Quotes of the Day:
“You can sway a thousand men by appealing to their prejudices quicker than you can convince one man by logic.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Revolt in 2100/Methuselah's Children
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."
– Mark Twain
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."
– Friedrich Nietzsche
1. Pyongyang tells Washington to chill out over SLBM test
2. Ex-USFK Chief Warns of N.Korea's Submarine-Launched Missile
3. S. Korea can thwart North’s rudimentary SLBM’: defense minister
4. North Korea cracks down on senior citizen gatherings to stymie criticism
5. S. Korea fails to put dummy satellite into orbit
6. North Korea claims latest missile test didn’t target US
7. US, Europe condemn N Korea ballistic missile launch at UN
8. N. Korea unlikely to reject humanitarian aid from Seoul, Washington: ministry official
9. Kim Jong Un orders security agency to avoid "excessive" surveillance of N. Koreans in border regions
10. Gen. Burwell Bell’s statement on the danger of premature declaration of end of the Korean War
11. U.S. to North Korea: It's Time for Sustained, Substantive Talks
12. Kim Jong-un ordered brother’s assassination ‘because he was working with South Korean intelligence’
13. U.S. remains consistently open to dialogue with N. Korea: Psaki
14. UN Ambassador calls for sanctions on North Korea after missile tests
15. Twitter bans DPRK News, famous parody account mocking North Korea's furious yet florid news agency
1. Pyongyang tells Washington to chill out over SLBM test
"Chill out?" Isn't that special....
The regime is trying to control the narrative.
Of course it knows the UN will not impose new sanctions because China (and Russia) has the regime's back. So Kim is operating under the red line set by Trump and Moon (e.g., no nuclear or ICBM tests) which gives him a large gray zone within which to operate.
Thursday
October 21, 2021
Pyongyang tells Washington to chill out over SLBM test
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks about North Korea ahead of a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York Wednesday. [UNITED NATIONS SCREEN CAPTURE]
Pyongyang said Thursday there's no need for Washington to "worry or trouble itself" over its submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launch earlier this week.
"It truly concerns us that the U.S. is showing abnormal reactions," a spokesperson for Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry told the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), claiming the SLBM launch Tuesday "did not pose any threat or damage to the security of the neighboring countries and the region."
The remarks came as the 15-member UN Security Council convened in New York Wednesday to discuss North Korea's SLBM launch, and the United States and several European countries condemned North Korea's recent missile tests.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in the English-language report, "The DPRK's deterrent does not aim at a specified state," but is meant to prevent war and defend its sovereign rights. DPRK is the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The United States and South Korea "have been ruled out as our arch-enemies," he said.
"When doing the recent test-firing we did not have the U.S. in mind," stressed the spokesperson, claiming the launch was part of "normal activities for carrying out the medium- and long-term" defense plans for the country and criticizing Washington for "double standards."
The spokesperson expressed "strong concern" that the United States and the UN Security Council "are tampering with a dangerous 'time bomb.'"
If Washington "does not take issue" with Pyongyang's exercise of sovereign rights, "no tension will be caused on the Korean peninsula," said the spokesperson. If the United States and its allies opt for "a wrong action," he continued, it could "act as a catalyst for more serious consequences."
On Tuesday morning, North Korea fired a short-range SLBM from near the eastern port city of Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, into the East Sea, said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). South Korean military authorities were not immediately able to confirm if the SLBM was launched from a submarine rather than a submersible barge, as in previous tests.
Analysts said the new weapon appeared to be a mini-SLBM first unveiled at a defense exhibition held in Pyongyang last week to mark the founding anniversary of the North's ruling Workers' Party.
On Wednesday, North Korea's state media claimed it had test-fired a "new type" of SLBM the previous day from its "8.24 Yongung" submarine. It claimed that it had previously successfully tested another SLBM from this submarine in 2016.
The United States Indo-Pacific Command, White House and U.S. State Department immediately issued statements condemning the North's firing of its first SLBM in two years.
Ahead of the UN Security Council emergency meeting called by the United States and Britain, three members of the European Union on the Security Council — Ireland, France and Estonia — issued a joint statement urging the North to "end its destabilizing actions."
Geraldine Byrne Nason, Irish ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters in New York that the North's SLBM launch "forms part of a pattern of provocations by the DPRK" in recent weeks, including short-range ballistic missiles, long-range cruise missiles and a hypersonic glider.
She added North Korea must "take concrete steps to abandon its ballistic missile, other WMD [weapons of mass destruction], and nuclear programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner."
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield also urged North Korea to stop its "reckless provocations," speaking separately to reporters ahead of the meeting, but stressed Washington remains committed to "serious and sustained diplomacy."
"The United States and many other council members have condemned the launch, which violated multiple Security Council resolutions," she said, describing the recent missiles launches as "unlawful activities" and "unacceptable."
She urged member states to "fulfill their sanctions obligations under existing Security Council resolutions," to prevent the North from accessing funds, technology and knowhow needed to develop its WMD and ballistic missile programs. She called for stricter implementations of sanctions on the North, saying the UN 1718 Sanctions Committee "is not doing its job."
"Each new advancement of the DPRK's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs destabilizes the region and threatens international peace and security," said Thomas-Greenfield, urging North Korea to "refrain from further provocations and engage in sustained and substantive dialogues."
She continued, "Our position remains clear: the DPRK must abide by the Security Council resolutions and it is time to engage in sustained and substantive dialogue toward the goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
When asked about the United States' resolve for negotiations following the North's latest missile launch, Jen Psaki, White House spokesperson, told reporters on board Air Force One Wednesday, "We've stated our openness to having discussions with North Korea for months now."
