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Quotes of the Day:
"Control. It's all about control. Every dictatorship has one obsession and that's it. So in ancient Rome they gave the people bread and circuses. They kept the populace busy with entertainment. Other dictatorships use other strategies to control ideas and knowledge. How do they do that? Lower education level, limit culture, censor information. They censor any means of individual expression. And it's important to remember this: that this is a pattern that repeats itself throughout history."
– Anthony, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, from the film "Enemy" (2013)
“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”
– G.B. Shaw
"It's a little embarrassing that after 45 years of research and study, the best advice I can give people is to be a little kinder to each other."
– Aldous Huxley
Note: I will be traveling overseas this week through Thursday so my messages will come at varied times.
1. The Gordon Chang Report–North Korea: Desperate and Dangerous
2. South Korea Sees US by Its Side Regardless of Who Is in White House
3. Kim Jong Un inspects new ‘suicide drones,’ urges incorporation of AI
4. In rare break with China, North Korea objects to telecoms plan by border
5. S. Korea, U.S. to hold 7th round of talks on defense cost sharing this week
6. N. Korean leader orders construction of more hospitals in regional development efforts
7. Smile at your peril: N. Korea assesses ideological weaknesses of Olympics athletes
8. Editorial: DPK's Dokdo focus could unintentionally support Japan's case
9. Yoon, U.S. Senate's armed service committee chief discuss alliance, N.K. threats
10. Gov't plans to invest 30 tln won in AI, chips, other advanced technologies over next 5 years
11. S. Korea, U.S. stage live-fire air drills amid N.K. threats
12. Korea, U.S. begin division-level combined amphibious landing drill
13. Former senior North Korean diplomat to Cuba admits he was 'embarrassed' to represent regime
14. North's latest missile launchers could put half of South in range: NIS
15. National Intelligence Service: “Questions about North Korea’s ability to procure missiles for 250 launchers”
16. NATO’s Role in a Korean Contingency: Strategic Implications and Challenges
17. Russian government VIP plane makes unannounced trip to North Korea
18. Commentary: In South Korea, the mere mention of feminism can end a conversation
19. Seoul's foreign policy conferences
20. [Community Discovery] Bringing the vibe back: Yongsan strives to revive Itaewon
1. The Gordon Chang Report–North Korea: Desperate and Dangerous
The Gordon Chang Report–North Korea: Desperate and Dangerous
pacificresearch.org · by Gordon Chang · August 14, 2024
North Korea publicly executed about 30 middle school students for watching South Korean dramas according to a TV Chosun report. The report cited a South Korean government official.
The dramas were stored on USB drives that had been lofted across the Demilitarized Zone into the North by balloons sent by North Korean defector groups operating from the South.
“It is widely known that North Korean authorities strictly control and harshly punish residents based on the three so-called ‘evil’ laws, including the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act,” a South Korean Unification Ministry official said to reporters under the condition of anonymity.
The Kim family, which has ruled the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea since its founding, also prohibits wearing clothing and sporting hairstyles from the other Korea. A white dress at a wedding is banned as are drinking from wine glasses and wearing sunglasses. Words popular in South Korea may not be spoken in the North.
In the recent past, teens caught watching South Korean media were sent to labor camps for terms of less than five years. Now, however, they are receiving sentences of 12 years—or put before firing squads in view of neighbors.
The brutal punishments and the draconian restrictions suggest the DPRK, as the regime calls itself, is a weak state. “The Kim dynasty is slowly and irreversibly breaking down,” writes Chung Min Lee of the Washington, D.C.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. As the situation has deteriorated internally, the regime has become more dangerous externally, not only to South Korea and the region but also to countries far away.
Why is watching a South Korean soap opera a capital offense in the North? At the end of the Second World War, the Soviet Union and the United States divided Korea along the 38th parallel into two temporary occupation zones. The United Nations was supposed to conduct national elections, but they were never held and eventually each side established its own client state. Korea, which had been unified for thirteen hundred years, was severed into two.
Both Koreas claimed to be the sole representative of the Korean people, and Kim Il Sung, the leader of the northern half, attempted to unify the country by attacking the South in June 1950. The fighting during the “Great Fatherland Liberation War,” as Pyongyang calls it, lasted until an armistice was inked in July 1953. There has been no treaty formally ending the war.
The North, an armistice signatory, fights the war every day. The Kim family regime, now in its third generation, feels it must do so because it needs an enemy to justify its existence. The regime needs to justify its existence because, by most measures, the DPRK is a failing state.
The reason for failure, most fundamentally, is the totalitarianism developed by Kim Il Sung. Probably no other national leader has exercised such control over others. His overlapping security organizations were efficient, ubiquitous, and ruthless. Each person was assigned to one of fifty-one categories and given a reliability rating. Lives were carefully scripted and people continually mobilized. Kim ran concentration camps the size of Houston. The regime had, in the words of one analyst, “an astonishing capacity for coercion.”
Kim’s strategy worked well for a couple decades as his regime outpaced the South in economic growth. Yet he could not outrun the inherent limitations of the total-control system he adopted. As had occurred in both the Soviet Union and China, early gains from forced industrialization faded. In the 1970s, the South Korean economy overtook its northern rival.
In comparison to booming South Korea, Kim’s society looked decrepit and spent. He could hold the DPRK together only by keeping it apart from the rest of the world and propagating lies, distortions, and untruths of all sorts, especially about the other Korea.
Kim and successor, his son Kim Jong Il, demanded their subjects sacrifice for the Korean nation, and for the most part they accepted hardship. Today, however, Kim Il Sung’s grandson, current ruler Kim Jong Un, is not as successful in keeping North Koreans obedient. For one thing, people in the North can see that their kin in the other Korea are far better off. Because they believe Kim promises of prosperity are empty, the current Kim has to resort to, among other things, killing teenagers to keep the rest of society in line.
To maintain control, Kim Jong Un beginning last December ramped up the pressure on South Korea. At the Ninth Enlarged Plenum of the Eighth Workers’ Party Central Committee, he declared that “the north-south relations have been completely fixed into the relations between two states hostile to each other and the relations between two belligerent states, not the consanguineous or homogenous ones any more.”
Kim continued the hostile talk in January, calling the South “our principal enemy,” the state “most hostile” to the DPRK. The 40-year-old supremo also promised the regime would incorporate the designation into its constitution. He said this new
designation was “historic.”
To drive home the point, Kim ordered the closing of three agencies dedicated to inter-Korean cooperation and promised to destroy Pyongyang’s massive Arch of Reunification, built by his father. At the same time, the North unleashed an artillery barrage against South Korean positions along the Northern Limit Line, the disputed de facto boundary between the two Koreas in the West Sea.
The Wall Street Journal in January stated that the moves then opened “a new and perilous chapter as tensions rise between the two countries.”
It certainly looked that way. “The situation on the Korean Peninsula is more dangerous than it has been at any time since early June 1950,” wrote Robert Carlin and Siegfried Hecker, two noted North Korea experts, in January in an attention-grabbing piece on the 38 North site. “That may sound overly dramatic, but we believe that, like his grandfather in 1950, Kim Jong Un has made a strategic decision to go to war.” Carlin and Hecker do not believe recent “war preparation themes” in North Korean media are “typical bluster.”
North Korea for decades has been a master of creating the appearance of impending disaster to achieve short-term goals, so is the tension real or just more North Korean-style kabuki, or “Bullying 101,” as Gordon Flake of the Perth USAsia Centre in Australia characterizes it.
There are reasons for the new tone in Pyongyang. Carlin and Hecker attribute Pyongyang’s stark turn to, among other things, Kim’s realization that the U.S. would never normalize relations with Pyongyang. Kim Jong Un, they told us, had put his prestige on the line in responding to overtures from President Donald Trump and suffered from the eventual breakdown in talks with Washington.
“What is crucially important is to understand how central the goal of improving relations with the United States was to all three of the Kims who led the DPRK, and thus, how the North’s completely abandoning that goal has profoundly changed the strategic landscape in and around Korea,” they write. So Carlin and Hecker implicitly blame Washington for the North’s abandonment of hope to improve relations, something that was especially evident after the Hanoi summit between Trump and Kim in February 2019.
Not everyone agrees that Kim is going to war soon. “This is just justification for more appeasement,” Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, told me, referring to the Carlin and Hecker piece.
Scarlatoiu is correct—Carlin and Hecker fail to mention North Korean hostility, duplicity, and belligerence during the negotiations with the Trump administration—but there is no doubt that something is up in Pyongyang. As Thomas Schafer of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy and a former German ambassador to North Korea wrote, “Recently, there has been an increase in this kind of violent language.”
Why is the regime raising tensions? As an initial matter, conditions in North Korea now are extremely poor. Despite reports of an uptick—the South’s Bank of Korea estimates that the North’s economy expanded 3.1% in 2023, breaking three years of contraction—there are on-the-ground reports of general misery and starvation. “Things are really dire inside North Korea,” David Maxwell of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy told CBS Eye on the World in July. Maxwell, who served five tours of duty in South Korea with the U.S. Army, said Kim and his partner in governance, sister Kim Yo Jong, “are faced with tremendous internal stress right now.”
Things are so bad, Maxwell reports, that Kim Jong Un has never traveled to the northeastern part of his country. One of the indicators of instability, he notes, “is the inability of the Party to govern all of North Korea.” That means, after more than a decade of Kim’s rule—he succeeded his father, who died in 2011—he has not been able to extend government and Party control to all of the DPRK.
“In absolute terms, food insecurity today is comparable to the time of the great famine of the 1990s,” Scarlatoiu wrote to me in July, referring to the time when something on the order of two to three million North Koreans starved to death. “In absolute terms, not as many people are dying, as they have developed coping mechanisms that enable them to survive despite the deeply flawed policies of the Kim regime.”
“Now the suffering may not be as bad as the Arduous March of the famine of ‘94 to ’96, but it’s heading that way because of Kim Jong Un’s deliberate policy decisions,” Maxwell told CBS. Kim has acknowledged the increasingly grave situation. In January, he admitted that his regime was unable “to provide even basic necessities such as basic foodstuffs, groceries, and consumer goods to the local people.”
