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Quotes of the Day:
“An arrogant person considers himself perfect. This is the chief harm of arrogance. It interferes with a person's main task in life – becoming a better person.”
- Leo Tolstoy
“Do not speak ill of others, for it, tarnishes your own soul.”
- Democritus.
“There is no friend as loyal as a book.”
- Ernest Hemingway.
1. U.S. remains open to dialogue with N. Korea; White House
2. Outcome of S. Korea, U.S., Japan summit represents strong commitment of equal, powerful countries: Campbell
3. The Real-Life Bank Heist That Should Have Us All Petrified
4. S. Korea ready to become most vocal 'speaker' over N. Korea's human rights: minister
5. S. Korea, U.S. hold joint air drills, involving B-1B strategic bomber
6. Mark Lambert, a foreign service officer of more than 30 years, will oversee department’s China and Taiwan strategy, people familiar say
7. U.S. Space Force looks to boost allied tracking of North Korea missiles
8. North Korean leader calls for military to be prepared against invasion
9. US can’t rely on military prowess to counter China in Asia, despite partnership with Japan, South Korea
10. North Korea brings home around 700 of its workers from China and Russia
11. Ships sanctioned for trade with North Korea remain active
12. ‘Forgery and agitation is how communism survives,’ Yoon says
13. ＜Photo Report＞The North Korea-China Border (1) In August, Tumen and the midstream of the Tumen River was quiet
14. South Korea teams up with Japan, U.S. for missile defense drill against North
15. Korea’s fertility rate drops to record low of 0.7 again
16. Tackling challenges from Camp David
17. South Korea seeks to stabilize relations with China, Russia
18. Is North Korea preparing crown princess Kim Ju-ae as successor?
19. Korea, China, Japan eye high-level talks to arrange trilateral summit within year: sources
1. U.S. remains open to dialogue with N. Korea; White House
I know these statements get old for some people. But the fact is that it is Kim Jong Un who has a hostile policy toward the ROK, the US and the outside world. The ROK/US alliance has a defensive policy and remains willing to negotiate with the north in good faith. It is up to Kim Jong Un to do the same.
(LEAD) U.S. remains open to dialogue with N. Korea; White House | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · August 30, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES with remarks from Pentagon spokesperson in last 6 paras; ADDS photo)
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) -- The United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea, a White House spokesperson said Tuesday, after North Korea's reclusive leader called U.S. President Joe Biden and his South Korean, Japanese counterparts "gang bosses."
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accused Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of driving the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a "nuclear war" during his recent visit to the North's naval command.
"Obviously, we have said many times the lines of communication with the DPRK remain open," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked about Kim's remarks in a daily press briefing.
"That is something that we are certainly open and willing to have," added Jean-Pierre.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is seen answering questions during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington on Aug. 29, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)
Kim's criticism of the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the U.S. follows the leaders' historic trilateral summit held at Camp David on Aug. 18, in which they agreed to boost their countries' trilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas, including security, economic and technology.
To this end, the countries have agreed to regularize their joint military exercises, and also start sharing real-time military information on North Korea's missile launches before the year's end.
"Recently, the gang bosses of the U.S., Japan and the "Republic of Korea" were closeted with each other, where they announced that they would conduct on a regular basis the tripartite joint military exercises under different code-names, and set about its implementation," Kim said, according to a report by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
The White House spokesperson said she has yet to see the North Korean report when asked about Kim's comments, adding, "I just don't have anything to say specifically about those comments."
Department of Defense deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh is seen answering questions during a daily press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on Aug, 29, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)
Sabrina Singh, deputy spokesperson for the Department of Defense, said the U.S., Japan and South Korea will continue to enhance their trilateral defense cooperation, also noting the countries recently conducted a tripartite joint exercise.
"We just conducted a trilateral exercise that followed the historic Camp David summit. It brought together even closer the leaders the United States, Japan and the ROK," she told a daily press briefing, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
"We are committed to peace and prosperity in the region and will continue to engage with our partners and allies in the region," she added.
The Pentagon spokesperson also noted that the U.S. and its allies are closely monitoring North Korea for additional provocations following its two failed launches of a claimed military satellite on May 31 and on Thursday (Korea time).
"We continue to monitor the actions that the DPRK takes whenever it comes to a missile or space launch or missile launch like this one," she said when asked about last week's satellite launch.
"We are aware that the DPRK is using ballistic missile technology, which is a violation of multiple U.N. Security resolutions. The behavior that we have seen continues to destabilize and undermine security in the region,' she added.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · August 30, 2023
2. Outcome of S. Korea, U.S., Japan summit represents strong commitment of equal, powerful countries: Campbell
Excerpts:
"I have that sense ... more than I have ever had in the past that these are no longer lesser-weaker, stronger-older brother relationships. These are relationships in which each country takes responsibility for consultation," he added while speaking at a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington.
...
When asked about the possible resumption of dialogue with North Korea following the country's reported reopening of its borders, Cho said it was unlikely for the time being.
"We are witnessing a continued provocation and continued North Korea's commitment to launching missiles," the South Korean ambassador said. "And so, probably the opportunity for reopening dialogue with North Korea is not likely for the time being."
"I'd just like to make clear to North Korea. As President Yoon said, the continued provocation, continued violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions by North Korea will only strengthen the trilateral security cooperation among the three countries," added Cho.
Outcome of S. Korea, U.S., Japan summit represents strong commitment of equal, powerful countries: Campbell | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · August 30, 2023
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) -- The outcome of the historic trilateral summit held at Camp David earlier this month represents the strong commitment of three equal and powerful countries that are focused on promoting peace and security throughout their shared region, a senior White House official said Tuesday.
Kurt Campbell, National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, also highlighted the countries' commitment to institutionalize their three-way cooperation.
"I thought what was on display in Camp David is a sense of three equal, powerful, committed, determined nations meeting on equal terms," Campbell said of the Aug. 18 Camp David summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
"I have that sense ... more than I have ever had in the past that these are no longer lesser-weaker, stronger-older brother relationships. These are relationships in which each country takes responsibility for consultation," he added while speaking at a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington.
National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell is seen speaking at a seminar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Aug. 20, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)
The leaders had produced three key documents in their first standalone trilateral summit -- 'Spirit of Camp David,' 'Camp David Principles' and 'Commitment to Consult' -- that call for trilateral cooperation in various areas, including security, technology and supply chains.
"I think what the statement and the meetings underscore is a general proposition that a challenge to the security of any one of the countries affects the security of all of them," said Campbell.
South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong highlighted the economic significance of the trilateral summit and its outcome, noting the three countries together accounted for 31 percent of the global gross domestic product in 2022.
"We three countries provide almost 80 percent of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to the world market. And Korea, Japan companies, companies from the two countries will supply, I think, almost 90 percent of batteries which will be used in the United States next year," Cho told the forum.
"So, deeper cooperation of the countries will facilitate more resilient and safer global supply chain, which is, I think, a benefit for all," added the South Korean diplomat.
South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong (second from L), Kurt Campbell, U.S. National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs (C), and Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Tomita Koji (fourth from L) are seen taking part in a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Aug. 29, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)
Campbell said the most important outcome of the summit was an agreement to institutionalize three-way cooperation.
"The three leaders meeting every year, investing in a very high-tech hotline that we will utilize, the fact that we will have our national security advisers or secretaries of defense or secretaries of state meeting regularly, we believe, will help propel this relationship forward," he told the forum.
Campbell noted the trilateral cooperation cannot be future-proof when asked how the countries can ensure future cooperation, given the historical differences between South Korea and Japan that have long been a source of discord between the neighboring countries.
"Nothing can be future proofed. Nothing can be. But I will also just underscore that there are examples of countries that faced complex histories that have managed to, through a variety of reasons and mechanisms, managed to create a new relationship with a new future." he said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has strongly denounced the trilateral summit of Yoon, Biden and Kishida, calling them " gang leaders" and accusing them of building what he called an "Asian version" of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
"I do not believe, fundamentally, that what's going on in Asia has really much to do with NATO," said Campbell, noting that the United States has combined 150 years of bilateral alliance relations with South Korea and Japan.
"Our goal is to follow that unique path and to recognize that it will follow its own timing and pattern of consultation and engagement," he added. "Personally, I would discourage comparisons with NATO."
When asked about the possible resumption of dialogue with North Korea following the country's reported reopening of its borders, Cho said it was unlikely for the time being.
"We are witnessing a continued provocation and continued North Korea's commitment to launching missiles," the South Korean ambassador said. "And so, probably the opportunity for reopening dialogue with North Korea is not likely for the time being."
"I'd just like to make clear to North Korea. As President Yoon said, the continued provocation, continued violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions by North Korea will only strengthen the trilateral security cooperation among the three countries," added Cho.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · August 30, 2023
3. The Real-Life Bank Heist That Should Have Us All Petrified
The Real-Life Bank Heist That Should Have Us All Petrified
CAN’T MAKE IT UP
The new documentary “Billion Dollar Heist” chronicles the 2016 digital attack on Bangladesh’s financial system, which could have been worse with the help of today’s AI. Be afraid…
Matthew Jacobs
Updated Aug. 26, 2023 2:58AM EDT / Published Aug. 25, 2023 11:13PM EDT
The Daily Beast · August 26, 2023
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty
The new documentary Billion Dollar Heist ends with a jolting premonition: In the next five to 10 years, a cyberattack threatening major national infrastructures—banking, transportation, telecommunications, water supplies—is all but guaranteed.
