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Quotes of the Day:
"Joy can be real only if people look on their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness."
– Leo Tolstoy
"Fear less, hope more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours."
– Swedish proverb
"Readers may be divided into four classes: 1. Sponges, who absorb all that they read and return it in nearly the same state, only a little dirtied. 2. Sand-glasses, who retain nothing and are content to get through a book for the sake of getting through the time. 3. Strain-bags, who retain merely the dregs of what they read. 4. Mogul diamonds, equally rare and valuable, who profit by what they read, and enable others to profit by it also."
– Samuel Taylor Coleridge
1. North Korea gives a glimpse of a secretive uranium-enrichment facility as Kim pushes for more nukes
2. Israel destroyed reported Iranian underground missile factory in Syria ground raid
3. Shoigu Meets Kim Jong Un Amid Strengthening Russia-North Korea Defense Ties
4. Kim Jong Un’s Latest Flaunt: A Secret Nuclear Site Now Shown in Public
5. U.N. Command seeks 'open dialogue' as it probes inter-Korean border incidents: deputy chief
6. On North Korea, Kamala Harris Would Be Joe Biden 2.0
7. Kamala Harris’s Possible North Korea Policy: Ready for the Threequel?
8. N. Korea discloses uranium enrichment facility to affect U.S. presidential election: experts
9. NK leader inspects special operation forces, test-firing of multiple rocket launcher
10. NIS monitoring N. Korean foreign minister's possible trip to Russia
11. Yoon's approval rating sinks to lowest point since taking office
12. Opium replaces meth as North Korea’s drug of choice
13. North Korea slams expanding UN Command as a threat, warns of ‘counteraction’
14. Putin admires Kim Jong Un, unlike other world leaders, North Koreans are told
15. Why is NK back to firing missiles after monthslong hiatus?
16. Seoul monitoring Pyongyang for signs of nuclear test after uranium facility revelation: Presidential official
17. South Korea's LIG Nex1 to Design Reconnaissance USV for ROK Navy
1. North Korea gives a glimpse of a secretive uranium-enrichment facility as Kim pushes for more nukes
Photos at the link: https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-nuclear-uranium-kim-feedc5606c455a94fcee67fa50e1236d?user24&utm
Why this matters:
- While the latest unveiling is likely an attempt to apply more pressure on the U.S. and its allies, the images released could provide outsiders with a valuable source of information for estimating the amount of nuclear ingredients that North Korea has produced.
- South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it strongly condemned North Korea’s unveiling of the facility and Kim’s vows to boost his country’s nuclear capability. Kim said North Korea needs greater preemptive attack capabilities because “anti-(North Korea) nuclear threats perpetrated by the U.S. imperialists-led vassal forces have become more undisguised and crossed the red line,” the official Korean Central News Agency reported.
- Some U.S. and South Korean experts speculate North Korea is covertly running at least one other uranium-enrichment plant. Analysts also say North Korea could conduct nuclear test explosions or long-range missile tests ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November with the intent to influence the outcome and increase its leverage in future dealings with the Americans.
North Korea gives a glimpse of a secretive uranium-enrichment facility as Kim pushes for more nukes
AP · by HYUNG-JIN KIM · September 13, 2024
By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG
Updated 4:42 AM EDT, September 13, 2024
KIM TONG-HYUNG
Kim has been covering the Koreas for the AP since 2014. He has published widely read stories on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, the dark side of South Korea’s economic rise and international adoptions of Korean children.
twittermailto
AP · by HYUNG-JIN KIM · September 13, 2024
2. Israel destroyed reported Iranian underground missile factory in Syria ground raid
My first thought is I wonder how much support the Iranians received from north Korea for building an underground missile factory.
But north Korea should also take note of this operation.
Excerpt:
Behind the scenes: Two sources with direct knowledge told Axios the Iranians began building the underground facility in coordination with Hezbollah and Syria in 2018 after a series of Israeli airstrikes destroyed most of the Iranian missile production infrastructure in Syria.
- According to the sources, the Iranians decided to build an underground factory deep inside a mountain in Masyaf because it would be impenetrable to Israeli air strikes.
Israel destroyed reported Iranian underground missile factory in Syria ground raid
Axios · by Barak Ravid · September 12, 2024
An elite Israel Defense Forces unit conducted a highly unusual raid in Syria earlier this week and destroyed an underground precision missile factory that Israel and the U.S. claim was built by Iran, according to three sources briefed on the operation.
Why it matters: Israeli airstrikes on Syria have increased since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel as cross-border conflicts between Hezbollah and Israel intensified. But the raid on Sunday was the first ground operation the IDF has conducted in recent years against Iranian targets in Syria.
- The destruction of the factory appears to be a significant blow to an effort by Iran and Hezbollah to produce precision medium-range missiles on Syrian soil.
- The Israeli government has stayed unusually silent about it and didn't claim responsibility in order not to provoke a retaliation by Syria, Iran or Hezbollah, sources said.
- Spokespersons for the IDF, Israel's Ministry of Defense and the Prime Minister's Office declined to comment.
Driving the news: Syrian state media and Syria's opposition organization reported heavy airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force on Sunday night local time in several areas of western Syria, including near the city of Masyaf, which is close to the border with Lebanon.
- State media said at least 16 people were killed and 40 others were injured, and condemned the airstrikes as "blatant aggression." The Iranian foreign ministry also condemned the attack, calling it "criminal."
-
On Wednesday, a Syrian opposition television channel and Greek Middle East expert Eva J. Koulouriotis both reported the airstrikes were a cover for an Israeli ground operation in Masyaf.
- Three sources with knowledge of the operation confirmed to Axios that the Israeli Air Force elite unit Shaldag conducted a raid and destroyed the facility.
Zoom in: Two sources said Israel briefed the Biden administration in advance of the sensitive operation and the U.S. didn't oppose it. The White House didn't respond to a request for comment.
- The Israeli special unit surprised the Syrian guards at the facility and killed several of them during the raid, but no Iranians or Hezbollah militants were hurt, one source said.
- The special forces used explosives they brought with them in order to blow up the underground facility, including sophisticated machinery, from inside, two sources said.
- The airstrikes were intended to prevent the Syrian military from sending reinforcements to the area, one source said.
Behind the scenes: Two sources with direct knowledge told Axios the Iranians began building the underground facility in coordination with Hezbollah and Syria in 2018 after a series of Israeli airstrikes destroyed most of the Iranian missile production infrastructure in Syria.
- According to the sources, the Iranians decided to build an underground factory deep inside a mountain in Masyaf because it would be impenetrable to Israeli air strikes.
- The sources claimed the Iranian plan was to produce the precision missiles in this protected facility near the border with Lebanon so that the delivery process to Hezbollah in Lebanon could take place quickly and with less risk of Israeli airstrikes.
- Israeli intelligence services discovered the building process and monitored it for more than five years under the code name "Deep Layer". The Israelis realized they would not be able to destroy the facility with an airstrike and would need a ground operation, one of the sources said.
