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Quotes of the Day:
"The best way to examine truth is to examine things as they really are, and not to conclude they are, as we fancy ourselves, or have been taught by others to imagine."
– John Locke
"People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it's served up..."
– George R.R. Martin
"I have a foreboding of America in my children's or grand children's time – – when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest, can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals in nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good, and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness..."
– Carl Sagan, "The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark"
1. South Koreans once chipped in for fighter jets. Now, they make their own.
2. The DMZ Is an Unhealed Wound for Korea. It’s Also a Source of Great Honey.
3. S. Korea in talks with Japan over Kishida's visit to S. Korea
4. S. Korea, U.S. to kick off major amphibious landing exercise this week
5. Exclusive: S. Korea's Czech nuclear plant deal stalled by U.S. objections
6. N. Korea could stage large-scale provocation to influence US election results: analysts
7. South Korean lawmakers brace for US election as Harris, Trump diverge on North Korea
8. "This is a one-shot for North Korea's nuclear program" Stealth nuclear missile 'SLCM-N'
9. Heatwave claims victims young and old in N. Hwanghae province
10. N. Korea rounds up officials on drug-related charges
11. Seoul seeks to end KHNP-Westinghouse dispute
12. Column: Korea Exercises Highlight Japan, South Korea and U.S.
1. South Koreans once chipped in for fighter jets. Now, they make their own.
Korea is amazing for two reasons in this article: First, it has transformed from a country that required the UN to defend its freedom from oppression in 1950 to becoming a partner in the arsenal of democracy in 2024. Second, the Korean people show tremendous resilience and commitment to their own defense by chipping in to help defend itself. The idea that it was only dependent on the US (or still is) is not wholly correct. The Korean people are committed to their own defense and the welfare of the country. We witnessed this again during the 1997 IMF/economic crisis when the economic situation forced Korea to accept loans and forced changes from the IMF. Yet the Korean people donated their personal wealth, lining up at government offices to contribute money and even personal jewelry to help pay back the loans. South Korea was the first country to pay back its IMF onas in 1997. Other countries facing similar threats could learn form South Korea.
South Koreans once chipped in for fighter jets. Now, they make their own.
The U.S. Phantom F-4 fighter jet, which South Korea has just retired from use, acts as a metaphor for the countries’ security alliance. It’s also a hell of a ride.
South Korea's Black Eagles aerobatics team performs at this year's Singapore Airshow in T-50 jets developed by Korea Aerospace Industries. (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg News/Getty Images
By Michelle Ye Hee Lee
August 24, 2024 at 5:00 a.m. EDT
SUWON, South Korea — South Korea, an industrial and tech powerhouse, was once so poor that its citizens donated money so the government could buy five American fighter jets in case of a North Korean invasion.
Now, South Korea is a global weapons producer and seller. It is the third-largest arms supplier to NATO countries, with affordable weapons for nations seeking to refill their stockpiles of K2 battle tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers and other items.
Its ascent underscores the nation’s dramatic economic and diplomatic evolution since that 1975 national fundraising drive for the American F-4 Phantoms.
South Korea retired those Cold War-era jets in June after more than five decades in use — making way for a new generation of homegrown fighter aircraft that will make South Korea one of the few nations to develop its own supersonic jet.
South Korea hopes its KF-21 Boramae will be a cheaper alternative to the U.S.-made F-35. The prototype was unveiled in 2021, and mass production is set to begin in 2026.
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“South Korea is making a big push to engage globally,” said Peter Layton, a military analyst and visiting fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute in Brisbane, Australia. “They’re going from a big buyer to not just a maker but a designer of aircraft.”
Part of South Korea’s ambition is to be a bigger defense and security player, and that has led the nation to increase military and diplomatic coordination with the United States and its allies in the face of growing North Korean nuclear threats, China’s rise and Russian aggression.
South Korea is flying other American-made jets, including the F-5 and F-35 as well as jets developed jointly by the United States and South Korea.
Ahead of the F-4’s retirement, the South Korean air force gave me and five other journalists the rare opportunity of flying on a farewell trip.
The F-4 Phantom, a state-of-the-art fighter in the 1960s and the main U.S. aircraft used in the Vietnam War, was retired in the United States in 1996. South Korea operated 187 of the jets, and all of its F-4 versions ended service on June 6. The plane remains active only in Iran, Turkey and Greece.
For South Korea, the jet — which Koreans nicknamed the “Goblin of the Sky” — symbolizes the resilience of its alliance with the United States, forged in the aftermath of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a cease-fire.
Washington Post Tokyo Bureau Chief Michelle Ye Hee Lee flies in a formation of South Korean fighter jets. (Republic of Korea Air Force)
A peninsula transformed
In 1969, when the first six of these jets arrived, South Korea was being ruled by a military dictatorship and still emerging from wartime poverty.
At the time, North Korea, led by founder Kim Il Sung, was more affluent than the South and had a more powerful military. Washington knew that Seoul needed help beefing up its military inventory to defend itself against the North — including with the F-4 jets.
The arrival of the planes marked a turning point in South Koreans’ belief in their potential to shift the balance of air power between the two Koreas, air force officials say.
After purchasing five more jets through the 1975 national fundraising drive, South Korea declared its air power dominance over the North.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the jets were critical to South Korea’s air defense. They led counterespionage operations against North Korean spy ships, intercepted Russian reconnaissance aircraft and, in 1983, guided to safety a North Korean air force pilot who defected to the South on his Soviet-made MiG-19 fighter jet.
It wasn’t until I set foot in the F-4 that I felt the weight of South Korea’s transformation. In the air, I would gain a whole new perspective — literally and figuratively — on South Korea’s rise during the fighter’s lifetime.
South Korea's Black Eagles air force aerobatics team performs in homegrown T-50 jets at the Singapore Airshow in February. (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg News/Getty Images)
Into the belly of the Goblin
The F-4 is a two-seater, with the pilot in front and another crew member in back. I climbed into the jet wearing more than 20 pounds of gear, and with clear instructions: Don’t touch anything you’re not supposed to.
I immediately noticed signs of the plane’s age — the worn-out belts and rusty switches and levers.
The jet rumbled as the pilot conducted safety checks. After a thumbs-up, our jets took off from Suwon Air Base, south of Seoul. The ride was smooth, but occasionally jerky as the pilot adjusted to stay in formation. It was nothing like a commercial flight, and felt almost like floating in a capsule.
The nearly two-hour flight gave me the rare chance to experience a remnant of history, while reflecting on South Korea’s economic transformation and the evolution of the U.S.-South Korean security alliance since the fighters first arrived.
The Post's Michelle Ye Hee Lee and her pilot aboard an F-4 Phantom before it was retired in June. (Republic of Korea Air Force)
We flew over Pyeongtaek, where Samsung Electronics is building the largest semiconductor plant in the world. In 2022, it was President Joe Biden’s first stop on his visit here, underscoring South Korea’s advancement in technologies that Washington views as critical to its economic competition with China.
