Quotes of the Day:
“[Strategy] is more than a science: it is the application of knowledge to practical life, the development of thought capable of modifying the original guiding idea in the light of ever-changing situations; it is the art of acting under the pressure of the most difficult conditions."
- Helmuth von Moltke
“Chaos—where brilliant dreams are born."
- The I Ching
“The years teach much which the days never know."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
1. Analysis: N.Korea threatens to upstage S.Korea defence expo with duelling military show
2. South Korean officials launch last-ditch effort with US to formally end Korean War
3. Squid Game proves capitalism doesn't work, says North Korea
4. S. Korea aims to swiftly reopen talks with N. Korea: NSC
5. North Korea's military sideshow: Why this latest video is so laughable
6. Train like you fight: Watch a North Korean soldier smash concrete with his head
7. N. Korean authorities crack down on street commerce in Hyesan before Party Foundation Day
8. Kim Jong Un personally orders the capture of family who drugged border guards
9. Americans Need to Watch S.Korea's Presidential Election
10. Can U.S. And South Korean Public Opinion Align On North Korea?
11. Korea's top business lobby seeks more influence in US
12. Defectors sue North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Tokyo over repatriations
13. North Korea is more connected to global markets than you might think
14. US stresses ‘sincerity’ in its overture toward North Korea
15. U.S., S. Korea working to restart dialogue with N. Korea: Amb. Lee
1. Analysis: N.Korea threatens to upstage S.Korea defence expo with duelling military show
And competing with AUSA's convention as week as well. Perhaps Kim thinks he is acting more like a legitimate military power by having a convention/exposition rather than the traditional parade.
But I will cede victory to Kim Jong-un - you won't find any Biden or Moon T-shirts on an orchestra performing at either the ROK or US expositions, you will not find a blue suited pointy helmet wearing "rocketman" standing in formation, you will not a martial arts demonstration like the north's and you certainly will not find Biden or Moon making a fashion statement like Kim Jong-un wearing a dress suit, dress socks, and "dress sandals." So Kim is victorious in holding the most absurd exposition.
Analysis: N.Korea threatens to upstage S.Korea defence expo with duelling military show
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un speaks to officials next to military weapons and vehicles on display, including the country's intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), at the Defence Development Exhibition, in Pyongyang, North Korea, October 12. KCNA via REUTERS
SEOUL, Oct 14 (Reuters) - South Korea will hold its biennial defence fair in Seoul next week, just days after North Korea opened a highly unusual military exhibition that analysts said may be partly aimed at stealing some thunder from Seoul amid a growing arms race.
The events highlight the latest developments both Koreas have made as they press forward with major expansions of already substantial military capabilities - including sometimes mirror-image moves.
"North Korea must have purposefully timed their defence exhibition this week to gain traction from the international community ahead of South Korea's scheduled show to sell their weapons systems abroad," said Cho Jin-soo, former president of the Korean Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences. "They are piggybacking on the South to sell the weapons and delivering a message of 'forget me not.'”
Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) has been held every two years since 2009, in contrast to North Korea's, which was not announced in advance.
"There's likely to have been a number of considerations that resulted in this event, however, not least of which the fact that they appear to be gearing up for another period of increased tensions and confrontation," said Joost Oliemans, a specialist focused on North Korean military capabilities.
In a speech opening the exhibition on Monday, leader Kim Jong Un pointed to a military buildup by South Korea as one justification for the North's military, and reiterated complaints that North Korea's defence developments are treated differently than those in other countries.
A TALE OF TWO ARMS FAIRS
Although superficially similar and conspicuously timed, the two events are quite different, and the two Koreas do not compete for the same customers.
Sanctioned over its nuclear programme and with borders closed to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak, North Korea's event has been visited by officials from around the country, according to state media, but no major international delegations.
In recent years a United Nations panel of experts monitoring international sanctions has accused North Korea of continuing to export arms, and conduct military cooperation with countries such as Syria and Myanmar.
Festooned with paintings and other images of Kim, the North Korean show is also as much about idolizing the country's leader as displaying new weapons, said Rachel Minyoung Lee, an analyst with the 38 North project, which tracks North Korea.
South Korea, meanwhile, says ADEX will feature 440 companies from 28 countries. About 300 military and defence officials from 45 countries, including defence ministers, are expected to attend, organisers have said.
Displays are expected to include South Korea's latest defence technology, including hydrogen-fueled drones, virtual reality-based training systems, laser weapons, and multi-purpose unmanned vehicles.
The centrepiece will be South Korea's prototype KF-21 next-generation fighter jet, as well as guided weapons such as missiles, said an aviation expert with the knowledge of the plans. South Korea will likely be eyeing potential international vendors to provide it with tanker aircraft technology.
Other, more civilian-focused displays will feature "urban air mobility" technology for air taxis, and satellite launch rockets, the expert said.
Kang Eun-ho, South Korea's minister for the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), declined to comment on any potential deals in the works during ADEX, but told reporters on Thursday that he hoped the show provides an opportunity to "read the arc and trend" of global defence developments.
GROWING WEAPONS PROGRAMMES
Kallman Worldwide, a company that organises the U.S. presence at aerospace and defence shows around the world, said "nuclear sabre-rattling" by North Korea as well as efforts to defuse those tensions through diplomacy have made ADEX "uniquely framed with extra urgency and intrigue."
"Driving the discussion, defence budget increases largely aimed at countering Kim Jong Un’s nuclear programs are spiking supplier interest in the show," the company said in a pitch for ADEX on its website.
South Korea has approved major increases in its defence budget in recent years, aiming to counter the North and wean itself off American support while expanding its military export industry.
The Ministry of National Defense has proposed a defence budget of 55.23 trillion won ($47.6 billion) for 2022, a year-on-year increase of 4.5%.
North Korea's decision to stage its exhibition - complete with data cards for each weapon - was "very rare" for a country that more typically shows off its arsenal in parades, said Joseph Dempsey, a defence researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Among the potential new weapons were a ballistic missile with an apparent manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle, which would allow the warhead to steer itself toward its target; and a previously unseen missile displayed next to the North's submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM).
The mystery missile is smaller than existing SLBMs, potentially presenting an easier pathway to an operational ballistic missile submarine, which South Korea has recently demonstrated with an SLBM launch, Dempsey said.
When asked about North Korea's show, the South's defence ministry said it was assessing the displayed weapons in coordination with the United States.
A large number of conventional weapons were also displayed, including anti-ship, anti-tank and surface-to-air missiles, drones, and new small arms such as sniper rifles, Oliemans said.
"What we're seeing is a mixture of recently developed systems and prototypical designs," he said.
Reporting by Josh Smith; Additional reporting by Sangmi Cha. Editing by Gerry Doyle
2. South Korean officials launch last-ditch effort with US to formally end Korean War
This would appear to be the main effort for the Moon administration from now until next May.