South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook said that Seoul's military is conducting a close analysis of the North's latest SLBM but assessed that it appears to be in the "early stages" of development.
Speaking at a parliamentary audit session Thursday, Suh said that he believes that interception of the North's SLBM is possible at the current stage.
North Korea appears to be making a lot of efforts in developing its SLBM program, as seen in its showcasing of three SLBMs at the defense exhibition last week, Suh pointed out. He added that SLBMs can't be analyzed from just one launch and that there are various factors to consider, such as the stability of the launch platform after the launch.
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
2. Ex-USFK Chief Warns of N.Korea's Submarine-Launched Missile
But north Korea could be a spoiler in great power or strategic competition as we are now calling it.
We must consider the threats to include the threat the north poses to the ROK.
Excerpts;
Scaparrotti, who led the USFK between 2013 and 2016, said that what troubles him most today is that China and Russia are becoming more hostile and North Korea is also becoming a greater threat.
But he added North Korea's military power is no match to the South Korea-U.S. alliance.
Referring to President Moon Jae-in's proposal to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, he said, "We sometimes forget to go back and think about the threat that this alliance was formed to counter. That won't change the day after a declaration of the end of war. It will still be present in the same way in the same place, most likely, and our responsibility as an alliance is to defend [South Korea] and the people here."
Ex-USFK Chief Warns of N.Korea's Submarine-Launched Missile
October 21, 2021 12:46
A former chief of the U.S. Forces Korea on Wednesday warned that North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missiles pose "another threat" to the South Korea-U.S. alliance.
Curtis Scaparrotti was speaking at a meeting hosted by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation and the Korea Defense Veterans Association in Seoul on Wednesday.
Commenting on Tuesday's test launch of an Iskander SLBM, he warned the North is "irresponsible with these missiles and the nuclear capability it developed and certainly, it poses another problem to the alliance."
Curtis Scaparrotti, a former chief of the U.S. Forces Korea, speaks at a meeting in Seoul on Wednesday. /Newsis
Scaparrotti, who led the USFK between 2013 and 2016, said that what troubles him most today is that China and Russia are becoming more hostile and North Korea is also becoming a greater threat.
But he added North Korea's military power is no match to the South Korea-U.S. alliance.
Referring to President Moon Jae-in's proposal to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, he said, "We sometimes forget to go back and think about the threat that this alliance was formed to counter. That won't change the day after a declaration of the end of war. It will still be present in the same way in the same place, most likely, and our responsibility as an alliance is to defend [South Korea] and the people here."
He said that the option should be discussed in a "very deliberate" and "careful" way. "When these things are done publicly, you get a lot of confusion. You don't necessarily get the best outcome," he added.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
3. S. Korea can thwart North’s rudimentary SLBM’: defense minister
Excerpts:
“We have to look at not just that single missile launch but a whole system that goes with it,” Suh said during an annual National Assembly audit, referring to North Korea’s capability to build a submarine big enough to fire multiple SLBMs.
North Korea used a small submarine that could fire a single SLBM to carry out the test, according to the military, which believes Pyongyang still does not have the resources to launch a full SLBM strike.
S. Korea can thwart North’s rudimentary SLBM’: defense minister
Published : Oct 21, 2021 - 18:22 Updated : Oct 21, 2021 - 19:33
Defense Minister Suh Wook. (Yonhap)
North Korea is still working on improving missiles, but its latest submarine-launched ballistic missile tested Tuesday is still an early-stage weapon that can be intercepted, Defense Minister Suh Wook told the National Defense Committee on Thursday.
“We have to look at not just that single missile launch but a whole system that goes with it,” Suh said during an annual National Assembly audit, referring to North Korea’s capability to build a submarine big enough to fire multiple SLBMs.
North Korea used a small submarine that could fire a single SLBM to carry out the test, according to the military, which believes Pyongyang still does not have the resources to launch a full SLBM strike.
Park Jong-seung, head of the Agency for Defense Development, backed Suh, saying North Korea would need a submarine bigger than the 2,000-ton vessel it used after modifying it at the last minute to complement the missile.
It would take at least five years for North Korea to match South Korea’s SLBM technology, according to the chief of the country’s weapons developer. Seoul conducted its first SLBM test using a 3,000-ton homegrown submarine, becoming the first non-nuclear state to have developed the technology.
Meanwhile, Suh said he will ask the appeals court to look at a case involving the death of the country’s first openly transgender soldier who was forcibly discharged after she received sex reassignment surgery.
Two weeks ago, a court ruled in favor of Byun Hee-soo, the former staff sergeant who was dismissed from the Army, which had found her mentally and physically unfit to serve after a gender reassignment operation. She filed a lawsuit to challenge the decision, but died by suicide in March this year.
“We will not avoid dealing with issues surrounding the case,” Suh said of mounting criticisms that the military should have held open debate on dealing with transgender soldiers, as he promised shortly after Byun’s death in March. No discussions have since taken place.
The military, which bans transgender people from serving but has no rules on individuals who have gender affirmation surgery after joining, said it will start the debate by December.
The Army will be lead counsel, but the Justice Ministry can decide not to pursue the appeals. The justice minister said he will get second opinions from an appeals committee he intends to set up before making the decision.
Byun’s attorney has called on the Army not to challenge the ruling, which she said was a straightforward win. An appeal would force Byun’s family to relive trauma, she added.
4.North Korea cracks down on senior citizen gatherings to stymie criticism
Again, another indication that the regime is more afraid of the Korean people than the US.