I noticed the many golf courses along the way — in this status-obsessed country, golf is synonymous with wealth and luxury. The sport’s popularity grew along with disposable household income as South Korea’s economy rebounded after the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
The breathtaking route along the east coast brought us over the port cities that helped fuel the country’s export-driven growth, including Pohang, home to Posco, a South Korean steelmaker founded in 1968.
We ended the flight at Daegu Air Base, in the country’s south, where the F-4 was first introduced in 1969. I pressed the switch to open my canopy — one of the few buttons I was allowed to touch.
The flight brought home how dramatically the inter-Korean security dynamic has shifted.
Today, South Korea’s economy and military, bolstered by its alliance with the United States, vastly eclipse those of the North. Pyongyang is still depending on Soviet-era jets, while Seoul’s defense exports are booming globally. The Koreas are now playing a critical role in a global conflict: The North is supplying arms to Russia; the South is helping the United States and the West defend Ukraine.
The F-4 Phantom is leaving behind a Korea nothing like the one it came to more than five decades ago.
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By Michelle Lee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee is The Washington Post's Tokyo bureau chief, covering Japan and the Korean peninsula. Twitter
2. The DMZ Is an Unhealed Wound for Korea. It’s Also a Source of Great Honey.
Something most people do not think about when they hear "the DMZ."
The DMZ Is an Unhealed Wound for Korea. It’s Also a Source of Great Honey.
The heavily fortified area separating North and South Korea is home to a biodiverse landscape and is a place of deep meaning for nearby farmers whose bees can fly freely through it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/24/world/asia/south-korea-dmz-honey.html?searchResultPosition=2
By Mike Ives and Youmi KimPhotographs by Jun Michael Park
Reporting from a restricted area near the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean Peninsula.
Cho Seong-hoan’s father liked to say that the honeybees on his farm were lucky. Unlike typical South Koreans, they could cross into North Korea, as he had done before war divided the peninsula.
“I also really envy them,” Mr. Cho, 59, said over the drone of bees on a searing summer morning at the family farm he took over when his father died in 2022. He was sitting about half a mile from the Demilitarized Zone, the 155-mile-long strip of land separating the Koreas that is littered with land mines and sealed by razor-wire fences.
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Cho Seong-hoan at his honeybee farm in the Civilian Control Zone, an area closed to most civilians.
Mr. Cho is one of roughly two dozen South Korean honeybee farmers working in a six-mile-wide patchwork of rice paddies, forests, graveyards and firing ranges beside the 71-year-old DMZ. The area is known as the Civilian Control Zone and is heavily militarized and closed to most civilians.
The work hasn’t made them rich, but the honey tastes great, thanks largely to the area’s exceptional biodiversity.
Some of the farmers are motivated by something that transcends business. In a land where a 1953 armistice divided many Korean families for generations, they are seeking closure for wartime traumas that have never quite healed.
Mr. Cho’s ancestral village in the western part of the zone was evacuated during the war and abandoned. It is now subsumed by undergrowth so thick that a visitor would not notice the site from a nearby road that leads to his farm.
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The Civilian Control Zone, about an hour’s drive from Seoul, is not a normal place to work. Farmers enter it at a military checkpoint along the Imjin River, where they present special IDs that allow them to work, but not sleep, inside.
“There are so many people still missing their hometown,” he said quietly, touching his heart.
Mr. Cho’s father was allowed to return to the controlled zone to farm in the 1970s. Other beekeepers have arrived more recently.
One of them, Park Jung-sun, said he was drawn to the border area because his father, who moved to South Korea during the war, was born in the North. Mr. Park, 45, said he planned to bury half his father’s ashes in the controlled zone. He is saving the other half to bury in his father’s hometown if the two Koreas are ever reunited.
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Park Jung-sun, a honeybee farmer, at the farm he bought last year that sits on the site of a former military installation.
“The Korean War means a lot to South Koreans, so it means a lot to use this land,” Mr. Park said at a farm he bought last year, which sits on the site of a former military installation. “It’s heartbreaking to think of and reminds you of the dark side of our different histories.”
The border area, about an hour’s drive from Seoul, a city of nearly 10 million people, is not a normal place to work. Farmers enter it at a military checkpoint along the Imjin River, where they present special IDs that allow them to work, but not sleep, inside.
After zigzagging across the river on a heavily fortified bridge named after a fallen American soldier, they ride on empty roads past farmland, tombstones and live-fire ranges. The English-language signs outside the ranges — Idaho, Oregon, California — are a vivid reminder of how much the U.S. military has shaped the Korean Peninsula’s history.
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The newly constructed Libby Bridge in Paju, which connects the Civilian Control Zone to the outside world. The bridge is named after George D. Libby, a fallen American soldier.
Only a handful of South Koreans are allowed to live in inside the DMZ and the controlled zone, and the roads inside the zone are eerily quiet. Every so often, the sound of explosions from the firing ranges competes with the whir of cicadas in nearby tree lines.
Steps from where the controlled zone meets the DMZ, “Restricted Area Warning” signs poking out of high grass tell drivers not to proceed any farther.
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Signs warn of the presence of landmines inside inside the Civilian Control Zone...
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...which pose no threat to honeybees in search of pollen.
The bees are under no such restrictions. And because many parts of the controlled zone and DMZ have been allowed to grow wild for decades, the area is bursting with flowers that provide a diverse mix of nectar and pollen.
The six-mile width of the controlled zone is greater than an average honeybee’s range. But Mr. Cho said his farm is close enough to the 2.5-mile-wide DMZ that his bees can easily fly inside — perhaps even reaching North Korean territory — several times a day.
Mr. Cho said his margins are tight because his honey takes so much effort to produce and the cold winters kill off bees. He said his wife urges him to coax more honey out of his hives but that he has learned to respect his bees’ natural rhythms instead of ordering them around.
“If you enjoy what you’re doing, the result is better,” he said, sitting in a red plastic chair on the farm. He didn’t flinch as a bee landed on his elbow.
Beekeepers in the border area account for a fraction of the nearly 40,000 in South Korea, said Pak Se-yeong, who keeps hives in the controlled zone and is the secretary general for a branch of the Korea Beekeeping Association. The farmers there tend to distribute their honey by word of mouth or through small retail shops, he said, and their children sometimes help them sell it online.
One customer, Lee Eun-jung, accompanied Mr. Park to his farm in June because she was curious about seeing the controlled zone She ended up buying nearly 90 pounds of his honey and giving it to several friends.
“There were no high-voltage lines, no factories and no houses,” Ms. Lee said of the area. “It was natural, so it was trustworthy.”
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A general outpost on the northern edge of the Civilian Control Zone. Every so often, the sound of explosions from the firing ranges competes with the whir of cicadas in nearby tree lines.
Honey from the controlled zone tends to be very good, partly because farmers there use small-batch methods and allow their bees to roam widely across an exceptionally biodiverse landscape, said Lee Jae-hun, a honey sommelier in Seoul.
Still, he said, the honey does not have the sort of high-end cachet that many South Korean consumers attach to certain types of wine, coffee or kimchi. That means they aren’t willing to pay a premium for it.
“Good honey or bad honey, they don’t know,” Mr. Lee said.