South Korean officials launch last-ditch effort with US to formally end Korean War
North and South Korean soldiers face off at the Joint Security inside the Demilitarized Zone, May 24, 2017. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
South Korean government officials confirmed they were holding discussions with the United States about formally ending the Korean War, just a few months before a new administration will preside over the country.
South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Lee Soo Hyuck brought up the subject Wednesday while briefing Korean lawmakers at the embassy in Washington, D.C., telling them that senior U.S. officials were “approaching the issue seriously and understands its rational purposefulness.”
The U.S. and South Korea technically remain at war with North Korea after the signing of an armistice agreement following the 1950-53 Korean War.
National Security Office director Suh Hoon also traveled to Washington this week for high-level talks with U.S. officials. South Korea’s top national security official told reporters he planned to broach the topic of ending the war with Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser.
“We think it is time for consultations ... and to check inter-Korean relations or North Korea-U.S. relations at least once,” Suh told reporters at the airport Monday.
South Korea’s interest in putting a ceremonial end to the war has peaked in recent weeks. President Moon Jae-in, who has long supported the issue during his tenure, urged the signatories of the armistice agreement to “come together and declare that the war on the Korean Peninsula is over,” in a speech before the United Nations General Assembly last month.
"When the parties involved in the Korean War stand together and proclaim an end to the war, I believe we can make irreversible progress in denuclearization and usher in an era of complete peace," he said in reference to the U.S., North Korea, South Korea and China.
Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s sister and a high-ranking official within the ruling party, described the idea as “interesting” and “good.”
“We have discussed the end of war declaration ... which can be the beginning of the establishment of a system to ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula,” she said in a statement issued last month by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
A formal end to the Korean War would mark a major political victory for Moon and the ruling Democratic Party. The president, who is limited to a single five-year term under Korean law, will step down in March.
However, an analyst on the Korean Peninsula raised some concerns over the issue.
“A step towards the direction of ending the Korean War could spell a dramatic change in regional dynamics,” Soo Kim, a policy analyst for Rand Corp. and an adjunct instructor at American University, told Stars and Stripes in an email Thursday. “It’s a short-lived political ‘success’ — and even that is questionable.”
Soo said an end-of-war declaration would “mark the first of many strategic victories” for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose regime frequently rails against the stationing of U.S. troops in South Korea.
“It will lay the groundwork for a peace declaration, not to mention challenge the grounds for the presence of U.S. troops on the peninsula and the U.S.-South Korean alliance,” she said.
Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Chang contributed to this report.
David Choi
3. Squid Game proves capitalism doesn't work, says North Korea
Now, isn't that rich. It is market activity that developed since the arduous march of the famine of 1994-1996 that provided the safety valve that helped the Korean people in the north to survive. And of course Kim now appears to view those markets as a threat to the regime which is why he is using COVID as an excuse to impose draconian population and resources control measures that shut the Chinese border to legal trade and smuggling, and attempt to prohibit the use of foreing currency, as well as restrict movement and information flow.
But this is not at all unexpected from the Propaganda and Agitation. Department.
Squid Game proves capitalism doesn't work, says North Korea
Netflix
"It is said that [Squid Game] makes people realize the sad reality of the beastly South Korean society in which human beings are driven into extreme competition and their humanity is being wiped out," state-run media wrote on Tuesday. The show depicts "the process of hundreds of people who are forced to live a hellish life, struggling with unbearable debt, in a brutal game where they kill each other to claim the money prize that goes to just one winner."
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Squid Game, which started streaming on Sept. 17, focuses on a desperately indebted group of people in South Korea. They're first tricked into a deadly tournament of children's games -- "Squid Game" is the name of a popular schoolyard game in South Korea -- but then many of them volunteer to come back, realizing the games may be their only chance to win the money they need to survive. The odds of survival aren't good -- think The Hunger Games, only featuring contests such as Red Light, Green Light and marbles.
Evidently, the country's Communist neighbor couldn't resist the same impulse.
"It is the current South Korean society where the number of losers in fierce competitions, such as employment, real estate and stocks, increases dramatically," the North Korean propaganda reads. It adds that Squid Game shows "the reality of living in a world where people are judged only by money."
North and South Korea have been engaged in a civil war since 1950, though overt military action between the two Koreas ceased in 1953. After 30 years of turmoil and military rule, South Korea became a democracy in 1986 and today has the world's 12th biggest economy. Meanwhile, North Korea has been ruled by three generations of the Kim family. Its GDP is estimated to be just over $27 billion, as compared to South Korea's $1.5 trillion.
"Under the rule of Kim Jong Un, the third leader of the nearly 75-year Kim dynasty, the totalitarian government deepened repression and maintained fearful obedience using threats of execution, imprisonment, enforced disappearance, and forced labor," Human Rights Watch wrote in a 2020 report.
4. S. Korea aims to swiftly reopen talks with N. Korea: NSC
Talks and end of war declaration. Seeking to cement President Moon's legacy as the peace president. I think we should understand that Kim will likely only agree to an end of war declaration if it includes an end to the alliance and removal of US troops from the peninsula. Kim may also consider agreeing to an end of war declaration if he feels that doing so will embolden the anti-alliance, anti-military, anti- US, and the "blame the US" factions in the ROK and US who will push for an end of the alliance and the removal of US troops.
S. Korea aims to swiftly reopen talks with N. Korea: NSC | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- Top security officials held a regular National Security Council meeting Thursday and discussed ways of swiftly reopening stalled dialogue with North Korea, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.
The meeting came after Suh Hoon, the nation's top security adviser, held talks with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Washington earlier this week and they reaffirmed their commitment to engaging with North Korea.
The participants agreed to work closely together with related countries to reopen talks with the North in the wake of Pyongyang's recent restoration of cross-border communications early this month after a near two-month suspension, the office said.
kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
5. North Korea's military sideshow: Why this latest video is so laughable
This video is not something new. There have been many over the years. Photos and video at the link:
North Korea's military sideshow: Why this latest video is so laughable
On Tuesday, footage hit the web of North Korean troops performing a variety of unusual “feats of strength” and similar displays of physical prowess before a packed crowd and the nation’s leader, Kim Jong Un. Videos of the sort aren’t out of the ordinary for North Korea, or even for more developed nations like China, Russia, and arguably even the United States.
What makes this particular bit of propaganda stand out, however, is that even if you take what you’re seeing at face value… it’s still not actually all that impressive. Rather than looking like hardened warriors, these troops look more like the street performers you’ll find roaming around Bourbon Street right now.
I trained and competed in different forms of martial arts for years, and fought on the Marine Corps’ first mixed martial arts team out of Twentynine Palms, California. From SoCal to Boston, I’ve trained under experts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Pankration, Muay Thai, boxing, scholastic wrestling, a number of Filipino styles, and of course, I picked up my black belt in MCMAP along the way. So, let’s put my experience to good use and break down exactly what we’re seeing in this footage.