- The Israeli military considered conducting the operation at least twice in recent years but it wasn't approved because of the high risk, one source said.
Editor's note: This story was corrected to show that the Israeli Air Force elite unit Shaldag conducted the raid, not the IDF unit Sayeret Matkal.
Axios · by Barak Ravid · September 12, 2024
3. Shoigu Meets Kim Jong Un Amid Strengthening Russia-North Korea Defense Ties
Shoigu Meets Kim Jong Un Amid Strengthening Russia-North Korea Defense Ties
kyivpost.com · by Kyiv Post · September 13, 2024
The meeting follows the signing of a defense pact between Russia and North Korea, as Moscow seeks to secure ammunition and resources amid its ongoing war in Ukraine.
by Kyiv Post | September 13, 2024, 12:12 pm
This picture taken on September 16, 2023 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 17, 2023 shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (R) shaking hands with Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu during a visit to Knevichi airfield near Vladivostok, Primorsky region. (Photo by KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)
According to Moscow’s official statement, Russian Security Council chief Sergei Shoigu met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday.
The meeting follows the signing of a defense pact between Russia and North Korea, as Moscow seeks to secure ammunition and resources amid its ongoing war in Ukraine.
“The discussions in Pyongyang occurred in a uniquely trusting and friendly atmosphere, aligning with the agreements reached during President Vladimir Putin’s state visit,” Russia’s Security Council announced.
It added that Shoigu’s talks with Kim will significantly advance the implementation of the defense agreement.
Shoigu, who served as Russia’s defense minister until May, visited Pyongyang as Russia faces mounting international isolation and intensifying accusations from Western countries and South Korea of receiving arms from North Korea to support its war efforts.
Ukraine has previously claimed to have found North Korean munitions on the battlefield.
The international community heavily sanctions both Russia and North Korea. While Moscow has historic ties with Pyongyang, dating back to Soviet assistance in the founding of North Korea, relations have further strengthened following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which led to a sharp deterioration of its ties with the West.
In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea, where he signed a mutual defense pact with the reclusive regime.
Other Topics of Interest
“Units of the ‘North’ group of troops liberated 10 settlements within two days,” Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement.
The deepening military cooperation between the two countries has drawn sharp criticism from the West, which continues to monitor the evolving alliance closely.
In early January, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reported that Russia had launched North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine on December 30, 2023, and again on January 2 and 6, 2024.
South Korea’s UN representative Hwang Joon-kuk stated that North Korea was using Ukraine as a”"testing ground” for ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
On January 11, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced that the Prosecutor General's Office had obtained the first evidence of the Kremlin’s forces using North Korean missiles in Ukraine.
However, North Korea dismissed the U.S. accusations of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia as “baseless.”
On February 22, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) confirmed that it had documented instances of Russian airstrikes on civilian infrastructure using North Korean weapons. According to the investigation, Russian forces fired more than 20 North Korean-made weapons at Ukraine.
By March 14, the Kharkiv prosecutor’s office reported that Russia had launched approximately 50 North Korean Hwasong-11 missiles across six regions of Ukraine. South Korean officials noted that since the previous year, North Korea had supplied around 7,000 containers of ammunition and other military equipment to Russia.
In July, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik revealed that North Korea had transferred more than 5 million artillery shells and dozens of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
kyivpost.com · by Kyiv Post · September 13, 2024
4. Kim Jong Un’s Latest Flaunt: A Secret Nuclear Site Now Shown in Public
In 2019 at Hanoi former President Trump (at the behest of our intelligence community) was correct in demanding that sites other than Yongbyon be included in any denuclearization deal. This was of course a deal breaker for Kim (who had thought the deal was done to sell the US Yongbyon for the 3d time, based on promises from Present Moon). I would expect that our IC has long known about this.
Excerpts:
North Korea is trying to draw attention to its rapidly advancing nuclear program in an “unusual way” by revealing photos of a very secretive defense facility that most countries would keep hidden, said Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a South Korean government-funded think tank.
What is more concerning, is that Russia could provide raw materials for the production of new centrifuges or technical support for maintaining North Korea’s uranium enrichment facilities, Hong said. “North Korea claims to be using its own technology, but I suspect Russian help could be involved,” he said.
Russia has expanded security ties with Iran and North Korea since its invasion of Ukraine, and the U.S. adversaries have charged ahead with increasing nuclear materials.
A recent report by the U.N.’s atomic agency said Iran was expanding its stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium, which could lead to enough enriched uranium to fuel nuclear bombs. Meanwhile, apart from North Korea’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex, another suspected uranium enrichment facility has been expanded this year, the agency’s director general said this week.
...
From Friday’s photos, it is difficult to tell which uranium enrichment facility Kim was inspecting. But it is clear that Kim’s intent is to mass produce nuclear materials and increase North Korea’s stockpile of nuclear bombs, said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
“Kim is telling the U.S., ‘Accept us as a de facto nuclear state,’” Park said.
Kim Jong Un’s Latest Flaunt: A Secret Nuclear Site Now Shown in Public
North Korea, emboldened by Russia’s backing, publishes first-ever photos of a uranium-enrichment facility
https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/kim-jong-uns-latest-flaunt-a-secret-nuclear-site-now-shown-in-public-c98fa110?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1
By Dasl Yoon
Follow
Sept. 13, 2024 6:03 am ET
A television in Seoul, South Korea broadcasts an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a uranium-enrichment facility. Photo: Lee Jin-man/AP
SEOUL—With his ties with Russia strengthening, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un no longer feels the need to hide one of his top-secret nuclear facilities from the outside world.
Photos run Friday in North Korean state media showed Kim strolling past rows of metal centrifuges—machines that enrich uranium—with officials by his side. He conducted an on-site inspection of the country’s Nuclear Weapons Institute and the uranium-enrichment base. The 40-year-old dictator also demanded an exponential increase in the country’s nuclear arsenal.
The brazenness shows how little Kim fears attracting international blowback over his sanctions-violating nuclear program. In recent months, North Korea has test-fired weapons and showcased new nuclear-capable missile launchers. Pyongyang knows it has Moscow’s veto at the United Nations Security Council to protect it from punishment.
North Korea’s relations with Russia have flourished since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as the two isolated countries aligned over distrust of the U.S.-led world order. Russian soldiers are firing North Korea-supplied missiles in Ukraine, according to assessments from Washington, Seoul and Kyiv. During Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June, the two countries signed a mutual defense treaty. Putin said at the time he wouldn’t rule out offering military-technical cooperation to Pyongyang.
Underscoring that growing closeness: The photos’ release came on the same day Kim met with Sergei Shoigu, the head of Russia’s Security Council, in Pyongyang.
A satellite image of North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex. Photo: Maxar Technologies/AP
North Korea first openly acknowledged its uranium-enrichment program in 2009, following many years of denials. But never before had the country published images from inside its facilities, Pyongyang observers say.
