Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us. “Fighting stories” contend to answer such questions as “Was the French Revolution a good thing?” and many new versions challenge the established narrative. A Tale of Two Cities has been a winner in the contest to characterize the French Revolution. Dickens drew from Thomas Carlyle’s The French Revolution, but the novel, the most accessible of all Dickens’s books, and one that was put before young people for generations, has far outstripped the history book that lies behind it.”

– Grand Strategies: Literature, Statecraft, and World Order by Charles Hill

"Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power."

–P. J. O'Rourke

"Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom."

– Alexis de Tocqueville

1. Gen. Brunson takes office as new USFK commander with vow to bolster S. Korea-U.S. alliance

2. Don't bypass S. Korea

3. Acting defense chief, U.S. Indo-Pacific commander underscore trilateral security cooperation with Japan

4. Why Kim Jong-un's Reform Desire Has Cooled

5. Russians see North Koreans as a ‘burden’ over ignorance of drones: South says

6. Korea needs to address polarization, upgrade its democracy

7. Ukrainian military unveils footage of drone attacks on NK soldiers: report

8. 'North Korean Killer' Drone Double-Sided… Scattering Surrender Leaflets

9. N. Korea's flood victims brought to Pyongyang write letters of thanks to leader Kim

10. N. Korea arrests former trade official in Chinese phone crackdown

11. UN General Assembly adopts resolution on N. Korean human rights for 20th straight year

12. S. Korean shipbuilders to retain edge in high-value vessels despite order slump

13. North Korean Troops Launched Large-Scale Combat Operations In Kursk: Officials

14. Martial law teaches an essential lesson: leaders must listen

15. Researcher: North Korea can produce ballistic missiles for Russia to use against Ukraine in months

16. Moving Forward on North Korea: The Case for Bold Transitional Justice Initiatives in South Korea

17. Drone defense, bombing practice keep US, South Korean forces busy

18. Lazarus Group Spotted Targeting Nuclear Engineers with CookiePlus Malware

19. N. Korea arrests former trade official in Chinese phone crackdown

20. NK responsible for 61% of global cryptocurrency heists: Chainalysis

21. Former general implicated in Dec. 3 martial law plot ran fortune-telling business: Reports

22. Can Trump Work With South Korea’s Left?

23. Voice of America (VOA) Interview with Col. David Maxwell (Ret.) discusses U.S.-Republic of Korea Alliance after coup attempt

1. Gen. Brunson takes office as new USFK commander with vow to bolster S. Korea-U.S. alliance

Typical Korean press emphasizing USFK (which is not a warfighting HQ and is the US forces provider to the combined command). As noted later in the article is the Commander of the ROK/US Combined Forces COMmand (which the Korean press should always highlight since that is Korea's command), He is also the United Nations Commander Commander. Note noted in the article is that he is also the Senior Us MIlitary Officer in Korea and a member of the permanent Military Committee.

I like these three quotes from General Brunson, General LaCamera, and Admiral Paparo. I think I will borrow "transactional symbiosis" from the Admiral to describe the axis of upheaval, quartet of chaos, or dark quad.

General Brunson:

"This first reflects the strength of our alliance, the solidarity of our trilateral partnerships and the resilience of our multinational coalition. United, we are stronger and more capable of meeting any challenge," he said, citing a Bible verse that goes: "One may be overpowered. Two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

General LaCamera:

"Readiness is perishable ... Continue training daily. Remain vigilant and make sure that 'fight tonight' are not just hollow words," he said, referring to the command's slogan touting combined readiness posture.

Admiral Paparo:

"Given this dangerous security environment with North Korea's increasingly aggressive behavior and our adversaries, transactional symbiosis with the PRC, with Russia, North Korea, the troops have got to be ready to fight tonight," he said referring to China by its formal name.

(LEAD) Gen. Brunson takes office as new USFK commander with vow to bolster S. Korea-U.S. alliance | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · December 20, 2024

(ATTN: RECASTS lead; UPDATES with minor edits, remarks, photos; TRIMS)

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Yonhap) -- Gen. Xavier Brunson took office as the new commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Friday, vowing a continued commitment to upholding the South Korea-U.S. alliance, which he called a "beacon of stability and strength in an ever-changing world."

Brunson replaced Gen. Paul LaCamera to lead the 28,500-strong American troops in South Korea in a change-of-command ceremony held at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, attended by top officials from both nations, including acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo.

As USFK commander, Brunson also serves as commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the U.N. Command (UNC).

New U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson speaks in a change-of-command ceremony held in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 20, 2024, in this photo provided by the Defense Daily. (Pool photo) (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The former U.S. First Corps commander underscored the importance of "realistic" joint and combined exercises "to respond to any threat."

"Words alone will not serve as a deterrent," Brunson said during the livestreamed ceremony. "Our actions through tough and complex, bilateral and multilateral training on this peninsula is absolutely essential in our ability to maintain peace, readiness, deter aggression and strengthen our alliance."

As UNC commander, Brunson also vowed to reinforce the command's role as well as cooperation with multinational partners to uphold the values of collective security and a rules-based international order.

"This first reflects the strength of our alliance, the solidarity of our trilateral partnerships and the resilience of our multinational coalition. United, we are stronger and more capable of meeting any challenge," he said, citing a Bible verse that goes: "One may be overpowered. Two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

Outgoing U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera speaks in a change-of-command ceremony held in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 20, 2024, in this photo provided by the Defense Daily. (Pool photo) (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

LaCamera, who is retiring after nearly 44 years of service, noted how South Korea, a nation that stands as a "beacon of freedom and prosperity" holds a "special place" in his heart.

Thanking the CFC over its efforts for readiness during his more than three years of service in South Korea, LaCamera urged the command to maintain such commitment under Brunson's leadership.

"Readiness is perishable ... Continue training daily. Remain vigilant and make sure that 'fight tonight' are not just hollow words," he said, referring to the command's slogan touting combined readiness posture.

This image, captured from a livestreamed video of the U.S. Forces Korea's change of command ceremony held in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 20, 2024, shows South Korea's acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo, former U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera and new USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson (from L to R). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Paparo echoed the call, noting that Brunson is the "right leader" to take the command to the "next level" at a sensitive time in terms of security.

"Given this dangerous security environment with North Korea's increasingly aggressive behavior and our adversaries, transactional symbiosis with the PRC, with Russia, North Korea, the troops have got to be ready to fight tonight," he said referring to China by its formal name.

"You're the right leader for this challenging assignment," he said, stressing that the South Korea-U.S. alliance is "steadfast."

Kim, Seoul's acting defense chief, thanked LaCamera for his efforts to enhance the allies' combined defense posture and implementing the Washington Declaration through military measures.

He expressed hope that the alliance, which has survived challenges over the past seven decades, will continue to strengthen during Brunson's leadership.

"The ROK-U.S. alliance founded on unwavering trust will not sway in the face of any obstacles," Kim said. "I'm confident that the spirit of 'We go together' will continue to thrive not only between our nations but also through Gen. Brunson."

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · December 20, 2024

2. Don't bypass S. Korea

Koreans are overly sensitive about this. Koreans fear "Korea passing" or being left out.

Just because South Korea is not mentioned specifically in a list of counties doesn't necessarily mean it's a lesser priority or is being deliberately snubbed.

President-elect Trump will not be "diplomatically sensitive" and ensure all the right words are said and all the right countries are mentioned all the time.

Don't bypass S. Korea

The Korea Times · December 19, 2024

Trump should respect the spirit of the South Korea-US alliance

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump caused a stir during his press conference on Dec. 16 by excluding South Korea from the list of countries he intends to engage with in summit talks. While discussing his plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japan's leader, Trump made no mention of South Korea, a key ally in the region. This omission raises concerns about the future of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, which has long been a cornerstone of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Trump's remarks came shortly after a meeting with Masayoshi Son, the CEO of SoftBank, who pledged a $100 billion investment in the United States, promising to create 100,000 jobs. Trump also hosted the widow of Japan’s late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whom he previously referred to as a “soul mate.” South Korea was notably absent from the discussion, even though the nation is grappling with escalating political and security challenges. South Korea is embroiled in a significant political crisis following President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, and yet, in stark contrast to Japan, it seems to be sidelined in diplomatic discussions.

Trump’s willingness to engage North Korea and China, both of which pose significant security threats to South Korea, is perplexing. His suggestion of a summit with Kim Jong-un, whom he has previously described as a leader he gets along with, only adds to the uncertainty surrounding the U.S.' commitment to South Korea. In fact, South Korea’s absence from Trump’s list stands in sharp contrast to his interactions with Japan, where the late Abe’s widow was given a prominent role in his diplomatic engagements. This distinction raises legitimate questions about Trump’s approach to the South Korea-U.S. relationship.

While it may be understandable that Trump’s focus is on major powers like China and Russia, the exclusion of South Korea is troubling, especially in light of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea recently conducted several missile tests, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. The recent military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow only heightens the need for a strong and coordinated response from the U.S. and its allies, particularly South Korea. Trump should recognize that the South Korea-U.S. alliance is more vital than ever, and a lack of engagement with Seoul could undermine regional stability.

South Korea has shown remarkable resilience amid its internal political crisis. The country has experienced large-scale protests following the impeachment of its president, yet these protests were peaceful and constructive, reflecting the strength of South Korea’s democracy. The nation has swiftly returned to normalcy, demonstrating the stability of its democratic institutions. This resilience should not be overlooked by Trump. The U.S. must appreciate the democratic spirit of South Korea, especially at a time when North Korea’s provocations threaten regional security.

Although the Trump administration has previously imposed tough demands on South Korea, such as increased defense cost-sharing and tariffs on Korean goods, these measures should not overshadow the strategic importance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance. South Korea’s democratic stability, economic power, and proximity to North Korea as well as China make it an indispensable partner in the region. Trump should prioritize maintaining strong ties with South Korea and avoid marginalizing the country in favor of other, less reliable partners.

The current situation in South Korea, with an interim government led by acting President Han Duck-soo, further complicates matters. Han’s limited authority and Yoon's uncertain political future create a diplomatic vacuum that makes it difficult for South Korea to pursue proactive foreign policies. However, the government is still engaged in basic diplomatic functions, such as monitoring the situation and making efforts to stabilize the economy. South Korea’s foreign minister has worked hard to reassure the international community that the country remains a safe and reliable partner, even in the face of political uncertainties.

In light of the temporary paralysis in South Korea’s government, it is noteworthy that the country's business leaders, such as Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin, have already begun engaging with Trump’s network in the U.S. These efforts underscore the importance of cultivating ties with influential U.S. figures, including politicians and think tanks, to ensure that the South Korea-U.S. alliance remains strong despite the current challenges.

Trump must recognize that the South Korea-U.S. alliance is essential to regional security and stability. Marginalizing South Korea in favor of other diplomatic priorities could have far-reaching consequences, particularly as North Korea’s provocations continue. Trump should respect the spirit of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and work to strengthen ties with South Korea, ensuring that both countries stand united in the face of growing security threats in the region.

The Korea Times · December 19, 2024

3. Acting defense chief, U.S. Indo-Pacific commander underscore trilateral security cooperation with Japan

Yes there is political turmoil in Korea. But life goes on and the military (like the rest of the government below the presidential level) continues to function.

Acting defense chief, U.S. Indo-Pacific commander underscore trilateral security cooperation with Japan | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · December 20, 2024

SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Yonhap) -- Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho and U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo concurred Friday on the importance of trilateral security cooperation with Japan to deter North Korea's threats and vowed efforts to further strengthen such cooperation, the defense ministry said.