This demonstration at the Defence Development Exhibition was bit intense. Video broadcast today on North Korean TV. pic.twitter.com/zehpI6EAEd
— Martyn Williams (@martyn_williams) October 12, 2021
If you’re not able to watch the 2-minute or so clip, it opens with one soldier running and drop-kicking a stack of concrete bricks, followed by another soldier smashing similar bricks with his head. From there, we see a highly choreographed martial arts display that transitions directly into four men whacking a guy with large pieces of wood as he flexes and shouts.
Then we get more concrete smashing of varying types, from punches to kicks, to hitting limbs laid over concrete with hammers. It closes with soldiers laying on a bed of nails and then broken glass while concrete blocks are smashed on their stomachs.
Throughout the display, the video cuts to North Korean military leaders and shots of Kim himself as they applaud the soldiers’ apparent willingness to destroy their own bodies as a demonstration… of North Korea’s military might?
A North Korean circus sidewhow in military fatigues
In the interest of being fair, let’s also take a look at some American military propaganda with the same aim as this video: demonstrating the toughness of our military. To be absolutely honest here, America isn’t great at this game either. Because Uncle Sam doesn’t release too many videos of Marines just punching stuff, here’s a Special Operations demonstration held in Tampa, Florida in 2016.
While there’s practical value in this training, doing it with an audience also has a reason. These displays of tactical prowess benefit recruiting, retention, and perceptions of America’s military capability on the global stage. The point is to do something that makes your military look like they shouldn’t be messed with, so the next time your diplomats find themselves in staring contests with contentious world leaders, those leaders will think twice about calling your bluff.
And that’s where this most recent video fails most egregiously. North Korean troops can apparently handle themselves around concrete, but as we’ve seen before, their generals aren’t even very comfortable around pistols. While strength and toughness certainly come into play in the North Korean demonstration, what you see here aren’t combat skills… they’re circus tricks most fighters would scoff at.
Let’s break down a couple to show you what I mean.
The Bed of Nails
Remember this guy bravely laying on a bed of nails to have concrete broken on his stomach?
Well, it turns out, laying on a bed of nails looks rough, but it’s not actually all that bad (I know, I’ve done it). Here’s a video that explains why, but suffice to say, it all comes down to displacing your weight across lots of nails so the pressure on one is never enough to actually puncture your skin.
Breaking concrete with your head, hands, or basically whatever
Most of this video is predicated on the idea that breaking blocks of concrete with your bare hands, head, elbows, or whatever is about as tough as you can get… but like the bed of nails, breaking concrete or bricks is really more about preparation than perspiration.
I trained and competed in martial arts for years, but never spent much time on the concrete circuit because I was focused on winning fights with human people. I do, however, know plenty of folks who have wowed crowds with their ability to smash building materials, and silly as it might seem, it does make for one hell of a show.
The first thing you need to know is that the sort of concrete being used is unreinforced but genuine stuff – most people call them “soaps.” When used the right way, the material can still be plenty tough, but when stretched to a length of 16 inches or so and held on either side, a strike to the center will crack the block like an egg. Don’t just take my word for it, here’s structural engineer and martial artist Isaac Gaetz to explain:
“Crunching some quick numbers, I compute that it would, on average, take about 125-175 lbs of static force to break one of these blocks in this manner. Without any other reference, this may sound like an impressive feet, but consider that this is typically less than the athlete’s own weight; if he simply stepped onto the block it would potentially snap,” Gaetz explains.
Note the jump and the gap between each thin layer of concrete.
“Heavyweight boxers have been know to hit with as much as 1,000 lbs of force, in a more difficult, horizontal direction, while martial artists often go so far as to employ a jump prior to striking the blocks. The biggest challenge for the average martial arts athlete to break a single concrete block is psychological, if he mentally commits and strikes with a full-force blow and has good follow-through after impact, he’ll easily break the block.”
This same logic holds true for blocks that are broken on people as well.
Laying on broken glass
Laying on a bed of nails is one thing, but broken glass? To be clear, here — I’m not even certain that’s not sugar glass like the kind used in movies, but let’s assume it’s not.
The truth is, a bed of glass isn’t all that bad either (again, something I’ve really done because I’ve led a strange life). Like the nails, shards of glass won’t break the skin if your weight is well distributed, and the truth is, most of the glass won’t really bother you at all as long as you’re not moving around a lot.
Laying on glass is easier to do than walking on it, so here’s a video that will teach you to be tougher than these North Korean commandos (if you’re into that sort of thing).
North Korea isn’t very good at modern propaganda
I can’t help but pay attention when entertaining new propaganda hits the web. I’ve studied nations’ use of messaging and narrative control for years, because when you look past the surface of this sort of messaging, you can glean interesting things about a nation’s motives, capabilities, and even cultural relationship with things like reality.
These are all essential puzzle pieces for managing foreign policy and protecting or defending America’s interests abroad. In North Korea’s case, we have a reclusive nation with legitimate nuclear weapons and questionable delivery vehicles to carry them, a malnourished and outdated military apparatus, a subjugated population exposed to near-constant state propaganda, and a Supreme Leader who often seems to struggle to balance his desire to be seen as a modern figurehead on the world’s stage with his need to maintain the image of living god among his domestic population.
In other words, North Korea is a perfect storm for really crazy propaganda.
Videos like this (alongside a broad variety of other messaging types) convey a message on behalf of their nation, and when there’s violence on display, it usually has something to do with military capability in terms of technology or training; like putting a sign in your front yard for the security system you installed. The message is simple: we’re not a good target to mess with.
Nations like China invest billions in American popular culture, from movies to TV, from sports to radio, all in an effort to control how the average American sees their country, and in turn, its government. Russia invests in “super weapons” that garner global press and employs both digital and human troll armies to sway discourse in digital spaces. Both nations also release utterly insane military videos like the one shown above — sometimes firing live ammunition at each other in close quarters or demonstrating advanced martial arts techniques — but these videos usually convey some sort of practical application for the skills being demonstrated, even if contrived.
The best practical application for the skills demonstrated in this video might be the main stage at Ozzfest in 1993… But certainly not a battlefield.
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6. Train like you fight: Watch a North Korean soldier smash concrete with his head
Train like you fight: Watch a North Korean soldier smash concrete with his head
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The North Korean military has harnessed the power of testosterone in a new propaganda video that shows bare-chested soldiers demolishing inanimate objects and surviving feats of pain that would get the most ardent sadomasochists whipped into a frenzy.
The “self-defense” exhibition took place on Monday and was later broadcast by North Korea’s state-run media. The country’s dictator, Kim Jong Un, can be seen enjoying the show as many of his subordinates clap Benny Hill style while North Korean troops show off their martial arts skills in a training montage that seems lifted straight from a 1980s action movie.
Among the many exhibitions of endurance are: North Korean troops destroying bricks and cinder blocks with their bodies; two men bending a metal rod with their throats; and one man breaking out of chains.