Kim’s solution, echoing policies of this grandfather, is to take the country in the wrong direction. He is now in the process of centralizing the economy by grabbing authority from local officials, a prominent feature of his newly announced Regional Development 20×10 Policy. Kim, inspecting plans for a local fishery in the eastern coastal city of Sinpho in July, said progress can be made “only when the state provides all conditions and possibilities for the economic growth in the regional areas in a responsible manner.” He said his personal guidance was necessary.
Kim can issues diktats, but, as Maxwell says, “the people know a lot more, and of course the existential threat to the regime is not only information but information about South Korea and South Korea itself as the example of what their life could be.” Pyongyang can call the South’s culture a “vicious cancer,” but that’s not how North Koreans see it. The regime’s indoctrination of the young is failing, with South Korea TV shows and music remaining extremely popular.
Why does the world care about what happens in the walled-off North Korea? Among other things, Kim Jong Un is selling massive quantities of artillery shells and short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, his military is working with China and Russia, and he has been launching missiles and rockets at a fast pace. He is selling weapons to Iran’s proxies, especially Hamas. Kim has even made unprovoked, preemptive threats to launch nuclear weapons. Historically, desperate regimes have tried to keep themselves in power by doing desperate things, such as starting wars.
Until Kim can deliver prosperity, there will be a lot more executions in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. And if executions do not work, then maybe Carlin and Hecker will have been prescient all along: Kim Jong Un will go to war. As his father once said to his grandfather, “If we lose, I will destroy the world.”
Gordon G. Chang is the author of Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World and China Is Going to War. Follow him on X @GordonGChang
pacificresearch.org · by Gordon Chang · August 14, 2024
2. South Korea Sees US by Its Side Regardless of Who Is in White House
The headline references only one sentence from the article .The majority of the article is about escapees from north Korea. This is something that we need to pay close attention to. If Kim is "losing" the elite what does that mean for Kim's future?
I urge everyone to read Robert Collins' seminal work, "Patterns of Collapse." at this link: https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/pattern-collapse-north-korea
Editor’s Note: This work was originally researched and written by Robert Collins in 1995. His research while in graduate school at Dankook University in South Korea contributed to this. It has never been published in full although it is well known among the “Korea Watcher” community. It has been known by various names such as the Seven Phases or Stages of North Korean Regime Collapse. Robert Kaplan highlighted it in 2006 in an article for The Atlantic, “When North Korea Fails.” This will be included in a forthcoming larger report from the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (www.hrnk.org )
We need to be paying close attention to the indications and warnings of instability and potential regime collapse and we need to be dusting off and updating our contingency plans alongside our war plans.
And the best indications and warnings come from Robert Collins' Sven Phases of Regime Collapse. Study them.
South Korea Sees US by Its Side Regardless of Who Is in White House
- Vice unification minister says elite defections have climbed
- Kim Soo Kyung says North faces ‘critical damage’ after floods
By Shery Ahn and Soo-Hyang Choi
August 25, 2024 at 6:00 PM EDT
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/features/2024-08-25/putting-asia-first-could-cost-america-the-world?sref=hhjZtX76
South Korea’s government isn’t worried about which candidate wins the US presidential election since it expects to work with whoever takes the White House to confront the nuclear threat from North Korea, according to a senior official in Seoul.
Vice Unification Minister Kim Soo Kyung added in an interview with Bloomberg that while it has gotten far harder for North Koreans to escape the repressive state, there has been a jump in the flow of elites defecting to South Korea under Kim Jong Un’s regime.
Kim Soo KyungSource: Unification Ministry
Ahead of the US vote, some South Koreans have been worried about what they see as an omission in the Democratic Party’s platform when it comes to seeking North Korea’s denuclearization, she said, adding that the alliance between Washington and Seoul is stronger than ever.
“We are not that worried about what happens after the US election,” Kim said Friday, just hours after the Democrats concluded their national convention. Regardless of the outcome, “we are going to deter North Korea’s threat of nuclear weapons based on the strong alliance between two countries,” she said.
North Korea has refused talks with the US since 2019, after three in-person meetings between Kim Jong Un and then-President Donald Trump failed to curb Pyongyang’s atomic ambitions. It then shunned offers from President Joe Biden’s government for talks, while further bolstering its nuclear arsenal to counter what it saw as the “hostile intent” of the US and its political “puppets” in Seoul.
Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have since taken trilateral cooperation to new levels and enhanced joint training on scenarios such as defending against North Korea’s ballistic missiles and hunting for its submarines.
Earlier this month, Yoon made fresh approaches to North Korea, offering aid, dialogue and a path to unification to Pyongyang. But Kim’s regime has remained silent on the proposal.
Read more: South Korea’s Yoon Offers Rare Olive Branch to Kim Jong Un
North Korea’s state media has also rebuffed comments Trump made during the Republican National Convention touting his relationship with leader Kim, saying “we do not care” and warning that its nuclear arsenal stands ready for any US president. Pyongyang sees US policy toward it as remaining hostile regardless of who is in the White House, according to state media.
Kim Jong Un’s regime has also seen far more of its elite defect to South Korea during his 12 years in power compared to that of the rule of his father, Kim Jong Il, who ran the state for about 17 years, the vice unification minister said.
“The number of these elite group defectors is now increasing fast,” she said, adding there were about 10 last year to total around 150 under Kim Jong Un. These include diplomats, business executives and students able to leave the country and then seeking asylum.
The most recent case that came to light was the defection of a senior North Korean diplomat based in Cuba.
Bloomberg Originals explores how North Korea managed to build a formidable nuclear arsenal despite being one of the poorest nations in the world.
The total number of defectors to South Korea has dropped sharply from a peak of 2,914 in 2009 after China and North Korea clamped down on the border and Kim sealed off the country during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through June this year, 105 people defected to South Korea, according to data from the Unification Ministry.
“This means that there is a high demand for defection, but it is really hard, hard to cross the border because North Korea is tightening control,” the vice minister said, referring to the typical route of crossing the border into China and seeking passage to a third country.
“The brokerage fee is skyrocketing because it’s almost impossible to cross,” she said.
Kim Jong Un is also facing a rare test of his rule after flooding in late July devastated a northwest area near the border with China, likely leading to numerous casualties. North Korea has been silent on the death toll, instead focusing on imagery of Kim at the forefront of relief efforts.
Read more: Kim Wades Into North Korean Floods in Hands-On Propaganda Drive
“We believe that there is critical damage to the North Korean society and the North Korean authorities are much concerned about it,” the vice minister said.
— With assistance from Shinhye Kang
3. Kim Jong Un inspects new ‘suicide drones,’ urges incorporation of AI
Excerpts:
At the reported test on Saturday, Kim urged production of small drones that can be used against “any enemy target” by ordinary troops or special forces units, and added that this included “nuclear torpedoes” and other underwater unmanned vehicles (UUVs) under development.
Kim reportedly said North Korea “must actively introduce artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the development of drones.”
Kim Jong Un inspects new ‘suicide drones,’ urges incorporation of AI
North Korean leader also inspected national '20x10' factory project sites over weekend, according to state media
https://www.nknews.org/2024/08/kim-jong-un-inspects-new-suicide-drones-urges-incorporation-of-ai/
Colin Zwirko August 26, 2024
Kim Jong Un inspects small "suicide drones" | Image: Rodong Sinmun (Aug. 26, 2024)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected small new “suicide drones” and urged the military to incorporate artificial intelligence in their development, according to state media on Monday.
He also inspected local light-industry factory construction as part of the national “20×10” project over the weekend, the Rodong Sinmun reported.
Photos showed Kim inspecting at least two distinct small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or loitering munitions, while the report stated they “flew on set routes and all accurately identified and struck their targets.”
At the reported test on Saturday, Kim urged production of small drones that can be used against “any enemy target” by ordinary troops or special forces units, and added that this included “nuclear torpedoes” and other underwater unmanned vehicles (UUVs) under development.
Kim Jong Un inspects small “suicide drones” | Image: Rodong Sinmun (Aug. 26, 2024)
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Kim reportedly said North Korea “must actively introduce artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the development of drones.”
Other countries have already started incorporating AI into the use of loitering munitions. For example, Ukraine has reportedly utilized AI lock onto Russian targets, freeing up drone pilots after manual target identification.
The technology exists to utilize “deep learning” to even identify targets initially, according to the New York Times, though the international debate on rules for using this type of AI in warfare is ongoing.
Kim told the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defense Science to “more intensively conduct tests” of the new UAVs and in order to “equip People’s Army units with them as early as possible.”
State media photos show that one of North Korea’s new small UAVs was launched from a tube with its wings unfolding afterward, similar to some anti-tank guided missiles. Another had fixed wings and appeared similar to the Israeli Harop drone, the photos suggest.
Read More: Explainer: How North Korea is developing drones into weapons of war
The drones were blurred in the photos, but two images showed a mockup of a tank exploding and another flying toward a target.
State TV might release video footage later, but sometimes only publishes still images for sensitive developments. It will be difficult to verify North Korea’s claims without video of the flight and target testing.
NK News analysis of state media photos suggests Kim inspected the new drones at Panghyon Airbase in North Phyongan Province — the same location where he oversaw apparent testing for new larger combat and reconnaissance drones last summer.
Monday’s report did not mention a new construction project to expand the base and possibly build new hangars.
It is the first appearance of small UAVs in state media in years, and they appear similar to ones seen in the background on display during a weapons expo in Pyongyang in Oct. 2021.
South Korea has also focused on preparing to repel small North Korean UAVs after a significant DPRK drone operation across the border Dec. 2022.
A collage of shots showing apparent drone prototypes on display at a missile expo in Pyongyang in Oct. 2021 | Image: KCTV (Oct. 12, 2021)
Kim’s customized observation room, which seems to fold out from a modified shipping container, appears to have been situated along the northern edge of the Panghyon Airbase runway across from a parallel tree line. The annotated satellite image at the top shows matching ridge lines looking northwest from the runway, though the precise location of the observation room on the runway is unclear. | Images: Rodong Sinmun (Aug. 26, 2024), Google Earth, edited by NK News
20×10 PROJECT INSPECTION
The DPRK leader also inspected new light industry factories and ordered a major new nationwide construction project to build “modern hospitals, sci-tech learning centers and grain management stations in every city and county,” according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The factories are part of the “Regional Development 20×10 Policy” which started this year, involving the military building new clusters of factories producing consumer goods in 20 counties across the country annually for the next 10 years.
KCNA claimed on Monday that “the overall construction project has been carried out at over 80 percent” already for the first year despite “harsh” economic conditions.