Kim and Paparo discussed the issue as they met at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on the sidelines of a change-of-command ceremony marking the inauguration of new U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson.

In their meeting, both sides agreed that the South Korea-U.S. alliance remains "ironclad," and vowed to bolster cooperation and communications to uphold it with an overwhelming combined defense posture, the ministry said.

For such a goal, they concurred on the need to smoothly push ahead with pre-planned combined drills.

Kim was quoted as saying that South Korea's external policy remains unchanged and emphasized that the military remains committed to maintaining a firm combined defense posture under the acting president.

Friday's meeting was attended by Brunson as well as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg and Gen. Kang Shin-chul, deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command.

Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho (L) and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo shake hands during their meeting held at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Dec. 20, 2024, in this photo provided by Kim's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · December 20, 2024

4. Why Kim Jong-un's Reform Desire Has Cooled

This is a Google translation of an RFA column by Andrei Lankov.

Excerpt:

So, Kim Jong-un's North Korea is becoming more and more like Kim Il-sung's North Korea and Kim Jong-il's North Korea, which the young Kim Jong-un hated more than 10 years ago. Kim Jong-un tried to change the system in the early days of his rule, but the North Korean system is very difficult or impossible to maintain if you try to change it.

[Lancoup] Why Kim Jong-un's Reform Desire Has Cooled

https://www.rfa.org/korean/commentary/lankov/kim-jung-il-death-12192024093957.html

Lancôme ∙ Professor, Kookmin University

2024.12.19

The funeral procession of Chairman Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang on December 28, 2011.

/Reuters

00:00 / 00:00

Professor Lankov

December 19, 2011 is the day that Kim Jong-il's death was announced. From that day on, his successor Kim Jong-un became the supreme leader of North Korea.

At the time, many people thought that Kim Jong-un, who had few trustworthy senior officials around him and little experience, would act cautiously. I thought so too. But surprisingly, we were able to see the changes that Kim Jong-un brought about in many areas with great determination.

2012 can be said to be the first year of North Korea's economic reform. Since the June 28 policy, which was the signal, the field management system began to be implemented in North Korea, and farmers had a reason to work hard. At the same time, Kim Jong-un established about 20 special zones to attract foreign investment, and he also worked hard to create an independent system in the industrial sector. As a result, it is estimated that North Korea achieved economic growth of 5-6% in the mid-2010s.

Kim Jong-un claimed at the time that from now on, the people would live well without suffering. But this is a story of the past. In 2017 and 2018, North Korea lost interest in the reforms that it had previously pursued very successfully. Surveillance was strengthened not only in the economy but also in the ideological field, and the isolationist policy, that is, the policy of national isolation, became increasingly serious.

From Kim Jong-un’s perspective, there is some basis for this policy. What kind of person was Kim Jong-un in the 2010s? He returned to North Korea after studying abroad, fell in love, and married a beautiful singer. He may have sincerely thought about improving the lives of North Korean citizens and thought that he could solve this problem relatively easily and quickly. To be honest, we can see similar patterns not only in national politics but also in enterprises and schools. The newly appointed leader tries to change the old leadership style, but at the same time believes in his own power and thinks that he can solve all problems overnight.

But most of the time, such attempts at aspiration end in failure. The reason for their failure is not the lack of knowledge or misjudgment of the newly elected leaders, but rather the environment and circumstances in which the group has been operating. Moreover, the new leader soon learns that the new leadership style is not as effective as the old leadership style that he dislikes.

Why did Kim Jong-un’s desire for reform cool down in North Korea? There are two reasons. First, the North Korean leadership had no intention of giving up or even stopping nuclear development. There was no task more important to them than making North Korea a nuclear state. However, in 2016 and 2017, North Korea’s military development, especially the development of hydrogen bombs and intercontinental long-range missiles, led to very strict sanctions against North Korea. Because of this, it became difficult for North Korea to replicate the experience of China or Vietnam, which focused on exports.

Second, even Kim Jong-un, who personally enjoys Western popular culture, has come to realize that North Korea must maintain a closed-door policy and not open its borders in order to survive. This is the method that his father and especially his grandfather knew best and followed. The most important condition for maintaining the system and internal discipline is that the North Korean people must never know about the outside world.

So, Kim Jong-un's North Korea is becoming more and more like Kim Il-sung's North Korea and Kim Jong-il's North Korea, which the young Kim Jong-un hated more than 10 years ago. Kim Jong-un tried to change the system in the early days of his rule, but the North Korean system is very difficult or impossible to maintain if you try to change it.

** The contents of this column may not be in line with the editorial direction of Radio Free Asia. **

Editor Lee Ye-jin, Web Editor Lee Gyeong-ha

5. Russians see North Koreans as a ‘burden’ over ignorance of drones: South says

Russians see North Koreans as a ‘burden’ over ignorance of drones: South says

South Korea says North Koreans being ‘consumed’ in assaults, suffering ‘serious’ casualties.

https://www.rfa.org/english/korea/2024/12/19/north-korea-drone-russia-casualities/

By Taejun Kang for RFA

2024.12.19

A screenshot of a video released by Ukraine’s 8th Separate Special Operations Regiment. The regiment said it shows a drone attack on North Korean soldiers in the battle fought on Dec. 16, 2024. (8th Separate Special Operations Regiment’s official Facebook page)

TAIPEI, Taiwan – North Korean soldiers are being “consumed” in attacks in Russia’s Kursk region because they lack experience of drone warfare, South Korea’s spy agency said, adding that Russian forces complained that the North Koreans were a “burden” because of their “ignorance.”

The U.S. and Ukraine estimate there are between 10,000 and 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia, with their focus on Kursk, parts of which Ukrainian forces occupied in August, where they are actively engaged in fighting and are taking casualties.

“North Korean troops are being ‘consumed’ for front-line assaults in an unfamiliar battlefield environment of open fields, and they lack the ability to respond to drone attacks,” said South Korea’s the National Intelligence Service, or NIS, as cited by South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun who was briefed by the agency on Thursday.

Russian troops were complaining about the North Koreans’ ignorance of drones, calling them a “burden,” the agency added, without elaborating.

“Some 11,000 North Korean troops, believed to be deployed in the Kursk region, began to engage in actual combat from December. At least 100 people have been killed, and the number of injured is expected to reach 1,000,” said the NIS.

A screenshot of a video released by Ukraine’s 8th Separate Special Operations Regiment. The regiment said it shows a drone attack on North Korean soldiers in the battle fought on Dec. 16, 2024. Part of the image has been blurred by RFA. (8th Separate Special Operations Regiment’s official Facebook page)

South Korea’s confirmation of North Korean casualties came after Ukraine released a video saying that it showed about 50 North Korean soldiers were killed in attacks by Ukrainian drones in Kursk this week.

Sgt. Mykhailo Makaruk, a member of the Ukrainian unit who confirmed to RFA Korean that he had fought against North Koreans in the battle shown on the video, said nearly 200 North Korean soldiers came to the Ukrainian position, and shortly after, the drones began to attack.

“They came and they came and the drones are bombing them,” he said. “I don’t understand how they can come to this war. They look like, you know, real zombies.”

Separately, on Tuesday, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, or DIU, said North Korean forces were taking additional measures to mitigate the threat of drone strikes.

“After serious losses, North Korean units began setting up additional observation posts to detect drones,” the DIU wrote in a post to its official Telegram channel.

Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, posted on his Telegram account that North Korean soldiers were no match for the drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs.

“The dead DPRK soldiers did not have a visual understanding of the danger from UAVs before the drone strikes, which may indicate that the Russians poorly informed the Koreans about the use of drones at the front,” Kovalenko said, using North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Kovalenko added that the Russian soldiers were seen trying to quickly recover the bodies of North Korean soldiers killed on the front lines, which was different from the way they treated Russian dead.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces were burning the faces of dead North Korean soldiers to conceal their identities and keep secret their deployment to help Russia, citing a video as evidence.

Earlier, he said that Russia had begun using North Koreans in significant numbers for the first time to assault Ukrainian positions and his forces released images and videos of what it said were the bodies of North Koreans soldiers, among some 200 killed and wounded in Kursk.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says this image from a video shows Russians burning the face of a dead North Korean soldier. Part of the image has been blurred by RFA. (Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s official Telegram channel)

‘Normal cooperation’

North Korea once again declined to deny or confirm that it had sent troops to Russia to help it with its war against Ukraine but its foreign ministry called its cooperation with Russia “normal.”

Responding to a joint statement from the European Union, South Korea and the U.S. criticizing North Korea’s deployment to Russia, the North’s ministry of foreign affairs said it “distorted and slandered” the essence of a normal partnership between two nations.

“[The joint statement] is a grave threat to international peace and security that goes beyond political provocation that violently infringes on the sovereignty of sovereign states,” said the ministry on Thursday, calling its partnership with Russia a “legitimate” way to counter external threats, including the U.S.

Korea needs to address polarization, upgrade its democracy

The Korea Times · December 19, 2024

A woman pulls a caricature depicting an imprisoned South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as protesters marched calling for his impeachment following the president's short-lived martial law declaration, near the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 7. AP-Yonhap

Presidency seems weaker with more powers seized by National Assembly, but democracy must be improved

By Kim Ji-soo

The Korean people, along with the rest of the world, rejoiced at the resilience of the country's democratic institutions and its enduring democratic spirit upon the fiasco created by President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law, which has since led to the passage of an impeachment motion against him. Three foreign reporters and analysts long based in Seoul — Michael Breen, head of Insight Communications, columnist and the author of "The New Koreans," Andrew Salmon, Asia editor for The Washington Times and Sebastien Falletti, Asia correspondent of Le Figaro — shared their insights about possible cracks in South Korean democracy as well as South Korean society in 2024, where generational, gender divides and the gap between the haves and have-nots deepen. While highly assessing the democratic resilience of South Korea, they cited the need for the nation to address polarization and upgrade its democracy.

Michael Breen, CEO of Insight Communications, columnist and author, speaks at The Korea Times roundtable on the martial law crisis and the impeachment motion Wednesday, in Seoul. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

The three attempted to decipher the president's intention behind his "shocking" action. Salmon introduced the concept of "autocoup," when a leader is already in government by legal, reasonable, fair means but then uses unfair methods to extend and maintain power. Falletti put forth a hypothetical scenario: What if martial law had not been uplifted? Breen said that this crisis may offer South Korea a chance to redefine its notion of democracy as the “will of the majority" over the "will of the people." There was skepticism about the claim that South Korea’s presidency is too powerful, as they noted that more power has moved to the National Assembly. With no answers yet, Falletti cited the deep polarization — political, generational and gender — which he said will become critical in the days ahead.

Below are excerpts from Breen, Salmon and Falletti's interview with The Korea Times. The roundtable was moderated by Shim Jae-yun, chief editorial writer of The Korea Times. It has been edited for clarity and readability.

Q: This was the third impeachment motion against a sitting president. In comparison to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye (2016-2017), please share your impressions.

Sebastien Falletti: After the fall of Park, there was at least a sense that a national reconciliation was needed, the idea that we need to move on. This time, there is a different kind of vibe. The protagonist, President Yoon, is much more defiant than Park. He is preparing a combative, legal posture. The impeachment process is also overcast by a contentious political atmosphere, very polarized and I think that is going to make a big difference.

Sebastien Falletti, Asia correspondent of Le Figaro, speaks at The Korea Times roundtable on martial law crisis and impeachment motionin Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Andrew Salmon: Korea's governance system is democratic but is maybe too confrontational. Korea has two power centers: The president, and the National Assembly. And you have two major parties. So looking ahead, it may be time to consider adding a third power center to the Korean political structure – like adding an upper chamber to the Assembly, as in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.