One cocktail bar in Seoul, Pomme, used honey from the controlled zone in a few seasonal cocktails, including an interpretation of a “Brandy Alexander” featuring mezcal and banana liqueur. But the bar eventually decided that the honey — which cost more than three times what they normally pay — wasn’t worth the money when typical customers didn’t appreciate the distinction, said Sumin Woo, the manager.
Mr. Cho said he was determined to keep producing his small-batch DMZ Flower Honey on thin margins. Every year he sells about 264 gallons that he packages into glass bottles of just over a pint that retail for about $33.
Mr. Cho is also an accomplished potter. Some of his ceramics are on display in a ramshackle building on his farm, alongside black-and-white portraits of his extended family. He gave up pottery about 10 years ago, he said, because he felt he had reached the limit of his artistic abilities.
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A wall in Mr. Cho’s workshop is decorated with pottery and framed photos of his parents, as well as his ancestral village in the western controlled zone, which was evacuated during the war and abandoned.
But the bees have held his interest ever since his father started the honey operation in 1998. When he inherited the farm, deciding to keep it going was an easy call.
“People told me, ‘It’s too hard and you’ll give up right away,’” he said as he drove near the Imjin River checkpoint. “But I’m still here. My father taught me well.”
The Korean DMZ
Life Along the Korean DMZ, 70 Years After the Fighting Ended
July 26, 2023
North Korea Has Lost ‘Many’ Troops to Mines in DMZ, South Says
June 18, 2024
American Soldier Who Crossed Into North Korea in July Is in U.S. Custody
Sept. 27, 2023
Mike Ives is a reporter for The Times based in Seoul, covering breaking news around the world. More about Mike Ives
A version of this article appears in print on Aug. 25, 2024, Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: By the Grim DMZ, Farming Exceptional Honey. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
3. S. Korea in talks with Japan over Kishida's visit to S. Korea
S. Korea in talks with Japan over Kishida's visit to S. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · August 25, 2024
SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is in talks with Japan over a trip to Seoul by outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the presidential office said Sunday.
The move could set the stage for summit talks between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Kishida, and represents a step forward compared with just days earlier, when South Korea said that no decision had been made yet after Japan's Kyodo News reported that Kishida was considering holding summit talks with Yoon in South Korea in early September before stepping down.
"We are in discussions with Japan over Prime Minister Kishida's visit to South Korea and will make public the decision once it is made," a presidential official told Yonhap News Agency by phone.
Bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo have significantly warmed since South Korea decided in March last year to resolve the issue of compensating Korean forced labor victims during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula without asking for contributions from Japanese companies.
Yoon and Kishida have prioritized bolstering trilateral security cooperation between the Asian neighbors and their shared ally, the United States, amid growing security threats posed by North Korea.
President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands during their meeting in Washington, D.C., in this file photo taken July 10, 2024, on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit. (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · August 25, 2024
4. S. Korea, U.S. to kick off major amphibious landing exercise this week
I recall when we used to conduct Blue Dragon, a combined river crossing of the Han to the Kimpo peninsula back in the 1980s. Although it was a "river crossing" the width of the river really made it like an ambitious assault on the Kimpo peninsula and the ROK Marines treated it as such.
Amphibious landings on both sides of the peninsula will create dilemmas for the nKPA during a counterattack of the north.
S. Korea, U.S. to kick off major amphibious landing exercise this week | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · August 25, 2024
SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will begin their large-scale amphibious landing exercise in the southeastern city of Pohang and the eastern coast this week to build up the allies' combat readiness posture and interoperability, the South's Navy and Marine Corps said Sunday.
This year's Ssangyong (double dragon) exercise, which runs from Monday through Sept. 7, will mobilize division-level landing forces and some 40 vessels, including two amphibious assault ships, the ROKS Dokdo and the ROKS Marado, as well as the USS Boxer, according to military officials.
The drills will also bring together some 40 aircraft, such as F-35B radar-evading jets, and around 40 amphibious assault vehicles, the Navy and Marine Corps said in a joint release.
Beginning this year, the allies' Marine Corps will organize a combined staff group, which will jointly lead the landing exercise aboard the ROKS Marado, they added.
A joint military command overseeing drone operations, launched in September last year, will participate in the Ssangyong exercise for the first time and conduct surveillance activities deploying drones.
Also joining the exercise will be Britain's Royal Marines Commandos, marking their participation in the drills for a second consecutive year.
In accordance with the exercise plan, the allies are scheduled to stage the "decisive action" phase of the exercise early next month, which will bring together the participating troops, landing ships, fighters and choppers to display their "overwhelming" capabilities for the landing exercise.
The allies resumed the Ssangyong exercise for the first time in five years in March 2023. It had not been held since 2018 amid the preceding Moon Jae-in administration's drive for inter-Korean rapprochement.
This 2023 file photo shows troops taking part in the Ssangyong (double dragon) exercise, a large-scale amphibious landing exercise between South Korea and the United States. (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · August 25, 2024
5. Exclusive: S. Korea's Czech nuclear plant deal stalled by U.S. objections
Uh oh. This has been an ongoing conflict for some time.
Exclusive: S. Korea's Czech nuclear plant deal stalled by U.S. objections
Westinghouse claims Korean reactor design infringes on its technology
https://www.chosun.com/english/industry-en/2024/08/25/ILMQUJ6GRBDIXJKXLJ5HNKC7BA/
By Jo Jae-hee,
Kim Seo-young
Published 2024.08.25. 09:02
Updated 2024.08.25. 10:27
Dukovany nuclear power plant site in the Czech Republic, where Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power was selected as the preferred bidder last month. U.S. objections are causing concerns over potential delays in finalizing the contract by March next year. /Courtesy of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) was selected as the preferred bidder for the 24 trillion won Czech nuclear project last month, but the follow-up process is facing delays due to objections from the United States. While there were high expectations for this record-breaking nuclear export contract, U.S. company Westinghouse is hindering progress by alleging that the Korean reactor design infringes on its proprietary technology. Negotiations between South Korea and the U.S. have also stalled. Under the guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), established in 1978, South Korea needs Westinghouse’s consent to export nuclear reactors. The procedure was smoothly handled during the 2009 Barakah plant deal in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but Westinghouse is now raising intellectual property concerns regarding the Czech project and refusing to give consent. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has declined involvement, stating that the dispute is a matter between KHNP and Westinghouse.
According to a senior South Korean government official on Aug. 23, a delegation consisting of Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) President Kim Dong-cheol, and KHNP President Hwang Joo-ho visited the U.S. earlier this month to finalize the Czech nuclear deal. They met with senior officials from the DOE and Westinghouse but returned without significant progress. If KHNP and Westinghouse fail to resolve their differences by the final contract date next March, South Korea’s largest nuclear export deal could face serious setbacks.
The delegation aimed to address Westinghouse’s legal actions, which have been obstructing South Korea’s nuclear exports. Westinghouse filed a lawsuit in a U.S. court in October 2022, alleging that KHNP infringed on its technology and claiming that KHNP must obtain U.S. government approval to export the reactors.
