Quotes of the Day:

“Be a free thinker and don’t accept everything you hear as truth. Be critical and evaluate what you believe in.” 

- Aristotle

"The surest way to work up a crusade in favor of some good cause is to promise people they will have a chance of maltreating someone. To be able to destroy with good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behaviour 'righteous indignation' -- this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats." 

- Aldous Huxley

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." 

- Martin Luther King Jr.

1. U.S. rights activist urges efforts to send outside information to N. Korea

2. N. Korea claims Korean Peninsula faces 'vicious cycle' of confrontation due to U.S. hostility

3. N. Korea in period of provocation but U.S. prepared for dialogue: State Dept.

4. Yoon says alliance with U.S. damaged by untrue reports of remarks caught on hot mic

5. Ruling party lawmakers to take legal measures against MBC TV over Yoon's hot mic report

6. Kim Jong Un: ‘Hope to discuss denuclearization with Pres. Trump’

7. Hanwha eyes major boost in defense, green energy drive with envisioned Daewoo Shipbuilding takeover

8. Pyongyang’s ballistic missile firing likely to be followed by SLBM launches

9. Leaders of S. Korea, U.S. reaffirm commitment to resolve EV tax credit issue: ambassador

10. Freight trains resume between North Korea and China

11. First joint Korea-U.S. naval exercise in five years begins

12. N. Korea holds politburo session on agriculture without leader Kim's attendance

1. U.S. rights activist urges efforts to send outside information to N. Korea

Our superior political warfare strategy must consist of a human right upfront approach, information and influence activities, and pursuit of a free and unified Korea. And civil society can play an important role in it.

"A Three Part Plan To Enhance President Yoon’s North Korea Strategy: Toward A Free And Unified Korea"

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/09/a-three-part-plan-to-enhance-president-yoons-north-korea-strategy-toward-a-free-and-unified-korea/

"In addition to government and ROK/U.S. alliance efforts, South Korea should encourage civil society to contribute to the information effort. It should empower and support nongovernmental organizations and stakeholders in Korea and around the world who support a free and unified Korea."

U.S. rights activist urges efforts to send outside information to N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · September 26, 2022

By Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- A renowned U.S. activist on North Korean human rights called Monday for more efforts to help the people in the reclusive nation access information from the outside world, as an annual weeklong campaign designed to enhance public awareness on the issue got underway.

Suzanne Scholte, head of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, issued the appeal during the opening ceremony of the 19th North Korea Freedom Week in central Seoul, reiterating concerns about the country's rights situation under the Kim Jong-un regime.

"The president of Korea must uphold the rights of every Korean wherever they are," she said. "We should be doing everything in our power to get information in North Korea, by land, by sea and by air."

Scholte, who has long campaigned for improvement in the North's human rights situation, also criticized the preceding liberal Moon Jae-in administration of the South, arguing that Moon "turned his back on the people of North Korea."

The event was attended by some North Korean defectors and rights advocates, including defector-turned-lawmaker Rep. Tae Yong-ho of the ruling People Power Party and former Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo.

This year's North Korea Freedom Week, which runs through Saturday, will feature a series of events, including forums on the North's rights related issues.

On Friday, Seoul's unification ministry urged local activist groups to refrain from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border amid concerns that the move could lead to the escalation of tensions on the peninsula.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · September 26, 2022

2. N. Korea claims Korean Peninsula faces 'vicious cycle' of confrontation due to U.S. hostility

Pot meet kettle.

It is the Kim family regime that is executing its hostile policy. The regime executes the "provocation cycle." We must not be duped by its propaganda.

I would also like to add a historical reminder. As long as the regime keeps up its propaganda effort I am less worried. In May 1950 the regime ceased its hostile propaganda and called for meeting at Kaesong (which is below the 38th parallel and thus was in South Korean territory at the time - today it is of course north of the DMZ). Analysts thought that the north was ready to negotiate. Perhaps that drove some complacency. We all know what happened next - on 24 June 1950 the ROK Army officer's club had its grand opening and all the senior officers attended and then at 0400 on 25 June the nKPA attacked, but I digress). So as long as the propaganda continues perhaps the regime is not yet executing its deception in preparation for future operations.

(LEAD) N. Korea claims Korean Peninsula faces 'vicious cycle' of confrontation due to U.S. hostility | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · September 27, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES with additional remarks from the North Korean ambassador to U.N., more details and information from 4th para; ADDS photo)

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korea lashed out at the United States on Monday, accusing the U.S. of creating confrontation on the Korean Peninsula with the intention of toppling the Pyongyang regime while also trying to unjustly force "Western values" on sovereign states such as North Korea.