Andrew Salmon, Asia editor for The Washington Times, at The Korea Times roundtable on the martial law crisis and the impeachment motion in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Michael Breen: I am interested in the relationship between politics and law. Democracy should be law-based but I think Korean democracy has two weaknesses in this regard. One is that law is subjugated by political power and used by political power. It is inevitable for the president to be impeached. But I would like to see this achieved by the application of law and not by institutions influenced by mobs on the streets.

Q: What do you think of the prospects of the pending review of the Constitutional Court?

Falletti: I think the question at the moment is to what extent we are going to see political polarization of current politics coming into court, because it seems to me that Yoon wants to use the court as a platform to advocate his position and try to rally the conservative opinion around his view and hope to divide the opinion to make this contentious. So I think the concern at the moment is to what extent the court gets hijacked by politics.

Salmon: Koreans are very good at street politics. The left wing especially has shown the ability to mobilize, more so than the right wing. I suspect it will be very difficult for the court to ignore the politics of the streets.

Q: Recently, the street rallies have been divided between the conservatives and the liberals. What is your take on the division in the rallies?

Breen: Within the democratic spectrum, you have a left and right wing. What separates the two in Korea is North Korea and the concept of the nation itself. For example, the right wing believes that when reunification comes, the North should join what the South has created. The left, on the other hand, wants a new kind of Korea. That is why they are more willing to negotiate with North Korea. On most other issues, politics is pragmatic. Regarding martial law, the opposition has a clearer message – that the president belongs to the other side and overstepped his authority.

Salmon: As I said previously, the left-wing Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is very effective in mobilizing, building up the skeleton of mass protests. If someone had said to me two weeks ago that a South Korean president was going to declare martial law, I’d have said, ‘Impossible!’ It was as likely that Kim Jong-un would declare liberal democracy.

Falletti: What was especially different about the recent rallies in Yeouido was that despite the cold, there was more people and young people, and those with families — I would say normal people came to the rallies. The Korean people’s shock went beyond politics, and I think people just became exasperated with what they perceived as the president's stubbornness. There also seems to be a generational gap where you can see the president exhorting his core conservative base and the young taking this opportunity to voice their anger about the package that the older generation is handing down to them, especially the women in their 20s and 30s.

My big question is what could have happened the next day if martial law was not lifted? Would South Korea just abide by it or would there be protests? I don’t have the answer to this, but behind such a question is how the generational fracture in Korean society between the old elite living in the old days and the young Koreans who have a different expectation on life and on politics will play out.

Breen: How one reacts to the president’s action depends on how we conceive of what he was trying to do. I don’t understand what he was up to. This martial law wasn’t a coup and it wasn’t like normal martial law. It seems to me that he acted like the prosecutor he used to be and not like the president he is. This is how the prosecution behaves when you're not cooperating with them. It was very limited and targeted. I can’t see what his purpose was. Was it to raid the election commission for evidence of election interference? Or was it simply frustration with the DPK? The conservatives seem more willing to forgive him. We foreigners are more outraged in the context of our own countries, which are far more law-based than this country, which is far more power politics-based.

Regarding Korean protest culture, it has changed over the years. Former President Kim Dae-jung banned tear gas, and former President Roh Moo-hyun used a strategy of police buses to corral protestors. The death of an elderly man in a protest during the Lee Myung-bak administration changed policing. On the second day of the protests against Park Geun-hye in 2017, police lightened up and that made protests safer for mothers with children on their shoulders to take part. That safety is one reason why you see more women than men at protests now.

Salmon: There is a word for what happened in Korea, “autocoup,” where someone is already in government by legal, reasonable and fair means, but then uses unfair means to sort of extend and maintain power.

I think the Korean protests changed with the 2002 World Cup games. The Koreans liked that mass festival ambience, and that’s what the street protests have become.

Breen: There is an assumption in Korea that the people have to be united and have one will. The idea is that somehow division is wrong or undesirable. But division is natural. The idea here that democracy means that the “people” rule is a mistake. In democracies, the people consent to be ruled. But it functions as the will of the majority with the rights of the minority protected.

Q: What impact will the martial law debacle and the impeachment motion have on South Korea’s foreign policy?

Salmon: I think Korea’s reputation is not damaged. People have reacted very fast to a very strange situation, normalcy was restored in three hours. A former government official told me that it was the “shortest martial law in human history.” The politics is a mess but the Korean people are not. But what happens in the months ahead, when you have a caretaker government led by (former Prime Minister) Han Duck-soo? What if a regional crisis occurs? Is Han Duck-soo capable of managing that crisis? But then again, this has happened before and the Korean civil service and economy have carried on.

Also, South Korea should note that Japanese business leaders like Masayoshi Son, and public figures such as Akie Abe, the wife of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, have all met with the incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, despite Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has yet to meet the president. It's a clear message that South Korea should note in this crucial time ahead of the inauguration of Trump 2.0.

From left, Kim Ji-soo of The Korea Times; Andrew Salmon, Asia editor for The Washington Times; Sebastien Falletti, Asia correspondent of French newspaper Le Figaro; Michael Breen, head of Insight Communications, columnist and the author of “The New Koreans”; and Shim Jae-yun, chief editorial writer for The Korea Times, pose before a roundtable on the martial law crisis and impeachment in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Falletti: To the outer world, Korea gave a massive message of reassurance that Korea’s democracy is deeply rooted. But having said that, the crisis has also blurred its image. I think Korea’s image has taken a hit, in that, yes it is a democracy but is it reliable? For South Korea, it was the perfect time to leverage itself as a solid ally to the incoming U.S. administration by Trump, and also toward Europe, which was finding Korea as the best partner in the region to deal with East Asian challenges. If polarization figures in prominently, it will be a rocky path ahead and the crisis will become longer.

Breen: I have long felt that if there were to be an opportunity for reunification with North Korea, South Korea would not be ready. Right now, this country has the fourth highest suicide rate and the lowest birthrate in the world. It is a nation with a sickness, a malaise over the purpose of life. Also, our democracy here is not settled. It came almost 40 years ago through mass protest. Ever since, we have continued to protest, mainly against presidential power. Nearly every democratically elected president has been persecuted either before or after leaving office. President Yoon, of course, has given the country a good reason to challenge his rule now. But in my opinion, in attacking only presidents, we are missing the real problem of political subjugation of law, the manipulation of law by power. We can see this now in National Assembly overreach. The solution to this is for law to be more clear and more rational and for the politicians to abide by it. Their power needs to be checked and balanced in this way. The upper house idea by Andrew is brilliant, as a check-and-balance against the powerful National Assembly. If we can get to a more law-based system, the role of the people on the streets will be diminished.

The Korea Times · December 19, 2024

7. Ukrainian military unveils footage of drone attacks on NK soldiers: report

Ukrainian military unveils footage of drone attacks on NK soldiers: report

The Korea Times · December 20, 2024

Two suspected North Korean soldiers are seen before a drone attack in this captured image from video footage posted on the 73rd Naval Center Special Operations Forces of Ukraine's X account on Dec. 19.

The Ukrainian military released more video footage of its forces apparently killing North Korean soldiers with a drone on the frontlines in the Kursk border region, a Ukrainian media outlet has reported, amid reports of North Korean forces suffering heavy casualties.

The Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine uploaded the black and white footage to its Facebook page, according to a report by local media outlet RBC on Thursday (local time).

"As a result, SOF operators destroyed 12 North Korean soldiers and wounded another 20," the SOF was quoted as saying.

The footage shows soldiers believed to be North Koreans hiding among the trees on a snowy terrain before being knocked to the ground by the drone attacks.

In another scene, a sudden flash from an attack erupts where a soldier is standing, after which the soldier collapses to the ground.

The video also shows scenes of purported North Korean soldiers falling to the ground after what appears to be a bomb explosion and Ukrainian forces firing a machine gun toward the snowy battlefield.

The authenticity of the video has not been verified yet.

On Tuesday, Kyiv's military also released a video of a drone attack on North Korean troops.

South Korea's spy agency said Thursday at least 100 North Korean troops dispatched to Russia for combat in Ukraine were killed, and some 1,000 injured.

The agency added that Russia's military has mainly mobilized North Korean soldiers as front-line storm troopers due to their lack of experience with drones. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · December 20, 2024

8. 'North Korean Killer' Drone Double-Sided… Scattering Surrender Leaflets

This is a Google translation of an RFA report about the leaflets Ukraine is dropping from drones.

'North Korean Killer' Drone Double-Sided… Scattering Surrender Leaflets

https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/nk_nuclear_talks/ukraine-drone-leaflets-defection-north-korea-12192024144947.html

WASHINGTON-Lee Sang-min lees@rfa.org

2024.12.19

Captured from a video posted on the 19th by the international online channel 'InformNaplam' on their social network Telegram

/Telegram

00:00 /04:22

Anchor : The Ukrainian military, which dealt a major blow to the North Korean military with drones in the Kursk region of Russia, is now using drones to scatter leaflets urging surrender . Reporter Lee Sang - min reports . InformNaplam , an international online channel that has been reporting on the war situation in Ukraine, introduced a video on its social network Telegram on the 19th showing the Ukrainian military using drones to scatter leaflets urging surrender to the North Korean military . ( Below )

The video shows a camera attached to a drone taking pictures of leaflets being dropped from the hovering drone onto the ground . Below the footage, a description in Ukrainian reads, " Leaflets are being dropped on the forest where North Korean troops are hiding . " The video then shows several types of surrender leaflets written in Korean . One leaflet, which reads in Korean, " Surrender today and welcome tomorrow in South Korea !" shows a North Korean soldier smiling brightly with both hands raised against a backdrop of the Taegeukgi flag on either side .

Another leaflet reads in Korean, “ You were sold for money ,” and features the face of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a picture of a soldier in a Russian military uniform . The footage shows the leaflets being loaded onto either side of a drone, before the drone is seen dropping them into the forest below .

RFA has not independently verified the authenticity of this video . The

international information channel InfoPharm reported on Telegram that Ukraine is not only using drones to attack North Korean soldiers, but also distributing leaflets in Korean so that the soldiers can start a new life as free people . They explained that if North Korean soldiers are captured, their anonymity is guaranteed and active support is provided so that they can start a free life in South Korea . They went on to say that it is still too early to judge how effective this humanitarian approach will actually be, but if it helps even one North Korean soldier choose his or her path in life and start a new life , it will show that the efforts are not in vain .

Ukraine: 50 North Korean soldiers killed , 47 wounded in drone attack

Ukraine urges North Korea to surrender via hotline

Earlier, the Ukrainian Special Forces (COO) claimed that 50 North Korean soldiers were killed and 47 were injured in just three days until the 16th due to drone attacks on the 17th . At the time, the special forces released a video of them attacking North Korean soldiers using drones on their social network Telegram .

The footage vividly shows the drone flying toward North Korean soldiers walking across a field or hiding behind trees , while the soldiers hurriedly flee .

The Ukrainian government has been revealing that it plans to distribute leaflets written in Korean urging North Korean troops deployed to Russia to surrender if they are involved in combat with the Ukrainian military. On October 27, Makbyanko, a spokesman for the Military Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (DUI) in charge of prisoners of war, told Japan 's Kyodo

News Agency that "for North Korean soldiers, deployment is a good opportunity to leave their home country," and that " while it is necessary to investigate whether or not they have committed war crimes , there is also the possibility that we will protect North Korean soldiers who have the intention to defect . " On October 23 , the General Directorate of Ukrainian Defense Ministry Information (HUR) posted a video and text in Korean urging the surrender of North Korean troops to the "surrender hotline" " I Want to Live " ( Хочу жить ), which has been used to urge the surrender of Russian troops .

