Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

“Pick a leader who will make their citizens proud. One who will stir the hearts of the people, so that the sons and daughters of a given nation strive to emulate their leader's greatness. Only then will a nation be truly great, when a leader inspires and produces citizens worthy of becoming future leaders, honorable decision makers and peacemakers. And in these times, a great leader must be extremely brave. Their leadership must be steered only by their conscience, not a bribe.”
- Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

"To be or not to be is not a question of compromise. Either you be or you don't be." 
- Golda Meir

“My freedom to say 'No' directly underscores your freedom to say 'Yes'. RESPECT my freedom to PROTECT your freedom.”
- Mamur Mustapha





1. N Korea fires possible missile into sea amid stalled talks
2. N. Korea's improved ballistic missile traveled at Mach 10: JCS
3. Kim Jong Un-ism: Leader seeks 'new' ideology for North Korea
4. N. Korean General Staff Department colonel allegedly stole 200 tons of oil over several years
5. N. Korea tests second ‘advanced’ missile in less than a week: Seoul
6. Flights briefly grounded at West Coast airports over suspected North Korean missile test
7. North Korea’s provocations have little effect on presidential race: experts
8. North launches missile as world reacts to last week's
9. Analysis: N.Korea looks to risky pre-fuelled missiles to reduce launch time
10. Joint Statement on the January 5 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Ballistic Missile Launch
11. Former Top US Commander in Korea Urges Allies to Include China in War Plans
12. Yoon cites preemptive strike as option to deal with N.K. threat
13. Lee Seung-bok’s “I don’t like communism” and North Korean Operatives’ Massacre of Lee’s Family
14. Anti-communist remarks lead to Starbucks Korea boycott
15. North Korean Proliferation Financing and Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions
16. Moon expresses concern over N. Korea's repeated missile launches ahead of election
17. <Inside N. Korea> Special security for Jong-un's birthday for the first time: A reflection of social unrest. No celebratory events. Residents: "How did the special rations go?"
18. How Uygur and North Korea human rights activists can join forces to keep slave-made goods out of your closet





1. N Korea fires possible missile into sea amid stalled talks
Dibking down in the face of the UN Security Council meeting.
N Korea fires possible missile into sea amid stalled talks | AP News
AP · by KIM TONG-HYUNG · January 10, 2022
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Tuesday fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile into its eastern sea, its second launch in a week, following leader Kim Jong Un’s calls to expand its nuclear weapons program in defiance of international opposition.
The launches follow a series of weapons tests in 2021 that underscored how North Korea is continuing to expand its military capabilities during a self-imposed pandemic lockdown and deadlocked nuclear talks with the United States.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired what likely was a ballistic missile from the area of its northern Jagang province. It said the weapon flew 700 kilometers (434 miles) at a maximum speed of around Mach 10 before landing in waters off its eastern coast, demonstrating a more advanced capability than North Korea’s launch last week.
The North’s state media described the earlier launch as a successful test of a hypersonic missile, a type of weaponry it claimed to have first tested in September.
South Korean officials didn’t provide a specific assessment of the missile type, but some experts said North Korea may have tested its purported hypersonic missile again in response to the South Korean military playing down its previous test.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said the suspected ballistic missile landed outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said officials were checking the safety of ships and aircraft around Japan, but there were no immediate reports of disruptions or damage.
“It is extremely regrettable that North Korea has continued to fire” missiles so soon after the U.N. Security Council discussed its response to the North’s earlier launch, Kishida said.
The Security Council held closed-door consultations on Monday on last week’s launch, but took no action. Ahead of the talks, the U.S. and five allies issued a statement urging North Korea to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
South Korea’s presidential office said Tuesday’s launch was discussed at an emergency National Security Council meeting, whose members have urged North Korea to return to talks. President Moon Jae-in expressed concern that Pyongyang was dialing up its testing activity ahead of the South’s presidential elections in March.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the launch did not pose an “immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies.”
Still, the launch corresponded with an order issued to ground some flights on the U.S. West Coast.
KCRA, a television station in Sacramento, California, quoted officials at both its local airport and San Francisco International Airport as saying flights stopped for around five minutes at 2:30 p.m. local time, which was just minutes after the launch. They attributed the stop to an order by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Air-traffic controllers in other West Coast areas similarly ordered aircraft down, according to recordings shared online. A San Francisco air traffic controller ordered flights to avoid its airspace and not take off or land around the time without explaining why, according to a recording by the website LiveATC.net.
“Things are changing really quick,” the air traffic controller said in the recording, adding later: “I just heard something about ground-stopping all aircraft, so I don’t know anything, just hold tight there.”
An air-traffic controller at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport similarly told aircraft in the region they received an order for a “ground stop, all aircraft, all airports.” Air traffic controllers at Los Angeles International Airport also acknowledged receiving an order to stop departures at the same time, without explanation, according to another recording.
The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the ground stop.
The launch came six days after North Korea fired a missile into the sea in what it described as a successful test of a hypersonic missile.
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said after that test that North Korea had exaggerated its capabilities and had tested a conventional ballistic missile the South was capable of intercepting. The ministry said it doubts that North Korea has acquired the technologies needed for a hypersonic weapon.
Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at South Korea’s Sejong Institute said the North’s leadership would have been “enraged” by South Korea’s assessment of last week’s launch and may have planned a series of tests in a push to make its threat credible.
Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, could pose a crucial challenge to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability. Such weapons were on a wish-list of sophisticated military assets Kim unveiled last year along with multi-warhead missiles, spy satellites, solid-fueled long-range missiles and submarine-launched nuclear missiles.
Experts say North Korea is likely years away from acquiring a credible hypersonic system.
North Korea’s previous test on Jan. 5 came days after Kim vowed during a key political conference to bolster his military forces, even as the nation grapples with pandemic-related difficulties that have further strained its economy, crippled by U.S.-led sanctions over its nuclear program.
The setbacks have left Kim with little to show for his diplomacy with former U.S. President Donald Trump, which derailed after their second meeting in 2019 when the Americans rejected North Korea’s demand for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.
The Biden administration, whose policies have reflected a broader shift in U.S. focus from counterterrorism and so-called rogue states like North Korea and Iran to confronting a near-peer adversary in China, has said it’s willing to resume talks with North Korea “anywhere and at any time” without preconditions.
But North Korea has so far rejected the idea of open-ended talks, saying the U.S. must first withdraw its “hostile policy,” a term the North mainly uses to describe the sanctions and joint U.S.-South Korea military drills.
“Even with North Korea’s pandemic border lockdowns restricting trade and diplomacy, Pyongyang is determined to run an arms race against Seoul and deny Washington the luxury of focusing on Russia and China,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
___
Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Jon Gambrell in Dubai contributed to this report.
AP · by KIM TONG-HYUNG · January 10, 2022


2. N. Korea's improved ballistic missile traveled at Mach 10: JCS
South Korea goes from being skeptical as to whether the 6 January launch was a hypersonic missile to reporting on the 11 January launch being Mach 10.

(7th LD) N. Korea's improved ballistic missile traveled at Mach 10: JCS | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · January 11, 2022
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in paras 5-8)
By Song Sang-ho
SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's ballistic missile launched Tuesday flew at a top speed of Mach 10, South Korea's military said, taking note of "improvement" compared with what it claimed to be a hypersonic missile test six days ago.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the North fired the missile from its northern province of Jagang into the East Sea, and that it flew more than 700 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 60 km and at a top speed of Mach 10, 10 times the speed of sound.
The launch was detected at 7:27 a.m, the JCS said. It followed the test-firing of the North's self-proclaimed hypersonic missile, which the JCS said traveled less than 700 km at a top speed of Mach 6.
"We assess that it has improved compared with the ballistic missile launched on Jan. 5," the JCS said in a text message, calling the regime's continued launches of ballistic missiles a "clear" violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The resolutions prohibit the North from conducting any launches using ballistic missile technology.
The JCS' statement drew a contrast from its earlier downplaying of the North's hypersonic missile claims as "exaggeration" and its assessment that the North has yet to secure technologies for the high-tech weapon.
Experts, however, pointed out the speed of Mach 10 is not a definitive element for the categorization of hypersonic missiles, as ordinary medium-range ones typically fly at Mach 9 to 10 during boost phases after liftoff.
"For more details, South Korea and the U.S. need a detailed analysis," a JCS official said on condition of anonymity.
The South Korean military also urged the North to immediately halt its missile launches.
"(The launches) pose a significant threat to peace and security not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the world, and are not helpful for the reduction of military tensions," it said.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command characterized the North's latest projectile as a "ballistic missile," which it said highlights the "destabilizing impact" of the North's illicit weapons program.

The South's presidential National Security Council soon convened an emergency meeting and expressed "strong regret."
The latest launch came as the UN Security Council held a closed-door session on Pyongyang's missile launch last week.
Shortly before the session, the U.S. and five other countries issued a joint statement calling on the North to refrain from "destabilizing" actions, abandon its ballistic missile programs and engage in "meaningful" dialogue toward denuclearization.
South Korea, meanwhile, voiced regret over another missile launch by the North and called on it to return to the dialogue table.
The Ministry of Unification reiterated improving inter-Korean relations to an "irrevocable level" is crucial to fundamentally resolving concerns stemming from such missile launches.
"North Korea should choose cooperation for peace over acts that go against efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula, such as the latest missile launches, at this critical moment to stabilize the political situation surrounding the peninsula," a unification ministry official told reporters.
Pyongyang's latest saber-rattling came as the North unveiled its ambitious push to develop an array of new formidable weapons during the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party a year ago.
During the congress, the North catalogued "important strategic tasks," such as developing tactical nuclear weapons, a hypersonic gliding flight warhead, a nuclear-powered submarine and a reconnaissance satellite, according to its state media.
At the close of the ruling party's Central Committee plenary late last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un redoubled calls to bolster defense capabilities "without a moment's delay," pointing to unstable international security conditions.
"(The latest launches) are an expression of the North's resolve to forge ahead with the missile activities in line with an institutionalized defense plan irrespective of the external environment," Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korea studies at Ewha Womans University, said.
The North's missile launch handed yet another dispiriting setback to the South's steadfast drive to resume nuclear diplomacy with the recalcitrant regime.
Nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have been stalled since the no-deal Hanoi summit between the two countries in February 2019.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · January 11, 2022
3.Kim Jong Un-ism: Leader seeks 'new' ideology for North Korea

A key point from Lee Hyun-seung. KimJong-un will not be breaking from the past (e.g., songun (military first politics) never went away despite it not being specifically named in the constitution). If there is a new name for the north Korean ideology it will combine the fundamental ideologies of his father and grandfather.