The latest attack on the U.S. was made by head of the North Korean mission to the United Nations.

"The security environment of the Korean Peninsula is now caught in a vicious cycle of tensions and confrontation due to the growing hostility of the United States and its following forces against the DPRK," the North Korean diplomat, Kim Song, said while addressing the U.N. General Assembly in New York, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The North Korean diplomat added the U.S. is planning to conduct a joint military exercise, which he said arouses serious concerns and is an "extremely dangerous act" that can drive the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the "brink of war."

Noting the North's parliament recently adopted a law on the automatic use of nuclear weapons when the country is attacked, Kim insisted Pyongyang had no choice but to adopt such a policy due to U.S. hostility.

"The United States compelled the DPRK to adopt a law on the policy of nuclear forces in defiance of the U.S. hostility," Kim argued.

"The United States should clearly understand that its heinous and hostile policy against the DPRK over the past 30 years had just brought about today's reality, and ask and answer itself and ponder over how far it would prolong this situation in the future," he added.

U.S. President Joe Biden said last week that North Korea "continues to blatantly violate U.N. sanctions."

The U.S. says the North has fired more than 30 ballistic missiles this year, each of which violated U.N. Security Council sanctions.

Seoul and Washington also believe the North is preparing to conduct a nuclear test, which will be its seventh test if conducted.

The North Korean diplomat said Pyongyang rejects all U.N. Security Council resolutions on North Korea, accusing the Security Council of being controlled by the U.S. and its followers.

"The U.N. Security Council does not say even a single word about the high-handedness and arbitrariness, reckless arms build-up and war crimes of the United States, but only (inaudible) DPRK of its righteous effort to bolster national defense capabilities on a case by case basis," said Kim.

"As long as the double standards and unfairness and high handedness and arbitrariness of the United States are not removed, any decisions or resolutions adopted by the U.N. Security Council can neither have reasonable binding force nor contribute to ensuring global peace and security," he added.

bdk@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · September 27, 2022

3. N. Korea in period of provocation but U.S. prepared for dialogue: State Dept.

Just to note we have not been in a period of engagement since the Hanoi summit in February 2019. (I was going to write 'failed" Hanoi summit but actually it would have only been a failure if we had allowed ourselves to be duped by Kim Jong Un's political warfare strategy.)

The regime has not been willing to engage because it has not found weakness in the alliance. Given the relations between the Yoon and Biden administrations Kim may not be able to find weakness.

But Mr. Price is right to state that the US is prepared for dialogue. The ball is always in Kim Jong Un's court and it is correct to maintain the "moral high ground" by advocating dialogue even though the regime continues to execute its hostile policy.

N. Korea in period of provocation but U.S. prepared for dialogue: State Dept. | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · September 27, 2022

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korea may conduct its seventh nuclear test without warning but the United States remains committed to engaging with Pyongyang in serious diplomacy, a state department spokesperson said Monday.

Ned Price also said the North currently remains in a period of provocations.

"We have spoken of North Korea's pattern of provocations in recent months. We have warned repeatedly that North Korea could well conduct another nuclear test, its seven nuclear tests with no warning," the spokesperson told a daily press briefing.

"The DPRK tends to go through periods of provocation, periods of engagement. It's very clear that we are in a period of provocation now," he added, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017.

Seoul and Washington have said Pyongyang appears to have finished all preparations for its seventh nuclear test.

The department spokesperson said the U.S. remains willing to engage in dialogue with North Korea.

"We have made clear together with our allies in the region that we are prepared for meaningful dialogue, meaningful diplomacy to help advance the prospects for complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said Price.

"This offer of dialogue and diplomacy has at least so far been met only with additional provocations," he added.

North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Sunday (Seoul time). The country has fired more than 30 ballistic missiles this year, according to U.S. officials.

Price said the U.S. will be ready when North Korea is ready to engage in diplomacy.

He added North Korean provocations will only strengthen U.S. commitment to the joint defense of South Korea and other U.S. allies in the region.

"None of these provocations have (changed) or will change our essential orientation. That is our stalwart commitment to the defense of the ROK and Japan, our treaty allies," he said, also noting Vice President Kamala Harris was currently on a visit to the region to show the U.S.' "support for our treaty allies."

