Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quote of the Day:

“To change early at one's own desires is best. To wait until forced by circumstances looks bad. To not change at all is to fail.”

– Robert Jones

“We have slain a large dragon, but we live now in a jungle filled with a bewildering variety of poisonous snakes. And in many ways, the dragon was easier to keep track of.”

– James Woolsey

"Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men doesn't try to force issues or defeat enemies by force of arms.

For every force, there is a counterforce.

Violence, even well-intentioned, always rebounds upon oneself.

The Master does his job and then stops.

He understands that the universe is forever out of control, and that trying to dominate events goes against the current of the Tao.

Because he believes in himself, he doesn't try to convince others.

Because he is content with himself, he doesn't need others’ approval.

Because he accepts himself, the whole world accepts him."

– The Tao

1. President Yoon's unification doctrine: maybe too audacious?

2. North Korea breaks pattern, stays calm after South Korea-US joint drills

3. S. Korea to bolster cybersecurity measures against hacking, disinformation

4. N. Korea imports breed of horses loved by leader Kim from Russia

5. S. Korea, Japan in last-minute arrangements for visit by PM Kishida: presidential office

6. Russia's 'Lancet' copycat North Korea's 'suicide drone' one-two punch to stop it

7. North Korea fascinates many people. For South Koreans, its threat is just part of life

8. S. Korea announces 'offensive cyber defense' strategy

9. South Korea’s Exports Grow for 11th Straight Month

10. Netflix Is Trying to Get You Hooked on More Reality TV With Better Dubbing

11. Is Seoul ‘sucking all the good’ from South Korea? Here’s why rural areas are emptying out

12. Patriarchal values lose hold: Korean fathers want to change but lack role models

13. This tank commander fought off 250 enemy troops in the Korean War

14. 40 Nations Join US and South Korea in Combating North Korean Crypto Crimes

15. North Korean diplomatic delegation to attend UN General Assembly: Sources

1. President Yoon's unification doctrine: maybe too audacious?

"Haters are going to hate". I fear the professor has been in America for too long and has become infected with the disease of "US Unification Dismissiveness."

That said his questions will make the 8/.15 Unification Doctrine stronger.

Excerpts:

Yoon's reunification doctrine, however, also carries risks and drawbacks. First, encouraging North Korean citizens to advocate for their political rights will likely be a long-term strategy. In the short term, such a strategy could escalate conflict with the North, which will likely perceive the informational targeting of its citizens as a security threat. The regime will also be on alert to suppress information networks, thereby increasing the safety risks of involved organizations and individuals. Second, even if North Korean society shifts toward greater advocacy for political freedom, it is unpredictable whether domestic uprising could lead to political change, much less a peaceful transition. In countries like Iran and Russia, civil activism from citizens was met with harsh repression. While these repressive measures might weaken the domestic legitimacy of Kim's regime, they also raise the ethical dilemma of whether the international community is jeopardizing the safety of North Korean citizens by encouraging their political resistance.

Does Yoon's unification doctrine offer a breakthrough in gridlocked inter-Korean relations or pose too high risks for regional security and the safety of North Korean citizens? Ironically, Yoon's National Liberation Day speech displayed more "audacity" than the "audacious initiative" his government introduced in its first year to restore talks with North Korea. Yet, whether such audacity will lead to an irreparable separation of the two Koreas or create a "scorching heat" that melts the "frozen kingdom of the North" is uncertain, posing a challenge for the Yoon government to reassure the South Korean public and the international community.

Here is my response to Professor Lee and all theaters, especially those who fear Kim Jong Un's response. Those who are frozen with fear of a Kim response create what we have seen for the past 4 to 7 decades: strategic planning paralysis.

Let's not worry about what Kim is doing or will do. Let's make him worry about what we can and will do. Let's focus on human rights, information, cyber, sanctions, military readiness, and the pursuit of a free and unified Korea. Let's present him with a broad front effort to bring peace, prosperity, and stability to the Korean peninsula by showing the Korean people in the north that their sacrifice and suffering is the result of Kim Jong Un's failed policies and strategy. Let's create conditions that will cause Kim to change his behavior or be faced with change from within.

President Yoon's unification doctrine: maybe too audacious?

The Korea Times · September 1, 2024

By Lee Jong-eun

Lee Jong-eun

President Yoon Seok Yeol, while commemorating the 79th anniversary of Korea's liberation on Aug. 15, announced what some analysts have described as his unification doctrine. Asserting that Korea's liberation is not complete until the entire Korean Peninsula is liberated to enjoy freedom and democracy, Yoon reaffirmed his commitment to achieving reunification, echoing a longstanding goal of the Republic of Korea. What distinguished President Yoon's speech this year, however, was how he proposed to achieve reunification.

A significant challenge for South Korea in achieving reunification has been its relationship with the ideologically opposed North Korean regime. Should South Korea treat the North as an unlawful regime that should be overthrown? Or should it consider North Korea a political partner in the pursuit of peaceful, democratic reunification? Successive South Korean administrations have experimented with both coercive and engagement strategies. Some have attempted coercive sanctions and pressures to force the North to either adopt political reforms or face regime collapse. Others have attempted cultural interactions and economic partnerships to incentivize the North.

Unfortunately for South Korea, neither coercive nor engagement strategies have achieved substantive progress in influencing the North's regime to become more amenable toward eventual reunification. Sanctions failed to bring about the collapse of the regime, while inter-Korean economic cooperation did not lead to full-scale market reforms or a halt in North Korea's nuclear development. In recent years, negotiations with the North have become more challenging as the regime tightened control over its populace and strengthened strategic partnerships with China and Russia.

Early this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un publicly abandoned reunification as his regime's objective, explicitly denouncing South Korea as a foreign adversary. With past strategies to reform or pressure the regime largely unsuccessful, fatigue within South Korean society toward reunification efforts has increased, with growing pessimism on the likelihood of achieving reunification.

In his speech, Yoon proposed an alternative strategy for reunification. If the North cannot be reformed or replaced through external pressures alone, could domestic activism by its citizens drive political change? While Yoon's speech did include proposals for continued diplomatic dialogue with the regime, the core of his strategy centered on motivating North Korean citizens to play a pivotal role in achieving a "freedom-based unification."

Yoon pledged to bring international attention to the human rights conditions in North Korea and to advocate for international actions to defend the rights of North Korean citizens. Additionally, he committed to informing North Koreans about their deprivation of basic rights and freedoms. Citing the testimonies from defectors, Yoon claimed that expanding North Korean citizens' access to outside information through various channels, such as TV and radio broadcasts, would expose the regime's propaganda and encourage the citizens to advocate for their freedom. By welcoming North Korean defectors and inviting them to play a role in the pursuit of reunification, South Korea will persuade North Korean citizens that their freedom and livelihood will be protected under a unified Republic of Korea. Yoon asserted that by successfully shifting the political attitudes of its citizens, North Korea could see the emergence of "strong, friendly forces for a freedom-based unification."

For South Korean policymakers and the public, who have grown increasingly skeptical about negotiating with Kim Jong-un's regime, the appealing aspect of Yoon's proposed reunification strategy is the possibility of a regime change in North Korea. Proponents of Yoon's approach might draw parallels to German reunification, arguing that the dissemination of outside information could foster pro-democracy movements within North Korea, much like it did in East Germany. Although North Korea's censorship was more stringent than that of East Germany during the Cold War, the resourceful use of technological devices and the regime's limited interactions with Chinese and Russian societies could create opportunities for external organizations to penetrate the so-called Hermit Kingdom. Another appeal of promoting pro-democracy consciousness within North Korean society is that it increases the possibility that in the event of the fall of the Kim regime, the new North Korean regime will be more supportive of political reforms and partnership with South Korea.

Yoon's reunification doctrine, however, also carries risks and drawbacks. First, encouraging North Korean citizens to advocate for their political rights will likely be a long-term strategy. In the short term, such a strategy could escalate conflict with the North, which will likely perceive the informational targeting of its citizens as a security threat. The regime will also be on alert to suppress information networks, thereby increasing the safety risks of involved organizations and individuals. Second, even if North Korean society shifts toward greater advocacy for political freedom, it is unpredictable whether domestic uprising could lead to political change, much less a peaceful transition. In countries like Iran and Russia, civil activism from citizens was met with harsh repression. While these repressive measures might weaken the domestic legitimacy of Kim's regime, they also raise the ethical dilemma of whether the international community is jeopardizing the safety of North Korean citizens by encouraging their political resistance.

Does Yoon's unification doctrine offer a breakthrough in gridlocked inter-Korean relations or pose too high risks for regional security and the safety of North Korean citizens? Ironically, Yoon's National Liberation Day speech displayed more "audacity" than the "audacious initiative" his government introduced in its first year to restore talks with North Korea. Yet, whether such audacity will lead to an irreparable separation of the two Koreas or create a "scorching heat" that melts the "frozen kingdom of the North" is uncertain, posing a challenge for the Yoon government to reassure the South Korean public and the international community.

Lee Jong-eun is an assistant professor of political science at North Greenville University.

The Korea Times · September 1, 2024

2. North Korea breaks pattern, stays calm after South Korea-US joint drills

Beware of north Korean political warfare. Observe for efforts to undermine the legitimacy of the ROK and drive a wedge in the ROK?US alliance sometime in the future.

