Quotes of the Day:
“We live in a world in which speed is prized above almost all else, and acting faster than the other side has itself become the primary goal. But most often people are merely in a hurry, acting and reacting frantically to events, all of which makes them prone to error and wasting time in the long run. In order to separate yourself from the pack, to harness a speed that has devastating force, you must be organized and strategic. First, you prepare yourself before any action, scanning your enemy for weaknesses. Then you find a way to get your opponents to underestimate you, to lower their guard. When you strike unexpectedly, they will freeze up. When you hit again, it is from the side and out of nowhere. It is the unanticipated blow that makes the biggest impact.”
- Robert Greene, The 33 Strategies Of War
"One school of thought regards this as part of the reason for the decline and fall of Rome: lead poisoning gradually took its toll, impairing the thought and judgment of many Romans, especially at the top. The theory is much disputed; perhaps it contains no truth. But as a metaphor it is irresistible. We have built networks for the delivery of information—the internet, and especially social media. These networks, too, are a marvel. But they also carry a kind of poison with them. The mind fed from those sources learns to subsist happily on quick reactions, easy certainties, one-liners, and rage. It craves confirmation and resents contradiction. Attention spans collapse; imbecility propagates, then seems normal, then is celebrated. The capacity for rational discourse between people who disagree gradually rots. I have a good deal more confidence in the lead-pipe theory of the internet, and its effect on our culture, than in the lead-pipe theory of the fall of Rome."
- Ward Farnsworth
“When men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe... that the ultimate good desired is better reached by free trade in ideas-- that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out. That at any rate is the theory of our Constitution. It is an experiment. As all life is an experiment. Every year if not every day we wager our salvation upon some prophecy based upon imperfect knowledge. ”
-Oliver Wendell Holmes
1. Peninsula tightrope both taut and fraught
2. North Korea's hypersonic missile claim is seen as an attempt to boost its 'bargaining position'
3. Defense minister calls for 'full attention' to allied defense posture amid USFK virus case rise
4. S. Korea ranks 9th in defense technologies: report
5. Seoul monitoring possible change in N.Korea's Covid policy
6. Intel Is About to Relinquish Its Chipmaking Crown to Samsung
7. Cold War-era anti-communist slogan springs back to life in presidential race
8. Instagram Removes “Defeat Communism” Posting, CIO Collects on Shinsegae Vice Chair Chung Yong-jin’s Electronic Communications
9. ‘Eradicate communism’ (South Korean election OpEd)
10. North Korea ordered military into “No. 1 combat posture” after defector crossed border
11. News of recent “double defection” spreads along China-North Korea border
12. N Korean defectors face discrimination in the South
13. N.Korea Informs China It Won't Attend Olympics
14. 20 N.Korean defectors migrated overseas in over 5 yrs
15. Ahn’s rise splits presidential race three ways
16. North's fighter jets hide in secret air bases in mountains
17. Kim Jong-un's wife is former cheerleader and singer from top North Korea family
1. Peninsula tightrope both taut and fraught
The Chinese view of the US strategy toward north Korea and Northeast Asia.
Excerpts:
However, the DPRK issue is just a cover for strengthening a trilateral military alliance in Northeast Asia, because US administrations have tried to shift their strategic focus to the Far East, the so-called Indo-Pacific, said Li Nan, a researcher with the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The US also wants to exert more pressure on Pyongyang, Li said, adding that keeping tensions on the peninsula high could help bolster Washington's ties with its allies.
Zhan Debin, an international relations professor at the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, said: "But the DPRK has a strategic confidence that is stronger than ever since it has sought a road of self-reliance, so it won't easily yield to outside pressure."
Kim Jong-un, top leader of the DPRK, has turned to seek economic growth and improve people's lives amid the pandemic since he charted the course during a key party meeting at the beginning of last year.
It is clear that the DPRK issue is not a priority of the US and that flawed talks between Kim and former US president Donald Trump have deepened mutual distrust, Zhan said.
Peninsula tightrope both taut and fraught
By ZHAO RUINAN | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2022-01-10 09:26
Kim Song, the permanent representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the United Nations, addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept 27. He denounced the United States' hostile policy toward the DPRK. WANG YING/XINHUA
After a pandemic-plagued year in which tensions on the Korean Peninsula grew, analysts see a bumpy road ahead for US-DPRK talks and inter-Korean relations beset by mutual distrust.
At the start of last year, stakeholders were waiting to see what foreign policy the United States would adopt toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as President Joe Biden took office in January.
But it was not until late April that Washington's policy review of pursuing "calibrated" diplomacy arrived, touting a longtime cliche that Pyongyang dismissed as a "spurious signboard" to cover up US "hostile acts".
Repeated perfunctory statements by the US that the "ball is in the North's court" raised doubts over whether the US is willing to make a positive gesture to the DPRK, analysts said.
During the first half of last year, the US held separate bilateral talks with Japan and the Republic of Korea, and senior national security officials from the three countries met to talk about how they should deal with the DPRK.
However, the DPRK issue is just a cover for strengthening a trilateral military alliance in Northeast Asia, because US administrations have tried to shift their strategic focus to the Far East, the so-called Indo-Pacific, said Li Nan, a researcher with the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The US also wants to exert more pressure on Pyongyang, Li said, adding that keeping tensions on the peninsula high could help bolster Washington's ties with its allies.
Zhan Debin, an international relations professor at the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, said: "But the DPRK has a strategic confidence that is stronger than ever since it has sought a road of self-reliance, so it won't easily yield to outside pressure."
Kim Jong-un, top leader of the DPRK, has turned to seek economic growth and improve people's lives amid the pandemic since he charted the course during a key party meeting at the beginning of last year.
It is clear that the DPRK issue is not a priority of the US and that flawed talks between Kim and former US president Donald Trump have deepened mutual distrust, Zhan said.
"After the 2019 Hanoi summit ended without an agreement, Kim figured out that the only way is to boost domestic economic development."
As Washington showed no signs of budging on its call for sanctions relief, Pyongyang was seen as upping the ante last year.
Last Wednesday Pyongyang fired a suspected ballistic missile into its eastern waters, according to the ROK and Japanese militaries, the first such launch this year.
This came after the country conducted several missile tests said to be partly against ROK-US joint military drills, including launching a hypersonic missile in September and a new-type submarine-launched ballistic missile the following month.