Excerpts:
"Just like Kim Il Sung had 'juche' and Kim Jong Il had 'songun,' Kim Jong Un too is trying to create his own thought form, by combining these two ideologies and naming it after himself," Lee asserts.
Juche is the idea that North Korea must stay self-sufficient and separate from the rest of the world under godlike, infallible leaders, while songun is an ideology that the military comes first in all things, including allocation of state resources.
Although North Korean state media have not mentioned a term using Kim Jong Un's name, they have shown greater focus on what they call his "unique" ideological direction for the country, particularly since the Eighth Party Congress a year ago. So far, there isn't clarity on what makes his direction distinctive.
​And Soo Kim is spot on here. All the regime has is ideology. All the suffering in north KOre ais a reult of Kim Jong-un's policy decisions. Th eblame lies with him despite his attempts to shift it.

Soo Kim at RAND Corporation agrees. "The regime will continue to squeeze the people -- calling for greater sacrifices, reinforcing ideology," she said. "In effect, it shifts blame away from Kim's incompetence and self-centered rule and places the burden of responsibility on the people or some outside factor."
Kim Jong Un-ism: Leader seeks 'new' ideology for North Korea
The third Kim is trying to build an image distinct from his father and grandfather
GABRIELA BERNAL, Contributing writer
JANUARY 11, 2022 06:00 JST

SEOUL -- For most of the decadelong reign of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, large portraits of his father and grandfather provided the backdrop to Workers' Party meetings in Pyongyang.
But in 2021, the late Kim Jong Il and North Korea founder Kim Il Sung were conspicuously missing from photographs of meetings provided by state media. It might be that Kim Jong Un, who was less than 30 years old when he took command following his father's death, felt somewhat overshadowed by his long-deified predecessors.
Over 10 years, the third Kim has defied skeptics and kept a grip on power in the one-party state. This is despite the Hermit Kingdom being more isolated than ever and its economy in shambles with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the closure of its border with China, its main trading partner.
The need to do something about the economy was recognized in Kim's New Year's message, in which he declared that the country faces a "great life-and-death struggle" to overcome economic woes. But at the same time, he made clear that the North's military capabilities must be bolstered, and on Jan. 5 -- only days later -- Pyongyang tested what it claimed was a hypersonic missile.
Some North Korea watchers believe that another item on Kim's 2022 agenda is doubling down on his image domestically, introducing a variation of the North's ideology as a weapon to tighten his control.
Portraits of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung and the late Kim Jong ll are seen in a Workers' Party of Korea meeting in Pyongyang in 2018, left. The portraits were missing at a meeting in September. (Source photos by KCNA/Reuters) 
It's not known what the content or thrust of such an ideology would be -- there have been no official statements -- but there are hints and suggestions North Korea will unveil a campaign and effort that carries the supreme leader's name and imprint.
It might be called "Kim Jong Un-ism." Such a term has emerged in the North, the South Korean National Intelligence Service reported in late October.
Mark Barry, an expert on North Korea and associate editor for the International Journal on World Peace, said Kim Jong Un-ism could be a kind of "marketing" strategy to put the spotlight more on him, and less on the country's founder and second leader.
Soo Kim, a policy analyst at RAND Corporation, a think tank in the U.S., says such branding would be "an indication that Kim Jong Un is steadily solidifying his leadership and authority."

Lee Hyeun-seung, son of high-level defector Ri Jong Ho, who worked for North Korea's secretive foreign-currency earning agency Office 39, also anticipates that an ideological tool carrying Kim's name could be unveiled.
"Just like Kim Il Sung had 'juche' and Kim Jong Il had 'songun,' Kim Jong Un too is trying to create his own thought form, by combining these two ideologies and naming it after himself," Lee asserts.
Juche is the idea that North Korea must stay self-sufficient and separate from the rest of the world under godlike, infallible leaders, while songun is an ideology that the military comes first in all things, including allocation of state resources.
Although North Korean state media have not mentioned a term using Kim Jong Un's name, they have shown greater focus on what they call his "unique" ideological direction for the country, particularly since the Eighth Party Congress a year ago. So far, there isn't clarity on what makes his direction distinctive.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un chairs a session of the 4th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in this photo released on Dec. 29, 2021 © KCNA/Reuters
Lee Kwang-baek, president of Daily NK, a media organization with sources inside North Korea, says he has yet to hear of use of "Kim Jong Un-ism" in the North. But he notes that the term "Kim Jong Un Revolutionary Thought" is getting some use there. And, the Daily NK president says, that phrase is linked to what North Korea calls the "people-first" principle -- which he says replaced Kim Il Sung's songun ideology at the last party congress "as a guiding principle for the country's socialist system."
"If we look at educational materials and other sources referring to Kim Jong Un Revolutionary Thought, it is clear that the main focus is on the 'people-first' principle," Lee Kwang-baek says.
The so-called people-first principle has regularly been written about in the strictly controlled North Korean media in recent years. The term was described in detail in a June 2, 2020, Rodong Sinmun article titled "Politics of Our Party Is Based on the People-first Principle."
According to that article in the official newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea's Central Committee, people-first is a "political ideal of regarding the masses of the people as masters of the revolution and construction, relying on them and making selfless, devoted efforts for their interests." The ideology was also described in the article as "thoroughly embodying the outlook" of both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il's views of the people.

Use of Kim Jong Un-ism, Kim Jong Un Revolutionary Thought and the people-first principle all appear to point to an ideology the current leader is trying to mold in his image. But experts say there are more similarities than differences between the approaches and ideologies of the three Kims.
Lee Hyeun-seung, who was also a former North Korean businessman and chair of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League branch in Dalian, China, argues that Kim Jong Un has extremely limited scope for innovation involving state ideology. Any new or modified one must still conform with principles associated with the two former North Korean leaders, he contends.
And even if Kim Jong Un unveils an ideology distinguishable from those pushed by his grandfather and father, Lee Hyeun-seung is doubtful it will attract wide support from North Koreans. He says the leader, unlike his predecessors, is not surrounded by talented advisers who can help him make good policy decisions. He describes Kim Jong Un as an "amateur" when it comes to politics.
People work with cattle in a North Korean field in December 2021. © Kyodo
"He lost the trust of the North Korean elite through his rule of terror and by executing his uncle Jang Song Thaek" in 2013, in Lee Hyeun-seung's view. "Although it may seem that the elite is loyal to him, they are only acting as loyal due to his brutal purges and executions."
In a speech to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Workers' Party founding on Oct. 10, Kim referred to ideology as "the most powerful and unique weapon for our revolution," while stressing that ideological work "requires maximum attention and efforts all the time and there can never be any limit in enhancing its efficiency."
Lee Sang-sin, research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), says that North Korea has suffered great economic difficulties over the past two years due to economic sanctions, the border blockade with China caused by COVID-19, and natural disasters.
"In 2022, the economic slowdown and solving food problems will be the biggest problems [North Korea has to face]. To this end, they will likely continue to try to negotiate with the United States and increase trade with China."
North Korea test-fired what it claimed was a hypersonic missile on Wednesday. © KCNA/Kyodo
While Kim highlighted the country's grim economic situation in his New Year's message, he hasn't indicated what he might do to deal with it.
Lee Kwang-baek expects that while Pyongyang will try to resume trade with China, the North's idea of focusing on economic recovery will involve more pain for the population. The government will "continue to emphasize the policy of self-reliance while also conducting forced labor mobilizations of citizens," he says.
Soo Kim at RAND Corporation agrees. "The regime will continue to squeeze the people -- calling for greater sacrifices, reinforcing ideology," she said. "In effect, it shifts blame away from Kim's incompetence and self-centered rule and places the burden of responsibility on the people or some outside factor."
Jung Kim, assistant professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, says that as Kim Jung Un "has not turned out to be the Deng Xiaoping of North Korea, it is unlikely for him to make any significant change in domestic and foreign policies in the foreseeable future."


4. N. Korean General Staff Department colonel allegedly stole 200 tons of oil over several years

Those damn colonels.

Corruption is endemic in the nKPA.

Excerpts:
Choi will likely be unable to escape severe punishment for his misdeeds, the source said, adding that people are watching to see if investigations on corruption will accelerate.
According to him, every time the General Staff Department’s tankers move from military oil storage facilities in Chonju County and Sonchon County, North Pyongan Province, crowds of merchants always gather, in a clear show of how the military’s oil ends up in markets.
However, the source pointed out that officers doing the heavy lifting are colluding with commanders in the highest ranks, so they are rarely caught and hard to punish.
N. Korean General Staff Department colonel allegedly stole 200 tons of oil over several years
The alleged culprit sold his ill-begotten oil at lower-than-market prices when needed
By Kim Chae Hwan - 2022.01.11 3:21pm
Signs continue to emerge of corruption on the part of commanders in North Korea’s General Staff Department, which has overall command of the country’s armed forces. This corruption has occurred despite North Korea testing hypersonic weapons from the start of the year and the nation showing every indication that it intends to bolster national defense in 2022.
A source in North Pyongan Province told Daily NK on Monday that a colonel in the General Staff Department’s Oil Transport Bureau — identified by his family name of Choe — was arrested by an inspection team from the department’s Operations Bureau earlier this month on charges of pilfering 200 tons of oil intended for training. He said the authorities are taking a grim view of the case given that he allegedly pilfered so much oil, a strategic military resource.
Oil is a must-have resource for North Korea’s defense sector. Oil guarantees that the country’s tools of warfare quickly move into action.
That is to say, North Korea’s tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and warships are completely useless without oil.
A gas station on the outskirts of Pyongyang. / Image: Daily NK
Without oil, unit operations would come to a halt, too. This is because supplies must be shipped to each unit; without oil, however, this becomes difficult.
Each mechanized unit in North Korea is supplied by a team of three 20-ton tanker trucks, commanded by an officer ranked colonel or above.
These teams often carry out their duties over many years, an indication of the importance in which they are held. However, this also makes corruption hard to spot.
According to the source, the investigation revealed that Choe siphoned off 200 total tons of oil by stealing it little by little as he carried out his duties over the years. 
Choe displayed a bit of sophistication as well, selling his ill-begotten oil at lower-than-market prices. For example, if gasoline and diesel normally sold for RMB 10 and RMB 7 a kilogram, respectively, Choe sold it for RMB 5 and RMB 4.
Choi will likely be unable to escape severe punishment for his misdeeds, the source said, adding that people are watching to see if investigations on corruption will accelerate.
According to him, every time the General Staff Department’s tankers move from military oil storage facilities in Chonju County and Sonchon County, North Pyongan Province, crowds of merchants always gather, in a clear show of how the military’s oil ends up in markets.
However, the source pointed out that officers doing the heavy lifting are colluding with commanders in the highest ranks, so they are rarely caught and hard to punish.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.