The warning comes from Misha Glenny, a London-born cybersecurity expert and the author of the 2008 book McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld (later adapted into a TV series starring David Strathairn and James Norton). Glenny appears in the film to help explain the story, through which a cabal of hackers committed the most ambitious digital heist in history, stealing $81 million from Bangladesh’s central bank. If someone could get away with a crime of that magnitude in 2016, there’s worse around the corner, Glenny argues, especially as artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated.
British journalist and broadcaster Misha Glenny.
David Levenson/Getty
“It’s a permanent black-swan situation,” Glenn tells The Daily Beast, referring to a common theory of probability. “You have a low risk of something bad happening, but if something bad does happen, then every year the consequences are going to be even greater because of the scale of our dependency on complex, networked computer systems.”
In less than 90 minutes, Billion Dollar Heist (now available on VOD) details how the Bangladesh bank crime was orchestrated. The hackers spent months slowly infiltrating the South Asian country’s equivalent to the U.S. Federal Reserve, hiding malware in an email sent to 36 of the bank’s employees. Once the programmers gained access to SWIFT, the international system that facilitates transactions from one bank to another, they could launder money via accounts they’d set up in the Philippines. Those funds were then converted to cash by way of Chinese casinos.
The thieves had set their sights on stealing nearly $1 billion, almost all of the bank’s holdings. They were clever about it, too, executing the scheme over four days in February when both Bangladesh and China had banking holidays. An intermediary rejected some of the hackers’ transfer requests, which is why the group only made off with $81 million. But it was still a seismic payday that raised major alarms for cybersecurity specialists like Glenny. An FBI agent featured in the documentary compares the operation to Ocean’s Eleven, where everyone involved has a specific part to pay.
The National Security Agency and the United Kingdom’s Government Communications Headquarters believe the heist was carried out by the Lazarus Group, the same North Korean agency that hacked Sony Pictures in 2014, exploited cryptocurrency operations in South Korea in 2017, and attempted to breach AstraZeneca in 2020 while the pharmaceutical company was conducting COVID-19 vaccine research.
Unlike Russian or Chinese infiltrators, Glenny says, the North Korean perpetrators are more interested in money than espionage. Factions like Lazarus recruit computer whizzes as young as 12 years old, training them to carry out elaborate plots in exchange for cash or luxury goods. Every day, there are thousands of small cyberattacks across the world, according to Billion Dollar Heist, which was directed by Daniel Gordon (30 for 30, The Trials of Oscar Pistorius).
Glenny lists cybercrime as one of the four leading threats to humanity, the other three being climate change, pandemics, and weapons of mass destruction. As former New York Times cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth points out in the film, the internet was originally set up to share resources at the Pentagon, not to absorb the complicated banking and security clearances required today. Now that AI programs like ChatGPT can write disruptive malware, the likelihood of an offensive far greater than the one involving the Bangladesh bank has escalated. After all, most tech companies prioritize innovation over security.
“Artificial intelligence is going to take us on to another level,” Glenny says, “not just in terms of what we can do with network systems, but what can be done to us with network systems.”
He recommends taking a couple of precautions. First and foremost, if your computer or phone prompts you to update its software, do so immediately—it could be a response to a security breach that’s rendered consumer data vulnerable. Secondly, install an antivirus program. Finally, make your passwords as hard to guess as possible.
Of course, individuals aren’t likely to be targeted in the same way that banks and multinational corporations might. Regardless, viruses spread.
“If you use basic digital hygiene, you are reducing your risk level very dramatically—down to about a 3 percent to 4 percent risk, instead of about 16 percent to 20 percent,” Glenny says. “Then, usually, the only way that you’re going to be attacked is if you open an attachment for what is obviously not a not a serious email or you are being targeted. But if you’re being targeted by somebody like the Lazarus Group or that level of hacking, then there’s nothing you can do about it anyhow.”
The Daily Beast · August 26, 2023
4. S. Korea ready to become most vocal 'speaker' over N. Korea's human rights: minister
There should be no doubt that the ROK has adopted a human rights upfront approach.
S. Korea ready to become most vocal 'speaker' over N. Korea's human rights: minister | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · August 30, 2023
By Kim Soo-yeon
SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification minister said Wednesday the government is willing to play the role of the most vocal "speaker" in efforts to make the international community aware of North Korea's dismal human rights situations.
At the annual Korea Global Forum hosted by Seoul's unification ministry, Minister Kim Yung-ho stressed the need to make perpetrators accountable for North Koreas' human rights violations.
"In the process, the South Korean government is ready to become the largest speaker and hub in efforts to raise awareness of the North's human rights situations," Kim said in a keynote speech read by the country's vice unification minister.
Vice Unification Minister Moon Seoung-hyun reads a keynote speech of Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho at the annual Korea Global Forum in Seoul on Aug. 30, 2023. (Yonhap)
Kim said the unification ministry will issue reports on North Korea's economic and social situations and closely cooperate with the United Nations on a mission to help resolve Pyongyang's human rights abuse.
In regard to the North's provocations, the minister warned North Korea will pay the price for its "wrong choice," as South Korea, the United States and Japan are willing to immediately counter Pyongyang's provocations based on their stronger security cooperation.
"The North's 'wrong choice' will be immediately and sternly restrained by trilateral security cooperation of Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, and North Korea will face tighter and stronger sanctions," he said.
He added the international community will closely cooperate to track and block North Korea's illegal earnings of foreign currency, such as cyber crimes, arms transactions and the dispatch of its laborers abroad.
The leaders of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan held a trilateral summit at Camp David earlier this month and agreed to closely cooperate to counter the North's nuclear and missile threats.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · August 30, 2023
5. S. Korea, U.S. hold joint air drills, involving B-1B strategic bomber
Is this in response to the failure of Chollima-1 or is this a planned exercise during UFS?
Or is the the new normal? I believe we are no longer responding tit-tor-tat to whatever north Korea does but instead sustaining planned exercises over time to ensure the highest level of readiness and interoperability to ensure we are fully prepared to defend the ROK, the region, and the US thus contributing to deterrence.
S. Korea, U.S. hold joint air drills, involving B-1B strategic bomber | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · August 30, 2023
By Lee Minji
SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States staged combined air drills, involving at least one U.S. B-1B strategic bomber, Wednesday, Seoul's defense ministry said, as part of the allies' annual joint military drills.
During the drills, FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea flew together with U.S. F-16 fighters to escort the B-1B aircraft above the Korean Peninsula, according to the ministry. It did not clarify the number of B-1B aircraft deployed here.
The joint air drills took place after North Korea's attempt to launch its Chollima-1 rocket, carrying what it claimed to be a military spy satellite, was unsuccessful last week, its second failure this year.
The drills displayed "extended deterrence in action" and a "robust combined defense posture" by deploying "U.S. strategic assets for the recent launch of North Korea's claimed space launch vehicle," the ministry said in a statement.
With the U.S. deploying its strategic bombers to the joint drills with South Korea, the allies have showcased their deterrent capabilities while demonstrating their combat readiness.
The joint military drills are set to end Thursday.
The air forces of South Korea and the United States carry out a joint drill over the Yellow Sea on Feb. 1, 2023, in this file photo provided by Seoul's defense ministry. The exercise involved F-35A fighter jets from South Korea and a B-1B strategic bomber, as well as F-22 and F-35B stealth fighters, from the U.S. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · August 30, 2023
6. Mark Lambert, a foreign service officer of more than 30 years, will oversee department’s China and Taiwan strategy, people familiar say
Yes, a highly respected professional. Those who work on Korea and broader Asia-Pacific issues have long known Mark.
Mark Lambert, a foreign service officer of more than 30 years, will oversee department’s China and Taiwan strategy, people familiar say
By Liza Lin
Follow
Aug. 29, 2023 8:59 am ET
https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/state-department-set-to-name-new-top-china-policy-official-ab74d089?page=1
SINGAPORE—The U.S. State Department is set to name a senior career diplomat with experience trying to curb Beijing’s influence at the United Nations and handling North Korea as its new top official in charge of managing China policy, according to the people familiar with the matter.
The selection of Mark Lambert, a current deputy assistant secretary in the Office of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, as the next deputy assistant secretary for China and Taiwan issues comes at a tumultuous time in relations between Washington and Beijing, and with the Biden administration’s China policy coming under heavy scrutiny from Republicans.
Lambert fills a position vacated by Rick Waters, a veteran China hand who announced his resignation from the position in May. Waters had also been serving as head of the State Department’s new Office of China Coordination, known informally as “China House,” when he stepped down.
