Quotes of the Day:

“Never reply when you’re angry. Never make a promise when you’re happy. Never make a decision when you’re sad.”

- Thomas Shelby, the character of Peaky Blinders

“Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.”

- Friedrich Nietzsche

"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think."

- Buddha

1. S. Korea, U.S. flaunt combined firepower in large-scale field exercise amid N.K. threats

2. U.S., S.Korean troops practice war with eye on N.Korea and 'near-peer' enemies

3. Hon James R Clapper: The Korean Peninsula Issues and US National Security (Video)

4. S. Korea 'deeply concerned' about N. Korea's rights situation, minister tells U.N. rapporteur

5. [Planning: Diagnosis of the South Korean government's North Korean human rights policy] Western experts express “concern

6. N. Korea’s political prison camp population has fallen by around 20,000 compared to last year

7. Pyongyang turns to New Delhi for rice

8.​ National security advisers of S. Korea, U.S., Japan to meet in Hawaii​

9.  S. Korea to lift pre-travel COVID-19 test requirement for inbound travelers this week

10.  Next 5 years last chance for North Korea's denuclearization: experts

​11. ​As North Korea struggles, a renewed focus on loyalty

​12. ​Lockdowns in China, and North Korea, Deal Double Blow to Bridge City

​13. ​The U.S. and South Korea Are Simulating a North Korean Attack

​14. ​Coronavirus: North Korea state media confirm leader Kim Jong-un has been infected with Covid-19

15. ＜Interview with a N. Korean Woman＞What do N. Koreans think about Kim Yo-jong’s speech?

16. S. Koreans are immensely fatigued about N. Korea…But continued interest in the N. Korean people is necessary.

17. Yoon Suk-yeol's 'ambitious' N. Korea policy takes center stage at Korea Global Forum for Peace 2022

​

1. S. Korea, U.S. flaunt combined firepower in large-scale field exercise amid N.K. threats

This is not flaunting. This is just a demonstration of combined military capabilities. As they say, "peace through superior firepower."

(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. flaunt combined firepower in large-scale field exercise amid N.K. threats | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · August 31, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in 16th para; CHANGES photo; ADDS photo)

By Song Sang-ho

POCHEON, South Korea, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States staged a large-scale combined live-fire exercise near the inter-Korean border Wednesday, in a vivid display of the allies' military might amid North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

A centerpiece of the Combined Joint Fires Coordination Exercise (CJFCX) took place in Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, about 30 kilometers south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), involving high-morale troops, battle tanks, mortars, howitzers and warplanes to boot.

Yonhap News Agency and three other news outlets were given access to observe the four-day exercise set to run through Thursday, as the allies are pushing to beef up combined drills amid concerns about possible North Korean provocations like a nuclear test.

The exercise coincided with the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) -- a scaled-up edition of the allies' key regular training that has hammered home a message: Persistent North Korean threats will result in the allies' sturdier deterrence and cohesion.

It marked the first division-level live-fire exercise led by the 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division -- a unit launched in 2015 as an emblem of the alliance. ROK stands for South Korea's official name, Republic of Korea.

"The greater the threat, the greater the alliance ... after 72 years, that alliance is pretty strong," said Brandon C. Anderson, the deputy commander of the combined division.

In a message of assurance for South Koreans, Anderson stressed the robustness of the two countries' security partnership forged during the 1950-53 Korean War.

"I would say that there is no stronger alliance in the world than the U.S.-ROK alliance. That provides hopefully the stability and the competence," he said. "We've never let down our guard. Nor is there an intention."

Such a deterrence message reverberated throughout the CJFCX that proceeded concurrently in four different training sites across the nation -- Pocheon, the southwestern city of Gunsan, the eastern city of Gangneung and the western border city of Paju.

Wednesday's training in Pocheon involved drills with K9 and Paladin self-propelled howitzers; 4.2-inch and 120-mm mortars; K1A2 and M1A2 Abrams tanks; and A-10 aircraft -- an amalgam of weapons underlining the allies' firepower.

The Pocheon drills brought together hundreds of troops from the U.S. rotational "Ready First" Brigade and the U.S. Seventh Air Force as well as those from the Korean Army's Capital Mechanized Infantry Division and its 28th Division.

In the overall CJFCX, some 900 troops from 17 South Korean and U.S. units have participated, conducting multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) drills in Gangneung and a mortar live-fire exercise in Paju.

The planned Apache Hellfire air-to-surface missile drills in Gunsan was canceled due to adverse weather.

The keyword for the high-profile exercise was interoperability, according to Brig. Gen. Kim Nam-hoon, the deputy chief of the combined division.

"This is an exercise taking place under a unitary command structure," Kim said. "Through this real-world training, we will enhance interoperability and further solidify the allies' combined defense posture."

Allied forces focused on three components of interoperability -- communication between the two militaries, technical cooperation and the process of the allies' defense and combat systems, according to Anderson.

The disclosure of the drills came against the backdrop of the allies' stepped-up efforts to publicize their security collaboration -- unseen for years under the preceding liberal Moon Jae-in administration's drive for inter-Korean rapprochement.

Such publicity efforts came in the wake of Pyongyang's continued missile provocations, including tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), hypersonic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · August 31, 2022

2. U.S., S.Korean troops practice war with eye on N.Korea and 'near-peer' enemies

Excerpts:

Many large exercises were cancelled starting in 2018 as then-U.S. President Donald Trump tried to persuade North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons. COVID later disrupted more drills.

A former senior defence official told Reuters that in many cases U.S. and South Korean forces continued to train but did not publicize it.

That has changed, with both the United States and South Korea increasingly touting their alliance in the face of increased missile tests by North Korea, and the prospect of it testing another nuclear weapon.

This week, North Korea gathered commanding officers of its paramilitary civil defence forces for training on "full preparations for all-people resistance in our country where a constant threat of war lingers", state media reported on Wednesday.

U.S., S.Korean troops practice war with eye on N.Korea and 'near-peer' enemies

Reuters · by Josh Smith

• Summary
• U.S., South Korean forces hold biggest exercise in years
• North Korea seen as possible adversary
• Training with live fire

POCHEON, South Korea, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Tanks and howitzers sent smoke and shockwaves through the air less than 20 miles from the fortified border with North Korea on Wednesday, as more than 1,000 South Korean and U.S. troops held a major live-fire exercise in stepped up practice for war.

South Korea and the United States have resumed the largest field exercises in years after diplomatic efforts and COVID-19 restrictions led to many drills being scaled back.

The allies see the exercises as a key part of their efforts to deter North Korea and its growing nuclear arsenal, but North Korea has called them a rehearsal for war and Russia and China have expressed concern that they will increase tension in the region.

Reuters was among a handful of media granted rare access to the drills on Wednesday.

They were the first division-level exercises for the 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division, the U.S. military’s only multinational division formed in 2015. ROK are the initials for South Korea's official name.

The drills included live fire from American and South Korean howitzers, tanks, machine guns, and mortars. American A-10 attack aircraft and Apache helicopters also participated.

Rounds from howitzers pounded into a mountainside at the Rodriguez Life Fire Complex, as tanks from both sides manoeuvred and fired their guns at targets, sending shockwaves across the valley and smoke and dust into the air.

Colonel Brandon Anderson, the division’s deputy commander for manoeuvre, said the drills were not aimed at any one adversary, but they obviously took into account the “reason for the U.S.-ROK alliance” – alluding to North Korea.

“We’re all here for a reason, we all know that’s a potential (threat), and how we would defend against it is what we’re trying to demonstrate here," he said, adding that the drills underscore that U.S. forces won't be leaving the peninsula.

"We are here for the long haul. As long as there is a threat out there, it gives us purpose, and purpose to train."

The United States has about 28,500 troops in South Korea.

The drills also form part of the U.S. military's recent efforts to refocus on large-scale combat operations, and were designed to simulate a counter-attack against a “near-peer” enemy who could match the allies in capabilities, Anderson said.

The conflict in Ukraine had provided lessons on the importance of alliances and the need to improve long-range artillery and surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, he added.

'SMOOTH COOPERATION'

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant John Moreno, who commanded one of the M1A1 main battle tanks in the exercise, said it was only the second time in his crew's nine-month deployment that they had fired their main guns, and the first time doing it with their South Korean counterparts, who operated from their K2 tanks on the range at the same time.