But some may overreact and think this is a sign that the regime wants to negotiate. And perhaps Kim will call for some kind of talks. But if so we should be under no illusions that it will be to support his political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies. it is imperative that we ca=conduct all analysis of north Korean actions based a thorough understanding of the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime.

North Korea breaks pattern, stays calm after South Korea-US joint drills

The Korea Times · September 1, 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversees a test-firing of a 240mm multiple rocket launcher with a new guidance system, Aug. 27, in this photo carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Yonhap

By Lee Hyo-jin

North Korea has been notably restrained in its response to a recent major joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States, marking a significant departure from its usual pattern of provocation, according to military experts, Sunday.

The annual South Korea-U.S. Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, which concluded last Thursday after an 11-day run, showcased a marked increase in combined field training exercises (FTX). Plus, a civil defense drill led by the South Korean government included a new scenario simulating a North Korean nuclear attack for the first time.

Yet, in contrast to previous years, North Korea refrained from military provocations in response to the UFS as of Sunday. Typically, Pyongyang has reacted strongly to the annual summer military exercise, denouncing it as a “war rehearsal” and responding with major military actions.

Last year, North Korea launched several ballistic missiles during the UFS, claiming they were part of a tactical nuclear strike drill simulating “scorched-earth” attacks on major South Korean command centers.

There was speculation that North Korea might react similarly this year, particularly after it condemned the UFS as the "most provocative war drills in the region."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw tests of suicide drones on Aug. 24, and attended the test-launch of a 240mm multiple rocket launcher with a new guidance system last Tuesday, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

However, Kim did not address the UFS or issue threats toward Seoul or Washington during these tests.

Experts attribute North Korea’s unusual restraint in both verbal and military threats to the severe flooding that devastated the northwestern region in mid-July. The floods caused extensive damage to farmland and displaced around 15,000 people, prompting the regime to focus on disaster recovery efforts.

“The regime’s focus on flood recovery efforts, which has mobilized military personnel, may have shifted attention away from external issues. Preoccupied with domestic matters, a tit-for-tat response to our drills may have not been a top priority for the North's leadership,” said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies.

Recent state media coverage has highlighted Kim Jong-un’s visits to flood-affected areas to supervise rehabilitation efforts, as well as his concern for displaced children and the elderly who have been relocated to Pyongyang.

Additionally, the silence may reflect the Kim regime's reluctance to deal with South Korea.

North Korea has yet to respond to Seoul's recent proposal of a “unification doctrine” introduced by President Yoon Suk Yeol on Aug. 15 Liberation Day.

Yoon proposed setting up working-level consultations to initiate dialogue between the two Koreas. However, critics say a response from the North is unlikely, as another key aspect of the doctrine involves a vigorous campaign to highlight human rights abuses in North Korea — a topic that infuriates the Kim regime.

“North Korea may be focusing more on the upcoming U.S. presidential election rather than the military exercises on the Korean Peninsula. With uncertainties surrounding the U.S. elections, Kim could be carefully considering when and how to engage in military provocations to influence the situation in his favor,” Yang said.

The Korea Times · September 1, 2024

3. S. Korea to bolster cybersecurity measures against hacking, disinformation

Good. Defending against the all purpose sword of north Korean cyber must be a priority.

S. Korea to bolster cybersecurity measures against hacking, disinformation | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · September 1, 2024

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will conduct offensive cyberdefense operations to protect critical national infrastructure from hacking attacks and counter disinformation, the presidential office said Sunday.

The National Security Council (NSC) unveiled the National Cybersecurity Basic Plan jointly drawn up with 14 government agencies, including the spy agency, police as well as ministries of foreign affairs, national defense and science and ICT, following the announcement of the cybersecurity strategy in February.

"We will secure deterrence against cyber activities and threat actors that undermine national security and interests through proactive and active defense measures," NSC adviser Shin Won-sik said in a briefing.

"We will establish a foundation for responding to disinformation that divides public opinion and causes social unrest in cyberspace," he added.

National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik announces the National Cybersecurity Basic Plan during a briefing at the presidential office in Seoul on Sept. 1, 2024. (Yonhap)

To achieve the goal, South Korea will work together with countries "sharing liberal democratic values" to cooperate and coordinate cybersecurity responses and join international efforts to build norms to create a safe and peaceful cyber domain, Shin said.

The plan also outlines measures to enhance cyber resilience of the critical infrastructure and major communication systems, including applying artificial intelligence and separation of national and public networks from the internet and other less sensitive networks to build a "multi-layered security" system.

South Korea has sought to beef up its cybersecurity amid concerns over North Korea's alleged cryptocurrency theft to fund its nuclear and missile programs and hacking of local defense contractors to steal military technology essential for major weapons systems.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

(END)

4. N. Korea imports breed of horses loved by leader Kim from Russia

"They shoot horses don't they?" Oops wrong film. (Or maybe not - maybe we could find some bizarre parallels between the dance competition and north Korea - https://makeminecriterion.wordpress.com/2017/04/23/they-shoot-horses-dont-they-sydney-pollack-1969/ ).

As one of my friends from north Korea pointed out, this is all about enhancing Kim's legitimacy.

N. Korea imports breed of horses loved by leader Kim from Russia

The Korea Times · August 28, 2024

This photo carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un riding a white horse up Mount Paekdu in North Korea, Oct. 16, 2019. Yonhap

North Korea has imported 24 Orlov Trotter horses from Russia, Moscow's agriculture safety watchdog said, as its leader Kim Jong-un is known for his affection for the breed.

The Primorsky office of Rosselkhoznadzor said Tuesday it monitored the exports of 24 Orlov Trotter sports horses — 19 stallions and five mares — to North Korea on Sunday at a railway checkpoint in the border city of Khasan.

The horses underwent quarantine in the Vladimir region and arrived in two special vehicles at the railway checkpoint for shipment to North Korea, according to a statement posted on its website. All horses were microchipped.

It marked the first delivery of such horses by Russia since 2022, when Moscow sent 30 Orlov Trotter horses to the North, the statement showed.

The shipment came as North Korea is struggling to recover from massive flood damage in its border areas along the Amnok River. Heavy rains in late July flooded large areas of North Korea's North Phyongan, Jagang and Ryanggang provinces.

Kim is well known for his affection for horses. The Orlov Trotter is Russia's most famous breed, favored by the Kim family.

The North's leader rode his white Orlov Trotter horse up Mount Paektu, the country's highest peak, in February 2019.

A white horse believed to belong to Kim's daughter, Ju-ae, also appeared at a military parade in February last year, in an apparent display of her legitimacy as a descendant of the ruling family's "Paektu bloodline." (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · August 28, 2024

5. S. Korea, Japan in last-minute arrangements for visit by PM Kishida: presidential office

I think the Yoon administration wants to honor the Prime Minister for having the political courage like Yoon to try to substantively improve ROK-Japan relations. But could this backfire among the opposition political parties of both countries?

(LEAD) S. Korea, Japan in last-minute arrangements for visit by PM Kishida: presidential office | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · September 1, 2024

(ATTN: UPDATES with details; CHANGES headline)

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Japan have been in last-minute arrangements for the agenda of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit, a senior official at the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol said Sunday.

"Final arrangements on the itinerary and agenda are being discussed," the senior presidential official told reporters, without providing further details.

Japan's Kyodo News earlier reported Kishida was considering holding summit talks with Yoon in South Korea in early September before stepping down from office, citing diplomatic sources.

Bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo have significantly warmed since South Korea decided in March last year to resolve the issue of compensating Korean forced labor victims during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula without asking for contributions from Japanese companies.

Yoon and Kishida have prioritized bolstering trilateral security cooperation between the Asian neighbors and their shared ally, the United States, amid growing security threats posed by North Korea.

President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands during their meeting in Washington, D.C., in this file photo taken July 10, 2024, on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit. (Yonhap)

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · September 1, 2024

6. Russia's 'Lancet' copycat North Korea's 'suicide drone' one-two punch to stop it

Russia–north Korea collaboration, cooperation, and collusion.

We spoke about this partly on VOA Washington Talk yesterday. Here was the response to a related question of whether the north was developing "suicide drones" for export to Russia that I wished to use on the show but time is always the enemy.

First, north Korea will sell its military capabilities to anyone because the regime needs hard currency and other in kind military technology support. It has sold just about everything in its arsenal short of nuclear weapons (so far). So, it will likely sell suicide drones to Russia just as it has already sold its updated and re-engineered Russian Iskander system back to them. The irony is that the north may be taking Russian equipment, adding its own capabilities and then selling it back to the Russians.