Two North Korean service members also show their immunity to pain in separate spectacles. One shirtless man lies down on a bed of spikes as his comrades place a hunk of concrete on his abdomen and then break it in half with a sledgehammer. Not to be outdone, another shirtless North Korean performs the same stunt, except he lies down on top of broken glass as the concrete slab is split.
This demonstration at the Defence Development Exhibition was bit intense. Video broadcast today on North Korean TV. pic.twitter.com/zehpI6EAEd
— Martyn Williams (@martyn_williams) October 12, 2021
As impressive as these achievements are, none of the North Koreans in the video are seen doing leg tucks or a standing power throw, so it is doubtful that they could pass the Army Combat Fitness Test.
The exhibition of circus-style antics is nothing new, as North Korea has produced such propaganda videos for years, experts said.
“It is difficult to know who the intended audience is, but I think the ‘convention/exhibition’ this week is an attempt to demonstrate North Korean capabilities without the expense of the typical parade,” said retired Army Col. David Maxwell, a senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies think tank in Washington, D.C. “These events are likely for multiple target audiences both internal and external.”
FILE PHOTO: South Korean soldiers show their skills of martial arts during a drill as part of the Ulchi Taeguk exercises in Goyang, South Korea. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)
In a photo with Kim and nearly 30 North Korean soldiers, one of the troops can be seen wearing a skin-tight blue outfit that has earned him the nickname “captain DPRK” and “rocket man” on social media, the Associated Press reported.
While other oppressive regimes often show off their military in propaganda to project strength, North Korea appears to be in a world of its own, said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute’s James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
People watch a TV screen showing an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. Korean letters read: “Kim Jong Un attends Defense Development Exhibition.” (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
“I would say that North Korean propaganda, when it comes to this stuff, is just more over the top,” Lewis said. “So, I wouldn’t describe it as being typical of authoritarian regimes. There may be things that are similar, but this is something that we see over, and over, and over again in North Korean propaganda.”
But Maxwell said he did not see anything substantively different in North Korean propaganda compared to other regimes.
“In terms of the military hooah videos there is nothing really unique about it,” said Maxwell, a retired Green Beret. “Most major militaries put out videos along these lines and show off their cool guy capabilities to include the U.S. military.”
For now, the Pentagon is not commenting on North Korea’s latest propaganda video, but one thing is certain: No cinder block or concrete slab is safe from North Korea’s shirtless soldiers.
More great stories on Task & Purpose
is the senior Pentagon reporter for Task & Purpose. He has covered the military for 15 years. You can email him at schogol@taskandpurpose.com, direct message @JeffSchogol on Twitter, or reach him on WhatsApp and Signal at 703-909-6488. Contact the author here.
7. N. Korean authorities crack down on street commerce in Hyesan before Party Foundation Day
The regime thinks that can make street vendors "more productive" in labor brigades. The regime is deathly afraid of this nascent capitalism and unfortunately the people need these markets to survive.
N. Korean authorities crack down on street commerce in Hyesan before Party Foundation Day - Daily NK
“About 30 street vendors were dragged off to forced labor brigades,” a source in the province reported
From Oct. 1 to Oct. 10, North Korean authorities reportedly launched an intensive crackdown on street vendors, otherwise known as “grasshopper merchants,” in Hyesan ahead of Party Foundation Day. The crackdown resulted in a great deal of resistance, including fights between crackdown enforcers and merchants.
“About 30 street vendors were dragged off to forced labor brigades,” a source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Wednesday.
According to the source, the Hyesan branch of the Ministry of Social Security mobilized agents and other personnel to crack down on street merchants. In particular, agents insisted on confiscating the vendors’ goods, regardless of the reason for the bust.
In the process, fights broke out between enforcement agents and merchants. The Ministry of Social Security immediately arrested people who put up serious resistance, sending them to forced labor brigades after questioning.
In North Korea, Party Foundation Day is a national holiday. Because of this, the authorities generate a festive mood with various events and fireworks.
A view of Hyesan, Yanggang Province, in August 2018. / Image: Daily NK
However, they also strengthen controls over the people, warning them against “even a single incident, accident, or abnormal issue.” This is to say, everyone needs to “be alert” even amid the festive atmosphere.
The same dynamic was at work with the crackdown on the “grasshopper merchants.” The authorities hoped to put people on edge, sending them the message that behavior contrary to disease control rules and the law will never be tolerated.
According to the source, a woman in her 30s, identified by her family name of Kim, got into a physical altercation with enforcers from the city branch of the Ministry of Social Security in Hyegang-dong, Hyesan, on Oct. 8.
Kim was selling cabbages on the street to families preparing for the Oct. 10 holiday.
Kim was selling the cabbages in the rain with a two-year-old child on her back. However, the enforcers told her that she should not be selling on the street because doing that is in “contradiction to party orders.” Then they demanded cigarettes to smoke during the holiday.
When Kim said no, the agents threatened her with confiscation of the cabbages and a fine, and the two sides began to fight. Her husband and his family, who had been watching the scene, joined in, turning it into a major altercation.
“During the holidays [in North Korea], law enforcement personnel from the Ministry of Social Security, Ministry of State Security, and elsewhere demand money or cigarettes, ostensibly because of orders from above,” said the source. “Recently, with controls on street commerce intensifying, they’ve been really keen on seizing any reason to get even a pack of smokes from street vendors, who are suffering the most.”
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
8. Kim Jong Un personally orders the capture of family who drugged border guards
A bold and "sophisticated" escape operation? Drugging the guards? More anecdotal evidence of possible instability and Kim's fear of any kind of resistance?
This is an interesting assessment buried in the article. China has been complicit in returning Koreans to the north and not allowing them to pass through China or give them refugee status. But is this an indication that China could be succumbing to international pressure to not return Korean refugees to the north?
Excerpt:
However, the Chinese side has appeared uncooperative, with Beijing seemingly concerned that repatriating defectors to the North will lead to international condemnation, the source said.
Kim Jong Un personally orders the capture of family who drugged border guards - Daily NK
The family had recently began complaining about concrete walls and high-voltage wires being erected along the border
After drugging local border guards, a North Korean family of four recently defected into China from Yanggang Province, Daily NK has learned. Upon receiving an order from Kim Jong Un himself, the Ministry of State Security has been hard at work trying to catch the family, formally requesting cooperation from Chinese authorities.
According to a Daily NK source in Yanggang Province, the family — residents of Kimhyongjik County — crossed the Yalu River into China in the early morning hours of Oct. 1, taking advantage of a gap in border patrols.
The source said the incident got reported all the way up the chain of command, and on Oct. 2, Kim Jong Un personally issued an order to catch the family. Since then, the Ministry of State Security has been busy trying to catch the defectors.
The reason Kim personally issued the order is because the family slipped border guards sleeping pills and crossed the river while they were out cold.
Border patrol personnel were frequent guests at the family’s home, and they planned to drug a staff sergeant with whom they were on particularly good terms when he was on duty.
They then put this plan into motion.