Kim Jong Un inspecting factories in Songchon under the 20×10 project | Images: Rodong Sinmun (Aug. 26, 2024)
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Photos show Kim looking around construction sites in at least two locations: One was Songchon County of South Phyongan Province, where he attended a groundbreaking ceremony in February to kick off the 20×10 project and apologize to the nation for neglecting economic development during his first decade in power.
The other appears to be in Kusong, North Phyongan Province, near the airbase where the drone testing took place. This suggests he started his two-day tour there on Saturday before moving to Songchon on Sunday.
Kim called for “comprehensive development of all regions at the same time” to make a “remarkable improvement in the regional economy and people’s living standard,” adding at least three “huge” projects for the military to carry out across the country.
The first and “most essential task to be fulfilled without fail” will be to “successfully build large-scale modern hospitals in cities and counties of the regions, where the modernization level of public health faculties are relatively lower than those of the capital city.”
He said “sci-tech learning centers” must also be built “in every city and county and disseminate knowledge needed in various fields,” leading to “urbanizing rural villages” and making rural people more “progressive and well-versed in science and technology.”
New facilities for “processing and storing grain (grain management stations) … should be completely rebuilt under the direct control of the state,” the DPRK leader added, in order to “properly store and manage grain harvested with much effort without waste.”
The three new projects will be discussed at a party plenum in December, KCNA said, and carried out over subsequent years similar to the 20×10 project’s annual goals.
Edited by Arius Derr
Updated on Aug. 26 at 8:31 a.m. KST with analysis on the location of the test and at 11:54 a.m. with additional background details. Corrected at 11:41 a.m. to say at least two types of drones appeared in the report, not four.
4. In rare break with China, North Korea objects to telecoms plan by border
Could this be exploited in some way?
Excerpts:
North Korea said that some of the proposed radio stations are "located in the border areas" with the country and it expressed "objection to the registration of those FM stations" in the email dated July 24.
Of the 191, 17 stations including those in Dandong, a border city in northeastern China, could cause "serious interference," it said.
Beijing "has never made request for advance coordination" and the move would constitute an "infringement" of an ITU guideline as well as a bilateral agreement signed in 1981, Pyongyang said. Details about the bilateral accord are unknown.
In rare break with China, North Korea objects to telecoms plan by border
KYODO NEWS - 20 hours ago - 16:23 | World, All
english.kyodonews.net · by KYODO NEWS
North Korea took a stance opposing China's plans to install telecommunication facilities near the border in a recent email to an international frequency management organization, a rare revelation of Pyongyang's diplomatic action to express dissatisfaction with Beijing.
According to the email read by Kyodo News, North Korea also complained that China failed to consult with it about the plans in advance, a sign that the two countries long known for close economic ties may have a looming problem in bilateral communication.
The dispute occurred after the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union made the information about terrestrial networks available to relevant countries in June, including China's plan to set up 191 facilities for purposes such as FM radio broadcasting.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of relations between North Korea and China, its longtime economic benefactor.
But Pyongyang has sought closer ties with Russia, especially in the defense sector, through activities such as sealing a strategic partnership treaty in June between its leader Kim Jong Un and President Vladimir Putin, a move diplomatic sources in Beijing said displeased China.
North Korea said that some of the proposed radio stations are "located in the border areas" with the country and it expressed "objection to the registration of those FM stations" in the email dated July 24.
Of the 191, 17 stations including those in Dandong, a border city in northeastern China, could cause "serious interference," it said.
Photo taken on Aug. 12, 2024, shows the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge (L) over the Yalu River that connects the Chinese city of Dandong (in front) and the North Korean city of Sinuiju. (Kyodo)
Beijing "has never made request for advance coordination" and the move would constitute an "infringement" of an ITU guideline as well as a bilateral agreement signed in 1981, Pyongyang said. Details about the bilateral accord are unknown.
Atsuhito Isozaki, an expert on North Korean politics, said, "It is a rare occurrence that a confrontation between China and North Korea has been revealed," and that possible signals of worsening ties were also seen in reporting patterns by Pyongyang's official newspaper.
The Rodong Sinmun has not mentioned Chinese President Xi Jinping or the 75th anniversary of the bilateral ties since months ago, the professor at Keio University in Japan said, adding that the current status of relations does not seem to be "normal."
Japan, the United States and South Korea expressed "grave concern over the increasing military and economic cooperation commitment" between Pyongyang and Moscow during their defense ministerial talks last month.
english.kyodonews.net · by KYODO NEWS
5.S. Korea, U.S. to hold 7th round of talks on defense cost sharing this week
S. Korea, U.S. to hold 7th round of talks on defense cost sharing this week | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · August 26, 2024
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will hold their seventh round of negotiations in Seoul this week on determining Seoul's share of the cost for stationing the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), official said Monday.
The talks are set to take place from Tuesday through Thursday, led by the chief negotiators -- Lee Tae-woo of South Korea and Linda Specht representing the United States -- as the allies work to renew the current six-year deal, which will expire at the end of next year.
Under the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), Seoul has since 1991 partially shared the cost for Korean USFK workers; the construction of military installations, such as barracks, as well as training, educational, operational and communications facilities; and other logistical support.
The latest negotiations were launched in April as South Korea is seeking to strike an early deal to apparently avoid tough bargaining if former U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Under Trump's presidency, Washington had demanded more than a fivefold increase in Seoul's payment to US$5 billion.
South Korea has called for an agreement that will set its share at "a reasonable level," and the U.S. has stressed the goal of reaching "a mutually acceptable" deal.
The current SMA committed South Korea to paying $1.03 billion for 2021, a 13.9 percent increase from 2019, and increasing the payment every year for the subsequent four years in line with the rise in Seoul's defense spending.
In this file photo, an official of the U.S. delegation arrives at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul to hold the fourth round of negotiations on the South Korea-U.S. defense cost sharing on June 25, 2024. (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · August 26, 2024
6. N. Korean leader orders construction of more hospitals in regional development efforts
How long did it take for them to build the top priority new hospital in Pyongyang? Is it even completed?
N. Korean leader orders construction of more hospitals in regional development efforts | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · August 26, 2024
By Kim Han-joo
SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the construction of more modern hospitals as part of ongoing efforts to develop underdeveloped regions outside of Pyongyang, state media reported Monday.
The direction was issued during Kim's visit to various regional factories currently under construction on Saturday and Sunday, where he "put forth a new policy to accelerate the implementation of the historic mission of regional rejuvenation," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) visits construction sites for industrial factories from Aug. 24-25, 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)
North Korea has been prioritizing economic development in backward provinces, following Kim's commitment to modernizing factories in 20 counties over the next decade. The so-called regional development 20-10 policy aims to raise what the regime refers to as the basic material and cultural living standards of the people.
The KCNA reported that the new policy includes the construction of additional public health facilities, science and technology learning centers, and grain management stations, in addition to the ongoing development of regional industry factories.
During his visit, Kim expressed satisfaction with the progress, noting that the overall construction project has been completed at over 80 percent.
Kim was accompanied on his field inspection by Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, Jo Yong-won, secretary for organizational affairs, as well as other officials.
khj@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · August 26, 2024
7. Smile at your peril: N. Korea assesses ideological weaknesses of Olympics athletes
No matter how much I study north Korea and learn of its ways, I am still shocked by the cruelty of the regime and its attempt to control every aspect of every person's life, especially "thought," in north Korea.
Smile at your peril: N. Korea assesses ideological weaknesses of Olympics athletes - Daily NK English
Athletes who competed in the Paris Olympics endure rigorous assessments for potential "contamination" by foreign influences
By Seulkee Jang - August 26, 2024
dailynk.com · by Seulkee Jang · August 26, 2024
Bronze medalists South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin and silver medalists North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong take a “victory selfie” with a Samsung mobile phone at the awards ceremony for the table tennis mixed doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics at South Paris Arena 4 on July 30. Photograph=Yonhap News
North Korean athletes who competed in the Paris Summer Olympics are being scrutinized for any ideological shortcomings in Pyongyang, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking anonymously, a high-ranking source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Wednesday that the athletes and members of the North Korean Olympic committee have been undergoing an ideological review in Pyongyang after returning home on Aug. 15.
In North Korea, it is typical for athletes who participate in international competitions to undergo three rounds of assessment. These assessments are conducted by the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports, and the athletes themselves. This year’s Olympic athletes are no exception.
“The assessment begins the moment the athletes return home. They have to ‘scrub’ their ideology as soon as possible,” the source explained. The reference to “ideological scrubbing” reflects how, in North Korea, simply spending time overseas is thought to “contaminate” people in the form of exposure to nonsocialist cultures.
No stone left unturned
The first assessment is managed by the sports bureau of the Central Committee’s Propaganda and Agitation Department.
The assessment investigates the athletes’ behavior from an ideological perspective when they leave the country for the Olympics until they return. Officials aim to uncover any behavior that contradicts party directives or propaganda, and punishment is administered for any problematic behavior.
Before setting out for the Paris Olympics, the athletes were forbidden to contact any foreign athletes, including South Korean athletes. As a result, athletes found to have violated that prohibition may be punished.
The first assessment is followed by one conducted by the Cabinet’s Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports. This investigation assesses the athletes’ performance compared to past international events, and decisions are made on whether they receive commendations.
Athletes who perform poorly may face criticism and even punishment. In the past, athletes who have failed to meet expectations have been sentenced to several months of unpaid labor.
After these two investigations, the athletes conduct mutual criticism and self-criticism. During public struggle sessions, the athletes confess their inappropriate behavior and criticize the wrong-headed words and actions of other athletes they witnessed during the Olympics.
North Korean athletes who make contact with athletes from other countries must acknowledge their wrongdoing in the sessions if they wish to avoid political and legal consequences in the future.
Two athletes may face punishment for selfies
The source told Daily NK that party officials received a report containing a negative ideological assessment of table tennis athletes Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, who competed in the mixed doubles category at the Olympics. Ri and Kim, who won the silver medal in the event, entered the global spotlight by taking selfies with their South Korean and Chinese rivals at the Olympics.
The scene of Ri and Kim taking a selfie on the podium with South Korean bronze medalists Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin and Chinese gold medalists Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha was widely regarded as a touching moment — international media even named it one of the top ten moments in the Olympics. North Korean officialdom, however, views the moment as a misstep, which could lead to severe consequences for the athletes.