2. North Korea's hypersonic missile claim is seen as an attempt to boost its 'bargaining position'
One theory could be that the north is creating a buzz about hypersonic missiles so that if it comes to the negotiating table it can put the end of the program on the table as a concession. I think the regime could be doing this with the Hwasong 16 that we saw in October of 2020. It can give the appearance that it is developing new weapons systems which spins up the ROK and US and then when it negotiates it can offer to give them up. It would appear to be a big concession but in reality it would be another example of the US being played as the regime is masterful at getting something for nothing. And if it gave up a program it never intended to pursue it would be a win for the regime.
That said, I do think the regime is trying to pursue hypersonic missiles both for "keeping up with the joneses" (China, Russia, US) and to support its warfighting capabilities by creating another dilemma for alliance missile defense.
North Korea's hypersonic missile claim is seen as an attempt to boost its 'bargaining position'
CNBC · by Sumathi Bala · January 10, 2022
People watching a TV at the Seoul Railway Station in South Korea, which showed a file image of North Korean missile launch on Jan. 5, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea.
Chung Sung-Jun | Getty Images
North Korea is seeking to build up its missile capability in order to boost its "bargaining position," says one political analyst, who pointed to the country's latest attempt last week to test-fire a hypersonic missile.
On Thursday, state media claimed the country had test-fired a "hypersonic missile" the previous day.
Pyongyang said "the missile made a 120 km lateral movement in the flight distance of the hypersonic gliding warhead" before it "precisely hit a set target 700 km away," the Korean Central News Agency reported.
"You start the new year and North Korea does this type of test that shines the light back on it," John Park, director of the Korea Project at the Harvard Kennedy School, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Monday.
We believe that North Korea's report dated Jan. 6 on the firing range of their hypersonic missile as well as its capabilities have been exaggerated.
South Korea defense ministry
"From that perspective, [North Korea] is building up the capabilities to have a stronger bargaining position is one interpretation that is growing in terms of popularity right now."
Hypersonic weapons have both speed and accuracy, according to the Royal United Services Institute. They combine the advantages of ballistic missiles — which are fast but travel along a predictable trajectory — and cruise missiles, which are slower but have greater accuracy, according to analysts from the independent think tank.
South Korea dismisses hypersonic claims
South Korea's Defense Ministry on Friday dismissed North Korea's claim that it tested a hypersonic missile, saying instead that the regime likely fired a conventional ballistic missile.
"We believe that North Korea's report dated Jan. 6 on the firing range of their hypersonic missile as well as its capabilities have been exaggerated," said a defense ministry official in a background briefing.
VIDEO3:2603:26
U.N. faces 'quandary' over North Korea's hypersonic missile claims: Analyst
"The missile [North Korea] claimed as hypersonic was, in fact, a ballistic missile, which precision technology has been upgraded. Our assessment is based on intelligence offered by the U.S. and Japan, in addition to our assessment," it added.
"Hypersonic weaponry represents the most significant advancement in missile technology since ICBMs," according to an October report by RUSI analysts, who were referring to intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"Thanks to their extreme speed and ability to manoeuvre, hypersonic weapons are on their way to undermining nuclear deterrence postures and creating cracks in strategic stability by the mid-2020s," the an independent think tank said.
The United Nations Security Council have imposed sanctions on North Korea's nuclear programs and banned all ballistic missile and nuclear tests from Pyongyang.
"The key thing right now… if you look at the responses and the menu of choices how to respond to what North Korea claims are hypersonic missile tests — those response tools are limited," noted Park.
'Even more potent'
Park also said that these type of hypersonic missiles affect the military balance and pose a security threat to the region.
A hypersonic missile because of its ability to fly low can be tricky to detect using the ballistic missile defense systems that currently exist, he added.
Therefore, if Pyongyang were to add these hypersonic capabilities, "North Korea's nuclear arsenal becomes ever more potent," Park noted.
The main challenge remains how the U.S. and its allies in the region — mainly South Korea and Japan — are going to manage North Korea in the near term, he added.
"It leads to two fundamental questions going forward. How you are going to deal with a nuclear weapon state with defense capabilities and with internal instability? So the stakes are high and they're growing," said Park.
For now, the robust alliance between the U.S. with South Korea and with Japan remains critical to maintaining stability in the region, he noted. Last year, the U.S., Japan and South Korea reiterated their policy on coordinating closely on North Korea.
"Those two key bilateral alliances are still seen as the main pillars of a viable and very effective deterrence capability," Park said.
CNBC · by Sumathi Bala · January 10, 2022
3. Defense minister calls for 'full attention' to allied defense posture amid USFK virus case rise
This is interesting context for the Minister's comments.
(LEAD) Defense minister calls for 'full attention' to allied defense posture amid USFK virus case rise | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with details throughout; CHANGES headline, lead)
SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook called Monday for "full attention" to keeping a combined defense posture with the United States as he commented on a recent rise in COVID-19 infections among U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) personnel.
Suh made the call during a virtual meeting of top military commanders on anti-virus efforts, voicing concerns over the continued spread of the omicron variant on and off base.
The USFK had confirmed a weekly record high of 682 more virus cases among its personnel from Dec. 28 to Jan. 3. In response, it started banning all personnel from visiting off-base facilities, such as indoor malls and gyms, on Saturday.
"Regarding a multitude of infections in the USFK, (the minister) stressed that full attention should be given to maintaining a combined defense posture," the defense ministry said in a press release.
The minister also directed the commanders to beef up the military's epidemiological investigation and testing capacities, as the omicron variant is on track to become the dominant strain.
"As the number of patients infected with omicron has gradually been increasing on and off base, the pandemic situation is graver than ever," Suh was quoted by the ministry as saying.
The participants also reviewed progress in the booster shot program for troops stationed abroad.
South Korea plans to send vaccines to Lebanon and South Sudan to inoculate its contingents there between January and February. The units operating in the United Arab Emirates and off Africa will secure jabs under cooperation with local governments, according to the ministry.
The military, meanwhile, reported four additional COVID-19 cases Monday, all of which are breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 3,444.
Of the new cases, three are from the Army and one from a unit under the direct control of the defense ministry.