The family learned the staff sergeant would be on duty in the early morning hours of Oct. 1, so they pre-prepared soft drinks and bread spiked with sleeping pills and offered him them when he visited their home that day. They also offered soft drinks and bread to his subordinates on duty that night, too, pretending to look after their needs.
Having made their living through smuggling, the family knew all the ways to get to China, and they learned where the patrols were. Crossing the river, therefore, presented little difficulty.
However, the situation turned tense after the border patrol figured out something had happened. The border patrol immediately reported the incident to the Ministry of State Security, and the very next day, Kim personally issued order to “catch the traitors to the nation and strongly punish them to set an example, no matter the cost.”
The Ministry of State Security tasked its agents in China with arresting the family and officially requested cooperation from Chinese counterparts, sending official letters to Chinese public security and border patrol authorities.
A view of Yanggang Province from the Sino-North Korean border. / Image: Daily NK
However, the Chinese side has appeared uncooperative, with Beijing seemingly concerned that repatriating defectors to the North will lead to international condemnation, the source said.
Kim’s order also condemned the drugging of the soldiers as an act that “seriously harmed military-civilian relations” and called for a full ideological review of people living along the border.
Accordingly, agents from the Ministry of State Security’s headquarters in Pyongyang went to Kimhyongjik County on Oct. 2. They tried to get an exact sense of what happened, calling in the border patrol’s local administrative, political, and security officers for individual talks.
During the talks, the agents from Pyongyang warned the officers that “civilians you trust are drugging you at the decisive moment and escaping, and they could do worse to you in order to escape.” They called on them to thoroughly report which homes soldiers were leaving their things at and frequently visiting and to stop soldiers from visiting private homes for the time being.
Meanwhile, the staff sergeant who was drugged was immediately sent to the brig and questioned, said the source.
According to the staff sergeant’s testimony, the family was not only a financially comfortable one with little trouble making a living, but also a so-called “revolutionary” household with neither illegal border hoppers or defectors among their relatives, nor family members who performed forced labor for criminal acts.
However, the staff sergeant also said that the family recently began complaining about the concrete wall and high-voltage wires being erected along the border. They said they had “no hope” if they cannot smuggle any longer; that they would have to “live like animals” farming a small plot and eating corn; that they would be “unable to live like people” if they cannot smuggle; and that “this year would be key” as they watched the wall go up.
The source said rumors of the incident have spread throughout Yanggang Province. “The incident has darkened the mood along the border,” he said.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
9. Americans Need to Watch S.Korea's Presidential Election
Yes we must pay attention but we cannot meddle. But I agree this election might very well be the bell-weather for the South's views of the future of the alliance.
Conclusion:
My point is not to say which views are the right ones. That is up to the South Korean people to decide. Moreover, the United States will work with whichever government comes into power next May as a good ally. But this election will reflect a true national debate on all these issues where none existed before. Americans should pay attention to this election because it matters a great deal to the United States and its policies in Asia.
Americans Need to Watch S.Korea's Presidential Election
By Victor Cha, a professor at Georgetown University, Senior Fellow in Human Freedom at George W. Bush Institute, and Korea Chair at CSIS in Washington, D.C.
South Koreans are already engrossed in their presidential election campaign before candidates for the ruling and opposition parties are selected this fall. Most Americans will not pay much attention until next March, when South Korean voters go to the polls. But they should, because the election is about much more than democracy. For the U.S., this is arguably the first South Korean election in recent memory where there are substantive foreign policy differences between the two camps that will have real ramifications for U.S. policy.
It is no surprise that the conservative and progressive camps have differing views on policy toward North Korea. Progressives can be expected to favor engagement with the North and the early advancement of a peace declaration and inter-Korean economic and humanitarian projects. The U.S. is familiar with the different approaches advocated by conservative and progressive camps because they roughly replicate similar policy lines from previous administrations in Seoul.
However, on other foreign policy matters, past South Korean elections generally did not feature major differences. Most of the policy debate focused on North Korea and domestic issues; with general agreement that any South Korean president would generally favor policies that support the alliance with America system and, more broadly, the liberal international order. But this time the differences are real between the two camps.
On relations with Japan and U.S.-South Korea-Japan trilateral policy coordination, the best opportunity for improvement would be a fresh start with a new leadership in Seoul and Tokyo starting next May. But the incumbent government and the ruling party have made clear their ambivalence about improving relations with Tokyo, and trilateral relations thereby give little hope for the new Kishida government to effect any change. The opposition, by contrast, has called for a reversal of the decline in bilateral and trilateral relations, which sends a very different message to Tokyo and Washington about future prospects for cooperation.
On relations with China, there are also significant gaps between the two camps. The conservatives have called for a more realistic view of China, acknowledging its economic importance, but also being wary of China's coercive tactics. Memories of Chinese sanctions as a result of the stationing of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery in Seongju to defend South Korea still remain very much in the forefront of their strategic thinking. By contrast, the ruling camp remains more cautious about joining in with the Biden administration's turn to strategic competition with China. It still sees Beijing as critical to an engagement policy with North Korea. While the memories of THAAD do not easily fade, they must be subjugated to more immediate economic and security priorities.
Perhaps where the differences in foreign policies between the two political camps are most obvious is over the Quadrilateral Strategic Dialogue or Quad. This was one of the last significant initiatives of the Trump administration in Asia, bringing together the leaders of the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India. I heard from reliable sources that South Korea was offered a spot at the table in advance of the first Quad summit under President Joe Biden, who took the new alliance over, in March 2021, and that the incumbent government refused the invitation. The ruling party's presidential candidates have also remained silent on South Korea's membership in the Quad. By contrast, I have heard opposition party leaders state openly that under their government, Korea would seek membership in the Quad immediately.
Of course, there are many areas where the two presidential camps would continue the work of the incumbent government on the alliance with the U.S. The May 21 summit between presidents Biden and Moon laid out a fantastic work agenda for the alliance that crosses party lines and that would be uncontroversial to pursue in a conservative or progressive government.
But the different approaches on the policies toward Japan, trilateralism, China, and the Quad are real. In addition, there are many more differences of significance on policies that impact the U.S. On nuclear energy, the choice is between suspending further production or growing it. On the handover of full operational troop control in case of a war, the choice is between an early handover or a conditions-based approach. On supply chains, the choice is between cooperating with Western-based networks outside of China or not. And on 5G, the choice is between permitting Huawei components in the South Korean market or not.
My point is not to say which views are the right ones. That is up to the South Korean people to decide. Moreover, the United States will work with whichever government comes into power next May as a good ally. But this election will reflect a true national debate on all these issues where none existed before. Americans should pay attention to this election because it matters a great deal to the United States and its policies in Asia.
10. Can U.S. And South Korean Public Opinion Align On North Korea?
Will it sufficiently align. One of the challenges is a lack of understanding (in both the ROK and US) of the nature of theKim family regime and its objectives and strategy.