Excerpt:
North Korea is cracking down on gatherings of elderly citizens, fearing that they will use their abundance of free time to criticize the government and its policies, sources in the country told RFA.
North Korea cracks down on senior citizen gatherings to stymie criticism
With no senior centers in the country, the country’s elderly live for daily gatherings at local parks.
North Korea is cracking down on gatherings of elderly citizens, fearing that they will use their abundance of free time to criticize the government and its policies, sources in the country told RFA.
In public parks in both North and South Korea, old pensioners gather daily to pass the time by playing a local version of chess, share a glass of spirits, or discuss the events of the day.
These gatherings are popular in the South among elderly citizens who are on a budget, but in the North, a lack of senior welfare facilities leaves nothing else to do for practically every silver-haired urbanite.
Police have begun dispersing the elderly gathered in parks and other places, warning them not to stay together, sources said.
“An order came from the top to take measures to prevent the elderly from gathering because they always criticize the party and the socialist system,” an official from South Pyongan province, north of the capital Pyongyang, told RFA’s Korean Service.
North Korea’s elderly have a lot to complain about these days. Authorities shut down the Sino-Korean border at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in Jan. 2020 and suspended all trade with China, a move that crippled the economy already devastated by international nuclear sanctions.
Commerce in entire towns dried up and food imports could no longer cover agricultural production shortages. Food prices skyrocketed and starvation deaths have been reported, but sources told RFA that the people are resentful of the government for turning its back on them.
RFA reported last month that tests of cruise missiles and submarine launched ballistic missiles angered residents who took the launches as an indication that the government was ignoring their concerns.
In such a breeding ground for dissent, authorities want to silence members of society who have time to complain to each other.
“Each jurisdiction is identifying where and when the elderly gather to spend their free time. They are cracking down on gatherings, saying they are illegal under the National Emergency Quarantine Act, which forbids large groups from gathering in public places,” the official said.
North Korea has been in an emergency quarantine posture since the beginning of the pandemic. Although Pyongyang has yet to confirm a single case, citizens have had to endure ever-stricter restrictions over the course of the pandemic.
But ending public gatherings could cut the elderly off from the rest of society.
“These meetings are a valuable communication space because there are no senior centers anywhere in the whole country,” said the official.
“So a lot of these old folks go to their meeting places every day, almost as if they’re going to work,” the official said.
The official said that the seniors come from all walks of life, and they tend to talk about politics, the economy, culture, and past experiences.
“Like-minded people will seek each other out and sitting together to chat and spend time with their friends could be their last joys in life, but if they don’t even get to do this, they will have nothing to live for,” the official said.
“Even though they worked hard for the country, their livelihood is not guaranteed at all. The country is not interested in the difficult living conditions of the elderly and the dissatisfaction of the elderly is bound to grow.”
The central government recently ordered cadres to “take measures to stop the elderly from coming together to complain about the hardships of life and making anti-party comments,” an executive from the city of Hyesan, bordering China in Ryanggang province, told RFA.
“The older members of the party said that complaining about the socialist system and griping about party rule is flat out disregarding their duties to the party… They told officials with elderly parents to fight on the side of the revolution in their homes by preventing their mothers and fathers from getting involved in such decadent behavior,” said the executive.
The park in front of the railroad station in Hyesan is one of the city’s most popular spots for seniors, according to the executive, who requested anonymity to speak freely.
“My father, who was formerly a mid-level local official, had his cane and was on his way out the door to go to the park at the station. I told him what they discussed at the meeting and asked him not to go to the park,” the executive said.
“My father told me that a lot of the chats at the park are about the economy and people’s living situation, but they also criticize the regime and blame the leader [Kim Jong Un] and his family for leading the country into this mess,” said the executive.
The elderly are however not scared that they could be arrested, according to the executive.
“Elderly people have gone through many hardships… so they are all well aware of what went wrong… The authorities need to think deeply about why old people are so vocal in their criticism of the system and the party.”
Reported by Chang Gyu Ahn for RFA’s Korean Service. Translated by Claire Lee. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
5. S. Korea fails to put dummy satellite into orbit
north Korea has conducted 5 launches going back to 1998 claiming to have put a satellite into orbit to broadcast north Korean music.
Excerpts:
"The test-launch of Nuri-ho was completed. I am proud of it," Moon said. "Regrettably, we did not perfectly reach the goal, but we made a very creditable achievement in the first launch."
The failure underscores the challenges of sending a satellite into orbit, a space launch vehicle technology that South Korea has been seeking to acquire for more than a decade for its space program.
So far, only six countries -- Russia, the United States, France, China, Japan and India -- have developed a space launch vehicle that can carry a more than 1-ton satellite.
(3rd LD) S. Korea fails to put dummy satellite into orbit | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: RECASTS with unsuccessful launch of space rocket; ADDS photos)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea failed to put a dummy satellite into orbit with its first homegrown space rocket Thursday, dealing a setback to the country's decade-long project to join the elite global space club.
The KSLV-II rocket, also known as Nuri, flew to a target altitude of 700 kilometers but failed to place the 1.5-ton dummy satellite into orbit, President Moon Jae-in said in a press briefing at the Naro Space Center in the country's southern coastal village of Goheung.
"The test-launch of Nuri-ho was completed. I am proud of it," Moon said. "Regrettably, we did not perfectly reach the goal, but we made a very creditable achievement in the first launch."
The failure underscores the challenges of sending a satellite into orbit, a space launch vehicle technology that South Korea has been seeking to acquire for more than a decade for its space program.