Currently, 191 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,631 are breakthrough cases.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)
4. S. Korea ranks 9th in defense technologies: report
S. Korea ranks 9th in defense technologies: report | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's defense technologies were assessed to be the world's ninth most advanced as of last year, a triennial government report showed Monday, noting progress in artillery, submarines and other sectors.
According to the report by the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement (KRIT), South Korea ranked ninth among 16 countries, compared with the previous report in which the country tied with Italy for ninth place in 2018.
The institute has published the report since 2008 to assess South Korea's comparative strengths and weaknesses to help craft strategies for its defense research and development.
Of 26 key defense technology areas, South Korea's capabilities improved in 10 areas, including artillery, submarines, command control, cyber weapons and underwater surveillance, according to the report.
But the report listed 11 areas, including radar and space weapons systems, as those that need "more attention."
"Its ranking in the artillery field rose to fourth place based on an improvement in the performance of self-propelled artillery, and autonomous and automation technology," KRIT said in a press release.
"Its technology level also improved in submarines, such as the successful SLBM underwater test launch," it added, referring to the South's test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile last year.
In the latest report, the United States took the top spot, followed by France and Russia, which tied for second. Germany and Britain took fifth place, trailed by China, Israel and Japan.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)
Related Articles
5. Seoul monitoring possible change in N.Korea's Covid policy
"People-oriented?" That may be a euphemism for implementing more draconian population and resources control measures in order to protect the Kim family regime.
Excerpts:
“The government will continue monitoring how the North’s newly proposed advanced, people-oriented anti-virus measures will materialize, especially if they will lead to a change in its current control-focused policy, including a border lockdown,” Lee told a regular press briefing.
Pyongyang has imposed a strict border closure since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and claims to be coronavirus-free.
During a major party gathering last month, the North said fighting the pandemic will be the “top priority” for the new year and vowed to put its “epidemic prevention on a scientific foundation”.
Seoul monitoring possible change in N.Korea's Covid policy - Bhaskar Live English News
Seoul, Jan 10 | South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on Monday that it was closely watching a possible change in North Korea’s anti-Covid-19 policy, such as the lifting of its strict border closure, after Pyongyang’s main newspaper said the country will shift to more “advanced” measures from the current control-focused approach.
“We need to move to a better advanced, people-oriented epidemic work from one that focused on control measures,” Yonhap News Agency quoted the North’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper as saying.
It did not however, elaborate on the new measures.
Lee Jong-joo, the spokesperson for the Unification Ministry, said the government will keep a tab on the North’s border situations following the suggested policy change.
“The government will continue monitoring how the North’s newly proposed advanced, people-oriented anti-virus measures will materialize, especially if they will lead to a change in its current control-focused policy, including a border lockdown,” Lee told a regular press briefing.
Pyongyang has imposed a strict border closure since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and claims to be coronavirus-free.
During a major party gathering last month, the North said fighting the pandemic will be the “top priority” for the new year and vowed to put its “epidemic prevention on a scientific foundation”.
6. Intel Is About to Relinquish Its Chipmaking Crown to Samsung
Intel Is About to Relinquish Its Chipmaking Crown to Samsung
Intel Corp. is on the brink of losing its status as the world’s largest chipmaker. For the first three quarters of 2021, Samsung Electronics Co. held a narrow lead in sales. The final numbers for the full year will be available in late January, but it seems likely that Intel will drop to second place. Even if the company holds on for another year, this has the appearance of a durable reordering.
Investors are already acting as if Intel’s heyday has passed. Several other chipmakers have higher stock market values, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Nvidia Corp., whose market valuation is more than three times that of Intel’s.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger.
Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg
No one is predicting Intel’s demise. It still produces the vast majority of the world’s computer processors, more complex than the memory chips Samsung specializes in, and rakes in an enormous amount of cash with high profit margins. Still, Samsung surpassing Intel would be a significant shift. Intel, one of the companies that first put the silicon in Silicon Valley, has dominated the $400 billion semiconductor industry for most of the past 30 years. It’s the foremost U.S. chipmaker at a time when the geopolitical implications of the industry loom particularly large.
Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger, who rejoined Intel in early 2021, aims to return it to leadership on the crucial area of manufacturing technology while also muscling in on the outsourced manufacturing business that TSMC and Samsung now dominate. Investors initially applauded Gelsinger’s approach, but they’re increasingly focused on its high cost and the time it may take to deliver results. It takes years to design a semiconductor, develop the technologies needed to produce it, and build the plants where it’s made. Gelsinger will be spending most if not all of this year doing the best he can with decisions his predecessors put in place.
Gelsinger has been a leading proponent of a proposal in Congress to devote $50 billion to support the building of chip plants in the U.S. But progress has stalled. It would represent an unprecedented piece of industrial policy. In the best-case scenario, subsidies could persuade Intel, TSMC, and Samsung to build more plants in the U.S., but not in 2022, given how long it takes to construct the multibillion-dollar facilities.
Intel’s leader is trying to get the company to thrive even as its dominance wanes. Success in that goal would be relatively unprecedented in the chip industry—a place where his company has done so much to define the yardsticks for success. The brutal pace and expense of innovation means that once you fall behind, the road back to the top is usually too steep to climb.
7. Cold War-era anti-communist slogan springs back to life in presidential race
An interesting development.
Will this become an election issue? Will the conservatives try to aggressively or subtly paint the liberals as communists or communist sympathizers? Will that resonate with a sufficient amount of the electorate? Or will it backfire?
Excerpts:
But conservatives, who have long painted the liberal ruling bloc as commies seeking to join forces with communist North Korea, were encouraged by Yoon's post. The PPP came to Yoon's defense.
Na Kyung-won, a former party leader, shared photos of herself shopping at E-Mart and buying anchovies and beans among other foods.
"Myeolgong! Freedom!" she captioned the post.
Choe Jae-hyeong, a former state auditor who competed with Yoon in the primaries, also joined the relay with a video of himself having breakfast that consisted of stir-fried anchovies, beans seasoned in soy sauce and an omelet.
(LEAD) (News Focus) Cold War-era anti-communist slogan springs back to life in presidential race | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: RECASTS lead para)
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Yonhap) -- A Cold War-era slogan calling for "annihilating communism" has sprung back to life in South Korea's presidential race after a business tycoon used the expression to criticize China and North Korea and conservatives turned it into a meme.
Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin prompted the creation of the meme last week when Instagram deleted one of his posts captioned with the anti-communist slogan, "myeolgong," for violating its policy on violence and instigation.
In a follow-up post, Chung used the slogan as a hashtag next to a screenshot of an article criticizing China for its overbearing attitude and the government of South Korea for failing to protest Beijing's disrespectful actions.
The screenshot also featured a photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Chung later deleted the post and replaced it with a screenshot of an article featuring a photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
"My myeolgong has nothing to do with China," he wrote in the caption. "My myeolgong is solely directed at the kids living north of us."
The issue spilled into the political sphere when Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential nominee of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), shared photos of himself grocery shopping Saturday. The Instagram post was captioned with the hashtags "E-Mart," "egg," "scallion," "anchovy," "bean" and "Yoon Suk-yeol."
Political watchers seized on the symbolism, claiming the first syllable of the Korean word for anchovy, "myeolchi," combined with the word for bean, "kong," spelled "myeolkong" -- a reference to "myeolgong," the anti-communist slogan.
Yoon's shopping at an E-Mart store was also seen as a sign of support for Chung as the supermarket chain is owned by Chung's Shinsegae Group.
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) bristled at the political messaging behind Chung's and Yoon's posts, saying the PPP candidate revealed his subservience to big business and an anachronistic mindset from the 1970s and 80s.
"This is no different from a sophisticated signal (?) to not worry because he isn't interested in people's livelihoods, the virus or relations with China but will become a puppet of capital," DP Rep. Min Hyung-bae wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
"How about you ask Chung Yong-jin to head your campaign committee at this opportunity?" he said.
Park Young-sun, a senior DP campaign member, also criticized Yoon for shopping at a giant supermarket chain at a time when small businesses are suffering under the strain of the pandemic.
But conservatives, who have long painted the liberal ruling bloc as commies seeking to join forces with communist North Korea, were encouraged by Yoon's post. The PPP came to Yoon's defense.
Na Kyung-won, a former party leader, shared photos of herself shopping at E-Mart and buying anchovies and beans among other foods.
"Myeolgong! Freedom!" she captioned the post.
Choe Jae-hyeong, a former state auditor who competed with Yoon in the primaries, also joined the relay with a video of himself having breakfast that consisted of stir-fried anchovies, beans seasoned in soy sauce and an omelet.
The omelet was likely a reference to the eggs and scallions Yoon purchased, because in Korean, the words for the two foods are "dalgyal" and "pa," which when combined can suggest the term used to describe President Moon Jae-in's staunch supporters.
Yoon initially brushed off the controversy.
"It's close to my home and for once, I didn't have to be anywhere this morning," he said Saturday when asked by reporters about his trip to E-Mart. "My dogs were out of snacks and I also wanted to buy some instant noodles and other stuff, so I went some place nearby."
By Monday, however, he appeared to have a more measured response.
"Everyone has the freedom to express themselves as long as it is within the scope of not violating the constitutional order of a free democracy," he told reporters after an event in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul.
"Because it is guaranteed as a freedom of expression, I think the question of whether that is properly defended or not becomes the basis for determining whether this country is a country based on freedom and democracy."
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
8. Instagram Removes “Defeat Communism” Posting, CIO Collects on Shinsegae Vice Chair Chung Yong-jin’s Electronic Communications
Some background on the communist issue in South Korea.
Instagram Removes “Defeat Communism” Posting, CIO Collects on Shinsegae Vice Chair Chung Yong-jin’s Electronic Communications
Instagram removed a post by Chung Yong-jin (정용진), vice chairman of Shinsegae Group, which owns Shinsegae department stores and eMart, early this year. On January 5, 2022, Chung posted an abbreviated form of “Defeat Communism” (멸공) (MyeolGong), which Instagram stated was a violation of its guideline on physical violence and incitement after it removed his post. It also warned him not to do it again or risk even more censorship activities that are permanent.
Chung then posted on Instagram, stating that his posting was removed, and asked why was it considered physical violence and incitement. He ended the post by stating “I don’t like communism.” The censorship became controversial, generating a lot of discussions online and media reporting. Hashtag MyeolGong (#멸공) also became trendy. Instagram then restored his posting and admitted its mistake, blaming a system error.
On November 15 and 23, both in 2021, Chung posted “I don’t’ like GongSanDang.” GongSanDang (공산당) technically translates as communist party, but in South Korea, it also means communism or communists, although there is a separate word for them. In other words, the term GongSanDang encompasses not only the communist party, but also the ideology of communism and those who adhere to the ideology.
The word also conjures up North Korea, so it also means communists/communism/communist party related to North Korea. The Korean Workers’ Party is a communist party in North Korea, and he made it clear he was talking about North Korea in his further postings, including a post of yet another launching of missiles by North Korea soon after the New Year began.
Soon after this effort to censor, it turned out that the Moon administration’s Corruption Investigation Office for High Ranking Officials (CIO) / Gongsoocheo —one created supposedly to investigate “high ranking officials,” collected his electronic communications information, including his name, national identification number, address, and content, on June 9 and November 8, 2021. Chung demanded to know why he was monitored, since he is not under any investigation, in any trials, or on parole.
June 9, 2021 was the first confirmed collection by CIO. Starting late May 2021, Chung began to post “sorry and thank you” multiple times on Instagram while showing pictures of lobsters and other seafood dishes. “Sorry” and “Thank you” were exactly what President Moon Jae-in wrote in the log book when he visited the Sewol Ferry event on March 10, 2017, which was soon after the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.
“Hey kids, you were the starlight of the candlelight (demonstration) grounds. Your souls have become 10 million candle lights. Sorry. Thank you.”
The false narrative of the “missing 7 hours during the Sewol Ferry sinking” greatly damaged Park’s image and, along with the false “tablet PC” story, helped incite the public to attend the candlelight protests, demanding she step down, and later, be impeached. This brought about the Moon administration, which claimed the “mandate of the candle lights” as it swiftly pursed policies that negatively impacted freedom, the rule of law, national security, and the economy.
Moon’s “Sorry. Thank you” phrase led to criticism, with many asking why Moon was thanking them. Thus, the question arose whether the CIO monitored Chung’s communications on his phone, because they saw Chung’s use of “sorry and thank you” as a criticism of Moon.