“Surrender ! Ukraine protects you , gives you food and warmth . Thousands of Russian soldiers have already made the right choice and are now waiting for the end of the war in good conditions . They have comfortable barracks , three hot meals a day , and even medical care,” the General Directorate of Information emphasized on the Internet social network Telegram at the time .

Below the text, there was a link and phone number where you could leave a message on Telegram, and the video uploaded with the text showed a man speaking in Korean about the facilities where North Korean soldiers would be stationed if they surrendered, and explained the facilities .

Meanwhile , ' Infonefarm ' claimed that the Ukrainian military attacked the North Korean military with ' HIMARS' ( High-Mobility Multiple Rocket Launcher System ) containing hundreds of small bombs with similar power to grenades on the 18th , and uploaded a related video to Telegram . Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency ( DIU) said on its website on the 19th that the Russian military is continuing to deploy the North Korean military . The Defense Intelligence Agency reported that Russia additionally provided North Korean soldiers with bulletproof vests , helmets , and small arms of 5.45mm, 7.62mm, and 12.7mm caliber at a farm in the Kursk region . It then assessed that the North Korean military is moving to the front using transport vehicles such as water tankers, replacing dead soldiers, and continuing active combat operations . The Defense Intelligence Agency also reported that North Korean soldiers deployed on the front lines in the Kursk region are complaining of a shortage of ammunition for portable anti-tank rocket launchers (RPGs) . This is Lee Sang-min from RFA Radio Free Asia . Editor Park Jeong-woo , Web Editor Lee Gyeong-ha

9. N. Korea's flood victims brought to Pyongyang write letters of thanks to leader Kim

As Ranger instructor SGT Pugh used to say from PT platform, "False motivation will get you nowhere." Except in north Korea. False motivation is necessary for survival.

N. Korea's flood victims brought to Pyongyang write letters of thanks to leader Kim

koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · December 20, 2024

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday, shows victims of late July's floods in the country's northern border regions who were brought to Pyongyang attending an event to recite their letters of thanks to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un the previous day. (Yonhap)

North Korean victims of late July's floods in the country's northern border region have written letters of thanks to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un while wrapping up their four-month stay in Pyongyang, the North's state media reported Friday.

In August, Kim ordered more than 15,000 vulnerable flood victims from the North Phyongan, Jagang and Ryangang provinces, including children, the elderly and sick people, to be brought to Pyongyang and provided with shelter.

North Korea held an event Thursday to select "letters of loyalty" written by those victims in a bid to express their gratitude to the North's leader, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

While reciting their letters, the victims described leader Kim as a "benevolent" and "thoughtful" father who puts priority on taking care of his children in trouble, the report said.

The flood victims are expected to return to their hometowns soon as Kim has called for expediting recovery work and rehabilitation to ensure the completion before a year-end plenary party meeting.

Kim earlier inspected flood-hit areas several times and visited lodging quarters prepared for the victims in the capital in an apparent move to highlight his image as a caring leader.

South Korea's unification ministry said North Korea has been promoting Kim as a leader who cares for people's livelihoods by reporting on his on-site inspections into flood-affected regions and rehabilitation sites.

North Korea appears to be focused on allaying public discontent caused by the floods while highlighting the regime's efforts for recovery work, Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson at the ministry, told a press briefing.

Heavy rains in late July inundated large areas along the Amnok River. The North did not disclose casualties, but some South Korean media outlets reported the number of those who died or went missing due to the floods probably exceeded 1,000. (Yonhap)

koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · December 20, 2024

10. N. Korea arrests former trade official in Chinese phone crackdown

N. Korea arrests former trade official in Chinese phone crackdown - Daily NK English

The case has wider implications, as customs officials who accepted bribes from the individual to overlook banned items at the border are now under scrutiny

By Seon Hwa - December 20, 2024

dailynk.com · by Seon Hwa · December 20, 2024

A view of the North Korean city of Sinuiju, in North Pyongan province, as seen from Dandong, Liaoning province, China. (Photo provided by Lee Seung-ju, a profiler with Transitional Justice Working Group)

North Korean authorities are intensifying crackdowns on Chinese-made mobile phones, which serve as a crucial channel for outside information entering the country and internal information leaking out. Despite these efforts, demand for these phones remains high.

A Daily NK source in North Pyongan province reported that earlier this month, the provincial Ministry of State Security arrested a former trade official in his 50s for selling illegal Chinese-made mobile phones. The man, referred to here as Pak, lives in Sinuiju’s Pyonghwa neighborhood.

Pak, who previously worked as a trade official in China, maintained connections with Chinese associates after returning to North Korea. He earned money by facilitating illegal remittances and cross-border smuggling. His arrest came after he sold a smuggled Chinese phone to a neighbor involved in foreign currency work. When authorities caught the neighbor using the illegal phone, it led them to Pak.

The case has wider implications, as customs officials who accepted bribes from Pak to overlook banned items at the border are now under scrutiny.

“While phone usage temporarily decreased after previous arrests during heavy crackdowns, people continue seeking these phones,” the source said. Demand is particularly strong among those with Chinese business connections, like Pak.

“Foreign currency traders dealing with Chinese businesses or ethnic Chinese residents in North Korea typically use Chinese-made phones,” the source explained. “Even after confiscation, many simply purchase new ones.”

The source added that these phones are essential for many people’s livelihoods: “Because users either have powerful connections to avoid crackdowns or simply replace confiscated phones, authorities cannot eliminate their use.”

While North Korean authorities reluctantly permit some trade officials and frequent China travelers to use Chinese phones, these users must register with the Ministry of State Security and provide detailed information about their calls and contacts. However, even some of these authorized users secretly maintain separate illegal phones for private communications.

As of the report, Pak remains under questioning by the provincial Ministry of State Security.

Read in Korean

dailynk.com · by Seon Hwa · December 20, 2024

11. UN General Assembly adopts resolution on N. Korean human rights for 20th straight year

Human rights upfront.

UN General Assembly adopts resolution on N. Korean human rights for 20th straight year

koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · December 18, 2024

This photo taken on November 29, 2023 shows a U.N. Security Council session. (Gettyimages)

The UN General Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution on North Korean human rights for the 20th consecutive year, calling for improvement in the reclusive state's human rights record.

The adoption by consensus came as Seoul and Washington have stressed the importance of improvement in the North's human rights environment on the grounds that a repressive political climate has led the regime to continue to pursue its weapons development programs without allowing for public comment.

The General Assembly has adopted the resolution annually since 2005 to shine a light on human rights violations in North Korea and renew international calls for Pyongyang to tackle the issue.

This year's resolution stressed the need for the international community to address the North's situation in a unified manner and expressed concerns over the North's declaration not to pursue reunification with South Korea.

It also called for Pyongyang to repeal its practices and laws that suppress people's freedom of thought, expression and religion.

The resolution included a request for the General Assembly's president to organize a high-level plenary meeting, featuring testimony by civil society representatives and other experts, to address the human rights abuses being committed in the North.

As expected, Pyongyang responded to the resolution furiously.

"The delegation of the DPRK condemns in the strongest terms and totally rejects the draft resolution on the situation of the human rights in the DPRK submitted to this meeting by the European Union as a grave politically motivated provocation aimed at violating the dignity and sovereignty of our state," North Korean Ambassador to the UN Kim Song said. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The draft resolution, tabled by the European Union, is nothing but a political plot and anti-DPRK confrontational document totally fabricated with falsehood and distorted information by hostile forces." (Yonhap)

koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · December 18, 2024

12. S. Korean shipbuilders to retain edge in high-value vessels despite order slump

Too bad we have the Jones Act in the US. Think of what Korean shipbuilders could do for the US Navy by being a partner in the arsenal of democracy.

S. Korean shipbuilders to retain edge in high-value vessels despite order slump

New ship orders fall below 20%, but LNG carrier expertise and technological leadership sustain competitive edge, report finds

https://www.chosun.com/english/industry-en/2024/12/20/3XJ5JVVFVNBCPPV5THCEE3JT6Q/

By Kim Nam-hee,

Kim Seo-young

Published 2024.12.20. 16:02

South Korea’s share of global new ship orders is expected to fall below 20% this year, the lowest since the industry’s downturn 2016, but its shipbuilders are projected to maintain a competitive edge in high-value vessels like LNG carriers. Experts predict that Korean shipbuilders will counter China’s volume-driven strategy by heavily investing in smart and eco-friendly ship technologies.

ING Think, the economic research arm of Dutch financial firm ING, noted in its “Asia’s Shipbuilding Renaissance” report, published on Dec. 16, that while South Korea’s market share in the global shipbuilding industry has declined over the past four years, its shipbuilders have become more efficient and competitive. The report also highlighted that South Korean shipyards dominate the high-value LNG and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) carrier markets, securing the majority of orders in these sectors.

An LNG carrier built by Samsung Heavy Industries. /Courtesy of Samsung Heavy Industries

From January to November this year, South Korean shipbuilders secured 10.92 million compensated gross tonnage (CGT) out of a total of 60.33 million CGT in global new ship orders, and 248 out of 2,159 vessels. This accounts for 18% of the market, the lowest share since 2016′s 15.5%. Projections suggest that South Korea’s annual share will likely remain below 20%.

China’s market share rose to 69% during the same period, driven by domestic orders. Following the 2008 global financial crisis, China restructured its shipbuilding industry and dominated low-cost orders for container ships and bulk carriers, maintaining the top spot in global new orders since 2012. In recent years, China has also increased its presence in the LNG carrier market, once dominated by South Korea.

China holds a significant competitive advantage in shipbuilding due to lower labor and raw material costs, as well as generous government financial support. Labor costs, which account for over 20% of production expenses, are half those in South Korea and Japan.

A container ship operated by China COSCO Shipping. /Courtesy of COSCO Shipping

ING found that South Korea has the highest shipyard utilization rate among the three Asian countries, with 70.9 orders per shipyard, compared to 21.3 for China and 13.3 for Japan. ING noted that South Korean shipbuilders are filling their yards with “profitable and reliable orders.”

While much of South Korea’s shipbuilding output is export-oriented, most of China’s orders come from domestic clients. Ship exports make up a larger portion of South Korea’s total exports compared to China and Japan. ING emphasized that shipbuilding is driving South Korea’s export growth this year, and with a current backlog of 3.5 years, ship exports are expected to continue rising for at least next more years.

Despite China’s increasing LNG carrier orders to close the gap with South Korea, experts believe it will take time for China to match South Korea’s technological capabilities. In 2022, China secured LNG carrier orders that South Korean shipyards could not accommodate, with deliveries starting next year. Once these ships are operational, China’s technological progress will become clearer.

South Korea aims to maintain its technological lead by accelerating the development of next-generation ships, such as ammonia and carbon dioxide carriers, fully autonomous ships, and zero-emission engines.

13. North Korean Troops Launched Large-Scale Combat Operations In Kursk: Officials

North Korean Troops Launched Large-Scale Combat Operations In Kursk: Officials

Months after arriving in Russia, the North Koreans are now taking on a larger role in defending against Ukraine's Kursk invasion.

Howard Altman

Posted on Dec 17, 2024

twz.com · by Howard Altman

North Korean troops began conducting large-scale assault operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region last week, the head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) told The War Zone on Monday. That timeline was later confirmed by the Pentagon.

While there have been about 12,000 North Koreans in Kursk for months to help Russia push back the Ukrainian invasion there, they only recently began to attack in larger numbers, Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov told us. His comments followed those by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who on Saturday said that “the Russians have begun to use North Korean soldiers in their assaults — a significant number of them. The Russians include them in combined units and use them in operations in the Kursk region. So far, only there. But we have information suggesting their use could extend to other parts of the frontline. There are also already noticeable losses in this category.”