5. N. Korea tests second ‘advanced’ missile in less than a week: Seoul

So did South Korea downplaying last week's launch drive Kim to conduct today's launch? WillKim continue to launch until he gets some respect for his launches?  

As an aside we should keep in mind that the more he launches his missiles the more opportunity we have to gather intelligence.

N. Korea tests second ‘advanced’ missile in less than a week: Seoul
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · January 11, 2022
S.Korea's devaluation of last week‘s launch could provoke consecutive test-firings
Published : Jan 11, 2022 - 10:35 Updated : Jan 11, 2022 - 18:31
South Korean citizens watch a TV news report on North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile at Seoul Station in central Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
North Korea on Tuesday test-fired an apparent ballistic missile from an inland area toward its east coast in its second weapons test in less than a week, while the South Korean military said the missile has “advanced” capabilities compared to the previous one.

The United States Forces Korea said it was “aware of the DPRK’s most recent ballistic missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners” in a statement. DPRK refers to North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People‘s Republic of Korea.

The USFK’s assessment is that the missile launch “does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to the Republic of Korea,” adding that the US commitment to the defense of South Korea “remains ironclad.”

But South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military “detected one projectile, which is presumed to be a ballistic missile, being fired from the Jagang Province area into the East Sea at around 07:27 a.m.”

Seoul’s initial evaluation shows that the projectile traveled at a top speed of around Mach 10 and at a maximum altitude of 60 kilometers.

The Rodong-type missiles fly at speeds of around Mach 9 or 10 and the Musudan-type missiles fly at the speed of Mach 14 or more in a boosting phase, but the missiles are not classified as a hypersonic missile.

Also, South Korea’s JCS said Tuesday‘s missile flew more than 700 kilometers.

But there is a discrepancy in flight distance detected by the South Korean and Japanese authorities. Japan’s Defense Ministry said the projectile was possibly a ballistic missile, which would have flown less than 700 km if following the normal trajectory of a ballistic missile.

South Korea’s JCS declined to share further details and it said the South Korean and US intelligence authorities were analyzing further details, specifications, and characteristics of the missile test launch.

But the JCS assessed that the projectile was “an advanced one compared to the ballistic missile launched on Jan. 5.”

A military source on Tuesday additionally explained that Seoul made the evaluation based on detected specifications, including speed and flight distance, refusing to confirm the type of the ballistic missile.

The JCS reiterated that the South Korean military “has capabilities to detect and intercept the projectile and continues to strengthen the response system,” criticizing the successive missile launches.

“North Korea’s recent series of ballistic missile launches clearly violates the ‘UN Security Council resolutions,’” the JCS said.

"We urge to immediately stop a launch given that it poses a significant threat to international peace and safety and it does not helpful in easing military tensions amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to establish peace on the Korean peninsula.”

The USFK denounced that the missile launch, saying it “highlights the destabilizing impact of the DPRK’s illicit weapons program.”

The presidential National Security Council immediately held a 50-minute emergency meeting Tuesday morning and expressed “strong regret” over the test, which came at a time when regional stability is extremely critical.

Legitimizing missile tests
Tuesday’s launch came less than a week after North Korea on Jan. 5 test-fired what it claimed was a “hypersonic missile.”

Experts noted the test would simultaneously aim to fulfill domestic purposes and send messages mainly to South Korea and the US with the goal of raising the stakes for dialogue and increasing pressure on them.

Kim In-tae, a senior research fellow at the government-run Institute for National Security Strategy, said the test was in line with Pyongyang’s continued demands to withdraw the US’ “hostile policy” toward the county and “unequal double standards” against its military buildup, including its missile tests.

“Through the consecutive weapon tests, North Korea sends the message of urging South Korea and the US to withdraw the hostile policy and double standards and to change their attitude toward the country,” Kim told The Korea Herald. “Pyongyang puts pressure on Seoul and Washington.”

Notably, Tuesday’s missile test, which appears to be Pyongyang’s continuing attempt to legitimize its missile tests, came during the UN Security Council‘s closed-door meeting on North Korea’s missile test last week.

Necessity to show ‘tangible’ achievements
“In respect to the domestic goal, North Korea shows intent to push ahead with the ruling party’s plan to bolster national defense capabilities as planned,” Kim In-tae said.

“Pyongyang needs to show tangible achievements in developing national defense capabilities in view of implementing the (five-year) plan at the Eight Party Congress and the party’s decision at the fourth plenum.”

At the recent fourth plenum, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un urged the country to further bolster its national defense capabilities “without a moment’s delay,” citing the volatile security environment on the Korean Peninsula and unstable international situation as the main reasons.

Experts also underscored that the Kim Jong-un regime needs to show substantial achievement in developing defense capabilities, noting the importance of this year filled with political anniversaries.

“North Korea needs to expeditiously show tangible outcomes in the defense field early this year to create a festive mood,” said Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute. Cheong noted that Pyongyang propagates this year as the “year of revolutionary, auspicious occasions.”

He pointed to “crucial political events and anniversaries,” including the 80th anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s birth in February and the 110th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung in April. Also, the 10th anniversary of Kim Jong-un’s elevation to the top post of the party and now-defunct National Defense Commission which was the country’s highest governing agency.

Pyongyang also appears to strive to boost the morale of the North Korean people while the political burden and economic cost of two-year lockdown measures have grown.

“North Korea appears to pursue the expeditious advancement of missile capabilities with the intent to combat the fatigue of the people caused by the prolonged COVID-19 preventive measures and more actively mobilize the people to achieve the goal of the five-year plan,” Cheong said.

Unusually short interval
The track record shows that North Korea has conducted a series of weapons tests during winter military training that kicks off in December.

But Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, pointed out that such a short interval between the test-firings was still “unusual” if North Korea consecutively fired a “hypersonic missile” in less than a week.

Kim and Cheong commonly said the South Korean military’s response to last week’s missile test may have provoked another round of missile tests and backlash from Pyongyang.

South Korea last week played down North Korea’s missile test by clarifying that the launched projectile was a maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV) and dismissing the possibility of Pyongyang test-firing a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV).

"It is too early to tell. But if North Korea had conducted another round of test-firing a hypersonic missile (today), the country might refute the South Korean military’s belittlement and devaluation of the (previous week‘s) missile test and make aggressive and harsh remarks against Seoul through tomorrow’s state media report,” Kim Dong-yub told The Korea Herald.

Notably, the missile test came days after North Korea last week officially notified China that the country would not attend the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics in a letter, citing “hostile forces’ maneuvers” and the COVID-19 pandemic as hindrances.

Some analysts view that the US diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics and the participation of the US allies and partners could create an environment conducive for North Korea to conduct weapons tests drawing Beijing‘s acquiescence.

“China would have made North Korea refrain from (conducting weapons tests) if they were in a situation where they had to host the peaceful and successful Beijing Olympics,” Kim said.

“The Beijing Olympics could have served as a safety pin, but it no longer plays the role of the safety pin and has lost that meaning.”

By Ji Da-gyum (dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)


6. Flights briefly grounded at West Coast airports over suspected North Korean missile test
Is this a bit of an overreaction? But it will surely make Kim ong-un happy. He created a direct effect on the US If only for 7 minutes). But I have seen no other reporting on this.



Flights briefly grounded at West Coast airports over suspected North Korean missile test
Newsweek · by Jake Thomas · January 10, 2022
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a full ground stop at all West Coast airports on Monday, as North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.
The stop lasted for about seven minutes, according to San Diego media, citing radio traffic and officials at the San Diego International Airport.
Update (1/5, 11:15 p.m.): This story has been updated with comment from the San Diego International Airport.
Sabrina LoPiccolo, spokeswoman for the airport, told Newsweek that the airport was instructed by air traffic of a national ground stop about 2:30 p.m. Pacific time. No reason was given for the stop, which lasted about five to seven minutes, she said.
"We really don't have any more details," she said.
The FAA has not released further details on the ground stop and did not respond to a request for comment from Newsweek Monday evening.
An FAA ground stop is an order that directs flights scheduled to land at the affected airports to stay at their departure point. Ground stops can be specific to an airport or region and can be related to weather, equipment outages or extreme events. Notably, the FAA issued an order following the 9/11 attacks.
A recording of radio traffic at the Hillsboro Airport, outside of Portland, Oregon, from Monday captures ground control advising pilots of a national ground stop and turning them away.

Flights on the West Coast were briefly grounded on Monday. Getty Images
The South Korean and Japanese militaries said North Korea launched the missile early Tuesday morning, making it the second launch by the reclusive country in less than a week.
It's not clear how far the missile flew and details on the launch haven't been released. South Korean and U.S. militaries said they are reviewing the incident. The Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense were monitoring reports of the launch but there was no threat for Guam, a U.S. territory that serves an important military hub in the Pacific.
North Korea said it successfully launched a hypersonic missile last week.
Hypersonic weapons fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. Their speed makes them difficult for missile defense systems to detect and stop.
But South Korea said the projectile was a ballistic missile and has cast doubts on North Korea having acquired the technology for hypersonic weapons.
The earlier Jan. 5 tests came after Kim Jong-un, North Korea's leader, said during a key political gathering that he would boost the country's military power. Kim had previously engaged in a diplomatic effort with former U.S. President Donald Trump to ease sanctions on the country in exchange for giving up some of its nuclear capabilities.
The Biden administration has said it's willing to resume talks with North Korea without preconditions. But so far, North Korea has rejected the offers, saying the U.S. needs to withdraw sanctions and joint U.S.-South Korea military drills
This is a breaking story that Newsweek is following.
Newsweek · by Jake Thomas · January 10, 2022


7. North Korea’s provocations have little effect on presidential race: experts

No northern wind this election?

North Korea’s provocations have little effect on presidential race: experts
koreaherald.com · by Shin Ji-hye · January 11, 2022
Key candidates are not vocal about the repeated missile tests
Published : Jan 11, 2022 - 17:58 Updated : Jan 11, 2022 - 18:16
Commuters watch news about North Korea’s launch of a projectile presumed to be a ballistic missile at Seoul Station on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
North Korea’s recent missile launch, which would previously have been a variable in a South Korean presidential election, will have little effect on the upcoming election, as provocations become routine and receive less attention from the public and candidates, experts say.

