Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners


Quotes of the Day:


"Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind." 
- Theodore Roosevelt

“Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.


This is known as "bad luck.”
- Robert Heinlein

“You must write every single day of your life... You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads... may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.”
- Ray Bradbury




1. South Koreans wonder: Will the U.S. still protect us from North Korea?

2. N. Korea calls for 'perfecting' war readiness posture in meeting chaired by leader Kim

3. US will protect security interests of Korea, US: NSC coordinator

4. Kim Jong Un goes missing ahead of military parade

5. N.Korea Stole Billions Worth of Crypto from S.Korea

6. U.S. to continue efforts to free S. Koreans detained by N. Korea: Washington official

7. S. Korea to send 110 rescue workers to quake-hit Turkey, offer $5 mln in aid

8. S. Korea seeks enhanced ties with African nations on key minerals

9. 1st S. Korean state compensation ordered for victim of Vietnam War mass killings

10. North's Kim returns after 40-day absence for military meeting

11. Hanwha signs MOU with Romania for K9 howitzers

12. [INTERVIEW] 'Korea, US can create synergy in space industry': NASA ambassador

13. Possible nuclear armament for South Korea

14. Seoul's nuclear gambit is not in favor of alliance politics

15. North Korea party meeting set to discuss ‘urgent’ food issue





1. South Koreans wonder: Will the U.S. still protect us from North Korea?


The 28,500 troops have become a part of the Korean landscape and the Korean people in the South overlook the importance of this commitment. The US is committed to the defense of South Korea and the leaders of both countries agree on this. But no one can "prove" this until Kim Jong Un takes action that requires a response (e.g., attacks the South).


Excerpts:


A Biden administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said that the United States has been clear that there would be “overwhelming response” in the case of a nuclear attack, and that U.S. policymakers believe South Koreans understand the “costs and benefits and tremendous risks” of having their own nuclear weapons.
Kim, from Hankuk University, added that although there is popular support, there has not been enough debate on the potential downsides of going nuclear. The South Korean military’s nuclear pursuit in violation of the NPT would also deal a blow to the country’s civilian nuclear industry, she said.
Still, analysts agree that the two countries need to do more.
“Assurance is less about whether the adversary is deterred but more about making US allies feel protected,” wrote Go Myong-hyun, research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. “While there is little the alliance can do militarily to prevent North Korea from carrying out missile launches and nuclear tests, it can and should do more to strengthen assurance.”



South Koreans wonder: Will the U.S. still protect us from North Korea?

By Michelle Ye Hee Lee and  Min Joo Kim 

February 7, 2023 at 5:00 a.m. EST

The Washington Post · by Michelle Ye Hee Lee · February 7, 2023

TOKYO — The mood around Unification Village, just south of the inter-Korean border, has grown tense the past two years as North Korea ramps up its ballistic missile tests. Most recently, North Korean drones even infiltrated the border.

“It is time we went nuclear,” said Lee Wan-bae, who has lived for 50 years in the village, just three miles south of the Military Demarcation Line that marks the official border between the two Koreas.

For decades, Lee has had a front-row view of the fluctuating border tensions amid failed efforts to disarm North Korea. “It increasingly looks like matching the nuclear threat from North Korea is the solution that will bring long-desired stability to our village life,” Lee said.

With North Korea threatening to strike the South with nuclear weapons and no sign of a return to denuclearization talks, South Koreans are increasingly debating whether they can still trust the United States to protect them in case of war on the peninsula.

The shifting geopolitical landscape around South Korea in the past year — an unprecedented number of missile launches from North Korea, Russia’s nuclear saber-rattling and growing fears that China will invade Taiwan — has prompted South Koreans to take a sober look at their security dependence on the United States.

At the same time, the South Korean public has become ever more supportive of having their own nuclear weapons, a sentiment that was once considered fringe but is now mainstream.

As a signatory to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), South Korea is banned from developing or acquiring nuclear weapons. South Korea remains under the protection of the U.S. nuclear umbrella, which guarantees that the United States would use its nuclear weapons to protect South Korea if needed. This U.S. commitment to protect allies is also referred to as “extended deterrence.”