"It keeps the soldiers well trained to fire as often as possible," he said, adding that cooperation with the South Koreans went smoothly - an important factor if war with the North ever broke out.

Anderson denied that these drills were among those delayed for political reasons but said COVID and the logistical challenges of pulling off a multinational exercise with live ammunition meant the allies had been unable to conduct the practice until now.

The restrictions were a blessing in disguise as it allowed the troops to develop expertise at the individual and small-unit levels, Anderson said.

"This is the first time to really bring them all together, over 1,000 people," he said.

South Korean General Kim Nam-hoon, deputy commander of the combined division, said the troops would improve their ability to operate together through joint drills.

Many large exercises were cancelled starting in 2018 as then-U.S. President Donald Trump tried to persuade North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons. COVID later disrupted more drills.

A former senior defence official told Reuters that in many cases U.S. and South Korean forces continued to train but did not publicize it.

That has changed, with both the United States and South Korea increasingly touting their alliance in the face of increased missile tests by North Korea, and the prospect of it testing another nuclear weapon.

This week, North Korea gathered commanding officers of its paramilitary civil defence forces for training on "full preparations for all-people resistance in our country where a constant threat of war lingers", state media reported on Wednesday.

Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Robert Birsel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Reuters · by Josh Smith

3. Hon James R Clapper: The Korean Peninsula Issues and US National Security (Video)

LTG (RET) Clapper makes a bold proposal - Something new is needed - accept north Korea as a nuclear armed and conduct arms control negotiations. I gently push back around the 53 minute mark. But he accepts a free and unified Korea as the end state,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CYUif2hyvg

Hon James R Clapper

former Director of National Intelligence

VIRTUAL

to address

The Korea Peninsula Issues and US National Security

ICAS Summer Symposium Libertas

Humanity, Liberty, Peace and Security

August 29 2022 730 PM – 830 PM EDT Washington DC

August 30 2022 830 AM – 930 AM KST Seoul Korea

4. S. Korea 'deeply concerned' about N. Korea's rights situation, minister tells U.N. rapporteur

From a paper I am working on:

Although not described in the audacious initiative, South Korea is reinvigorating its focus on human rights in north Korea and taking the lead in a human rights upfront approach. As noted, President Yoon appointed Professor Lee Shin Hwa as the South Korean Ambassador at large for north Korean Human Rights, a position that had gone unfilled for five years. The Minister of Unification has renewed resolve to enhance human rights in north Korea. The government has resumed interagency policy meetings on human rights after a two hiatus. Lastly, President Yoon has proposed establishing a new human rights foundation to comply with exiting South Korean law. These actions provide the foundation for a human rights upfront approach which should be the first line of effort for a bold proposal.

S. Korea 'deeply concerned' about N. Korea's rights situation, minister tells U.N. rapporteur | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김은정 · August 31, 2022

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign minister said Wednesday his government is "deeply concerned" about the North Korean human rights issue as he had a meeting with the newly appointed U.N. special rapporteur on the matter in Seoul.

"Our government is deeply concerned about the human rights situation in North Korea," Park Jin said, speaking with Elizabeth Salmon, who took office early this month as Tomas Ojea Quintana's successor.

He said South Korea will cooperate closely with the U.N. and the international community to address the problem. Lee Shin-hwa, Seoul's ambassador for North Korean human rights, joined the meeting.

Park described the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's appointment of Lee in July as demonstrating its resolve to play a leading role in efforts to improve the related situations in the North.

The conservative Yoon government has signaled a more aggressive approach toward the issue than the preceding liberal Moon Jae-in administration that was accused by critics of ignoring it and placing an excessive focus on improving relations with the recalcitrant nuclear-armed North.

Meanwhile, Michelle Bachelet, the outgoing U.N. high commissioner for human rights, warned publicly about the possibility of the serious impact from Pyongyang's continued isolation.

She was delivering a video speech during the Korea Global Forum for Peace, hosted by South Korea's unification ministry.

If such isolation is entrenched amid the lack of "communication" with the outside world and state-to-state trust, it could deal a heavier blow to the human rights situations in North Korea by escalating the risk of "miscalculation" and the likelihood of a military conflict, the former Chilean president said.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 김은정 · August 31, 2022

5. [Planning: Diagnosis of the South Korean government's North Korean human rights policy] Western experts express “concern

[Planning: Diagnosis of the South Korean government's North Korean human rights policy] Western experts express “concern about North Korean human rights becoming a ‘means of publicity'… Information flow into North Korea is essential” (Kim Young-kwon, VOA News)

Human rights experts from the United States and Europe have diagnosed that there are no signs that South Korea's Yoon Seok-yeol administration is making North Korea's human rights issue a main concern on its agenda. In particular, the fact that President Yoon Seok-yeol entirely disregarded the topic of human rights in his recently announced “audacious initiative” raised concerns that human rights may be used as an incidental publicity tool. However, there are positive reviews that accept the restart of the North Korean Human Rights Policy Council as a truthful commitment to improve human rights in North Korea. 

Reporter Kim Young-kwon addresses the views of experts in the Western world, including the United States, in the final order of today's Part 2 of South Korea's North Korea human rights policy diagnosis plan.

Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director of The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), who has been working for human rights in North Korea for the past 20 years, virtually the only one in Washington DC, said he is concerned by the recent developments of the South Korean and US governments’ policies on human rights in North Korea.

Both countries appear to emphasize the importance of human rights in North Korea. In reality, they both seem to be using it as a “bumper sticker”, an “advertisement affixed to a vehicle”.

[Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director] “North Korean human rights have been turned into a bumper sticker. Every South Korean presidential administration comes up with a bumper sticker. Now, this “audacious initiative”, Park Geun-hye’s “Trust-Building Process on the Korean Peninsula”, I mean, you look at all presidents and all that is left is a bumper sticker... I hope that North Korean human rights will not just turn into an adverstisement practice here in the US”.

Executive Director Scarlatoiu pointed out that all South Korean governments have had policies toward North Korea that they put forward like “bumper stickers,” and there was no mention of human rights issues in North Korea in the “audacious initiative” that President Yoon Seok-yeol announced last week.

He said that he expected a major change in North Korean policies based on President Yoon Seok-yeol's inaugural address, which emphasized the values of freedom and democracy. However, he said he is concerned that North Korean human rights issue may be set aside for denuclearization, missiles, and political security, or that the mistakes of the past may be repeated as a ‘fringe issue’ for the Comprehensive Approach.

[Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director] “I was hoping that the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in South Korea would lead through human rights. And then we hear about the President's proposal for an “audacious initiative,” the Grand Bargain, I don't really see human rights included in the Grand Bargain. And I'm getting a little bit worried. And right now, I do not see human rights as being part of the agenda. Again, it's not regarded as the main issue, is regarded as a fringe issue.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointment of the ambassador for international cooperation on human rights in North Korea is encouraging, but he says that “human rights do not appear to be part of the North Korean agenda right now”.

Among North Korean human rights experts in the United States and Europe, there is also concern that the Biden administration and the Yoon Seok-yeol administration are both passionate about global human rights and the values of democracy, but they are particularly reticent about human rights in North Korea.

In particular, it was pointed out that the Biden administration did not appoint a special envoy for human rights in North Korea to coordinate human rights policy in North Korea for more than a year and a half since its inauguration. Nevertheless, it is repeating its position externally that “we are still concerned about the human rights situation in North Korea, and that the United States is committed to putting human rights at the center of foreign policy”.

Security experts interpret the move by the two governments as part of a diplomatic response to avoid escalation of North Korea’s nuclear and missile crisis, but international human rights groups criticize it as ignoring lessons learned from decades of failed North Korea policy.

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia Division, which monitors the human rights situation in more than 100 countries around the world, told VOA on the 23^rd that“Human rights are fundamentally linked to North Korea’s nuclear issue,” urging the South Korean government to act.

[Phil Robertson, Deputy Director] “Human rights are fundamentally connected to nuclear issues in the DPRK because the government’s abuses inspire so much fear in the North Korean people that they don’t dare to object the massive diversion of resources from basic needs like food security, education and health to military projects like missiles and nuclear warheads. Kim Jong-un sacrifices the economic, social, and cultural rights of the North Korean people on a daily basis for his war machine, so the least South Korean should do is raise human rights issues in their (North Korea) policy proposals” he stressed.