The U.S. vice president is currently on a visit to Japan to attend the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

She will be traveling to Seoul on Thursday for a meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol and other South Korean officials there.

ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.

bdk@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · September 27, 2022

4. Yoon says alliance with U.S. damaged by untrue reports of remarks caught on hot mic

Stop the insanity. This would have passed from the news cycle by now. I have not seen any significant reporting in the US media on this and I have not read any comments from US officials to include Congress members. The Yoon administration should leave this alone. And the President should won his remarks and move on.

(2nd LD) Yoon says alliance with U.S. damaged by untrue reports of remarks caught on hot mic | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · September 26, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES with foreign minister's remarks in paras 5-8)

SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that untrue media reports of his remarks caught on hot mic damaged South Korea's alliance with the United States in his first response to the controversy.

Last week, Yoon was caught on video making a remark privately to aides in New York that appeared to include vulgar words. Though the recording was not clear due to noise, many thought Yoon was talking about U.S. Congress and U.S. President Joe Biden.

But Yoon's office rejected the claim, saying he was referring to South Korea's opposition-controlled National Assembly without mentioning U.S. Congress or Biden. Yoon's ruling People Power Party also claimed people misheard Yoon's remarks because the video had a subtitle misrepresenting them.

"Damaging the alliance with untrue media reports would be putting people in danger," Yoon told reporters, adding that how such incorrect reports have circulated should be clearly verified.

Foreign Minister Park Jin, who was seen together with Yoon when he made the controversial remarks, told local broadcaster JTBC later Monday that he did not hear the president utter any vulgar words.

"There was an incredible number of people there. And there was all kinds of noise," he said.

Park repeated the presidential office's position that Yoon was likely expressing his concern that the National Assembly might reject his pledge to contribute US$100 million to the Global Fund, which would leave him embarrassed, as other countries, such as Germany, France and Canada, made commitments that were nine or 10 times larger.

"There was no mention of the ruling or opposition parties," he said. "Normally, in the case of the U.S., it would be referred to as Congress, not the National Assembly."

Yoon returned home last Saturday following a three-nation trip that took him to London for Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral, New York for the U.N. General Assembly and Canada for a summit with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In New York, Yoon asked Biden to resolve South Korea's concerns over the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which is feared to negatively impact Korean-made electric cars.

Yoon told reporters that Biden "fully understands" South Korea's stance over the IRA.

Yoon also held an informal meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in New York, marking the first bilateral meeting between South Korea and Japan in nearly three years.

The meeting between Yoon and Kishida raised hope of mending relations badly frayed over wartime forced labor and other issues related to Tokyo's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

Yoon said he will "strongly push for normalization of Korea-Japan relations, regardless of any difficulties."

"Above all, Korean and Japanese companies are eager to normalize relations of the two countries," Yoon said. "I am confident that if Korea-Japan relations are normalized, companies from both countries will invest in each other, creating more jobs on both sides and helping the two countries grow further."

kdh@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · September 26, 2022

5. Ruling party lawmakers to take legal measures against MBC TV over Yoon's hot mic report

Again, please stop the insanity. Do not pursue legal action against the press.

Ruling party lawmakers to take legal measures against MBC TV over Yoon's hot mic report | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김나영 · September 26, 2022

SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- A group of lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) said Monday they will take a series of legal measures, including filing a libel complaint, against MBC TV, accusing the broadcaster of misreporting President Yoon Suk-yeol's remarks made during a trip to New York last week.

Yoon came under fire after he was caught on video appearing to use foul language while talking to aides in New York last week. Though the recording of Yoon's remarks was not clear due to noise, many thought he was talking about the U.S. Congress and U.S. President Joe Biden.

But Yoon's office rejected the claim, saying he was referring to South Korea's opposition-controlled National Assembly without mentioning U.S. Congress or Biden. Yoon's ruling People Power Party also claimed people misheard Yoon's remarks because MBC TV included a subtitle that misrepresented them.

PPP members of the parliamentary committee on broadcasting and communications also called for the resignation of MBC's CEO Park Sung-jae and the company's public apology, saying MBC's report "harmed the national interest."

They claimed the TV station made a malicious report of manipulating the Korean word for "throw out" into "Biden" and assumed without a fact check that Yoon's remarks were about U.S. Congress. The lawmakers also called the report "fake news" that would "go down in history."