CIO’s second confirmed surveillance of Chung’s electronic communications was on November 8, 2021. Starting November, Chung wrote “I don’t like communism (/communists/communist party)” and “#DefeatCommunism” often. It appears both the CIO and Instagram did not like his statements.
Additionally, CIO is overstepping its role in collecting on Chung, who is not a high-ranking government official, but a private businessman. [As of January 7, 2022, it has been confirmed that CIO monitored electronic communications of about 170 journalists (including those working for foreign media) and their families, scholars, college students, and YouTubers. None of these people mentioned are “high ranking officials” of the government. For more on CIO’s spying on its citizens, see here.
According to the Freedom House Index, South Korea’s Freedom Index is 83/100, a rather high mark, despite persistent censorship. In addition to the above, relatively recent cases are the imprisonment of two young YouTubers: Choi Tae-woon (최태운) for 2 years in prison for defamation and Koo Ja-woong (구자웅) for 6 months in prison for defamation.
Assault on freedom of expression continues.
9.
An interesting historical anecdote to the the communist election issue into perspective.
Monday
January 10, 2022
‘Eradicate communism’
CHOI HYUN-JU
The author is a life and economy team reporter at the JoongAng Ilbo.
At one time, there used to be a military drill course in the middle and high school curriculum. Not just middle-aged people, but also those at the end of the millennial generation born in the late 1980s and early 1900s might vaguely remember the course.
In the class, male students would take ritual training in the school fields, part of the military training for soldiers. Female students would learn first aid, bandaging and nursing skills. The class was scored based on performance. In 1997, the drill became selective, not required, and practically disappeared.
The old memory of putting a bandage on my partner’s head came back as I watched the controversy over the “eradication of communism.” In November 2021, Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin posted a photo of him with a friend wearing a red hat and holding a red wallet. He wrote, “The photo gives out some communist vibes, but don’t misunderstand.” And he added the hashtag, #EradicateCommunism.
Controversy sparked when Instagram removed Chung’s post. He posted a photo of a hangover drink and wrote, “I will survive till the end” with the hashtag, #EradicateCommunistm. He violated the guideline on physical violence and incitement. The guideline stipulates that content that can lead to a risk of substantial damage or threaten public safety is not permitted.
Chung was “joking,” but Instagram saw it as “incitement.” I find it fishy. If you search “EradicateCommunistm” on Instagram, thousands of posts come up. Only Chung’s specific post was deleted. When Chung officially protested, the deleted post was restored after a day because it was a “system error.” It seems that there is no clear standard for deletion. I cannot help but doubt the so-called “platform censorship.”
The controversy is spreading to politics. Opposition People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol posted a photo of himself buying anchovies and beans at an E-Mart owned by Chung, using the products to allude to “eradicate communism” in Korean, and opposition lawmakers quickly followed suit. The ruling Democratic Party (DP) criticized Chung for calling for the “annihilation of communists” in the 21st century, while the PPP claims that hating communists is only controversial in a communist country.
Back in school, when I was tested on how well I could put a bandage on my partner’s head, Korea was divided. That is clearly still the case today. But with the March 9 presidential election just around the corner, my concern is with the platform censoring information rather than the communists.
10. North Korea ordered military into “No. 1 combat posture” after defector crossed border
30 rounds of ammunition to each soldier and COVID defense.
Excerpts:
The source said that immediately after the incident was reported, the Operations Bureau of the General Staff Department — acting under instructions from the Supreme Command — ordered the division manning the region where the defection occurred to go into No. 1 combat posture.
Accordingly, the division in question distributed live 30 rounds of live ammunition to each soldier. The unit maintained its posture for 24 hours, its personnel fitted out for combat at all times.
The source said the authorities fully mobilized the provincial emergency quarantine headquarters to lock down the guard post that discovered the defector and the nearby residential district for soldiers. However, the civilian residential district was not locked down because soldiers immediately caught the defector when he crossed the border.
North Korea ordered military into “No. 1 combat posture” after defector crossed border
An investigation team from the Ministry of State Security’s headquarters in Pyongyang has been sent to Wonsan, where they are questioning the defector
North Korea ordered the military into “No. 1 combat posture” immediately after a defector to the South re-defected back to the North on Jan. 1. North Korea apparently took the individual into custody the day of his re-defection and is currently questioning him.
A Daily NK source in North Korea said last Thursday that a sentry on duty at a guard post on the front line first spotted somebody coming from the South late in the night of Jan. 1. The headquarters of the First Corps then reported the matter to the Supreme Command using the wireless system reserved for direct communication with the Supreme Commander, i.e., North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Found only at corps and division-level headquarters, the direct wireless system to Kim’s office usually transmits only in one direction — that is, top down. However, in an emergency, lower-level units can use it first to report what is happening.
That the headquarters of the First Corps got on the direct line to Kim to report the defection demonstrates how seriously North Korea dealt with the incident.
The source said that immediately after the incident was reported, the Operations Bureau of the General Staff Department — acting under instructions from the Supreme Command — ordered the division manning the region where the defection occurred to go into No. 1 combat posture.
Accordingly, the division in question distributed live 30 rounds of live ammunition to each soldier. The unit maintained its posture for 24 hours, its personnel fitted out for combat at all times.
The source said the authorities fully mobilized the provincial emergency quarantine headquarters to lock down the guard post that discovered the defector and the nearby residential district for soldiers. However, the civilian residential district was not locked down because soldiers immediately caught the defector when he crossed the border.
Slogans on display at the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone construction site in Gangwon Province. / Image: Daily NK
The double defector was briefly confined in a guardhouse run by the First Corps’ security division. Now he is apparently quarantined at a provincial Ministry of State Security facility in Wonsan.
The source says an investigation team from the Ministry of State Security’s headquarters in Pyongyang has been sent to Wonsan, where they are questioning the defector. The ministry plans to watch the individual for half a month, and if the authorities feel that he poses little quarantine risk, they will move him to South Pyongan Province for additional interrogation.
Worth noting is how North Korea has kept the incident under wraps, dealing with it secretly, in contrast to the July 2020 incident when a re-defector turned up in the city of Kaesong.