But Scott provides an optimistic assessment here:
Most relevant for the Moon administration’s immediate efforts is the widespread public support in South Korea for an alliance-based approach to North Korea. Whatever tactical efforts North Korea might make to take advantage of the Moon administration’s desire to establish inter-Korean peace and cooperation will only be sustainable if Moon is able to win support from the Biden administration.
The South Korean public’s preferred posture toward North Korea is to exercise caution against the country and to support strengthening the U.S.-South Korea alliance over an emphasis on improving inter-Korean relations. Almost half of surveyed South Koreans supported the resumption of U.S.-North Korea summitry under the Biden administration if it makes substantial progress on denuclearization, representing a vote of confidence for America’s ongoing efforts to pursue denuclearization through negotiations with the North. Among the same respondents, 20% indicated that they supported U.S.-North Korea summitry regardless of whether North Korea makes progress on denuclearization, slightly less than the percentage of Americans supporting détente with North Korea regardless of denuclearization.
Taken together, American and South Korean public opinion on North Korea policy show a strong degree of consensus and complementarity. It is likely that this consensus will endure and provide the foundation for continued U.S.-South Korea policy coordination toward North Korea regardless of who wins the March 2022 South Korean presidential election and is inaugurated as South Korea’s new government the following May.
Can U.S. And South Korean Public Opinion Align On North Korea?
Forbes · by Scott Snyder · October 14, 2021
... [+]KIM WON JIN/AFP via Getty Images
North Korea’s leadership has clearly shifted its expectations away from the United States and toward South Korea in recent weeks despite the Joe Biden administration’s unfolding “calibrated practical” offers of unconditional dialogue. With the Moon Jae-in administration in its waning days, South Korea’s March 2022 presidential election heating up, and South Korean National Security Advisor Suh Hoon in Washington for high-level consultations between the United States and South Korea, public opinion polling in both countries suggests a narrow pathway for the two governments as the Moon administration engages with North Korea while preparing for South Korea’s political transition to a new presidential leadership.
As Moon seeks to affirm his legacy of peace with North Korea, his biggest enticement to the North has consistently been the desire to achieve an end-of-war declaration between the United States and North Korea, designed to open the door to a peace treaty and denuclearization. A recent polling conducted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs on American public opinion toward North Korea shows that 76% of Americans support a Korean peace agreement, but only in exchange for the suspension of North Korea’s nuclear program. Only 24% of surveyed Americans supported a peace agreement with a nuclear North Korea.
As in previous Chicago Council surveys over the past decade, Americans continue to strongly support diplomacy with North Korea and the use of economic sanctions as a tool by which to pressure North Korea toward compromise, while also opposing offensive military action against North Korea. This result suggests that while there is every reason for the Biden administration to keep the door open to negotiations with North Korea, there is little political incentive to make additional concessions or to sign on to South Korea’s end-of-war declaration proposal in the absence of a North Korean commitment to pursue denuclearization.
... [+]David Mareuil/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Recent public polling in South Korea paints an even more interesting picture of the pressures the Moon administration faces in its waning days. An extensive annual survey conducted in July by the Korea Institute of National Unification of South Korean views on unification focused widely on growing evidence that South Korea’s younger generation desires peaceful coexistence with the North but are disinterested in the longstanding Korean wish for unification as a single nation. The survey results reveal both deepening disinterest in North Korea and skepticism that denuclearization is possible.
MORE FOR YOU
Most relevant for the Moon administration’s immediate efforts is the widespread public support in South Korea for an alliance-based approach to North Korea. Whatever tactical efforts North Korea might make to take advantage of the Moon administration’s desire to establish inter-Korean peace and cooperation will only be sustainable if Moon is able to win support from the Biden administration.
The South Korean public’s preferred posture toward North Korea is to exercise caution against the country and to support strengthening the U.S.-South Korea alliance over an emphasis on improving inter-Korean relations. Almost half of surveyed South Koreans supported the resumption of U.S.-North Korea summitry under the Biden administration if it makes substantial progress on denuclearization, representing a vote of confidence for America’s ongoing efforts to pursue denuclearization through negotiations with the North. Among the same respondents, 20% indicated that they supported U.S.-North Korea summitry regardless of whether North Korea makes progress on denuclearization, slightly less than the percentage of Americans supporting détente with North Korea regardless of denuclearization.
Taken together, American and South Korean public opinion on North Korea policy show a strong degree of consensus and complementarity. It is likely that this consensus will endure and provide the foundation for continued U.S.-South Korea policy coordination toward North Korea regardless of who wins the March 2022 South Korean presidential election and is inaugurated as South Korea’s new government the following May.
... [+]South Korean Presidential Blue House via Getty Images
Forbes · by Scott Snyder · October 14, 2021
11. Korea's top business lobby seeks more influence in US
Excerpts:
Additionally, SK Innovation (SKI) is building battery plants in the U.S. state of Georgia with financial assistance. It formed a joint venture with Ford to build battery and assembly lines in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively.
Recent reports from both Republican and Democratic parties raised concerns about the U.S. defense industry's reliance on limited domestic suppliers, with the global supply chain being vulnerable to disruption, as well as about competitor country suppliers, a recent White House analysis said.
During a meeting with South Korean media in Washington D.C., early Wednesday (KST), researchers at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) warned that Samsung Electronics will be limited in terms of its participation in Washington-led public procurement programs if Samsung fails to share its key semiconductor supply chain data with the U.S. commerce department. The KEI's public relations chief, Kwon Yong-wook, told reporters that the U.S. government was hoping to maintain its partnership with Samsung Electronics.
Korea's top business lobby seeks more influence in US
People walk outside of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), as global supply chain disruptions continue to affect the American economy, Oct. 4, in New York City. AFP-Yonhap
KCCI considers establishing 1st liaison office in Washington D.C.
By Kim Yoo-chul
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) is considering opening up its first liaison office in Washington D.C., in a bid to defend the best interests of Korean companies in the United States, sources familiar with the issue told The Korea Times, Wednesday.
The KCCI is the country's most-influential business lobby and is headed by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won.
The main purpose of opening the office is to voice concerns in some pending and other outstanding issues from Korea's standpoint and to appeal to U.S. politicians on why policy actions matter ― or don't matter ― case-by-case, said one source. Lobbying is often criticized as a form of bribery. However, in the United States, lobbying is legal and the "Lobbying Disclosure Act," enables federal lobbying if the activities are registered and disclosed.
The KCCI's move comes as the prolonged pandemic and corresponding economic difficulties have been disrupting parts-oriented supply chains in the U.S., one of the top commercial markets for Korea.
The continued semiconductor chip shortage is having a grave impact on automotive, industrial and even end user products in the U.S. This situation has been leading U.S. national security experts to explore with its allies the best possible ways to address supply chain bottlenecks. The core point is that the U.S.'s underlying commercial industrial foundations are crucial to its security.