But it is the improving nK-Russian relationship that has caused fear in the international community. But we should consider what is driving the cooperation of this axis of dictators or the “Dark Quad” of China, Russia, north Korea, and Iran. That is fear, weakness, desperation, and envy. They fear the “silk web” of alliances of like-minded democracies who seek to uphold the international order. The “silk web” is made of alliances, “mini laterals” and security arrangements of the 5 US treaty allies in the INDOPACIFIC to the QUAD, AUKUS, and the NATO IP 4 (INDOPACIFIC 4 – Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea). The Dark Quad cannot hold a candle to the strength of this silk web. They are weak because of the internal contradictions of each totalitarian political system, and they are at risk domestically from their own people. Russia and north Korea in particular, are desperate for assistance in multiple areas. But ironically, they envy the alliances and organizations that uphold the rules based international order. But they know that their transactional relationships cannot compete with the values based alliances that oppose them. And this transactional nature is particularly acute with north Korea because it has proven to be the most unreliable partner who since 1950 has chosen to play all sides against each other. Just as granddaddy Kim Il Sung masterfully played Mao and Stalin against each other, Xi and Putin know it is only a matter of time before Kim Jong Un takes actions that both find intolerable. Kim Jong Un is the worst malign actor among the most bad actors in the world. But it is the Korean people in the north who are best positioned to change the conditions inside north Korea with the help of the ROK and the support of the US, Japan, and the international community.

This is a Google translation of an RFA report.

Russia's 'Lancet' copycat North Korea's 'suicide drone' one-two punch to stop it

WASHINGTON-Kim Jin-guk kimj@rfa.org

2024.09.01

On the 24th of last month, General Secretary Kim Jong-un visited the Academy of Defense Science's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Research Institute and supervised the on-site strike test of recently developed unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), the Korean Central News Agency reported.

(Pyongyang Korean Central News Agency = Yonhap News)

00:00/00:00

( Host ) We will accurately grasp the current state of the military standoff on the Korean Peninsula and seek a path to peace . This is Kim Jin-guk, hosting ' Encyclopedia of New Weapons on the Korean Peninsula ' from Washington D.C., USA . We connect with Lee Il-woo, Secretary General of Korea's ' Independent Defense Network ' .

Suicide drone taller than North Korea's Kim Jong-un revealed

( Anchor ) North Korea, which has been showcasing a wide variety of new weapons in recent years, has now revealed a 'suicide drone' . They even released footage of it striking a model that resembles a South Korean tank . The U.S. Department of Defense is taking this new North Korean weapon very seriously ?

( Lee Il-woo ) On August 26 , North Korea revealed through the Korean Central News Agency a new type of drone that the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Research Institute of the Academy of Defense Science has almost completed developing . The drone demonstration event reported in the report took place on August 24 , when Kim Jong-un personally visited the institute , inspected various types of drones , and also observed a test of a drone striking a virtual target .

North Korea said that the drones it unveiled this time flew along a pre-set route and accurately identified and destroyed designated targets , and that Kim Jong Un greatly praised the drones and ordered the active introduction of artificial intelligence technology .

On August 27 , the day after North Korea unveiled the drone , the U.S. Department of Defense made an unusual statement about this particular North Korean weapon . Pentagon spokesman Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said the U.S. is taking the North Korean suicide drone threat very seriously and that the U.S. is monitoring the situation .

The suicide drone unveiled by North Korea is not a strategic weapon, but a tactical weapon used in combat . The fact that Spokesperson Ryder, a military officer, made such a serious comment is because he judged that this drone could be a serious threat . The US Department of Defense receives briefings from the Ukrainian military about the situation and hears every day about how these drones are used in modern warfare , and they are continuously attacked by these types of drones in the Middle East .

North Korea is a present threat to the United States , and the U.S. military may directly fight North Korea on the Korean Peninsula in the event of an emergency . If the North Korean military, which has only been armed with outdated weapons, were to use such advanced drones, it would likely be quite a headache for the United States as well .

The original model of the North Korean suicide drone is the Russian Lancet, which is showing its power on the Ukrainian battlefield.

( Host ) North Korea revealed the drone this time, but they mosaic-processed it so that only the general shape could be seen . Nevertheless, the design was so unique that experts quickly figured out which drone it was copied from . What was the prototype of the drone made by North Korea and what are its features ?

North Korea's flat-top suicide drone being launched (Source: Korean Central News Agency)

( Lee Il-woo ) The drones in the photos released by North Korea were of two types: a flat-shaped drone and a cylindrical body with rectangular wings . The flat -shaped drone is very similar to Israel's 'Harop ' , and the cylindrical drone is very similar to Russia's ' Lancet ' .

North Korea has not disclosed the specific specifications of the drone that was unveiled this time , and the detailed shape has been mosaic-processed, so there is very little information based on the released photos alone . However, by comparing it to Kim Jong-un's body size, we can guess the drone's approximate size and weight .

Kim Jong-un is about 163cm tall , but it is known that he is around 167-170cm tall when wearing height-increasing shoes . The cylindrical drone appears to be slightly longer than Kim Jong-un , and the flat drone next to it appears to be shorter .

Two Types of North Korean Suicide Drones

Some have pointed out that the flat-shaped drone is identical in shape and size to Israel's Harop , and estimated that it could fly up to 1,000 km . However, the Harop is much larger than North Korea's flat-shaped drone , with a length of 2.5 m and a wingspan of 3 m . Although it can stay in the air for up to 9 hours , its large wings and thin body provide a lot of lift, allowing for a long-term flight, and its maximum flight distance is only about 200 km .

Israel's Harop is not exactly a ' suicide drone ', but a long-endurance weapon classified as a ' loitering munition ' . As its classification suggests, it floats in the sky very slowly, performs reconnaissance missions with its onboard electro-optical camera , and when the target is identified, it receives a command signal from the ground control center and rapidly accelerates and self-destructs . It is generally used to suppress air defense networks or artillery .

North Korea's flat drone is very similar in shape to the Harop , but is much smaller . Its smaller size means that it can carry much smaller warheads or batteries , and it cannot accommodate satellite communication systems for long-range remote control . In other words , although it resembles the Harop in shape , its range and endurance are much shorter .

Personally, I am more interested in the cylindrical drone than the flat drone . This drone is very similar to the Russian Lancet , which is widely used as the most reliable weapon of the Russian military in this war in Ukraine .

North Korea launches cylindrical drone

The Lancet is a weapon developed by ZALA , a subsidiary of Kalashnikov, famous for the AK rifle . When the Ukrainian military captured and disassembled this drone, most of its parts were civilian electronic components procured from the United States and Europe . It is equipped with a flight control device and an electric motor that can fly autonomously , and its wings are very large compared to its fuselage, so its endurance is quite long compared to its battery capacity . It has a camera that can take videos, so it can be used for reconnaissance missions , and since the camera resolution is good, if the operator's piloting skills are good, it can take pictures of a target's weak points and hit them . It can fly up to 40 km , and depending on the model, it can carry a warhead weighing 1 to 3 kg , so it can have the same destructive power as an anti-tank missile .

The biggest advantage of the lancet is that it is cheap and easy to make . According to Russian media reports in July 2023 , Russia has acquired several large privately owned shopping malls and is installing production lines there to mass-produce the lancet . The initial production cost in 2019 was 3 million rubles , or about 33,000 USD , but the production cost has now been reduced to about 20,000 USD .

A Ukrainian Leopard 2A6 tank just before being hit by a Russian Lancet drone (Source: Russian Army Telegram)

Very cheap , easy to operate , but quite powerful . Russia has destroyed most of the tanks that the West provided to Ukraine with this drone . The German Leopard 2 was hit hard , and the M1A1 Abrams , which boasts the world's strongest defense, and the British Challenger 2 were also destroyed by this drone . Artillery units located tens of kilometers away from the front line are also primary targets of the Lancet , but since the Russian army has recently been so short of artillery , there are now more units that rely on this Lancet drone than artillery . North Korea must have been keeping a close eye on the performance of this drone , and it seems that it has developed a similar weapon with technical support from Russia .

North Korea's version of the Lancet , does Army K have a plan ?

( Host ) If the Lancet drone is that powerful and productive, it seems likely that North Korea will mass-produce it and deploy it on the front lines . The South Korean military does not yet have any specific countermeasures against drones , but is there a way to deal with the threat of this North Korean version of the Lancet that has suddenly appeared ?

( Lee Il-woo ) The best way is to modernize field air defense weapons on a large scale and install active defense devices linked to radars on tanks and armored vehicles , but this costs a lot of money . Active defense devices that can see 360 degrees are expensive, ranging from 1.5 to 3 million dollars for a set including radar, interceptor launcher , and system integration, depending on the product . Of course , for South Korea, which is severely short on troops due to population decline, it is the right direction to equip such active defense devices in the long term , but there are countermeasures that can be prescribed immediately .

Russian Lancet drone factory converted from a shopping mall (Source: Russian state-run Rossiya-1 broadcaster)

The Lancet drone is basically a drone that uses an electric motor, so it is slow . The cruising speed is about 110 km/ h , which is the speed of a car running on the highway, and the average top speed when it dives vertically and crashes is about 300 km /h . That 's 83.3 m /s , which is about 1/5 of the speed of the TOW missile, which is considered slow among anti-tank missiles .

The Lancet is designed to have the highest productivity possible with a simple structure , so it has an electro-optical camera module attached to the front of its cylindrical body . In the case of ordinary missiles, even if a sensor is attached to the front of the missile, the sensor section is destroyed immediately upon hitting the target due to the high impact speed, causing the warhead's fuse to detonate immediately. However , since the Lancet's speed is slow, the sensor section may bounce off without being destroyed, or the main warhead may not explode .