Zelensky's early evening speech with special attention to the use of DPRK soldiers by Russia.

—

Today, there is already preliminary data that the Russians have begun to use soldiers from North Korea in assaults – a significant number. The Russians are including them in… pic.twitter.com/eN9NRsdE9J

— NOELREPORTS (@NOELreports) December 14, 2024

So far, North Korea has suffered more than 200 casualties in those operations, GUR said on Telegram. One of their positions in Kursk was “effectively covered” by first-person view (FPV) drones. Pyongyang’s forces, as we previously noted, have already been killed in Ukraine, but on a much smaller scale.

Ukrainian media are now sharing drone footage of what they claim are North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. pic.twitter.com/V4wlEJJa8H

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) December 16, 2024

A group of North Korean soldiers hit by cluster munitions during an attempted assault in the Kursk region. pic.twitter.com/TeOA2Q39xu

— MAKS 24 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) December 16, 2024

Ukrainian Special Operations Forces strike North Korean infantry in Kursk region. pic.twitter.com/xYfXmznQ3F

— Special Kherson Cat (@bayraktar_1love) December 16, 2024

GUR posited that there are challenges in integrating the North Korean troops into Russian ranks.

“Language barrier remains a difficult obstacle to management and coordination of actions,” GUR explained. As a result, North Korean soldiers fired on vehicles belonging to the Akhmat battalion of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. At least eight of those fighters were killed in the incident, GUR claimed.

On Saturday and Sunday, at least 30 North Koreans were killed or wounded in fighting near three villages – Martynovka on the easternmost portion of the Ukrainian salient, Plekhovo in a contested area about 10 miles to the south, and Vorobzha, which is about nine miles to the southeast in Russian-held territory.

The War Zone cannot independently verify Ukraine’s casualty claims.

The North Koreans suffered losses fighting near Martynovka in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Ukraine claims. Google Earth image

“Due to losses, the assault groups are being replenished with fresh personnel, in particular from the 94th separate brigade of the DPRK army, to continue active combat operations in the area,” GUR explained, using the official Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) acronym for North Korea.

The Pentagon’s top spokesman on Monday confirmed GUR’s claim that the North Koreans are now fighting alongside Russians.

They entered combat alongside Russian troops “about a week ago,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.

“We do have indications that they have separate casualties, both killed and wounded,” he said. “I don’t have specific numbers to provide for you, but that is obviously something that we continue to monitor. And as we’ve said all along, those forces are legitimate military targets for the Ukrainians, given that they are engaged in active combat.”

North Korean and Russian troops are now fighting together in Kursk, officials say. (Via Twitter) Via Twitter

After launching the Kursk invasion in August, Ukraine captured about 500 square miles of what was initially lightly defended territory. Russia has since mounted two counter-operations, including one in September that saw upwards of 60,000 troops recapture about half of what it had lost by the end of November. Since then, there haven’t been any major territorial gains or losses by either side as the fight has bogged down in the frigid December weather.

Having 12,000 North Koreans in the mix is certainly a boon for Russia, even with language and command and control issues. As we have noted before, as Moscow and Pyongyang continue to cement their relationship, many more troops could be on the way given that manpower is North Korea’s greatest resource.

There are many other facets to this relationship.

In addition to potentially receiving air defense systems and energy supplies from Russia in exchange for the troops in Kursk and assorted weaponry, including millions of artillery shells, North Korea is reportedly going to receive fighter aircraft as well.

Russian Su-27 (Dmitry A. Mottl/Wikimedia Commons)

There have also been concerns that Moscow might provide North Korea with technologies to help accelerate its nuclear and long-range ballistic missile programs. Russia would also be a prime candidate to assist North Korea in pushing forward its submarine program, which also includes a growing family of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) as well as increasingly advanced submarine technologies.

PHOTO BY VLADIMIR SMIRNOV/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

On Monday, the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, and High Representative of the European Union issued a joint statement condemning the burgeoning North Korea-Russia relationship. Those nations also raised concerns that this is inflaming tensions on the Korean peninsula.

“Direct DPRK support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine marks a dangerous expansion of the conflict, with serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific security,” the statement read in part. “The DPRK’s export of ballistic missiles, artillery shells, and other military materiel to Russia for use against Ukraine and Russia’s training of DPRK soldiers involving arms or related materiel represent flagrant violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), and 2270 (2016). We are deeply concerned about any political, military, or economic support that Russia may be providing to the DPRK’s illegal weapons programs, including weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, which would exacerbate the already tense environment on the Korean Peninsula.”

Ukraine’s investment in Kursk comes as it continues to lose ground in the eastern part of its own country. As we have continuously highlighted in the past, Kursk is a bargaining chip. With Donald Trump set to return to the White House on Jan. 20, both sides are trying to grab as much territory as possible ahead of any future peace negotiations or any plan implemented by the new administration.

The Latest

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Russia continues to make gains in the east, particularly in Donetsk Oblast. Their push toward Pokrovsk continues but has yet to succeed.

These are the key takeaways from the latest Institute for the Study of War assessment.

Russian forces conducted a roughly battalion-sized mechanized assault in the Siversk direction following a recent reported command change of the Russian forces operating near Siversk.
The recent Siversk assault indicates that Russian forces appear to be learning to conduct more effective assaults but remain far from restoring maneuver to the battlefield.
North Korean forces are reportedly facing expected struggles with high casualties and poor communication with Russian forces in Kursk Oblast, likely disrupting coordination between North Korean and Russian personnel and undermining Russian military operations.
Russian forces recently advanced near Siversk, Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Vuhledar.

Russian forces conducted a roughly battalion-sized mechanized assault in the Siversk direction following a recent reported command change of the Russian forces operating near Siversk. (1/2) https://t.co/TudnsYun2Q pic.twitter.com/PBZqJhrzWi

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) December 16, 2024

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) conducted “a precision drone operation targeting ammunition and fuel storage facilities near the village of Markyne in the Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast,” the Ukrainian Suspline media outlet reported.

“The ammo depot contained thousands of ammunition items, including shells for infantry fighting vehicles and tanks, anti-tank guided missiles, mines and grenades, millions of ammunition rounds of various calibers,” Suspline explained.

Drones from Ukraine’s Security Service hit a Russian ammo depot near Markyne, Donetsk, according to Suspilne.

They destroyed tank shells, anti-tank missiles, grenades, mines, millions of bullets, and a nearby fuel depot. pic.twitter.com/IKdnEpvKlk

— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) December 16, 2024

Learning from its enemy, the Russian army is developing a separate military drone branch akin to Ukraine’s, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov announced Monday.

It is currently unknown what structure and tasks the new formation will have, as well as whether it will include existing UAV operator units operating as part of the occupation forces in Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Militarnyi website. “The Russians will likely copy the general principles that underpin the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces (UAF), which were created as a separate branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in February 2024.”

Russian Defense Minister Belousov: The Russian Armed Forces will form a new branch – "Unmanned Systems Force" – and will complete their creation in the third quarter of 2025." https://t.co/FwV8VmpDHf pic.twitter.com/KD2X5oI4Og

— Samuel Bendett (@sambendett) December 16, 2024

New video emerged of the Hitchhiker multi-purpose drone interceptor, which has reportedly been successfully tested on the frontlines.

Developed by two American tech companies – IronNet, the AI-based collective defense cybersecurity company, and Asterion Systems, a leader in counter-unmanned air system (UAS) technology – Hitchhiker was designed to take down hostile drones, according to Newsweek.

The defensive network “is formed by combining IronNet’s Iron Dome cybersecurity system, which provides real-time detection of cyber threats, with Asterion’s Hitchhiker counter-drone technology,” the publication reported. “The system is designed to neutralize hostile drones.”

The propeller-driven, electronically powered Hitchhiker is reportedly capable of reaching speeds of 279mph with a range of 125 miles.

Ukraine's New Hitchhiker multi-purpose drone interceptor has proved its worth on the Ukrainian frontline where it was successfully tested in battle.

Capable of reaching speeds of 279mph and with a range of 125 miles, the electric-powered drone has been described as a… pic.twitter.com/xiJX8UNVLj

— Bricktop_NAFO (@Bricktop_NAFO) December 11, 2024

Ukrainian vehicles are reported to increasingly use radio-electronic jamming systems to protect against FPV and Mavic-type drones. They send out broadband signals creating “noise” to jam the command signal between the drones and the operator.

REBs work by sending out a broadband, noise signal to jam the command frequencies most commonly used on drones (FPV and Mavics). Once a drone frequency is detected (via a detection device, aka “sugar cube”), the operator pushes a button and the REB disables any nearby drones. pic.twitter.com/vt7mCVQXpr

— Dr. Anthony Tingle (@AnthonyLTingle) December 8, 2024

A GUR sniper with the call sign “Lecturer” killed a Russian soldier at a distance of 2,069 meters, or nearly 1.3 miles, GUR claimed, adding it was the longest kill shot ever fired by a Ukrainian.

The sniper “was actually on the same terrain level with the Russian occupier, aimed in the harsh Ukrainian December, fired while standing in a trench at the enemy, who was moving in a landing – and hit with the first shot,” GUR stated on its website. “‘In the conditions of modern warfare, you do not have the opportunity to climb out of a trench, lie down in a landing, etc. Enemy drones do not allow you to shoot from classic positions,’” the scout explained.”

The shot was “a masterful job that will definitely go down in the history of our struggle for freedom,” Budanov said in a statement on the GUR website. “Hitting a moving target at such a distance is a huge achievement; evidence of high professionalism and concentration, which snipers of Ukrainian military intelligence are famous for. We continue the fight to destroy even more Russian occupiers!”

To make the shot, “Lecturer” said he fired a .338 Lapua Magnum (8.6mm) round from a Sako TRG M10 sniper rifle.

“But if I had a choice: to choose one rifle and one cartridge, I would take the Cadex Kraken and the .338LM caliber,” noted “Lecturer.”

The confirmed record for this caliber belongs to the British sniper, Corporal of the Royal Guards Regiment “Blues and Royals” Craig Harrison. In November 2009, during the war in Afghanistan, he successfully hit two Taliban at a distance of 2,475 meters (about 1.53 miles) and also damaged their machine gun.

Ukraine continues to up its decoy game. Video recently emerged of a pretty good mockup of a U.S.-donated M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). Unlike inflatable decoys, this HIMARS is fashioned out of an existing vehicle, making it an even more realistic option to fool Russians.

Very high-quality mock-up of American M142 HIMARS by Ukraine to deceive Russians. pic.twitter.com/XjDqYLBGS8

— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 7, 2024

Zelensky frequently visits troops in the field. He recently toured Ukraine’s first underground advanced surgical group, which has reportedly already saved more than 1,000 lives.

️Zelensky visited Ukraine's first underground advanced surgical group – the hospital has already saved over 1,000 lives

According to the president, doctors here receive wounded soldiers directly from the battlefield and provide them with medical assistance.

The president is… pic.twitter.com/PyrICoII8s

— MilitaryNewsUA (@front_ukrainian) December 12, 2024

Norway will provide $242 million “to strengthen the Ukrainian Navy,” according to the Norwegian Defense Ministry (MoD). “The funding will, among other things, be used to protect people in Ukraine from attacks as well as for mine clearance operations and training of Ukrainian soldiers.”

‘Ukraine needs more support to deter Russian naval forces in the Black Sea in the time ahead,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on Monday. “It is essential to protect the Ukrainian population and Ukrainian infrastructure from attacks by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. It is also important to protect exports by sea of grain and other products, which generate crucial revenues for Ukraine.”