The State Department is still debating whether Lambert should also take Waters’ previous role as coordinator at China House, a person familiar with the matter said. China House was set up within the State Department less than a year ago to streamline and coordinate U.S. policy making toward China, described by the department last December as “ the most complex and consequential geopolitical challenge we face.”
The coordinator role is held up as it is unclear if the job requires Senate confirmation, the person said. If such political confirmation is required, then Assistant Secretary Daniel Kritenbrink—already confirmed by the Senate—would likely take the role, this person said.
A State Department spokesman said the department has no personnel announcements to make at this time.
“The Office of China Coordination remains an integral piece of the U.S. government’s efforts to responsibly manage our competition with the People’s Republic of China and advance our vision for an open, inclusive international system,” he said.
Reuters first reported the news of Lambert’s appointment, including uncertainty around whether he would also take the China House role.
Lambert’s new assignment comes as U.S. and Chinese leaders are seeking to arrest a free fall in relations brought about by clashes over issues ranging from technology and trade to espionage and the status of self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of China. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is visiting China this week, the latest in a string of visits by senior U.S. officials aimed at re-establishing high-level communications and lower tensions.
The Biden administration’s China policy has come in the crosshairs of security hawks in Congress, especially Republicans, who see the White House as placing too high a priority on engaging with, rather than confronting, Beijing. Those criticisms amped up as the administration sought to restart high-level dialogue this spring not long after the appearance over the U.S. of a suspected Chinese spy balloon.
Lambert, who presently oversees offices that manage relations with Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, is a veteran of several stints in Asia, having served in China twice. He is seen within the department as a dependable and experienced manager, well-liked and respected by colleagues including Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink, people familiar with Lambert say.
He was part of a team that handled a high-profile diplomatic crisis when a U.S. EP-3 spy plane crashed into a China fighter jet in 2001, resulting in the death of the Chinese pilot. China held the 24-man crew of the EP-3 for 11 days after the U.S. plane was forced to land on China’s Hainan Island after the collision.
Lambert also was the point person in a Trump administration initiative to counter China’s expanding influence at the U.N. and related organizations. He is credited with successfully orchestrating the election of a Singaporean to head the U.N.-established World Intellectual Property Organization in 2020 over a Chinese candidate backed by Beijing.
The resignation of Waters came just five months after China House was established, and only two weeks after Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman—in charge of China issues—said she would retire at age 73.
Charles Hutzler and Vivian Salama contributed to this article.
Write to Liza Lin at liza.lin@wsj.com
7. U.S. Space Force looks to boost allied tracking of North Korea missiles
U.S. Space Force looks to boost allied tracking of North Korea missiles
Reuters · by Josh Smith
SEOUL, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. and South Korean militaries want to more closely integrate their systems for tracking North Korean missile launches, an effort that may soon see more cooperation with Japan as well, U.S. Space Force officials said on Wednesday.
Led by a small contingent of U.S. Space Force personnel - the branch's first official component set up overseas - the allies see closer space integration as key to better tracking North Korean threats and responding to a conflict.
U.S. President Joe Biden agreed with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at an Aug. 18 summit that by the end of this year the three countries would share North Korea missile warning data in real time.
The exact details of that trilateral cooperation are being worked out at higher levels, Space Force officials told reporters at a briefing at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul.
"My understanding is there are future bilateral agreements and possibly trilateral agreements that are in the works, especially on the missile warning piece... with sharing that data," said Major Matt Taylor, deputy commander of U.S. Space Forces - Korea.
There are gatherings planned for personnel to collaborate and share processes and procedures, he said.
"None of those details and have been refined or decided at this point but those discussions are being had," Taylor added.
So far the Space Force component in South Korea, which began operating in December, has focused on closer integration with the South Koreans and ensuring that U.S. troops there have more access to space-based assets, the officials said.
Missile tracking data, including information from the U.S. Space-based Infrared System (SBIRS), which can detect missile launches, is already being automatically shared with U.S. allies through early warning systems, said Master Sergeant Shawn Stafford.
South Korea and Japan rely mostly on land and sea-based radars to track launches, but South Korean Air Force Space Operation Squadron commander Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jong Ha said that adding space-based capabilities would provide a "3D" view of the threats.
Given South Korea's push to develop more anti-ballistic missile systems, gaining data from U.S. and possibly Japanese systems would help it detect targets, said Tal Inbar, a missile and space expert with Israel's Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies.
"The whole region could gain a lot from cooperation and collaboration and interoperability of the systems," he told a briefing in Seoul.
Reporting by Josh Smith. Editing by Gerry Doyle
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Reuters · by Josh Smith
8. North Korean leader calls for military to be prepared against invasion
Kim Jong Un is creating the threat for domestic propaganda to justify the sacrifice and suffering of the Korean people in the north as he prioritizes nuclear weapons and missile development (and support to the elite) over the welfare of the people.
The ROK/US alliance has no invasion plans for the north. Counterattack after a north Korean attack, yes, but no invasion plans as Kim alleges. It is Kim Jong Un who has the hostile policy.
North Korean leader calls for military to be prepared against invasion
militarytimes.com · by Hyung-Jin Kim, The Associated Press · August 29, 2023
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the military to be constantly ready for combat to thwart its rivals’ plots to invade, state media said Tuesday, as the U.S., South Korea and Japan held a trilateral naval exercise to deal with North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats.
The U.S. and South Korean militaries have been separately holding summer bilateral exercises since last week. North Korea views such U.S.-involved training as an invasion rehearsal, though Washington and its partners maintain their drills are defensive.
Kim said in a speech marking the country’s Navy Day on Monday that the waters off the Korean Peninsula have been made unstable “with the danger of a nuclear war” because of U.S.-led hostilities, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
He accused the U.S. of conducting “more frantic” naval drills with its allies and deploying strategic assets in waters around the Korean Peninsula. Kim also cited a recent U.S.-South Korean-Japanese summit where an agreement to boost defense cooperation was reached to counter North Korea’s nuclear program. Kim called U.S. President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida “the gang bosses” of the three countries.
“The prevailing situation requires our navy to put all its efforts into rounding off the war readiness to maintain the constant combat alertness and get prepared to break the enemy’s will for war in contingency,” Kim said.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry expressed deep regret over Kim’s use of “very rude language” to slander the South Korean, U.S. and Japanese leaders. Spokesperson Lim Soosuk told reporters that North Korea must immediately stop acts that raise tensions with “reckless threats and provocation.”
In Washington, D.C., Cho Hyundong, South Korea’s ambassador to the United States, said South Korean, U.S. and Japanese efforts to improve relations would not be deterred by Kim’s rhetoric.
“The continued provocation and continued violation of multiple critical U.N. security resolutions by North Korea will only strengthen the trilateral security cooperation,” Cho said.
He made the comments Tuesday in an appearance at the Center for Strategic and International Studies with Tomita Koji, Japan’s ambassador to the U.S., and Kurt Campbell, a top adviser to Biden on Indo-Pacific affairs.
Tuesday’s South Korean-U.S.-Japanese drills in international waters off South Korea’s southern Jeju island involved naval destroyers from the three countries. The training was aimed at mastering procedures for detecting, tracking and sharing information about incoming North Korean missiles, South Korea’s navy said in a statement.
The U.S. and South Korean militaries began the 11-day bilateral drills on Aug. 21. The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield training is normally a computer-simulated command post exercise, but it included field exercises this year.
North Korea typically responds to U.S.-South Korean military drills with its own missile tests. Last Thursday, its second attempt to launch a spy satellite into space failed. The day the drills began, KCNA said Kim observed the test-firing of strategic cruise missiles.
Since the beginning of 2022, North Korea has carried out more than 100 weapons tests, many of them involving nuclear-capable missiles designed to strike the U.S., South Korea and Japan. Many experts say North Korea ultimately wants to use its boosted military capabilities to wrest greater concessions from the U.S.
North Korea’s testing spree has caused the U.S. and South Korea to expand their drills, resume trilateral training involving Japan and enhance “regular visibility” of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula. In July, the United States deployed a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in four decades.
Earlier this month, the leaders of the U.S., South Korea and Japan held their first-ever stand-alone trilateral summit at Camp David. During the meeting, they announced they intend to put into operation by year’s end the sharing of real-time missile warning data on North Korea and hold annual trilateral exercises.
Kim has been pushing hard to expand his nuclear arsenal and introduce a slew of sophisticated weapons systems.
During his Navy Day speech, Kim said that military units of each service would be given new weaponry in line with the government’s decision to expand the operation of tactical nuclear weapons. He said the navy would become “a component of the state nuclear deterrence carrying out the strategic duty.”
This suggests North Korea would deploy new nuclear-capable missiles to its navy and other military services.
State media photos showed Kim visiting the navy headquarters with his daughter, reportedly named Ju Ae and aged about 10. It was her first public appearance since mid-May. Kim has brought her to a series of public events since November, sparking speculation about her political status.
South Korean officials say Kim hasn’t anointed her as his heir. They believe Kim likely attempts to use his daughter’s public appearance as a way to show his people that one of his children would one day inherit his power in what would be the country’s third hereditary power transfer.
Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.