“North Korea’s missile launch is unlikely to have a direct impact on the presidential election,” said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification’s North Korea research division. “I think the indirect impact is also very minimal.”

He said when looking at public opinion and media trends, North Korea-related issues are not having much of an impact on the presidential election recently.

In September last year, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea. But little public opinion or media linked North Korea to the presidential election. Major candidates from neither the ruling nor main opposition party released a statement over the provocation.

The North again fired two missiles this month, but the situation did not change much. Until Tuesday morning, key candidates Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Suk-yeol remained silent over the issue. Only when asked by a foreign reporter in the afternoon did Yoon say that if there are signs that a nuclear-loaded missile is fired, there is no other recourse but to take a preemptive strike.

Over the course of the election campaign, the North issue itself has been put on the back burner due to more pressing issues like the coronavirus, economy and real estate.

This is in contrast to a decade ago, when the North Korean issue had been a significant variable in presidential elections.

In December 2012, when the North launched a long-range rocket ahead of the presidential election, both the ruling and opposition candidates were vocal, saying it escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Park Geun-hye, then the candidate for the ruling conservative party, gathered hawks stressing her “thorough security view,” while Moon Jae-in, then candidate for the liberal-leaning main opposition, sought to exude a strong image through his former military career in South Korea’s special forces.

From the perspective of whether the North has any intention to affect the election now, “I don’t think it’s big,” Hong said. “In terms of the benefits that North Korea can take (in the presidential election) by launching missiles, it is not large. So the connection with the presidential election is not that high.”

Pyongyang had no political remarks or external messages when firing the two missiles.

Regarding the suspected ballistic missile launched by North Korea, President Moon Jae-in said, “I am concerned about North Korea’s consecutive missile test launches ahead of the presidential election.”

Moon told each ministry to take necessary measures so that inter-Korean relations are no longer tense and so that people are not anxious.

The North’s priority for the missile test is to boost its defense capabilities as planned, regardless of the external environment, but it is not that the regime does not consider South Korea’s presidential election, said Park Won-gon, a professor in the department of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.

“North Korea is refraining from taking actions that could escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula as much as possible,” he said. “This is because if tensions are created to the extent of mentioning the war crisis on the Korean Peninsula, it will be disadvantageous to the ruling party,” which has a less harsh stance on the North compared to the main opposition People Power Party.

“If that happens, the public may blame the Moon Jae-in government’s past five years of efforts toward the North and the criticism could negatively affect ruling presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung,” he said. “That is not what the North wants.”

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)


8. North launches missile as world reacts to last week's

Tuesday
January 11, 2022

North launches missile as world reacts to last week's

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, center, issues a statement with ambassadors of five other countries condemning North Korea’s missile launch in New York Monday. [UNITED NATIONS WEB TV]
North Korea launched another missile, possibly ballistic, into the East Sea Tuesday morning, the second launch in less than a week.
 
The South Korean military detected the launch of a projectile from inland North Korea at 7:27 a.m. toward the sea off its east coast, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
 
Later that day, the South Korean JCS said that that the missile flew over 700 kilometers from Jagang Province, near the border with China, at a top altitude of 60 kilometers and a maximum speed of Mach 10, which is 10 times the speed of sound or around 7,672 miles per hour. 
 
Six days earlier, the North launched a ballistic missile from Jagang towards its east coast, which Pyongyang claimed was hypersonic. It was its first weapons test this year. 
 
The JCS said Tuesday's test was "more advanced than the ballistic missile that North Korea launched on Jan. 5."  
 
Hypersonic missiles reach speeds greater than Mach 5, which is five times the speed of sound. These types of missiles were developed to avoid interception, and only a few countries have them, such as the United States, Russia and China.
 
North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches "clearly violated" United Nations Security Council resolutions, the JCS said. 
 
UN Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from developing and testing ballistic missiles.
 
The South Korean military "strongly urged" North Korea to "immediately halt" such launches as they "pose a serious threat not only to the Korean Peninsula but to international peace and security and are not conducive to easing military tensions amid diplomatic efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula." 
 
South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were in the process of conducting a detailed analysis of the projectile, according to the JCS. 
 
The JCS added, "Our military is maintaining a full readiness posture while closely monitoring related trends in preparation for additional launches under close South Korea-U.S. cooperation." 
 
It said that the South Korean military "has the ability to detect and intercept this projectile, and we are continuously strengthening our response system." 
 
North Korea's launch came as the New York-based UN Security Council convened a closed-door session Monday to discuss Pyongyang's hypersonic missile launch last Wednesday.
 
The United States and five other countries issued a joint statement ahead of the meeting condemning last week's missile launch and calling on the 15-member Security Council to stand united against North Korea's "ongoing, destabilizing and unlawful actions." 
 
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, "The DPRK's continued pursuit of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs is a threat to international peace and security," referring to the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 
 
The North's missile launches show its "determination to expand its unlawful weapons capabilities" and such "actions increase the risk of miscalculation and escalation and pose a significant threat to regional stability," she added. Thomas-Greenfield noted statements by the North that it is pursuing new technologies, such as hypersonic gliding warheads.
 
She was joined in the statement by the ambassadors of Albania, Britain, France, Ireland and Japan to the United Nations. Of these countries, Japan is the only one that is not a member of the Security Council. 
 
Thomas-Greenfield called on the North "to refrain from further destabilizing actions, abandon its prohibited WMD and ballistic missile programs, and engage in meaningful dialogue towards our shared goal of complete denuclearization," which she said "is the only way for us to achieve lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula." 
 
She underscored, "Our goal remains the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization [CVID] of the Korean Peninsula." 
 
Thomas-Greenfield added that they are "prepared to engage in and support serious and sustained diplomacy to that end," adding that North Korea "now must choose dialogue and peace over its unlawful and threatening weapons program."
 
South Korea, which is also not part of the Security Council, did not participate in the statement, taking into consideration various factors such as the "need to maintain momentum for resumption of dialogue and the stable management of the situation on the Korean Peninsula," according to Seoul's Foreign Ministry spokesman Choi Young-sam Tuesday. 
 
South Korea convened a National Security Council (NSC) standing committee meeting Tuesday morning and in a statement expressed "strong regret" for the North's latest missile launches, which came "at a time when political stability is very important."
 
The remarks went beyond the NSC's statement about the Jan. 5 missile launch, where it only expressed "concern."
 
The NSC standing committee members discussed countermeasures and also urged North Korea to "respond promptly to calls for the resumption of dialogue and cooperation in response to the expectations of the international community."
 
After hearing the results of the NSC meeting Tuesday, President Moon Jae-in expressed "concern" about "North Korea's consecutive missile launches ahead of the presidential election" in March, according to Blue House spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. 
 
He ordered ministries to "take necessary measures so that inter-Korean relations do not become tense and the people do not become uneasy." 
 
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that the North's latest ballistic missile launch "highlights the destabilizing impact of the DPRK's illicit weapons program," adding its "commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remains ironclad."
 
Some experts say North Korea's weapons test could be a refutation of the South Korean Ministry of National Defense's assessment that the Jan. 5 launch was a ballistic missile and not an advanced hypersonic glide weapon. 
 
Last Friday, the South Korean Defense Ministry said the missile launched on Jan. 5 from northern Jagang Province into the East Sea traveled less than 700 kilometers at a top altitude of 50 kilometers, with a maximum speed of Mach 6. 
 
The ministry's assessment differed from the North Korean state media's report last Thursday that its "high-tech" hypersonic missile precisely hit a set target 700 kilometers and had a top altitude of 120 kilometers. 
 
Seoul's Defense Ministry called the North's claim about the missile's capabilities, including its operational range and lateral movement, "exaggerated," adding that according to its assessment, Pyongyang has yet to prove the technologies needed for a hypersonic flight vehicle. 
 
Jagang is also where North Korea launched its Hwasong-8 hypersonic missile last Sept. 27.
 
North Korea has refrained from launching long-range missiles and nuclear tests since late 2017. 
 

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]

9. Analysis: N.Korea looks to risky pre-fuelled missiles to reduce launch time


Analysis: N.Korea looks to risky pre-fuelled missiles to reduce launch time
Reuters · by Josh Smith
A view of what state news agency KCNA reports is the test firing of a hypersonic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea, January 5, 2022, in this photo released January 6, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS
SEOUL, Jan 11 (Reuters) - North Korea's recent claims of testing hypersonic weapons overshadowed its pursuit of a potentially risky rocket fuel system that analysts say could allow the nuclear-armed state to deploy and launch its missiles faster during a war.
Most of the country's largest ballistic missiles use liquid fuel, which typically requires them to be loaded with propellant at their launch site before they can be fired - a time-consuming step that makes them easier to spot and destroy.
Pyongyang has also pursued solid-fuel technology, but so far most of those engines have been used on smaller, short-range missiles.

Recent tests suggest North Korean military scientists are pursuing a third option: a "missile fuel ampoule" system to seal the liquid propellant and oxidizer tanks within the missile's airframe, allowing them to be fuelled at the factory and ready to use.
"This would obviate the need for in-field fuelling, which could increase the responsiveness of North Korean liquid propellant missiles," said Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "They are still quite a ways off from switching to an all-solid force so this could be a useful interim pursuit."
North Korea said it first used such ampoules in September, when it claimed to have tested its first hypersonic missile, capable of carrying a warhead that can glide at more than five times the speed of sound.
At the time, state media quoted a top official discussing the significance of "turning all missile fuel systems into ampoules."
That suggests North Korea "intends to continue to retain and improve its liquid-propellant ballistic missile force for the long term rather than shift to an all-solid force," said 38 North, a Washington-based organisation that monitors North Korea.
The same type of rocket booster with an ampoule system may have been used last week in a second hypersonic test. North Korea launched another missile on Tuesday, but technical details on the type of rocket involved were not immediately available. read more
'DRIVING AROUND WITH A BOMB'
The volatility of the fuel-storage system the North Koreans are pursuing casts doubt on its military usefulness, said Markus Schiller, a missile expert based in Europe.
Those rocket engines use nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) as an oxidizer and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) as fuel. Both are highly toxic as well as "hypergolic," which means they react violently when in contact with each other.
That explosion is channelled through a nozzle to power the rocket. But the chemicals can be highly vulnerable to shocks and temperature.
"You are driving around with a bomb," Schiller said. "The moment the missile tanks rupture because you hit a pothole, or because someone shoots at the missile, all will be gone in a thick red cloud."
NTO, meanwhile, freezes at -11°C (12.2°F) and starts boiling at +21°C.
"If you are sitting in the woods on a Korean winter night... waiting for launch command, the NTO will freeze in your pipes, and start freezing in your tanks. Your missile will blow up at launch," Schiller said. "Also, you don't want to risk launching a missile on hot summer days, with the oxidizer boiling in the tank."
North Korea said the Wednesday test verified the "reliability of fuel ampoule system under the winter weather conditions", suggesting it is seeking to ensure the stability of such systems.
Unlike most other countries that have used such a system, North Korea does not appear to be using canisters to protect and insulate the missiles.
"This seems to confirm that 'ampoulization' is not canisterization but akin to the Soviet/Russian practice of preloading submarine-launched ballistic missiles with propellants at the factory and maintaining the fuelled missile as a sealed unit for loading into the launcher," 38 North concluded in a report on Friday.
The report said that developing more stable propellants would allow missiles to remain fuelled on a day-to-day basis.