️Norway will allocate 242 million dollars to strengthen the Ukrainian fleet, said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

"It is necessary to protect the population and infrastructure of Ukraine from attacks by the russian Black Sea Fleet," he said.

Follow @blyskavka_ua pic.twitter.com/bW7jQfaPVA

— BLYSKAVKA (@blyskavka_ua) December 16, 2024

Ukraine has begun assembling a NATO-standard assault rifle locally, according to Euromaidan Press, citing a Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC announcement.

“The licensed assembly of CZ BREN 2 rifles reportedly started last month – in November – at one of the military conglomerate’s facilities, the company reported,” the publication reported.

“The CZ BREN 2 is already in service with the Ukrainian army, as well as the armed forces of the Czech Republic, Portugal, French National Gendarmerie operational group, Polish border service, and Romanian gendarmerie,” Euromaidan Press explained. “The localization of weapons production is gradually making Ukraine less reliant on its allies for arms supplies and more resilient against ongoing Russian aggression.”

Dec. 14 was a particularly bad day for Russia, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Moscow lost the largest number of vehicles since the beginning of the large-scale invasion, according to the General Staff, which claimed its forces destroyed or damaged 181 vehicles. The War Zone cannot independently verify that figure.

On December 14, the Russian army lost the largest number of vehicles since the beginning of the large-scale invasion.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on that day, Ukrainian defenders destroyed and damaged 181 vehicles, including trucks for various… pic.twitter.com/el1GcfxASi

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) December 16, 2024

You can’t fly much lower than these two Ukrainian Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunships. The video below offers a cockpit view of them following a motorway to the front just a few feet above the roadway.

Cockpit footage from a pair of Ukrainian Mi-24 Hind gunships following a motorway to the front at extremely low altitude. pic.twitter.com/E3ZUUQMC0Q

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) December 16, 2024

And finally, Russia continues to find new ways to add armor to vehicles for protection against FPV drones. In this case, the tracked vehicle has so much extra armor and caging that it looks like a Mad Max prop.

I don't even know what to call these anymore pic.twitter.com/8zfj3K6IOS

— Preston Stewart (@prestonstew_) December 16, 2024

That’s it for now.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

twz.com · by Howard Altman

14. Martial law teaches an essential lesson: leaders must listen

Conclusion:

Unfortunately, Korea is paying a staggering political, economic, and cultural price for the poor decision. It is a costly lesson that everyone has learned the hard way about the importance of listening.

Martial law teaches an essential lesson: leaders must listen

donga.com

Posted December. 20, 2024 08:30,

Updated December. 20, 2024 08:30

Martial law teaches an essential lesson: leaders must listen. December. 20, 2024 08:30. .

No matter who you talk to these days, the conversation inevitably ends with the December 3 martial law declaration. Beyond discussing martial law's political turmoil and economic impact, people share personal stories of where they were and how they heard the shocking news. The discussion often extends further, delving into a psychological analysis of why these supposedly smart individuals made such an outrageous decision.

Entrepreneurs primarily pointed out the harmful effects of 'refusal to communicate' and 'groupthink.' Groupthink refers to a psychological mechanism where an overestimation of group capabilities leads to a loss of objectivity, and a desire for group harmony and conformity suppresses individual critical thinking. The term was coined by Yale professor Irving Janis in 1972, inspired by the disastrous 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion—a poor decision made by U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his brilliant staff. Similarly, the personal style of President Yoon Suk Yeol, known for talking more than listening even in private settings, and the groupthink fostered by a 'curtain of close confidants' led to disaster.

This leads to the seemingly obvious conclusion that it is important to have a leader who allows everyone to freely voice critical opinions and listens to them. However, this is easier said than done. The Korean organizational culture, characterized by imperial-like leadership and loyal executors, makes it easy to fall into groupthink. That is why even major corporations are emphasizing the need to learn from the martial law situation, which now serves as an example of poor decision-making.

One CEO of a large company said that he always keeps a picture frame in his office with the words 'listen carefully' on it. Even when he doesn’t want to listen, he looks at it as a reminder. “I often end up pushing through with my own judgment,” he says, “but once I listen, I always keep the opposing view in the back of my mind. It’s something you can take into account in your next decision or consider as a risk to watch out for.” He also emphasized the importance of listening to naysayers, even when you don’t want to.

Successful leaders don't leave listening to the will of the individual. After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, then-U.S. President John F. Kennedy created a decision-making system to avoid groupthink. This included 'holding meetings to discuss various alternatives rather than simply deciding yes or no on a particular agenda' and 'conducting discussions in small groups without the president present.' These measures led to a wise response during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is also a master communicator. When I visited Nvidia's headquarters in March of this year, I noticed that the elevators were tucked away in a corner of the building. Instead, a centralized staircase leading to a café on each floor was designed to encourage movement and interaction among employees. An Nvidia official explained that this design was intended to “force people to meet on the stairs and listen to each other's stories,” preventing them from becoming too focused on their specialties—a common characteristic in the semiconductor industry.

Unfortunately, Korea is paying a staggering political, economic, and cultural price for the poor decision. It is a costly lesson that everyone has learned the hard way about the importance of listening.

한국어

donga.com

15. Researcher: North Korea can produce ballistic missiles for Russia to use against Ukraine in months

Researcher: North Korea can produce ballistic missiles for Russia to use against Ukraine in months

By EDITH M. LEDERER

Updated 9:19 PM EST, December 18, 2024

AP · December 18, 2024

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — North Korea demonstrated this year that it could produce ballistic missiles and supply them to Russia for use against Ukraine in a matter of months, the head of a research organization that traces weapons used in the war said Wednesday.

Jonah Leff told the U.N. Security Council that researchers on the ground examined remnants of four missiles from North Korea recovered in Ukraine in July and August, including one that had marks indicating it was produced in 2024.

“This is the first public evidence of missiles having been produced in North Korea and then used in Ukraine within a matter of months, not years,” he said.

Leff also had briefed the Security Council in late June, telling members that the organization he heads, Conflict Armament Research, had “irrefutably” established that ballistic missile remnants found in Ukraine early this year were from a missile manufactured in North Korea.

The U.K.-based organization, which was established in 2011 to document and trace weapons used in conflicts to assist governments in countering diversion and proliferation, has worked in Ukraine since 2018.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed his country would “invariably support” Russia’s war in Ukraine when he met Russia’s defense chief in late November, the North’s state media reported.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia objected to the second appearance of Leff at the council meeting, chaired by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield of the United States, which holds the council’s rotating presidency this month.

He claimed Leff represents NATO and the European Union, and questioned whether his organization could provide impartial assessments. And he accused Thomas-Greenfield of violating Security Council practices and transforming its meetings “into a politicized act of buffoonery.”

The U.S. ambassador retorted that Russia had vetoed a resolution that ended the monitoring of sanctions against North Korea by U.N. experts, which she said makes organizations like Conflict Armament Research and its independent, well-regarded experts all the more critical.

She said its reports show why Russia was determined to block the renewal of the mandate for the U.N. experts. Russia and North Korea “are engaging in unlawful arms transfers and training, in brazen violation of numerous council resolutions,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

Leff stood by the organization’s research and said its analysis highlights three observations about North Korea’s missile activities.

It confirms the continued use of freshly manufactured North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine, he said, and the discovery of the 2024 manufacturing mark on one missile reveals the very short period between the production of these ballistic missiles, their transfer and eventual use in Ukraine.

Leff also said the presence of recently produced missile components not from North Korea, some bearing 2023 production marks, “illustrates North Korea’s robust acquisition network for its ballistic missile program, despite U.N. sanctions prohibiting the transfer of this material for military purpose.”

North Korea’s U.N. Ambassador Kim Song insisted that its relationship with Russia is “a positive contribution to international peace and security and can by no means be subject of the criticism.”

He accused the United States and its allies of inciting “confrontation and discord among nations,” by intervening militarily across the planet and providing Ukraine with billions of dollars in military aid, including long-range weapons.

AP · December 18, 2024

16. Moving Forward on North Korea: The Case for Bold Transitional Justice Initiatives in South Korea

The 24 page report can be downloaded here: https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/12/moving-forward-north-korea-case-bold-transitional-justice-initiatives-south?utm

Moving Forward on North Korea: The Case for Bold Transitional Justice Initiatives in South Korea

https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/12/moving-forward-north-korea-case-bold-transitional-justice-initiatives-south?utm

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

/ READ TIME: 1 minute

By: Michael Maya

Near- and medium-term prospects for the peaceful reunification of North and South Korea are poor, and steadily worsening. Nevertheless, this discussion paper argues that South Korea needs to prepare for a possible peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. The paper proposes a five-step process to advance a bold transitional justice initiative in South Korea and ways that international actors can help. The paper concludes with recommendations to strengthen this transitional justice process.

About the Authors

Michael Maya is the director of the International Bar Association’s North America office.

This research was funded by USIP’s Northeast Asia program, which is solely responsible for the accuracy and thoroughness of the content. The views expressed in this discussion paper are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Institute of Peace.

PHOTO: Moving Forward on North Korea: The Case for Bold Transitional Justice Initiatives in South Korea discussion paper cover

The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s).

PUBLICATION TYPE: Discussion Paper

17. Drone defense, bombing practice keep US, South Korean forces busy

Drone defense, bombing practice keep US, South Korean forces busy

Stars and Stripes · by Joseph Ditzler and Yoo Kyong Chang · December 19, 2024

South Korean F-15K Slam Eagles and U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons fly in formation prior to munitions training at Pilsung Range, South Korea, on Dec. 16, 2024. (Maria Umanzor Guzman/U.S. Air Force)

A pair of military exercises over South Korea emphasized air defense and ground support this week as 2024 nears its final days.

The country’s military branches trained Thursday afternoon to improve the nation’s air defense response to North Korean drone intrusions, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The joint exercise, announced Wednesday, involved a simulated attack by multiple drones over the East Sea, or Sea of Japan, and the Yellow Sea, and rear areas, according to a news release by the Joint Chiefs.

“This training will simulate responses to potential provocations involving multiple small North Korean drones infiltrating South Korean land and sea, including operating a large number of small drones as virtual enemy aircraft,” the release states.

Units of the South Korean army, navy and air force worked to detect, identify and simulate the downing of small drones, according to the Joint Chiefs.

“The military is doing its utmost to monitor and prepare for North Korea, while continuing to conduct practical trainings in preparation for enemy provocations,” the release states.

North and South Korea both launched programs to upgrade their drone programs last year, after North Korean drones breached the South’s airspace in December 2022, according to a Bloomberg News report in June 2023.

The flight of five North Korean drones into South Korea on Dec. 26, 2022, including one into the no-fly zone around the presidential office in Seoul, exposed the South’s lack of defensive capability, according to a classified U.S. intelligence assessment cited five months later by The Washington Post.

South Korea scrambled fighter jets and helicopters in response but failed to shoot down any of the intruding drones.

On Monday and Tuesday, U.S. and South Korean fighter aircraft teamed up for live-fire training at a range southeast of Seoul, according to 7th Air Force.

Two F-16 Fighting Falcons with the 80th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base dropped Mk-82 general purpose, freefall bombs on simulated targets at Pilsung Range. Two F-15K Slam Eagles in a separate drill dropped two GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMS, at the same range, according to information posted on the 7th Air Force website.

The 607th Air Support Operations Group took part in the close air support portion of the exercise as tactical air control specialists, according to 7th Air Force.