In the case of the Ukrainian military , there were cases where they got caught in camouflage nets installed on top of vehicles or artillery , and there were many cases where they failed to penetrate cope cages and exploded on top of them . In some cases, they bounced off logs placed on the roofs of tanks or armored vehicles and exploded .

Some are slow , and because they have four wings and are so large, they have a weakness in that they can easily get caught in structures such as nets .

Lancet drone misfires after being caught in Ukrainian artillery wire (Source: Ukrainian General Staff)

If a war breaks out and we have to immediately block North Korea's lancet drone attacks , we can take out the rain gutter covers that are everywhere on the roads in South Korea and the wire mesh fences that are common in the countryside and weld them onto the roofs of tanks or armored vehicles to achieve a similar effect to the cope cages that the Ukrainian military is currently using . Since all armored vehicles have roof armor that is about 20 to 30 mm thick , it can sufficiently protect the occupants from the explosion of a 1 to 3 kg warhead that explodes outside without directly touching the armor plate .

If you anticipate a Lancet drone attack and there is a forest nearby, it is a good idea to drive your vehicle into the forest . These drones are slow and there are many things to catch, so if you hide under a tree with lots of branches, the tree will protect you .

North Korea appears to be replicating the Lancet drone because of its potential for cheap and versatile use in the flatlands of Ukraine, but it 's unclear whether drones like the Lancet would be effective on the Korean Peninsula's battlefield, where there is plenty of material available for additional armor , and where there are even forests .

[Encyclopedia of New Weapons on the Korean Peninsula] North Korea's 'Suicide Drone' to be Captured by Propeller-Equipped 'K-Drone'

State Department: “Concerns about Strengthening Cooperation Between North Korea and Russia” After North Korea’s Suicide Drone Reveal

US Expert: “Russian Technology Possible to be Applied to North Korean Suicide Drones”

To equip a powerful ‘K force ’ to neutralize North Korean drones …

( Host ) It's surprising , but also fortunate, that we can defend against suicide drones using gutters or trees . However , this can only be a temporary measure . Isn't there a more certain means of defense?

Drone jammer installed on a Ukrainian M2A2 Bradley armored vehicle (Source: Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade)

( Lee Il-woo ) In the long term, we have no choice but to go with the active defense system that I briefly mentioned earlier . The active defense system is a weapon that monitors all 360 degrees by attaching a small radar to the outside of the vehicle body , and fires an interceptor to stop drones, missiles , and anti-tank rockets when they approach .

The problem is that since it is composed of complex equipment such as radar , control devices , and interceptors, it is expensive and has a high possibility of malfunctioning . If we look at the list of equipment to be installed on the tanks, armored vehicles , and self-propelled guns of the Korean military , there are about 1,920 tanks , 2,900 armored vehicles , and 2,240 self-propelled guns . If an active defense device worth over 1.5 million dollars per set is installed on over 7,000 armored vehicles , a whopping budget of close to 10 billion dollars will be required even by simple calculation . Of course, since armored equipment is not the only target of these drones , if we consider the 10,000 or so small tactical vehicles of the Korean military carrying squad-level troops , the cost will go through the roof .

If you can't install active defense devices on all vehicles , you can use radio jamming to stop them . It's called a drone jammer . This jammer shoots out jamming waves in the frequency band that drones generally use, preventing drones within a certain range from receiving the control signals from the remote controller . This equipment has a simple structure and is technically easy to manufacture . The jammers most commonly used today are products priced from $ 3,500 to $5,000 that can shoot jamming waves up to a range of 500 to 3,000 meters .

Ukraine has recently been shipping its own tactical vehicles and armored vehicles equipped with this drone jammer as standard equipment , and its distribution is gradually increasing due to its ease of operation and low price .

The cost of attaching drone jammers to about 17,000 pieces of equipment , including various armored vehicles and light tactical vehicles, is estimated at $ 85 million at best , which is less than the price of one fighter jet .

Since many related products have already been released in Korea , the Korean government should quickly mass-produce drone jammers to prevent the North Korean version of the lancet that Kim Jong-un is ambitiously preparing from being used properly .

(Host) That was Lee Il-woo, the director of the Korea Independent Defense Network. Now, we're back with Kim Jin-guk from RFA in Washington.

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

7. North Korea fascinates many people. For South Koreans, its threat is just part of life

This is one of the effects of 70 years of successful deterrence. Even though the regime has built the 4th largest Army in the world it has been deterred from resuming hostilities this breeds complacency. Despite the "tyranny of proximity" that complicates military planning for defensive operations (and in particular the defense of Seoul) the success of deterrence makes people numb to the threat that exists and that seeks to ultimately dominate the peninsula under the rule of the BGuerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State,.

North Korea fascinates many people. For South Koreans, its threat is just part of life - ABC News

amp.abc.net.au

It is a somewhat standard Thursday lunch at Oh Young Seok's restaurant near the border of South Korea and North Korea.

Tourists file in to try the restaurant's speciality — beans and tofu — while South Korean soldiers patrolling the nearby demilitarised zone (DMZ) stop by for a bite.

Oh Young Seok says running a restaurant near the DMZ is no different to running one elsewhere in South Korea.(ABC News: Tobi Loftus)

Recent events have brought heightened tensions to the region.

The area was on high alert as balloons filled with rubbish and human waste flew across the border, on their way to Seoul, the sprawling South Korean capital just over 50 kilometres away.

One of the speciality bean dishes at Oh Young Seok's restaurant.(ABC News: Tobi Loftus)

While such incidents might seem extraordinary to outsiders, for Mr Oh, they have become a routine part of life.

"There are some dangerous incidents that occur … but because I've gone through similar situations like this, I've become very used to this," he said.

He said that included times when some residents may have gotten too close to the border, or defectors crossing from North to South — though he said that was "very rare".

"I don't feel afraid or concerned about the situation between the two Koreas," he said.

"It's not very much different from running a restaurant elsewhere in Korea."

Mr Oh's outlook mirrors the broader sentiment in South Korea, where people live under the long-standing shadow of a war that has essentially been on pause since 1953.

North Korea launched hundreds of trash-carrying balloons in June toward the South.(Im Sun-suk/Yonhap via AP)

Tensions rising

In 1950, North Korea, with the support of the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea, which was supported by the United States of America.

Here's what South Korea says was inside North Korea's trash balloons

It appeared to be North Korea "expressing extreme hostility toward the leaflet campaigns and to highlight the adversarial stance against South Korea".

At least 2.5 million people died in the three-year conflict, and tensions still simmer more than 70 years later.

North Korea is known as a hermit kingdom, led by a dynastical dictatorship passed between the Kim family — now headed up by Kim Jong Un.

The country is cut off from much of the world and was hit by sanctions as it advanced its nuclear program.

The North is now predicted to have up to 80 nuclear warheads, according to the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, destabilising the region.

Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin in North Korea in 2024.(Reuters: Korean Central News Agency)

In June, Russian president Vladimir Putin travelled to North Korea to meet Mr Kim. The two countries signed a mutual defence pact that meant each would aid the other in the face of "aggression".

Professor Kang Seonjou, from the South Korean government-owned Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security think tank, said despite an escalation in recent months many South Koreans were not concerned by the developments.

"We feel the threat from North Korea has increased over the past several months and especially after the summit with president Putin," Professor Kang said.

"I think the threat from North Korea has become more substantial and more probabilistic. We can expect more provocative action from North Korea."

Kang Seonjou says Koreans day-to-day aren't interested in their northern neighbour. (ABC News: Tobi Loftus)

Despite the developments, the evolving geopolitical landscape is far from the minds of many South Koreans.

Professor Kang said day-to-day South Koreans were "generally uninterested" in their northern neighbour.

"The Korean public is very desensitised to the threat of North Korea. That's why they are not interested," she said.

South Korea is Australia's fourth-largest trading partner, with the partnership valued at almost $70 billion. (ABC News: Tobi Loftus)

Views about the North are changing

It's a Friday night in the centre of Seoul, and young people are out commemorating the end of the working week.

"We live our daily lives without thinking about North Korea," one young man told the ABC.

"It has always been present here, it doesn't really create issues in our everyday lives," a woman said.

But one young woman said she could not "ignore the fact tensions were rising" after a North Korean balloon landed near her house.

Her friend said she was sent government text message alerts about the balloons and she believed "it somehow may have affected the South Korean sentiment towards North Korea in a negative way".

South Korea's capital Seoul is only about 50km from the North Korean border. (ABC News: Tobi Loftus)

That sentiment is changing. According to the 2024 Asan Institute for Policy Studies' South Koreans and Their Neighbours poll, South Koreans expect the relationship between the two countries to get worse.

When asked about the future of inter-Korean relations, more than 66 per cent of respondents "expressed pessimism" due to increased tensions.

The results found younger generations tended to have a "relatively negative" attitude towards the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

For many in Seoul, despite how close the North is, the tensions have just become an everyday part of life. (ABC News: Tobi Loftus)

Sung Yoon Ri is a journalist with South Korean news network YTN. He has visited the North on multiple occasions.

"[South Koreans] are very nervous and worried about the development of the relationship between North Korea and Russia," he said.

"As Russia has the potential to help North Korea develop their cutting-edge weapons, like submarine-launched missiles or hypersonic missiles, nuclear powered submarines and miniaturised nuclear weapons.