Reporting by Josh Smith. Editing by Gerry Doyle
Reuters · by Josh Smith

10. Joint Statement on the January 5 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Ballistic Missile Launch

Conclusion:

Our goal remains the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We are prepared to engage in and support serious and sustained diplomacy to that end. It is the DPRK that now must choose dialogue and peace over its unlawful and threatening weapons program.
Joint Statement on the January 5 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Ballistic Missile Launch
usun.usmission.gov · by United States Mission to the United Nations · January 10, 2022
United States Mission to the United Nations
Office of Press and Public Diplomacy
For Immediate Release
January 10, 2022
Joint Statement on the January 5 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Ballistic Missile Launch
The following is a joint statement delivered by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Representative of the United States to the United Nations, on behalf of Albania, France, Ireland, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
We stand today unified in our condemnation of the DPRK’s most recent missile launch, which the Security Council will discuss shortly. The DPRK’s January 5th ballistic missile launch is a clear violation of multiple Security Council resolutions.
The DPRK’s continued pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs is a threat to international peace and security.
This launch is the latest in a series of ballistic missile launches and shows the DPRK’s determination to expand its unlawful weapons capabilities. These actions increase the risk of miscalculation and escalation and pose a significant threat to regional stability. This commitment is also evident in the DPRK’s displays of its various missile systems over the past year and its statements that it is pursuing new technologies, such as hypersonic gliding warheads.
The DPRK’s record of weapons proliferation is clear. Each missile launch serves not only to advance the DPRK’s own capabilities, but to expand the suite of weapons available for export to its illicit arms clients and dealers around the world.
The DPRK makes these military investments at the expense of the well-being of the North Korean people. The people of North Korea continue to suffer under a strict authoritarian regime and through an increasingly serious humanitarian crisis.
We call on the DPRK to refrain from further destabilizing actions, abandon its prohibited WMD and ballistic missile programs, and engage in meaningful dialogue towards our shared goal of complete denuclearization, consistent with the Security Council resolutions. This is the only way for us to achieve lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
As we move to consultations shortly, we encourage the Security Council to stand united in opposing the DPRK’s ongoing, destabilizing, and unlawful actions. We also call on all Member States to fulfill their sanctions obligations under the Security Council resolutions.
Our goal remains the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We are prepared to engage in and support serious and sustained diplomacy to that end. It is the DPRK that now must choose dialogue and peace over its unlawful and threatening weapons program.
###
By | 10 January, 2022 | Topics: HighlightsRemarks and Highlights
usun.usmission.gov · by United States Mission to the United Nations · January 10, 2022

11. Former Top US Commander in Korea Urges Allies to Include China in War Plans

Comments from a number of us on this important issue.
Former Top US Commander in Korea Urges Allies to Include China in War Plans
January 11, 2022 6:40 AM
When developing a new war plan, the United States and South Korea should consider ways to counter China’s increasingly aggressive stance in Northeast Asia, a former commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said.
General Robert Abrams, the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) from 2018 to 2021, said in addition to threats from North Korea, Washington and Seoul should develop new operational war plans (OPLANs) that account for military aggression by Beijing, whose presence has “significantly increased” in the region since 2010.
Abrams made his remarks in a televised YouTube interview with VOA’s Korean Service that aired on December 25. He was discussing new strategic planning guidance (SPG) that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Minister of Defense Suh Wook had approved for an update at their annual Security Consultative Meeting on December 2.

Countering China
Austin and Suh agreed to expand the allies’ military role in the region beyond North Korea to include “security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and the world where mutual interests align” as encapsulated in a joint communique.
It is the first time Washington and Seoul have updated their war plan since 2010.
In the VOA Korean Service interview, Abrams said there has been “a 300% increase in the violation of the Korean air defense identification zone (KADIZ)” by Chinese military planes in the three years ending in 2021.
VOA’s Korean Service contacted the Chinese Embassy Washington, D.C., for comment but did not receive a response.
The KADIZ is a buffer between international air space and South Korean air space where incoming flights are required to identify themselves.
In December 2020 and November 2021, Chinese and Russian aircraft intruded on the KADIZ, prompting the South Korean military to respond with fighter jets on both occasions.
Backlash in Seoul
Abrams’ comments stirred controversy in Seoul, and the Ministry of National Defense criticized his remarks as “personal opinion” on December 27.
A source at the South Korean Ministry of National Defense who spoke to VOA’s Korean Service on Monday and asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue said Abrams’ remarks on Chinese threats related to SPG were “very surprising.”
The source said the purpose of the newly approved SPG is “to update war plans against North Korean threats.”
Pentagon spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Martin Meiners told VOA on Monday the Defense Department “regularly conducts combined planning with” South Korea “on a range of security issues” that cannot be discussed in detail due “sensitive security matters.”
Military experts said Abrams’ remarks reflect the region’s changed security environment that emerged due to China’s increased military aggression, a change that must be incorporated in the new OPLANs.
Retired U.S. Army General James Thurman, the commander of USFK from 2011 to 2013, said, “At some point, we must understand the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] intentions when you are conducting military planning, and you must plan for all conditions.”
Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation, said the new OPLAN at “the very least” must include the possibility of a Chinese military intervention on the Korean Peninsula if the North Korean regime collapses or a war breaks out between the two Koreas.
David Maxwell, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, also said a war plan should include measures against Chinese aggression if crises break out on the peninsula.
Maxwell said, “The best way to deter conflict is to prepare for it and ensure China knows our alliance have the strategic resolve to protect all alliance partners.”
Impact on denuclearization effort
Some experts, however, questioned the idea of stating China’s threat in OPLANs.
Ken Gause, director of the Adversary Analytics Program at CNA, said Seoul will be reluctant to publicly acknowledge that Beijing's threats should be incorporated in OPLANs as doing so would make it difficult for South Korea "to use China's influence to engage North Korea."
Seoul has been trying to forge inter-Korean activities, including peace efforts, even as North Korea continues to test its missiles.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea launched what appeared to be a ballistic missile, off its east coast, on Tuesday. It is Pyongyang’s second missile test of 2022.
Joseph DeTrani, who served as the special envoy for the six-party nuclear talks with North Korea, said the allies should discuss “all relevant military issues” and “whatever the decision, it should not have a negative impact on nuclear talks with Pyongyang.”
Harry Kazianis, senior director of Korean Studies at the Center for National Interest, said, “South Korea will be very wary about including China in any sort of war planning.”
Kazianis continued, “While surely Seoul is worried about Beijing’s long-term intentions, for now, not antagonizing China is a smart strategy” as China is South Korea’s “economic engine of growth for Seoul.”
Carla Babb of VOA’s News Center and Young Gyo Kim of VOA’s Korean Service contributed to this report.



12. Yoon cites preemptive strike as option to deal with N.K. threat

The toughest decision for any commander in chief. He or she will never have perfect intelligence and will have to make a decision with no time to waste.

Excerpt:
"If a missile of over Mach 5 is launched, and if it is carrying a nuclear weapon, the time it will take to reach the capital area and commit a massacre is under a minute. It's practically impossible to intercept," the People Power Party nominee said during a New Year's press conference held at a cafe in eastern Seoul.
"In that case, when there is an indication, there is no other option to block it at the moment except through a preemptive strike with the Kill-Chain, which is at the forefront of the three-axis system," he said, referring to the Kill-Chain preemptive strike platform.
Yoon cites preemptive strike as option to deal with N.K. threat | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · January 11, 2022
SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Yonhap) -- Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday a preemptive strike is the only way to deal with a scenario of North Korea attacking South Korea with a nuclear-tipped missile.
Yoon made the comment hours after North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile into the East Sea in its second projectile launch in less than a week.
"If a missile of over Mach 5 is launched, and if it is carrying a nuclear weapon, the time it will take to reach the capital area and commit a massacre is under a minute. It's practically impossible to intercept," the People Power Party nominee said during a New Year's press conference held at a cafe in eastern Seoul.
"In that case, when there is an indication, there is no other option to block it at the moment except through a preemptive strike with the Kill-Chain, which is at the forefront of the three-axis system," he said, referring to the Kill-Chain preemptive strike platform.
Yoon accused the Moon Jae-in administration of enabling the North to further advance its missile program by accepting its peace overtures and calling for the lifting of United Nations sanctions on the regime.
"We must clearly recognize reality and pressure the North through diplomacy, and stop North Korea's nuclear advancement by whatever means," he said.

hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · January 11, 2022


13. Lee Seung-bok’s “I don’t like communism” and North Korean Operatives’ Massacre of Lee’s Family
I wonder how long the "destroy communism" controversy will persist in South Korea.