In September 2023, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the case, ruling that export control authority rests solely with the U.S. government and thus Westinghouse lacked standing to sue. However, Westinghouse appealed the decision in October, and the case is now ongoing in the appellate court.
Westinghouse has been involved in South Korea’s nuclear power industry since the construction of the country’s oldest Kori Unit 1 reactor in Busan, transferring various nuclear technologies to the country. Of the 28 reactors built domestically, 18 are based on Westinghouse designs, and the Korean reactors being exported are also based on Westinghouse models. This is why Westinghouse claims rights to the original technology.
The biggest problem is that Westinghouse holds the authority to report the export of Korean reactors to the U.S. Department of Energy. According to NSG guidelines, which South Korea has followed since 1995, Korean reactors based on U.S. technology must undergo U.S. export control procedures. While the process would typically end with a simple notification when exporting to the Czech Republic—a country with a nuclear cooperation agreement with the U.S.—Westinghouse has delayed the notification process due to the ongoing intellectual property dispute, causing concern for the South Korean government and KHNP. KHNP submitted the necessary documents to the DOE in November 2022, but in January 2023, the DOE rejected the submission, stating that the notification must be filed by a U.S. citizen or entity in accordance with relevant regulations.
This article was originally published on Aug. 24, 2024.
6. N. Korea could stage large-scale provocation to influence US election results: analysts
What "October Surprise" has ever significantly influenced an election?
Do we think the American people will change their votes based on action by north Korea? (Short of an invasion of the South or an ICBM strike against the US).
N. Korea could stage large-scale provocation to influence US election results: analysts
The Korea Times · August 25, 2024
By Kim Hyun-bin
As the U.S. presidential election nears, speculation is rising about the possibility of North Korea staging major provocations to influence the outcome.
Analysts are examining whether Pyongyang might act in a way that could indirectly benefit former U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign, though opinions on the likelihood and effectiveness of such a strategy vary.
"There's a chance North Korea could try to exploit the U.S. election to its advantage," said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University. "If Kim Jong-un really wants Trump back in the White House, he might calculate that a well-timed provocation could weaken the Biden administration, making Trump's re-election more likely."
Trump's presidency saw a significant shift in U.S.-North Korea relations, marked by direct diplomacy with Kim Jong-un. Some experts believe Pyongyang might view Trump as a more favorable candidate for its interests.
"From North Korea's perspective, Trump might offer a better chance to be recognized as a de facto nuclear state," Park said. "He could be more open to a deal where North Korea declares a moratorium on certain activities in exchange for partial sanctions relief."
Some experts speculate North Korea might stage a military provocation as early as October, aiming to depict the Biden administration's North Korea policy as ineffective and thus bolster Trump's position in the upcoming election.
"If Kim Jong-un believes he can benefit from Trump's victory, we might see pressure from North Korea," Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said during an Aug. 14 discussion with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Klingner suggested a significant provocation could include a nuclear test or the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile over Japan, intended to send a message that only Trump can resolve the dangerous situation with North Korea.
Kim Jong-un, who engaged in summits with Trump during his presidency, has maintained a personal relationship with Trump through ongoing correspondence, even after the collapse of the Hanoi summit in February 2019. Trump has frequently mentioned Kim in recent campaign rallies, signaling his intent to improve relations with North Korea if reelected.
Rodong Sinmun publishes a photo of the first test launch of the new medium-to-long-range solid-fuel ballistic missile, the Hwasong-16 variant, Aug. 2. Newsis
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik echoed concerns about potential North Korean provocations around the U.S. election.
In an interview last month, Shin expressed concerns that North Korea might conduct a nuclear test, suggesting such a decision could be timed to coincide with the U.S. election to enhance North Korea's negotiating leverage.
Both South Korean and U.S. governments have voiced concerns that North Korea may have completed preparations for a seventh nuclear test, which could be initiated at any time.
President Yoon Suk Yeol said the North Korean regime is "the most irrational group on Earth, capable of provoking at any moment" and emphasized that "only our military's strong security posture can prevent their misjudgments."
Yoon visited the Ground Operations Command to observe the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises on Wednesday. He is the first commander-in-chief of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces to visit the Ground Operations Command, which was established in 2019 by merging the 1st and 3rd Army Corps.
"All service members must be armed with the conviction to protect our people's lives, safety and the system of liberal democracy," Yoon said. "We must make it clear to the North Korean regime, which dreams of unification under communist rule and is always looking for opportunities to target South Korea, that any act of aggression will mean the end of their regime."
However, some question whether North Korea will proceed with a major provocation like a nuclear test or long-range missile launch.
Several analysts highlight factors that could deter Pyongyang from taking such drastic action despite its history of defying international pressure.
One critical factor is the influence of China, North Korea's primary ally and economic lifeline. Observers believe Beijing has been quietly encouraging Pyongyang to avoid actions that could further destabilize the region, especially given the fragile state of U.S.-China relations.
According to experts, since late last year, U.S.-China relations have been strained, and a North Korean nuclear test could heighten tensions and provoke increased criticism of China from the United States.
North Korea's internal situation also presents substantial challenges. The country is facing severe economic difficulties due to international sanctions and the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Analysts suggest that a major provocation might not only lead to international condemnation but also spark questions among the North Korean populace about the regime's priorities.
The Korea Times · August 25, 2024
7. South Korean lawmakers brace for US election as Harris, Trump diverge on North Korea
If the past 4 decades are any indication, regardless of who wins, US policies will continue to fail, especially in terms of the denuclearization of north Korea.
South Korean lawmakers brace for US election as Harris, Trump diverge on North Korea
koreaherald.com · by Kim Arin · August 25, 2024
By Kim Arin
Published : Aug. 25, 2024 - 16:18
Democratic presidential nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris waves from the stage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday. (Yonhap-Reuters)
As the US election race enters its final two months, South Korean lawmakers are bracing for the impact of a Harris or Trump administration as the two presidential candidates offer opposing approaches to North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-un.
Ruling People Power Party lawmakers gushed over US Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris putting down the North Korean leader in her nomination acceptance speech in Chicago on Thursday, in a sharp contrast with her Republican rival Donald Trump.
“I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong-un who are rooting for Trump,” she said. Trump, referring to his efforts on North Korea when he was president, claimed at one point over the Republican National Convention that Kim would want him to win the presidential election.
Rep. Han Ki-ho, former three-star general steering the ruling party’s foreign affairs and national security committee, told The Korea Herald on Sunday that a Harris administration would be “better” in terms of South Korea’s defense alliance with the US.
“Trump pulled some erratic moves the last time he was in power, paling around with Kim Jong-un. As a second-time presidential candidate, he still likes to boast he is close to the North Korean leader,” he said.
“It would be better for South Korea to be able to count on the stability of alliance diplomacy of President Joe Biden -- already in close alignment with the Yoon Suk Yeol administration -- that Harris would succeed, rather than be at the mercy of Trump’s whims.”
Han noted with concern that the goal of complete denuclearization of North Korea was not mentioned in the Democratic Party's policy platform approved last week.