The Korean word for "throw out" sounds similar to the pronunciation for "Biden."

Earlier Monday, Yoon said untrue media reports of his remarks damaged South Korea's alliance with the United States.

nyway@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 김나영 · September 26, 2022

6. Kim Jong Un: ‘Hope to discuss denuclearization with Pres. Trump’

I did a quick search for the Korean American Journal but I have not yet found it. All I can find are reports such as this one about the 27 Kim letters.

This is not a surprise at all:

“Kim Jong Un did not believe in negotiations with senior officials nor did he want President Moon’s involvement in negotiations,” South Korea’s former Vice Unification Minister Kim Chun-shik said. “He wanted to carry his points by persuading President Trump through direct talks and believed it was possible.”

Kim Jong Un: ‘Hope to discuss denuclearization with Pres. Trump’

donga.com

Posted September. 26, 2022 07:37,

Updated September. 26, 2022 07:37

Kim Jong Un: ‘Hope to discuss denuclearization with Pres. Trump’. September. 26, 2022 07:37. by Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com.

In his autograph letters to then U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed his intent to negotiate with the U.S. leader directly, saying then South Korean President Moon Jae-in had “excessive interest,” it has been newly revealed. The North Korean leader also sent an autograph letter, saying, “I was disappointed” as President Trump didn’t suspend South Korea-U.S. joint military drills while Pyongyang and Washington were engaged in negotiations.

The Korean American Journal, a quarterly foreign affairs magazine published by the Korean-American Club, released 27 autograph letters between Kim and Trump on Sunday. According to the journal, in Kim’s letter dated September 21, 2018, Kim wrote, “I hope to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula directly with you, Mr. President, rather than President Moon Jae-in going forward,” adding, “I think excessive interest President Moon has shown regarding our issue is unnecessary.” The letter was written two days after former President Moon held a summit meeting in Pyongyang and issued a September 19 Joint Statement in Pyongyang.

In his letter, Kim also revealed his discontent about South Korea-U.S. joint military drills without reservation. In his autograph letter dated August 5, 2019, a month after he met with President Trump at Panmunjom within the inter-Korean demilitarized zone, Kim said, “Who is the target (joint military drills) are seeking to attack and defeat,” adding, “I am disappointed, and I don’t want to hide this to you, Mr. President.” The letter read, “What have you (Trump) done for us, and how I can explain to the North Korean public what has changed since we met each other.” Thus, he expressed strong discontent about conducting joint military drills as scheduled even though Kim had attended the summit meeting at Panmunjom. “Unless you consider our relations a stepping stone that would benefit you, you would not make me look like a fool who only makes concessions but fails to receive anything in return.”

Kim’s letters revealed that the North Korean leader did not want senior US officials’ involvement and only wanted to talk directly with President Trump in a top-down way. Right after then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to North Korea was canceled, Kim wrote in his letter, “I believe that it would be more constructive to meet in person and exchange opinions with you, Mr. President, who has extraordinary political sense, rather than having a verbal battle over issues that are separating the two sides with Secretary Pompeo, who is not believed to have the ability to sufficiently convey your intentions.”

“Kim Jong Un did not believe in negotiations with senior officials nor did he want President Moon’s involvement in negotiations,” South Korea’s former Vice Unification Minister Kim Chun-shik said. “He wanted to carry his points by persuading President Trump through direct talks and believed it was possible.”

한국어

donga.com

7. Hanwha eyes major boost in defense, green energy drive with envisioned Daewoo Shipbuilding takeover

Bold plans:

Hanwha combined all of its defense units that had been scattered across the business group, and placed them under the wing of Hanwha Aerospace Co., and streamlined the chemical materials unit to focus on hydrogen gas turbine and renewable energy sectors.

Hanwha said it aims to turn Aerospace into the "Lockheed Martin of South Korea" by integrating its global business capabilities that will also serve to strengthen its export competitiveness.

Last week, Hanwha said it was taking steps to carve out its retail and a part of the advanced materials units from Hanwha Solutions Corp., the solar panel and chemical materials arm co-headed by Hanwha's heir apparent, Kim Dong-kwan, the eldest son of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn.

The latest regrouping of the business group is seen as intended to expedite the leadership transfer. The younger Kim was recently promoted to vice chair to head Hanwha's core solar panel and renewable energy businesses.

Daewoo Shipbuilding ended a debt rescheduling program in August 2001 after being told to streamline operations in August 1999. Its parent Daewoo Group collapsed under heavy debt in the wake of the 1997 financial crisis.