North Korea is trying to draw attention to its rapidly advancing nuclear program in an “unusual way” by revealing photos of a very secretive defense facility that most countries would keep hidden, said Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a South Korean government-funded think tank.
What is more concerning, is that Russia could provide raw materials for the production of new centrifuges or technical support for maintaining North Korea’s uranium enrichment facilities, Hong said. “North Korea claims to be using its own technology, but I suspect Russian help could be involved,” he said.
Russia has expanded security ties with Iran and North Korea since its invasion of Ukraine, and the U.S. adversaries have charged ahead with increasing nuclear materials.
A recent report by the U.N.’s atomic agency said Iran was expanding its stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium, which could lead to enough enriched uranium to fuel nuclear bombs. Meanwhile, apart from North Korea’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex, another suspected uranium enrichment facility has been expanded this year, the agency’s director general said this week.
A television in Seoul, South Korea broadcasts North Korean images of a rocket launch. Photo: Kim Jae-Hwan/Zuma Press
South Korean officials have said North Korea began pursuing a uranium-enrichment program in the mid-1990s. That work represented an additional route to building a nuclear bomb from its plutonium program.
The first U.S.-North Korea deal on nuclear disarmament broke down, after Washington discovered the Kim regime’s undisclosed uranium program in the early 2000s.
In 2010, North Korean officials told a visiting U.S. inspector, Siegfried S. Hecker, that the country operated around 2,000 centrifuges. Pyongyang hasn’t offered subsequent specifics on how broadly production capacity has since expanded.
From Friday’s photos, it is difficult to tell which uranium enrichment facility Kim was inspecting. But it is clear that Kim’s intent is to mass produce nuclear materials and increase North Korea’s stockpile of nuclear bombs, said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
“Kim is telling the U.S., ‘Accept us as a de facto nuclear state,’” Park said.
Write to Dasl Yoon at dasl.yoon@wsj.com
5. U.N. Command seeks 'open dialogue' as it probes inter-Korean border incidents: deputy chief
It is better to jaw-jaw than war-war in most cases as long as you understand the nature, objectives, and strategy of your adversary so that you know when to jaw-jaw is no longer a viable strategy.
(Yonhap Interview) U.N. Command seeks 'open dialogue' as it probes inter-Korean border incidents: deputy chief | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · September 13, 2024
By Lee Minji
SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- The U.N. Command (UNC) is most focused on ensuring open dialogue to reduce tensions and maintain the armistice, its deputy chief has said, as the U.S.-led multinational force has been investigating a series of inter-Korean border incidents.
Lt. Gen. Derek Macaulay said tensions on the peninsula have "really started to take place" following the dissolution of the 2018 military agreement that calls for, among other things, halting all hostile military activity between the Koreas and setting up maritime buffer zones.
South Korea fully suspended the tension-reduction pact in June as the North conducted GPS jamming attacks and sent balloons, including those that carried trash and manure, across the border.
"There is a number of events that have taken place, some of which would have been armistice violations and have been investigated," Macaulay said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.
Lt. Gen. Derek Macaulay, deputy commander of the U.N. Command, speaks in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on Sept. 11, 2024. (Yonhap)
While Macaulay did not elaborate on the outcome of the UNC's probes, he stressed the principle of having a balanced understanding of the situation and talking it through with relevant stakeholders in an open dialogue.
"When an infraction or perceived infraction to the armistice occurs, then the commander orders an investigation and an investigation team is immediately dispatched to gather the information from all parties, to really have a full understanding of the situation and provide recommendations to him and then in open dialogue to the parties that are involved," he said.
"We want to focus on the dialogue and providing that avenue to maintain and ensure the safety and security of the peninsula. That's really where we as UNC are focused on in the current situation," Macaulay said.
Against such a backdrop, Macaulay said the so-called pink phone, a rare military telephone line that connects the UNC with the North, is still an effective means of communication.
"It is in good maintenance and we are able to communicate when and if required and they are able to communicate with us when they need to," he said.
Lt. Gen. Derek Macaulay, deputy commander of the U.N. Command, speaks in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on Sept. 11, 2024. (Yonhap)
When asked about the possibility of resuming public tours to the Joint Security Area within the Demilitarized Zone that have been suspended following the U.S. Army private Travis King's border crossing and heightened border tensions, Macaulay hinted that talks are under way.
"We'll continue to work with the government to see how we can make them open to a broader audience," he said on the tours that are currently provided on a limited basis to relevant officials. "It all depends on the situation of the day and how we can ensure the safety and security of people conducting those tours."
Macaulay called the UNC's cooperation with South Korea "phenomenal" and said UNC members seem to be committed "more than ever" amid the changing security environment that has increased interconnectedness between the South and the world.
He flatly rejected North Korea's accusation that Germany's recent addition to the multinational force is an attempt to make an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
"The UNC is really focused on today, maintaining and enforcing the armistice," stressing that the command was established under resolutions that are solely dedicated to the Korean Peninsula. "And certainly we don't compare ourselves to NATO."
The UNC, which consists of countries that sent troops or medical aid for South Korea during the Korean War, was established in July 1950 under a U.N. mandate to support the South against North Korea's aggression.
Macaulay assumed duty as the UNC deputy commander in December, having participated in operations in conflict zones, including in Bosnia and Iraq.
This undated file photo, released by the U.N. Command on Jan. 4, 2023, shows the command's "pink phone" at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, which serves as a direct communication line with the North Korean military. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · September 13, 2024
6. On North Korea, Kamala Harris Would Be Joe Biden 2.0
No recognition of the importance or possibility of pursuing a free and unified Korea. Why don't these pundits recognize what our ally is doing?
I will beat the horse on UROK: https://www.upi.com/Voices/2024/09/09/next-US-president-reset-North-Korea-policy/6491725896564/
On North Korea, Kamala Harris Would Be Joe Biden 2.0
The National Interest · by Naoko Aoki · September 12, 2024
The administration of President Joe Biden has tried to deter North Korea’s military adventurism by strengthening cooperation with U.S. allies and maintaining sanctions against Pyongyang, all while also leaving the door open for dialogue with North Korea as part of an effort to ultimately denuclearize the country.
Should Kamala Harris win the presidency, there is likely to be more continuity than there is change in U.S. policy toward North Korea. A new administration’s ability to initiate new approaches to North Korea will be limited by other foreign policy priorities, including the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the U.S. competition with China. However, if North Korea becomes a larger threat, particularly due to broader geopolitical events involving China and Russia, Harris may be motivated to make bolder changes to the U.S. approach.
There are certain parts of Biden’s North Korea policy that Harris is more likely than others to maintain. These include Biden’s emphasis on close cooperation with U.S. allies, which Harris supported as vice president. For example, when she visited the demilitarized zone in South Korea in September 2022, she reiterated the U.S. promise to defend the country, calling it an “ironclad” commitment.
Harris is also likely to maintain the United States’ long-term goal of achieving North Korea’s denuclearization. During her 2022 visit, Harris said that the shared goal of the United States and South Korea is to realize, “a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” This came at a time when there was an ongoing debate in the policy community about whether the United States should maintain the goal of denuclearization.