There is now urgency to reexamine the credibility of the arrangement. Some South Korean analysts wonder: Would the United States really deploy its nuclear arsenal to protect South Korea? And would it do so even during the Russian invasion of Ukraine or a Chinese invasion of Taiwan?

“While South Korea may have, in the past, similarly sought assurance from the United States … current discussions are different because of the drastic changes in the threat environment” and the circumstances surrounding South Korea, said S. Paul Choi, principal at the Seoul-based consultancy StratWays Group and a former South Korean military officer.

Risks of conflict breaking out in multiple places at once, such as in Europe and in East Asia, or in multiple places within the East Asia region, “further raise concerns about U.S. capacity to deliver on its commitment,” Choi said.

South Korean leaders are grappling with this public discourse, which has intensified in the past month after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol mentioned offhand the possibility of going nuclear as a policy option, though he suggested it was an unrealistic one. He later walked back the comment, saying he was “fully confident about the U.S.’s extended deterrence.”

Several South Korean officials reaffirmed the country’s trust in the alliance and commitment to the NPT. But they acknowledged the need to strengthen the allies’ response to North Korea and said their discussions with the United States are focused on how to set and meet those goals.

South Korean officials also view their trilateral efforts with the United States and Japan to respond to the North’s threat, such as drills and increased communication, as another way to overcome the credibility gap.

“Having our own nuclear weapons is not a realistic option. But the fact that the public wants it is a reflection of their security concerns,” said a senior South Korean official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. “What the public feels is important. We need to discuss between South Korea and the United States to increase their trust and make them feel like extended deterrence is not just declarative.”

North Korea is barreling forward on its five-year nuclear development plan, with leader Kim Jong Un vowing an “exponential increase” in its arsenal this year. In September, North Korea adopted a more aggressive law stating it could use nuclear weapons “if any forces try to violate the fundamental interests of our state.” The North is also advancing tactical nuclear weapons, which have a lower explosive yield and fly shorter ranges — and are directed at the South.

“Security concerns deepened among the South Korean public over the North’s recent push for short-range missiles and tactical nuclear capacity, which are seen as immediate threats,” said Jina Kim, a security expert at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. As North Korea evolves in its nuclear ambitions, the allies should also adjust their efforts to deter Pyongyang by preparing for specific scenarios of nuclear attacks, she said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-sup, last week met in Seoul to discuss how to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to South Korea. They announced new measures, including holding a nuclear tabletop exercise this month and expanding the “level and scale” of their combined exercises, according to a joint statement.

Choi said South Korea seeks a greater role and involvement in the alliance’s deterrence efforts, not just by consulting on policies, but also by having a hand in how those policies are put into place and how joint military operations are designed and carried out.

South Korean policymakers are most worried about the leaders of North Korea and China no longer believing that U.S. pledges on extended deterrence are credible, he said. That is particularly the case when it comes to whether the United States would use its nuclear weapons to defend South Korea.

Throughout much of the Cold War, the United States stationed nuclear-armed weapons in South Korea. Then, in 1991, President George H.W. Bush initiated the withdrawal of all tactical nuclear weapons deployed abroad. In 2016, then-South Korean President Park Geun-hye reportedly asked the United States to redeploy the tactical weapons but was denied.

Public polls over the past decade have shown a steady rise in support for South Korea going nuclear, ranging from 60 to more than 70 percent of the population. A new poll released last week by the Seoul-based Chey Institute for Advanced Studies found that an overwhelming 76.6 percent of 1,000 respondents support domestic nuclear weapons capability.

A Biden administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said that the United States has been clear that there would be “overwhelming response” in the case of a nuclear attack, and that U.S. policymakers believe South Koreans understand the “costs and benefits and tremendous risks” of having their own nuclear weapons.

Kim, from Hankuk University, added that although there is popular support, there has not been enough debate on the potential downsides of going nuclear. The South Korean military’s nuclear pursuit in violation of the NPT would also deal a blow to the country’s civilian nuclear industry, she said.

Still, analysts agree that the two countries need to do more.

“Assurance is less about whether the adversary is deterred but more about making US allies feel protected,” wrote Go Myong-hyun, research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. “While there is little the alliance can do militarily to prevent North Korea from carrying out missile launches and nuclear tests, it can and should do more to strengthen assurance.”