From Korea's standpoint, given the country's strong ties with the U.S., Korean companies, which operate manufacturing plants, aren't in the position to turn a blind eye to the U.S. demands for confidential chip supply data. The question is: how can Korean companies protect their best interests amid such tough requests from Washington, in a unified and systematic manner?
When asked about the specific timeframe of the liaison office's opening and plans for staffing, the source declined to comment.
"Because batteries and semiconductors are considered to have a substantial impact on U.S. national security, and given Korea's strengths in these segments, lobbying to U.S. politicians will be of great importance, as lobbying offers greater access to politicians and acts as the right tool to speak out publicly on key issues," a second source said.
Samsung Electronics operates massive semiconductor plants in the U.S. state of Texas and it is waiting for updates from the U.S. government regarding the company's requests for tax benefits, before finalizing its $17-billion chip investment plant in a city near Austin, Texas.
LGES, the top-tier electric vehicle battery manufacturer, operates a joint battery plant with General Motors (GM) in the U.S. state of Ohio, and it is building its second battery plant with GM in the U.S state of Tennessee.
Additionally, SK Innovation (SKI) is building battery plants in the U.S. state of Georgia with financial assistance. It formed a joint venture with Ford to build battery and assembly lines in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively.
Recent reports from both Republican and Democratic parties raised concerns about the U.S. defense industry's reliance on limited domestic suppliers, with the global supply chain being vulnerable to disruption, as well as about competitor country suppliers, a recent White House analysis said.
During a meeting with South Korean media in Washington D.C., early Wednesday (KST), researchers at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) warned that Samsung Electronics will be limited in terms of its participation in Washington-led public procurement programs if Samsung fails to share its key semiconductor supply chain data with the U.S. commerce department. The KEI's public relations chief, Kwon Yong-wook, told reporters that the U.S. government was hoping to maintain its partnership with Samsung Electronics.
12. Defectors sue North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Tokyo over repatriations
Excerpt:
The unusual case is a bid to hold Pyongyang responsible for a scheme that saw more than 90,000 people move to North Korea from Japan between 1959 and 1984.
Defectors sue North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Tokyo over repatriations
By The Straits Times2 min
TOKYO (AFP) - North Korean defectors in Tokyo symbolically summoned Mr Kim Jong Un to court on Thursday (Oct 14) over a repatriation programme they describe as "state kidnapping".
The unusual case is a bid to hold Pyongyang responsible for a scheme that saw more than 90,000 people move to North Korea from Japan between 1959 and 1984.
The programme mainly targeted ethnic Koreans but also their Japanese spouses, lured by fantastical propaganda promising a "paradise on earth".
Five participants in the repatriation scheme who later escaped from North Korea are demanding 100 million yen (S$1.19 million) each in damages as they make their case in the Tokyo District Court.
They have accused Pyongyang of "deceiving plaintiffs by false advertising to relocate to North Korea", where "the enjoyment of human rights was generally impossible".
As there are no diplomatic relations between Japan and North Korea, Mr Kim has been summoned as the head of the North's government.
"We don't expect North Korea to accept a decision nor pay the damages," Mr Kenji Fukuda, the plaintiffs' lawyer, said at a briefing last month.
"But we hope that the Japanese government would be able to negotiate with North Korea" if the court rules in the plaintiffs' favour, he added.
In all, 93,340 people took part in the repatriation programme carried out by the Red Cross Societies in Japan and North Korea, and paid for by Pyongyang.
The Japanese government also backed the scheme, with media touting it as a humanitarian campaign for Koreans struggling to build a life in Japan.
During Tokyo's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula, millions of Koreans moved to Japan, either voluntarily or against their will.
When Japan surrendered, hundreds of thousands remained, reluctant to return to their devastated homeland.
They were stripped of their Japanese nationality and became stateless, and many believed propaganda films portraying an idyllic life in North Korea.
Part of the defectors' complaint concerns separation from their families still trapped in the isolated country.
"I don't know what happened to my family. Maybe the coronavirus has hit them, maybe some of them have died of hunger," Ms Eiko Kawasaki, one of the five plaintiffs, said last month.
13. North Korea is more connected to global markets than you might think
Excerpt:
It still remains to be seen how much trade can expand under the current North Korean border shutdown. Though some goods are getting through, the border largely remains under lockdown due to Covid-19 despite intermittent news reports that trade might restart and return to its former scale. As many analysts have noted, Covid-19 has succeeded in closing the border more tightly to trade than most sanctions regimes have. How much Pyongyang is willing to meet Chinese demands and let coal shipments go across the border in larger scale, potentially increasing the country’s exposure to the virus (in the eyes of the leadership) remains to be seen.
North Korea is more connected to global markets than you might think
By: Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein
After a hiatus during the summer following my PhD defense, I now plan to get back to posting regular analyses and news content here. First up, an interesting example of why the North Korean economy is in fact more connected to global commodity markets than many might think.
Over the past few weeks, coal prices have skyrocketed in China, following energy shortages record-high coal prices. In September, the country’s coal imports surged by 76 percent, fueled flooding in one of the country’s main coal producing regions.
Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that Chinese demand for North Korean coal — the commodity at the heart of international sanctions on North Korea — is reportedly growing. As Daily NK reports:
According to a source in Pyongyang on Wednesday, there have been noticeably more requests for coal from Chinese traders since North Korea’s national foundation day holiday on Sept. 9. He said there have been several illegal transshipments of coal for export over the last month.
China has recently limited trade with private North Korean traders, dealing instead with official North Korean trading bodies. The source said, however, that Beijing now approves transactions with any North Korean entity that can provide China with coal, including private ones.
In fact, the Chinese government has reportedly launched no particular crackdowns on private imports of North Korean coal.
Rather, according to a source in China, some provincial civil servants in China are advising traders to take care not to get photographed when they transship coal. Essentially, the Chinese government is turning a blind eye to imports of North Korean coal, an internationally sanctioned item. At the same time, they are asking traders to exercise caution, aware that the international community is watching.
(Source: Seulkee Jang, “Amid coal shortages, Chinese traders on the hunt for more North Korean coal,” Daily NK, 7/10/2021.)
There are several things worth noting about this. First, again, it should not be surprising. China’s enforcements of sanctions against North Korea depends primarily on whether Beijing believes it to be in the national interest to clamp down on trade or smuggling. Clearly, China now needs cheap coal, and it’s been a long time since the North Korea issue was at the center of international politics and diplomatic tensions. So there appears to be comparatively little to lose in increasing trade for the moment, although China has been significantly letting up on its sanctions enforcement for several years now, since the days of “maximum pressure” in 2016–2018.
Second, North Korea still appears to be getting shafted by China, who exploits its position as the almost exclusive monopoly buyer buyer to purchase coal from North Korea at prices lower than world market prices or Chinese domestic prices. The precise proportions are uncertain, but Daily NK reports that China is paying less than half of world market prices for coal imports from North Korea, although their source also notes that the North Korean side is using the global shortage as leverage to jack up prices. In other words, while China may in some sense be North Korea’s “patron”, commercial market logic is much more important in coal trade than often assumed, and China isn’t necessarily doing it to help North Korea.