"But Korean people are too accustomed to the [missile test] kind of situations. No one cares about North Korean missile launches."

Sung Yoon Ri is a journalist with YTN. (ABC News: Tobi Loftus)

Sung Yoon said while older generations in the country might be hopeful of one day seeing reunification of the two Koreas, younger generations weren't as keen.

"The youngest don't have the willingness to save assets for reunification, they don't care about reunification," he said.

"They feel very comfortable with today's situation."

He said Koreans would be watching the outcome of the United State's election closely, as that could also influence the future of their country's relationship with the North.

Former US president Donald Trump met Mr Kim on multiple occasions during his presidency.

But while South Koreans may be disinterested in their northern neighbour, many international visitors were fascinated by the situation.

Tourism potential

Seoul Tourism Organisation chief executive Ki Yon Kil said there were tens of thousands of tourists wanting to visit the DMZ every day.

Ki Yon Kil has visited North Korea. (ABC News: Tobi Loftus)

"It does impact the tourism industry greatly," he said.

"A lot of tourists in particular from the United States and European countries want to visit the DMZ area.

"Of course, the south-east Asian countries want to visit as well, but mostly the Western countries are particularly interested."

Back in Mr Oh's restaurant, life goes on despite the regional tensions.

More visitors stop by for their meal, and serving staff bring out sizzling pots of bean and tofu stew.

"A lot of tourists do ask me what it's like running a restaurant here [near the DMZ]," he said.

"But mostly, people come to visit and enjoy the tofu."

Tobi Loftus travelled to South Korea as a guest of the Walkley Foundation, the Korea Press Foundation and the Australia Korea Foundation.

amp.abc.net.au

8. S. Korea announces 'offensive cyber defense' strategy

The key word: "offensive" Good.

S. Korea announces 'offensive cyber defense' strategy

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · September 1, 2024

By Ji Da-gyum

Published : Sept. 1, 2024 - 17:54

South Korea's National Security Adviser, Shin Won-sik, delivers a briefing on the National Cybersecurity Basic Plan at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, on Sunday. (Yonhap)

The South Korean presidential office on Sunday unveiled a comprehensive cybersecurity plan with 100 actionable tasks, including measures for enhanced "offensive cyber defense" strategies to proactively counter and neutralize those with intentions of spreading fake information such as deepfakes in cyberspace.

The presidential Office of National Security announced the "National Cybersecurity Basic Plan," a collaborative effort developed by 14 government ministries and organizations, including the National Intelligence Service, Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, Ministry of Science and ICT, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and National Police Agency.

The plan served as a follow-up to the "National Cybersecurity Strategy" announced in February, detailing specific implementation measures to achieve the strategy's vision and objectives, according to the National Security Office.

The basic plan notably details specific measures to implement the five strategic tasks outlined in the cybersecurity strategy.

According to the National Security Office, the specific actions for the first strategic task -- strengthening what it calls offensive cyber defense -- focus on "securing deterrence through preemptive and proactive cyber defense operations against attacks and threat actors that compromise national security and interests."

The detailed measures for the first strategy also aim to "establish a foundation for countering disinformation that disrupts public opinion and fosters social unrest in cyberspace."

When asked whether the cybersecurity basic plan included measures to combat sexually exploitative deepfake crimes, a senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity during a closed-door briefing on Sunday, confirmed that deepfake crimes are addressed as part of the offensive cyber defense activities.

Deepfakes use a form of artificial intelligence known as deep learning to create highly realistic images and videos of events that never occurred. Recently, South Korea has seen a massive rise in crimes involving deepfakes, particularly in the context of sexually exploitative content, prompting a flood of concerns and a push for stronger regulations and defense mechanisms.

A senior official from the presidential office, speaking on condition of anonymity, clarified the concept of "offensive cyber defense" during the briefing.

"We're shifting from a predominantly defensive stance to a more proactive approach (in cybersecurity), in line with global trends. The key concept is to actively detect, identify and preemptively respond to threats," according to the official.

To support the shift, Seoul is assessing the need for reinforcing existing regulations, the presidential official said.

"We aim to establish a comprehensive process spearheaded by intelligence and investigative agencies such as the National Intelligence Service, in close collaboration with all relevant domestic partners," the official stated.

"This process will be dedicated to detecting and managing threats, enabling us to swiftly neutralize them when necessary," the official added, without providing further details.

The cybersecurity basic plan also outlined specific measures for the remaining four strategic tasks: bolstering the cyber resilience of critical infrastructure, establishing a global cyber cooperation framework, securing a competitive edge in critical and emerging technologies and reorganizing cybersecurity-related legal systems and institutions to ensure that the roles and responsibilities of individuals, businesses and the government are aligned and well-coordinated.

The National Cybersecurity Basic Plan consists of a total of 100 action tasks, including 93 individual tasks and seven joint tasks from 14 ministries and government agencies.

However, the full details of the action plans were not disclosed for security reasons.

Among the disclosed aspects of the plan, the task of countering North Korean cyber "propaganda" and "agitation" has been designated as a joint effort between the National Police Agency and the Unification Ministry.

The Foreign Ministry and the National Intelligence Service, the country's spy agency, have been tasked with jointly developing measures for attribution, including the identification of cyber threat actors.

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · September 1, 2024

9. South Korea’s Exports Grow for 11th Straight Month

South Korea’s Exports Grow for 11th Straight Month

Exports from Asia’s fourth-largest economy rise 11.4% from a year earlier

https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/south-koreas-exports-grow-for-11th-straight-month-1f783032?mod=latest_headlines

By Kwanwoo Jun

Aug. 31, 2024 8:33 pm ET

Shipping containers are stacked at a pier in South Korea in August. Photo: yonhap/Shutterstock

South Korea’s exports expanded for an 11th straight month in August on solid demand for semiconductors, smartphones and other goods overseas.

Exports from Asia’s fourth-largest economy rose 11.4% from a year earlier to $57.90 billion, following a 13.9% gain in July, according to preliminary data released by the trade ministry on Sunday. That missed the median forecast of a 13.0% rise from a Wall Street Journal poll of 11 economists.

Imports gained 6.0% from a year earlier to $54.07 billion, following a 10.5% rise in July.

Despite the softer-than-expected August trade print, the export-led South Korean economy is viewed as sustaining growth with brisk shipments overseas offsetting sluggish domestic demand.

The country’s trade balance remained in the black for a 15th consecutive month in August, with the trade surplus widening to $3.83 billion from the prior month’s revised $3.60 billion, the ministry data showed.

Shipments of semiconductors and smartphones gained 39% and 50%, respectively, from a year earlier in August, continuing growth for multiple months, the trade data showed.

Exports to China expanded 7.9% on the year in August while those to the U.S. grew 11%, the data showed.

The Bank of Korea in August trimmed its gross domestic product growth forecast to 2.4% for 2024 from an earlier estimate of 2.5%, citing weak private consumption and investments at home.

Write to Kwanwoo Jun at Kwanwoo.Jun@wsj.com

10. Netflix Is Trying to Get You Hooked on More Reality TV With Better Dubbing

South Korean soft and smart power.

But reality TV just has never caught my interest (except when my good friend then SFC Dave Randlall designed the Special Forces Obstacle Course for the very first season of Survivor in the 1990s in Malaysia. That is the only time I watched it)

Netflix Is Trying to Get You Hooked on More Reality TV With Better Dubbing

Using South Korea as a testing ground, the streaming giant offers culture classes to voice actors to nail the nuances of translation

https://www.wsj.com/business/media/netflix-international-reality-tv-dubbing-translations-270111b4?mod=Searchresults_pos2&page=1

By Jiyoung SohnFollow

and Timothy W. MartinFollow

Sept. 1, 2024 5:30 am ET

SEOUL—A push by Netflix NFLX 1.28%increase; green up pointing triangle to keep its subscribers hooked involves 90-minute cram sessions on South Korean culture and expressions to ensure better-quality dubbing and translations. Dae-bak expresses a pleasant surprise. Aish means disappointment.

The students are hundreds of voice actors and staff in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere tasked with dubbing South Korean content for a global audience, while maintaining its roots and authenticity. The teachers are Netflix officials trying to educate performers on the perfect mix of authentic Korean nuance and accessible translations.

The streaming giant is trying to help unscripted reality TV—a genre that often proves difficult to export—and other non-English content find global appeal. As it faces increased competition in streaming, Netflix aims to help shows that are popular in one market—such as South Korean dating shows, physical competitions and game shows—take off internationally.

‘Squid Game’ is a hugely popular South Korean export; unscripted shows are typically much cheaper to produce. Photo: Netflix

Streaming giants have leaned toward more productions of unscripted shows, which can be cost-effective compared with big-scale TV originals. Five years ago, about 70% of content from major streamers was scripted. Today unscripted shows are nearing an equal split, according to Ampere Analysis, a London-based research firm. Typically, an unscripted show will cost one-fifth of a higher-budget drama, on a per-hour basis, Ampere said.

Streaming platforms, as they have grown more cost conscious, are spending less on splashy originals designed to lure new subscribers, said Richard Broughton, Ampere’s executive director. “They’re focused more on customer retention now, and that can often be delivered through cheaper content,” he said.