So far, only six countries -- Russia, the United States, France, China, Japan and India -- have developed a space launch vehicle that can carry a more than 1-ton satellite.
Moon said South Korea plans to conduct another launch of the Nuri space rocket next year.
Although Nuri failed to place the dummy satellite into orbit, experts said the attempt marks a meaningful step in South Korea's space program, stressing the success rate for newly developed rockets at first attempt is 30 percent to date.
"Given that this is South Korea's first attempt, with such a huge engine like the 75-ton, a successful launch is really difficult," Chang Young-keun, a missile expert at Korea Aerospace University, said.
"What we have to do is accurately analyze the reasons behind the failure and try again," he added.
South Korea's rocket launches ended in failure in 2009 and 2010.
In 2013, South Korea successfully launched its first-ever Naro space rocket, though its first stage was built in Russia.
The three-stage Nuri rocket uses a clustering of four 75-ton liquid engines in its first stage, a 75-ton liquid engine in the second stage and a 7-ton liquid engine in the third stage.
South Korea has invested nearly 2 trillion won (US$1.8 billion) in building the three-stage Nuri since 2010. The whole process of the launch of Nuri was carried out with homegrown technology on its own soil, including design, production, testing and launch operation.
If Thursday's launch was successful, South Korea could have secured the key technology for developing and launching space rockets carrying homegrown satellites, opening up a new era in the country's space program.
The launch came amid tensions over North Korea's test-firing of a new submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) Tuesday, the latest in a series of missile launches by the North.
North Korea has also been pushing for a space development program for what it claims is peaceful purposes. But there is outside criticism it's a cover for developing long-range missiles capable of striking the United States.
South Korea, a relative latecomer to the global space development race, has recently ramped up efforts in its space program, with plans to launch its first lunar orbiter next year.
The development of a homegrown space rocket is also crucial, as the transfer of missile technology among countries is strictly controlled under international guidelines, such as the Missile Technology Control Regime, which Seoul joined in 2001.
The country's rocket development program had previously been limited by the missile guidelines from the United States, originally put in place in 1979.
The two countries, however, agreed to scrap the restrictions during a summit in May, ensuring full autonomy in South Korea's efforts to develop space launch vehicles.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
6. North Korea claims latest missile test didn’t target US
It only targeted the East Sea and it continues to prove its missile accuracy - it has never missed the East Sea. (apologies for the attempt at humor).
Excerpts:
Washington has condemned the launch, which underscored how the North continues to expand its military capabilities amid a freeze in nuclear diplomacy, and called for Pyongyang to “engage in sustained and substantive dialogue.”
In comments published by Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency, the North Korean spokesperson said its recent test posed no immediate threat to neighboring countries and that there was no need for Washington to agonize over a weapon that doesn’t specifically target the United States. The spokesperson said Pyongyang expresses “serious concern” over what it sees as a “nonsensical” reaction by the United States over a rightful exercise of its rights to defense.
North Korea claims latest missile test didn’t target US
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has hit back at U.S. criticism over its test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile this week, saying it was rightfully exercising its rights for self-defense and that the weapon doesn’t specifically target the United States.
The comments by an unidentified spokesperson of the North’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday came as the U.N. Security Council was set to hold an emergency closed-door meeting over the launch at the request of the United States and the United Kingdom.
On Tuesday, the North launched a new ballistic missile from a submarine in its first test of such weaponry in two years, marking the most significant demonstration of its military might since President Joe Biden took office.
Washington has condemned the launch, which underscored how the North continues to expand its military capabilities amid a freeze in nuclear diplomacy, and called for Pyongyang to “engage in sustained and substantive dialogue.”
In comments published by Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency, the North Korean spokesperson said its recent test posed no immediate threat to neighboring countries and that there was no need for Washington to agonize over a weapon that doesn’t specifically target the United States. The spokesperson said Pyongyang expresses “serious concern” over what it sees as a “nonsensical” reaction by the United States over a rightful exercise of its rights to defense.
Nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled for more than two years over disagreements in exchanging the release of crippling U.S.-led sanctions against North Korea and the North’s denuclearization steps.
Ending a months-long lull in September, North Korea has been ramping up its weapons tests while making conditional peace offers to Seoul, reviving a pattern of pressuring South Korea to try to get what it wants from the United States.
North Korea has been pushing hard for years to acquire the ability to fire nuclear-armed missiles from submarines. The submarine missiles are the next key piece in an arsenal that includes a variety of weapons, including ones with the potential range to reach American soil.
Still, experts say it would take years, large amounts of resources and major technological improvements for the heavily sanctioned nation to build at least several submarines that could travel quietly in seas and reliably execute strikes.
7. US, Europe condemn N Korea ballistic missile launch at UN
A threat to the US and UN:
The US and the Council could face “more grave and serious consequences” if they opted for wrong behaviour, the spokesperson said, warning against “fiddling with a time bomb.”
Yes we need better sanctions enforcement. I think it is time to impose secondary sanctions on those who are complicit in helping north Korea to evade sanctions. Specifically, China and Russia must be held accountable.
Excerpts:
At the UN, the US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged the North to “refrain from further provocations,” stressing the ballistic missile tests were “unlawful activities … in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions.”
“We also call on all member states to fulfil their sanctions obligations,” she added. “We already have a sanctions regime in place, we just need to be more serious about the implementation of that regime. We need to focus on those who are violating sanctions.”
US, Europe condemn N Korea ballistic missile launch at UN
The United States, Britain and France have told the United Nations that North Korea, which tested what it said was a “new type” submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on Tuesday, has continued to advance its weapons programmes, despite international sanctions.