Third, and to tie back to the title of this piece, North Korea, despite its policies of economic autarky, is in fact deeply connected to global commodity markets. This isn’t just true for currency prices. Although the size of North Korea’s foreign trade remains comparatively abysmal, its economy is, just like most other economies today, tied to the broader dynamics of global supply and demand.
It still remains to be seen how much trade can expand under the current North Korean border shutdown. Though some goods are getting through, the border largely remains under lockdown due to Covid-19 despite intermittent news reports that trade might restart and return to its former scale. As many analysts have noted, Covid-19 has succeeded in closing the border more tightly to trade than most sanctions regimes have. How much Pyongyang is willing to meet Chinese demands and let coal shipments go across the border in larger scale, potentially increasing the country’s exposure to the virus (in the eyes of the leadership) remains to be seen.
14. US stresses ‘sincerity’ in its overture toward North Korea
Yes we are sincere. Unfortunately the regime will not believe that sincerity until it assesses an an to what they claim is a hostile policy. And unfortunately again the only way they will judge an end to that policy is through the end of the alliance and withdrawal of US troops.
US stresses ‘sincerity’ in its overture toward North Korea
National
[ The Korea Herald – Send E-mail ]
US stresses ‘sincerity’ in its overture toward North Korea
Published : Oct 13, 2021 - 14:52
Updated : Oct 13, 2021 - 14:52
Suh Hoon, South Korea’s director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae, shakes hands with his US counterpart, Jake Sullivan, in Washington on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
The top national security advisers of South Korea and the US on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to engaging with North Korea, pledging to work together to bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.
Suh Hoon, South Korea’s director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae, was visiting Washington to hold a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart, Jake Sullivan, amid North Korea’s conflicting messages involving back-to-back missile tests and diplomatic overtures, including the recent reopening of inter-Korean communication hotlines.
According to Seoul’s readout of the high-level meeting, Sullivan stressed his government’s “sincerity” to reiterate that the US has no hostile intent toward North Korea.
“The US side reaffirmed the US’ sincerity that it holds no hostile policy toward North Korea and also reiterated its stance that it will engage in negotiations with North Korea anytime, anywhere without preconditions,” South Korea’s National Security Council said.
The remarks came one day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed doubt about the US’ intention by saying: “The US has been frequently signaling that it’s not hostile to our country, but there has been no behavioral ground to believe that it is not.”
It is unclear whether Sullivan was responding to Kim’s doubt directly but Seoul officials viewed the remarks as a positive signal that renewed the US’ eagerness for dialogue with North Korea.
During the meeting, Suh and Sullivan noted the two countries have continued ceaseless discussions on North Korean issues, including their diplomatic efforts at all levels to engage with North Korea, since the US unveiled its North Korea policy early this year.
The US, in particular, showed its full support for the resumption of inter-Korean talks, urging North Korea to respond positively to US overtures as well.
“The US expressed strong support for inter-Korean talks that could make breakthroughs in the Korean Peninsula situation and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Suh told reporters after the meeting.
“South Korea and the US agreed that practical progress could be made in dealing with current conditions if North Korea engaged more actively in South-North and North-US dialogue.”
The US National Security Council echoed that the two countries held detailed discussions on the current security situation in the region and called on North Korea to enter into serious and sustained diplomacy towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
According to a Cheong Wa Dae official, Suh also explained South Korea’s proposal for the declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War and its concrete plans to do so during the meeting.
“The US now has a deeper understanding of our stance. The two governments agreed to continue related discussions,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “Of course, the end-of-war declaration cannot be discussed separately from talks for North Korea’s denuclearization.”
The US readout of the meeting didn’t mention on discussions on the end-of-war declaration.
The official added the two sides also shared expectations about China’s role in the stalled diplomacy with North Korea as the meeting came after Sullivan’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, last week in Zurich.
15. U.S., S. Korea working to restart dialogue with N. Korea: Amb. Lee
It is simply up to Kim Jong-un to decide to talk. I don't think he assesses the conditions are yet in his favor to begin those talks.
(2nd LD) U.S., S. Korea working to restart dialogue with N. Korea: Amb. Lee | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with additional remarks from Amb. Lee in last 7 paras)
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States are working closely together to restart the Korean Peninsula peace process, South Korea's ambassador to the U.S., Lee Soo-hyuck, said Wednesday.
Lee said the countries are also discussing ways to bring North Korea back to the dialogue table that may include the provision of humanitarian assistance to the impoverished North.
"(We) are discussing various ways to build trust such as the provision of humanitarian assistance to create a favorable condition for talks with North Korea," the South Korean diplomat said in a parliamentary audit.
"South Korea and the United States are also closely discussing ways to restart the peace process for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establishment of peace," he added.
Amb. Lee also said the U.S. understands what he called the rational purposefulness of seeking a formal end to the Korean War.
"I believe the U.S. is approaching the issue seriously and understands its rational purposefulness," he said when asked by a member of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in proposed declaring a formal end to the 1950-53 war during the United Nations General Assembly held last month in New York, insisting the move could help kickstart the denuclearization of the North by providing some assurances to Pyongyang over its security.
Pyongyang currently remains unresponsive to U.S. overtures, and has stayed away from denuclearization talks with the U.S. since early 2019.
The U.S. has said it supports providing humanitarian assistance to the people of North Korea regardless of any progress in denuclearization talks with the North.
The top national security advisers of South Korea and the U.S. earlier said their countries will continue to seek engagement with North Korea.
"The U.S. side reaffirmed the U.S.' sincerity that it holds no hostile policy toward North Korea and also reiterated its stance that it will engage in negotiations with North Korea anytime, anywhere without preconditions. The two sides agreed to continue working closely on concrete ways to engage with North Korea," South Korea's National Security Council said of a meeting between South Korean National Security Adviser Suh Hoon and his U.S. counterpart, Jake Sullivan, held in Washington on Tuesday.
Lee said the U.S., however, is not considering redeploying its tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea.
"The United States maintains that it has not considered deploying tactical nuclear weapons and that it has no plans to do so or should it," the ambassador said.
His remark comes amid views in South Korea that the country may consider nuclearizing itself to counter the North's growing nuclear capability.
The U.S. had maintained tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula since the late 1950s, but completely withdrew them in 1991.
The ambassador also argued the U.S. believes the sour relationship between Seoul and Tokyo is partly because of Japan's hardline stance toward the bilateral ties.
"There certainly are no views (in the U.S.) that the reason for the difficulties in improving the relationship is with South Korea," said Lee. "(The U.S.) believes Japan has an unyielding position when it comes to improving the South Korea-Japan relations. The U.S. fully understands."
He also said the U.S. was working hard to help improve the relationship between its two Asian allies, but that Japan appears to be "uncomfortable" with such U.S. efforts.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
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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.