The report notes critically that Ri and Kim were “grinning” while standing next to athletes from South Korea, which the North Korean authorities have named the country’s number-one enemy.
The report called out Kim for smiling when the selfie was taken and Ri for taking a long moment to smile at athletes from other countries after stepping down from the podium.
Whether the North Korean authorities will punish Kim and Ri or let them off lightly with a warning or self-criticism remains to be seen.
These ideological assessments of the Olympic athletes and committee members are expected to last a month.
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com · by Seulkee Jang · August 26, 2024
8. Editorial: DPK's Dokdo focus could unintentionally support Japan's case
Troubling on multiple levels and on both sides.
Editorial: DPK's Dokdo focus could unintentionally support Japan's case
https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion-en/2024/08/26/ZVZ26IGKZNG65LMLCE77UBSFDE/
By The Chosunilbo
Published 2024.08.26. 09:05
The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has launched an investigation, accusing the Yoon Suk-yeol administration of systematically trying to “erase” Dokdo from public consciousness. The decision to investigate, initiated on Aug. 25, came directly from DPK leader Lee Jae-myung, who is currently hospitalized with COVID-19.
The investigation seeks to determine whether the recent removal of Dokdo sculptures at Anguk Station, Jamsil Station, and the War Memorial of Korea is part of a coordinated government effort to downplay the significance of Dokdo.
Seoul Metro said the Dokdo models at Anguk and Jamsil stations were removed because they obstructed passenger flow, noting that the installations had been in place for more than 15 years. In response to criticism from the opposition, which accused the government of trying to “erase Dokdo,” Seoul Metro announced plans to install new Dokdo sculptures soon. Concerns were also raised about the removal of a Dokdo sculpture displayed for 12 years at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan. The War Memorial said the piece, along with other outdated exhibits, is currently in storage and will be reinstalled after restoration.
The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Lee Jae-myung./News1
The DPK suspects the presidential office may have directed the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of National Defense’s War Memorial of Korea Association to carry out this so-called “erasure” of Dokdo. However, since South Korea already has effective control over Dokdo, there is no need for constant displays of territorial claims, especially in places like subway stations, which do not significantly influence the country’s stance on the issue.
The DPK’s focus on this matter could inadvertently play into Japan’s strategy, making Dokdo appear as a disputed territory and increasing the chances of the issue being brought to the International Court of Justice.
In their fervor to oppose Japan, the DPK may be interpreting the replacement of outdated facilities as a pro-Japan move. The situation escalated when DPK leaders publicly claimed that the Yoon administration was attempting to “surrender Dokdo to Japan,” leading to the spread of fake news online, including a false claim that a Dokdo model had been removed from the National Library of Korea’s Ancient Documents Room, where no such model ever existed.
Recently, the DPK led a controversy over “National Foundation Day” during this year’s Liberation Day celebrations, despite the government’s stance against pursuing such a proposal. This approach mirrors their actions a year ago when they stirred public fear by spreading rumors about Fukushima’s contaminated water, causing significant national unrest and damage. Now, they seem poised to make Dokdo a focal point of their anti-Japan campaign, potentially turning it into an annual event.
9. Yoon, U.S. Senate's armed service committee chief discuss alliance, N.K. threats
I hope the strong bipartisan Congressional support for the alliance we have always benefited from can be sustained.
Yoon, U.S. Senate's armed service committee chief discuss alliance, N.K. threats | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · August 26, 2024
SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol met with the head of the U.S. Senate's armed service committee Monday to discuss ways to bolster the combined defense posture against North Korean threats, his office said.
During the talks with U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) in Seoul, Yoon stressed the need to advance the bilateral alliance and trilateral cooperation involving Japan to effectively deter North Korean threats, the presidential office said.
Yoon also asked for continued support from the U.S. Congress in strengthening Washington's extended deterrence commitment, the office added.
Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. use of the full range of its capabilities, including nuclear options, to defend an ally.
"South Korea and the U.S. should keep working together for the complete denuclearization of North Korea and demonstrate the robust deterrence posture based on the ironclad combined defense as North Korea continues provocations and refuses dialogue," Yoon said.
Reed assured Yoon of the unwavering bipartisan support for the alliance within the U.S. Congress and expressed hope for the deepening of defense industry cooperation, including the construction and maintenance of naval vessels, as well as those in advanced fields, such as semiconductors and quantum technology, according to the office.
President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) shakes hands with Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the U.S. Senate's armed services committee, during their meeting at the presidential office in Seoul on Aug. 26, 2024, in this photo provided by Yoon's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · August 26, 2024
10. Gov't plans to invest 30 tln won in AI, chips, other advanced technologies over next 5 years
Gov't plans to invest 30 tln won in AI, chips, other advanced technologies over next 5 years | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · August 26, 2024
SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- The government plans to invest 30 trillion won (US$22.6 billion) in artificial intelligence, semiconductor and other advanced technologies over the next five years, the science ministry said Monday.
The pan-government investment plan was unveiled at a meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science & Technology earlier in the day, ministry officials said.
Other advanced technologies include rechargeable batteries, aerospace and ocean engineering, and next-generation communications.
This illustration depicts research and development projects. (Yonhap)
nyway@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · August 26, 2024
11. S. Korea, U.S. stage live-fire air drills amid N.K. threats
Allied air power is the most feared military capability in the north. The only thing that Kim Jong Un fears more than the lethal capabilities of alliance air power is the Korean people in the north.
Of course the Propaganda and Agitation Department will try to exploit this to demonstrate the external threat the regime needs to justify the suffering and sacrifices caused by Kim Jong Un's deliberate policy decisions to prioritize support to the elite, nuclear weapons and missile development, and protection of the regime over the welfare of the people.
(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. stage live-fire air drills amid N.K. threats | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · August 26, 2024
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in last 3 paras; CHANGES, ADDS photos)
SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States began a joint live-fire aerial exercise Monday, the South Korean Air Force said, in the latest move to reinforce capabilities to counter North Korean threats.
The three-day exercise got under way earlier in the day over waters off South Korea's western coast, mobilizing some 60 military planes, including South Korea's F-35A, F-15K and KF-16 fighters and U.S. A-10 attack aircraft, according to the Air Force.
A South Korean F-35A fighter jet fires an AIM-120C air-to-air missile over waters off the country's west coast on Aug. 26, 2024, in this photo provided by the Air Force. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
It said the exercise is designed to inspect response procedures to simultaneous air and land provocations by the North, such as cruise missile launches and long-range artillery firings.
During this week's drills, F-35As and F-15Ks will practice firing missiles to neutralize aerial targets, while KF-16s and U.S. A-10 aircraft will drop air-to-ground weapons to destroy simulated origins of provocation by the enemy.
On Monday, the F-35As fired AIM-120C medium-range air-to-air missiles, while the KF-16s dropped GBU-31 joint direct attack munitions that can penetrate 1-meter-thick reinforced concrete, the Air Force said.
"We will maintain a strong posture to immediately respond to any provocations by the enemy," Maj. Cha Seung-min, a South Korean pilot who participated in the drills, said in a release.
The live-fire exercise is taking place in conjunction with the allies' 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise set to conclude Thursday. North Korea has long denounced joint drills between South Korea and the United States as rehearsals for an invasion against it.
Later in the day, Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo visited the headquarters of the armed forces in Gyeryong, some 145 kilometers south of Seoul, to inspect the ongoing UFS exercise.
At the headquarters, Kim called for integrating the military and the government's efforts to sustain support for troops during wartime, according to the JCS.
Based on an all-out war scenario, the UFS exercise reflects threats across all domains, including those posed by North Korean missiles, as well as lessons learned from recent armed conflicts.
A South Korean KF-16 fighter jet drops a GBU-31 bomb over waters off the country's west coast on Aug. 26, 2024, in this photo provided by the Air Force. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · August 26, 2024
12. Korea, U.S. begin division-level combined amphibious landing drill
Of course the combined Marine capabilities are also read by Kim Jogn Un because it sends the message to him that "we are coming for you." The allied ability to land Amriens at the time and place of our choosing creates another dilemma for Kim should he be foolish enough to attack the South. The allied response to an invasion of the South will be devastating for the regime.
Korea, U.S. begin division-level combined amphibious landing drill
donga.com
Posted August. 26, 2024 07:42,
Updated August. 26, 2024 07:42
Korea, U.S. begin division-level combined amphibious landing drill. August. 26, 2024 07:42. by Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com.
The Navy and Marine Corps of South Korea and the United States are set to hold the 2024 Ssangyong exercise this Monday through next Saturday around Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province and on the country's eastern coast.
As part of the Ulchi Freedom Shield, a KORUS combined military drill, the Ssangyong exercise is conducted amphibiously at the division level. To better respond to any emergencies such as Pyongyang’s full-scale invasion, the two nations’ Navy and Marine Corps practice a scenario where they secure a beachhead on the east coast to put large-scale combined forces into the rear area of North Korea for an inland advance. The regime has previously been upset by the drill that it criticized as a “war game to invade in Pyongyang.” After the Ssangyong drill was put to a halt in 2008 due to denuclearization negotiations under the Moon administration, it was resumed last year to upgrade from the brigade to the division level.
More than 40 ships are ready for the upcoming combined drill, including the amphibious assault ship Boxer of the U.S. Navy and two large-scale transport ships of South Korea. Likewise, it involves over 40 aircraft, such as the F-35B of the U.S. Marine Corps - an aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing – and the ROK Navy’s amphibious helicopter, and 40 amphibious assault armored vehicles. A total of 10,000 forces or so are set to participate. The British Commandos, which first joined the drill last year, will contribute this year as well.
한국어
donga.com
13. Former senior North Korean diplomat to Cuba admits he was 'embarrassed' to represent regime
I recall listening to Thae Yong Ho after he defected as the Deputy Ambassador for the DPRK to the UK. One statement that has stuck with me is that he could no longer explain the contradictions that are the Kim family regime.
I hope we are getting Ri Il-gyu's message back into the north so the elite and the Korean people can hear or read it.