Hanwha was founded in 1952 as an explosives maker and has diversified its businesses, ranging from chemicals, energy and defense to retail and financial. Its assets stood at 80.3 trillion won as of April and it has 91 affiliates under its wing.

(News Focus) Hanwha eyes major boost in defense, green energy drive with envisioned Daewoo Shipbuilding takeover | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김승연 · September 26, 2022

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- Hanwha Group's push to take over Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) heralds a major boost for its key defense and green energy sectors amid widening efforts to streamline the business structure while expediting the leadership succession process.

Hanwha, South Korea's seventh-largest conglomerate, said it signed a conditional memorandum of understanding with DSME to acquire a 49.3 percent stake and managerial control in the world's fourth-largest shipbuilder.

Hanwha Aerospace Co., Hanwha Systems Co. -- its defense and energy equipment arms -- and four other Hanwha affiliates will take part in the 2 trillion won (US$1.39 billion) rights offering to acquire the stake.

The state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB), DSME's main creditor, will hold a 28.2 percent stake in the shipyard, down from the current 55.7 percent.

The announcement marks the latest attempt by the KDB to sell the embattled shipbuilder, some 25 years after DSME's bankruptcy following the 1997 collapse of its parent firm Daewoo Group.

Past sales attempts all fell through, including Hanwha's first bid in 2008 to buy DSME for 6.32 trillion won in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Talks of a possible takeover by Hanwha rekindled earlier this year when the antitrust arm of the European Union vetoed Hyundai Heavy Industries Group's takeover bid for DSME, after nearly three years of a drawn-out review over potential market monopoly issues.

Kang Seog-hoon, KDB chairman, said last month that the company is doing its best to find a new buyer for the shipbuilder, saying it will only be the way to salvage the troubled company and strengthen its competitiveness.

Since then, it was widely speculated that Hanwha may buy the DSME's warship and submarine manufacturing division once they are spun off from the commercial ship business. But Monday's announcement was about acquiring the entire DSME, in line with market watchers' view that separating the businesses won't work for any potential buyer.

Hanwha said the takeover, if finalized, will help expand the defense production capacity and global network of defense systems covering "space, ground and sea" and advance further into maintenance, repair and operations, especially at a time when global demand for Korean weapons systems is gaining traction amid geopolitical uncertainties.

DSME's client networks in the Middle East, Europe and Asia would mean more opportunities for exports of the weapons systems and Daewoo's warships and submarines, Hanwha said.

The potential takeover will also enable Hanwha and Daewoo to bolster the research and development for future defense technologies, such as developing commercial vessels equipped with self-navigation, or warships equipped with the low-carbon energy storage system.

Hanwha can also bolster the liquefied natural gas (LNG) portfolio with Daewoo's floating LNG facility and LNG carriers, in addition to solidifying its solar panel and hydrogen value chain encompassing production, transportation and development among its energy affiliates.

The outlook for global shipbuilding industry is very promising, according to Hanwha, as the sector is expected to enter the "second big cycle" after the boom in the mid-2000s due to increasing demand for orders and carbon neutrality drive.

DSME has an order backlog of $28.8 billion for the next three to four years and it expects to see profitability improve significantly due to the weaker won, according to Hanwha.

"Last week alone, DSME's share price spiked 11 percent," Han Young-soo, an analyst at Samsung Securities Co. said in a note. "It appears to have reflected the expectations for a takeover rather than the momentum from the recent increase in the order backlog," he said.

The announcement came on the heels of Hanwha's efforts to revamp its key affiliates to focus on green energy, battery and semiconductor components businesses.

Hanwha combined all of its defense units that had been scattered across the business group, and placed them under the wing of Hanwha Aerospace Co., and streamlined the chemical materials unit to focus on hydrogen gas turbine and renewable energy sectors.

Hanwha said it aims to turn Aerospace into the "Lockheed Martin of South Korea" by integrating its global business capabilities that will also serve to strengthen its export competitiveness.

Last week, Hanwha said it was taking steps to carve out its retail and a part of the advanced materials units from Hanwha Solutions Corp., the solar panel and chemical materials arm co-headed by Hanwha's heir apparent, Kim Dong-kwan, the eldest son of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn.

The latest regrouping of the business group is seen as intended to expedite the leadership transfer. The younger Kim was recently promoted to vice chair to head Hanwha's core solar panel and renewable energy businesses.