Speaking to the media separately, ahead of an emergency Security Council meeting that was called for Wednesday following the test, the three countries’ ambassadors condemned the launch as a new “provocation.”
Without speaking of possible new sanctions or joint action by the council, they said they would call for existing international sanctions to be more effectively implemented.
Al Jazeera’s James Bays, reporting from the UN, said the calls reflected a sense of “real frustration” among western members of the security council.
Pyongyang has been gradually improving its military arsenal since talks on denuclearisation broke down in 2019 following the collapse of the Hanoi summit between Kim and then-US President Donald Trump. It is barred from testing ballistic missiles under UN sanctions.
The SLBM test was the first since 2019 and followed recent tests of a nuclear-capable cruise missile and what the North said was a hypersonic missile.
North Korea has defended the tests as necessary for its own defence and blamed the United States for the rising tension in the region. On Thursday it accused the US of “double standards” over weapons testing,
“It is a clear double standard that the United States denounces us for developing and testing the same weapons system it already has or was developing, and that only adds suspicions to their sincerity after saying they have no hostility towards us,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement carried by state news agency, KCNA.
The US and the Council could face “more grave and serious consequences” if they opted for wrong behaviour, the spokesperson said, warning against “fiddling with a time bomb.”
There was no joint statement at the end of the Security Council meeting and neither China nor Russia, the two other permanent members of the Security Council, spoke out.
Some other countries did join the condemnation of Pyongyang’s actions, however.
“We firmly condemn this provocative action which constitutes a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions,” said Geraldine Byrne Nason, the ambassador for Ireland, which together with Estonia joined the confirmation of North Korea’s weapons capability upgrade.
She said the submarine missile launch “underlines the continued enhancement of the nuclear and ballistic programme of the DPRK (Democratic Republic of North Korea), which stated its ambition to ultimately acquire sea-based nuclear capabilities.”
North Korea was subjected to tightened sanctions In 2017, which have hit oil imports, as well as its exports of coal, iron, fish and textiles.
US President Joe Biden took office in January and carried out a review of North Korean policy following the failure of Trump’s summitry.
He has stepped up diplomatic efforts to bring the North back to the negotiating table, and officials have stressed the US has no hostile intent.
At the UN, the US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged the North to “refrain from further provocations,” stressing the ballistic missile tests were “unlawful activities … in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions.”
“We also call on all member states to fulfil their sanctions obligations,” she added. “We already have a sanctions regime in place, we just need to be more serious about the implementation of that regime. We need to focus on those who are violating sanctions.”
8. N. Korea unlikely to reject humanitarian aid from Seoul, Washington: ministry official
I can only assume that there must be some discussion between north and South. So far the regime has shown no indication of accepting humanitarian assistance. So has the ministry fo unification been in talks with th enorth?
Excerpts:
Seoul and Washington have been proactively seeking to come up with measures, including humanitarian aid, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. agrees, in principle, on the need for providing the North with assistance related to health care, virus control, drinking water and hygiene, the official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.
"There has been no joint humanitarian cooperation so far between South Korea and the U.S. (for North Korea). So, the North is unlikely to see it negatively," the official added. "Once the COVID-19 situation improves, in that sense, I don't think North Korea will blindly refuse humanitarian cooperation."
Speaking during a parliamentary audit session earlier this week, Unification Minister Lee In-young said progress is being made in a "considerably concrete" way with regard to the heath care and virus prevention fields in the allies' plan to push jointly for humanitarian cooperation.
N. Korea unlikely to reject humanitarian aid from Seoul, Washington: ministry official | Yonhap News Agency
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is unlikely to refuse joint humanitarian support from South Korea and the United States, a senior unification ministry official said Wednesday, as the allies intensify consultations on how to bring the North back to dialogue.
Seoul and Washington have been proactively seeking to come up with measures, including humanitarian aid, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. agrees, in principle, on the need for providing the North with assistance related to health care, virus control, drinking water and hygiene, the official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.
"There has been no joint humanitarian cooperation so far between South Korea and the U.S. (for North Korea). So, the North is unlikely to see it negatively," the official added. "Once the COVID-19 situation improves, in that sense, I don't think North Korea will blindly refuse humanitarian cooperation."
Speaking during a parliamentary audit session earlier this week, Unification Minister Lee In-young said progress is being made in a "considerably concrete" way with regard to the heath care and virus prevention fields in the allies' plan to push jointly for humanitarian cooperation.
North Korea has tightened border controls since the outbreak of the coronavirus, clamping down on sea and land routes for key materials and medical supplies sent by U.N. agencies and other humanitarian groups.
The official, meanwhile, said it is too early to give up hope for a breakthrough in inter-Korean ties and the Korea peace process from the Beijing Winter Olympics, slated for early next year.
"There is still enough time, and it is a very important time from now on," the official said.
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
9. Kim Jong Un orders security agency to avoid "excessive" surveillance of N. Koreans in border regions
A cosmetic change? Does the regime have to make a change because of its fear of growing resistance? And the question is whether there will actually be any changes? Will the MSS actually clean up its act and give people due process and base their decisions on surveillance on some kind of probable cause? I am not holding my breath. Is this an attempt to project an image that it is somehow conceding to the human rights criticism? I think not.
Kim Jong Un orders security agency to avoid "excessive" surveillance of N. Koreans in border regions - Daily NK
Excluded from Kim’s recent order were so-called “impure elements” such as the families of defectors
North Korean authorities recently ordered that citizens free of ideological suspicions be excluded from surveillance, Daily NK has learned.