Monday
August 26, 2024
dictionary + A - A
Former senior North Korean diplomat to Cuba admits he was 'embarrassed' to represent regime
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-08-26/national/northKorea/Former-senior-North-Korean-diplomat-to-Cuba-admits-he-was-embarrassed-to-represent-regime/2120803
Published: 26 Aug. 2024, 18:46
- SEO JI-EUN
- seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr
Ri Il-gyu, a former counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba who defected to the South in November, left, speaks about "Hereditary Succession and Isolated Diplomacy" during a forum held at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Monday. [NEWS1]
Ri Il-gyu, a former high-ranking North Korean diplomat who defected to the South in November, made his first public appearance on Monday, where he described the "embarrassment" he felt while representing the regime abroad.
Speaking at the North Korea and Unification forum held at the National Assembly, the former counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba, recounted how North Koreans would remove their badges, which bear the image of the country's leaders and symbolize loyalty to the ruling Kim family, before going outside.
"The question I hated most was when people asked which country I was from," Ri said. "How could I feel pride in a country I was ashamed of?"
Ri is the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to escape to the South since 2016.
Ri is known as a "veteran" diplomat on Latin American affairs. He served two terms in Cuba, a South American nation known for its longstanding relationship with North Korea. He even received a commendation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for his role.
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"I decided to defect because I became disillusioned with the North Korean regime and saw no future," he said.
The forum was organized by the president's People Power Party lawmakers Kwon Young-se and Kim Ki-woong — both of whom served as minister and vice minister of unification under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.
Tae Yong-ho, the highest-ranking North Korean defector now serving as secretary general of the South's Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, also attended the event.
"I used to play ping-pong with Ri during lunch breaks, trying to beat him, but I never won," Tae said. "Since my defection in 2016, more high-ranking diplomats have defected, and I'm curious about the changing reality in North Korea."
In his lecture, "Hereditary Succession and Isolated Diplomacy," Ri analyzed how North Korea’s isolationist and aggressive diplomacy has intensified under Kim Jong-un.
"During the four nuclear tests, North Korea pursued high-pressure diplomacy, ignoring any negotiations or international cooperation," Ri said. He further noted that the primary strategy during Kim's era was to promote nuclear power and the greatness of the strongman.
Ri also addressed the issue of false reporting by North Korean diplomats, which he said was commonplace for internal propaganda purposes.
"Even countries with strong pro-North Korea sentiments now dislike having the same treatment as the state condemned for its nuclear and missile programs," Ri said. "They refrain from supporting or empathizing with North Korea, even when diplomats try to explain.
"North Korea manipulates these situations, inducing statements of support or positions that were never made, and then publicizes them through the [state media] Korean Central News Agency as if the international community supports North Korea," Ri said.
"Ridiculous orders were given, and there was nothing we could do. When asked whether I was from 'South' or 'North,' it was humiliating to say 'North,'" Ri continued.
Ri concluded his speech by emphasizing the importance of engaging neighboring countries as part of a strategy for Korean reunification.
"I believe one of the biggest reasons is that the four countries with strategic influence on the Korean Peninsula do not desire reunification," Ri said. "South Korea needs to consistently persuade the international community to pressure Kim that he must change."
He also predicted that expanding the dissemination of external news through platforms like social media could significantly impact North Korea.
"In an environment where people distrust and monitor each other, having a tool like social media that allows individuals to confirm their thoughts could threaten the North Korean regime," he suggested.
BY LEE CHANG-HOON,SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]
14. North's latest missile launchers could put half of South in range: NIS
Monday
August 26, 2024
dictionary + A - A
North's latest missile launchers could put half of South in range: NIS
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/north-korea-suicide-drone-08252024233638.html
Published: 26 Aug. 2024, 18:49
- MICHAEL LEE
- lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks at a ceremony in Pyongyang marking the front-line deployment of what he described as ″a new type of tactical missile launchers″ in this photo released by the regime's state-controlled media on Aug. 5. [YONHAP]
South Korea's spy agency believes the range of the North's latest missile launchers could extend to the central Chungcheong region but expressed doubt that the regime could supply missiles to all of the launchers, lawmakers said Monday.
“Even if North Korea possesses 250 launchers as reported by state media, we have doubts about whether the regime can adequately supply them with missiles,” the National Intelligence Service told lawmakers on the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee, according to Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) and Rep. Park Sun-won of the liberal Democratic Party (DP).
The lawmakers said the spy agency believes the North is producing missiles and other weapons systems to supply Russia and that the regime “may have difficulty supplying their [own] launchers.”
Pyongyang’s state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Aug. 5 that regime leader Kim Jong-un attended a ceremony to celebrate the front-line deployment of 250 transporter erector launchers (TEL), which he described as a “new type of tactical missile launcher.”
Each TEL can fire four missiles at once, according to the KCNA.
The spy agency told lawmakers that the missiles fired by launchers positioned along the border could likely fly around 110 kilometers (68 miles), placing the Chungcheong provinces south of Seoul within range.
Related Article
According to Park, the NIS expressed concerns “about the possibility that 250 TELs could soon be deployed to the [inter-Korean] border,” and acknowledged the South could face “renewed pressure regarding its defense posture.”
The spy agency also said that Jagang Province “suffered the most material damage” during recent floods that affected regions along the Yalu River, but that Kim probably visited neighboring North Pyongan Province to avoid drawing attention to military facilities concentrated in Jagang.
The DP lawmaker added that the NIS believes Kim visited North Pyongan Province and invited its residents to Pyongyang to “to bolster confidence in the regime.”
Although South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called on Pyongyang to engage in talks with Seoul in his Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15, his proposal for a working group of officials from both Koreas has been met with silence from the North.
Pyongyang has also not given a response to the recent offer of flood relief from Seoul’s Unification Ministry.
By contrast, the North’s media reported on Aug. 16 that regime leader Kim Jong-un responded to a congratulatory message from Russian President Vladimir Putin marking the 79th anniversary of the end of Japan’s colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula.
According to the KCNA, Putin promised to continue implementing the strategic partnership treaty he signed with Kim in June, which includes a mutual defense clause.
In his response, Kim noted that the North and Russia “forged and deepened” their ties by fighting together against common enemies and that both countries would develop into “powerful states” in a “new multipolar world,” according to the KCNA.
The NIS also told lawmakers that Moscow offered to send flood relief supplies, which was met with a message of gratitude from Kim.
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
15. National Intelligence Service: “Questions about North Korea’s ability to procure missiles for 250 launchers”
Can they produce them or not? They certainly want us to believe that to support its blackmail diplomacy and political warfare strategies. . All warfare is based on deception.
This is a Google translation of an RFA report.
National Intelligence Service: “Questions about North Korea’s ability to procure missiles for 250 launchers”
https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/k082624my1-08262024043329.html
Seoul-Mokyongjae moky@rfa.org
2024.08.26
North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un attended a ceremony to commemorate the handover of a new tactical ballistic missile system with his daughter Ju Ae on the 4th and gave a speech, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 5th.
federation
Anchor : Earlier this month, North Korea unveiled 250 transporter erector launchers (TELs) , and South Korea's National Intelligence Service expressed a negative stance on whether North Korea could possibly procure missiles to operate launchers of this scale . Reporter Mok Yong-jae reports from Seoul .
North Korean media reported on the 5th that a ceremony was held in Pyongyang to deliver 250 mobile missile launchers (TELs) produced at key military enterprises to frontline units along the border .
The North Korean launcher identified at the time was believed to be for the Hwasong -11 La , a short-range ballistic missile with an estimated range of 110 km . The number of launchers in North Korea's possession, estimated by the South Korean Ministry of National Defense in its 2022 Defense White Paper to be around 100 , more than double that number, drew attention at the time .
South Korea's National Intelligence Service expressed doubts at a plenary session of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on the 26th about whether North Korea would be able to secure missiles to operate all 250 missile launchers .
On this day, People Power Party lawmaker Lee Seong-gwon and Democratic Party lawmaker Park Seon-won, who received a report on the matter from the National Intelligence Service at the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, met with reporters and relayed the NIS's analysis .
The National Intelligence Service analyzed that it would be difficult to procure the amount of missiles necessary to operate missile launchers, saying, “ North Korea is operating missile and weapons production systems to provide weapons to Russia through military cooperation with Russia . ”
However, there were also concerns expressed by Park Sun-won, a member of the Democratic Party and floor leader of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, saying that the range of the short-range missiles that will be used on the launch pad could reach as far as South Korea's Chungcheong region .
Park Sun-won, Democratic Party of Korea : (The National Intelligence Service ) is concerned that the means of transport may soon be deployed to the front lines and deployed . We have acknowledged that a new burden has arisen regarding what kind of defense posture we should have .
North Korea also attracted attention by revealing a ' suicide drone ' through the media on the 26th .
North Korean media reported on the same day that General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Jong-un had conducted on-site guidance at the Academy of National Defense Science, saying , " ( Kim Jong-un ) said that we should develop and produce more strategic reconnaissance and multipurpose attack drones, as well as various suicide drones that can be used by tactical infantry and special operation units . "
North Korea threatens to deploy 250 missile launchers forward … South Korea: “ Performance verification required”
“Kim Jong-un’s flood inspection actually hinders relief efforts ”
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced at a press briefing on the 26th that they are continuously tracking and monitoring North Korea's weapons development trends, including drones .
The Joint Chiefs of Staff does not rule out the possibility that North Korea received support for the suicide drone from Russia .
Lee Chang-hyun, the director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Relations Office, said , “ I understand that ( Russia ) gave us some gifts during the North Korea-Russia exchange, ” and added, “ We need to analyze various methods , including whether there were performance improvements ( in what we received from Russia ) . ”
South Korea's Ministry of Unification is also closely monitoring the situation . Ministry of Unification Spokesperson Koo Byung-sam said at a press briefing on the 26th that this is the first time North Korea has revealed a suicide drone .
South Korea's Unification Ministry Spokesperson Koo Byung-sam : The government, together with relevant agencies, is closely analyzing North Korea's weapons development process . Regarding the suicide drone, the development of the drone itself is one of the major tasks according to North Korea's five -year plan for the development of defense science . This is the first time that a suicide drone has been revealed .
Meanwhile, South Korea's National Intelligence Service recently singled out Chagang Province as the region in North Korea that suffered the most actual damage among the flood-stricken areas, and evaluated it as peculiar that North Korea did not mention it .
The National Intelligence Service analyzed that the reason North Korean media did not mention Chagang Province, and in particular, that it was not included in General Secretary Kim Jong-un's itinerary, was " due to concerns that military facilities are concentrated in Chagang Province and that this could be exposed to the outside . "
Regarding General Secretary of the Workers' Party Kim Jong-un's invitation of residents of North Pyongan Province, rather than Chagang Province, to Pyongyang, it was analyzed as a measure taken for the purpose of system management and building trust in the Kim Jong-un regime .