In fact, when that case happened, the KCNA and other official North Korean media reported of an “emergency” after a “fugitive to the South” suspected of being infected with COVID-19 “illegally crossed the demarcation line” into the city Kaesong three years after he defected.
The media also reported that Kim convened an emergency expanded meeting of the Central Committee’s politburo, where the leadership ordered Kaesong be put under complete lockdown.
However, North Korea has neither reported about the latest defection, nor responded to notifications sent by South Korea’s military.
The source explained that the authorities are trying to keep mouths shut as only the unit based where the defection took place, the soldiers’ village, Ministry of State Security officials, and people around them know what happened. That being said, rumors have begun to appear about the defection in the China-North Korea border region.
He added that cadres were saying that the authorities were dealing with the incident quietly to avoid rocking the boat from the very start of an important year marking the 110th birthday of late North Korean founder Kim Il Sung and the 80th birthday of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, not to mention current North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s birthday on Jan. 8.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Ha Yoon Ah is one of Daily NK’s full-time journalists. Please direct any questions about her articles to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
11. News of recent “double defection” spreads along China-North Korea border
Actions speak louder than words. (with a data point of one in this case). A gift for the Propaganda and Agitation Department?
The source said some people say he must have heard capitalism was good, but it seems this was not the case, otherwise he would never have returned after risking his life to leave.
North Korean authorities are likely to put this viewpoint to good use, having long promoted the idea that “traitors to the nation who run away to the South” struggle to survive under South Korea’s “puppet clique.”
North Korean authorities are reportedly doing little to stop the spread of rumors regarding the incident. Moreover, the source said the authorities have yet to issue any official orders regarding the returnee in question.
The individual at the heart of the incident was reportedly living in difficult circumstances as a cleaner in Seoul’s Nowon district from March of last year before defecting back to the North on Jan. 1. He was apparently receiving over KRW 500,000 (around USD 416) in basic living assistance and housing subsidies and had over KRW 10 million (around USD 8,339) in assets.
News of recent “double defection” spreads along China-North Korea border
North Korean authorities are reportedly doing little to stop the spread of rumors regarding the incident
A source in North Korea says news that a North Korean defector to the South recently re-defected back to the North across the DMZ in Gangwon Province is gradually spreading, primarily in regions along the China-North Korea border.
According to the source on Friday, word of the incident is spreading by way of relatives in the South and “brokers” facilitating remittances from the South, drawing public interest.
In particular, locals are reportedly growing increasingly curious why somebody would return to the North at a time when more and more people want to escape the country due to the protracted COVID-19 crisis.
Accordingly, most people say they cannot understand the double defector’s decision.
That is to say, people are generally curious, wondering why he would come back when so many people in the North fret that they cannot go to the South, and expressing surprise that he would return after so many people died trying to defect.
On the other hand, some people say this means South Korea is “hopeless.”
They wonder how bad things must have been in the South for him to return to “this place” — i.e., North Korea — where the future contains no guarantees.
This February 2019 photo shows a border patrol checkpoint in Pungso County, Yanggang Province. / Image: Daily NK
The source said some people say he must have heard capitalism was good, but it seems this was not the case, otherwise he would never have returned after risking his life to leave.
North Korean authorities are likely to put this viewpoint to good use, having long promoted the idea that “traitors to the nation who run away to the South” struggle to survive under South Korea’s “puppet clique.”
North Korean authorities are reportedly doing little to stop the spread of rumors regarding the incident. Moreover, the source said the authorities have yet to issue any official orders regarding the returnee in question.
The individual at the heart of the incident was reportedly living in difficult circumstances as a cleaner in Seoul’s Nowon district from March of last year before defecting back to the North on Jan. 1. He was apparently receiving over KRW 500,000 (around USD 416) in basic living assistance and housing subsidies and had over KRW 10 million (around USD 8,339) in assets.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
12. N Korean defectors face discrimination in the South
It pains me to read this. South Korea should be treating escapees as national assets. They can make critical contributions to the unification process.
N Korean defectors face discrimination in the South
North Korean refugees not only suffer from social stigma but experience mistreatment, suspicion and discrimination from many southerners
The re-defection of a North Korean refugee, who had spent two years in South Korea after escaping the repressive communist country in 2020 before returning north on January 1, has shone a spotlight on the discrimination many northerners face in the richer and more sophisticated south.
The defector has been identified as a 29-year-old former gymnast, Kim Woo-joo. Kim crossed the 2.5 mile heavily protected demilitarized zone and scaled 10ft barbed-wire barriers to cross into the south in November 2020. He told South Korean officials he had defected to escape an abusive stepfather.
Changing his name to Kim Woo-jeong, he reportedly found work as an office cleaner. But just over a year later he appears to have made the same dangerous journey in reverse. This has prompted speculation he might have been a spy, something denied by government officials.
Many North Koreans escape their harsh lives in the DPRK, where poverty and famine are widespread and human rights violations by the authorities are routine. About 300,000 North Koreans have escaped and moved to various countries worldwide since the end of the conflict on the Korean peninsula in 1953 and about 30,000 settled in South Korea.
It is rare for defectors to return to North Korea – there were about 30 in the past decade. But it is well known that many North Koreans miss their families and life in the DPRK despite the hardships – and many struggle to adapt to life in the South.
North Koreans fleeing to the South receive government support to begin with. On arrival in South Korea, refugees from the North seeking citizenship and residence attend classes to prepare them for their new lives. These “Hanawon” (house of unity) as they are called, last for 60-75 days and are widely thought of as inadequate to equip refugees from the North for even very low-level employment in the South.
The refugees (saetomin or “new settlers”) are allocated their first place of residence by the government (often outside Seoul) and from then on are effectively on their own. They often find it very hard to make a good living in the South.
Despite being a dynamic free-market democracy, success depends on a system of informal connections. These tend to be based on regional origins and graduation from certain educational institutions. It’s a hierarchical old boys network known as hakyeon-jiyeon into which escapees from the North have a hard time fitting.
Looking for a future
Many refugees come from the northern provinces of the DPRK and are mostly manual workers or farmers with a very poor level of education. So the earnings they can achieve in the South are often too little to live properly. In 2019 a defector and her young son died in Seoul – apparently of starvation.