Daewoo Shipbuilding ended a debt rescheduling program in August 2001 after being told to streamline operations in August 1999. Its parent Daewoo Group collapsed under heavy debt in the wake of the 1997 financial crisis.

Hanwha was founded in 1952 as an explosives maker and has diversified its businesses, ranging from chemicals, energy and defense to retail and financial. Its assets stood at 80.3 trillion won as of April and it has 91 affiliates under its wing.

elly@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 김승연 · September 26, 2022

8. Pyongyang’s ballistic missile firing likely to be followed by SLBM launches

We should not be blaming north Korean provocations on a "vacuum in the leadership of the country’s national security." Kim Jong Un's porovicaitos are not a ROK policy failure but a key part of the regime's political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies.

Excerpt:

The joint military exercise between Seoul and Washington for three days until Thursday should demonstrate their firm and seamless military readiness against North Korea. As high-ranking officials put it, they should deploy as many capabilities as possible to make an overpowering response to any North Korean provocation. The optimal defense plan that we can put in place is to make it clear to North Korea that it will face the unavoidable consequences of its continued provocations. The South Korean government must also ensure that its National Security Office strengthens its security posture with North Korea in mind. There should be no more vacuum in the leadership of the country’s national security just as seen in the case where not only the national security adviser but also the first deputy director of the National Security Office followed the president on his official trip abroad even while North Korea is highly likely to make provocations.

Pyongyang’s ballistic missile firing likely to be followed by SLBM launches

donga.com

Posted September. 26, 2022 07:36,

Updated September. 26, 2022 07:36

Pyongyang’s ballistic missile firing likely to be followed by SLBM launches. September. 26, 2022 07:36. .

North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile, presumed to resemble the Russian Iskander-M, on Sunday, making it the 5th missile launch since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took office. Around 113 days ago in June, it also fired as many as eight short-range ballistic missiles at one go. The missile from Taechon, North Pyongan Province, conducted a “pull-up" maneuver to fly 600 kilometers at Mach 5 into the East Sea. The South Korean presidential office held an emergency meeting of the National Security Council’s Standing Committee to devise countermeasures.

North Korea’s missile launch on Sunday was conducted one day before South Korea and the United States’ maritime jointly military drills involving the USS Ronald Reagan or a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier. Not content with causing this large-scale maritime joint exercise by making nuclear and missile threats, the regime then used it as a pretext for an armed protest of defiance. Seemingly, it even intends to justify the 7th nuclear test. Some signs have already been shown that North Korea will carry out additional provocations, such as an SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missile) launch.

North Korea is accelerating its efforts to advance nuclear weapons by declaring nuclear armament as the regime's core and legislating nuclear strikes. Worryingly, it has intensified the development of tactical nuclear weaponry targeting South Korea. Short-range missiles are also fired to test their capabilities to carry tactical nuclear weapons. However, it only poses a significant threat to Seoul because almost the whole territory is within the range of such missiles.

The National Security Council criticized North Korea for violating the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions and elevating tension on the Korean Peninsula and beyond. It focused on the significance of cooperating with the United States and other allies and friends. This may be the second-best plan because a neutralized UNSC makes it impossible to impose additional sanctions across the international community, including Russia and China. However, there are only so many unilateral sanctions led by the United States or European countries alone can do to keep Pyongyang at bay. That is why a stronger military deterrent is required.

The joint military exercise between Seoul and Washington for three days until Thursday should demonstrate their firm and seamless military readiness against North Korea. As high-ranking officials put it, they should deploy as many capabilities as possible to make an overpowering response to any North Korean provocation. The optimal defense plan that we can put in place is to make it clear to North Korea that it will face the unavoidable consequences of its continued provocations. The South Korean government must also ensure that its National Security Office strengthens its security posture with North Korea in mind. There should be no more vacuum in the leadership of the country’s national security just as seen in the case where not only the national security adviser but also the first deputy director of the National Security Office followed the president on his official trip abroad even while North Korea is highly likely to make provocations.

한국어

donga.com

9. Leaders of S. Korea, U.S. reaffirm commitment to resolve EV tax credit issue: ambassador

(LEAD) Leaders of S. Korea, U.S. reaffirm commitment to resolve EV tax credit issue: ambassador | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · September 27, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES with remarks from a South Korean official, more information in last 4 paras)

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden have reaffirmed their commitment to resolving issues and concerns from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Seoul's top diplomat in the U.S. said Monday.