The National Intelligence Service then revealed that General Secretary Kim Jong-un expressed gratitude for Russia's offer to provide flood relief .
This is Mok Yong-jae from RFA's Radio Free Asia in Seoul .
Editor Lee Hyun-joo
16. NATO’s Role in a Korean Contingency: Strategic Implications and Challenges
Perhaps the best way for like-minded democracies and European nations to contribute to Korean security might be through providing forces to the United Nations Command rather than a NATO commitment.
I don't think we would want another headquarters factored into the mix on the Korean peninsula – the ROK/US CFC as the main effort and only warfighting command, the UN Command as a force provider to the CFC. Would a NATO command as another force providing HQ complicate the situation?
Excerpt:
NATO’s involvement in a Korean contingency would mark a significant shift in the alliance’s role and responsibilities. While NATO has the capability to contribute to the security of the Korean Peninsula, its involvement would come with significant challenges and risks. The geopolitical complexities of East Asia, combined with NATO’s Eurocentric orientation, make this a delicate and potentially dangerous endeavor. However, as global security becomes increasingly interconnected, NATO may find that it has little choice but to engage in such contingencies, even in regions far from its traditional sphere of influence. The key will be for NATO to carefully balance its strategic interests, capabilities, and the risks involved, ensuring that any involvement in a Korean contingency supports global stability without overextending the alliance’s resources or provoking broader conflicts.
NATO’s Role in a Korean Contingency: Strategic Implications and Challenges
thediplomat.com
Involvement in a Korean contingency would mark a significant shift in NATO’s role and responsibilities.
By Jihoon Yu
August 23, 2024
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NATO, traditionally viewed as a transatlantic security alliance focused on Europe and North America, is increasingly confronting a world where regional conflicts have global repercussions, necessitating a broader role and expanded responsibilities. A potential flashpoint where NATO might be expected to play a role is in a Korean contingency – a crisis or conflict on the Korean Peninsula.
Historically, NATO has been a Eurocentric organization. It was formed in the aftermath of World War II to counter Soviet expansionism during the Cold War. However, the end of the Cold War and the emergence of new security threats have pushed NATO to reconsider its geographical and operational boundaries. The 9/11 attacks marked a significant turning point, as NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time, demonstrating its willingness to address threats beyond Europe. Since then, NATO has participated in missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, reflecting a shift toward a more global security role.
The Korean Peninsula, however, presents a unique set of challenges. Unlike the Middle East or North Africa, where NATO has intervened, East Asia is not a region where the alliance has a strong historical presence or established partnerships. The region is dominated by the strategic interests of the United States, China, and Russia, with South Korea and Japan as key regional allies of the U.S. NATO’s potential involvement in a Korean contingency would, therefore, represent a significant departure from its traditional focus.
NATO’s interest in the Korean Peninsula is primarily driven by the broader strategic interests of its leading member, the United States. A conflict in Korea could have far-reaching implications for global security, particularly given North Korea’s nuclear capabilities. A breakdown in security on the Korean Peninsula could lead to a regional arms race, destabilize global markets, and trigger a humanitarian crisis, all of which would have repercussions for NATO member states.
Moreover, NATO’s involvement in a Korean contingency could be seen as part of a broader effort to maintain the international rules-based order. North Korea’s repeated violations of international norms, including its nuclear weapons program and human rights abuses, challenge the principles that NATO seeks to uphold. By supporting its member states, particularly the United States, in a Korean contingency, NATO could reinforce its commitment to these global norms.
While NATO possesses considerable military capabilities, its ability to project power in East Asia is limited. The alliance’s command structures, logistics, and forces are primarily oriented toward Europe and the North Atlantic. Any significant NATO involvement in a Korean contingency would require substantial logistical support, long-range power projection, and the coordination of forces across vast distances. This could strain NATO’s resources and distract from its core mission of defending Europe.
Moreover, NATO’s decision-making process could complicate its involvement in a Korean crisis. NATO operates on a consensus basis, meaning that all member states must agree on any significant military action. In the case of a Korean contingency, this could be problematic. Some European members may be reluctant to engage in a conflict far from their borders, particularly if they perceive it as primarily a U.S. issue. This could lead to delays or even a lack of unity within the alliance.
The geopolitical environment in East Asia presents additional challenges for NATO. The region is characterized by intense rivalry between major powers, particularly the United States and China. China’s proximity to Korea and its strategic interests in maintaining a buffer state in North Korea mean that any NATO involvement could escalate tensions with Beijing. China would likely view NATO’s presence in the region as an unwelcome extension of Western influence and a threat to its own security.
Furthermore, Russia, another key player in the region, could also react negatively to NATO’s involvement in East Asia. Although Russia’s relationship with North Korea is less significant than China’s, Moscow has historically opposed NATO’s expansion and could see its involvement in a Korean contingency as further encroachment on its sphere of influence. Russia’s recent signing of a security treaty with North Korea increases the risk of a wider conflict, as it could lead to a broader confrontation between NATO and Russia.
Despite the significant challenges, NATO could potentially play several roles in a Korean contingency, ranging from direct military involvement to supportive non-combat operations.
One possibility is for NATO to provide direct military support to U.S. and South Korean forces. This support could include deploying air and naval power, bolstering missile defense systems, and sharing intelligence. However, such an approach would require a substantial commitment of resources from NATO and could risk escalating the conflict further, potentially drawing the alliance into a protracted and complex engagement.
Alternatively, NATO might focus on non-combat roles, such as offering humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and logistics support. This approach would enable NATO to contribute to regional stabilization efforts without becoming directly involved in military operations. By providing critical aid and infrastructure support, NATO could help mitigate the humanitarian impact of a conflict while maintaining a more restrained and supportive presence in the region.
NATO could also play a significant role in diplomatic and political efforts to resolve the conflict. By leveraging its influence, NATO could help build international coalitions aimed at pressuring North Korea through diplomatic channels and sanctions. This would align with NATO’s broader goal of upholding the international rules-based order, reinforcing global norms, and supporting peaceful resolutions to conflicts.
Additionally, given NATO’s increasing focus on cyber defense, the alliance could contribute to countering North Korea’s cyber capabilities and disinformation campaigns. By protecting critical infrastructure in the region and beyond, NATO could help prevent destabilizing cyberattacks and mitigate the influence of North Korean propaganda, thereby playing a crucial role in the information warfare aspect of the conflict.
NATO’s involvement in a Korean contingency would mark a significant shift in the alliance’s role and responsibilities. While NATO has the capability to contribute to the security of the Korean Peninsula, its involvement would come with significant challenges and risks. The geopolitical complexities of East Asia, combined with NATO’s Eurocentric orientation, make this a delicate and potentially dangerous endeavor. However, as global security becomes increasingly interconnected, NATO may find that it has little choice but to engage in such contingencies, even in regions far from its traditional sphere of influence. The key will be for NATO to carefully balance its strategic interests, capabilities, and the risks involved, ensuring that any involvement in a Korean contingency supports global stability without overextending the alliance’s resources or provoking broader conflicts.
Authors
Guest Author
Jihoon Yu
Jihoon Yu is a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. He was a member of Task Forces for South Korea’s light aircraft carrier project and Jangbogo-III submarine project. He is the main author of the ROK Navy’s Navy Vision 2045. His area of expertise includes the ROK-US alliance, the ROK-Europe security cooperation, Inter-Korean relations, national security, maritime security, hybrid-threats and strategic weapons systems. He earned his BA in International Relations from the ROK Naval Academy, MA in National Security Affairs from the US Naval Postgraduate School and PhD in Political Science from Syracuse University.
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17. Russian government VIP plane makes unannounced trip to North Korea
Half of the Dark Quad colluding.
Russian government VIP plane makes unannounced trip to North Korea
Flight may have transported trade delegation, while expert says uptick in air traffic points to ‘sensitive’ exchanges
https://www.nknews.org/2024/08/russian-government-vip-plane-makes-unannounced-trip-to-north-korea/
Anton Sokolin August 26, 2024
Russian Special Flight Squadron Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft (RA-85843) | Image: Toshiro Aoki (CC BY-SA 3.0), edited by NK News
A VIP Russian government jet made an unannounced trip to North Korea on Monday, possibly to transport a Russian trade delegation, in its second clandestine flight to the country this month.
Russia’s Special Flight Squadron Tupolev Tu-154 (tail number RA-85843) departed Vladivostok at 7:12 a.m. KST on Monday and reached Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport at 8:15 a.m., the aviation tracking website Flightradar24 showed.
The aircraft didn’t stay at the North Korean capital for long, in the skies east of Pyongyang at 9:38 a.m. and landing back in Vladivostok at 10:36 a.m.
Japan’s Kyodo News reported that a delegation of experts headed by Russian Vice Minister of Industry and Trade Roman Chekushov arrived in North Korea on Monday for talks, suggesting that Monday’s flight may have been related to the visit.
North Korean Minister of External Economic Relations Yun Jong Ho personally greeted the Russian officials at the airport, according to Kyodo News.
The route of the Tu-154’s return flight from Vladivostok to Pyongyang on Aug. 26, 2024 | Image: Flightradar24, edited by NK News
The Tu-154 that arrived on Monday followed the same route to North Korea as on a previous trip on Aug. 14, departing from Moscow several days earlier and making a stopover in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk before reaching Vladivostok and setting course for Pyongyang.
At the time, the aircraft spent just one day at Pyongyang’s airport and departed for Vladivostok on the morning of Aug. 15, eventually flying to Novosibirsk and Moscow on the same day.
Experts told NK News that the Tu-154’s recent trip to North Korea comes amid a general uptick in flights from Russia and points to “sensitive” exchanges between the two countries.
Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, a project assistant professor at the University of Tokyo, suggested that these flights would likely “ferry people or sensitive equipment or materials” that North Korea is interested in receiving from Russia.
Yang Uk, a military analyst at the Asan Institute of Policy Studies, added that the plane could have carried Russian or North Korean engineers or advisers to and from the country, given its model is fitted for transporting people and the short time it spent on the ground.
He also raised the possibility that some of these flights may shuttle North Korean laborers to Russia, alongside military officers dispatched to Ukraine.