Lee Seung-bok’s “I don’t like communism” and North Korean Operatives’ Massacre of Lee’s Family

2022-1-10, Tara O
Earlier this month, Chung Jin-yong (정진용), the Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group posted “Defeat Communism,” on Instagram which Instagram censors removed, then later restored after attracting unfavorable media attention. Chung followed up by posting “I don’t like GongSanDang.” Although GongSanDang translates directly as communist party, it has a broader meaning of communism and communists as well, especially as these relate to North Korea.
The phrase “I don’t’ like GongSanDang” or “I don’t like communists/communism/communist party” is reminiscent of a statement said by a 9-year old boy, Lee Seung-bok (이승복), when he and his family were massacred by North Korean agents in 1968 in a poor village in Gangwon Province in the northeast part of South Korea.
Lee Seung-bok, an artist’s rendition
This is a partial summary from a book titled “We Don’t Like Communism” by Kim Tae-soo, which is about a South Korean boy Lee Seung-bok, who, along with his family, was brutally murdered by North Korean armed agents, who infiltrated South Korea to build a Viet Cong-style revolutionary base in South Korea for armed revolts. These agents were referred to as “Gongbi” (공비). They are trained special forces sent to South Korea to remain there to conduct guerilla operations.
Lee Seung-bok (9) lived with his older brother Lee Hak-gwan (aka Seung-gwon) (15), younger brother Lee Seung-soo (7), younger sister Lee Seung-ja (4), mother Joo Dae-ha (34), father Lee Seok-woo (37), and grandmother. The family made a living growing corn on the hillside of the mountains.
On December 9, 1968, at least seven North Korean Gongbi wearing military uniform and carrying weapons went to Lee Seung-bok’s (이승복) house in the mountainside, probably in search of food, since it had been 40 days since they landed on the east coast of the Republic of Korea. The mother thought they were ROK soldiers, initially. They approached her to make some food for them. One of the communist operatives approached the boy and asked “Do you like North Korea or South Korea?” Without hesitation, Lee Seung-bok said, “We don’t like North Korea. (We/I) Don’t like GongSanDang.” 
Immediately, the North Korean Gongbi lifted him by the neck, screaming at him. When his 15 year-old brother Lee Hak-gwan, surprised, tried to get up, another communist operative smashed Hak-gwan’s shoulder with the butt of his rifle. What Hak-gwan saw was another North Korean agent shoving a knife into the mouth of his younger brother, whose body was still dangling. Blood burst out of Lee Seung-bok as he screamed. The communist operatives stabbed and slashed Lee Hak-gwan, the older brother. 
Lee’s mom, who was in the other room heard the screams, and Lee’s two younger siblings, who slept in the other room, were awakened. The North Korean agents each grabbed the 4 year-old and the 7 year-old, held them upside down, and swung their bodies against the wall, smashing their heads, multiple times.
Chosun Ilbo’s reporting on Lee Seung-bok and his family’s murder by North Korean operatives on December 11, 1968.
The communist operatives carried Lee Hak-gwan’s body outside, dumped him in a heap of manure (used as fertilizer), and stabbed his body some more, for a total of 36 times. Despite this, the eldest boy survived. His mother and his three siblings were gruesomely murdered, including Lee Seung-bok, who said he didn’t like GongSanDang. December 9, the day Lee Seung-bok was killed, was also his birthday.
Their father Lee Seok-woo left his friend’s house, leaving his mother behind, and returned to a dark home. Sensing something is not quite right, the father asked who was there. The North Korean agents tried to get him inside into a room. Lee Seok-woo smelled the blood and death and refused to go in. They tried to force him in, but then pulled him backwards, and when he fell, he saw them face-to-face and realized they were North Korean operatives. He quickly escaped through the kitchen out the small opening to the rear of the house, which was on top of a 10 meter-high cliff.  He alerted the authorities, who mobilized the military and the police.
Meanwhile, Lee Hak-gwan, still conscious, got up after the Gongbi left, and went down to the nearest neighbor’s house, alerting them, and together, they evacuated to a house about 1 km away, alerting other families along the way. Choi Soon-ok (30), who saw Lee Hak-gwan, described Lee’s condition as bloody all over, with air coming out of his stab wounds on his back. She asked Lee questions and recall that he said his younger brother Seung-bok was killed by Gongbi, who stabbed and cut his brother’s mouth, because he said he didn’t like communism. Lee Hak-gwan eventually ended up at a military hospital in Wonju, and woke up three days later. First Lady Yuk Young-soo visited him at the hospital, encouraging him.
There were three other families that the North Korean operatives massacred. One occurred in Samcheok on November 14, 1968 to Choi Man-seok (86), his daughter-in-law Shin Wol-suool (52), his granddaughter Choi Yong-gab (15), who were stabbed with knives and crushed with the butt of rifles.
On November 20, 1968, the North Korean Gongbi murdered Koh Won-sik’s family in PyongChang while he was out, which included his father Koh Young-il (60), mother Lee Hyung-nyeo (61), wife Kim Myeong-soon (22), eldest daughter Koh Sang-oh (6), and the youngest daughter Koh Sang-keum (3). They were stabbed multiple times in the stomach and their heads were crushed by stone. 
In Yongwol on November 25, 1968, four North Korean special operatives murdered Woo Tae-bong’s (27) family—his mother Park Ok-soon (50), his half-brother Kim Sang-gyu (12), and his eldest daughter Woo Young-ja (4). The North Korean Gongbi stabbed Woo Tae-bong’s wife Ahn Boon-nam (24) repeatedly in her stomach, while she was holding their 2-months old baby. Ahn survived, but was in critical condition.
The North Korean operatives murdered 31 villagers, including the families above. During the ROK military pursuit, 107 North Korean agents were killed, 5 arrested, and 2 turned themselves in.
The communist operatives were 120 of the top agents from North Korea’s 124th unit. The armed North Korean special operatives infiltrated South Korea through landings in the Uljin-Samcheok areas on the east coast over three days, October 30, November 1, and November 2, 1968. It was the third landing by swift boat that local fishermen noticed and they promptly reported it to the authorities. This infiltration was such a large-scale one that the South Korean military went on alert, supplementing the police with the military.
The North Korean special operatives’ mission was to establish a base in South Korea for armed uprisings. Their tasks were to:
  1. Infiltrate the Uljin County area, recruit locals or control villages and revolutionize the people and conduct intelligence collections on military targets
  2. Bring those deemed to be promising or have intelligence value to North Korea
  3. Use the weaknesses of South Korea to create and aggravate discontent.
  4. Punish turncoats and evil reactionary officials.
North Korea was encouraged by the communist guerilla operations of the Viet Cong (National Liberation Front of South Vietnam), which was a common front under the direction of North Vietnam, and wanted to replicate it in South Korea. It trained its elite forces, infiltrated them into South Korea with the goal of establishing a revolutionary base, and inciting and recruiting the locals in poor villages in South Korea. For guerilla operations to succeed, they must win the “hearts and minds” of the locals, and they were trained in this concept. They expected that the locals in South Korea would welcome them and support them with open arms. They were wrong. Most South Koreans were decidedly anti-communists, and reported them when they saw them. The operatives were sent to South Korea without much provisions, and they also began to face cold and hunger, while being pursued by the ROK military.
One of their first acts was to gather 46 people at Gosut village to take photos, distribute counterfeit money, and told them that soon there will be unification and they would then live well. They distributed propaganda booklets and forced the people to join the communist party (Korean Workers’ Party). For women, they told them to join the Minjoo Yeoseong Dongmaeng or YeoMaeng (Democratic Women’s League), a front organization under the control of the Korean Workers’ Party. When a villager Jeon Byong-doo refused to join the Party, the North Korean operatives killed him by stabbing him with knives numerous times and smashed his face with a stone. They repeated this in other villages. 
In 1968, about 1,262 North Korean armed special operatives infiltrated or attempt to infiltrate South Korea, including 1,087 attempts through the DMZ, 15 to the southern island of Jeju, and about 160 to the rear area (including the 120 who landed in the Uljin-Samcheok area). These were confirmed cases. 
In 1968, these key events also occurred:
January 21: The Blue House Raid. North Korea sent 31 commandos from Unit 124 to South Korea to assassinate President Park Chung-hee. They failed, and one, Lieutenant Kim Shin-jo, was captured alive.
January 28: North Korea captured the USS Pueblo in international waters and abducted 83 crew members (1 was killed during the attack) on board, holding them hostage for 11 months. The ship the USS Pueblo still remains in North Korea.
(January 31, 1968 was the Tet Offensive in Vietnam.)
As we can see North Korea was highly active during 1968. Their heinous, unnecessary brutality has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many South Koreans, and they had strong anti-communism consciousness. Starting 1990s, however, Lee Seung-bok’s story, as well as anti-communism, began to be de-emphasized greatly to the point most younger Koreans have not heard of Lee Seung-bok, and anti-communism has been deemed to be an outdated concept. Chung Jin-yong has brought back the statement “I don’t like communism,” which is receiving positive public feedback in South Korea, and one must ask why. This viral meme revisits the past and shows that despite efforts to erase history, there is still resistance to communism.


14. Anti-communist remarks lead to Starbucks Korea boycott


And now Starbucks Korea is an issue.

Anti-communist remarks lead to Starbucks Korea boycott
The Korea Times · January 11, 2022
Images calling for a boycott of Starbucks Korea / Screenshots from TwitterBy Kim Jae-heun

There are signs of a boycott movement against Starbucks Korea sparked by Shinsegae Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin's recent anti-communist remarks on social media. Shinsegae is the parent company of E-mart, which owns 67.5 percent of Starbucks Korea.

On Monday, some netizens started spreading images on various online communities calling for a boycott.

On Jan. 6, Vice Chairman Chung had uploaded on Instagram an image of an article from Korean daily Chosun Ilbo that had a picture of Chinese President Xi Jinping and was criticizing the Korean government's silence toward a high-level Chinese official who had referred to Korea as a "minor country." Chung tagged the image with the hashtag, "destroycommunism" ("myeolgong" in Korean), and it set off controversy. Later that day, the vice chairman replaced the image with a photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The vice chairman has uploaded anti-communist posts on social media five times in recent months.

The incident spread to the political circle and the spokeperson for ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung subsequently tweeted that he will not drink Starbucks coffee anymore. Supporters of the DPK showed their intention to join the boycott of Shinsegae.

But Starbucks Korea has become the first victim of the boycott. The coffeehouse chain is one of the major subsidiaries of the retail giant, having shown continuous growth since its entrance in the local market. Chung is the one who brought the Starbucks brand here in 1997, and he has referred to himself as the very first fan of Starbucks Korea.

For 2021, Starbucks Korea's accumulated sales as of the third quarter reached 1.72 trillion won, and after its fourth-quarter business performance is revealed, the total sales for last year is expected to surpass 2 trillion won. It will be the first coffee shop franchise to achieve over 2 trillion won in annual sales in Korea. In 2020, Starbucks was also only 71.6 billion won short of reaching the same figure in annual sales.

After E-Mart signed a contract last July to acquire an additional 17.5 percent share from the headquarters, Starbucks Korea became majority-owned by the Korean company. Originally, Starbucks Korea was established 25 years ago as a joint venture between Starbucks Corporation in the United States and E-mart, with each holding a 50-percent share. After E-mart increased its share to 67.5 percent in July, the retailer changed its corporate name to SCK Company.