9. US can’t rely on military prowess to counter China in Asia, despite partnership with Japan, South Korea
Conclusion:
With Biden himself skipping the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit this year, and his closest rival Donald Trump vowing to impose massive tariffs should he regain the White House next year, it’s unclear how the US aims to reassert its leadership in a sustainable and constructive manner. In Asia, military prowess alone won’t save American primacy.
US can’t rely on military prowess to counter China in Asia, despite partnership with Japan, South Korea
- Recognising that traditional, highly centralised military alliances like Nato might not be the best fit today, the US has turned to minilateral security arrangements
- However, in countering China, Washington’s ‘integrated deterrence’ strategy has three weaknesses
Richard Heydarian
+ FOLLOWPublished: 1:00am, 29 Aug, 2023
https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3232525/us-cant-rely-military-prowess-counter-china-asia-despite-partnership-japan-south-korea?utm
“Today, we declare openly that we are united in a common purpose to strengthen our shared region,” said US President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a joint statement at their Camp David meeting this month. “Ours is a partnership built not just for our people but for the entire Indo-Pacific.”
Accordingly, the three nations launched initiatives across areas ranging from enhanced intelligence sharing and joint military drills to the development of cutting-edge technologies and economic development programmes.
Biden praised the South Korean and Japanese leadership for their “political courage”, apparently a reference to their diplomatic feud over historical issues. By zeroing in on real and perceived threats from China and North Korea, however, the three nations also made it clear that their partnership is a product of shared anxieties.
At the heart of the burgeoning trilateral alliance is Washington’s “ integrated deterrence” strategy, which aims to corral a network of regional allies and strategic partners to preserve a US-led order in the Indo-Pacific. But Washington still lacks a concrete and constructive strategy, namely a new trade and investment initiative in Asia. Moreover, its unilateral economic sanctions have largely backfired, only reinforcing China’s influence over a host of US allies across the region and beyond.
In the past decade, the American policy elite has begun to appreciate the enormity of China’s rise. Although the US is widely seen as the world’s leading military power, with the largest economy in nominal terms, the Asian powerhouse is just too influential to be “contained”.
Unlike the Soviet Union, China is an integral component of the global economy and has enough wealth and people to sustain formidable and sophisticated armed forces. China is rightfully seen as a “near peer” of the US and, thus, the emerging US-China competition can be characterised as a real cold war.
Meanwhile, there is also a growing recognition that traditional, highly centralised military alliances may not be optimal for the hybrid challenges of the 21st century. Accordingly, the US is embracing new, flexible, “minilateral” security arrangements with like-minded powers and key allies in vital regions.
The upshot is the emergence of new geopolitical blocs – the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue ( Quad), the Australia-UK-US trilateral alliance ( Aukus), and the emerging Japan-Philippine-US trilateral alliance (Japhus).
The recent Camp David meeting is just latest iteration of ongoing efforts to establish new security alliances, which transcend top-down, heavily structured blocs such as Nato.
At Camp David, the US, South Korea and Japan reiterated their commitment to the complete denuclearisation of North Korea. However, China was clearly a central concern, with the joint statement highlighting “dangerous and aggressive behaviour” by China” and “strongly opposing any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific”.
The China-based Global Times cast the Camp David summit as a reflection of the “US’ desire to build a ‘mini-Nato-style’ trilateral military alliance in Northeast Asia”. However, the US’ integrated deterrence strategy against China has three major weakness.
First, even the US’ closest regional allies, such as Australia, want to avoid directly confronting China, including in the event of conflict over Taiwan.
In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has emphasised that he will oppose any attempt by the Pentagon to weaponise its Philippine-based facilities against China. Instead, Manila is far more interested in leveraging its defence cooperation with the US to enhance its own minimum deterrence and domain awareness across its long shores in the Western Pacific.
As for South Korea, it’s doubtful whether the current conservative administration can sustain its anti-China agenda. As Robert Kelly, professor of political science at Pusan National University, has said, growing security cooperation with Japan and the US is not a reflection of a “programmatic campaign” to alter Seoul’s strategic calculus, but instead a reflection of the whims of the unpopular incumbent, who is “just doing it on his own” which makes it “hugely reversible when he’s out of power in 2027”.
Protesters hold a regular Wednesday rally, the 1,600th of its kind, near the Japanese embassy in Seoul, South Korea, on June 14, calling for Japan to apologise to and compensate the victims of the Japanese army’s sexual slavery during World War II, euphemistically called “comfort women”. Photo: EPA-EFE
Second, the US’ regional strategy has been primarily punitive, unleashing a wave of sanctions against China’s critical sectors to dissuade imports and investment. The problem, however, is that the “decoupling” strategy has backfired.
Though it’s true that US imports from China decreased by 14 percentage points between 2017 and 2022, friendly nations as varied as Vietnam, Malaysia and Mexico are now more dependent on Chinese intermediate and raw material imports. In some cases, imports from Southeast Asian nations were found to be primarily repackaged Chinese-made products.
The failure of the US’ “friend-shoring” strategy brings us to the final, and most critical, US weakness. Almost a year after announcing the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, the Biden administration is yet to put a concrete policy forward. Just as Beijing tightens its economic influence over US-friendly nations in the Indo-Pacific, there is as yet no indication of a tangible free trade and investment deal for US partners.
Containers are loaded onto a ship at Saigon port in Ho Chi Minh City on May 3. As a result of US tariffs on Chinese imports, many goods are being rerouted through countries like Vietnam. Photo: AP
Even a relatively modest “digital free trade” deal ran into trouble. Key partners, such as Singapore, have warned of the disruptive impact of Washington’s sanctions-centric strategy against China.
With Biden himself skipping the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit this year, and his closest rival Donald Trump vowing to impose massive tariffs should he regain the White House next year, it’s unclear how the US aims to reassert its leadership in a sustainable and constructive manner. In Asia, military prowess alone won’t save American primacy.
Richard Heydarian is a Manila-based academic and author of Asia’s New Battlefield: US, China and the Struggle for Western Pacific, and the forthcoming Duterte’s Rise
CONVERSATIONS (7)
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Richard Heydarian
Richard Javad Heydarian is Asia-based academic, currently a Professorial Chairholder in Geopolitics at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and author of, among others, “The Indo-Pacific: Trump, China and the New Struggle for Global Mastery”.
10. North Korea brings home around 700 of its workers from China and Russia
Imagine what is going to happen to these people.
Excerpt:
Sources told RFA that the first groups of people selected for repatriation include people accused of crimes, the sick and infirm, and employees who have fallen out of grace with their companies.
North Korea brings home around 700 of its workers from China and Russia
They are the first to return since the start of the pandemic three years ago.
By Kim Jieun for RFA Korean
2023.08.29
rfa.org
North Korea has repatriated at least 700 of its citizens who were stranded in China and Russia since they were dispatched there by their government before the coronavirus pandemic, sources in those countries told Radio Free Asia.
Before COVID-19, the cash-strapped North Korean government had been sending workers to China and Russia to earn desperately needed foreign currency, but in January 2020 it closed down the international borders and forbade its citizens on the other side from returning.
The state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Sunday reported that Pyongyang was now in the process of approving the return of many of the North Koreans still abroad, in what are the first large-scale repatriations of North Korean workers since the pandemic started.
Pyongyang is still concerned about the possible spread of COVID-19, and is requiring all who return home to be under strict medical surveillance in a quarantine facility for a week, the report said.
South Korean media outlets estimate that there are around 100,000 North Korean workers in China, and between 3,000 and 4,000 in Russia, even though U.N. sanctions mandate that all North Korean workers were supposed to have been repatriated by the end of 2019.
Sources told RFA that the first groups of people selected for repatriation include people accused of crimes, the sick and infirm, and employees who have fallen out of grace with their companies.
Two North Korean men walk through the arrivals section at Beijing Capital Airport after the arrival of Air Koryo flight JS151 on Aug. 22, 2023. It was North Korea's first international commercial flight in three years. Credit: Greg Baker/AFP
Delivery from Dandong
About 500 North Koreans have already returned from China’s Liaoning province, a resident there, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told RFA Korean on Monday.
The workers had been living in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture and assembled in the city of Dandong, which lies across the Yalu River from North Korea’s Sinuiju, he said.
“Ten buses picked them up from a nearby hotel where they were staying and took them to customs,” the resident said. “The North Korean workers were moved three days ago after they received instructions from the consulate in Shenyang to assemble in Dandong.”
The Dandong Public Security Bureau assisted with the repatriation by lining up on the streets around the buses to prevent the North Koreans from fleeing and they also forbade onlookers from taking any pictures, the resident said.
“The buses just left after dropping the North Koreans at customs. It’s not clear whether they will travel across the Yalu River by train or bus or cross on foot,” he said. “I was not able to see very much because of the security guards, but I could tell that it was about 500 people when you consider all the buses.”
The resident said that a North Korean trade official told him that North Korea is repatriating students, the infirm and those accused of crimes first. In the next round, retired officials will be repatriated.
South Korea’s Yonhap News on Monday reported that it happened in a slightly different way, with local sources saying that the 10 buses transported North Korean personnel from Dandong directly to Sinuiju in multiple trips.