A ‘Johnny Bravo’ vibe

Netflix supports more than 30 languages, with non-English content representing nearly one-third of all viewing on the service. And films and shows from South Korea, with hits such as “Squid Game,” Netflix’s most-viewed show ever, represent the biggest slice of that pie.

Infusing just enough Korean know-how into English-language voice-overs, for instance, helps avoid a South Korean show coming across as too American, which could feel forced or awkward, the company says.

The dating show ‘Single’s Inferno’ has also been a hit. Photo: Netflix

The dubbing playbook proved successful for Netflix with the South Korean show “Physical: 100,” where a hundred fit contestants vie to be the last one standing after a series of physical challenges. Last year it became the first non-English unscripted show to top Netflix’s global top-10 list, doing so in more than 80 countries including the U.S., France and Brazil. A second season, dubbed in 16 languages, reupped that achievement.

Other unscripted shows from South Korea have gone big globally, including “Single’s Inferno,” a dating program, and “The Devil’s Plan,” a strategy game show. In recent weeks, “The Influencer,” a competition for online attention between social-media stars, made it into the top-10 non-English TV shows list.

Austin Kuniyoshi drew on his experience as an Asian-American when dubbing a South Korean show in English. Photo: Austin Kuniyoshi

For “Physical: 100,” Austin Kuniyoshi, a Los Angeles-based actor, dubbed a brawny former South Korean firefighter who appeared in both seasons. Kuniyoshi studied the contestant’s physicality and his relationship with his body to better replicate his persona and presence on the show.

Kuniyoshi’s voice wasn’t naturally deep enough to mimic the contestant’s pitch. But Kuniyoshi drew from his knowledge of Korean and what he learned from watching K-dramas in the past to focus most on a natural delivery.

“Like a Johnny Bravo kind of vibe,” said Kuniyoshi. “But maybe more toned down. Less exaggerated but still deep and self-confident.”

The actor, who has Filipino and Japanese heritage, also drew on his personal experiences as an Asian-American to better convey the social cues and meaning behind honorific words that don’t exist in English. That includes terms like “hyeong,” the literal Korean word for “older brother” that is also often used when addressing an older male friend.

“Those things have a different level of respect that sometimes we don’t commonly see in America or understand,” Kuniyoshi said.

The reality of dubbing

These nuances are at the center of the South Korean culture classes that Netflix offers to dubbing studios worldwide. The workshop introduces the Korean alphabet and emphasizes correct pronunciation of Korean names. A popular insight among attendees: a detailed explainer on understanding the different variations of the Korean word for “yes,” or ne, with a matching emoji to represent the tone that is being conveyed.

Dubbing should be like a magic trick for viewers, said John DeMita, who heads Netflix’s English-language dubbing production. “We want them to relax and enjoy the show without effort,” he said. “You want us to disappear.”

Is Seoul ‘sucking all the good’ from South Korea? Here’s why rural areas are emptying out

Metropolises are a target destination in many countries, and South Korea is no exception. But what will become of its rural regions when they are bleeding young talent at breakneck speed? The programme Insight explores the issue and possible solutions.

Faith Leong

Jerusha Soh

01 Sep 2024 06:00AM

channelnewsasia.com · by Faith Leong

SEOUL: Before Bon Tai came to South Korea for agricultural work, he was cautioned that the job could be gruelling, the bosses demanding, and the locals possibly xenophobic.

But it was a risk he had to take. “Because I earned so little in Cambodia,” says the 34-year-old, who arrived in 2015.

Even now, there are reports of abuse and discrimination against foreign workers. For example, a Thomson Reuters Foundation investigation concluded in June that a seasonal worker scheme South Korea has was like modern slavery.

With its rural areas starved of local manpower, the country has turned increasingly to migrants to fill the gap. Up to 165,000 non-professional visas could be issued this year, more than double the figure in 2022.

Bon Tai is employed on a farm in Ansan, south of Seoul.

Playgrounds, meanwhile, are falling silent in the provinces as the number of children dwindles.

“Here in Danyang (county), there used to be about 30 elementary schools, but now there are only about 10,” says Son Youn-seok, dean of academic affairs at Gagok Elementary School, which currently has only five sixth-graders.

With a vanishing populace, 89 out of the country’s 228 administrative districts also face the risk of “extinction”. “Some parts of Korea (don’t have) enough people to make one local government,” says Myongji University professor of public administration Choi Hyunsun.

These are some of the threads running through South Korea as people flock to the Seoul metropolitan area in pursuit of better prospects, often at the cost of delaying marriage and having children.

WATCH: Is Seoul to blame for South Korea’s population crisis? (45:37)

In June, President Yoon Seuk-yeol declared the current demographic trends as a “national emergency”.

As the population crisis becomes an existential one in the countryside, the programme Insight examines the ramifications of South Korea’s internal migration, whether the magnetism of Seoul is to blame and the efforts to address the rural-urban divide.

RURAL WOES

In the nation with the world’s lowest fertility rate, signs of life in its countryside, from businesses to eateries to houses, are slowly fading.

School closures are particularly telling: Between 2017 and 2022, 193 schools closed. Nearly 90 per cent of them were outside the greater Seoul area.

“It’s becoming a reality in regional areas that decades have passed without hearing the sound of children being born,” says Han Byung-do, a politician representing Iksan City.

Playgrounds are falling silent in South Korea’s provinces.

Over in Danyang, when Son was transferred to Gagok Elementary School in 2022, there were about 18 pupils in the main school — in contrast to the days when each classroom had 18 pupils, with around 100 pupils in the school.

Now he is unsure how many pupils will even be in first grade next year.

Education is also a key driver of internal migration in South Korea. Last year, a record 92,000 people moved to Seoul for academic reasons.

For one thing, the nation’s top universities — Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University (the SKY universities) — are in the capital. They admit the top 2 per cent of students who take the annual college entrance exam.

Between 2015 and 2021, youths aged 15 to 34 accounted for 78.5 per cent of the internal migration to the greater Seoul area. Even those graduating in rural areas have little incentive to stay put given the limited job opportunities.

College entrance exam day in South Korea in 2022.

These woes are not confined to areas far from Seoul. Villages in Gyeonggi province, which surrounds the capital, are also experiencing population decline.

Take, for example, Maegok-ri, where 76-year-old Yoon Chang-joong resides. “In the countryside, like (in) Maegok-ri, the average age is typically over 65 years,” he says. “Most (of the young) people have left for the cities.”

In fact, only one household in his village has young children. The other family with children moved to Okjeong New Town in Gyeonggi in July.

The ageing issue hit home for Yoon when he had pneumonia last year — without a car, it takes the elderly in Maegok-ri around two hours to reach a university hospital by bus.

Yoon Chang-joong is the chairman of the senior citizens’ association in Maegok-ri.

But even regional cities are losing out to Seoul in economies of scale that support infrastructure such as public transport, medical services, education and cultural facilities, says Woo Myungje, a University of Seoul associate professor of urban planning and design.

As the capital becomes more desirable to live in, it perpetuates the cycle of depopulation elsewhere, which leads to a critical shortage of workers.

In the city of Ansan, 73-year-old Park Jung-ryul finds himself farming from dawn to dusk owing to its ageing population. “It’s tough to find workers,” he says. “The youngest people here are in their 60s.”

He feels sad about the lack of young South Koreans in farming. And he has every reason to: It poses huge challenges to local agriculture and may potentially endanger South Korea’s food sovereignty.

It gets warm in Park Jung-ryul’s greenhouse, so young South Koreans refuse to work there, says the farmer.

It was in this same city where Bon Tai managed to find an “easy-going boss”, Ji Tae-seung, who welcomed any help he could get for his farm.

“Nowadays, nearly all the farm workers are migrant workers, since there are no Koreans doing (this work),” Ji laments.

TOO MUCH SEOUL-SEARCHING?

For many South Korean workers, the goal is Seoul. Former elementary school teacher Min Sangki, for instance, moved there this year after transitioning to a career in information technology development.

“I did look within Gwangju (in the Honam region) for opportunities as a developer,” says the 35-year-old. “But it was difficult to (find) the type of job that aligned with what I wanted.”

In the capital, he resides in a “goshiwon”, a single-occupancy room — as compact as 3.5 square metres — originally designed for students taking exams.

It had been two months since Min Sangki started working in Seoul when he spoke to Insight.

“It’s uncomfortable,” he says ruefully. “I’m paying the same amount of money (for) a place that’s about one tenth of the size of my original home.”

Yet, he had little choice but to uproot himself. Nearly 60 per cent of large companies — comprising more than 300 employees — in South Korea are found in the greater Seoul area.

“Geographically, Seoul and Seoul’s people suck all the good things from all over the Korean territory,” says Kim Seiwan, a professor of economics at Ewha Womans University.

Fashion designer Kim Heda is another who moved to Seoul. Originally from Taebaek, a city in the rural province of Gangwon, she set up her own studio where she sells custom-made clothing.

Kim Heda thought moving to Seoul was a must because Taebaek had limited job opportunities.

“Since the lights are on long into the night, and everyone grinds (away), I naturally felt that I, too, had to … keep up with the competition,” she says. “I had a mindset of … sleeping less and achieving more.”