Market insiders point out that it is natural for ruling party supporters to boycott Starbucks, Chung's favorite coffee shop. The coffeehouse chain is a cash cow for E-mart, as it accounts for 55 percent of the large grocery store chain's annual operating profit. In the third quarter of last year, Starbucks Korea's profit skyrocketed year-on-year by 108.2 percent to reach 80.6 billion won.

But after Chung's anti-communist remarks triggered this recent controversy, Shinsegae's stock value decreased by 6.8 percent to end at 233,000 won on Jan. 10. A Shinsegae official explained the drop by saying, "It is believed to reflect the overall weakness of the cosmetics industry due to unclear prospects in the Chinese market."

As the backlash against Shinsegae grows, Chung said he will stop putting "destroycommunism" hashtags on social media.

JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon also made an apology recently after making an offhand comment against the Chinese Communist Party last Nov. 23, nearly jeopardizing his company's business in China.


The Korea Times · January 11, 2022

15. North Korean Proliferation Financing and Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions

The 22 page report can be downloaded here: https://static.rusi.org/271_EI_DNFBPs_Final.pdf

The 23 page annex with a lot of data can be downloaded here:  https://ik.imagekit.io/po8th4g4eqj/prod/271_EI_DNFBPs_Annex_Final_0.pdf


North Korean Proliferation Financing and Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions
Sasha Erskine
Research Analyst
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies
This paper offers recommendations for international organisations and individual governments to adapt their regulation to better capture North Korea’s sanctions evasion activities.
North Korea has become increasingly skilled at evading targeted financial sanctions (TFS) and has often exploited or used designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs) to do so. Despite this, there is a lack of guidance available for this sector on the sanctions evasion risks they face.
This gap needs to be urgently addressed, as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) now requires the private sector – including DNFBPs – to ‘identify and assess the risks of potential breaches, non-implementation or evasion of the targeted financial sanctions related to proliferation financing’.
Understanding how North Korea has evaded TFS through DNFBPs will be key to fulfilling this requirement. This is of particular importance as North Korea-related DNFBP typologies do not appear to be aligned with the money-laundering and terrorist-financing vulnerabilities faced by DNFBPs more broadly, upon which the FATF Standards’ preventative measures and record-keeping obligations are based.
Based on a dataset of 87 identified cases of North Korean sanctions evasion and proliferation financing activities involving DNFBPs obtained from UN Panel of Expert reports, this paper identifies significant gaps in DNFBP supervision and related policies that North Korea can exploit.
A notable factor identified across all cases used in this paper is the extent to which current FATF Standards do not adequately capture the DNFBP-related sanctions evasion activities employed by North Korea, resulting in key exploitation vulnerabilities. The cases also provide a useful snapshot of the kinds of activities North Korea undertakes in these sectors.

Annex: North Korean Proliferation Financing and Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions
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16. Moon expresses concern over N. Korea's repeated missile launches ahead of election

I would expect the President to be concerned with the security of the ROK and not just the potential effect on the election.

(LEAD) Moon expresses concern over N. Korea's repeated missile launches ahead of election | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · January 11, 2022
(ATTN: UPDATES with Moon's remarks, details from 3rd para)
SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in expressed concern Tuesday over North Korea's repeated missile launches ahead of South Korea's presidential election in March, his spokesperson said.
Moon made the remark after being briefed on the results of a National Security Council meeting held earlier in the day following the North's firing of a suspected ballistic missile into the East Sea, Park Kyung-mee said during a press briefing.
"It is concerning that North Korea test-fired missiles in succession ahead of the presidential election," Moon was quoted as saying. "I ask each ministry to come up with necessary measures to ensure no further tension in inter-Korean relations and so that our people do not feel nervous."
The North's missile was launched from Jagang Province on the Chinese border and flew over 700 kilometers at a maximum altitude of around 60 kilometers and a maximum speed of Mach 10, according to South Korea's military.
The latest missile appeared to be an improvement on the previous projectile launched last Wednesday, which the North described as a hypersonic missile, it said.
Moon's comments came several hours after the NSC expressed "strong regret" and urged the North to return to dialogue.

hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · January 11, 2022

17. <Inside N. Korea> Special security for Jong-un's birthday for the first time: A reflection of social unrest. No celebratory events. Residents: "How did the special rations go?"

Dr. Jung Pak's question is again answered: Who does Kim Jong-un fear the most: the US or the Korean people living in the north?

<Inside N. Korea> Special security for Jong-un's birthday for the first time: A reflection of social unrest. No celebratory events. Residents: "How did the special rations go?"
(Photo) Kim Jong-un inspects a construction site in Samjiyon during a snowfall. As quoted from Labor News, November 2018.
January 8 is Kim Jong-un's birthday; he was born in 1984, which means he has turned 38 years old. Until now, there has been no mention of his birthday in the state-run media, and no public celebrations have been held. So how will the birthday be treated this year, which marks "the 10th anniversary of the Kim Jong-un era?" In this article, we report on what our reporting partners across North Korea have told us (Kang Ji-won).
◆ In the midst of growing discontent due to the deteriorating economy
The birthdays of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are North Korea's most significant holidays. Large-scale events are held every year without fail, and special food and other rations are given to the people for free. However, the quality of food has deteriorated significantly in recent years.
How will it be handled in 2022? On the 7th night, our reporting partner in Hoeryong, North Hamkyung Province, informed us as follows:
"Everyone knows that January 8 is Jong-un's birthday. So far, there have been no celebrations, and nothing is planned for this year either. But this time, a special security system is in place for the first time. It will last from 5 p.m. on the 7th to the end of the 9th."
According to this reporting partner, it is the youth who are in charge of the security. He said that the Red Guards and the Red Youth Guard, which are civilian armed forces organizations led by labour-affiliated youth organizations, have been instructed to specially guard the statues and portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, as well as the historical sites of the revolution, around the time of Kim Jong Un's birthday, and that they are patrolling in groups of three to five with security personnel (police officers).
Our reporting partner in Ryanggang Province has similarly reported that "for the first time a special security period has been set up for Jong-un's birthday."
In North Korea, where the economy continues to deteriorate due to extreme quarantine measures against the coronavirus, anxiety and frustration are growing among the residents who cannot foresee the future. Although it is not an official holiday, they probably increase their vigilance to prevent any disturbances to coincide with Kim Jong-un's birthday.
◆ Disappointed residents with no special rations
According to our reporting partners, there are no special events to celebrate Kim Jong-un's birthday.
"Each organization is supposed to go to the statue on the 8th morning to clean it and offer flowers, but this is also being done mainly by the youth, and other organizations are only asked to participate voluntarily." (reporting partner in Hoeryong city)
"Every Saturday, each organization will have a 'Saturday Study', and on the day of his birthday, the 8th, they will have a meeting to send letters expressing their loyalty to Jong-un. The Women's League has been notified to participate in studying Jong-un's greatness." (a reporting partner in Ryanggang Province)
The statues are the ones of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. There are no confirmed statues of Kim Jong-un. Also, sending letters of allegiance and learning about his greatness has been done many times before, so it is not unique for his birthday.
"What people are interested in is special rations to coincide with his birthday. This is because there are a lot of people who can't eat. Since they are promoting Jong-un as a great leader, we thought maybe they would give us some food, but there was nothing."
Our reporting partner in Hoeryong city informed the residents' awareness of his birthday in this way.
※ ASIAPRESS contacts its reporting partners in North Korea through smuggled Chinese mobile phones.
18. How Uygur and North Korea human rights activists can join forces to keep slave-made goods out of your closet

Important insights from Joshua Stanton.

How Uygur and North Korea human rights activists can join forces to keep slave-made goods out of your closet
freekorea.us · by Joshua · January 2, 2022
How many things do you own that were made by slaves—specifically, enslaved North Koreans or Uygurs? The bad news is that no one knows, because most of the evidence is hidden deep within the supply chains. The good news is that this may be changing just enough to make the use of slave labor unprofitable for the retailers you buy from and the sweatshops in China that employ it.
“Royal Blood-Fresh”
Chinese manufacturers have a long history of sourcing their goods from North Korean state-owned sweatshops that sew “Made in China” tags onto the wares. It’s up to 75 percent cheaper for Chinese manufacturers to use North Korean labor.
“North Korean workers can produce 30 percent more clothes each day than a Chinese worker,” said the Korean-Chinese businessman.
“In North Korea, factory workers can’t just go to the toilet whenever they feel like, otherwise they think it slows down the whole assembly line.”
“They aren’t like Chinese factory workers who just work for the money. North Koreans have a different attitude — they believe they are working for their country, for their leader.” [Reuters]
According to the Financial Times, the use of North Korean labor in Dandong is long-established and extensive. Of course, we expect this kind of class exploitation and enslavement of the proletariat from … the Chinese Communist Party and the Workers’ Party of Korea. It’s more disappointing when a self-described progressive democracy does it. While the Kaesong Industrial Complex was operating, North Korean labor and components manufactured there were probably leaking into U.S. commerce with “Made in Korea” labels. If you’re tempted to defend the labor practices at Kaesong and haven’t yet read Marcus Noland’s 2014 paper, “See No Evil: South Korean Labor Practices in North Korea,” you should probably do that now. Before 2011, various people imported women’s garmentsmotorcycle helmet linings, and other items from North Korea, most of them probably as via Kaesong. In 2006, Ikea imported quilts and pillows made with fabric from “Pakistan, India, China, or North Korea.” At the time, this was all perfectly legal, which may be the reason some of South Korea’s least ethical investors recently spent nearly a million dollars on lobbyists on a campaign to convince Congress to relax U.S. sanctions and reopen Kaesong.
Then there was the curious case of one Sean Kim of Torrance, California, who imported North Korean dietary supplements—which is terrifying if you know anything about North Korea’s reputation for medical quackery. Even more terrifying is the supplement’s name: “Royal Blood-Fresh.” Pugang claimed that Royal Blood-Fresh was a preventive for deep-vein thrombosis. Shockingly, at least one doctor dismissed that claim as non-scientific.