Those who support a change to this policy goal say that the United States can only manage North Korea effectively if it accepts that the country will not denuclearize, while those against a change say that doing so would have negative consequences, including giving momentum to South Korean calls for nuclear weapons of its own.
Additionally, Harris is likely to continue to remain open to dialogue with North Korea without preconditions, even though North Korea has refused to engage with the United States during the Biden administration. However, such engagement is unlikely to include a leadership summit; Harris said at the Democratic National Convention in August that she will not “cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un.”
An area where there could be some changes to Biden’s policy is where sanctions against North Korea come into play. The United States can no longer rely on the United Nations (UN) Security Council sanctions regime against North Korea, which has loosened considerably since 2018, due to Chinese and Russian support for North Korea. The United States is concerned about the growing cooperation between North Korea and Russia and could seek opportunities to work with like-minded countries outside of the UN framework to disrupt the ongoing cooperation.
In its partnership with Russia, North Korea has sent weapons to be used in the Russia-Ukraine war, while receiving benefits that likely include not only financial gain and Russian military technology but also more clients for its missiles and munitions.
Events that make North Korea a larger threat to the United States could change the trajectory of U.S. policy. In the past, such events were likely to involve North Korea acting alone. But increasingly, these threats are likely to involve broader geopolitical developments, such as deeper military cooperation with China and Russia that would allow North Korea to better coordinate with its two neighbors in potential conflicts. The North Korean threat is evolving; a Harris administration’s policy may be forced to adapt along with it.
About the Author:
Naoko Aoki is a political scientist at RAND who specializes in East Asian security issues.
Image Credit: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.
The National Interest · by Naoko Aoki · September 12, 2024
7. Kamala Harris’s Possible North Korea Policy: Ready for the Threequel?
What we have is a failure of imagination. Again no mention of the ROK 8.15 Unification Doctrine. We are being served up an opportunity to make a radical policy and strategy change. Can we reach out and grasp it.
Kamala Harris’s Possible North Korea Policy: Ready for the Threequel?
With more breathing room for Pyongyang in the “new Cold War” and its stronger refusal to denuclearize, Harris, following Biden’s presidency, will find it extremely difficult and politically unrewarding to pursue new initiatives on North Korea.
The National Interest · by Hyung-min Joo · September 12, 2024
On August 20, 2024, there was a commotion at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Seoul. Just one day before, the U.S. Democratic Party had unveiled a new party platform, outlining Team Harris’s policy priorities ahead of the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC). Notably absent from the new platform was any mention of the denuclearization of North Korea.
A similar omission had occurred in the Republican Party platform a month earlier. Unsurprisingly, this raised alarm in Seoul, prompting the MoFA spokesperson to reassure the public that the U.S. commitment to North Korean denuclearization remained “steadfast.”
What should we expect from President Kamala Harris on North Korea? While making predictions in politics is generally unwise, the Harris case appears to be an exception. We’ve already seen the future twice: Barack Obama’s “strategic patience” and Joe Biden’s “calibrated practical approach.”
President Harris will likely introduce a catchy name for her policy, but it will essentially be a carbon copy of her two Democratic predecessors. Two factors suggest this threequel: the deepening new Cold War and Pyongyang’s steadfast refusal to denuclearize.
Pyongyang is Not Frozen in this New Cold War
First, the emerging new Cold War is providing more breathing room for North Korea. The U.S. unipolar moment was a difficult period for Pyongyang. With the Soviet Union gone and China focused on its economic development, North Korea was pushed into a tiny corner, receiving little assistance beyond occasional Chinese support. However, as China began to assert its global aspirations and the United States refused to accommodate them, the resulting strategic competition between the two evolved into a new Cold War, creating openings for North Korea.
Additionally, the Ukraine war has offered Pyongyang opportunities to strengthen its relationship with Moscow. The popular rhetoric in Washington against the “authoritarian axis” resonates well in Pyongyang. During the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) session in September 2023, Kim Jong-un emphasized a triangular alliance between Pyongyang, Beijing, and Moscow to counter the “Asian version of NATO” formed by Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo.
The tiny corner to which North Korea was once confined is now expanding.
Second, North Korea has solidified its resistance to denuclearization. Kim arrived at the Hanoi summit with little to offer. He was open to negotiating about only the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon, while the rest, such as secret uranium enrichment programs (UEP) and hidden nuclear weapons, remained off the table.
Given that a secret UEP had previously undermined the 1994 Agreed Framework, Kim’s offer at Hanoi was a nonstarter for Washington. Since the failure of the Hanoi talks, North Korea has bolstered its de facto nuclear power status. During the Party Congress in 2021, North Korea declared itself a “nuclear weapon state.” At the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) in September 2022, Kim enacted a “new nuclear law,” emphasizing the “irreversible” nature of his nuclear arsenal.
Later, during the Central Committee session of the Workers’ Party of Korea in December 2023, he authorized the use of nuclear weapons, “to suppress the whole territory of South Korea” in the event of conflict. North Korea is rapidly distancing itself from the idea of denuclearization.
The Three Democrat Musketeers
With more breathing room for Pyongyang in the “new Cold War” and its stronger refusal to denuclearize, Harris, following Biden’s presidency, will find it extremely difficult and politically unrewarding to pursue new initiatives on North Korea. In a speech supporting Harris, Obama remarked that “the sequel is usually worse,” referring to Trump’s bid for a second term.
Unfortunately, Harris is likely to be the threequel when it comes to North Korean policy. On September 29, 2022, Harris made a one-day visit to South Korea. Despite a tight schedule, she managed to visit the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), where she touted the U.S. alliance with South Korea. Her otherwise well-choreographed trip was marred by a gaffe in which she mistakenly praised “the U.S. alliance with North Korea.”
Meanwhile, North Korea welcomed her visit in its own unique way, by firing missiles both before and after her arrival. This episode encapsulates what likely lies ahead for the Harris administration: nice words with little interest from Washington and occasional provocations from Pyongyang.
About the Author
Hyung-min Joo is a professor in the Department of Political Science & International Relations at Korea University. He received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago. Before joining Korea University, he taught at DePaul University. Since 2012, he has been a North Korea expert with the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) project. He has also served on policy advisory committees for the Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His research focuses on comparative theory, communism, North Korea, the shadow economy, and power/resistance. His recent publications include “The Shadow Economy and Social Change in North Korea” in Asian Studies Review (2024), “What We Murmur Behind Their Backs: Hidden Transcripts of the North Korean Ruling Elite” in Problems of Post-Communism (2023), and “Everyday Authoritarianism in North Korea” in Europe-Asia Studies (2021).
Image Credit: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.
The National Interest · by Hyung-min Joo · September 12, 2024
8. N. Korea discloses uranium enrichment facility to affect U.S. presidential election: experts
And how do we think this will affect the election? There is no explanation in this article of how it will affect the election or what the effect will be.