Today, 11 years after her move to Seoul, the 31-year-old still feels the strains of city life. And she has put off thoughts of marriage and starting a family.

“I put so much time and effort into my work it’s hard to think about children,” she says.

Over the past decade, South Korea’s marriage numbers have dropped by 40 per cent. In the capital, its fertility rate of 0.55 last year was the lowest in the country.

Even as Seoul’s opportunities draw young South Koreans, it seems that the high-pressure, high-cost environment curbs their desire to settle down and grow the family.

It is not only Seoul that is posing a demographic problem. The Seoul metropolitan area includes Incheon and Gyeonggi, occupying nearly an eighth of the country’s land area but containing more than half of the population now.

In response, the government has plotted the development of Sejong City as the new administrative capital to alleviate congestion in the Seoul metropolitan area. Construction began in 2007, with a target completion date of 2030.

But the government may have to change mindsets too.

When Lee Dong-hyun’s parents sent him from Gangwon to a high school in Gyeonggi, it was in the hope that he would gain entry to one of the SKY universities.

Graduating from a university in Seoul such as Yonsei University is seen as a seal of success.

The 19-year-old now has earned a place on Korea University’s Sejong campus. But he feels “like a failure” as many of his classmates were accepted into university campuses in Seoul.

Detractors of the Sejong strategy say it may lead to further expansion of the capital region, instead of promoting balanced national development.

Recent statistics show population growth in both Sejong — now home to around 400,000 people — and the Seoul metropolitan area.

“I wonder if Sejong City was more effective in absorbing populations from other regions, rather than dispersing population from the capital region,” Woo muses.

Sejong City is about 120 kilometres south of Seoul.

A RACE AGAINST TIME

While rural populations are in decline across the modern world, the speed of the drop-off in South Korea is raising eyebrows.

“It took hundreds of years for cities to develop in the West, while cities in South Korea developed … in just a couple of decades,” Woo points out.

Amid such rapid urbanisation and the fall-off in the birth rate, South Korea is set to become a super-aged society as early as next year.

Not only are rural areas struggling to cope, but local governments also lack the means to adequately fund infrastructure and services owing to insufficient tax revenue, according to Kim Seiwan.

There may be a glimmer of hope, however. Some city folk are packing up and moving to the countryside, embracing a trend known as “kwichon”.

Between 2020 and last year, Seoul’s population shrank by 282,000 residents even as the populations of Incheon and Gyeonggi grew.

Park Young-ja, for example, moved to Chungcheongbuk province 15 years ago and has not looked back. Her adult children have followed suit.

“My eldest daughter is living in Bundang. My second daughter now lives in Danyang. My son’s family came down to the countryside here after living in Seoul,” she shares. “He’s very satisfied with his life here.

“In the city, … you can’t keep up with city housing prices. And working life is from dawn until late at night. You come home at 11 p.m. (or) midnight, with traffic jams and everything.”

The 70-year-old helps young people adjust themselves to life in the countryside. And the “kwichon” trend is now “discussed as solutions that are part of the balanced national development policy”, says Woo.

Park Young-ja teaches “the ways of countryside living” to city folk.

To combat rural extinction, the government has allocated 1 trillion won (S$979 million) per year for a period of 10 years to revitalise depopulated areas and entice young people to live and work there.

Local governments have proposed various projects to boost tourism, attract companies, remodel old houses and build educational facilities.

“If the government offers big tax benefits … and incentives to hire personnel from these regions, corporations will move there,” says Han the legislator.

The Yoon administration is also setting up a population planning and strategy ministry to tackle the low birth rate and ageing population. Solutions beyond financial incentives will be required, however, as money alone has not really helped the stork.

Since 2022, the South Korean government has handed out baby bonuses upwards of 2 million won (S$1,950) for each child born. But the fertility rate still declined.

“We have to modify the fundamentals of the social system for females, the working conditions, the education facilities and so on,” says Kim Seiwan.

Time is also of the essence, adds Han. “If we enact these policies in three or five years’ time, the situation will snowball into something much worse.”

The programme Insight airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m. Watch this episode here.

channelnewsasia.com · by Faith Leong

12. Patriarchal values lose hold: Korean fathers want to change but lack role models

Can Korean culture adapt?

[AtoZ into Korean mind] Patriarchal values lose hold: Korean fathers want to change but lack role models

From patriarchal provider to balancer between work and family, Korean fatherhood is starting to change

Sept. 1, 2024 - 11:12

By Song Seung-hyun

m.koreaherald.com · by Song Seung-hyun · August 12, 2024

(123rf)

Oh Yoon-suk, a 43-year-old office worker in Busan, addresses his father -- but not his mom -- using honorifics.

“I call my mother ‘eomma,’ but with my father, it’s always been ‘abeoji,’” he explained.

“Eomma” is a less formal term for “mother,” while “abeoji” is a more respectful way of saying “father.” It’s similar to saying “father” instead of “dad.”

Oh’s linguistic choice reflects the emotional distance he feels with each of his parents.

“I can imagine going on a trip or to an exhibition with my mother, just the two of us. But I can’t picture doing the same with my father. It would be too awkward,” he said.

While Oh’s use of honorifics might be particular to his family, his less close relationship with his father, compared to with his mother, is not uncommon among South Koreans of his generation.

Korean fathers have typically been defined by their financial role, leaving child-rearing largely to the child's mother. This division of labor fosters an authoritarian father figure who is rarely home and, when home, remains aloof in household matters. The mother meanwhile bonds closely with the children, developing stronger attachment bonds.

Contemporary Korean society, however, is rewriting the script on fatherhood. As the percentage of women working has climbed in recent years, men are also expected to share household duties and child care. The grip of patriarchal values has loosened.

While this shift is widely viewed as a positive change, in actual day-to-day life it presents challenges for fathers of all ages.

Older men, accustomed to a more detached paternal role, have struggled to adapt. Younger fathers, eager to form closer bonds with their children, often find themselves at a loss, as they were raised differently.

Why are fathers of older generations so hard to approach?

In many Korean TV dramas sticking to typical patriarchal family stereotypes, fathers are depicted as stern, even intimidating figures. Their presence creates an atmosphere of fear, hindering open communication as they dictate to their adult children what they should or should not do.

Likewise, Oh said his perception of his father growing up was of a strict person prone to scolding him.

Retired from his job at a conglomerate, Gyeonggi Province resident Yoon, 63, a father himself, defends this paternalistic style. Those fathers, too, were loving parents who acted in what they believed to be their children’s best interests.

In an era in which men expressing their emotions was seen as a weakness, many fathers suppressed their feelings, Yoon explained.

“I thought a good father was one who was strict. That’s how I was raised," he said.

However, in recent years even older fathers have begun to question this model, recognizing it can lead to isolation from other family members.

“My younger daughter calls her mother every weekend, but never me,” said Jang Young-ho, 65, a retired office worker in Seoul. “I only get to talk to her when she’s on the phone with her mother and I interrupt them.”

Another father in his 60s, Min, a retired office worker living in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, expresses regret.

“I don’t feel lonely, but I wish I’d spent more time with my family. I’m relieved to have provided financially, but I’d advise young fathers to prioritize family and not postpone their lives for work,” said Min, who only gave his surname.

The face of fatherhood has evolved over time, in line with changes in Korean society, though some experts argue there was a tipping point: the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

"The financial crisis and the transition to a five-day workweek (in the early 2000s) were major events that allowed fathers to break away from the culture of focusing on quantitative growth and a workaholic lifestyle, and to begin valuing personal time with family," Lee Jae-in, director of the Korea Childcare Promotion Institute, wrote in a 2010 paper, which is based on in-depth interviews with 12 male office workers at large Korean companies.

Young fathers lack role models

A February report by the KB Financial Group Management Research Institute, titled “Struggling to Balance Work and Family: The 30-Something Modern Dad,” revealed a dramatic shift in priorities among fathers over the past decade.

Comparing Statistics Korea’s relevant surveys from 2013 and 2023, the report found that while 63.8 percent of men had prioritized work over family in 2013, this figure plummeted to 39.9 percent by 2023. Conversely, those prioritizing family jumped from 8.3 percent to 16.5 percent. Men in their 30s led the charge.

However, these young fathers face challenges. Jeon Hyo-jun, 38, who works in finance in Seoul, described the lack of role models.

“My dad was a strict high school teacher,” he said. “I don’t want my son to feel that way about me. But I often catch myself talking like my dad.”

Moreover, despite these shifts in ideals of fatherhood, practical obstacles to fulfilling them persist.

"In my office, working moms might need to take a day off to attend to a sick child or a school event, or decline working overtime because they need to make dinner for their kids. If working dads were to do the same, they would risk being seen as having completely given up on promotions," said Choi Hyung-cheol, 38, also a worker in Seoul's financial industry.

“I feel there are different expectations for men, such as needing to prioritize social responsibilities,” he added.

Data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor showed that fathers accounted for almost one-third of all takers of parental leave in the first half of this year, the highest figure on record.

In 2016, only 8.7 percent of the total workers on child care leave were fathers.

But in reality, Kim Sang-hyun, 41, who works at a Seoul construction firm, said it is still difficult for men to take leave.

“I often hear in the news about men taking parental leave, but it feels unreal for me,” he said, adding that no men on his team have ever taken leave.