Return from Russia
South Korean media outlets also reported Monday that North Korean authorities sent an aircraft belonging to the state-run airline Air Koryo to the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok to repatriate North Koreans there, following a previous such flight on Friday.
A resident of Vladivostok told RFA on Friday that 200 North Korean workers had been repatriated on the first flight.
“They were mostly officials and workers who had tried to escape but they were arrested and imprisoned for several months,” he said. “Also among them were those who were deemed to be troublesome by their companies, and the sick and infirm.”
The Vladivostok resident said that these types of people would also be on Monday’s flight.
“As far as I know the repatriation of North Korean workers is proceeding without advance notice, so company officials are concerned that those selected for repatriation will attempt to escape,” he said. “They try to manage the repatriation target by calming and comforting them with the best possible words of kindness.”
Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
rfa.org
11. Ships sanctioned for trade with North Korea remain active
What about PSI? Other enforcement mechanisms?
Also, it seems like the international waters areas where these ships are operating would be good locations for combined naval exercises for "JAROKUS."
Ships sanctioned for trade with North Korea remain active
Shipping data show that 40 vessels targeted by US have been operating in East Asian waters since January.
By Han Dukin, Cho Jinwoo and Noh Jung Min for RFA Korean
2023.08.29
rfa.org
More than three dozen ships sanctioned by the United States for facilitating allegedly illicit trade with North Korea have been active this year, including a dozen North Korean-flagged oil tankers, according to satellite images and ship tracking data analyzed by Radio Free Asia.
The information suggests Kim Jong Un’s isolated regime is defying restrictions designed to limit its ability to develop weapons of mass destruction, including through the importation of fuel above quotas set by the United Nations, experts on the region said.
The U.S. Treasury Department has identified a total of 105 vessels – including freighters and tankers – that it says are in violation of sanctions directed at North Korea. Data from Marine Traffic, a global shipping intelligence company, shows 40 have been operating since the start of 2023 in a stretch of water extending from Russia’s Sakhalin Island south to the Gulf of Thailand, the analysis by RFA Korean shows.
Meanwhile, 19 of 59 ships that face U.N. sanctions have been active from the start of the year to August, the analysis shows. Some vessels face both U.S. and U.N. restrictions.
Continued defiance
Though it’s difficult to know exactly what the ships are carrying, Bruce Songhak Chung, a researcher at the Korean Institute for Security and Strategy, said the images suggest that an illicit trade of crude oil and petroleum products continues.
In December 2017, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution capping the amount of crude oil and refined products North Korea can import annually at 4 million barrels and 500,000 barrels respectively.
In an example of how transshipment helps North Korea evade sanctions, the Panama-flagged ship Xiangyuanbao and the North Korean vessel Myongryu 1 connect hoses to transfer petroleum products in the East China Sea, June 2, 2018. Credit: U.S. Department of State International Security and Nonproliferation Agency.
But the regime has long been thought to exceed those totals through smuggling. In 2019, a report to the council said that North Korea "continues to defy Security Council resolutions through a massive increase in illegal ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products and coal.”
According to the data reviewed by RFA, 26 of the 40 sanctioned ships are oil tankers, with 12 owned by North Korean entities. The tally of vessels sanctioned by the United States likely undercounts the amount of shipping to and from North Korea, given efforts by that country and its partners to circumvent tracking mechanisms.
The data shows the continued difficulty of enforcing maritime controls, said James Byrne, the director at the Royal United Services Institute, an U.K.-based organization that traces and analyzes illegal shipping activities.
“Due to the fact that smuggling and transshipment occur in international waters or North Korea's exclusive economic zone, control is extremely challenging,” Byrne said. “Moreover, there are networks of individuals condoning smuggling in China, and corrupt officials promoting smuggling, making it difficult for the international community to effectively regulate it.”
Port calls
The North Korean-flagged ship Ryong Yon, targeted by U.S. sanctions in November 2017 for contributing to the regime’s nuclear missile program, docked at Dalian Port in China, directly west of Pyongyang, on Aug. 22.
In July, the Hoe Ryong, a cargo ship owned by North Korea's Ocean Maritime Management Company and sanctioned by both the U.S. and the U.N., anchored near Chenjiagang Port in China. In 2022, the U.N. panel of experts said the ship unloaded coal in waters off China’s Ningbo-Zhoushan port in violation of international sanctions.
Ship tracking data shows the U.N.-sanctioned North Korean vessel Hoe Ryong leaving Wonsan Port on July 7, 2023, anchoring near China’s Chenjiagang port on July 15, and departing on July 31. It arrived at Nampo Port in North Korea on Aug. 3. Credit: Marine Traffic.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it wasn’t aware of the activity and declined to comment.
China once enforced U.N. sanctions, but in recent years, undisguised trade with North Korea has been on the rise, said Andrew Boling, the portfolio manager for state-sponsored threats program at C4ADS, a Washington, D.C.-based global security nonprofit that tracks illicit networks.
"When goods are transferred at sea, this may allow Chinese officials some level of plausible deniability. But North Korean ships also routinely dock at Chinese ports, particularly in the northern part of the country, and likely offload coal and other freight prohibited for export by the United Nations," Boling said.
Individuals or entities designated by the U.S. government for sanctions have all their U.S.- based assets frozen and are prohibited from engaging in transactions involving U.S. individuals.
In addition to the shipping data, satellite images show the western North Korean port Nampo appears to have expanded its liquid fuel storage capacities.
Four new facilities have been constructed at the port southwest of Pyongyang, the images show.
Songhak Chung of the Korean Institute for Security and Strategy said the images, recorded by Planet Labs, a satellite data company, suggest the port now has 22 storage facilities, up from 18.
Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee for RFA Korean and edited by Jim Snyder and Abby Seiff.
rfa.org
12. ‘Forgery and agitation is how communism survives,’ Yoon says
There should be no doubt about President Yoon's anti-communist credentials.
‘Forgery and agitation is how communism survives,’ Yoon says
donga.com
Posted August. 30, 2023 08:33,
Updated August. 30, 2023 08:33
‘Forgery and agitation is how communism survives,’ Yoon says. August. 30, 2023 08:33. by Kwan-Seok Jang jks@donga.com.
On Tuesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol said, "In the reality that South Korea is at war with North Korea, communist totalitarian forces, their blind followers, and opportunistic followers are engaging in psychological warfare to disrupt free society through false fabrication and propaganda." Such remarks are President Yoon's statements of criticism aimed at the opposition and some civil society - he is emphasizing the clear ideology he values most every day by saying, “Ideology is the most important” at the People’s Power Party banquet after strongly criticizing the “communist totalitarian forces” in his National Liberation Day congratulatory address on Aug. 15.
“This is the way communist totalitarianism survives,” said President Yoon at a unification meeting with executive members of the 21st Democratic and Peaceful Unification Advisory Council held on the same day. “This is because it is difficult for communist totalitarianism based on fraudulent ideology to survive should a neighboring free democratic country advance. In this reality, your role is more important than ever to defend liberal democracy, grow into a global powerhouse, and develop our unification capabilities.”
President Yoon also repeatedly highlighted the achievements of the Korea-US-Japan summit held at Camp David, the U.S. presidential villa, on Aug. 18 (local time). President Yoon said, “The joint statement of the three countries (Principle and Spirit of Camp David) clearly states that the United States and Japan support unification based on liberal democracy, as well. It is the first time in history that the trilateral joint declaration mentioned and expressed support for the ROK’s unification based on free democracy.”
한국어
donga.com
13. ＜Photo Report＞The North Korea-China Border (1) In August, Tumen and the midstream of the Tumen River was quiet
Photos at the link: https://www.asiapress.org/rimjin-gang/2023/08/photo/border-photo/
＜Photo Report＞The North Korea-China Border (1) In August, Tumen and the midstream of the Tumen River was quiet
asiapress.org
Entry past the mid-point of the old Tumen Bridge is cordoned off. Tourists can walk up to the point shown in the photo but no further.
In mid-August, an ASIAPRESS reporting partner in China visited the bridge connecting China and North Korea in Tumen, in China’s China's Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. Tumen sits across the Tumen River from the Namyang Laborer District, which is in Onsong County, North Hamgyung Province. Following the gradual loosening of the COVID-19 border lockdown, vehicles have crossed back and forth trade routes connecting North Korea and China; however, there were no signs of a restart of trade between the Tumen-Namyang route. The reporting partner only saw a large number of tourists enjoying the sights along the border. (PARK Song-mun / ISHIMARU Jiro)
※ The photographs published here were taken by an ASIAPRESS reporting partner in China in mid-August 2023.
Tumen is home to the only ferry service operated on the Tumen River. South Koreans, however, are not allowed to take the ferry. The green bridge in the distance is the newly built International Liaison Bridge.
The North Korean authorities have built barbed wire fencing to make it impossible for people to come to the banks of the Tumen River. The apartments seen from the Chinese side of the border have been built with nice exteriors.