“The US probably knows more about North Korea’s nuclear capabilities than any other country. North Korean denuclearization being left out as a policy goal may hint at some shift in US strategy over circumstances that are not officially known,” he said.
Some Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers hoped for Trump to turn around North Korea’s refusal to engage in dialogue since 2019 after the summit in Hanoi proved fruitless.
Rep. Chung Dong-young, who led the opposition party delegation to the US in June to meet with Trump campaign officials, said the Republican nominee “may be the hope” for progress toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
“For 12 years of Democratic Party administrations under Biden and Obama, the US maintained a policy of ‘strategic patience’ on North Korea, which was in effect more like ‘strategic negligence,’” Chung, who met with late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2005 as envoy for former President Roh Moo-hyun, told The Korea Herald.
“North Korea functions in a strictly top-down system. It is Kim Jong-un who calls all the shots. Leaders have to meet him face to face for any change. To crack the denuclearization nut, the Trump approach seems to be the way to go.”
Chung added that “in all other respects, apart from a possible step forward on North Korea, Trump winning again would be disastrous in terms of global order.”
He hinted that the Democratic Party was planning a trip for leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung to the US around the election.
Ruling party Rep. Kim Gunn, who was Seoul’s top nuclear envoy until February, said Trump returning to the White House to repeat his unusual rapprochement with North Korea seen over his first term was “highly unlikely.”
“One of the biggest misconceptions about a second Trump presidency is that things will be like 2018 all over again, with Kim Jong-un opening up and returning to the table,” he told The Korea Herald.
Unless the North Korean leader “demonstrates as clear a level of commitment to denuclearization as by destroying nuclear test sites,” the lawmaker said he did not think the next US administration would be willing to entertain him like the last time, regardless of which party sits in the White House.
Democratic Party Rep. Wi Sung-lac, who served as Seoul’s envoy to Russia, told The Korea Herald the tolls of another Trump term “could be heavier for South Korea.”
“If the US under Trump once again pursues talks with Kim Jong-un for instance, and initiates negotiations on nuclear disarmament without involving South Korea, we might find ourselves in a situation where we have to depend entirely on him to consider our position,” he worried.
In a previous interview with The Korea Herald, Wi said that Newt Gingrich, a former US House speaker believed to be close to Trump, told the Democratic Party delegation that US troops in South Korea could be reduced if the Republican nominee wins.
The unpredictability of Trump could open up opportunities for South Korea to boost its self-defense, according to ruling party Rep. Yu Yong-weon, the founding leader of the National Assembly forum for developing the country’s nuclear potential.
“As Harris would likely inherit the legacy of the Washington Declaration, which is characterized by increased extended deterrence, the question for South Korea is how credibly this system could hold up as the North Korean nuclear crisis escalates,” he told The Korea Herald.
“South Korea could get the US to agree to revise the nuclear energy agreement to allow reprocessing, in return for paying greater costs for US protection as Trump had suggested.”
koreaherald.com · by Kim Arin · August 25, 2024
8. "This is a one-shot for North Korea's nuclear program" Stealth nuclear missile 'SLCM-N'
This long article is a Google translation of an RFA report.
"This is a one-shot for North Korea's nuclear program" Stealth nuclear missile 'SLCM-N'
https://www.rfa.org/korean/weekly_program/c2e0bc15d55cd55cbc18b3c4c2e0bb34ae30b300bc31acfc/armencyclopedia-08252024110640.html
WASHINGTON-Kim Jin-guk kimj@rfa.org
2024.08.25
A South Korean Air Force F-35A fighter jet takes off during UFS 2024 training
/Source-Korean Air Force
00:00 / 00:00
( Host ) We will accurately grasp the current state of the military standoff on the Korean Peninsula and seek a path to peace. This is Kim Jin-guk, presenting ' Encyclopedia of New Weapons on the Korean Peninsula' from Washington D.C. We will connect with Lee Il-woo, Secretary General of the ' Independent Defense Network ' in Korea .
The greatest ever ' Ulji Freedom Shield ' training , including the first ever '24 -hour live flight '
(Host) South Korea and the United States have been conducting the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, also known as the UFS exercise, from August 19th to the 29th. This year's exercise is said to be the first ever high-intensity training that assumes a nuclear attack from North Korea and involves the movement of actual troops and equipment?
( Lee Il-woo ) This year's UFS training is certainly being conducted on a much larger scale and with greater intensity than last year . During the training period, the US amphibious assault ship 'Boxer' brought the latest equipment, including F-35B fighters and ACV amphibious assault vehicles, and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit troops to conduct joint amphibious training , and there were also major events such as the Patriot battery survival position deployment training and the inspection of air defense units by Lieutenant General Sean Gainey, the commander of the US Space and Missile Defense Command, who is in charge of US MD operations .
The number of ROK-US joint field training exercises increased by 10 from last year to 48 , and the number of brigade-level exercises more than quadrupled from 4 to 17. In addition , hundreds of fighter jets from 5 squadrons of ROK and US forces flew for the first time ever in . 2,000 fighter jets were sortied over 120 hours , marking the first time that 24- hour live flight training has been conducted on this scale .
In addition to military training to prepare for a nuclear attack by North Korea, the South Korean government also conducted unusual training, such as training for civilian evacuation and mass casualty handling, under the assumption that North Korea would launch nuclear weapons at major cities such as Seoul during the Ulchi exercise.
UFS training was significantly scaled back during the Moon Jae-in administration , and most training was replaced with on-site training due to the pandemic. However , this year, following last year, its scale has been greatly expanded and its intensity has also increased, exposing many scenes that were not seen before .
“ I don’t care about the lives of the people ” North Korea claims it won’t listen to US’s ‘ extended deterrence ’
( Host ) The fact that these scenarios were reflected in this UFS exercise means that the North Korean nuclear threat is serious as assessed by South Korea and the US . This is why there is active discussion in South Korea about various issues ranging from the redeployment of USFK tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea's own nuclear armament . Recently, even the nominee for Secretary of Defense made a statement that there may be situations that are difficult to handle with extended deterrence alone . Is it really difficult to block the North Korean nuclear threat with extended deterrence alone ?
( Lee Il-woo ) The basic position of the South Korean government is that the North Korean nuclear weapons will be suppressed by the US's extended deterrence. Extended deterrence is the concept of maximizing deterrence by, in addition to the nuclear umbrella that exerts nuclear deterrence by specifying that the US will retaliate with nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear attack on South Korea, which does not have nuclear weapons, from a third country , and by mobilizing US conventional weapons in the event of an emergency to supplement the nuclear umbrella . The aircraft carriers and B-1B bombers that are occasionally deployed in the waters around South Korea are weapons that fall into the category of conventional deterrence means of this extended deterrence .
Extended deterrence is a deterrence strategy based on the concept of mutually assured destruction, which means “you die and I die” at the moment of using nuclear weapons. Since the US nuclear umbrella is in operation over South Korea , anyone who attempts to attack South Korea with nuclear weapons must be prepared to be devastated by US nuclear retaliation . However, this concept of mutually assured destruction does not apply to North Korea .