Excerpt:
Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said with the rare disclosure of the nuclear facility, North Korea seems to be sending a message to both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates as a neck-and-neck race has been unfolding.
...
"For North Korea, the revealing of a uranium enrichment facility would be the most effective card to greatly affect the U.S. presidential election, without carrying out a nuclear test," Hong said.
(News Focus) N. Korea discloses uranium enrichment facility to affect U.S. presidential election: experts | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · September 13, 2024
By Kim Soo-yeon
SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's rare revelation of its uranium enrichment facility is aimed at giving a clear message to the United States that the denuclearization of the North will be impossible, whoever wins the U.S. presidential election in November, experts said Friday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for boosting the number of centrifuges for uranium enrichment during his visit to the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the production base of weapon-grade nuclear materials, according to state media.
While looking around the control room of the uranium enrichment base, Kim stressed the need to produce nuclear materials in a bid to exponentially increase the number of nuclear weapons.
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 13, 2024, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un (front, L) inspecting the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the production base of weapon-grade nuclear materials. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
It marked the first time that North Korea's state media has disclosed a uranium enrichment facility and related photos. The move came about 50 days before the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5.
Experts said the North's rare disclosure appears to be aimed at flaunting its nuclear capabilities and raising its bargaining chip for possible future negotiations with the U.S.
"Ahead of the U.S. election, North Korea is sending a message to the U.S. -- don't expect denuclearization of North Korea, as it is an impossible goal," Cheong Seong-chang, a director at the Sejong Institute, said.
North Korea's highly enriched uranium (HEU) program was a major "deal breaker" in its denuclearization talks with the U.S.
North Korea is believed to be operating uranium enrichment facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex and at a secret site in Kangson, just outside Pyongyang.
After the reclusive regime long denied its suspected HEU program, North Korea invited Siegfried Hecker, a renowned U.S. nuclear scientist, and showed its uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon in 2010.
In Friday's media report, North Korea made public photos of what appears to be multiple cascades of centrifuges, without revealing the location of the uranium enrichment facility.
North Korea has been advancing its nuclear and missile programs, including the development of nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
In 2023, the country stipulated the policy of strengthening its nuclear force in the constitution, with repeated claims that its status as a nuclear state is "irreversible."
Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said with the rare disclosure of the nuclear facility, North Korea seems to be sending a message to both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates as a neck-and-neck race has been unfolding.
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 13, 2024, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un (C) inspecting the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the production base of weapon-grade nuclear materials. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican rival, Donald Trump, held their first televised debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday. U.S. media outlets said voters who watched the debate assessed Harris had outperformed Trump.
North Korea is probably telling Harris that she should not follow U.S. President Joe Biden's policy on North Korea, if elected, as the disclosure of a uranium enrichment facility points to a failure in Biden's policy, Hong said.
Observers have voiced concerns that Trump, if reelected, could seek nuclear disarmament negotiations with North Korea or a freeze in Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal, instead of denuclearization talks. Against this backdrop, North Korea seems to be highlighting the need for nuclear disarmament talks as a realistic option.
The North's leader Kim and then U.S. President Trump held summit talks in Hanoi in February 2019, but it ended with no deal. Kim reportedly rejected Trump's demand to negotiate not only the Yongbyon nuclear complex but also other uranium enrichment sites, including one in Kangson, in exchange for sanctions relief.
"For North Korea, the revealing of a uranium enrichment facility would be the most effective card to greatly affect the U.S. presidential election, without carrying out a nuclear test," Hong said.
He said it would be difficult for North Korea to press ahead with the seventh nuclear test as it would be too risky in the current geopolitical situation.
North Korea last carried out an underground nuclear test in 2017.
Experts said North Korea is widely expected to stage major provocations in the run-up to the U.S. election, including ICBM launches.
South Korea's unification ministry strongly condemned North Korea for publicizing its uranium enrichment facility, and warned that the North will face an overwhelming and strong response if it poses a nuclear threat or stages provocations.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · September 13, 2024
9. NK leader inspects special operation forces, test-firing of multiple rocket launcher
The Guerrilla Dynasty. Recall that the legitimacy of the Kim family regime rests upon the myth that Kim Il Sung was the leader of an effective (mythical again) anti-Japanese partisan warfare campaign that liberated Korea (again a myth). That is probably why the nKPA has created the largest special operations force in the world. However, nK OSF does not hold a candle to ROK and US SOF or the SOF of other countries of the free world (even though the media likes to paint them as 10 feet tall).
NK leader inspects special operation forces, test-firing of multiple rocket launcher | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · September 13, 2024
SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected a training base for special operations forces and a test-firing of a new 600mm multiple rocket launcher, state media said Friday.
Kim inspected the training base of the special operation armed force of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on Wednesday to supervise a drill, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
He toured various facilities and training grounds, commenting that they were effectively organized to simulate real warfare, it said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (2nd from R) inspects the training base of the Army's special operations forces on Sept. 11, 2024, in this photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap).
"The KPA should be fully ready to check the enemy at once and mercilessly and completely repress them even if a war breaks out at once today, and it is the first patriotism and loyalty to the state and people and the foremost revolutionary duty for the soldiers to devote their all to the intensive drills for a real war," he said.
In addition, Kim oversaw the test-firing to evaluate the performance of a new 600mm multiple rocket launcher, the KCNA said in a separate report.
On Thursday, North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, according to the South Korean military. The missiles were detected from the Pyongyang area at 7:10 a.m., though further details, such as the number of missiles fired, were not provided.
"The test was conducted, aiming at further developing the launcher's driving system and verifying the combat effectiveness of the launcher in which the whole process of firepower is fully automated," the KCNA said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a test-firing of a new 600mm multiple rocket launcher, in this photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 13, 2024. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
khj@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · September 13, 2024
10. NIS monitoring N. Korean foreign minister's possible trip to Russia
Half the "Dark Quad" continues to collude.
NIS monitoring N. Korean foreign minister's possible trip to Russia | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · September 13, 2024
SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's spy agency said Friday that it is closely monitoring the possibility of North Korea's foreign minister visiting Russia.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment in response to a news report that North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui is expected to visit Russia to attend the fourth Eurasian Women's Forum set for Sept. 18-20 in St. Petersburg.
There has been speculation that Choe may travel to New York to take part in U.N. General Assembly meetings, which are set to open on Sept. 24.
If Choe visits Russia, she may make a courtesy call on Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader attended the opening ceremony of the Eurasian Women's Forum in 2018.
The North's foreign minister last traveled to Russia in January, when she met with Putin.
North Korea and Russia have been bolstering military and other cooperation, with the North's leader Kim Jong-un and Putin holding summit talks in June in Pyongyang. They signed a new partnership treaty that includes a mutual defense clause.
This undated file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, shows North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · September 13, 2024
11. Yoon's approval rating sinks to lowest point since taking office
Koreans seem to never be happy with their president.