“Plus, seeing even my female colleagues who joined the company at the same time not get promoted after returning from parental leave makes it even harder to consider.”

Kim Rando and Jeon Mi-young, the researchers behind the annual trend forecasting book series Trend Korea, also acknowledge the difficulties of living up to the new father role Korean society now expects.

The book picked "Not like old daddies, millennial hubbies" as a trend for 2024, describing fathers in their 30s and 40s who prioritize family over work.

Jeon cautioned that increased demands on both parents can deter young people from marriage and parenthood.

“As both spouses are expected to balance work and home life, marriage, childbirth and child care are becoming increasingly burdensome for young people,” she said.

"A to Z into the Korean mind" traverses the complexities of the Korean psyche, examining an array of mental and emotional phenomena and their cultural nuances through keywords in alphabetical order. – Ed.

m.koreaherald.com · by Song Seung-hyun · August 12, 2024

13. This tank commander fought off 250 enemy troops in the Korean War

The story of another great American.

This tank commander fought off 250 enemy troops in the Korean War

militarytimes.com · by Jon Guttman · August 31, 2024

By the end of World War II, the basic configuration of the tank had been established across scores of epic battles. In subsequent conflicts, mobile armor’s limitations were revealed, starting with the hilly terrain and relatively few roads that characterized Korea in 1950. Even so, tank crews adapted their conditions and produced their share of outstanding fighters, such as Medal of Honor recipient and Army Master Sgt. Ernest Kouma.

Born in Dwight, Nebraska, on Nov. 23, 1919, Kouma worked on his family’s farm until June 1940 when, taking note of the growing war clouds in Europe, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He chose to train for the tank corps, eventually deploying to fight across Germany.

The last surviving Medal of Honor recipient of the Korean War has died

Ralph Puckett Jr., the last living National Medal of Honor recipient from the Korean War, died in his sleep on Monday.

Kouma decided to remain in the Army after the war, starting with brief sojourns in South Korea and Japan, perhaps never imagining he would soon return to Asia. Back in America, he commanded an M26 Pershing in Company A, 72nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington.

When North Korea invaded the South on June 25, 1950, U.S. occupation forces in the area rushed to South Korea’s aid but were outmaneuvered by the North Korean People’s Army, which made the most of the strategic initiative to seize the capital of Seoul and drive U.S. and Republic of Korea forces back to the port of Pusan, known today as Busan. By August 1950, however, ROK and American troops were still holding the Pusan perimeter, and U.S. reinforcements were arriving to their relief, including the 72nd Tank Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Division.

Well aware their key to victory lay in maintaining the initiative — and that they were running low on time — North Korean forces laid plans for a decisive breakthrough along the Naktong River.

Troops unload logs from a tank at the 2nd Infantry Division supply point on "Old Baldy" near Chorwon, Korea, on Oct. 1, 1952. The logs were used for the construction of bunkers. (U.S. Army)

On Aug. 31, in preparation for the September offensive, North Korean forces captured Miryang and Samnangin, hoping to cut off the Americans’ supply route between Taegu (today’s Daegu) and Pusan. Seemingly, however, North Korean forces were unaware that the weary, demoralized 24th Infantry Division was being relieved by the 2nd Infantry Division.

At a small village called Agok near the river, two Company A squads were dug in, afforded the extra firepower of M26 tanks and twin 40mm M19 motor gun carriages. Then-Sgt. 1st Class Kouma directed the armor while manning a .50-caliber machine gun from his tank’s turret.

Near midnight, 500 North Korean soldiers advanced through the fog toward Kouma’s position, backed by intensifying mortar fire. Eventually, the fog across the river cleared enough for Kouma to spot the enemy erecting a pontoon bridge for a general assault. Kouma reacted by directing the big guns at his disposal to destroy the bridge and used his machine gun on North Korean troops crossing the river in small boats.

Despite their casualties, North Korean soldiers began overrunning the company’s infantry, necessitating their withdrawal to better defensible ground covered by Kouma and his armor. Enemy forces knocked out a tank and overran the M19s, leaving Kouma’s tank as the only one operational.

Although wounded in the foot as he resupplied his tank with ammunition, Kouma fought off another enemy river assault. Although he suffered another leg wound and was surrounded by assailants who came within meters, he fought on with the topside machine gun and his .45-caliber pistol to protect his crew from being overrun.

“They got around us and about five of them climbed onto the back of the tanks,” Kouma recalled in an interview with New Philadelphia, Ohio, newspaper The Daily Times. “So I climbed out and started using the machine gun. They got so close, I tossed three grenades at them and used my .45.”

Kouma and his crew were still holding out in the morning when, having succeeded in covering the company’s retirement, they pulled back to a stabilized line. There, regardless of his painful wounds, he resupplied his tank until he was ordered to evacuate — and even as he was being removed, he requested to return to the battle zone. Later, when the Americans counterattacked, they found about 250 North Korean troops dead in the area he had defended.

Three days after the action at Agok, Kouma was promoted to master sergeant. For his heroic stand, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and two Purple Hearts, but on May 19, 1951, he stood before President Harry Truman to have that DSC upgraded to the Medal of Honor.

After Korea, he served as a tank commander and recruiter before retiring in 1971 after 31 years of service. He died in McDaniels, Kentucky, on Dec. 19, 1993, and was buried in the Main Post Cemetery at Fort Knox, the only Medal of Honor recipient interred there.

14. 40 Nations Join US and South Korea in Combating North Korean Crypto Crimes

Good news. And good work by State and MOFA.

40 Nations Join US and South Korea in Combating North Korean Crypto Crimes

https://news.bitcoin.com/40-nations-join-us-and-south-korea-in-combating-north-korean-crypto-crimes/

The U.S. Department of State and the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-hosted a symposium in New York City on Tuesday, focusing on protecting the virtual asset industry from exploitation by North Korea (DPRK) and disrupting its revenue generation. The event aimed to curb DPRK’s efforts to fund its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs through illicit means, including the theft of cryptocurrency. Between 2017 and 2023, DPRK cyber actors reportedly stole around $3 billion in virtual assets. Participants from over 40 countries, including government officials and private sector experts, discussed strategies to enhance global collaboration and information sharing to counter these activities. The symposium covered current trends in DPRK cyber threats, strategies for identifying and stopping thefts, and emphasized cooperation between governments and the private sector in combating virtual asset-related crimes.

Tags in this story

ballistic missile, Crypto, Cryptocurrency, cyber threats, DPRK, global collaboration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, News Bytes - 2, north korea, Republic of Korea, U.S. Department of State, virtual assets, WMD programs

15. North Korean diplomatic delegation to attend UN General Assembly: Sources

It will be interesting to track which non-governmental Americans meet with them.

North Korean diplomatic delegation to attend UN General Assembly: Sources

Intelligence source says Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui expected to give speech, after Japanese media reports same

https://www.nknews.org/2024/08/north-korean-diplomatic-delegation-to-attend-un-general-assembly-sources/?utm

Chad O'Carroll August 30, 2024

DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and her delegation at the Kremlin, Jan. 16, 2024 | Image: Kremlin

A North Korean foreign ministry delegation is expected to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York this September, according to multiple informed sources, in a likely move to keep the DPRK on Washington’s radar ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

One informed intelligence source told NK News that the DPRK foreign minister could attend and speak at the annual gathering, after Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun reported the same earlier on Friday, citing a U.N. diplomatic source.

The North Korean delegation is likely to stay at a Manhattan hotel near the country’s U.N. mission during the high-level meetings scheduled for Sept. 24-30, the source told NK News. A second informed source in New York also said the DPRK plans to send foreign ministry officials but did not specify if Choe would be among them.

In a press briefing on Friday, a spokesperson for South Korea’s unification ministry said there is “nothing I can confirm” about Japanese media reports on Choe attending the General Assembly.

If Choe does attend, it would be her first time addressing the General Assembly since becoming foreign minister in 2022. The last North Korean foreign minister to speak at the annual gathering was Ri Yong Ho in 2018.

A visit would come amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula and stalled nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington. It would also take place in the middle of the U.S. presidential election, suggesting that the visit or speech may aim to send a message to its adversary.

“I doubt that this is about reaching out to the U.S., though it is possible that she’d accept a U.S. invitation to talk,” John Everard, former U.K. ambassador to the U.K., told NK News. “ I suspect that the main reason is she is going to deliver a thunderous speech to U.N. General Assembly. Hold onto your seats.”

Last year, North Korea’s Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Song warned of a “hair-trigger situation with imminent danger of nuclear war” in a speech to the General Assembly, while condemning U.S.-South Korea military drills.

Choe once served as an interpreter for North Korean delegations to nuclear negotiations and was formerly director of the North America department at the foreign ministry, where her portfolio largely focused on the U.S.

However, since becoming foreign minister, she has mainly focused on cultivating warmer relations with China and Russia, which suggests it’s doubtful that she’d use a trip to New York in September to re-engage the U.S.

The 79th U.N. General Assembly session opens on Sept. 10, with the high-level debate beginning on Sept. 24.

A tentative speech schedule seen by NK News lists North Korea as the last of 12 speakers on Sept. 30.

Edited by Bryan Betts

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

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."

Access NSS HERE

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