Kim reported from Seoul.

The Washington Post · by Michelle Ye Hee Lee · February 7, 2023


2. N. Korea calls for 'perfecting' war readiness posture in meeting chaired by leader Kim


"Perfect" war readiness at the expense of the 25 million Koreans in the north who are suffering and sacrificing only for the benefit of Kim Jong Un.


Also note Kim Jong Un emerged after some 35 days out of the public eye which was generating speculation about his health (again). 



(2nd LD) N. Korea calls for 'perfecting' war readiness posture in meeting chaired by leader Kim | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · February 7, 2023

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more details, photo)

By Kim Soo-yeon

SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has convened a meeting of the ruling party's central military commission to discuss ways to expand operational combat drills and "more strictly perfect" its readiness posture for war, according to its state media Tuesday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Monday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Participants "discussed in depth the major military and political tasks for 2023 and the long-term issues concerning the orientation for army building," the KCNA said in an English-language statement.

Major agenda items discussed included "the issue of constantly expanding and intensifying the operation and combat drills of the Korean People's Army (KPA) to cope with the prevailing situation and more strictly perfecting the preparedness for war," it added.

The meeting came amid reports that the North is preparing for a military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the KPA's founding Wednesday, an event likely to be an occasion to flex its military muscle.


This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Feb. 7, 2023, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) presiding over an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

With his latest attendance at the meeting, the North's leader has resumed his public activities after a hiatus of about 40 days.

Seoul's unification ministry said the latest military meeting appears to be aimed at strengthening internal solidarity of the North's armed forces.

The wayward regime is widely expected to resume provocative acts this year, as it has vowed to "take the toughest reaction" to the U.S. move to expand military drills with South Korea involving more strategic assets. Washington has pledged to provide credible "extended deterrence" against North Korea's military threats.

The North launched around 70 ballistic missiles last year alone, the most in a single year, amid persistent speculation it may conduct a nuclear test in the near future.

Kim Jong-un called for an "exponential" increase in its nuclear arsenal and the need to mass-produce tactical nuclear weapons at a key party meeting held late last year.

Photos carried by the KCNA on Tuesday showed one of the flags behind the North's leader displaying the words "General Administration of Missiles" and having a symbol of a missile being fired.

The North's state media outlets have not carried any reports of such an agency. But experts speculated the North may have separated the rocket industry department from the WPK and created a new entity in charge of the country's nuclear and missile programs after renaming it.

North Korea, meanwhile, said Monday it will hold a party plenary meeting late this month to discuss agricultural development. Observers said the North's plan to hold such a meeting in just two months points to its urgent need to cope with chronic food shortages.

"The North appears to take a two-track approach in implementing this year's policy goals -- strengthening defense capabilities and enhancing people's livelihoods," Yang Moo-Jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies, said.


This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Feb. 7, 2023, shows one of the flags behind the North's leader Kim Jong-un displaying the words "General Administration of Missiles" and having a symbol of a missile being fired. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)


Youtube

https://youtu.be/tj6ttoc7Cx8

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · February 7, 2023



3. US will protect security interests of Korea, US: NSC coordinator



US will protect security interests of Korea, US: NSC coordinator

The Korea Times · February 7, 2023

John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, answers questions during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., Jan. 25. Reuters-Yonhap


The United States will protect its national security interests, as well as those of key ally Korea, a White House National Security Council (NSC) official said Monday, amid tension over an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon shot down by the U.S.


John Kirby, NSC coordinator for strategic communications, said he no available data when asked about China's possible surveillance of the Korean Peninsula.


"I can't speak to specific surveillance operations that the Chinese might or might not be conducting over the Korean Peninsula," he said during a virtual press briefing.


"All I can tell you is what I have told you so many times before that we are going to do what we have to do to make sure the ROK-U.S. alliance is strong and vibrant as it can be, to protect our national security interests and the interests of our South Korean allies and, of course, the U.S. men and women who live and work there every day," he added.


ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name. The U.S. currently has some 28,500 troops stationed in Korea.


The U.S. shot down the alleged Chinese spy balloon over the weekend as it made its way through the continental U.S. to the Atlantic Ocean.