RA-85843’s two latest flights came after an Il-62M passenger liner (RA-86561) operated by the Russian air force made a number of similar short trips to North Korea in preceding weeks.
The passenger plane touched down in Pyongyang after a flight from Moscow with a stopover in Vladivostok at 5:23 a.m. on Aug. 5 and left the airport at 6:17 a.m. The Il-62M first flew to Vladivostok, departing for Moscow early in the morning the following day.
The jet made a similar quick flight to North Korea on July 25, when it landed in Pyongyang at 3:15 a.m. and left the airport for Vladivostok at around 5 a.m.
Notably, the Il-62M was once spotted in the DPRK on July 9-10, marking the first Russian military flight that arrived in Pyongyang after Vladimir Putin brought over a dozen aircraft on his visit to North Korea in June.
The uptick in Russian aircraft in North Korea comes as the two countries actively ramp up their ties, dispatching official delegations and boosting cooperation in multiple areas like military affairs, trade and agriculture.
Moscow and Pyongyang also appear interested in education and technical cooperation, with the arrival of the first group of Russian students from a top diplomatic school to North Korea in August following a delegation of military educators to Russia in early July.
Edited by Alannah Hill
18. Commentary: In South Korea, the mere mention of feminism can end a conversation
This is quite a gender conflict in Korea:
Excerpts:
According to a survey in 2021, 84.1 per cent of women in their 20s believe that discrimination against women is serious in South Korean society. Conversely, 78.9 per cent of South Korean men in their 20s feel discrimination against their gender is serious too.
To navigate gender conflicts in South Korea today, my former colleague - and others like her - will need to keep advocating for change. Perhaps one day, friends will be able to speak freely among each other about gender issues without being afraid of judgment.
Commentary: In South Korea, the mere mention of feminism can end a conversation
In South Korea, feminism is more than just a controversial topic, says Monash University’s Dr Ming Gao.
Ming Gao
26 Aug 2024 06:00AM
channelnewsasia.com
MELBOURNE: One of my former colleagues from Ewha Womans University recently went on a blind date in Seoul. Her date was elated to learn that she attended one of the finest institutions in the country. However, things took a turn when my colleague mentioned her research areas: Gender and women’s studies.
“My research interests literally scared that man away; luckily it was not me,” she told me.
That’s a bit of an odd reaction by her date, you might think. Not so in South Korea, where gender equality and the feminism movement are polarising issues.
Korean men generally admire the prestige associated with Ewha Womans University graduates, yet they are simultaneously unsettled by the very academic pursuits that empower these women.
It reflects a contradictory blend of admiration and apprehension, where respect for the graduates’ intellect (jiseong) clashes with unease towards feminism. The tension highlights the complex dynamics of gender relations in modern Korean society, where women advocating for equality are sometimes shunned or even targeted.
In the presidential election two years ago, conservative candidate Yoon Suk Yeol courted “anti-feminist” male voters and pledged to abolish the Gender Equality Ministry, accusing it of treating men like “potential sex criminals”.
The 2024 World Economic Forum global gender gap report ranks South Korea 94th out of 146 countries in an index that examines economic opportunities, education, health and political leadership.
BURNING SUN SEX SCANDAL
The situation is further exacerbated by rising violence against women. According to a 2023 report in The Korea Times, crimes against females rose to 28,228 in 2021 from 16,006 in 2007. Additionally, 86.7 per cent of victims of violent crimes in Korea were women from 2011 to 2020.
The Burning Sun sex scandal of 2019 that involved high-profile K-pop stars is an example of the issues plaguing South Korean society.
The scandal, centred around the Burning Sun nightclub in Gangnam, Seoul managed by former megastar Seungri from BigBang, involved drug-fuelled sexual exploitation, gang-rape and illegal filming and sharing of those acts by well-known figures such as singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young and celebrity Choi Jong-hoon. The scandal also revealed collusion between various celebrities and the police.
The sexually explicit videos and images of unconscious women were disturbing, and reflected a pattern of dehumanising, incapacitating, loathing, and objectifying of women.
Seungri was convicted on multiple charges including procuring prostitutes for potential investors and served an 18-month jail sentence. He was released in February 2023. Choi was released in 2021 after serving two years and six months, and Jung was released in March this year after serving five years.
The case returned to the spotlight recently after a BBC documentary released in May revealed the high personal price suffered by the two female journalists who exposed the scandal.
Viewed as feminists waging an unsubstantiated assault against innocent K-pop stars, Kang Kyung-yoon and Park Hyo-sil were harassed both online and offline. They endured abusive comments, death threats and phone calls in the early hours. During this time, Park suffered two miscarriages.
Former BigBang boyband member Seungri is taken into custody as he leaves the High Court in Seoul on May 14, 2019. (Photo: AFP/Ed Jones)
ANTI-FEMINIST BACKLASH
The various forms of violence against the Burning Sun victims as well as the journalists stem from a mix of anti-feminism and deep-rooted structural problems.
Women’s studies in South Korea can be traced back to the 1970s, but the feminist movement in the country largely began to ride the wave of the global “MeToo” movement in the 2010s.
In 2016, the senseless killing of a woman in a toilet by a man near Gangnam Station catalysed a powerful feminist awakening in South Korea. The man told police he had chosen a woman as his victim “because women have always ignored me”. The attack became seen as a symbol of misogyny.
From that moment, Korean women began to rally and harness their collective strength, fully embracing the worldwide feminist momentum. It was during this period that communities like Megalia and Womad emerged. However, their form of feminism was associated with radicalism and hostility specifically towards men, turning feminism into a “dirty word” in the country.
South Koreans leave messages at an exit of Gangnam subway station on May 20, 2016, after a 23-year-old woman was stabbed to death by a stranger in a public bathroom. The brutal murder triggered a public outcry and a debate over what some see as a growing streak of violent misogyny in South Korea. (Photo: AFP/Jung Yeon-Je)
In November 2023, a man in his 20s launched an indiscriminate attack on a part-time worker at a convenience store simply because she had short hair, labelling her a feminist.
This reflects a broader societal tendency to stigmatise women. Men often blame women for their own struggles, such as low marriage rates, without acknowledging structural issues in a patriarchal society.
In July, Seoul City councillor Kim Ki-duck was criticised after he made unsubstantiated comments connecting a rise in male suicide attempts to an increasingly "female-dominant society". He argued that women’s increased participation in the workforce over the years had edged men out and made it more difficult for them to find marriage partners.
According to a survey in 2021, 84.1 per cent of women in their 20s believe that discrimination against women is serious in South Korean society. Conversely, 78.9 per cent of South Korean men in their 20s feel discrimination against their gender is serious too.
To navigate gender conflicts in South Korea today, my former colleague - and others like her - will need to keep advocating for change. Perhaps one day, friends will be able to speak freely among each other about gender issues without being afraid of judgment.
Dr Ming Gao is a scholar of modern East Asia at Australian Catholic University and Monash University. He researches the gendered dynamics of violence, emotions, women’s history, and the Japanese empire. He was a Kyujanggak Research Fellow (2020-22) at Seoul National University, South Korea.
Source: CNA/aj
19. Seoul's foreign policy conferences
"Manels" and more. A scathing critique. But there are also some humourous points.
Conclusion:
Clearly, the utility of attending these foreign policy conferences in Seoul has diminished over the years. They do not aim to create, debate, or analyze ideas. They’re simply run-of-the-mill influence-peddling and self-aggrandizement. It’s a wonder the same speakers keep coming back. Perhaps, in the end, it is as one long-time presenter told me after a few drinks, “it’s a living, but only just”.
Seoul's foreign policy conferences
Read this before attending a government or think-tank conference in Seoul
junotane.com · by Junotane
Every year, Seoul hosts a number of large-scale government and/or think-tank conferences focused on foreign policy and the Korean Peninsula. They’re hosted at grand venues; often sponsored by prominent organizations, feature high-level individuals in the field, including government officials, think-tank leaders, and academics; and include a keynote speech by a minister or ex-minister.
Despite their high-profile nature, they routinely fall short of expectations. Never been to one? Here’s what to expect.
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No new ideas
In South Korea, foreign policy is set by a coterie of presidential advisors and the president’s inner circle. The presidential advisors are part of the foreign policy epistemic community (usually from universities or think-tanks) and the inner circle are close foreign policy confidantes (often enough from industry or from think-tanks, which are in turn funded by industry). Individuals within these two circles have reached a level of career where self-belief, and sometimes arrogance, peaks. Understandably, they are not looking for new ideas. They are looking for support and reassurance - Track-1, Track-1.5, and Track-2 foreign policy conferences in Seoul are a cozy mix of influence-peddling and self-aggrandizement.
Accordingly, presenters are invited for several reasons: They are already in the organizer’s network (and consequently share ideological convictions); present a future opportunity for the organizer; and/or they represent a publicity draw card. This is the reason that every single large-scale government and/or think-tank foreign policy conference in Seoul brings back the same voices (with slight differences between progressive and conservative administrations).
There are a number of usual suspects that end up at every foreign policy conference in Seoul - from CSIS, Brookings, CFR, CEIP, Rand, Hudson, and AEI. Hearing the same people again and again gets nauseating. It’s worse when some of those people have been pushing the same ideas for more than twenty ideas - the same ideas that didn’t work twenty years ago.
The Korean Peninsula is one of the oldest, stalest, most fetid, entrenched foreign policy problems of the modern era. A war that ended in an armistice more than seventy years ago; a long, long history of border provocations, and failed negotiations; and a black hole of ongoing human rights abuses. Yet, nobody wants to challenge the status quo???
Challenging the status quo is vital for growth, progress and policy. It encourages critical thinking and innovation, allows society to address outdated practices, inefficiencies, and injustices. By questioning established norms, individuals and organizations can uncover new opportunities, solve complex problems, and adapt to changing circumstances. This process leads to the development of better policies, better use of technologies, and improved social systems that more accurately reflect contemporary values and needs. Challenging the status quo fosters a culture of continuous improvement, empowering people to think creatively, push boundaries - and solve entrenched foreign policy problems.
On all Korean Peninsula issues: unification, human rights, North Korea, Korea-US relations, Korea-Japan relations, Korea-China relations, on the strategic environment, and on middle powers and multilateral affairs, the same dead horse is flogged over and over and over again (with slight differences between progressive and conservative administrations).
