .

Judge Yadalola, who presided over the case, said VB likely tried to evade detection by triangulating the funds through several cryptocurrency exchanges and users via Russia and Argentina .

Additionally, VB reportedly moved residence every month knowing the police were tracking him , and the police were only able to find him in his newly rented apartment with the help of the cryptocurrency company he owned .

TRM Labs, an American blockchain analysis company, also disclosed information about this incident on its website on the 23rd .

According to TRM Labs , which helped track down the suspect , when VB was arrested, Argentina's federal police seized more than $ 120,000 worth of cryptocurrency and an additional $ 16 million in other assets under his control .

The exact amount of illicit funds received from Lazarus among the seized assets has not been disclosed.

Additionally, VB was found to have been responsible for receiving illicit funds from various illegal actors, including child sex abuse material sellers and terrorist financiers, in addition to Lazarus, and exchanging them for laundered, clean cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies .

“North Lazarus Launders Stolen Cryptocurrency Through Cambodian Company”

“North Korea’s Lazarus recently transferred $12 million through a sanctioned cryptocurrency mixer”

“North Korean hacking group is laundering money in a new way… $900 million a year”

Meanwhile, North Korea appears to be increasingly using Russian exchanges as a base for laundering illegal money .

According to virtual asset analysis firm Chainalysis, North Korean hackers have been gradually increasing their use of Russian exchanges since 2021 , and in 2022 , they transferred approximately $ 21 million worth of virtual assets to Russian exchanges .

Chainalysis analyzed that this increased use of Russian exchanges by North Korea “ signifies a significant expansion of the cyber underworld partnership between the two countries . ”

Editor Park Jeong-woo, Web Editor Kim Sang-il

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