Benedict Rogers, Senior East Asia Analyst at the Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) which monitors and improves human rights in Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, responded that it was too early to fully evaluate President Yoon's North Korea policy, but the recent move was disappointing. 

[Rogers, Senior Analyst] “His words in his inauguration speech were very encouraging, but his Liberation Day speech and the failure to mention human rights in North Korea at all was disappointing.” 

“President Yoon must build on his inauguration speech by continuously shining a light on the shocking human rights crisis in North Korea, by emphasizing that relations between North and South can only be improved if there is both denuclearization and improvement in the human rights situation and that the two issues are interlinked.”

"Since true peace cannot be achieved without freedom and human dignity, human rights must not be given up or sacrificed in the pursuit of peace, and by supporting the initiatives of civil society and the international community to improve the brutal human rights issues in North Korea, President Yoon must align his words with his actions” he said.

Professor Remco Breuker, an expert on the Korean Peninsula at Leiden University in the Netherlands, also expressed concerns about the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's North Korean policy.

[Professor Remco Breuker] “I'm afraid I don't see any roadmap at the moment. South Korea is in dire need of a workable and clearly principled North Korea-policy, after Moon Jae-in's conciliatory policy failed to deliver tangible results. So far, however, Seoul has shown little sign of coming up with such a policy. President Yoon is running out of time to come up with a realistic North Korea policy. His proposal to Pyongyang that basically promised untold riches in exchange for denuclearization was a sign of what to me looked like despair.”

Roberta Cohen, who served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights during the Carter administration, however, said the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's stance toward improving human rights in North Korea "looks serious," citing three representative examples.

[Roberta Cohen] “I liked the idea that they were thinking of it comprehensively, not just as a human rights section, but that all parts of the government would be involved in looking at how to advance human rights in North Korea. Now that to me is a very serious and positive sign”.

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary Cohen said that it is very impressive that organizations in various fields are sharing their positions, ideas, and strategies to find ways to promote human rights in North Korea, and similar consultations should be held in the US government and the United Nations.

In addition, she said, “audacious initiative” also has room to raise human rights issues such as the rights and wages of North Korean workers in the process of supporting North Korea in various fields and cooperation in infrastructure development. She stressed the need to encourage the creation of more delicate policies focused on human rights in cooperation.

[Roberta Cohen] “The other part was they’re looking at giving funding to the NGOs that were harassed under the previous administration in South Korea. They're looking now at giving funds to the efforts of these groups to promote human rights in North Korea to have non-governmental efforts and that the government would pitch into lends support to these efforts. That's a very good way to do things.”

Lee Shin-hwa, Ambassador for North Korean Human Rights International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, previously said in an interview with VOA that South Korea also needs to create a support system for North Korean non-governmental organizations like the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and seek stable and consistent support for human rights promotion in North Korea.

In response to this, Damon Wilson, President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), said in an interview with VOA last week that he welcomed Ambassador Lee's initiative and was willing to actively cooperate with their efforts at the NED level.

Meanwhile, other experts said the most serious part of North Korea's human rights is the Kim Jong-un regime's policies to keep the people ignorant through information control and indoctrination, and the seriousness can be confirmed when the Yoon Seok-yeol administration makes efforts to strengthen information flow into North Korea.

William Brown, a professor at the University of Maryland, told VOA on the 22nd, “I think that's what President Yoon is talking about, trying to talk to the people in North Korea, that would make the regime very nervous. I think it’s more powerful, that would be the most powerful message.”

As many North Koreans have modern devices such as cell phones, he suggested that it is necessary to awaken the consciousness of North Koreans by using various means to provide useful information about life, such as weather forecasts, business, and agriculture, rather than propaganda or psychological warfare.

Park Ji-hyun, who won the Amnesty Human Rights Award and the Asian Women’s Award for her active North Korean human rights movement in the UK, also emphasized to the VOA on the same day that the Yoon Seok-yeol government should make an effort to send truthful information to North Koreans to spread the importance of 'freedom' to the world.

[Park Ji-hyun] “I think information is the most important thing. When President Yoon mentioned freedom, if there was freedom for the North Korean people as well, he should make an effort to send information to the North Korean people first. Because today, information is not just music or drama. Information itself acts as a lever to change people's lives. But they haven't been able to use that lever properly yet.”

In addition to this information flow, Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia Division, recommended that the South Korean government promote a "multi-faceted North Korea policy" that raises human rights, humanitarian aid, a reunion of separated families, and denuclearization.

He advised, "We must make the North Korean regime realize that it is impossible to play a dialogue game that uses bluff and intimidation."

This is Kim Young-kwon from VOA News.

Translated by Doohyun Kim, HRNK Social Media Associate.

6. N. Korea’s political prison camp population has fallen by around 20,000 compared to last year

​I do not think this is good news for the 20,000 or anyone else:

Excerpt:

“Even new arrivals are dying, with waterborne diseases on top of cases of COVID-19-related fevers,” he said.

N. Korea’s political prison camp population has fallen by around 20,000 compared to last year

The fall in the prisons' population has been been due to poor conditions in the camps, punishments, and even torture

By Mun Dong Hui - 2022.08.31 10:00am

dailynk.com

Image: pixabay

The population of North Korea’s political prison camps has decreased by around 20,000 compared to July of last year, Daily NK has learned.

According to a source in the country last Friday, the fall in the prison population is due to deaths caused by disease and other causes outstripping the number of new arrivals to the camps.

According to the source, no quarantine or medical supplies or services were provided to Camp 14, 17 or 18 in the first half of the year, causing deaths to spike.

“Even new arrivals are dying, with waterborne diseases on top of cases of COVID-19-related fevers,” he said.

As prisoners at political prison camps are not considered citizens, the authorities show no concern at all for their health.

In fact, Daily NK has determined that the population of North Korea’s political prison camps as of late June of this year was less than what it was at the time of a survey in July of last year.

According to the source, the approximate populations of North Korea’s political prison camps as of late June were as follows: 36,800 at Camp 14 in Kaechon, 42,900 at Camp 15 in Yodok, 28,700 at Camp 16 in Hwasong, 41,200 at Camp 17 in Kaechon, 20,200 at Camp 18 in Bukchang and 36,000 at Camp 25 in Chongjin.

Compared to the survey in July of last year, the population of Camp 14 had fallen by about 6,200, Camp 15 by about 13,900, Camp 18 by about 5,600 and Camp 25 by about 5,000. Camp 16 and 17, meanwhile, grew by about 4,700 and 20,400 people, respectively.

Taken together, this means the population of North Korea’s political prison camps fell by 11.4%, from 232,400 people last year to 205,800 people this year.

In particular, aside from deaths from healthcare-related problems, a significant number of prisoners also died from accidents due to the camps’ terrible labor conditions, as well as torture.

The source said dozens of prisoners were buried when an old mine tunnel collapsed at Camp 16.

“People had to crawl around the tunnel where the accident took place since there were no mine posts, but because of the accident, an order was issued calling for the entrances of mines or mining tunnels at camps to be enlarged as much as possible so people can enter them,” he said.

There were also cases of torture and executions after prisoners escaped from Pyongsan Political Prison Camp, about which almost nothing is known regarding its population or facilities.

The source said two males prisoners who entered the camp in April escaped, but were caught in downtown Sariwon less than 48 hours later.

“The incident caused a commotion in North Hwanghae Province, and when management of the Pyongsan camp became an issue, the camp’s director was punished and transferred to another labor camp as a section head,” he said.

The source said the camp’s deputy director replaced his transferred boss, and to restore discipline, he had the two escapees tied to posts and stoned to death by their fellow prisoners.

The source added that another 60 or so prisoners who would have had knowledge of the escape were tortured.

“About 360 people have died due to malnutrition and other causes while performing heavy labor, with the authorities pressing them to atone for their mistakes by performing disciplinary tasks,” he said.

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

Read in Korean

dailynk.com​

7. Pyongyang turns to New Delhi for rice

Wednesday

August 31, 2022

 dictionary + A - A 

Pyongyang turns to New Delhi for rice

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/08/31/national/northKorea/Korea-North-Korea-India/20220831183433582.html

In this photo from the Indian Chamber of International Business (ICIB) website, two North Korean diplomats from the country's embassy in New Delhi visit the ICIB office. [INDIAN CHAMBER OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS]

North Korea is requesting food aid from India, citing shortages due to floods after it dismissed the South's offer of economic assistance in return for denuclearization.