North Korean refugees not only suffer from social stigma but experience mistreatment, suspicion and discrimination from many southerners. This can result in profound alienation and puts them at risk of mental health illnesses. It’s a cycle of despair that makes it hard to understand their situation and obtain help – making it more difficult to secure a decent living.
About 80% of the North Korean defectors in South Korea are female. Many of these women, who typically suffer from discrimination by employers and have difficulty in accessing social services, are forced into prostitution. There have been reports that many employers in the South are suspicious of persons with North Korean accents.
Meanwhile, North Korean children often face rejection and sometimes bullying at school in the South. At the other end of the scale, older escapees face destitution because they are unable to access South Korea’s “defined benefit” pension scheme, which is based on contributions over the working life of a person.
If a refugee close to retirement age has not made any contributions, on retirement he or she will be entitled to the basic old-age pension that provides a maximum of KRW204,010 (£137) per month. Poverty in old age is a serious problem in the South which disproportionately affects North Koreans, given their situation.
Moving on, moving back
A significant population of North Koreans do not stay in the South and instead travel on to Europe and the United States rather than face the hardships of trying to integrate into South Korean society.
Others return North, despite the hardships of life under the repressive government, the severe human rights violations and the risks such a return could entail. One defector, who was being prevented from returning North by the Seoul government, told The Guardian in 2018:
North Korean defectors are forever strangers in this country, classified as second class citizens. I would never want my daughter to live this life. North Korean defectors are treated like cigarette ashes thrown away on the streets.
The fate of North Koreans in the South has echoes of the experience of people from the former East Germany, where they faced discrimination and often poverty after reunification.
But East Germans did not have to risk their lives and leave their families behind. And the economic and cultural gaps between East and West Germany were not as wide as those between North and South Korea.
Korean unification may come some day in the future – but until then many hurdles will have to be overcome.
13. N.Korea Informs China It Won't Attend Olympics
Note the regime never addresses the fact that it was suspended by the IOC and could not participate if it wanted to.
N.Korea Informs China It Won't Attend Olympics
January 10, 2022 10:28
North Korea has officially informed China that it will not take part in the Beijing Winter Olympics that start next month. It had already been banned by the International Olympic Committee for refusing to take part in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo last year, so the notice was a mere formality.
The North Korean regime sent a letter to China's Olympic Committee notifying it of the decision, the official [North] Korean Central News Agency reported last Friday, just two days after North Korea fired a hypersonic missile as President Moon Jae-in visited a military border unit on the east coast.
"We could not take part in the Olympics due to the hostile forces' moves and the worldwide pandemic, but we fully support our Chinese comrades in all their work to hold a splendid and wonderful Olympic festival," it read.
A hypersonic missile is being fired in Pyongyang on Wednesday, in this photo from the official [North] Korean Central News Agency the following day. /Yonhap
The North has been suspended from any Olympic events until the end of this year due to its refusal to take part in the Tokyo Olympics amid the pandemic, but North Korean athletes could have competed as individuals.
Still, there was some disappointment in South Korea, where the government had hoped to use the Games as a spur to engaging the North in international dialogue.
A government official here said, "North Korea tried to use its relationship with South Korea to be recognized as a nuclear power and ease international sanctions. Once it became impossible to achieve those goals due to rising U.S.-China tensions, the North felt it had no reason to attend the Olympics and risking COVID-19 infections."
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
14. 20 N.Korean defectors migrated overseas in over 5 yrs
And South Korea should understand why this is so. And they should ask why some Koreans do not request to go to South Korea when they are in third countries during their escape process.
20 N.Korean defectors migrated overseas in over 5 yrs - Bhaskar Live English News
Seoul, Jan 10 | A total of 20 North Koreans who defected to the South have migrated to other countries over the past five years, the Unification Ministry said on Monday.
The living conditions of North Korean defectors here have drawn keen attention, especially since a defector who fled the North in late 2020 reportedly crossed the heavily-fortified inter-Korean border again earlier this month to return home, reports Yonhap News Agency.
“The number of North Korean defectors who have emigrated over the recent five years (from 2016-20) totals 20, ” the Ministry’s spokesperson Lee Jong-joo told reporters.
As of September last year, some 33,800 North Korean defectors had entered the South, according to the Ministry.
15. Ahn’s rise splits presidential race three ways
I am not sure how South Korean politics will play out but if Ahn becomes a third party candidate could he be John Anderson to Raegan and Carter or the Ross Perot to Bush 41 and Clinton?
Ahn’s rise splits presidential race three ways
Published : Jan 10, 2022 - 14:58 Updated : Jan 10, 2022 - 14:58
People’s Party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo speaks at a meeting held at the National Assembly on Monday. (Yonhap)
People’s Party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo has rapidly gained on his ruling and main opposition rivals in recent weeks, as he is appearing to absorb voters peeling away from People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol.
Ahn came out on top in a Realmeter poll of 3,042 people released Monday in a hypothetical alliance with the main opposition party. The poll, requested by local media outlet Oh My News, was held from Jan. 2 to Friday.
Some 35.9 percent answered they would vote for him if Ahn and Yoon formed an alliance, while Yoon had a 32.5 percent support, recording a 3.4 percentage point gap within the margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points, with a 95 percent confidence level.
The survey also put Democratic Party’s candidate Lee Jae-myung ahead with 40.1 percent, Yoon at 34.1 percent, followed by Ahn at 11.1 percent and Justice Party’s nominee Shim Sang-jung at 2.8 percent.
The 6 percentage point gap between the top two candidates is outside the margin of error.
Though Ahn came in third, it is the first time Ahn passed the 10 percent bar in a recent poll. According to Realmeter, Ahn was mainly endorsed by those in their 20s and 30s.
Another survey of 1,002 people, arranged by Southern Post, also showed Ahn could be a stronger candidate in alliance. Some 42.3 percent said they would vote for Ahn if the opposition parties form an alliance against Lee, who would gain 28.9 percent support. 33.4 percent showed support for Yoon against Lee at 33.6 percent.
The poll, requested by broadcaster CBS, was conducted from Friday to Saturday.
Though Ahn has risen as a strong contender, Yoon and the People Power Party, however, have been drawing a line on unification rumors.
“Though some who are interested may discuss (unification) it is right for us two to do our best respectively in the election campaign,” Yoon said Sunday, when asked about forming an alliance with Ahn by reporters.