Amb. Cho Tae-yong also said the countries are discussing various ways to offset any potential damage caused by the new U.S. law to South Korean carmakers.

"President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden met three times during the U.N. General Assembly and discussed key issues between South Korea and the United States," Cho said in a meeting with reporters.

"Also, discussing our businesses' concerns regarding the IRA at the leader level and reaffirming their serious commitment to resolving the issue is a meaningful achievement," he added.

The IRA was signed into law last month, offering a tax credit of up to US$7,500 to each buyer of a new electric vehicle (EV).

Seoul has been expressing concerns over the U.S. law as it only offers benefits to EVs assembled in North America, thereby excluding South Korean-made vehicles and potentially violating the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, as well as World Trade Organization principles that imports should be treated the same as domestic products.

"The government is actively contacting U.S. Congress and administration while seeking ways to resolve the issue in a way that can best represent our interest," said Cho.

A number of ranking South Korean officials, including Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang and Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun, have visited the U.S. for talks on IRA related issues.

Turning to the U.S.-South Korea alliance, Cho said U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' trip to Seoul this week will further strengthen the bilateral relationship.

"It will be Vice President Harris' first visit (to Seoul) since taking office and the first by a U.S. vice president in four years and seven months," he said.

"The vice president will also be visiting South Korea only four months after President Biden visited South Korea in May, which itself alone shows the importance the U.S. places on the South Korea-U.S. alliance and its determination to be engaged in the Indo-Pacific region," added Cho.

Harris is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Thursday (local time), following her four-day visit to Tokyo as head of a presidential delegation to the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Meanwhile, an official from the South Korean embassy in Washington said the embassy has explained the recent controversy over President Yoon's remarks to the White House National Security Council (NSC), emphasizing that neither the U.S. Congress nor President Biden were the subject of any such remarks as earlier reported.

Yoon was reported to have used vulgar language while referring to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. leader shortly after holding a pull-aside meeting with Biden on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York last week.

"(We) have thoroughly explained to a ranking NSC official that those remarks did not regard the U.S., and the NSC side said they fully understood the situation and that it did not cause any problems," the official told reporters, while speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official added, "Reports that are not based on fact may be a burden on the South Korea-U.S. alliance."

bdk@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · September 27, 2022

10. Freight trains resume between North Korea and China

A long way to go to be of any help to the Korean people in the north and the economy. An important question is whether smuggling has resumed. Many of the markets depend on smuggling.

Monday

September 26, 2022 dictionary + A - A 

Freight trains resume between North Korea and China

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/09/26/national/northKorea/korea-north-korea-china/20220926184939793.html

A freight train leaves the Chinese border city of Dandong on Monday morning and crosses the so-called Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge into North Korea’s Sinuiju. [YONHAP]

Cross-border freight trains between North Korea and China resumed Monday after a five-month hiatus, as the North tries to find some economic normalcy after a long pandemic shutdown.

A South Korean government source who spoke with the JoongAng Ilbo on the condition of anonymity Monday said a freight train was seen leaving the Chinese border city of Dandong earlier that day at around 7:43 a.m. and crossing the so-called Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge into North Korea’s city of Sinuiju.

It was the first time since April 29 that cross-border freight train services were _detected between the two neighbors.

China is North Korea’s main ally and largest economic partner, accounting for more than 90 percent of its trade volume. But two-way trade plummeted during the Covid-19 pandemic as the North had closed all its international borders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

For nearly two years, the North claimed it was Covid-free, though outside experts thought otherwise. The regime admitted an outbreak last May, and three months later, declared victory in its battle against it, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appearing in state-run media ordering an easing of restrictions.

Cho Joong-hoon, a spokesperson for Seoul’s Ministry of Unification, which handles inter-Korean ties, told local reporters in a regular briefing on Monday that neither Beijing nor Pyongyang confirmed the resumption of freight trains. But based on “several circumstances,” cargo train operations appear to be back on, Cho said.

What goods are being transferred and how long the operations will last remain to be seen, Cho added.

Freight trains between Dandong and Sinuiju had halted in late April following a Covid-19 outbreak in Dandong, nearly three months after the railway was reopened following two years of suspension.

Ahn Byung-min, chair of the North Korean Economic Forum, said it was likely that cargo trains from Dandong will be isolated near Sinuiju for some time before entering the North Korean city to be disinfected for possible virus contamination.