The North Korean embassy in New Delhi approached the Indian Chamber of International Business (ICIB), an organization that supports small and medium-sized companies, for assistance, according to a Korean-language Voice of America (VOA) report.

“We have been approached by the Embassy to look at possibilities for donation of rice for the people of DPRK as the situation due to floods destroyed most of the crop,” said Manpreet Singh, president of the ICIB, in response to a written request for comment by VOA.

A photograph on a section of ICIB’s website listing the organization’s events this year show North Korean diplomats at the ICIB’s office. The caption reads, “The commercial attache and other officers of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea visited the office of ICIB in New Delhi for discussions of humanitarian aid of food grains to the people of DPRK.”

Earlier, the VOA reported that an Indian company posted a notice that it is looking to hire a ship to transport 10,000 tons of rice from Visakhapatnam, an eastern port on the Bay of Bengal also known as Vizag, to Nampo, a major North Korean port on the Yellow Sea.

According to the shipping notice, the rice is to be transported in 50-kilogram (110-pound) sacks in late September, around the time the local monsoon season ends.

An Indian ship industry official with knowledge of the shipment told the VOA on Aug. 28 that North Korea appears to be trying to import long grain rice produced in India, Pakistan, Egypt, Vietnam, and Thailand instead of the short grain its people are used to consuming.

The North’s request for aid from countries other than China, its usual donor country, and its willingness to accept long grain rice suggest a dire situation after torrential rains that hit the Korean Peninsula over the past two months.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) re-designated North Korea as a country in need of external food aid in a “Crop Prospects and Food Situations Quarterly Global Report” released last month.

In an Aug. 19 speech, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, dismissed South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s offer of food, health care, agriculture and infrastructure aid.

“No one barters its destiny for corn cake,” Kim said.

While North Koreans partially rely on the state distribution program to obtain their staple food, rice, and other essential foodstuffs, defectors and others who have lived in the country in recent decades report that the regime regularly offsets shortfalls in rice rations with corn, considered to be an inferior nutritional substitute.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]

8. National security advisers of S. Korea, U.S., Japan to meet in Hawaii

Sustained, high level alliance diplomacy. Action item 7 in the US INDPACOM strategy is improved trilateral cooperation.

Wednesday

August 31, 2022

 dictionary + A - A 

National security advisers of S. Korea, U.S., Japan to meet in Hawaii

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/08/31/national/diplomacy/korea-national-security-north-korea/20220831101838138.html

National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han gives a press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul, on Aug. 11. [YONHAP]

The national security advisers of South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet in Hawaii this week to discuss North Korea's nuclear program and other areas of cooperation, the presidential office said Wednesday.

National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han will meet with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Takeo Akiba, respectively, on Wednesday and Thursday in the first such meeting since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in May.

The three will have "in-depth discussions" on the North Korea issue, trilateral cooperation, economic security, and key regional and international issues, the presidential office said in a statement.

Kim will also have separate bilateral meetings with Sullivan and Akiba to discuss areas of mutual interest, it said.

Yonhap

9.  S. Korea to lift pre-travel COVID-19 test requirement for inbound travelers this week

We will still have to get a PCR test upon arrival. (80,000 won)

Excerpts:

"All inbound travelers, whether our nationals or foreigners, arriving aboard a plane or ship will not need to hand in a negative PCR test starting midnight of Sept. 3," Second Vice Health Minister Lee Ki-il said in a virus response meeting.

...

Travelers still need to take a PCR test within the first 24 hours of their arrival in South Korea, a "minimum measure" put in place to prevent the inflow and spread of any variant from overseas. Rapid antigen tests will not be accepted.

Under the law, violators of the post-arrival PCR test rule will face up to one year in prison or a maximum fine of 10 million won (US$7,460). They can be liable for civil damages in case their violation causes damage to the South Korean government over additional quarantine measures and the spread of the pandemic.

(3rd LD) S. Korea to lift pre-travel COVID-19 test requirement for inbound travelers this week | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김승연 · August 31, 2022

(ATTN: ADDS more details in para 10)

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will lift its current pre-travel COVID-19 test requirement for inbound travelers later this week, an official said Wednesday, as the government believes the recent virus wave has passed its peak and the spread of omicron could slow down.

The new rule that will take effect Saturday came after a state infectious disease advisory committee recommended the government lift the mandatory pre-travel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for inbound travelers.

"All inbound travelers, whether our nationals or foreigners, arriving aboard a plane or ship will not need to hand in a negative PCR test starting midnight of Sept. 3," Second Vice Health Minister Lee Ki-il said in a virus response meeting.

The new measure will be applied to all arrivals, regardless of their vaccination status or the country of departure.

Currently, inbound travelers are required to show a negative result within 48 hours of their PCR tests or within 24 hours of their rapid antigen tests to enter the country.

Critics and the travel industry have called for the requirements to be scrapped, citing low efficiency of the tests that often lack accuracy and cost burdens for individual travelers. They also cited other countries that have removed the test mandate.

"The virus has been slowing in other countries and we have also confirmed a decline in nine weeks," Peck Kyong-ran, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said.

"The decision is aligned with the global trend of discontinuing the negative PCR test submission, although we will quickly toughen the entry procedure in the event of another variant outbreak," Peck said.

Travelers still need to take a PCR test within the first 24 hours of their arrival in South Korea, a "minimum measure" put in place to prevent the inflow and spread of any variant from overseas. Rapid antigen tests will not be accepted.

Under the law, violators of the post-arrival PCR test rule will face up to one year in prison or a maximum fine of 10 million won (US$7,460). They can be liable for civil damages in case their violation causes damage to the South Korean government over additional quarantine measures and the spread of the pandemic.

The government said it plans to introduce the retooled COVID-19 vaccines known to be more effective for the BA.5 omicron variant, the dominant strain in the current virus wave, in the fourth quarter of this year.

Those aged 60 and over, or with underlying health conditions, will be prioritized for inoculation.

Authorities will also start allowing the inoculation of SKYCovione vaccines, developed by SK Bioscience, from next month.

On Wednesday, South Korea reported 103,961 new COVID-19 infections, including 458 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,246,398, the KDCA said.

The latest daily tally is down from Tuesday's 115,638. Health authorities and experts said the recent virus wave has passed its peak, and they expect to see a gradual slowdown of the omicron spread for some time.

The country added 75 COVID-19 deaths, putting the death toll at 26,764.

The number of critically ill patients stood at 569, down 22 from the previous day, the KDCA said.

odissy@yna.co.kr

elly@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 김승연 · August 31, 2022

10. Next 5 years last chance for North Korea's denuclearization: experts

Time to shift focus to human rights, information and the pursuit of a free and unified Korea.

The only way we are going to see an end to the nuclear program and military threats as well as the human rights abuses and crimes against humanity being committed against the Korean people living in the north by the mafia-like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime is through achievement of unification and the establishment of a free and unified Korea that is secure and stable, non-nuclear, economically vibrant, and unified under a liberal constitutional form of government based on individual liberty, rule of law, and human rights as determined by the Korean people.  A free and unified Korea or in short, a United Republic of Korea (UROK).

Next 5 years last chance for North Korea's denuclearization: experts

The Korea Times · August 31, 2022

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a post-summit dinner at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia, in this April 25, 2019, file photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap

Pyongyang, Moscow, Beijing become increasingly united against Washington

By Jung Min-ho

As North Korea becomes increasingly united with Russia and China against the United States, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula will likely be, if it isn't already, nearly impossible in just a few years, according to experts Wednesday.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the rising influence of China in recent years have ushered in a new Cold War climate, prompting the reinforcement of an anti-U.S. alliance and opening an opportunity for the North to protect its nuclear ambitions, they said.

"The current (Yoon Suk-yeol) government has this last opportunity for denuclearization. Perhaps, we have already missed it," Chun Chae-sung, a professor of political science and international relations at Seoul National University, said at the Korea Global Forum for Peace's Wednesday session in Seoul. "North Korea perceives the current situation as a new Cold War and has strengthened relations with China and Russia … This means that North Korea's need for U.S. security guarantees and, therefore, reasons for abandoning its nuclear weapons will decrease."