The allies last publicized a training exercise at Pilsung Range, about 100 miles southeast of Seoul, on Oct. 4, when two Air Force B-1 Lancers and two Slam Eagles flew close air support drills there.

On June 5, a Lancer and two Slam Eagles dropped 500-pound JDAMS at Pilsung, the first live-fire demonstration by a Lancer in South Korea in seven years.

Joseph Ditzler

Joseph Ditzler is a Marine Corps veteran and the Pacific editor for Stars and Stripes. He’s a native of Pennsylvania and has written for newspapers and websites in Alaska, California, Florida, New Mexico, Oregon and Pennsylvania. He studied journalism at Penn State and international relations at the University of Oklahoma.

Yoo Kyong Chang

Yoo Kyong Chang is a reporter/translator covering the U.S. military from Camp Humphreys, South Korea. She graduated from Korea University and also studied at the University of Akron in Ohio.

Stars and Stripes · by Joseph Ditzler and Yoo Kyong Chang · December 19, 2024

18. Lazarus Group Spotted Targeting Nuclear Engineers with CookiePlus Malware

The all purpose sword.

Lazarus Group Spotted Targeting Nuclear Engineers with CookiePlus Malware

https://thehackernews.com/2024/12/lazarus-group-spotted-targeting-nuclear.html

Dec 20, 2024Ravie Lakshmanan

Cyber Espionage / Malware

The Lazarus Group, an infamous threat actor linked to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has been observed leveraging a "complex infection chain" targeting at least two employees belonging to an unnamed nuclear-related organization within the span of one month in January 2024.

The attacks, which culminated in the deployment of a new modular backdoor referred to as CookiePlus, are part of a long-running cyber espionage campaign known as Operation Dream Job, which is also tracked as NukeSped by cybersecurity company Kaspersky. It's known to be active since at least 2020, when it was exposed by ClearSky.

These activities often involve targeting developers and employees in various companies, including defense, aerospace, cryptocurrency, and other global sectors, with lucrative job opportunities that ultimately lead to the deployment of malware on their machines.

"Lazarus is interested in carrying out supply chain attacks as part of the DeathNote campaign, but this is mostly limited to two methods: the first is by sending a malicious document or trojanized PDF viewer that displays the tailored job descriptions to the target," the Russian firm said in an exhaustive analysis.

"The second is by distributing trojanized remote access tools such as VNC or PuTTY to convince the targets to connect to a specific server for a skills assessment."

The latest set of attacks documented by Kaspersky involve the second method, with the adversary making use of a completely revamped infection chain delivering a trojanized VNC utility under the pretext of conducting a skills assessment for IT positions at prominent aerospace and defense companies.

It's worth noting that Lazarus Group's use of rogue versions of VNC apps to target nuclear engineers was previously highlighted by the company in October 2023 in its APT trends report for Q3 2023.

"Lazarus delivered the first archive file to at least two people within the same organization (we'll call them Host A and Host B)," researchers Vasily Berdnikov and Sojun Ryu said. "After a month, they attempted more intensive attacks against the first target."

The VNC apps, a trojanized version of TightVNC called "AmazonVNC.exe," are believed to have been distributed in the form of both ISO images and ZIP files. In other cases, a legitimate version of UltraVNC was used to sideload a malicious DLL packed within the ZIP archive.

The DLL ("vnclang.dll") serves as a loader for a backdoor dubbed MISTPEN, which was uncovered by Google-owned Mandiant in September 2024. It's tracking the activity cluster under the moniker UNC2970. MISTPEN, for its part, has been found to deliver two additional payloads codenamed RollMid and a new variant of LPEClient.

Kaspersky said it also observed the CookieTime malware being deployed on Host A, although the exact method that was used to facilitate it remains unknown. First discovered by the company in September and November 2020, CookieTime is so named for its use of encoded cookie values in HTTP requests to fetch instructions from a command-and-control (C2) server.

Further investigation of the attack chain has revealed that the threat actor moved laterally from Host A to another machine (Host C), where CookieTime was again used to drop various payloads between February and June 2024, such as follows -

LPEClient, a malware that comes fitted with capabilities to profile compromised hosts
ServiceChanger, a malware that stops a targeted legitimate service so as to sideload a rogue DLL embedded within it using the executable via DLL side-loading
Charamel Loader, a loader malware that decrypts and loads internal resources like CookieTime, CookiePlus, and ForestTiger
CookiePlus, a new plugin-based malicious program that's loaded by both ServiceChanger and Charamel Loader

"The difference between each CookiePlus loaded by Charamel Loader and by ServiceChanger is the way it is executed. The former runs as a DLL alone and includes the C2 information in its resources section," the researchers pointed out.

"The latter fetches what is stored in a separate external file like msado.inc, meaning that CookiePlus has the capability to get a C2 list from both an internal resource and an external file. Otherwise, the behavior is the same."

CookiePlus gets its name from the fact that it was disguised as an open-source Notepad++ plugin called ComparePlus when it was detected in the wild for the first time. In the attacks targeting the nuclear-related entity, it has been found to be based on another project named DirectX-Wrappers.

The malware serves as a downloader to retrieve a Base64-encoded, RSA-encrypted payload from the C2 server, which is then decoded and deciphered to execute three different shellcodes or a DLL. The shellcodes are equipped with features to collect system information and make the main CookiePlus module sleep for a certain number of minutes.

It's suspected that CookiePlus is a successor to MISTPEN owing to behavioral overlaps between the two malware families, including the aspect that both have disguised themselves as Notepad++ plugins.

"Throughout its history, the Lazarus group has used only a small number of modular malware frameworks such as Mata and Gopuram Loader," Kaspersky said. "The fact that they do introduce new modular malware, such as CookiePlus, suggests that the group is constantly working to improve their arsenal and infection chains to evade detection by security products."

The findings come as blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis revealed that threat actors affiliated with North Korea have stolen $1.34 billion across 47 cryptocurrency hacks in 2024, up from $660.50 million in 2023. This included the May 2024 breach of Japanese cryptocurrency exchange, DMM Bitcoin, which suffered a loss of $305 million at the time.

"Unfortunately, it appears that the DPRK's crypto attacks are becoming more frequent," the company said. "Notably, attacks between $50 and $100 million, and those above $100 million occurred far more frequently in 2024 than they did in 2023, suggesting that the DPRK is getting better and faster at massive exploits."

Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

19. N. Korea arrests former trade official in Chinese phone crackdown

N. Korea arrests former trade official in Chinese phone crackdown - Daily NK English

The case has wider implications, as customs officials who accepted bribes from the individual to overlook banned items at the border are now under scrutiny

By Seon Hwa - December 20, 2024

dailynk.com · by Seon Hwa · December 20, 2024

The case has wider implications, as customs officials who accepted bribes from Pak to overlook banned items at the border are now under scrutiny.

As of the report, Pak remains under questioning by the provincial Ministry of State Security.

Read in Korean

dailynk.com · by Seon Hwa · December 20, 2024

20. NK responsible for 61% of global cryptocurrency heists: Chainalysis

Kim's all purpose sword of cyber is his most powerful weapon (that can be used every day)

NK responsible for 61% of global cryptocurrency heists: Chainalysis

The Korea Times · December 20, 2024

gettyimagesbank

Pyongyang's cyberattacks grow faster, more skilled

By Lee Yeon-woo

Hackers affiliated with North Korea stole a record $1.34 billion from cryptocurrency platforms across 47 incidents this year, according to blockchain data analysis firm Chainalysis, Friday. This amount accounts for 61 percent of the total stolen funds so far this year.

Chainalysis noted that North Korea's crypto attacks are becoming more frequent, suggesting that the country is enhancing its speed and sophistication in executing large-scale breaches.

Attacks ranging from $50 million to $100 million, as well as those exceeding $100 million, occurred much more frequently in 2024 compared to 2023.

This trend can be partly attributed to North Korean IT workers, who are increasingly infiltrating crypto and Web3 companies. They often use false identities, third-party hiring intermediaries, and remote work opportunities to gain access.

For example, the U.S. Department of Justice recently indicted 14 North Korean nationals who had worked as remote IT contractors for American companies, generating more than $88 million by stealing proprietary information and extorting their employers.

However, the amount stolen in such financial heists dropped by half following a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in late June. Their growing alliance has seen North Korea deploy troops to Ukraine and supply ballistic missiles to Russia, while Moscow released millions of dollars in previously frozen assets owned by the North.

The amounts stolen by North Korea fell by approximately 53.73 percent after the summit, while the amounts stolen by non-North Koreans increased by 5 percent, according to the report.

"It is therefore possible that ... the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), which has dramatically increased its cooperation with Russia in recent years, may have altered its cybercriminal activity as well," the report stated.

The Korea Times · December 20, 2024

21. Former general implicated in Dec. 3 martial law plot ran fortune-telling business: Reports

I suppose this is a form of intelligence prediction.

Friday

December 20, 2024

dictionary + A - A

Former general implicated in Dec. 3 martial law plot ran fortune-telling business: Reports

Published: 20 Dec. 2024, 16:50

Updated: 20 Dec. 2024, 17:08

MICHAEL LEE
lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr

A symbol commonly associated with Buddhist temples and fortune tellers can be seen affixed to the front door of former Defense Intelligence Command chief Noh Sang-won's residence in Ansan, Gyeonggi, on Friday. A pile of dried fish, commonly used in shamanistic rituals, is on the right. [NEWS1]

A former military official who is accused of involvement in President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law worked as a shaman and ran a fortune-telling business out of his home, according to recent reports by JTBC and the JoongAng Ilbo.

Noh Sang-won, who served as chief of the Defense Intelligence Command and director of the Army Intelligence School until 2018, was detained by police for his role in Yoon’s martial law declaration on Sunday. An arrest warrant against him was approved on Wednesday.

Reporters who visited Noh’s residence in Ansan, Gyeonggi, on Thursday found a large sticker on his front door emblazoned with a symbol commonly associated with Buddhist temples and fortune tellers, as well as a sign above that indicated the unit was occupied by a shaman.

Next to the door were items commonly used by shamans in ritual offerings, including dried fish and bottles of alcoholic beverages.

Noh Sang-won, former chief of the Defense Intelligence Command [YONHAP]

An individual at the residence, who identified himself as one of Noh’s two business partners and fellow fortune tellers, said he had “studied philosophy” along with the former military general, but did not answer any questions about Noh’s alleged role in the martial law declaration.

The fortune teller also told JTBC that he met Noh while praying at a temple.

According to the fortune teller, Noh is “well-known in rural areas for his spiritual energy and philosophical expertise.” He noted that the former major general offered name changes, astrology-based predictions and saju, or traditional Korean fortune readings, as part of his services to clients.

Noh’s residence is located 1.4 kilometers (0.9 miles) from the much-derided Lotteria hamburger joint where military brass including Noh, Defense Intelligence Command chief Moon Sang-ho and others allegedly met on Dec. 1 to discuss how they should carry out Yoon’s plan to declare martial law two day later.

According to local residents who spoke to reporters, Noh’s fortune-telling business was well-known in his neighborhood, with one man who declined to give his name to reporters saying that he knew a man and two women ran the shop.

Noh is believed to have begun working as a shaman and fortune teller after he was dishonorably discharged from the military in 2018 following his conviction for sexual assault.

Noh was found guilty in 2018 of forcibly placing a female cadet on his lap and inappropriately touching her during an Armed Forces Day dinner.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and barred from working in youth-related institutions for three years per sentencing guidelines for sexual crimes.

BY LEE CHUL-JAE, CHUNG YEONG-GYO, SHIM SEOK-YONG, LEE YU-JEONG AND MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]

22. Can Trump Work With South Korea’s Left?

He likely will have no choice.