Beijing claims it was a weather balloon that belonged to a private Chinese company.


The U.S. has said the size of the balloon was significantly larger than any other weather balloon and that it was believed to be carrying spy equipment. (Yonhap)



The Korea Times · February 7, 2023


4. Kim Jong Un goes missing ahead of military parade


This report is now OBE since he was reported to be at a meeting of the ruling party's central military commission today.


But this always provides the opportunity to reflect on these questions: What would we do if we learned today that Kim Jong Un was dead? What immediate actions would we take - what actions are we prepared to take? What actions could reshape the Korean security situation? Could we gain the initiative to shape conditions and events?


Or will we just sit back and observe and see how things turn out?



Kim Jong Un goes missing ahead of military parade

Kim Jong Un goes missing ahead of military parade: North Korean leader skips Politburo meeting for only third time ever, sparking health rumours

By MILO POPE

PUBLISHED: 13:22 EST, 6 February 2023 | UPDATED: 13:28 EST, 6 February 2023

Daily Mail · by Milo Pope · February 6, 2023

Kim Jong Un has not been seen in public for 35 days ahead of a mass parade in Pyongyang this week which will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the North Korean military.

This comes as the dictator reportedly skipped a Politburo meeting where the country's agricultural issues were to be discussed, according to state media.

It was only the third time Kim has ever done so, with the other occasions coming in June and September of last year.

Earlier this month a new North Korean propaganda film looking back on last year's 'worst-ever hardships' appeared to show their authoritarian leader limping as he walked down a flight of stairs.

This latest extended period out of the public eye has sparked fresh concerns over Kim's health and a potential successor.


Kim Jong Un was also absent from the public for 35 days at the end of 2021


The North Korean leader in December last year in Pyongyang with representatives from the Korean Boy Scouts


Kim attending a ceremony where the new super-large multiple rocker launchers were presented before a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea

Kim's 35 day absence from the public matches another period of non-presence at the end of 2021, a state media site reported.

The leader is still, however, expected to attend the nation's huge military parade this week, which could be held alternatively as early as Tuesday.

According to satellite imagery from the US-based monitoring site 38 North, preparations for celebrating the foundation of the Korean People's Army have been taking place in freezing conditions since January.

Military aircrafts have been spotted flying at low altitude at night in central Pyongyang.

Recent public celebrations have been held in darkness in North Korea as reports of severe food shortages have come in.

The nation has also had to deal recently with the collapse of their uranium mine which feeds North Korea's nukes, with the scale of the disaster visible from space.

Daily Mail · by Milo Pope · February 6, 2023



5. N.Korea Stole Billions Worth of Crypto from S.Korea




N.Korea Stole Billions Worth of Crypto from S.Korea

english.chosun.com

February 07, 2023 10:26

North Korean hackers stole about W160 billion worth of cryptocurrencies from the accounts of South Korean companies and individuals last year, intelligence authorities here said Monday (US$1=W1,253).


About 1/10th of some W1.65 trillion worth of cryptocurrencies the North stole throughout the world last year is believed to have come from South Korea. The stolen money is believed to have been laundered to fund the regime's nuclear and missile development.


In a recent report, U.S. blockchain firm Chainalysis said North Korea-linked hackers stole US$1.65 billion in cryptocurrencies last year, accounting for 43.4 percent of the total $3.8 billion worth that was stolen around the world last year and up nearly four times the amount from the previous year.


This suggests that crypto theft now takes up a considerable part of the North Korean economy, given that its total exports amounted to just $142 million in 2020.


/Newsis

In 2016, North Korea stole about $1.5 million in cryptocurrencies, but the amount jumped significantly the following year after tougher UN sanctions were implemented.


"Hackers under the [North's] Reconnaissance General Bureau poured all their resources into crypto hacking, which enabled them to grow so rapidly that they are now classified as an 'advanced persistent threat' by intelligence agencies throughout the world," a diplomatic source said.


Anne Neuberger, a U.S. deputy national security adviser, said in July last year that North Korea "uses cyber to gain, we estimate, up to a third of their funds for their missile program."