In a surprise move on July 13, the North recognized the independence of two Russia-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine in support of Moscow's war against its neighbor.

"Even [leaders of] Russia did not see it coming ― and then, the North reportedly offered to send its workers to the region," said Hyun Seung-soo, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification. "Over the past 20 years, Russia's diplomatic strategies on North Korea and the Korean Peninsula have not changed much. But I believe it is now on the verge of a big shift."

North Korea's Ambassador to Russia Sin Hong-chol, left, and Rodion Miroshnik, ambassador of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) to Russia, pose during a ceremony to present a document recognizing the LPR at a meeting in the North Korean Embassy in Moscow, in this July 14 file photo. TASS-Yonhap

In the short run, there seems little incentive for the North to make such decisions, which have drawn international criticism. But in the long term, what it can gain from Russia, one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, is "enormous," he noted.

"North Korea is probably expecting Russia's support at the U.N. … It is very likely that Russia will offer it. I have heard from sources in Russia that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may visit Russia this year," Hyun said. "I agree with Chun's assessment on the probability of denuclearization … We may have already entered the situation in which it is very difficult [to achieve]."

With possible help of Russia and China, another permanent member of the UNSC, it will be far more difficult to impose additional U.N. sanctions on the North over its nuclear weapons program.

North Korea has also consolidated ties with China in recent years. During his speech on the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, Kim honored the Chinese soldiers who "shed their blood with our military" in the conflict against South Korea and the United Nations Command.

From left, Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) senior research fellow Jun Byoung-kon, Seoul National University professor Chun Chae-sung, Korea National Diplomatic Academy professor Kim Han-kwon and KINU research fellows Hyun Seung-soo and Min Tae-eun attend a session of the Korea Global Forum for Peace, titled "The Choice of the Korean Peninsula in the New International Security Order," at the Millennium Hilton Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho

Some analysts believe the National Congress of the Communist Party of China, an important political event for President Xi Jinping, is the chief reason behind Pyongyang's decision to delay its seventh nuclear weapons test, which has been estimated for months to be ready.

Powerful nations, which were once united against North Korea's nuclear weapons program, become increasingly indifferent to the issue as they are preoccupied with other political and diplomatic priorities.

Chun said the Yoon government needs to step up efforts to tell them the issue still is greatly relevant to their national interests and their collective effort is essential to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"Time is running out," he said. "I think this administration knows it well."

The Korea Times · August 31, 2022

11. As North Korea struggles, a renewed focus on loyalty

Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty. It is all the regime has.

As North Korea struggles, a renewed focus on loyalty

Sources say the government is cracking down to ensure allegiance to leader Kim Jong Un.

By Chang Gyu Ahn for RFA Korean

2022.08.30

rfa.org

The part of the North Korean government that works to ensure leader Kim Jong Un’s directives are implemented is meting out more punishment as the country struggles under the strain of a poor economy and a recent COVID-19 outbreak.

RFA reported in July that leaders of North Korea’s Organization and Guidance Department, which spreads the directives and teachings of Kim Jong Un, had held a lecture to push officials within the department to establish that, in the words of one source, “all party members are absolutely obedient to the party’s sole leadership.”

Several sources told RFA at that time that they were worried that the department would begin a crackdown on government officials nationwide.

Those fears have been realized, an administrative official from Chongjin in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA’s Korean Service on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

“The tyranny of the Organization and Guidance Department is becoming increasingly severe,” the source said. “General officials and party members are trembling in fear because the officials of the department frequently dismiss and punish other officials and party members.”

The source, for example, said the department began a review for the city’s Orangchon Power Station construction project in August.

“The city’s organization department issued a ‘severe warning’ punishment to seven managers [of the project], … dating back to Kim Jong Un’s visit in July 2018,” the source said. “The department said that they did not properly secure the necessary manpower … to build the power station. Also, their ability to procure support materials was poor.”

The Organization and Guidance Department is also punishing local officials for how ineffective their quarantine initiatives were against the spread of COVID-19. North Korea had claimed to be completely virus free until finally admitting that the virus was spreading within its borders in April 2022.

The country declared a “maximum emergency” in May, which lasted until Aug. 10.

“In last week's municipal emergency quarantine review session, managers of several factories and companies were punished for negligence in the quarantine,” the source said.

“The reasons for the punishment were that there were a large number of COVID-19 fever patients during the quarantine period, and the managers did not properly prepare hand sanitizer and did not enforce mask-wearing directives for their employees,'' he said.

Punishments from the Organization and Guidance Department are marked on the managers’ permanent records and can affect promotion or commendations.

“All the party members are afraid of party punishment. In the past they did not punish officials as often as they do now,” the source said.

“An official at one company said, ‘I am sick and tired of being a manager. I am so done with this.’ It was heard by all the other officials around him when his punishment was announced. Even officials who have not been punished are not happy with the situation because the department thinks that punishment is the only thing that matters,” he said.

Poor results on projects or government initiatives are not the only reason that the department is doling out punishments.

Officials from the department visited every factory and company in South Hamgyong province’s eastern coastal city of Tanchon to conduct week-long ideological inspections into party members working there, a resident of the city told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.

“Three leaders of the party’s life guidance division in the city organization department visit a company for a week to examine the overall organizational life of party members, including political events, learning sessions and lectures, self-criticism sessions, and the execution of assignments,” the second source said. “There have never been so many party officials who have come down to each business office to conduct an inspection.

“Once the inspection by the city party organization department is over, punishments will follow. In the spring, three members of the Tanchon Water and Sewage Office were punished with regular and severe warnings,” he said.

The official scale of punishment increases from warning, to severe warning, to demotion from full party member to candidate member, and finally complete removal from the Korean Workers’ Party.

Membership in the party is seen as a status symbol that can also be a gateway to better housing, employment, education and food in the impoverished country.

“City party officials directly participate and provide guidance in weekly review sessions held at each party cell. They say it’s to guide, but it really is to monitor whether mutual criticism of the people attending the self criticism sessions is progressing properly,” he said.

North Koreans must use the weekly self-criticism sessions to confess ways that they have not been loyal to the government over the past week. Every citizen must attend either through their workplaces or their neighborhood watch units.

After confessing their loyalty shortcomings, it is customary for citizens to then criticize each other. Usually residents plan their responses beforehand merely to satisfy the requirement, and not be too critical of their neighbors, but the practice is meant to encourage North Koreans to root out disloyal elements among them.

“The reason why the central party has recently tightened up its members is because loyalty to Kim Jong Un and trust in the socialist system are declining among the core class of party members,” the second source said.

“The decline of loyalty and trust among party members will not stop unless the difficulties of the people suffering from the hardships of living are resolved,” he said, referring to Korea’s depressed economic climate and general lack of food and other necessities.

Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Written in English by Eugene Whong.

rfa.org

​12. Lockdowns in China, and North Korea, Deal Double Blow to Bridge City

Lockdowns in China, and North Korea, Deal Double Blow to Bridge City

Shenyang, in China’s northeast, was a hub for North Korean workers and a launchpad for visits to Pyongyang. Covid restrictions have battered its economy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/30/business/china-shenyang-north-korea.html?

By Vivian Wang

Aug. 30, 2022

阅读简体中文版閱讀繁體中文版

SHENYANG, China — There are plenty of reasons that business has been lousy recently at Steven Wen’s clothing store in Shenyang, the largest city in northeastern China.

Local officials locked down the city for one month this spring after detecting just a few dozen coronavirus cases among its nine million people. Residents have guarded their spending closely since the lockdown was lifted. And in a region often referred to as China’s Rust Belt, the local economy had already been shaky for years.

Possibly the main problem, though, is that Ms. Wen’s primary customer base has virtually evaporated.

“With North Korea closed because of the virus, they can’t come or go at all,” she said from behind the counter of her store in Shenyang’s Koreatown, where signs advertising steep discounts on imported South Korean styles had done little to draw in shoppers. “Before, we’d have maybe dozens of North Korean customers every day. Now you don’t even get 10.”

China’s continuing strict coronavirus controls have battered local economies across the country. But Shenyang has endured a double blow. Just 150 miles from the North Korean border, it is suffering not only from the restrictions in China, but also from those imposed by the even more isolated country next door.