- For presenters, for one reason or another you’re now in - keep saying the same stuff and you’ll be invited back every year.
- For attendees, drink LOTS of coffee.
Of course there are exceptions. Keep an eye out for conferences that highlight creativity, innovation, and challenging the status quo in their promotional materials.
Diversity be damned
As demonstrated time and time again, Seoul foreign policy conferences rarely consider diversity in gender, nationality, age or background. The overwhelming majority of presenters and panel participants are either Korean (socioeconomic upper class, educated in the US, with a blend of government and academic experience) or American (white, socioeconomic upper class, with government and think-tank experience). There will be a smattering of Japanese, European, Chinese, Russian, or even Australian, Canadian, or Southeast Asian former ambassadors and/or senior think-tank folk, depending on the topic being covered. Much less often will there be any adequate gender balance or youth representation.
Diversity is important. It fosters innovation, creativity, and problem-solving by bringing together varied perspectives and experiences. It enriches communities and organizations, promotes inclusivity and respect, and leads to a more equitable society. It improves decision-making and productivity, and reflects global expectations. It challenges stereotypes and encourages institutional growth, helps to develop empathy and cultural awareness. It sustains progress and builds resilience.
It’s fair to say, at this stage, attending these large-scale government and/or think-tank foreign policy conference in Seoul can present an organizational and individual reputational risk. When the conference attracts more negative than positive attention because of its glaring failure to consider diversity, organizations and individuals representative of those organizations must consider the impact that being associated with the event has on their reputation.
Sometimes, when you’re new to the game and desperate for a gig, it’s understandable to want to attend. Sometimes, you have to attend, because the sponsors are responsible for keeping you employed. Sometimes, the offer of plush hotel accommodation and free flights to get away from the 9-5 is just too, too tempting and after years of struggle, you can’t resist. Regardless of the reason, it’s incumbent on the invitee to investigate what they are getting into.
- For presenters, ask “who else is speaking?” before accepting the invitation and don’t attend if it’s a ‘manel’.
- For attendees, drink LOTS of coffee.
Again, there are exceptions. Keep an eye out for conferences that demonstrate geographical diversity in the lineup, maintain gender balance, have a degree of youth representation, give voice to the less privileged, and have at least a few unknown names in the lineup.
No open debate
Don’t expect open debate. Arguably, it’s because confrontational discourse can be seen as disrespectful or disruptive, especially in professional settings. Participants in the field and in the game for long enough, often avoid open disagreement to maintain social harmony and hierarchy, particularly when senior figures are present.
There’s an emphasis on collective agreement and preserving relationships which ends up in scripted discussions rather than spontaneous debate. This tendency is reinforced by societal values that prioritize group cohesion and face-saving, resulting in conferences where true debate is minimized to avoid conflict and preserve decorum.
- For presenters, frame arguments constructively and be particularly careful with sensitive topics.
- For attendees, drink LOTS of coffee.
Again, there are exceptions. Keep an eye out for conferences that specifically pit contrasting views on the same panel, hold structured debates, or allow town hall ‘call for action’ events.
The fun stuff
There’s a few more recurrent conference features that never get old if (a) you have a light-hearted attitude; (b) are open to the absurdity of life; or (c) want to write a novel. Keep your eyes open for:
- Time travelers. Observe carefully, and will enjoy the older, senior presenter who loses track of time. The chair will be afraid to call him out because of his status, and consequently each subsequent speaker will be forced to speed through their notes (and I’m not taking liberties here - see above point on diversity). They usually start the process by reading a Daum translated speech, and their slotted seven minutes of presentation time turns into twenty minutes. Is it time traveling? Not in the traditional Back to the Future sense, but I’m willing to bet the Doc would say keep an open mind.
- Dust spoilers. There will be at least one presenter with enough dandruff to gross you out. If you’re an attendee, you’ll notice the fine dust on their suit and occasionally see flakes break off their head. If you’re a dandruff-free presenter and forced to use the same seat, don’t freak out. It won’t kill you. Ask one of the many interns running the show to give the seat a clean. They’ll not like you for it, but they probably won’t be in charge until after you retire.
- IR younglings. The IR younglings who attend foreign policy events are common to Seoul as they are to Washington, Tokyo, Moscow, Singapore and Sydney. They are the young university and recently graduated students who dream of getting into government service or the think-tank world. They’ll stalk the big name foreign invitees until pouncing during the coffee break for a selfie. The only difference is the energy, nervousness, and desire to use inane hand gestures in selfies, but then, coming to Seoul, you should already be well aware of this.
- The sleepers. Keep an eye on the audience. There’ll always be one or two senior figures who fall asleep. The interns will be too scared to wake them, and not until they start snoring will it come to a head.
- Underground geriatric grifter clan. A personal favorite, there’s always a swathe of retired individuals, part of an underground clan that runs a Kakao chat room sharing information about the best conferences, upcoming conferences, and conferences with the best food - and alcohol. Watch carefully, and you’ll see them fill pockets and even bags with food and grog (they bring their own corks). They started a good while ago now, and were actually hired to fill seats when an organizer feared the embarrassment of an empty conference hall. Now with fedoras on heads and canes in hand, they run their own show.
Clearly, the utility of attending these foreign policy conferences in Seoul has diminished over the years. They do not aim to create, debate, or analyze ideas. They’re simply run-of-the-mill influence-peddling and self-aggrandizement. It’s a wonder the same speakers keep coming back. Perhaps, in the end, it is as one long-time presenter told me after a few drinks, “it’s a living, but only just”.
Thanks for reading Diplomatic Seoul ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
junotane.com · by Junotane
20. [Community Discovery] Bringing the vibe back: Yongsan strives to revive Itaewon
[Community Discovery] Bringing the vibe back: Yongsan strives to revive Itaewon
koreaherald.com · by Lee Jung-joo · August 26, 2024
From rebranding projects to collaborations with chefs, influencers, district office looks to help businesses get back on their feet
By Lee Jung-joo
Published : Aug. 26, 2024 - 12:35
Pedestrians walk around World Food Street in Itaewon at Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. (Yongsan-gu Office)
Choi Jeong-kyu, CEO of Jonny Dumpling, a Shandong-style dumpling restaurant located in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, reflects on the challenging days his business has faced since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the tragic crowd crush incident nearly two years ago.
The local restaurant, well known for its half-moon-shaped dumplings, faced a significant decline in customers over the past four years. However, it has gradually regained its footing after being selected as one of 30 representative local brands in a Yongsan-gu Office project aimed at reviving struggling businesses in the once tragedy-hit district.
“I hope that the 30 local businesses will be able to create positive synergy with one another through scheduled collaborative events that can help to revitalize our businesses and Itaewon as a whole," he said.
Jonny Dumpling, a Shandong-style dumpling restaurant famous for its half-moon-shaped dumplings, sits in Itaewon at Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. (Lee Jung-joo/The Korea Herald)
The branding project involves 30 local enterprises -- including 20 restaurants, three clothing retailers and seven entertainment venues, such as bars and clubs -- that have solely run their businesses for years.
According to the Yongsan-gu Office, the 30 businesses were chosen based on surveys and evaluations by visitors to the area and business experts. The district office plans to work with the businesses through 2025 to enhance not only its own brand value, but also to raise Itaewon’s brand value.
The 30 local enterprises were announced as a part of the “Hey Itaewon” project, which the Yongsan-gu Office has worked on with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups since March last year.
At first, the district office introduced cash vouchers that could be used like cash with a 20 percent discount at local businesses in Itaewon, which significantly contributed to raising the local businesses’ sales numbers. It has also hosted a number of local events, such as food festivals featuring a variety of global cuisines and live performances to maintain a steady number of visitors to Itaewon.
This year, the district office has upgraded its business revival project with the goal of rebranding Itaewon into what it calls a “glocal” neighborhood.
Combining "global" and "local," the district office hopes for businesses in Itaewon in the future to embrace the glocal trend, as it hopes that the neighborhood can become an environment that is globally open and welcoming to all with unique, local businesses that can only be found in Itaewon.
With that in mind, the Yongsan-gu Office has designated “Welcome all Itaewon” as the brand slogan for Itaewon’s local businesses and the neighborhood, to establish it as a place where “anyone and everyone can feel comfortable just the way they are.”
Party-goers dance to the music at Nyapi, a club based in Itaewon that carries on the intellectual legacy as the second-generation club in the neighborhood. Nyapi is one of the seven entertainment businesses chosen by the Yongsan-gu Office as one of the 30 "local brands" that demonstrate Itaewon's uniqueness. (Instagram @nyapi_seoul)
Moving on
The district office aims to take the initiative to the next level with collaborative projects between businesses and influencers or power brands to increase the businesses’ awareness and competencies to the general public this fall.
Though details regarding collaborations cannot be disclosed yet, a Yongsan-gu Office official told The Korea Herald that some examples of possible projects include “restaurants coming up with menus with celebrity chefs, clothing stores selling limited edition clothes designed by famous designers, musicians or fashion directors, as well as inviting filmmakers to develop short films and advertisements about the local businesses and Itaewon.”
The district office also plans to conduct promotional events in collaboration with “power brands” whose identity matches well with Itaewon’s culture.
In addition to last year's local events, the Yongsan-gu Office plans to hold more such festivities that “demonstrate Itaewon’s fun and exciting experiences.” The district office already hosted an event of a similar nature on June 15, with two more to be held in September and November this year. Future events in Itaewon will feature live performances as well as talk shows and a pop-up store, including works designed by local artists based in Itaewon.
A disco aerobics performance takes place during the "Pre-Summer Picnic Festival" in Itaewon at Yongsan-gu, central Seoul on June 15. (Yongsan-gu Office)
Through December, the district office also hopes to brainstorm further marketing and promotional tactics to make better use of Itaewon’s local businesses to promote the neighborhood’s touristic value to tourists from overseas. An Instagram account for events and everything about Itaewon has helped the district target “a wider audience.”
“With the businesses that make Itaewon unique at the center of attention and many other events and promotional projects the district office has in line, the Yongsan-gu Office hopes to brand Itaewon as a global commercial district known by all,” Gong Gyeong-eon, an official at the Yongsan-gu Office, told The Korea Herald.
This article is the tenth installment in a series of feature stories and interviews that delve deeper into the hidden stories of Seoul’s 25 districts. -- Ed.
koreaherald.com · by Lee Jung-joo · August 26, 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
| 