Can Trump Work With South Korea’s Left?

A collapsing presidency may create surprising opportunities.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/19/south-korea-martial-law-impeachment-trump-north-korea/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921

By Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute.

Foreign Policy · by Doug Bandow

Politics
South Korea

December 19, 2024, 1:05 PM

Until South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol disastrously attempted to seize dictatorial power, there was at least one silver lining in the impending arrival of President Donald Trump: Both are contentious right-wing extremists with authoritarian tendencies. They seemed likely to get on personally, potentially better matched than Trump and Moon Jae-in. Yoon was broadly liked by both parties in Washington. Good personal vibes might have steadied alliance relations.

Yet instead, Yoon’s dramatic self-immolation has left the Republic of Korea (ROK) essentially leaderless in advance of Trump’s arrival. Most likely, Yoon will be removed following a successful impeachment in the National Assembly. However, even if the Constitutional Court, acting rather like the U.S. Senate in an American impeachment, saves Yoon from ouster, his presidency will be effectively over—not least because his own party has pressured him to resign. As an ostentatious political loser, he would not attract Trump’s interest, let alone affection. No invitation to visit the United States would be likely—and definitely no karaoke sing-alongs.

The breakdown offers a welcome opportunity to reconsider a relationship gone stale. Washington has always preferred conservative hawks in Seoul. A succession of American presidents, Democrats as well as Republicans, dealt with long-time dictator Park Chung-hee. The George W. Bush administration was famously at odds with left-leaning president Kim Dae-jung, who favored a softer approach to North Korea.

And the Biden administration couldn’t have been happier with Yoon, who reviled the North, reconciled with Japan, and sang “American Pie” with aplomb. The Washington policy community has largely followed in the U.S. government’s wake. Although human rights concerns were expressed during decades of dictatorship, the maintenance of the alliance remained paramount.

This geopolitical pragmatism was on dramatic display in the reaction to Yoon’s attempted autogolpe. The Biden administration offered no criticism of the shocking events. Secretary of State Antony Blinken put out a banal statement: “We welcome President Yoon’s statement that he would rescind the order. … We continue to expect political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.” Blinken might as well have been discussing a disagreement between Yoon and the National Assembly over the wording of a commemorative resolution.

Leading U.S. think tanks responded similarly. As Karl Friedhoff wrote in Foreign Policy, “Since his inauguration in May 2022, Yoon has been a darling of the Washington foreign-policy establishment.” The almost automatic hostility to South Korea’s left and near veneration of the right were reflected in the restrained reaction—or, in some cases, the lack of any reaction at all—to Yoon’s action. NK News’ Chad O’Carroll warned, “In prioritizing smooth relations over thorny questions of democratic erosion, as many key institutions and experts in D.C. appear to have done, Beltway Korea experts showed a disconnect with realities on the ground.” The Biden administration’s professed commitment to democracy vanished as surely as mention of its long forgotten democracy summit did.

However, Washington is now likely to face a new and much more liberal president backed by an overwhelming legislative majority. Yoon’s survival depends on the depleted Constitutional Court. With the court short three of nine members, some analysts believed that it might be unable to render a verdict, but the judges indicated that they would proceed. Conviction is the most likely outcome. Saving Yoon would be highly unpopular and leave the national government crippled.

Constitutionally, an election is required within two months of the president’s departure—and the left seems likely to win with ease. The candidate whom Yoon narrowly defeated, Lee Jae-myung, should win if able to run, but he faces criminal charges that could derail his candidacy. Given the toxicity of South Korean politics, whoever is elected is likely to engage in more than a little score-settling. The political convulsions aren’t likely to end any time soon.

Enter President Trump on Jan. 20. In contrast with 2017, when he took office after a chaotic transition following an election that he apparently didn’t expect to win, this time the Trump operation has shown surprising discipline in making appointments. If similar efforts are being put into policy development, Trump’s appointees may pick up his priorities from day one.

Center stage will be renegotiation of the Special Measures Agreement, which the Biden administration rushed through in an attempt to settle before Trump’s return. However, he is unlikely to be deterred, and the Yoon government appeared willing to give something in return.

While Yoon might have hoped he could temper Trump’s expectations, the latter spoke of charging $10 billion a year for America’s military presence. Lee, or another Democratic Party president, is less likely to find common ground with Trump and to pay more. If rebuffed by South Korea, Trump might reconsider America’s military presence. Even if initially advanced only as a negotiating tactic, he might go further, having raised the issue long before he was elected president.

Questioning the status quo horrifies almost everyone in both Seoul and Washington, as they cannot imagine a world in which the United States does not subsidize the South’s defense. Thus, any withdrawal proposal would face concerted opposition among U.S. policymakers as well as Koreans.

Yet advocates of the status quo have never satisfactorily explained why a prosperous, populous industrial state, which transcends its adversary on almost every measure of power, is unable to provide for its own defense—at least a non-nuclear one. South Korea surely is capable of overmatching whatever the North deploys.

At the same time, Washington is running deficits of around $2 trillion annually in peacetime and paying more than $1 trillion a year in interest on its debt. Uncle Sam’s debt-to-GDP ratio is approaching the record 106 percent set in 1946 and could double by mid-century. How can Washington continue paying for such generous defense subsidies to so many other nations? Withdrawing and demobilizing troops, like those currently deployed in South Korea, would ease both recruiting challenges and budget pressures.

Less contentious might be a renewed approach toward North Korea. Trump’s engagement with Kim was the most creative diplomatic initiative of his first term. He has mused that the North Korean leader “misses” him, though Kim’s response proved less than warm. Trump plans to appoint Richard Grenell, who held several positions in the first administration, as envoy for special missions, and he might lead such an effort.

Yoon, who has taken a hard line against North Korea, likely would resist such a policy. In contrast, progressive presidents have consistently sought to establish relations with Pyongyang; Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in all held summits with North Korean leaders. If a liberal replaces Yoon, Trump might find a willing partner for a new approach to Pyongyang.

An obvious starting offer would be to drop the ban on travel to the North and propose opening liaison offices, with the expectation of upgrading them to embassies in due course. It is in America’s interest to encourage North Korea to open to the world. Moreover, it would be useful to begin steady, even if limited, dialogue between the two governments. In fact, it is more important to talk with adversaries than it is with friends. Negotiation is not a concession; it’s good policy. The two governments might still fail to achieve much substantively, but at least there would be a greater possibility of progress.

Trump’s willingness to meet Kim remains underappreciated in Washington. For 76 years, the United States and North Korea have glowered at each other, fighting a terrible war and suffering through occasional firefights. Successive U.S. presidents grandly intoned that Pyongyang must not develop nuclear weapons. Yet today it possesses scores of them and is developing intercontinental ballistic missiles, with the intention of targeting the United States. Washington has succeeded in shielding South Korea but has failed in reforming North Korea and bringing the Korean cold war to an end. It is time to try something new.

Yoon’s presidency resembles the flaming aircraft wreckage after a bungled carrier landing. The only solution is to push it overboard. But what follows isn’t clear. Much will be on Trump’s mind when he takes office again. However, he should not allow the urgent to displace the important, such as the future of the Korean peninsula. The Koreas require his attention. If he follows his instincts, he could transform U.S. policy for the better.

Foreign Policy · by Doug Bandow

23. Voice of America (VOA) Interview with Col. David Maxwell (Ret.) discusses U.S.-Republic of Korea Alliance after coup attempt

Thank you to my colleagues at Small Wars Journal for highlighting this.

Voice of America (VOA) Interview with Col. David Maxwell (Ret.) discusses U.S.-Republic of Korea Alliance after coup attempt

https://smallwarsjournal.com/2024/12/16/voice-of-korea-interview-with-col-david-maxwell-ret-discusses-u-s-republic-of-korea-alliance-after-coup-attempt/

by Jocelyn Garcia

12.16.2024 at 09:38pm

https://www.voakorea.com/a/7901133.html

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short lived declaration of martial law sparked widespread protests in South Korea. The United States emphasizes the need for close cooperation with the Republic of Korea (R.O.K.), while stressing the importance of the rule of law and democracy.

In this Voice of Korea interview, Our Editor-at-Large, Col. David Maxwell (Ret.), Vice President at the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, and Mr. Henry Haggard, retired Senior Foreign Service Officer (Counselor) and Senior Advisor at WestExec Advisors, discuss how the recent political turmoil affects the U.S.-R.O.K. Alliance. The interview reveals a critical inflection point where democratic resilience meets geopolitical brinkmanship.

Some Key Revelations:

We have the strongest bilateral military alliance with a strong Chain of Command between U.S. and R.O.K. so even though there is domestic political turmoil, we are still engaged with the counterparts at the Minister of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Senior U.S. Military Officers
Emerging “Axis of Upheaval”: China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia are coordinating to destabilize democratic frameworks
South Korean political turmoil threatens strategic regional stability
Impeachment attempts potentially undermine critical security partnerships
Military readiness in the combined forces command remains at a high state, prepared to defend South Korea against internal and external threats

The interview exposes a dangerous game of political chess, where North Korea and its allies actively exploit internal Korean political divisions.

Colonel Maxwell gives a stark warning within the interview: the “axis of upheaval” states are deliberately attempting to fracture the U.S.-R.O.K. alliance through sophisticated political warfare strategies.

Some Critical Implications:

Potential weakening of Indo-Pacific deterrence
Increased vulnerability to coordinated adversarial actions
Increased propaganda, information warfare, and political warfare
Democracy’s resilience tested under extreme geopolitical pressure

Some recommendations moving forward:

Diplomatically
reinforce value-based diplomacy frameworks
develop more robust communication protocols during political transitions
create effective counters to information and narrative warfare, including crafting the narrative ourselves before the deployment of narrative warfare tactics
Militarily
maintain high readiness of Combined Forces Command
enhance trilateral cooperation with Japan
develop more adaptive response mechanisms to regional provocation
Politically
establish bi-partisian working groups to insulate core alliance interests
create mechanisms to prevent foreign interference in domestic political processes
develop comprehensive “alliance resilience” training for political leadership

“When their strategies are exposed, the U.S. and R.O.K. can inoculate their citizens and prevent deliberate subversion.” – Colonel Maxwell

Tags: coup, coup attempt, Diplomacy, information warfare, narrative warfare, North Korea, political warfare, propaganda, Republic of Korea, Resilience, resistance, South Korea

About The Author

Jocelyn Garcia
Jocelyn Garcia is serving with the title of Assistant Editor at Small Wars Journal while completing her Master’s in Global Security with a concentration in Irregular Warfare at Arizona State University. She holds a degree in Medical Humanities (Pre-Medicine) from Baylor University. She is extremely passionate about studying the intersection of health, the human condition, and security. Rooted in a holistic and spiritual upbringing, paired with a rigorous academic foundation, she brings a unique perspective to understanding humanity, science, and global security. Her work focuses on addressing humanity’s most pressing challenges, including SARS-CoV-2, emerging diseases and technologies, advancements in synthetic biology, global health security, and broader global security issues. The educator who most inspired her during childhood was Lt. Col. Si McCurdy (Ret.), her middle school dean and 6th-8th grade history instructor, who recognized her curiosity and analytical skills early on and nurtured them in an academic setting. In the Master of Global Security Program, her favorite course is Irregular Warfare, taught by our Editor-In-Chief, Col. Jan Gleiman (Ret.). While she aspires to attend medical school in the future, she is eager to serve others—and her country—through a global security role upon graduation.

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

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

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

Access NSS HERE

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Voice of America (VOA) Interview with Col. David Maxwell (Ret.) discusses U.S.-Republic of Korea Alliance after coup attempt

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