Some other North Korean experts believe Pyongyang was trying to get trade with China back on track before it faces even more UN sanctions following a possible seventh nuclear test.

South Korean government officials for months have said that the North completed preparations for a seventh test and was now waiting for the right moment to carry it out.

On Sunday morning, the North fired a short-range ballistic missile into waters off its east coast, the fifth missile launch since conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was sworn into office on May 10. North Korea’s state media remained mum about the latest missile launch on Monday.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]

11. First joint Korea-U.S. naval exercise in five years begins

Monday

September 26, 2022

 dictionary + A - A 

First joint Korea-U.S. naval exercise in five years begins

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/09/26/national/defense/Korea-Navy-joint-exercises/20220926185619822.html

Onlookers in Busan take photographs of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan as it departs for joint exercises with the South Korean Navy on Monday morning. [YONHAP]

South Korea and the United States began their first combined naval exercise in five years on Monday, a day after North Korea conducted a ballistic missile launch.  

The four-day exercise in the East Sea will involve more than 20 vessels including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the nuclear-powered USS Annapolis submarine and South Korean destroyers ROKS Seoae Ryu Sung-ryong and ROKS Munmu the Great.

These ships, along with a range of naval aircraft such as F/A-18E Super Hornets, P-3 and P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft, F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets and AH-64E Apache helicopters, will conduct anti-ship and anti-submarine drills, tactical maneuvers and other maritime operations, the South Korean Navy said.

The participation of the USS Annapolis will allow the allies to practice detecting and tracking submerged vessels to counter the threat of North Korean submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), which the regime last tested in May.

South Korea and the United States are ramping up defense cooperation to send a message that they are ready to counter any military threat from the North. 

The South Korean military detected preparations this week for an SLBM test by the North in Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, an assessment that was broadly in line with a report by U.S.-based think tank 38 North that cited commercial satellite imagery.

The South Korean presidential office released a statement on Saturday saying President Yoon Suk-yeol is aware of signs and movements that could suggest a provocation by North Korea, including an SLBM launch.

“This exercise was prepared to demonstrate the strong will of the South Korea-US alliance to respond to North Korean provocations,” the South Korean Navy said in a press release. 

“Through this training drill, we will further improve both Navies’ capabilities to carry out combined operations and maintain a strong maritime defensive posture based on the solid South Korea-U.S. alliance,” the statement added.

The Ronald Reagan carrier strike group arrived in Busan on Friday to join the exercise. 

The carrier’s arrival followed a joint pledge by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden during their May summit in Seoul to deploy U.S. strategic assets to South Korea.

The Ronald Reagan carrier strike group includes two other vessels, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville and the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Barry.

Observers believe the North’s short-range ballistic missile launch on Sunday morning was a response to the allies’ joint naval exercises, and particularly the arrival of the Ronald Reagan in Busan.

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

12. N. Korea holds politburo session on agriculture without leader Kim's attendance

They probably could not figure out how to spin the bad news so Kim would not attend.

(LEAD) N. Korea holds politburo session on agriculture without leader Kim's attendance | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · September 26, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more info, silence on missile test)

By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korea held a ruling Workers' Party politburo meeting to discuss the issue of improving the country's agricultural situation, its state media said Monday.

Jo Yong-won, secretary for organizational affairs of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, presided over the politburo meeting the previous day, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not attend the meeting.

Officials at the meeting adopted an "important resolution" after discussing the issue of thoroughly implementing the North's agriculture policies and examining this year's farming, according to the KCNA.

The meeting also "stressed the need to mobilize all forces and means to the immediate harvesting and threshing, improve cereal procurement and supply and wage intensive struggle against all acts hindering the execution of the cereal policy of the Party and the state," it added.

Observers say the latest measure appears intended to tackle corrupt practices found among individuals and in its crop distribution.

During a Supreme People's Assembly meeting earlier this month, Kim highlighted the importance of changing the structure of the country's grain production as well as improving the grain procurement and food supply system.

North Korea is known for chronic food shortages that have been apparently aggravated in recent years due to typhoons, flooding and the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang's state media has kept mum on the country's latest ballistic missile test.

On Sunday, the North fired one short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea, marking its fifth missile launch since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office in May, according to South Korea's military.

Pyongyang has usually boasted of its major weapons tests the following morning through state media, but it has often maintained silence on its missile launches since May.

julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · September 26, 2022

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com