A source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Wednesday that the provincial branch of the Ministry of State Security held an emergency meeting earlier this month for officials ranked section chief and above. He said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s orders from Sept. 29 were delivered to the attendees, who then discussed efforts to achieve those orders and issued relevant directives.
According to the source, Kim’s orders from Sept. 29 were as follows.
Firstly, the orders pointed out that the Ministry of State Security was “excessively” surveilling residents along the Sino-North Korean border, and this was harming unity between the ruling party and the people.
The orders also noted repeated incidents of locals being politically disenfranchised after being unfairly tarred as “impure” elements, and this was leading to widening resistance from residents.
The source said the orders concluded by instructing officials to keep the names of locals free of “particular ideological tendencies” off surveillance lists. Instead, officials should formulate “thorough measures” to look after public livelihoods so that “not even a single deviationist emerges.”
A sentry post on the Sino-North Korean border in Sakju County, North Pyongan Province. / Image: Daily NK
The source said public controls, crackdowns and surveillance of the public by legal, security and law enforcement agencies have been “stifling” since the COVID-19 pandemic began. “Discontent is growing over the pressure to constantly watch what you say and do,” he said.
The source said district offices and inminban (people’s units) recently conveyed to the public the discussions from the meeting. “It seems the authorities are trying this to soothe, at least a bit, the discontent of locals suffering from food shortages due to the protracted coronavirus situation,” he added.
There is speculation that North Korean authorities have now recognized they cannot focus their administrative efforts solely on public surveillance, and have begun efforts to end the practice.
However, excluded from Kim’s recent order were so-called “impure elements” such as the families of defectors, people repatriated to the North and users of Chinese-made mobile phones. Instead, the order reaffirmed existing policy that such individuals should be subject to at least “three levels” and at most “five levels” of surveillance.
In fact, a man in his 30s in Nammun-dong, Hoeryong – identified by his family name of Chong – was arrested on Oct. 12 after making comments regarding food shortages. Chong had been repatriated to North Korea in 2019. He was busted for openly making comments lamenting his current circumstances.
Because he had a record for illegally crossing the border, he was reportedly sentenced to three months in a forced labor brigade over his comments.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
10. Gen. Burwell Bell’s statement on the danger of premature declaration of end of the Korean War
Conclusion:
Finally, any end of war declaration should have no impact whatsoever on USFK or the commitment of the United States to its mutual defense treaty with South Korea. Likewise, South Korea’s commitment to the Alliance must remain firm and resolute. And, as I have long stated, the United States should maintain leadership of Combined Forces Command as long as North Korea possesses nuclear weapons. OPCON transfer should be indefinitely postponed until full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is achieved.
Gen. Burwell Bell’s statement on the danger of premature declaration of end of the Korean War - OKN
By Retired Gen. Burwell Bell, former commander of the U.S. Forces Korea
Editor’s note: Following is the statement provided by Gen. Bell to the Voice of America’s Korean Service
I have always argued that an end of war declaration of any type should (indeed must) be accompanied by an end to the gravely offensive forward deployment of the majority of the North Korean military. We all know that over 70% of the ground force capability of North Korea is in relatively close proximity to the DMZ. Further, the north’s forward deployment of cannon and missile artillery which threatens Seoul directly amounts to a serious daily provocation. Therefore, an end of war declaration cannot be viewed as just a political statement, it must be viewed as a condition that requires changes to the positioning of the north Korean Army. Thus I tie together any end of war declaration together with the negotiation of a peace treaty — they cannot be separated as long as North Korean military forces directly threaten the Republic of Korea with a no-notice general offensive attack capability. Just as with a peace treaty, any end of war declaration must be accompanied with a significant demonstration of good faith by the North Koreans in moving their forward deployed military away from the DMZ to positions that no longer threaten the Republic of Korea with a surprise attack. This principle should not be compromised in any way.
With regards to the United Nations Command, its current role in maintaining the Armistice Agreement and investigating provocations and violations of the Agreement is an important role. My sense is that if an end of war declaration is made between the DPRK and the ROK (which must be accompanied with a good faith demonstration of force drawdown along the DMZ by the north), then the United Nations Command should be maintained but not under United States Command. If an end of war agreement or a peace treaty were to be put in place in Korea, the United Nations Command should transform to a neutral nation command team and more directly command and control the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission. The Commission, under a transformed UNC, should transform to a new task and purpose to provide an inspection mechanism across both the DPRK military and the ROK / US military. This mechanism must be part of any end of war agreement that would empower the UNC/NNSC to inspect military capabilities of both sides to ensure that any end of war military force positioning agreement (for example moving North Korean forces away from the DMZ) was being implemented and agreed to.
The bottom line is three fold —
First, an end of war agreement cannot be considered simply a political statement as it would directly impact the Armistice Agreement which was a military agreement.
Second, no end of war agreement or declaration should be made without a simultaneous agreement by the north to reposition its threatening forces away from the DMZ.
Third, an end of war agreement (with the above conditions being met) would require a reconfiguration of the United Nations Command national leadership with a new mission to directly supervise a reinvigorated Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission which would have a mission to observe military dispositions in both north Korea and the ROK, and make reports to the UNC regarding troop locations and capabilities. This revised UNC / NNSC would employ Military Liaison Missions (MLMs) similar to those agreed to and used by the United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union in both East and West Germany during the Cold War. If the North Koreans failed to reposition their forces away from the DMZ, a “snap back” provision to any end of war declaration must therefore include a provision to return to DMZ dispositions by United Nations Forces (now South Korean forces) as provided for in the Armistice Agreement.