Yoon's approval rating sinks to lowest point since taking office | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · September 13, 2024
SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell to 20 percent, marking its lowest level since he took office in May 2022, a poll showed Friday.
The survey, conducted by the polling agency Gallup Korea, showed that the positive assessment of Yoon's performance plunged 3 percentage points from the previous week, while his negative assessment reached an all-time high of 70 percent, up 3 percent from a week earlier.
Yoon's handling of medical school quotas, the economy and lack of communication were cited as reasons for the negative assessment.
The approval ratings of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), the main opposition Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party came to 28 percent, 33 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
The PPP's approval rating fell 3 percentage points from the previous week, also marking its lowest level under the Yoon administration.
The poll was conducted on 1,002 adults from Tuesday to Thursday and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
This file photo shows President Yoon Suk Yeol at the presidential office in Seoul on Sept. 12, 2024. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · September 13, 2024
12. Opium replaces meth as North Korea’s drug of choice
Unfortunately entrepreneurially farmers will provide the supply to meet the demand.
Opium replaces meth as North Korea’s drug of choice
Decline in methamphetamine supplies from China prompt farmers to grow and sell poppies.
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/north-korea-drugs-meth-methamphetamine-opium-poppies-smuggling-medicine-09112024163136.html
By Son Hyemin for RFA Korea
2024.09.11
Cutting poppy heads with knife to harvest opium latex. (Adobe Stock)
Photo: RFA
UPDATED at 7:42 ET on Sept. 12, 2024.
Opium is replacing methamphetamine as the drug of choice in North Korea as the pandemic has disrupted Chinese supplies of the raw materials needed to make meth, residents in the country told Radio Free Asia.
Until a couple years ago, meth – known inside the country by its street name, “ice” – was widespread in North Korea to the point that people were giving it to each other as gifts for Lunar New Year.
It is used recreationally as well as for various medicinal purposes in a country where the healthcare system faces a severe lack of resources. It’s illegal, but government officials are known to turn a blind eye because the state cannot provide the people with adequate medicine, sources told RFA.
But meth has become harder to obtain after trade shut down with China due to COVID-19. That’s prompting farmers to grow and sell poppies – used to make opium – on the black market, a resident of South Hamgyong province told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
A boy collects raw opium, April 17, 2018. (Mohammad Anwar Danishyar/AP)
Although legitimate trade with China has resumed, smuggling has not yet picked up to the point that steady meth supplies are coming in, a resident of the eastern province of South Hamgyong told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons..
Many farmers in that province’s Kowon county try to grow poppies, he said. “In the mountain village where I live, five out of ten households plant opium.”
Some poppy growers grow only enough for their personal use, but most grow it for sale. It’s illegal, but if cultivated in small quantities, the government looks the other way, he said.
“The amount of meth sold on the black market has been decreasing since last year,” he said. “It has become difficult to purchase it this year, which is also the background for the rapid increase in opium cultivation.”
Cheaper than meth
Opium is also popular because it is cheaper than meth, a resident in the western province of South Pyongan said.
A gram of meth can fetch 18,000 won (US$1.12) on the black market, whereas the same amount of opium liquid costs only 5,000 won (31 cents), she said.
Opium is said to heal a number of ailments and lift one’s mood, the first resident said.
“Nowadays, the common rumor is that people who have been feeling resentful and suicidal feel better after taking an opium injection,” he said.
Opium is addictive. Users typically experience a heightened sense of well-being, as well as pain relief. But over time, users need to take the drugs more frequently or at a higher dose to stave off withdrawal symptoms like cravings and sweating.
Users can also experience changes in sleep habits, weight loss, flu-like symptoms and decreased libido.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, methamphetamine is available by prescription under the brand name Desoxyn. It can be used to treat attention deficit disorder and obesity in small doses, but a fact sheet about the drug, issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, warns that Desoxyn has a “high potential for abuse and misuse” and can lead to addiction.
The Center for Addiction and Mental Health describes meth as a “powerful upper,” and it gives users feelings of confidence, alertness, and strength for many hours. It also increases sex drive in the short term.
But prolonged use can cause brain damage, damage teeth and gums, a loss of appetite,and it can cause users to see or hear things that aren’t there, even when not using.
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“In Pyongan province, in July and August, you cut opium flower buds with a knife to obtain the liquid, which is then dried and sold,” the second resident said, adding that the flower stems are also dried and sold.
Wraps of heroin with a spoon and syringe on foil. (Adobe Stock)
“There are many farms that grow opium, so you can buy it at any time,” she said. It’s proving very profitable, to the point that people are growing opium flowers instead of edible crops like corn, the South Pyongan resident said.
“It was rare for farmers to plant opium in their gardens for sale, but with the coronavirus lockdown blocking businesses, some farmers have started growing opium to make a living,” she said. “More farmers have followed suit.”
Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
Updated to add addictive nature of drugs and impact on health over time.
13. North Korea slams expanding UN Command as a threat, warns of ‘counteraction’
We have Kim's attention. He fears the international coalition that opposes him as represented by the UN command.
North Korea slams expanding UN Command as a threat, warns of ‘counteraction’
DPRK foreign ministry denounces recent meeting of military force, vows to continue support for Russia’s war in Ukraine
https://www.nknews.org/2024/09/north-korea-slams-expanding-un-command-as-a-threat-warns-of-counteraction/
Ifang Bremer September 13, 2024
Germany joins the U.N. Command in an accession ceremony at Pyeongtaek, South Korea | Image: United Nations Command via X (Aug. 2, 2024)
North Korea vowed to take “strategic counteraction” against an expanding United Nations Command (UNC) on Friday, days after members of the multinational military force condemned DPRK-Russia arms trade.
In a statement on Friday, Pyongyang’s foreign ministry denounced a meeting of UNC member states’ defense chiefs on Tuesday as an “anti-DPRK confrontation confab,” while calling efforts to expand membership a prelude to the establishment of “NATO of Asian version.”
“The DPRK will steadily take a new strategic counteraction to contain and frustrate the reckless confrontation moves of the hostile forces to disturb peace and stability in the Korean peninsula by mobilizing the illegal war organization,” the statement read, without specifying what such counteractions could be.
This week’s UNC meeting was the first since Germany formally became the 18th member of the U.S.-led military command in August. The UNC, established to defend South Korea after the North invaded in June 1950, oversees the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War.
Christopher Green, an associate professor at Leiden University, told NK News that North Korea’s concerns that the UNC could evolve into an Asian version of NATO are “overblown and principally symbolic.”
But as Pyongyang mainly cites outside threats to justify intense military development, the comparison “is very convenient,” Green said.
North Korea’s foreign ministry statement was released the same day that state media showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un touring a uranium enrichment facility for the first time to inspect nuclear weapon production plans.
UNWAVERING SUPPORT
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the DPRK foreign ministry announced that Pyongyang will continue to support Moscow in its war with Ukraine, responding to U.S. criticism of North Korea’s arms shipments to Russia.