The bridge to the left is the old Tumen Bridge built during the Japanese occupation period. Tourists can walk to the mid-point of the bridge, but South Koreans are not allowed on it. Construction on the bridge to the right started in 2014 and was recently completed. The bridge has four lanes and looks tidy. As of mid-August, there has not been a restart of goods or people traffic over the bridge.
The midpoint of the new bridge has been cordoned off, which makes it impossible to cross. The building with the blue roof in the distance is a newly built customs house.
A building in Namyang Laborer District as seen from the old Tumen Bridge. Portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il had been removed at one point but have again been put up.
asiapress.org
14. South Korea teams up with Japan, U.S. for missile defense drill against North
The new normal. JAROKUS.
Tuesday
August 29, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Published: 29 Aug. 2023, 16:52
South Korea teams up with Japan, U.S. for missile defense drill against North
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-08-29/national/defense/South-Korea-teams-up-with-Japan-US-for-missile-defense-drill-against-North/1857694
The ROKS Yulgok Yi I, USS Benfold and JS Atago take part in a joint missile defense exercise off South Korea's east coast on April 17. [REPUBLIC OF KOREA NAVY]
South Korea, the United States and Japan conducted a joint missile defense exercise in international waters south of the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday in response to North Korea’s failed launch of a spy satellite last week.
The exercise took place the same day that Pyongyang’s state media reported that leader Kim Jong-un had denounced growing military cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo during a visit to his regime’s naval command on Monday to mark Navy Day in the North.
According to South Korean officials, the trilateral missile defense exercise took place south of Jeju Island and featured the Aegis-equipped destroyers ROKS Yulgok Yi I, USS Benfold and JS Haguro, according to the South Korean Navy.
The Aegis combat system is a U.S.-developed integrated naval weapons system that uses computers and radars to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets.
The South Korean Navy said the allies undertook the exercise in response to the advancing threat posed by the North’s missile and nuclear weapons programs.
Related Article
The exercise is the third trilateral missile defense exercise to take place this year and the fourth since President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in May last year.
The Navy also described Pyongyang’s failed attempt to launch a satellite last week as a “clear” violation of successive United Nations Security Council resolutions, which bar the North from conducting any tests involving ballistic missile technology.
The joint exercise by the United States and its East Asian allies focused on launch detection, missile tracking and sharing information using a computer-simulated target, according to the Navy.
The three countries’ militaries are currently working to operationalize a system to share real-time information on North Korean missiles before the end of this year, as was agreed by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at their summit at Camp David earlier this month.
The three leaders also committed to enhance their security and economic cooperation and carry out trilateral exercises regularly.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un greets North Korean navy officers at the regime's naval headquarters in Pyongsong, South Pyongan Province, in this photograph release by the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency. His daughter Kim Ju-ae stands to the left. [YONHAP]
The North’s state media reported that leader Kim compared the three leaders to “gang bosses” for conducting joint exercises during his visit to the regime’s naval command in Pyongsong, South Pyongan Province, on Monday.
Kim also claimed the three countries are driving up the “danger of a nuclear war” in the seas surrounding the Korean Peninsula, according to the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim cited “the enemies’ recent aggressive attempts and the nature of [their] military actions” as justification for the North to “rapidly develop” it naval forces.
With its eastern and western coasts separated by the presence of South Korea, the two main fleets of the North Korean Navy on either side face significant geographical and operational challenges supporting each other should armed hostilities break out on the peninsula.
While most of the North’s naval assets are believed to be obsolete or limited in range, the KCNA quoted Kim as saying that his regime would strengthen its navy to make it an “all-round and powerful” force during his observation of cruise missile launches from a new Amnok-class naval corvette last week.
Related Article
Kim reiterated that vow during his visit on Monday, where he said the North’s navy must “put all its effort into finalizing its war readiness to maintain the constant combat alertness, as well as to prepare to break the enemy’s will for war in contingencies and carry out the military strategy of the Supreme Headquarters.”
Other naval assets developed by the North in recent years include a Sinpo-C-class ballistic missile-armed submarine with stealthy air-independent propulsion, whose construction was reported by South Korean intelligence in August 2020.
The visit by Kim to the naval command’s headquarters on Monday was his first since the regime began celebrating Aug. 28 as Navy Day in 2014.
Photographs of the North Korean leader’s visit to the naval command showed he was accompanied by his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, marking her first public appearance in three months.
Kim’s daughter was last photographed by state media when she accompanied her father on his inspection of preparations for the North’s first attempted launch of a spy satellite in May.
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
15. Korea’s fertility rate drops to record low of 0.7 again
A significant ROK national security issue.
Wednesday
August 30, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Published: 30 Aug. 2023, 15:52
Updated: 30 Aug. 2023, 16:26
Korea’s fertility rate drops to record low of 0.7 again
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-08-30/business/economy/Koreas-fertility-rate-continues-to-tumble-as-divorce-acceptance-rises/1858646
A newborn baby [PIXABAY]
Korea’s fertility rate, or the average number of children born per woman, once again hit a record low at 0.70 in the second quarter, down by 0.05 from the same period last year, according to Statistics Korea on Wednesday.
The figure is even below last year’s annual average of 0.78, which marked the world’s lowest, and the same as Korea’s lowest-ever quarterly figure of 0.70 in the Oct.-Dec. period last year. In the first quarter this year, the fertility rate came in at 0.81.
The latest grim data is further fueling concerns that this year’s annual fertility rate may fall even below the 0.70 level.
Related Article
The number of newborn babies shrank 6.8 percent on year to 56,087 in the April-June period, the lowest for the second quarter figure since 2009 when the statistics agency began to announce the relevant data.
In June, the monthly number of newborns was 18,615, down 1.6 percent on year. The figure has been on an on year decline for 91 months.
The number of deaths, on the other hand, increased by 1,900, or 7.6 percent in June, resulting in a net population decline of 8,205. This marked the 44th consecutive month of a natural population decrease.
In the second quarter, the population declined by 27,272. All cities and provinces except for Sejong saw a natural decrease in population.
The number of newlywed couples increased by 9.2 percent to 101,704 in the first half of the year, which is largely due to the record-low figures during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic for the past two years. Yet it is still the third-lowest since 1981 when the monthly data began to be compiled.
In next year’s budget plan announced on Tuesday, the government allotted increased funds for welfare and child care in order to tackle the country’s extremely low birthrates.
The paid parenting leave period is to be extended by an additional six months from the previous one year, while the parental subsidy benefit for parents of children below the age of one will be increased from this year’s 700,000 won ($529) to 1 million won per month, leading the government to increase the budget for the programs by 1 trillion won.
Moreover, a household with a newborn child will be granted additional financial support programs, including a loan of up to 500 million won at a low interest rate of 1 percent level.
Meanwhile, Korea’s younger generations are growing more accepting of divorce, and less so of marriage, a survey by Statistics Korea found.
Over the course of 10 years, the number of those between the ages of 19 and 34 who said “divorce is an option if there is a reason” has outrun that of those who believed “divorce is not an option whatsoever.”
The number of those accepting divorce as an option outran those who did not for the first time in 2018 at 22.6 percent to 20.9 percent, and the gap has been growing bigger through to 2022, with the former accounting for 24.1 percent and the latter 14.9 percent.
Those who are against divorce in any circumstance declined significantly from 2012’s 38.5 percent.
The percentage of those between 19 and 34 who view marriage positively decreased from 56.5 percent in 2012 to 36.4 percent last year. This is 13.6 percentage points lower than the average of 50 percent for all age groups.
Those who said "I don't need to have a child even if I get married" increased from 46.4 percent in 2018 to 53.5 percent last year.
BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]
16. Tackling challenges from Camp David
Ambassador Wie supported the opposition in the last election. But he often writes offering balanced views and recommendations. He should be considered an example of the "loyal opposition." South Korea (and the US) need more like him.
Excerpts:
To secure diplomatic room for North Korea, China and Russia, we must first have a well-coordinated strategy to deal with the United States, China and Russia. As our U.S. policy cannot be incompatible with our China policy under the current power dynamics, the two cannot be separated. Therefore, we must clearly define the scope of the trilateral cooperation and the limits of diplomatic space for China and Russia.
With that strategy in mind, we must discuss with the United States any possible negative impact of our entanglement in international discords on the denuclearization and peace on the peninsula. We also should convince China and Russia of the need for their cooperation on establishing peace on the peninsula. We must engage in skillful diplomacy with China and Russia to persuade them to consider the denuclearization as an issue of their common interest despite their ongoing confrontation with the United States.
In the meantime, the Yoon administration must accelerate communication with the public to reach a consensus on the security issue. In fact, Korea should have launched a social debate on its stance between the United States and China. But the past governments shunned it. As a result, Koreans are not only unfamiliar with the issue but also are sharply divided between the conservatives and the liberals. The Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation has been augmented under such circumstances. The government must communicate with the public and opposition parties to find our best possible strategy toward the United States, China and Russia before it’s too late.
The Camp David summit was a watershed moment for our diplomacy, but it also put our diplomacy on the test bed. The government must present effective diplomatic solutions to deal with North Korea, China and Russia and broaden public consensus by canvassing public opinions.