Image

Stores that used to cater to visiting North Koreans are now largely empty of customers.Credit...Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times

Before the pandemic, Shenyang was a rare bridge between North Korea and the outside world.

It was a top destination for the select number of North Koreans allowed to work abroad, who would then remit home the money they earned in factories or restaurants to bolster the country’s foreign currency reserves.

It was also a launching pad for foreign tourists, mainly Chinese, seeking to visit North Korea. Multiple flights each week connected Shenyang to Pyongyang, or travelers could take a one-hour high speed train to the Chinese border city of Dandong, then enter North Korea by bridge.

The city’s Koreatown is home to the Pyongyang Restaurant, a multistory venue featuring a giant image of the skyline of the city for which it’s named. Alongside smoky Korean barbecue joints and street stalls pungent with fresh kimchi, shops advertise red ginseng, a North Korean specialty, and traditional medicines labeled “Made in DPR Korea.” Not far away is the Chilbosan Hotel, founded as a joint venture between Chinese and North Korean companies.

There aren’t exact figures for the number of North Koreans in Shenyang, but North Koreans made 165,200 visits to China in 2018, the last year for which China published statistics. Many of those visits, and many North Koreans residing longer term in China, were concentrated in the city’s northeast, including Shenyang and Dandong, in a region also home to a sizable population of ethnically Korean Chinese.

Those close ties brought risks even before the pandemic.

Image

A street in Shenyang’s Koreatown in August. The city, 150 miles from the North Korean border, used to be a jumping-off point for tourists who wanted to visit the country.Credit...Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times

When the United Nations imposed sweeping sanctions on North Korea in 2017, China, by far the country’s largest trading partner, said it would shut down North Korean joint ventures and companies, and would send North Korean workers home. Still, many North Koreans remained in China on short-term visas that allowed them to skirt the restrictions, according to analysts and foreign governments. Chinese tourism to North Korea actually grew after the sanctions.

But then the pandemic arrived and accomplished what the sanctions could not. In 2020, both China and North Korea halted virtually all international arrivals, restrictions that neither country has meaningfully lifted. Shenyang in particular had perhaps China’s most extreme quarantine rules: Until the end of June, it required all international arrivals to undergo 28 days of centralized quarantine, followed by 28 days at home.

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The change was immediately noticeable to Ms. Wen, the clothing store worker, who said she could easily identify her North Korean customers. Their dialect is different from the South Koreans who live in Shenyang, said Ms. Wen, who is ethnically Korean. They paid in cash. And they were willing to buy the pricier offerings that Chinese shoppers sometimes balked at, said Ms. Wen, noting that many appeared to be businessmen.

“Now there are way fewer customers,” she said. “Clothing on sale will occasionally get sold, but those at a regular price won’t move at all,” she added, gesturing at the racks of spring dresses still on display, despite the season’s having long since turned to summer.

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For other Shenyang business owners, the problem isn’t one of demand: They don’t have the supplies to meet the needs of the North Koreans who do remain, unable to go home.

Image

Since the borders closed, store owners have struggled with both supply and demand problems.Credit...Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times

At a small Korean convenience store, there would normally be North Korean beer or dried vegetables, said the owner, who gave only her surname, Zhou. But the supply had dried up since the borders closed.

For a time, North Koreans in Shenyang came by to ask when more would be available. “Now, they don’t even come to ask,” Ms. Zhou said. “They know there isn’t any.”

As for the rest of the goods — a colorful array of South Korean instant noodles and bottled drinks — there was little demand, said Huang Panyue, an employee at the store who was sitting outside, idly watching the thin trickle of passers-by in what was normally the summer high season for tourism.

“All our stock is about to expire,” Ms. Huang said, adding that China required imported goods to be quarantined, further eating into their shelf life.

Though the disappearance of most North Korean customers has been a challenge, for many here that’s merely an addition to the primary problem: how China’s own Covid restrictions have hurt business.

Before the pandemic, many Chinese visitors to Shenyang had flocked to the Pyongyang Restaurant, eager to see the North Korean waitresses and their twice-daily song and dance performances.

Image

The empty lobby of the Pyongyang Restaurant, in Shenyang in August.Credit...Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times

But on a recent Friday at lunchtime, the gold-upholstered banquet tables were empty, except for one trio of diners. There had been no daytime performances since the pandemic began, a waitress said. The only chatter came from an old North Korean movie playing on a wall-mounted television, showing a man embracing a tearful woman, which another waitress said was a classic from her childhood.

Back outside and a few stalls down from the convenience store, Zhu Hongmei paused from hawking the contents of her display cooler — several varieties of pickles, a veritable barrel of kimchi — to lament the 50 percent drop in business since the pandemic began. The lockdown had been bad enough, but even after it lifted, the authorities sealed off one end of Specialty Street, the main road in the city’s Koreatown, choking foot traffic. Ms. Zhu said. It had only recently reopened.

She had tried to make up for the drop in visitors by turning to online sales, promising to mail her wares — in vacuum-sealed bags to guarantee freshness, she added — anywhere in the country. But many cities had their own lockdowns, making sending packages there impossible.

“This pandemic has really messed us up,” she said.

Che Mingji, the owner of an indoor golf course on the top floor of a mall on Specialty Street, said his revenue had fallen by 30 to 40 percent in recent years, largely because his South Korean clients, who once made up about half his customers, had left China.

Still, at least the few North Korean customers he had continue to show up.

“They still come,” he said. “I guess because they can’t go back.”

Liu Yi contributed research from Shenyang, and Li You from Shanghai.

Image

Korean-themed paintings at a residential compound in Shenyang’s Koreatown.Credit...Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times

China, North Korea and Covid Lockdowns

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May 5, 2022

Covid Lockdowns Revive the Ghosts of a Planned Economy

April 25, 2022

Vivian Wang is a China correspondent based in Beijing, where she writes about how the country's global rise and ambitions are shaping the daily lives of its people. @vwang3

13. The U.S. and South Korea Are Simulating a North Korean Attack

The U.S. and South Korea Are Simulating a North Korean Attack

The event marks the largest joint military exercises between the two countries in four years.

Popular Mechanics · by Kyle Mizokami · August 30, 2022

• The U.S. and South Korea are currently in the middle of their largest joint military exercises since 2017.
• Strictly defensive in nature, the exercises are meant to simulate attacks on South Korea.
• South Korea is not helpless, however, and retains long-range missiles and commandos capable of launching “decapitation strikes.”

The United States and South Korea are in the middle of their largest joint military exercises in years. Ulchi Freedom Focus, an exercise designed to test responses to an outside attack, kicked off last week and will run through September 1. The exercises model strictly defensive responses to an attack, but South Korea can also launch its own attacks without the help of the United States.

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U.S. Forces Korea describes the exercises as a “computer simulated, defense-oriented training event designed to enhance the ROK-U.S. combined defense posture.” South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency described the accompanying Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise as including forces from both countries in “field training and civil defense drills.” The exercises involve an unspecified number of U.S. and South Korean troops, but Bloomberg News describes them as the biggest “in about five years.”

Typically, the United States and South Korea conducted two large-scale field exercises annually, including the Foal Eagle exercises. In 2018, President Donald Trump unilaterally canceled the exercises as a diplomatic gesture to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The gesture was not reciprocated, but Trump never bothered to restart the exercises. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed their resumption until 2022.

South Korean soldiers participate in an anti-terror drill on the sidelines of the joint South Korea-U.S. Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) military exercises at Seoul Metro headquarters in Seoul on August 24, 2022.

JUNG YEON-JEGetty Images

The United States maintains 28,500 troops in South Korea, 69 years after the end of the Korean War. This includes the Korea Rotational Force (KRF), a brigade-sized task force that rotates combat brigades from the United States to South Korea for nine-month tours. The current KRF unit is the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, from Fort Bliss, Texas. The Army also maintains artillery, aviation, combat support, and support troops in South Korea, while the Air Force operates both F-16 and A-10 aircraft from air bases on the Korean peninsula.

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U.S. Forces are in South Korea to bolster its defenses from neighboring North Korea, a totalitarian dictatorship with the fourth-largest army in the world. North Korea is also armed with nuclear and chemical weapons and poses an invasion risk to South Korea. In the event of war, the United States would rush to assist South Korea, with the goal of defending the south’s democratically elected government and toppling Kim Jong-un’s regime.