Finally, any end of war declaration should have no impact whatsoever on USFK or the commitment of the United States to its mutual defense treaty with South Korea. Likewise, South Korea’s commitment to the Alliance must remain firm and resolute. And, as I have long stated, the United States should maintain leadership of Combined Forces Command as long as North Korea possesses nuclear weapons. OPCON transfer should be indefinitely postponed until full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is achieved.
11. U.S. to North Korea: It's Time for Sustained, Substantive Talks
Or said another way, it is time for Kim Jong-un to act like a responsible member of the international community.
U.S. to North Korea: It's Time for Sustained, Substantive Talks
By Best Countries U.S. News & World Report2 min
FILE PHOTO: A combination of pictures shows a new submarine-launched ballistic missile during a test in this undated photo released on October 19, 2021 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSReuters
By Michelle Nichols
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States has offered to meet North Korea without preconditions and made clear that Washington has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said on Wednesday as the Security Council met over North Korea's latest missile launch.
North Korea - formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) - has long accused the United States of having a hostile policy toward the Asian state and asserted that it has the right to develop weapons for self-defense.
"The DPRK must abide by the Security Council resolutions and it is time to engage in sustained and substantive dialogue toward the goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Thomas-Greenfield told reporters.
North Korea has been subjected to U.N. sanctions since 2006, which have been steadily strengthened in a bid to cut off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The measures include a ban on ballistic missile launches.
"We have offered to meet the DPRK officials, without any preconditions, and we have made clear that we hold no hostile intent toward the DPRK," Thomas-Greenfield said.
North Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thomas-Greenfield's remarks.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump met three times in 2018 and 2019, but failed to make progress on U.S. calls for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons and North Korea's demands for an end to sanctions.
Thomas-Greenfield said President Joe Biden's administration was "prepared to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy."
European council members - France, Estonia and Ireland - also urged North Korea to "engage meaningfully" with repeated offers of dialogue by the United States and South Korea.
North Korea on Tuesday test-fired a new, smaller ballistic missile from a submarine, prompting the United States and Britain to raise the issue in the 15-member U.N. Security Council on Wednesday.
"It is the latest in a series of reckless provocations," Thomas-Greenfield told reporters. "These are unlawful activities. They are in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions. And they are unacceptable."
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Howard Goller)
Copyright 2021 Thomson Reuters.
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12. Kim Jong-un ordered brother’s assassination ‘because he was working with South Korean intelligence’
How much credible and useful information was he able to provide?
Excerpts:
But now current and former officials at South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) have told of how Kim was feeding information to the South on matters such as his half-brother's health and nuclear ambitions - and that he was paid for his assistance
“Kim provided the NIS with information on the trends within the government and the powers of the regime’s most high-ranking officials, including Kim Jong-un, for at least five or six years before his death," Seoul Broadcasting System reported, quoting unnamed sources.
They added that Kim “raised the question of the possibility of asylum in South Korea”, although the South Korean side apparently hoped to avoid that on the grounds “it would put a considerable burden on inter-Korean relations”.
SBS reported that NIS agents were in regular contact with Kim Jong-nam when he travelled outside Macau, monitored his movements and were able to contact him directly by email. It is understood that despite being in exile, he retained contacts in the North.
Kim Jong-un ordered brother’s assassination ‘because he was working with South Korean intelligence’
Claims that Kim Jong-nam was feeding information to the South give new 'second motive' for extraordinary killing on foreign soil
Since his face was smothered with a deadly nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur airport, mystery has surrounded the hit job that claimed the life of the half-brother of Kim Jong-un, North Korea's leader.
But new revelations suggest the murdered one-time heir to the North's despotic regime had been working for the intelligence agency of Pyongyang's main enemy: South Korea.
Kim Jong-nam was long believed to have have fallen out of favour with the regime at home, having been forced into exile after being caught with a fake passport on his way to Disneyland in Tokyo.
Kim Jong-nam
But now current and former officials at South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) have told of how Kim was feeding information to the South on matters such as his half-brother's health and nuclear ambitions - and that he was paid for his assistance
“Kim provided the NIS with information on the trends within the government and the powers of the regime’s most high-ranking officials, including Kim Jong-un, for at least five or six years before his death," Seoul Broadcasting System reported, quoting unnamed sources.
They added that Kim “raised the question of the possibility of asylum in South Korea”, although the South Korean side apparently hoped to avoid that on the grounds “it would put a considerable burden on inter-Korean relations”.
SBS reported that NIS agents were in regular contact with Kim Jong-nam when he travelled outside Macau, monitored his movements and were able to contact him directly by email. It is understood that despite being in exile, he retained contacts in the North.
The information that he provided included details on his half-brother, SBS reported, with intelligence officials likely to have been interested in the North Korean leader’s physical health, his plans for the development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles or other economic or military policies. They will also have been keen to hear about any hints of resistance to Mr Kim’s rule in political or military circles.
Doan Thi Huong, who was arrested by Malaysian police over the murder of Kim Jong-nam
The reports suggests a second motive for the murder of 45-year-old. It was previously assumed that he was killed at the behest of his half-brother as he was the oldest son of Kim Jong-il and had once been seen as a future leader of North Korea.
Forced into exile in Macau with his family in 2001 after being arrested in Tokyo travelling on a fake passport, Kim Jong-nam was reportedly being protected by the Chinese government and could have been installed as a pro-Beijing leader in Pyongyang should Kim Jong-un be usurped. .