During a press conference in the U.K. this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “anyone who is providing assistance to Russia — whether it’s direct lethal assistance like Iran or North Korea, whether it’s assistance to their defense industrial base like China — is perpetuating the war, is fueling the conflict.”
Blinken said countries cooperating with Russia are “a threat not only to Ukraine and to the Ukrainian people,” but to all of Europe.
In its response, North Korea’s foreign ministry accused Blinken of “groundlessly” slandering cooperation between Russia “and other sovereign states” and committing a “political provocation” by calling the DPRK a threat to Europe.
“We will as ever invariably support the just cause of the Russian people who are striving to defend sovereignty and build a fair and multipolar world, smashing the imperialists’ hegemonic policy and high-handed practices,” the ministry’s head of the External Policy Office said in a statement.
A new report this week revealed that Russia used a North Korean ballistic missile manufactured as recently as this year in its continuing strikes on Ukraine, a finding that one expert said suggests Pyongyang is churning out missiles on demand for the Kremlin’s war effort.
Edited by Alannah Hill
14. Putin admires Kim Jong Un, unlike other world leaders, North Koreans are told
Kim is competing with the ROK and the ROK/US alliance for popularity among the Korean people in the north. Because of the amount of information getting into the north and the growing knowledge of the outside world among the Korean people in the north, Kim is threatened.
But more importantly this is an ideological competition, really an ideological war between north and South.
- Ideological War – a choice between:
- Shared ROK/US Values
- Freedom and individual liberty, liberal democracy, free market economy, rule of law, and human rights
- Kim family regime (KFR) “values”
- Juche/Kimilsungism/now "KIMJONGUNISM," Socialist Workers Paradise, Songun, Songbun, Byungjin, and denial of human rights to sustain KFR power
- nK engages in political warfare and active subversion of the ROK
Putin admires Kim Jong Un, unlike other world leaders, North Koreans are told
Lectures cite Russian president’s punctuality to 2019 meeting and expensive gifts to Kim
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/putin-admires-kim-jong-un-north-korea-propaganda-09122024195030.html
By Kim Jieun for RFA Korean
2024.09.12
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toast during a reception, June 19, 2024.
Vladimir Smirnov/POOL/AFP
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks up to Kim Jong Un with the utmost admiration and respect, North Koreans were told at this week’s mandatory lectures at neighborhood watch unit meetings, two residents told Radio Free Asia.
The weekly lectures – at which a local party official reads lecture materials received from the central government – are intended to reinforce loyalty to the country’s leadership and Kim’s cult of personality.
“This week’s lecture session informed the residents of the Russian president’s boundless admiration for their leader, Kim Jong Un,” a resident from the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
“It was intended to promote the high international standing of the marshall,” a reference to Kim, he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk during a farewell ceremony upon Putin's departure at the Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang, June 19, 2024. (Vladimir Smirnov/POOL/AFP)
Russia has been cozying up to North Korea since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While many in the international community are hesitant to engage with Russia while the war rages on, North Korea has been more than willing to trade with Russia and publicly declare support for the war.
The United States has accused Russia of using North Korean weapons in Ukraine, which North Korea and Russia deny.
Putin and Kim met in the Russian Far East in September 2023, and again in Pyongyang in June 2024.
As evidence of Putin’s admiration for Kim, the lecture listed several examples.
One was that Putin, who is notoriously late for nearly all his meetings with other global leaders, was 30 minutes early for his meeting with Kim in Vladivostok in April 2019, the resident said.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (R) presents the Kim Il Sung Medal to Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) in Pyongyang, June 19, 2024. (KCNA VIA KNS/AFP)
“Whenever President Putin meets with world leaders, he is late because he looks down on other countries and has a unique sense of superiority,” he said. “But when it comes to The Marshal, he expresses it as admiration.”
However, the lecture didn’t mention Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June, when he arrived several hours later than planned, turning what should have been a two-day state visit into a quick one-day stop.
Luxury car
Another example in the lecture was Putin’s gift of a Russian-made luxury sedan to Kim, a resident of the northern province of Ryanggang told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.
But this generated “a cold atmosphere” in the lecture hall, the second resident said.
“Some residents [privately] protested, saying, ‘If I were the head of the country, I would have asked for food, which the country desperately needs instead of a car,’” he said.
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The apparent point of the lecture was to instill in the public the idea that Russia is being respectful to North Korea – and that other world leaders also yearn to meet Kim, he said.
This wasn’t very convincing to most listeners, he said.
“Residents who can’t even eat one full meal don’t listen to the government’s propaganda,” he said.
North Korean authorities also held lectures on similar topics for residents in the early 2000s when they were receiving aid such as rice and fertilizer from South Korea and the international community.
Park Ju Hee, an escapee from Musan, North Hamgyong province, said that aid coming from Western countries at the time was because of the “bold strategy and outstanding leadership” of then leader Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un’s father.
Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
15. Why is NK back to firing missiles after monthslong hiatus?
Why is NK back to firing missiles after monthslong hiatus?
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · September 12, 2024
By Ji Da-gyum
Published : Sept. 12, 2024 - 15:36
A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday. (AP)
North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea from the Pyongyang area Thursday morning, the South Korean military said, marking its first missile launch since July 1 and breaking a more than two-month lull in missile provocations.
The timing -- coinciding with weeklong Russia-China military exercises, just one day after the US presidential debate, and as North Korea shifts its focus from flood recovery back to weapons development -- signals what analysts view as a calculated, multi-pronged strategy to advance both domestic priorities and broader global geopolitical objectives.
Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification, said "North Korea joined the show of force as the large-scale China-Russia joint military exercises commenced."
Russia’s large-scale military drills, dubbed Ocean-2024, feature Chinese aircraft and warships and are scheduled to run from Tuesday through Sept. 16 across the Pacific and Arctic oceans as well as the Mediterranean, Caspian and Baltic seas.
"North Korea is not officially participating in the combined exercises between China and Russia. However, it can be seen that North Korea, in its own way, is aligning itself with the China-Russia exercises, conducting parallel drills aimed at countering the United States," Hong added.
Experts noted that Pyongyang's missile launches came less than 24 hours after the first US presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday night, during which North Korean issues were largely overlooked.
"The timing of the launches, immediately following the US presidential debate, suggests this could be the first step in North Korea's attempt to interfere in the election. We can expect an escalation in the level of provocations moving forward," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
Seoul and Washington also braced for the possibility of North Korea launching provocations around the US presidential election in November at the high-level meeting of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group on Sept. 4.
Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University, remarked that the missile launches suggest "North Korea is paying attention to the ongoing US presidential election."
“North Korea seems to be making moves to assert its presence in the US presidential election,” Kim told The Korea Herald.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a speech in Pyongyang on Monday marking the 76th foundation anniversary of North Korea, in this photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. (Yonhap)
Kim also pointed out the possibility that these missile launches could be linked to North Korea’s arms exports to Russia, intended for use in the Ukraine conflict.
Echoing the view, Yang explained, "It’s also likely that North Korea launched various missiles to test weapon systems that could be supplied to Russia, particularly as the Russia-Ukraine war has escalated recently."