Past U.S.-South Korea exercises, including 2004’s Ulchi Focus Lens, included decontamination exercises involving simulated use of chemical weapons. North Korea has a large chemical weapons stockpile, while South Korea has none.

Chung Sung-JunGetty Images

Although Ulchi Freedom Focus is strictly defensive in nature, South Korea has gradually increased its options for offensive action, particularly “decapitation strikes” targeted at Kim Jong-un and his regime. The goal is to deter Kim and his inner circle by making them afraid for their own lives.

One crucial tool for decapitation strikes is South Korea’s growing arsenal of tactical missiles. The Hyunmoo 2B is a short-range ballistic missile with a one-ton high-explosive warhead and a stated range of 310 miles. The missile has a circular error probable (CEP) accuracy rating of 100 feet, meaning half of missiles fired at a target would land within 100 feet. This is considerably less accurate than comparable American missiles, including the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, which boasts a CEP of six inches. Hyunmoo 2B is also being fitted to a South Korean submarine.

South Korea’s Hyunmoo II ballistic missile is fired during an exercise at an undisclosed location in South Korea, Monday, September 4, 2017.

NurPhotoGetty Images

Another tool is a relatively new Republic of Korea Marine Corps regiment nicknamed “Spartan 3000.” The regiment, formed in the late 2010s, consisting of elite special operations troops, is tasked with training to infiltrate North Korea and eliminate high-ranking regime officials, including Kim himself. The entire regiment of 1,000 or more marines can be ready for deployment within 24 hours.

The United States and South Korea can deter North Korea, but only if the North understands that the U.S. military can quickly act on promises to help repel outside attack. Canceling the exercises without getting anything in return was a serious blunder, but with Ulchi Freedom Focus and other upcoming exercises, the alliance is finding its feet again. However, after nearly 70 years, it is fair to ask how much longer must U.S. forces stay and protect the 10th largest economy in the world.

Writer on Defense and Security issues, lives in San Francisco.

Popular Mechanics · by Kyle Mizokami · August 30, 2022

14. Coronavirus: North Korea state media confirm leader Kim Jong-un has been infected with Covid-19

Coronavirus: North Korea state media confirm leader Kim Jong-un has been infected with Covid-19

• Confirmation comes after Kim Jong-un’s sister, Yo-jong, hinted at her brother’s illness at an emergency meeting and declared victory over the virus
• Despite claiming victory over Covid-19, the country saw four additional cases last week, according to the official Korean Central News Agency

Korea Times

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Published: 4:35pm, 30 Aug, 2022

By Korea Times South China Morning Post3 min

View Original

North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a “maximum emergency anti-epidemic campaign meeting” in Pyongyang, North Korea, on August 10. Photo: KCNA/Korea News Service via AP, File

Pyongyang’s official Rodong Shinmun daily confirmed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been infected with Covid-19.

The official confirmation by the state-run newspaper came weeks after Kim’s sister, Yo-jong, hinted at her brother’s infection while presiding over an emergency meeting where she declared a victory over the virus. She said her brother was seriously ill with a high fever, but could not lie down due to concerns about caring for the North Korean people.

Rodong Shinmun detailed the North Korean leader’s recent moves since the country reported its first confirmed infection case in May.

Regarding Kim’s condition, the newspaper said “the much respected leader has greatly suffered in high fever in the middle of the anti-pandemic battle,” and he paid a visit to meet the workers who were then infected with the virus. “The workers there were teary and held their emotions as they saw the leader who was there and encouraged them at the risk of contagion,” it added.

The daily said Kim contacted the infected workers on May 12 when he declared the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic in North Korea during a Politburo meeting and then visited the headquarters for disease control and epidemic prevention.

The state-run media has reported Kim’s contacts with infected people several times since the breakout in May.

“When the great leader visited the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters on the first night since the maximum emergency anti-pandemic measures have been in place, some of the officials there were already infected with the ‘malignant epidemic’,” the daily said.

Rodong Sinmun also said that Kim visited pharmacies in Pyongyang in May to check the country’s supply of medicine. The report said that one of the pharmacists that Kim met had not fully recovered from a Covid-19 infection and continued coughing while meeting him. The North Korean leader reportedly expressed concerns over the infected pharmacist’s health and was seen wearing two layers of dental masks during the tour.

Covid-19 infection and continued coughing while meeting him. The North Korean leader reportedly expressed concerns over the infected pharmacist’s health and was seen wearing two layers of dental masks during the tour.

On August 12, Kim’s sister declared victory in the battle over the coronavirus and lifted the country’s “maximum emergency anti-pandemic” measures. It was three months after the nation reported the first confirmed case in May.

However, the country saw four additional cases last week, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The total number of infections has not been revealed.

Choi Jong-hoon, a former infectious disease doctor from North Korea, said the state-run newspaper’s report appears to be propaganda aiming to maintain loyalty to the party and doubted the nation’s claim of overcoming the ongoing global pandemic.

“North Korean people have suffered greatly during the past three years of the pandemic,” Choi said, “They have grown tired of financial difficulties and it seems that North Korean officials now feel the need to show the public how Kim Jong-un himself has been in pain and suffered.”

Choi added that it is a “nonsense” that the country alone has stamped out the coronavirus, while the rest of the world is still in the midst of the pandemic.

15.  ＜Interview with a N. Korean Woman＞What do N. Koreans think about Kim Yo-jong’s speech?

Excerpt:

――Kim Yo-jong insulted in stark terms South Korea’s nascent Yoon Seok-yeol administration, calling it a puppet regime.

“She called for violence against South Korea it seems, but I’m not sure what the intention was – certainly the statement shows the regime’s not interested in getting aid (from South Korea). But the people of North Korea are suffering from the lack of food…”

＜Interview with a N. Korean Woman＞What do N. Koreans think about Kim Yo-jong’s speech?

asiapress.org

Kim Yo-jong when she visited South Korea during the PyeongChang Olympics. Some South Koreans even formed a fan club at one time, but she’s now attracting dislike in the country for her repeated insults against the South. Photo taken at the Blue House in February 2018.

During the speech she claimed that her brother “never slept despite a high fever” and called for “vengeance against the South”

Kim Jong-un’s sister and the Deputy Department Director of the Publicity and Information Department of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Yo-jong spoke at the National Emergency Anti-epidemic Campaign Review Meeting on August 10. One of ASIAPRESS’s reporting partners watched Kim Yo-jong’s speech through KCTV. It was the first time that a speech by Kim Yo-jong was made public. Through the reporting partner, ASIAPRESS heard from the reporting partner and those around her about the speech. (KANG Ji-won)

◆ Kim Yo-jong suggests that her brother got COVID-19

At the meeting, Kim Jong-un claimed that North Korea had achieved a victory over the coronavirus. Kim Yo-jong expressed great admiration for her brother’s outstanding leadership during her speech, saying that he had worked hard for the people of North Korea.

“Even though he was seriously ill with a high fever, he could not lie down for a moment thinking about the people he had to take care of until the end in the face of the anti-epidemic war,” she said.

In saying this, Kim suggested that her brother had been infected with COVID-19 and, eyes glistening with tears, she praised his sacrifice for the people of North Korea.

The ASIAPRESS reporting partner who saw her speech on TV is a woman living in North Hamgyung Province. Her interview with ASIAPRESS can be found below.

―― Kim Yo-jong claimed that Kim Jong-un didn’t rest despite a high fever and worked for the North Korean people.

“She said that he worked without sleep, but actually he did absolutely nothing for the people. People around me showed little interest in Yo-jong’s speech. There was a person who told me that, “(Even Kim Jong-un seems to have gotten COVID-19, so if the top leadership got it, then everyone has, so I hope they open the borders.”

North Korean authorities officially acknowledged the first outbreak of COVID-19 on May 12. After that, the coronavirus spread in a short time nationwide, leading many people to hope that the country would achieve “herd immunity.” Everyone hopes for the lifting of the border closure and the restart of trade because the North Korean people are suffering due to severe food shortages due to the government’s long “war against COVID-19.” In short, if the government has truly declared victory over COVID-19, people want the restart of trade.