There was also speculation at the time of his death that Kim Jong-nam was in discussions about moving to live in South Korea permanently, which would have been perceived as a betrayal of the North and three generations of Kim leaders of the nation.
Siti Aisyah, a 29-year-old Indonesian woman, and Đoàn Thị Hương, a 33-year-old Vietnamese woman were charged with murder for wiping Kim's face with a cloth containing VX nerve agent.
Four North Korean suspects left the airport shortly after the assassination and returned to Pyonyang.
North Korea has a track record of assassinating those it perceives as a threat to the regime, and has demonstrated that it has little compunction about carrying out attacks on foreign soil.
Defectors living in South Korea are also frequently the target of attacks by agents dispatched by the North.
In 2011, police in Seoul detained an assassin who was due to meet an outspoken human rights activist, but was found to be carrying a gun disguised as a torch that fired a bullet coated in a poisonous chemical.
13. U.S. remains consistently open to dialogue with N. Korea: Psaki
I am getting some push back from the press and others about this refrain - they are saying in effect: "Is this all you got?" "When will the administration change its policies?" I hate to use the word patience but we could use a little of it.
U.S. remains consistently open to dialogue with N. Korea: Psaki | Yonhap News Agency
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- The United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday.
Her remarks come after North Korea announced a successful test launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) that some believe may be a "game changer."
"(It has) consistently been our view. So we've stated our openness to having those discussions with North Korea for months now," Psaki said in a press briefing onboard the Air Force One en route to Pennsylvania where President Joe Biden was later scheduled to deliver a speech on his economic agenda.
North Korea on Wednesday (Seoul time) reported that it has successfully test fired a new SLBM the day before.
SLBMs are considered to reflect an increased threat to the U.S. as they may require less distance to reach the mainland U.S.
Many, however, believe North Korean SLBMs do not pose an immediate threat to the U.S. as the impoverished North is said to have only outdated, diesel-powered submarines that are easily detected.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command earlier said the latest North Korean missile did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory.
Tuesday's missile launch marked the eighth known missile test by the North this year. The country also test launched what it claims to be a new hypersonic missile late last month.
The U.S. has repeatedly condemned North Korea's missile tests, but said it remains committed to engaging with the North in dialogue and diplomacy.
"These launches also underscore the urgent need for dialogue and diplomacy. Our offer remains to meet anywhere, anytime without preconditions," the White House press secretary said earlier.
Pyongyang has maintained a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests since late 2017.
North Korea staged its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
14. UN Ambassador calls for sanctions on North Korea after missile tests
Unfortunately we can expect China and/or Russia to veto any new sanctions especially since they are complicit in helping north Korea evade them. We need to impose secondary sanctions on China.
UN Ambassador calls for sanctions on North Korea after missile tests
Newsweek · by Daniel Villarreal · October 20, 2021
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), has called for additional sanctions against North Korea after the country's most recent missile test, conducted early Tuesday morning.
Following the launch, the UN Security Council announced that it would hold an emergency meeting to discuss possible sanctions against North Korea for flouting the international body's pre-existing sanctions forbidding it from developing weapons.
"Each new advancement of the DPRK's (Democratic People's Republic of Korea's) weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs destabilizes the region and threatens international peace and security," Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement issued Wednesday.
"We ... call on all member states to fulfill their sanctions obligations under existing Security Council resolutions, so that we can prevent the DPRK from accessing the funds, the technology, the know-how it needs to further develop its weapons [programs]," her statement continued.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, has called for sanctions against North Korea after the country's most recent missile test, conducted earlier this week. In this photo, Thomas-Greenfield speaks to the media at a socially distanced briefing on March 1, 2021, in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty
The U.S. ambassador said North Korea must abide by the U.N. Security Council's current resolutions banning continued weapons testing in the East Asian country.
She also said that the U.S. remains prepared to engage in "serious and sustained diplomacy" as well as "sustained and substantive dialogue towards the goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
Lastly, she mentioned that the U.S. had offered to meet with the country's officials "without any preconditions," having made it clear that the U.S. has "no hostile intent" toward the country.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said North Korea fired off two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. North Korea has conducted six missile tests since January.
U.S. President Joe Biden has warned of "responses" if North Korea continues to escalate tensions in the region. However, the Biden administration hasn't publicly issued any concrete policy responses to the country's continued missile launches.
The DIA has warned that North Korea wants to launch a long-range missile in the coming year. Such a launch would represent a major security risk to South Korea, Japan and other U.S. allies in eastern Asia.
In her statement, Thomas-Greenfield reasserted America's commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan, calling it "ironclad."
Newsweek contacted the U.S. Mission to the U.N. for comment.
Newsweek · by Daniel Villarreal · October 20, 2021
15. Twitter bans DPRK News, famous parody account mocking North Korea's furious yet florid news agency
This is a shame. I love following the Supreme Leader of Satire.
Twitter bans DPRK News, famous parody account mocking North Korea's furious yet florid news agency | Boing Boing
Sadly, Twitter has just banned it, citing its rules against impersonation.
"I'm sorry to say effective immediately @DPRK_News is defunct," wrote @PresidentDawg, an attorney named Patrick. "I founded the account in 2009. Twitter decided today that it violates their rules. I'm not going to label a parody a parody. That moots the point. It gives away the joke. The DPRK never complained. One of you did."
US attorney William Barr, forced to grovel before bible-wielding Donald Trump, plays sorrowful lament for his own lost dignity.
— DPRK News Service (@DPRK_News) June 2, 2020
V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