According to the Washington Post, the North Korean manufacturer of Royal Blood-Fresh, Pugang Pharmaceutic Co. Ltd., is a part of the North Korean conglomerate she described as “Pugang Corporation.” In 2005, the Treasury Department designated and froze the assets of a company called Korea Pugang Trading Company for being a subsidiary of Korea Ryonbyong Trading Company, which was involved in (wait for it) the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. In 2007, Customs missed that connection and let Mr. Kim’s supplements in despite the blocking order. In 2015, Pugang’s head even sat for an interview with a Washington Post reporter and openly confessed to conspiracy to commit money laundering to evade the blocking action. According the Post, Pugang was selling the supplements with the marking “Made in Korea,” but the 2007 Customs ruling indicates that they were marked “Made in DPR Korea,” which would have been understood by all of twelve American consumers. Pugang also sold its products to South Koreans. In 2017, three Russians were arrested for smuggling them into Busan without government approval.
So, in what universe did anyone think Royal Blood-Fresh was a good idea?
2011-2017: The Legal Landscape Changes
In 2011, President Obama signed Executive Order 13,570, which banned all imports of goods, services, and technology from North Korea. Then, in August of 2017, President Trump signed (or was forced to sign, because it had passed by a veto-proof margin) the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017. Section 321 of the CAATSA created a rebuttable presumption that any goods “mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part by the labor of North Korean nationals or citizens” are the products of forced labor, and therefore excluded from U.S. commerce under a longstanding provision of the Tariff Act, at 19 U.S.C. 1307 (you’re welcome, humanity). The presumption can only be overcome by clear and convincing evidence[1] that the products are not, in fact, made with forced labor. Let the engagers among you take note—were Pyongyang ever to allow its workers to keep their own wages and work under fair and humane conditions, the importer could, hypothetically, have overcome that presumption.
In October of 2017, just two months after the CAATSA became law, Kevin McAleenan, the nominee to be Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, testified at his confirmation hearing that CBP had used CAATSA 321 to stop stop six shipments of Chinese seafood made with North Korean labor. In a set of Questions For the Record CBP returned to the Committee later, CBP claimed to have stopped eleven shipments, valued at $564,775. (As OFK readers know, it’s highly likely that the seafood was actually caught by Chinese ships in North Korean waters; in case you were also wondering, McAleenan didn’t say whether the seafood was canned, frozen, or … fresh.) CBP says it meets regularly with civil society organizations “to ensure we are aware of trends, insights, and concerns that these groups possess into forced labor issues.” As we’ll see, it also makes good use of OSINT from press reports. CBP took its new legal obligations seriously. The rebuttable presumption cleared the fog that hides Chinese sweatshops’ enslavement of North Koreans, and changed the game on how North Korean-made imports are treated.[2]
2021: The Case of Poof Apparel
In Resolution 2397, the UN Security Council stated that Pyongyang’s exports of textiles and seafood contribute revenue to its WMD programs. In December 2020, a retailer called Poof Apparel tried to bring in two shipments of women’s and girl’s clothing from China. Poof sourced the clothing from a manufacturer called Dandong Huayang Textiles and Garments Co., Ltd. For those of you who don’t follow North Korea news closely, Dandong is a Chinese port very close to North Korea, which has a long history of sanctions-bustingmoney launderingmaritime smuggling, and (as we’ll soon see) forced labor involving North Korea. CBP stopped the shipment at the Port of Newark on suspicion that it was made with North Korean labor.
(That’s probably also true of Dandong.)
The intelligence units in CBP’s Office of Trade had done their homework on which Chinese manufacturers use North Korean labor. CBP notified Poof of its exclusion decision and told Poof that if it wanted its shipment to clear customs, it would have to answer a list of questions and provide “documentation detailing how Dandong Huayang employees are recruited, identification cards and payroll records or other proof of payment.” Poof protested that the goods were made with Chinese labor, not North Korean labor, and appealed the ruling.

The appeal did not go well for Poof, however. CBP noted several discrepancies in Poof’s documentation that fell short of “clear and convincing.” Poof submitted the report of an outside auditor on Dandong Huayang’s labor practices, claiming that Dandong Huayang only used native-speaking Chinese laborers, but CBP noticed discrepancies in the date of the report, and that the auditor was only allowed to inspect certain parts of Dandong Huayang’s sprawling, massive factory grounds. The photocopies of the workers’ identity documents were illegible. The auditor only interviewed ten out of 49 workers (as Noland’s report about Kaesong confirms, North Korean minders don’t allow nonbelievers to talk to their charges). And now we come to the part where a sharp-eyed CBP attorney noticed something in Poof’s appeal exhibits:
The WRAP report also included photographs of the Dandong Huayang production facility that are date-stamped November 3, 2020. Although the photographs are slightly blurry, one particular photograph stood out from the rest. The photograph labeled “Production process: Packing” depicts Dandong Huayang workers next to a stack of boxes of personal protective equipment (PPE), specifically disposable clothing.
These boxes of PPE are identical to images of PPE boxes featured in The Guardian’s November 2020 exposé of North Korean forced labor used in Dandong Province factories in the production of PPE coveralls. The three-month investigation found evidence that protective coveralls ordered for the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) originated from Dandong factories, including Dandong Huayang, using North Korean forced labor. The exposé further revealed that the PPE has been exported to the United States, Italy, Germany, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Myanmar.
Accordingly, the photograph does not establish with clear and convincing evidence that the excluded garments were not made with forced labor, rather it establishes that it is highly likely the workers that were making the subject excluded garments were also making the disposable PPE garments and therefore, likely were North Korean nationals. [CBP Ruling, Mar. 5, 2021]
CBP denied the appeal on CAATSA Section 321 grounds. It later issued a press release on the ruling. Dandong Huayang’s website still advertises its PPE. This brings us to two other North Korean forced labor scandals involving Dandong Huayang, starting with The Guardian’s exposé:
It is claimed that the North Korean workers in Dandong, who are mostly women, work for up to 18 hours a day, with little or no time off. They are under constant surveillance and are unable to freely leave the factories.
Sources indicate that the North Korean workers in PPE factories in Dandong have about 70% of their wages seized by the North Korean state.
“The workers have no days off. They are not allowed to go out. The North Korean [state] controls them. They make money for the country,” said a manager at one factory. [The Guardian]
State-Sponsored Slavery
Dandong Huayang denied using North Korean labor, but there is plenty of evidence that it does. Our friend, Remco Breuker, even found an interview in which a Dandong Huayang manager boasts about all the money his company made by using it to make goods to export to the United States. According to Panjiva documents I found online, different Dandong Huayang subsidiaries source more than 80 percent or more than 90 percent of their shipments from North Korea (see also). Dandong Huayang mainly exports to the United States and Canada, and ships some of its wares through Busan, South Korea. This was not the last scandal for one of Dandong Huayang’s buyers, either. In November 2021, the Canadian retailer Reitmans pulled consignments of women’s clothing from its shelves and severed its relations with Dandong Huayang after a CBC report found that it had purchased more than 100 shipments from Dandong Huayang that may have been made with North Korean forced labor.
Beyond the reputational risks, the manufacturers, exporters, and importers also face legal risks. Not only does this trade violate UN Security Council resolutions that ban North Korean textile exports, but also of our country-of-origin labeling laws and Executive Order 13570, violations of which are punishable by up to twenty years in Allenwood, plus fines, penalties, and forfeitures. (CBP has its own administrative forfeiture authority.)
Breuker’s report documents the use of North Korean labor in Dandong’s sweatshops extensively. Mining Chinese customs data, he finds that starting in 2010, the number of North Korean visits to China for “worker and crew” reasons began to rise sharply. Between 2008 and 2015, the number of such recorded visits almost doubled. Another suspicious fact is that a high percentage of those North Koreans were women—who are most likely to be sent to work in Chinese canneries and sweatshops, and North Korean restaurants. North Korean officials are frequent visitors to those factories, to negotiate the arrangements. Provincial statistics show that these “cross-border production networks” may have exported hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of goods to the United States since 2015. That boom came just in time to buffer the effects of the closure of Kaesong in 2016.
After the UN Security Council—including China—voted unanimously to ban North Korean labor and textile exports, most of the factory managers in Dandong surveyed said, “Meh.” That’s probably because, according to Breuker’s paper, Chinese authorities had encouraged factories in Dandong to use North Korean labor to boost export earnings. The fact that the Port of Dandong was deeply in debt was probably also a consideration. So was their longstanding pattern of sanctions evasion to bail Kim Jong-un out. In other words, this commerce is unquestionably state sanctioned, on both sides of the border. (You can follow Remco on Twitter here.)
The Uygur Connection
The result of this is that corporate lawyers are now warning their clients that they face greater legal, financial, and reputational risks than ever if they use North Korean labor. This corporate consulting firm that helps companies avoid the taint of human rights abuses is also warning of the risk from North Korean labor. Up until 2017, our enforcement against North Korean imports clearly hadn’t been enough to change the behavior of the sweatshops and canneries. In fact, the laws didn’t even prohibit most of that trade. That has begun to change, and the rebuttable presumption provision that first appeared in the CAATSA, and which CBP seems to be taking seriously, is an important part of that.
All of this will soon be true of Uygur labor, too. A provision patterned on Section 321 has since found its way into Section 3 of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which is a glorious thing. C4ADS has done characteristically excellent work investigating the supply chains for Uygur forced labor. Just as Uygur human rights activists have learned legal and legislative lessons from North Korean human rights activists, North Korean human rights activists can learn from how Uygur human rights activists trace supply chains to Uygur forced labor. Both can learn to combine their research with CBP’s petition process at 19 C.F.R. § 12.42, to effectively blacklist Chinese manufacturers that are known to use North Korean labor, and to ask CBP to apply enhanced NKSPEA 205 inspections to seafood and textiles from Dandong, except for those that have allowed transparent inspection of their work forces.
The new law is likely to target cotton textiles made with Uygur slave labor. It would not surprise me in the least if the same Chinese sweatshops that use enslaved North Koreans also use cotton grown by enslaved Uygurs. Another area worthy of investigation by abolitionists may be wigs and false eyelashes, given reports that both are made in this North Korean prison camp for export, and the revelation that Elf Cosmetics was penalized for selling false eyelashes sourced from North Korea.
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[1] According to CBP’s ruling, “[c]lear and convincing evidence is a higher standard of proof than a preponderance of the evidence, and generally means that a claim or contention is highly probable.”
[2] Separately, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has also warned importers about the forced labor risks associated with North Korean fisheries and labor.
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freekorea.us · by Joshua · January 2, 2022




V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Personal Email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
Web Site: www.fdd.org
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Subscribe to FDD’s new podcastForeign Podicy
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Personal Email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
Web Site: www.fdd.org
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Subscribe to FDD’s new podcastForeign Podicy
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

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

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