◆ Kim Yo-jong’s statement expresses hostility toward South Korea

During Kim Yo-jong’s speech, she claimed that it was clear that the coronavirus had entered the country through goods from South Korea. She claimed that the “puppet conservative party” was behind the sending of propaganda leaflets by defector groups, and warned that if these activities continue, North Korea would take “very strong vengeance.”

――Kim Yo-jong claimed that the coronavirus came from South Korea.

“There are people who don’t know whether it is true that defectors sent the coronavirus into North Korea through propaganda leaflets, and others who believe that that’s what could have happened. People who have family members (in South Korea) are very sensitive to what people around them think so that they don’t get persecuted (for the supposed actions take by their family members in South Korea).”

――Kim Yo-jong insulted in stark terms South Korea’s nascent Yoon Seok-yeol administration, calling it a puppet regime.

“She called for violence against South Korea it seems, but I’m not sure what the intention was – certainly the statement shows the regime’s not interested in getting aid (from South Korea). But the people of North Korea are suffering from the lack of food…”

※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.

asiapress.org

16. S. Koreans are immensely fatigued about N. Korea…But continued interest in the N. Korean people is necessary.

Yes. Let's focus on the Korean people in the north and their human rights.

S. Koreans are immensely fatigued about N. Korea…But continued interest in the N. Korean people is necessary.　ISHIMARU Jiro

asiapress.org

Kim Yo-jong and Kim Jong-un want to continue the rule of the Kim family into perpetuity. (Rodong Sinmun, February 2018)

I have found it increasingly frustrating to report and write on North Korea these days. That’s because the Kim Jong-un regime has turned to isolation without any intention to change its ways, and because the world’s attention toward North Korea has dramatically decreased.

North Korea’s vulnerable groups of people are facing a humanitarian crisis, including the spread of malnutrition. Despite ASIAPRESS’s publishing of articles in Japanese, Korean and English, there’s very little reaction to them from the world. It feels like there’s nothing that can be done.

◆ From enthusiasm and hope to disappointment and hatred

In July, I held a meeting with South Korea-based researchers, journalists and human rights activists in Seoul. They replied to my sense of disappointment with one voice, “No, South Korea is even worse.”

The Kim Jong-un regime raised tensions in the region with nuclear and missile tests before changing its tune and engaging in dialogue from 2018. Kim Yo-jong went to Seoul and observed the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and in April of that year Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un hugged at Panmunjom, later followed by a meeting between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump.

The entire world seemed to be focused on what was happening in North Korea and it felt like the state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula were going through dramatic changes. However, the enthusiasm and hopes South Koreans showed at that time seemed now to have completely disappeared.

The blame falls on South Koreans’ “fatigue toward North Korea”

Park In-ho, a researcher with the NK Investment Development Research Center who has been working on North Korean human rights issues for more than 20 years, explained why this was.

In February 2019 when the US-DPRK Hanoi summit ended in failure, North Korea returned to throwing insults toward South Korea and, and in June 2020, the country blew up the inter-Korean joint liaison office in Kaesong. In September 2020, North Korean soldiers killed a South Korean public official who floated into waters under North Korea’s control, pouring gasoline on the corpse and setting it alight. North Korea has not stopped launching test missiles, either.

“The Moon Jae-in government worked hard, but gave the South Korean people an exaggerated sense of hope. Ultimately, Kim Jong-un didn’t try to change. South Koreans are now just sick and tired of it,” Park explained.

Clearly, South Korean media’s interest in North Korea has decreased dramatically. There’s barely any North Korea-related articles worth referencing. Much of the reporting is simply the parroting of news already covered in foreign media outlets, official statements by the South Korean government, and reprints of North Korea’s state-run media outlets. There’s few news agencies that engage in independent reporting, a reflection of South Korean society’s diminished interest in North Korea.

A bundle of flyers create with the intention to level insults on South Korea and President Moon Jae-in. (Rodong Sinmun, June 2021)

Every year, KBS conducts a survey measuring awareness about unification among South Koreans that is published around August 15, the day Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule. This year’s results, published on August 14, clearly showed the “fatigue” toward North Korea that exists in South Korean society today.

Only 2.7% of the respondents said that they have “positive feelings” toward the Kim Jong-un regime. Meanwhile, 78.1% said they have “negative feelings” toward the regime, with 43.1% of these respondents saying they have “extremely negative feelings” toward North Korea’s government. The survey results show a dramatic negative shift in public perception toward North Korea when compared with the 20.6% of respondents who said they have “positive feelings,” 35.4% who had “negative feelings,” and 15.3% who had “extremely negative feelings” in the survey in 2018, when inter-Korean talks were ongoing.

Meanwhile, 80% of respondents to this year’s survey said that South Korea must provide aid to help North Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show the relaxed and mature nature of South Korean society when it comes to North Korea, reflecting both the society’s general hatred of the regime and the imperative it feels for providing the country with humanitarian aid.

◆ Reflecting on North Koreans’ secret crush on South Korea

Then, what about perceptions among North Koreans? Based on my own long reporting experience on the lives of ordinary North Koreans, I have found that, despite the fact North Korea churns out propaganda aimed at treating South Korea as the enemy, North Koreans have strong expectations and hopes for South Korea.

My colleague, defector-journalist Kang Ji-won, knows the thinking of the North Korean people better than most. He has told me earnestly that:

“The lives of North Koreans are at their worst due to the controls implemented by the regime under the pretext of preventing the spread of COVID-19. It’s not clear when trade with China will resume. North Koreans hold out hope that their South Korean compatriots will offer them assistance, no matter how slim that hope may be. If they knew that South Koreans are losing interest in North Korea, they’d be devastated. We must continue to report on and inform the world about the North Korean people’s poverty-stricken realities.”

After hearing Kang’s words, I felt like it wasn’t yet time to lose my motivation to soldier on.

asiapress.org

17. Yoon Suk-yeol's 'ambitious' N. Korea policy takes center stage at Korea Global Forum for Peace 2022

​I am happy to see a focus on unification by the Korean government.

​E​xcerpt:

A "Vision for Unification of the Korean Peninsula and Inter-Korean Relations in a Transitional Era."

is what the Korea Global Forum for Peace 2022 aims to provide.

Yoon Suk-yeol's 'ambitious' N. Korea policy takes center stage at Korea Global Forum for Peace 2022

http://www.arirang.com/News/News_View.asp?nseq=306685

Updated: 2022-08-31 06:29:16 KST

+ Text Size Large / - Small

Seoul's Unification Ministry is making a fresh attempt at engaging North Korea.

The latest call for diplomacy and dialogue came at the start of its annual forum for peace on the peninsula.

Our ministry correspondent Han Seong-woo reports.

A "Vision for Unification of the Korean Peninsula and Inter-Korean Relations in a Transitional Era."

is what the Korea Global Forum for Peace 2022 aims to provide.

And in his opening remarks, South Korea's Unification Minister Kwon Young-se

reiterated his confidence in President Yoon Suk-yeol's "audacious initiative" to dramatically improve North Korea's economy and infrastructure in return for real steps toward denuclearization.

"This includes the Resources-Food Exchange Program in which we provide the North with food and other necessities in exchange for its underground resources like minerals and rare earth elements

This time, though, he placed extra emphasis on international cooperation, particularly with the United States, to develop the initiative from the road map it is now into, one day, a trilateral dialogue.

"If North Korea changes its current attitude, we will cooperate with the U.S. and China to draw full support from the international community The Yoon administration, based on its firm alliance with the U.S., will work to rekindle not only inter-Korean talks but also diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea, and develop it into a trilateral dialogue.

Joining via pre-recorded video was United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who, like Minister Kwon, urged North Korea to return to talks even bringing up that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the July Fourth South-North Joint Communiqu .

"The anniversary is a time for a reminder of the lack of peace on the peninsula and the current absence of dialogue between the Koreas. I urge the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to positively respond to the offers to engage in dialogue."

"The forum comes at a critical juncture. Pyeongyang, through the words of Kim Jong-un's powerful sister Kim Yo-jong , has for now rejected Seoul's 'audacious initiative.' Meaning the Yoon Suk-yeol administration will have to choose whether to be patient, persuade, or perhaps even pressure North Korea to return to the negotiating table. Han Seong-woo, Arirang News."

Reporter : alicosell@arirang.com​

​

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

VIDEO "WHEREBY" Link: https://whereby.com/david-maxwell

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com