Lim Eul-chul, a professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University in Seoul, observed that North Korea’s missile launches indicate a deliberate shift back to weapons development, in line with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's five-year military development plans revealed at the 2021 Eighth Party Congress. The strategy laid out an ambitious road map for advancing the regime's military arsenal.
The shift follows a temporary focus on flood recovery efforts, signaling that North Korea is now returning to its planned trajectory of weapons development.
“This doesn’t seem to be an extraordinary provocation. Following the severe flooding that began in late July, North Korea channeled all its resources into recovery efforts," Lim told The Korea Herald. "Although the recovery is not yet fully complete, it’s nearing its final stages. Consequently, the country now appears to be refocusing on unfinished military objectives. This is the lens through which we should view the current situation.”
Kim Jong-un on Monday pledged to "continuously strengthen the country's nuclear capabilities and redouble efforts and measures to ensure that the entire armed forces of the country, including nuclear power, are in a state of full combat readiness" in his speech delivered to mark the 76th founding anniversary of the regime.
Kim from Dongguk University also explained, "Internally, North Korea is grappling with flood damage, which appears to be driving efforts to bolster domestic unity (through missile launches)."
The Unification Ministry on Thursday criticized North Korea’s actions, stating, "Particularly in a situation where flood recovery is urgent, persisting with such provocations only exposes the regime’s 'people-first' propaganda as hollow rhetoric."
Since May, North Korea has been sending trash-filled balloons toward South Korea, with the latest failed attempt on Wednesday night seeing the balloons drift back into North Korean territory.
Pyongyang also has been broadcasting strange, grinding noises through loudspeakers directed at South Korean people near the inter-Korean border area of Incheon -- a tactic that Seoul views as unprecedented. The activity, which began in late July, has intensified over the past week, according to military authorities.
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · September 12, 2024
16. Seoul monitoring Pyongyang for signs of nuclear test after uranium facility revelation: Presidential official
Do we really think the regime will conduct a nuclear test as an "October surprise?" But of course it will not be a surprise if we are talking about the possibility. . What effects would it achieve?
Seoul monitoring Pyongyang for signs of nuclear test after uranium facility revelation: Presidential official
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-09-13/national/northKorea/Seoul-monitoring-Pyongyang-for-signs-of-nuclear-test-after-uranium-facility-revelation-Presidential-official/2134814
Published: 13 Sep. 2024, 16:00
Updated: 13 Sep. 2024, 16:06
- 이수정
- lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a nuclear material producing facility with the regime officials, according to a report from the Korea Central News Agency on Friday. [RODONG SINMUN]
A senior official from the South Korean presidential office said Friday that the country is closely monitoring the recent behaviors of North Korea and assessing the regime’s intent behind the disclosure of its uranium enrichment facility.
The remarks from Seoul’s top office came after Pyongyang’s first revelation of a uranium enrichment facility earlier in the day. The site produces weapons-grade nuclear material for nuclear warheads.
The official said that “the timing of a nuclear test can vary according to the decisions made by the North Korean leadership" regarding a concern that the regime will conduct another nuclear test ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
Related Article
The official also noted that definitive speculation on when the North may conduct such a test should be prevented.
According to the official, Pyongyang is likely to consider all relevant factors, such as domestic and external security situations, which include the U.S. presidential election, to determine a date for a nuclear test.
The official said both “the South Korean and the U.S. intelligence authorities are tracking the North’s behaviors, with all possibilities in mind.”
North Korea’s recent disclosure of its core military facility for uranium enrichment is seemingly a deliberate action to show off its presence before the United States elects its new president as well as an effort to raise its leverage and bargaining power in a potential negotiation with the United States.
During the visit, regime leader Kim ordered nuclear scientists and technicians to bolster the military's nuclear competencies and expand its production capabilities. According to a report by the state-controlled Korea Central News Agency, Kim stressed the need to further augment the number of centrifuges in order to exponentially increase the number of nuclear weapons for self-defense.
The South Korean government evaluated that North Korea had completed its preparations to conduct a seventh nuclear test. Some security experts assumed that it is likely that Pyongyang will conduct the test before the U.S. presidential election.
BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]
17. South Korea's LIG Nex1 to Design Reconnaissance USV for ROK Navy
South Korea's LIG Nex1 to Design Reconnaissance USV for ROK Navy - Naval News
navalnews.com · by Naval News Staff · September 11, 2024
LIG Nex1 Press Release, translation by Naval News
On September 11, LIG Nex1 announced that it had been selected as the preferred bidder for the Defense Acquisition Program Administration’s “Reconnaissance Unmanned Surface Vessel System Development Project.” An LIG Nex1 representative stated “We were selected as the preferred bidder by scoring high across all evaluation criteria. Through this project, we aim to establish ourselves as a leader in the development of advanced technologies in the fields of unmanned systems and future warfare.” The significance of this project is that it marks the first step toward the Republic of Korea Navy’s key future initiative, the unmanned and manned integrated combat system kown as “Navy Sea GHOST“.
LIG Nex1 Sea Sword-III with 2.75 guided rocket launcher (LIG Nex1 Photo)
The development of the reconnaissance unmanned surface vessel (USV) system is a project aimed at enhancing surveillance, reconnaissance, and rapid on-site response capabilities for naval forward bases and key ports. The project involves the research and development of two 12 meter long USVs by 2027 led by the selected company. Since 2015, LIG Nex1 has been developing the “Sea Sword” series of USVs and has accumulated design, construction, and unmanned system technologies through its research and development experience. Upon the completion of the USV’s development, which will be the first of its kind to be deployed operationally in Korea, it is anticipated to emerge as a key weapon system, driving Korean defense industry’s expansion into international markets.
Meanwhile, LIG Nex1 has independently developed a 2.75-inch guided rocket (Poniard) launcher that can be mounted on small unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and has successfully tested it on the Sea Sword series. The accumulated technological expertise was demonstrated during the test launch at the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), the world’s largest naval exercise, last July, where all six Poniard rockets hit their targets with 100% accuracy. This achievement paved the way for South Korean weapon system’s first opportunity to enter the U.S. market.
To pioneer the export market for USVs, which are regarded as a “game changer” capable of shifting the paradigm of future warfare, efforts are underway to diversify export items and modularize the weapon and detection systems of USVs to enable the installation of various mission equipment. Furthermore, there are plans to develop systems capable of connecting with low-orbit commercial satellites to extend the operational range of the vessels.
Ik-hyun Shin, CEO of LIG Nex1, stated:
Through the development of this reconnaissance unmanned surface vessel (USV) system, the Navy’s ‘Navy Sea GHOST’ will be brought to reality.” He also emphasized, “We plan to continuously advance the Republic of Korea Navy’s unmanned surface vessels by standardizing unmanned systems and modularizing mission-specific weapons and sensors, making them adaptable for future combat and mine warfare USVs.”
navalnews.com · by Naval News Staff · September 11, 2024
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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