Wednesday
August 30, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Published: 30 Aug. 2023, 20:08
Tackling challenges from Camp David
Wie Sung-rak
The author is a former South Korean representative to the six-party talks and head of the diplomacy and security division of the JoongAng Ilbo’s Reset Korea campaign.
The first exclusive tripartite summit at Camp David on Aug. 18 was a dramatic turning point in the seven decades of the Korea-U.S. alliance. The three leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan hammered out a commitment to consult with one another and jointly respond to a contingency defined as a “regional threat” affecting their common interests. The commitment is similar to Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which requires a consultation among members at times of emergency. Article 5 of the treaty even mandates a joint response to an external attack by regarding an attack on a member as an attack on all members. Consultation and coordination for cooperation are considered the first step to reinforced security cooperation.
The trilateral security cooperation system was long sought by the United States to deal with a rising China. Korean governments, conservative or liberal, were cautious about the cooperation system citing China risks, but the Yoon Suk Yeol administration took a drastic turn given its new values, the deepening threats from North Korea, the heated U.S.-China conflict and the Ukraine war. A U.S. official said the days of the alliance can be divided into the pre-summit and post-summit periods. Thanks to the merger of the Korea-U.S. alliance and the U.S.-Japan alliance, the United States can further tighten its control from now.
On its part, Korea can strengthen deterrence. Above all, the tripartite summit offered the country some shelters to deal with high-handed China and high-nosed Russia. Korea suffered China’s retaliation alone after the Thaad deployment, but probably not anymore. The security commitment from the summit also means Korea’s departure from its ambiguous stance toward the two superpowers — and from its excessive prudence on China. Such inertia does not fit Korea’s stature any longer. The trilateral cooperation is also expected to bring benefits to economic and technological fields.
But Korea is faced with many challenges. First, it must bear the burden from its entanglement in international conflicts. Korea now must consult with the United States and Japan over mounting Sino-U.S. friction, including simmering disputes over the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea, as well as supply chains. The same applies to the Japan-China conflict over the Senkaku Island (Diaoyudao in Chinese) and the Japan-Russia discord over the waters off the Kuril Islands. From now on, the U.S. will orchestrate tripartite consultations of different levels. The United States has already started to broaden the scope of cooperation. The commitment demands their consultation on “regional threats that affect their common interest.” But the United States said they are supposed to consult each other when one of them are threatened — a step closer to NATO. To be sure, it will not be easy for Korea to deny the commonality of interests.
Second, the summit will trigger a backlash from North Korea, China and Russia. As the three countries have persistently opposed the tripartite security cooperation, they will likely pressure the weak link, South Korea. The summit will most likely prompt friction in Korea’s relations with China, Russia and North Korea. The trilateral cooperation could pose a security dilemma to us by provoking a joint reaction from North Korea, China and Russia.
Third, converging public opinion is key. Koreans are not familiar with the tripartite security cooperation. In particular, their support for security cooperation with Japan is low. If North Korea, China and Russia form a joint front against South Korea, the deep-rooted conflict between the progressives and the conservatives will deepen further.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, inspects a military parade in Pyongyang with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Li Hongzhong, right, a Chinese Communist Party Politburo member, on July 27 to celebrate North Korea’s “Victory Day,” when the Korean War Armistice was signed 70 years ago in 1953. [YONHAP]
After the summit, we will be living in an era when the South Korea-U.S.-Japan axis and the North Korea-China-Russia axis are clashing before us. How should we position ourselves? South Korea is a country mired in a unique geopolitical contest. It is directly exposed to the North Korean nuclear threat and surrounded by four major powers, but at the same time it faces the challenges of denuclearizing North Korea, building a permanent peace regime, and unifying the divided land. To achieve the goals under such volatile circumstances, we must secure diplomatic space for North Korea, China and Russia, even while cooperating with the United States and Japan. If conflict deepens between the two axes of power, we can hardly address the three challenges.
To secure diplomatic room for North Korea, China and Russia, we must first have a well-coordinated strategy to deal with the United States, China and Russia. As our U.S. policy cannot be incompatible with our China policy under the current power dynamics, the two cannot be separated. Therefore, we must clearly define the scope of the trilateral cooperation and the limits of diplomatic space for China and Russia.
With that strategy in mind, we must discuss with the United States any possible negative impact of our entanglement in international discords on the denuclearization and peace on the peninsula. We also should convince China and Russia of the need for their cooperation on establishing peace on the peninsula. We must engage in skillful diplomacy with China and Russia to persuade them to consider the denuclearization as an issue of their common interest despite their ongoing confrontation with the United States.
In the meantime, the Yoon administration must accelerate communication with the public to reach a consensus on the security issue. In fact, Korea should have launched a social debate on its stance between the United States and China. But the past governments shunned it. As a result, Koreans are not only unfamiliar with the issue but also are sharply divided between the conservatives and the liberals. The Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation has been augmented under such circumstances. The government must communicate with the public and opposition parties to find our best possible strategy toward the United States, China and Russia before it’s too late.
The Camp David summit was a watershed moment for our diplomacy, but it also put our diplomacy on the test bed. The government must present effective diplomatic solutions to deal with North Korea, China and Russia and broaden public consensus by canvassing public opinions.
17. South Korea seeks to stabilize relations with China, Russia
A shrimp among whales must be able to conduct a diplomatic ballet.
South Korea seeks to stabilize relations with China, Russia
The Korea Times · August 30, 2023
President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their summit at a hotel in Bali, Indonesia, in this Nov. 15, 2022 photo. Yonhap
Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo in talks to hold trilateral summit within this year: foreign ministry
By Lee Hyo-jin
South Korea seeks to stabilize diplomatic relations with China and Russia that have grown strained amid increasing geopolitical confrontations between Seoul, Washington, Tokyo on one side and Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow on the other.
Maintaining stable relations with China and Russia is becoming an important task for South Korea as Pyongyang gears up to reopen its borders after a years-long COVID-19 lockdown and normalize relations with its two key allies.
Analysts viewed that China has been sending some positive signals in response to South Korea's move to improve bilateral relations, as it grows increasingly wary of the expansion of the U.S.-led order in Northeast Asia, as seen from the Seoul-Washington-Tokyo trilateral summit held at Camp David earlier this month.
"It is too early to say that there will be rapid progress, but we are seeing some improvements in South Korea-China relations which have been locked in a slump for quite a long time," said Kang Joon-young, a professor of Chinese studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
He mentioned that several meetings between senior diplomats of the two countries took place in recent weeks.
Most recently, South Korea's Second Vice Foreign Minister Oh Young-ju traveled to Beijing where she met Li Fei, China's assistant minister of commerce, and held the 27th meeting of a bilateral joint economic committee on Tuesday.
South Korea's Second Vice Foreign Minister Oh Young-ju, left, shakes hands with Li Fei, China's assistant minister of commerce, during the 27th meeting of bilateral joint economic committee in Beijing, Tuesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
It was the first time in three years that the meeting was held in-person, as two previous ones were held online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the meeting, the two sides agreed on the need to stably manage supply chains and fortify economic ties through various consultative bodies, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.
At the 2023 Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia, Monday (local time), South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin highlighted the importance of maintaining friendly relations with China.
"The South Korea-U.S.-Japan partnership and the friendly relations between South Korea and China are by no means mutually exclusive. We aim to develop a healthy and mature relationship with China based on mutual respect, reciprocity and common interests," Park said.
The minister added that the South Korean government is committed to holding a trilateral summit with China and Japan within this year.
"Before the Camp David summit, China reacted furiously to the trilateral partnership among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan. But after the summit, it toned down its rhetoric, especially towards South Korea," Kang said. "Beijing seems to view that maintaining hostile relations with Seoul would only push its alignment with Washington."
In that sense, Kang said it is highly likely for South Korea, China and Japan to hold a trilateral summit within this year.
The meeting by the leaders of the neighboring countries ― attended by the South Korean president and prime ministers of China and Japan ― kicked off in 2008 and took place eight times.
But the meeting came to a halt since the last one in December 2019, due mainly to strained relations between South Korea and Japan over historical grievances.
According to Japanese media reports, Wednesday, senior-level diplomats of the three Asian countries are expected to hold a meeting in Seoul in late September, in what is viewed as a preparation for the three-way meeting.
Regarding this, Seoul's foreign ministry said related talks are underway.
"As the host country of the ninth trilateral summit between South Korea, Japan, and China, we are currently coordinating with the relevant countries to resume senior officials' meetings and other trilateral consultative bodies with the goal of holding the summit within this year," the ministry said in a statement, almost acknowledging the media reports.
Regarding ties with Russia, Wi Sung-lac, a former ambassador to Russia, said that the South Korean government has been showing some efforts to maintain relations with Moscow despite a tough diplomatic environment amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
After South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin visited Moscow in June, a senior Russian diplomat is expected to make a corresponding trip to Seoul in the near future, said National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong during a recent interview with a local broadcaster.
"Mutual visits by senior diplomats are indeed positive signs," Wi told The Korea Times.