Unlike normal countries that fear massive human and material damage when hit by nuclear weapons , North Korea is an abnormal country that doesn't care if hundreds of thousands or millions of its citizens die as long as it can protect the lives and property of Kim Jong-un and a tiny minority of the leadership . Even if the United States retaliates with nuclear weapons against North Korea and kills millions of people , it is meaningless if it doesn't catch Kim Jong-un . Above all, it would not be an exaggeration to say that South Korea would lose so much if it were hit by a single nuclear weapon that it would be virtually defeated . In other words, the current extended deterrence strategy, where the United States counterattacks with nuclear weapons if North Korea attacks with nuclear weapons, is no longer working .
Most of the extended deterrence assets are in the United States. Except for some nuclear weapons stored in some European countries under NATO nuclear sharing, all nuclear weapons are located in the United States . Aircraft carriers, except for one forward-deployed carrier, are also based in the United States , and assets such as B-1B bombers are also based in the United States, except for when they are temporarily deployed to the Guam base . And since these extended deterrence assets can be tracked in almost real time , they do not pose much of a threat to North Korea . Now, even civilians can know which base in the United States a bomber takes off from , which route it takes, how many hours it flies , and where it is deployed, and when and where a U.S. aircraft carrier departs and where it is sailing . In other words, since it is difficult to launch a surprise attack on the North using the existing extended deterrence assets , they are not that scary to the North Korean leadership .
South Korea's own nuclear armament is too risky an option, and that is why the argument for the redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea is gaining ground . South Korean politicians and some experts are raising the need to redeploy B61 tactical nuclear bombs , which are virtually the only option among the various types of tactical nuclear weapons that the US military possesses . Some are even arguing that the US should be persuaded to adopt a nuclear sharing system implemented by some NATO countries .
A B61-12 tactical nuclear bomb being launched from an F-35A fighter jet (Source: US Department of Defense)
However, many politicians and experts are basically politicians and political scientists, so they have a low level of understanding of the weapon system itself, and do not recognize that even if the B61 nuclear bomb is deployed to the US Forces in Korea, it will not be able to exert a deterrent effect against North Korea like other extended deterrence assets .
The B61 is basically a free-fall aerial bomb launched from an aircraft . If introduced to the US Forces in Korea , it will be operated by F-16 fighters deployed in Osan and Gunsan , but both bases would be subject to concentrated attacks from North Korea's tactical ballistic missiles and large-caliber multiple rocket launchers in the event of an emergency . If the bases are neutralized at the beginning of a war, an attempt to launch a nuclear attack using an F-16 will be impossible . Even if the base facilities are restored and an F-16 equipped with a nuclear bomb is sent to North Korea, it will be difficult for the non-stealth F-16 to overcome the North Korean air defense network , and even if it were to overcome it, it would not be able to achieve the surprise effect, making it impossible to achieve the goal of eliminating the North Korean leadership .
The US is also well aware of this fact. If the Osan and Gunsan F-16s had been replaced with F-35A stealth fighters as initially planned in 2019 , there might have been some possibility , but now that the US has abandoned its plan to deploy F-35s in Korea , deploying B61s in Korea and sharing tactical nuclear weapons between Korea and the US are tactically and strategically inefficient and unfeasible claims .
'SLCM-N', a one-tool weapon for responding to North Korea's nuclear program that no one knows about
( Host ) You pointed out that neither the extended deterrence assets deployed in the U.S. nor the B61 nuclear bomb, which the Korean media calls the most powerful nuclear bunker buster, will be able to deter North Korea's nuclear threat . So does that mean we cannot prevent North Korea from attacking South Korea with nuclear weapons ? Are there no other alternatives ?
( Lee Il-woo ) There is one weapon that Korean politicians, high-ranking military personnel, and scholars do not know about . It is a weapon that is being quietly developed in the United States, so much so that not many people even know that it actually exists . It is the sea-launched cruise nuclear missile , SLCM-N . Korea should exert all its diplomatic power to persuade the United States to make a decision on early operational deployment of the SLCM-N and its deployment around the Korean Peninsula, and should be prepared to make financial contributions if necessary .
The SLCM-N project, which began during the Trump administration, was virtually on the verge of being killed under the Biden administration, which was critical of nuclear weapons . However, General Anthony Cotton, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, supported the SLCM-N project when he was the commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command , and General Charles Brown, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also had a positive stance on the project , and the project was able to proceed without interruption when the U.S. Congress stepped in and allocated a budget for the project in the National Defense Authorization Act .
Specific information about this project is naturally kept secret because it is a nuclear weapons-related project, but some pieces of information do provide insight into its progress to date . In March , Dr. William LaPlante, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, reported to Congress that he had directed the Navy to establish a program office to oversee the overall SLCM-N program . The contract award details from the Naval Systems Command announced in July also include information regarding the designation of a vendor to achieve Milestone A of the SLCM-N program by fiscal year 2026. Milestone A is a task to comprehensively review the introduction plan, risk management , and required costs prior to the introduction of a weapon system, and is conducted for weapon systems whose requirements have been confirmed .
W80 Mod 4 nuclear warhead (Source - US Department of Energy)
A July report by the Congressional Research Service also included information about the National Nuclear Security Administration's ongoing development of a W80 Mod 4 nuclear warhead variant for the SLCM-N . This nuclear warhead is intended to be mounted on the AGM-181 LRSO long-range air-launched nuclear missile currently under development for the US Air Force, and is scheduled to be deployed before 2030. The W80 nuclear warhead is a 130 kg miniaturized nuclear warhead originally designed to fit the warhead of the Tomahawk cruise missile . The fact that the SLCM-N is equipped with a variant of this nuclear warhead means that the SLCM-N missile is planned to be manufactured with a diameter of less than 533 mm and a length of less than 7.3 m to be operated from the currently in use Mk. 41 vertical launch system .
The power of the W80 Mod 4 has not been announced , but since this nuclear warhead is structured using boosted fission technology and can exert a destructive power of about 5 kt without nuclear fusion boost and about 150 kt with boost , the power can be reduced or increased by adjusting the amount of nuclear material packed inside and the design of the nuclear fission efficiency .
With a power of around 150kt , a single missile can completely devastate the center of Pyongyang . The reason the SLCM-N missile is so powerful is because it will be developed as a stealth missile . The SLCM-N missile is expected to be designed based on the Air Force’s LRSO missile or JASSM-XR , both of which are stealth missiles . And since it can be launched from any warship equipped with the Strike Length module among the Mk. 41 vertical launch tubes, it can be launched from any Aegis destroyer deployed around the Korean Peninsula or any attack submarine underwater . Since it can guarantee the stealth and survivability of both the launch platform and the nuclear weapon itself , it is also the most attractive alternative if the United States is to supplement the loopholes in its extended deterrence against North Korea .
Stealth Nuclear Missiles Coming to Korea Would Be a Bigger Nightmare for China Than North Korea
( Host ) If it's a stealth missile, and it's equipped with a powerful nuclear warhead, it seems like North Korea can't help but be afraid. If we use this strategic asset well, it could become a very threatening weapon not only to North Korea , but also to China, which is behind it . Director Lee Il-woo, does he have a plan ?