“From the day I was elected as the candidate of my party, I have been saying it is not appropriate for me to mention alliance,” he said. “I still have the same thoughts.”
The People’s Party also drew a line to the rumors.
“Going through the unification discussions after the Seoul mayor election, we realized we would not be able to give people what they want through the politics pursued by People Power Party,” People’s Party floor leader Kwon Eun-hee said on a radio show Monday.
For more information regarding the survey results go to the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission homepage.
16. North's fighter jets hide in secret air bases in mountains
Not sure why the Joongang Ilbo is reporting this now since this has long been common knowledge. That said it is good to continue to point out how the north prepares to fight a war.
Monday
January 10, 2022
North's fighter jets hide in secret air bases in mountains
An underground hangar for aircraft on the southern side of a runway at an airfield in Nucheon-ri, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea, as seen in recent satellite imagery. [GOOGLE EARTH]
North Korea’s fighter jets are heading to its mountains, where its concealed air bases are located.
The JoongAng Ilbo confirmed in a report Monday through satellite imagery from Google Earth that North Korea’s Air Force bases are either built in mountains, or its taxiways and runways link underground bases.
The exceptions are the Sunan Airport near Pyongyang and Kalma Airport near the Wonsan in Kangwon Province.
The Uiju airfield located in North Pyongan Province, near the border with China, which has recently been equipped with quarantine facilities in preparation for North Korea to open up trade with China, is also connected to the mountains through a taxiway.
In the case of the North's Taetan Base in South Hwanghae Province, east-west runways are installed in the mountain, and entrances for aircraft are located on both sides near the runway.
Transport expert Ahn Byung-min, head of the Korean Peninsula Peace and Cooperation Institute, said, “Aircraft are greatly affected by wind during takeoff and landing, and it is common to build airports on open ground to be prepared for emergencies.”
He added, “Mountains around the airport can lead to gusts, which may pose a serious threat to safety.”
Despite such risks, North Korea has adhered to building runways near mountains.
Ahn said, “North Korea builds bases putting more weight on concealment and survival rather than aircraft safety.”
This is the same reason that North Korean aircraft are lined up at the entrances to its underground bases rather than next to runways.
“During the [1950-53] Korean War, North Korea completely lost its air power, making it defenseless against the United Nations Command’s air strikes,” a former high-ranking South Korean Air Force official said. “Because of such an experience, North Korea builds bases underground in mountains to protect its aircraft.”
The fact that there are almost no igloos, or munitions storage magazines, or other maintenance facilities at North Korean air force bases and only runways are visible is because such facilities have been driven into underground caves in the mountains.
However, the North’s underground protection strategy also has its limitations, with the development of missiles that precisely strike targets and bunker busters, or bombs that can penetrate underground military facilities.
North Korea’s air bases also have features that South Korea’s don’t — namely, underground runways.
At an airfield about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) southwest of the dual-use Kalma Airport on North Korea’s east coast, aircraft can take off immediately after they leave the mountain using an underground runway.
There is also a similar facility at an airfield 3.8 kilometers east of an air base in Nampo in the west coast. The runways were built in three directions centered on the underground base.
When selecting an area to construct an air base, the South Korean military attaches great importance to operational capability, airspace, obstacles and weather. Along with such meteorological and topographical factors, noise and development plans are also important, as it is related to possible residents’ complaints.
North Koreans, however, do not consider such residential complaints. A runway at North Korea’s Changjin air base in South Hamkyong Province is located just 450 kilometers away from a private residence.
Runways are installed in the mountain and entrances are spotted leading to an underground facility at the Taetan air base in South Hwanghae Province, spotted through satellite imagery. [GOOGLE EARTH]
BY JEONG YONG-SOO, SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
17. Kim Jong-un's wife is former cheerleader and singer from top North Korea family
Not new information. But I wonder why they also do not report on Kim Jong-un's mother who was born in Osaka, Japan, to a Japanese mother and a Korean father and who was a consort of Kim Jong-il. I wonder why no one reports on the Paektu bloodline being contaminated by Japanese blood.
Kim Jong-un's wife is former cheerleader and singer from top North Korea family
Ri Sol-ju, the mysterious wife of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, used to be a competitive cheerleader and professional singer before she married the hermit state's leader
The wife of North Korean despot Kim Jong-un was once a competitive cheerleader and singer who came from a prominent family before she married the tyrant.
Before married life, Ri Sol-ju was an active cheerleader, visiting South Korea as a member of North Korea's cheering squad for the Asian Athletics Championships in 2005, reports CNN.
Apparently, Ri was also part of the North Korean Olympic cheerleading team too, when she was in her early 20s.
Ri, who is believed to be in her 30s and to have three children with her depot hubby, was also a singer in her former life as well.
Kim Jong-un with his wife Ri Sol-ju (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
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It comes after the North Korean dictator celebrated his 38th birthday and 10 years reigning over the hermit state.
She went to China to study the craft, and was a singer with the Unhasu Orchestra, a popular orchestral group that featured traditional Korean singing.
In fact, it is rumoured that Ri first grabbed the dictator's attention while performing in a concert, however, The Sun reports that since her marriage, North Korean officials have tried to erase her singing past by confiscating bootleg CDs of her performances.
It is also thought Ri hails from an elite North Korean family (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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It is believed the former songstress comes from Chongjin, in North Korea's northern Hamgyong Province, and hails from the upper echelons of North Korean society with a gynecologist mother and professor father.
Although Ri and Kim Jong-un, 38, married in 2009 shortly after Kim Jong-il died from a heart attack, she only made her first official appearance as North Korea's First Lady in 2012, when she caused a stir for her Western-style clothing and appearance, reports the ABC.
Ri married Kim Jong-un in 2009, but made her official debut in 2012 (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
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In her official debut she wore peep toes shoes, toted a Dior bag and sported a short haircut. She also linked arms with her husband - all very controversial in North Korea's traditional society, which made her an instant fashion icon among young North Korean women.
Kim Jong-un's wife Ri Sol-ju was once a competitive cheerleader and singer (Image: REUTERS)
Recently, a year long absence from state media in 2020 sparked concern and speculation over Ri's health, with death, illness, pregnancy or possibly an a falling out with Kim Jong-un as possible explanations for her absence.
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.