"But what matters more is what the two sides will talk about. It may be hard to find common grounds and build mutual trust under current geopolitical conditions, but maintaining peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula are some agendas that the two nations can, and should, work together on."
The Korea Times · August 30, 2023
18. Is North Korea preparing crown princess Kim Ju-ae as successor?
I am not convinced. I think Kim Jong Un may simply be trying to project a fatherly reputation. I also think he probably enjoys seeing our speculation.
Is North Korea preparing crown princess Kim Ju-ae as successor?
The Korea Times · August 30, 2023
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talks with North Korean Navy Commander Adm. Kim Myong-sik, right, with the leader's daughter, Ju-ae, sitting in the middle during their congratulatory visit to the anniversary of the Navy on Aug. 28, in this image captured from the North's Korean Central Television, Aug. 29. Yonhap
Interpretation mixed over North's extensive coverage of Kim's daughter
By Nam Hyun-woo
North Korea again directed the media spotlight on Kim Ju-ae, the daughter of leader Kim Jong-un, running a video footage of its navy commander saluting the presumed 10-year-old, rekindling a debate over whether the North is preparing to make her the rightful heir to the regime.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Aug. 29 that Kim made a congratulatory visit to the Naval Command of the North Korean People's Army (KPA) with his daughter on Aug. 27. The television network also released a video image of KPA Navy Commander Adm. Kim Myong-sik saluting Ju-ae, further fueling speculation about her elevated status.
"When the respected Comrade Kim Jong-un arrived at the Navy Command together with his beloved daughter, the officers and men of the Navy there broke into enthusiastic cheers, full of the emotion and joy of coming to high glory and privilege on its significant foundation day," the KCNA wrote.
North Korean Navy Commander Adm. Kim Myong-sik, left, salutes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter, Ju-ae, during their congratulatory visit to mark the anniversary of the Navy on Aug. 28, in this image captured from the North's Korean Central Television, Aug. 29. Yonhap
Ju-ae's appearance with her father came more than 100 days after they inspected the North's military satellite launch preparation committee on May 16. This also marked the 15th time Ju-ae appeared next to her father in state media, rekindling speculation about her potential succession. Her first appearance was on Nov. 19, 2022 during a test launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile.
Since then, Ju-ae's presence has been the subject of heated speculation that she is the heir apparent to the Kim regime. South Korean intelligence authorities assume that Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, have three children, with Ju-ae being the second child. She is assumed to have an older brother and the third child's identity has yet to be confirmed.
As Ju-ae continues to show up at key events highlighting the North's military power, which is critical to the regime's stability, some watchers interpret that this signals that the North is putting efforts to justify the girl as the legitimate successor of the regime in her early ages.
However, others say it is too early to assume that the North has nominated the daughter as the successor simply based on some photos and media reports, citing the regime's history of handing down the reins of power to the Kim family's sons.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gestures as he and his daughter, Ju-ae, inspect a test launch of the Hwasong-18 missile on April 13 in this photo released by the North's Korean Central News Agency, April 14. Yonhap
Building up groundwork
According to Cheong Seong-chang, director of Reunification Strategy Studies at the Sejong Institute, 12 out of Ju-ae's 15 media appearances were at events promoting the North's military power. Two were sports events and one was related to the economy.
In the photos of the Aug. 29 visit to the Navy Command, Ju-ae stands or sits right next to the North Korean leader and listens to briefings North Korea's top military commanders deliver to her father.
"Accompanying his daughter to the events promoting the regime's nuclear and missile ambitions indicates that the leader is raising his daughter as his successor," Cheong said. "The Aug. 29 photos show that Ju-ae is not just accompanying her father at the event but participating it, showing her presence with the top commanders of the North."
Among the North's state-run media coverage of Ju-ae, Cheong also noted a Nov. 27, 2022, Rodong Shinmun article, which described her as a "noble child," and said that the term has been used only for former and current North Korean leaders and the wife of North Korea founder Kim Il-sung. The English version of the same article translated the "noble child" phrase into "beloved daughter."
"Using the expression, which has been reserved only for supreme leaders and Kim Il-sung's wife, implies that Ju-ae will likely become the next leader of North Korea," Cheong said. "In the article, there is also a phrase calling Ju-ae 'the most beloved daughter.' If Kim has multiple children, it is natural that his most beloved one will be the successor," he added.
Cheong said this shows that the North is implying that Ju-ae will be designated as the successor to the regime in the future, given the precedent of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who was nominated as the current leader at an early age.
According to Cheong, Kim Jong-un's maternal aunt, Ko Yong-suk, told him in the United States in March 2021 that Kim Jong-il declared him as his successor during his eighth birthday celebration. However, the North kept this as a secret, so that most experts made the wrong assumption until the early 2000s that Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-il's eldest son who was assassinated in 2017, would be the successor.
"Unlike Kim Jong-il, who refrained from making public speeches and wanted to keep his family hidden, Kim Jong-un prefers making public speeches and even revealed his wife soon after he rose to power," Cheong said.
"From Kim Jong-un's perspective, revealing that he already selected Ju-ae as the successor would be more advantageous than concealing it. Based on his past experience, the leader may think that revealing Ju-ae's succession would prevent groundless speculation on who will succeed him."
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, along with his daughter, Ju-ae, visit the National Aerospace Development Administration in Pyongyang, April 18, in this photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap
Not enough evidence
Unlike Cheong, Hong Min, director of the Korea Institute for National Unification, asserts that it is too early to say that the North is preparing Ju-ae as its next leader.
"In her past appearances, especially those related to military events, the common keyword was securing the safety of the future, meaning the North has its strategic weapons so that the U.S. will not interfere and the safety of its future generation is secured," Hong said.
"This can be interpreted as the North using Ju-ae as a symbol of a happy, future North Korean generation, just like other nations' leaders feature children at political events symbolizing the future of their countries."
Hong said the 15 appearances are too random and too small in number to prove that the North has consolidated the daughter as the next leader, while other pieces of evidence and precedents indicate Ju-ae will not likely be the successor.
One of the reasons Hong cited was the presumed existence of Ju-ae's older brother.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief Kim Kyou-hyun told the National Assembly in March this year, "There is no hard evidence that Kim's first child is a son, but multiple intelligence reports and information shared with foreign intelligence agencies indicate that the first child is a son," according to Rep. Yoo Sang-bum of the ruling People Power Party who received the report.
There are reports and testimonies from the North Korean leader's acquaintances and former North Korean officials that they have only heard of Ju-ae and never heard of Kim's son. But that does not negate the existence of the first son, Hong said.
"If there is a son, it is does not make sense to nominate or designate Ju-ae as the successor, given the Kim family's logic of having its son as the heir," Hong said.
"The North has been enshrining its founder Kim Il-sung's armed anti-Japan movement in the past and has been styling his successors as experienced military commanders. That's why the North is claiming that Jong-un studied artillery skills at Kim Il-sung National Defense University. Given the North's male-dominated society, convincing Ju-ae as a military expert is very unrealistic."
The issue of succession beyond Ju-ae's leadership presents a complex challenge. If North Korea continues to pass on power after Ju-ae, it becomes necessary for her to marry and have a child, who would then carry her husband's surname. Given the North's reverence for the lineage of its leaders, known as the Mount Paektu bloodline, which the regime claims is exclusive to its leaders, having a leader with a different surname creates a paradox.
"If Ju-ae assumes leadership, North Korea would face a formidable and arduous task of reshaping its history to validate her position," said Hong. "The focus on Ju-ae's public appearances should shift towards whether North Korea will develop new technologies or arms programs to ensure its future security."
The Korea Times · August 30, 2023
19. Korea, China, Japan eye high-level talks to arrange trilateral summit within year: sources
Institutionalizing JAPROKUS.
Korea, China, Japan eye high-level talks to arrange trilateral summit within year: sources
The Korea Times · August 30, 2023
Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, center, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, left, and China's top diplomat Wang Yi attend a meeting with foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as from the three Northeast Asian countries, in Jakarta, July 13. Yonhap
Korea, China and Japan have been in discussions over holding a high-level meeting in the near future to arrange a trilateral summit within the year, according to sources Wednesday.
The three countries' diplomatic authorities have been discussing a plan to hold a senior officials' meeting next month in Korea, the current chair country of a tripartite consultative body, in order to resume their regular three-way summits within the year.
A Seoul foreign ministry official said on the condition of anonymity that Korea was "coordinating with relevant nations" to resume discussions among the three countries' consultative body "with a goal to hold a trilateral summit within the year."
The three sides were reportedly envisioning that the senior officials' meeting would be led by deputy foreign minister-level officials.
Japan's Mainichi Shimbun also reported that the three sides were discussing holding a senior-level meeting in Seoul in late September.
Three-way summits among the regional neighbors, first held in December 2008, were suspended after the eighth gathering in December 2019 following a dispute between Korea and Japan over forced labor compensation rulings and the pandemic.
Talks on the need to revive tripartite summit diplomacy have surfaced following a thawing of the frozen ties between Seoul and Japan since the launch of the current Korean administration under President Yoon Suk Yeol in May of last year. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · August 30, 2023
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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