( Lee Il-woo ) It is true that the SLCM-N is an extremely powerful weapon , but the US military lacks a platform to operate this missile even if it is deployed . It is already a well-known fact that the US Navy is suffering from a chronic shortage of warships , and the attack nuclear submarines, the most effective asset for launching this missile by surprise, are so overworked that they do not have the capacity to come near the Korean Peninsula . However, there is no rule that says that a sea-launched cruise nuclear missile must be launched only at sea . This is because modern warfare is conducted as a multi-domain operation that does not distinguish between land, sea, air, space, and cyber .
SM-6 missile launched from K70 PDS (Source - US Navy)
As mentioned earlier, the SLCM-N is to be launched from a sea platform, so it will be manufactured with specifications within 533 mm in diameter and 7.3 m in length , and will be manufactured in a specification that can be mounted on the Mk. 41 Strike Length Module . This means that this missile can be fired from the Mk. 70 Payload Delivery System, which is the launcher for land-based use . The Mk. 70 PDS is the Army's mobile missile launcher, also known as the MRC, TWS , which I introduced previously .
Mk70 PDS being unloaded from a C-17 transport aircraft (Source: US Navy)
The US Army has one strategic firepower battalion under the multi-domain task force, and this battalion is organized with one MRC battery . One MRC battery consists of four containers with Mk. 70 PDS installed , one reloading vehicle , a fire control center, and a support vehicle . This container is the same size as a standard 40- foot container used for trade . Because it is a standard container, it can be transported by transport plane , and if the exterior paint is changed, it is impossible to distinguish whether the container is a container carrying missiles or a general cargo container .
If North Korea were to publicly announce that it is armed with SLCM-N missiles on its Mk. 70 PDS and even hint that the launcher could reach South Korea, North Korea and China would be turned upside down . Several transport and cargo planes fly in and out of the Osan, Gunsan , and Pyeongtaek bases every day , and a huge amount of cargo containers are processed , several of which could be missile launchers carrying stealth nuclear missiles .
The Mk.70 PDS can be loaded onto a trailer and moved on land like a regular container , or it can be loaded onto a US pre-positioning ship or cargo ship and launched at sea . Once launched, it is a stealth missile, so North Korea and China cannot tell whether it is flying in, making it very difficult for them to evacuate their leadership or defend themselves .
The deployment of such weapons in South Korea, which North Korea and China cannot respond to, can literally be considered a game-changing card.
( Host ) This was Lee Il-woo, Secretary General of the Korea Independent Defense Network. Now, with Kim Jin-guk from RFA in Washington , D.C.
Editor Lee Jin-seo , Web Editor Han Deok-in
9. Heatwave claims victims young and old in N. Hwanghae province
Heatwave claims victims young and old in N. Hwanghae province - Daily NK English
“This summer has been unbearably hot, and even running a fan at home provides little relief," a source told Daily NK
By Lee Chae Eun - August 23, 2024
dailynk.com · by Lee Chae Eun · August 23, 2024
A photo taken in August 2012 of children in North Korea. (Nicor, Wikimedia Commons)
A series of incidents attributed to a severe heatwave have recently emerged in North Hwanghae province.
Speaking anonymously, a Daily NK source in the province reported on Tuesday that this summer is unusually hot, with many people experiencing symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and dizziness. In extreme cases, individuals have lost consciousness, and tragically, some have died.
On Aug. 16, a man in his 60s was found dead in a field in Yeontan county. His family, concerned when he didn’t return home by evening, found him collapsed and lifeless in the field.
While the exact cause of death remains unclear, locals believe that heatstroke may have been the cause.
The source noted that older people, especially those in poor health, are particularly vulnerable in hot weather. The intense heat makes breathing difficult even while standing still and working in the fields has proven fatal for some.
Malnourished children are affected by the heatwave, too
Earlier, on Aug. 13, a 7-year-old child nearly lost his life after collapsing from the heat in Sariwon. The child was playing outside with friends when he suddenly lost consciousness. Fortunately, his friends alerted nearby adults, who provided emergency assistance, reviving the child.
“This child comes from a poor family and has been malnourished, making him very weak,” the source said. “He fainted while playing in the extreme heat, and if help had come even a little later, his life might have been in danger.”
These incidents highlight the ongoing impact of the heatwave in North Korea. The source emphasized that most victims are vulnerable groups like children and older adults, with poor nutrition being a significant contributing factor.
“Healthy people can recover quickly from heat exhaustion, but older people and children, whose immune systems are weakened due to poor nutrition, can find themselves in life-threatening situations,” the source said. “The food shortage is already a struggle, and with the intensifying heat, people’s lives are at great risk.”
The source added, “This summer has been unbearably hot, and even running a fan at home provides little relief. But with no electricity, residents are left to endure the heat by sheer willpower. On top of struggling to survive, the heat has made daily life incredibly difficult for the people here.”
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 Lee Chae Eun · August 23, 2024
10. N. Korea rounds up officials on drug-related charges
Internal corruption. The contradictions of the regime.
N. Korea rounds up officials on drug-related charges - Daily NK English
After a three-month sting, nine people were arrested on drug-related charges, including two city party committee officials, one district party committee official and one district police officer
By Eun Seol - August 23, 2024
dailynk.com · by Eun Seol · August 23, 2024
A view of Hamhung, South Hamgyong province, in 2011. (Jen Morgan, Flickr, Creative Commons)
Officials arrested in early July for drug trafficking in Hamhung face intense public scrutiny over their potential punishments, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking anonymously, a Daily NK source in South Hamgyong province said Monday that a man in his 30s named Choe had long sold methamphetamine as an “8.3 profession,” which involves paying his official workplace to be exempt from showing up.
In late March, someone reported Choe to the city police on suspicion of dealing methamphetamine. During their investigation, police discovered Choe’s customers included some high-profile individuals.
After a three-month sting, nine people were arrested on drug-related charges, including two city party committee officials, one district party committee official and one district police officer. They are currently undergoing preliminary examinations.
Choe testified to dealing methamphetamine for over ten years, evading detection by running a clothing business as a cover.
“Rather than Choe’s arrest, people are more interested in whether the officials are convicted and how severely they are punished,” the source said. While many believe Choe will receive the death penalty and officials might escape punishment, the case’s high profile suggests it won’t be easily dismissed.
Corruption common among upholders of drug laws
Meanwhile, South Hamgyong province’s party committee held lectures calling for “severe legal judgment.” The source noted that at Saturday lectures for provincial-level officials on July 20 and Aug. 3, “ideological indoctrination materials named the arrested officials and warned that ‘they would never be forgiven for taking methamphetamine used by human trash.'”
Methamphetamine began spreading in North Korea after the mid-1990s economic collapse, initially from major pharmaceutical factories. It quickly spread to the general population in the mid-2000s as manufacturing knowledge increased. Despite intensified punishments, including a 2021 drug crime prevention law, the problem persists, often led by officials tasked with prevention.
“Donju who deal drugs usually work alongside officials. The state clamors about principles, but officials don’t keep those principles,” the source said, referring to North Korea’s wealthy entrepreneurial class. “If it weren’t so bad, people probably wouldn’t say that officials have to deal in drugs, prostitution, bribery and other things the state forbids to gain recognition for their competency.”
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 Eun Seol · August 23, 2024
11. Seoul seeks to end KHNP-Westinghouse dispute
Seoul seeks to end KHNP-Westinghouse dispute
koreaherald.com · by Son Ji-hyoung · August 25, 2024
By Son Ji-hyoung
Published : Aug. 25, 2024 - 15:21
This photo shows nuclear power units in Dukovany, a city located 170 kilometers southeast of the Czech Republic's capital Prague. (Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power)
South Korea is looking for a solution to end a legal dispute between local nuclear power company Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power and US firm Westinghouse Electric Company "through various channels," amid pressure mounting on Seoul over a nuclear export deal worth at least 24 trillion won ($18 billion) with the Czech Republic.
"The government is discussing with the US government through various channels to support the amicable resolution of the corporate dispute," an official of the presidential office said on condition of anonymity Saturday. "We will maintain close coordination with our US counterparts on the foundation of the ironclad Korea-US alliance, so that (the dispute) does not harm Seoul's nuclear exports."
The official added that Seoul and Washington "have reached common ground" over the necessity to cooperate in the energy industry in general concerning power sources such as nuclear, renewables and hydrogen.
The remarks came a month after a South Korean consortium led by the state-run KHNP in July was picked as the preferred bidder for at least two Czech nuclear power plant units with 1,000-megawatt capacity in the Czech Republic's southeastern city of Dukovany. The contract for the two Dukovany units is poised to be finalized by March 2025, and the project is expected to break ground in 2029 with the goal of completion by 2036.
The Korean consortium also won the exclusive right to build two more units in Temelin, 100 kilometers south of Prague, but the Czech government's approval for those nuclear power plants is still pending.
Immediately after the Czech Republic's announcement, Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun had said in July that the KHNP had "reached a final stage of arrangement" with Westinghouse over the dispute, without elaborating further.
Uncertainties linger over bidder the KHNP's ongoing failure to settle its legal battle with Westinghouse, which was also one of the contenders in the Czech Republic's tender process for new nuclear power unit construction.
The conflict between the state-run KHNP and Westinghouse centers on whether the KHNP's flagship "APR-1400" nuclear reactor design includes any intellectual property licensed by Westinghouse, which introduced the nuclear power generation technique to South Korea in 1969 and has since transferred relevant technologies to the country.
Westinghouse had filed a legal complaint in October 2022 against the KHNP, as the Korean firm inked a letter of intent with counterparts in Poland to build at least two power nuclear power units in the same month.
Westinghouse claims that it has a private right of action under Part 810 of Title 10 in the Code of Federal Regulations of the United States, as the KHNP had failed to meet either reporting or approval requirements, meaning the Korean company cannot export its nuclear power reactor design without the US company's consent.
Separately, the US Department of Energy in January 2023 revoked the KHNP's application for authorization under the code, implying that the South Korean firm is not eligible to apply.
A ruling in September by the District Court of the District of Columbia dismissed Westinghouse's complaint, as it ruled that Westinghouse does not have a private right of action. Westinghouse then appealed this decision. According to Westinghouse, a final ruling is "not expected until late 2025.”
A Korean government source was quoted as saying by the local Korean daily Chosun Ilbo on Friday that the South Korean delegation held closed-door meetings with officials of the US Department of Energy and Westinghouse earlier in August to seek resolution, but they "bore little fruit."
A South Korean delegation led by President Yoon Suk Yeol is poised to visit the Czech Republic in September, with further details yet to be disclosed. According to Seoul, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry is recruiting a team of business leaders to accompany Yoon during the visit.
koreaherald.com · by Son Ji-hyoung · August 25, 2024
12. Column: Korea Exercises Highlight Japan, South Korea and U.S.
Column: Korea Exercises Highlight Japan, South Korea and U.S.
Chicago Tribune · by Arthur I. Cyr · August 22, 2024
South Korea and the United States on Aug.19 began regular annual military exercises, including operations geared toward North Korea, but this year there is a difference. Japan is a more visible defense partner in the Pacific and beyond
This follows directly from a Camp David summit last year hosted by President Joe Biden that included the prime ministers of both Japan and South Korea. The resulting agreement greatly changes the dynamics of the balance of power in Northeast Asia, and more generally in the vast region of Asia.
Traditionally, Japan and Korea were enemies. The powerful military culture of historically unified Korea generally maintained independence against China and Japan. This changed in 1905 when Japan invaded and occupied Korea.
That occupation continued until Japan’s defeat in 1945. Soviet forces occupied Korea north of the 38th Parallel, U.S. forces controlled the southern region. As with Germany, the occupation zones were conceived as a temporary expedient among the victorious Allies, but the onset of the Cold War made them permanent. Germany is now united, but Korea remains divided.
So far, both China and North Korea have been relatively muted in publicly complaining about these exercises. That may reflect an intimidation factor given Japan’s increasing prominence in defense.
Additionally, both communist nations along with Russia are beleaguered. Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved to strengthen military ties with Pyongyang, but that reflects the unanticipated great costs resulting from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
China’s economy is in growing difficulty. Beijing strives to attract private investment while simultaneously maintaining a brutal police state. In effect, the regime is trying to ride two horses going in opposite directions.
Beijing’s military assertiveness, especially at sea, is one important incentive for the expanding military role of Japan. In 2016, a panel of five judges at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled unanimously against China and in favor of the Philippines regarding territorial disputes. Philippine-U.S. military cooperation is expanding, while China tensions continue.
Erratic North Korea behavior is now routine. In 2013, the regime announced a “state of war” with South Korea and threatened nuclear attack. Pyongyang abruptly abrogated the 1953 armistice agreement ending the Korean War, and cut the military “hotline” communications link with the south.
In March 2010, a North Korea torpedo sank the South Korean ship Cheonan. In the same vicinity in November of that year, North Korean artillery bombarded South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island.
North Korea has conducted rudimentary nuclear weapons along with missile tests. Progress has been uneven, but there has been slow expansion of missile ranges. There is now evidence of capacity to strike the continental U.S., and the ominous effort seriously threatens Japan as well as South Korea.
In 2017, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2271 in response to North Korea’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) tests. This motion involving severe economic sanctions passed unanimously, but since then both China and Russia have moved to support North Korea..
In 2016, the U.S. and South Korea agreed to deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system given Pyongyang’s missile program. This is a defensive system, therefore stabilizing.
This introduces the most fundamental point. For all the tensions and strains along the 38th Parallel, and occasional violent incidents, the 1953 armistice has held. Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower deserve credit for deciding to defend South Korea, and then ending the war.
Arthur I. Cyr is author of “After the Cold War – American Foreign Policy, Europe and Asia,” NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan. Contact acyr@carthage.edu
Chicago Tribune · by Arthur I. Cyr · August 22, 2024
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
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