Seoul and Washington are poised to announce additional sanctions over the North's crypto theft if Pyongyang conducts a fresh nuclear test.

U.S. Warns of N.Korean 'Cyber Heists'

N.Korean Hackers 'Work out of Chinese Hotels'


N.Korea Stole Billions from Crypto Accounts

N.Korea 'Hacked $400 Million in Cryptocurrency'

U.S. to Seize N.Korean Hackers' Bitcoin Accounts

N.Korea 'Relies on Bitcoin to Fund Nuclear Weapons'

N.Korea Behind Massive Bitcoin Heists

U.S. Wants Bitcoin Trade Data from 6 Korean Banks

Tokyo-based Cryptocurrency Exchange Hacked, $530 Million Lost

N.Korea Mining for Cryptocurrency

  • Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com

english.chosun.com


6. U.S. to continue efforts to free S. Koreans detained by N. Korea: Washington official


One of a number of lines of effort in a human rights up front approach.


U.S. to continue efforts to free S. Koreans detained by N. Korea: Washington official | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · February 7, 2023

SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Yonhap) -- The United States will continue efforts to seek the release of South Koreans detained in North Korea, a state department official said Tuesday.

Jung Pak, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, stressed the U.S. has "closely coordinated" with Seoul on the issue at a meeting with South Koreans with family members detained across the inter-Korean border.

"The U.S. calls for the immediate release of all those who are unlawfully detained, and remains committed to promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms for all," Pak said at the meeting held at the U.S. embassy in Seoul.

Lee Shin-hwa, South Korea's envoy for the North's human rights who also attended the meeting, called for Seoul to play a more active role to address the issue.

Currently, six South Koreans, including three pastors, are being detained in North Korea on charges of committing what Pyongyang called anti-North Korea crimes.

Kim Jeong-sam, an elder brother of Kim Jung-wook, a missionary detained in the North since 2013, gave Pak a handwritten letter, asking it to be delivered to U.S. President Joe Biden.

"My heart aches to see North Korea holding my younger brother as a spy … I pray every day for the release and repatriation of my brother," the letter read.


Jung Pak (3rd from L), U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and Lee Shin-hwa (4th from L), South Korea's envoy for the North's human rights, pose for a photo on Feb. 7, 2023, at the U.S. embassy in Seoul with families of those detained by the North Korean authorities. (Yonhap)

julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · February 7, 2023




7. S. Korea to send 110 rescue workers to quake-hit Turkey, offer $5 mln in aid




(4th LD) S. Korea to send 110 rescue workers to quake-hit Turkey, offer $5 mln in aid | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 강윤승 · February 7, 2023

(ATTN: UPDATES with details in last 2 paras; ADDS photo)

SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to offer US$5 million in emergency humanitarian assistance to Turkey and dispatch a total of around 110 workers to support its search and rescue work following a devastating earthquake earlier this week, according to Seoul's foreign ministry Tuesday.

It will also deliver medical supplies to Turkey, hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake the previous day, by military transport aircraft, the ministry's spokesperson Lim Soo-suk told a press briefing.

The team will be comprised of more than 60 members of the Korea Disaster Relief Team and 50 military personnel, according to the ministry.

The decision was made at an interagency meeting on assisting Turkey with the fallout of the quake that struck the country's southern region and Syria as well, leaving thousands of people killed and a lot more injured.


A South Korean rescue team resolves to do its best at the National 119 Rescue Headquarters in Namyangju, 30 kilometers east of Seoul, on Feb. 7, 2023, before departing for quake-ravaged Turkey. (Yonhap)

Earlier in the day, President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the government to quickly send rescue workers and medical supplies to the country. Foreign Minister Park Jin spoke with Murat Tamer, the Turkish ambassador to South Korea, earlier in the day and pledged to provide active support to the quake-hit nation.

South Korea's military is considering sending a KC-330 tanker transport aircraft there, defense officials said.

It mobilized the aircraft in past emergency humanitarian assistance operations, including the humanitarian mission in 2021 to evacuate nearly 400 Afghan co-workers and family members to South Korea.

The ministry, meanwhile, issued a special travel advisory for six provinces in Turkey's southeastern region, including Kahramanmaras, Malatya and Adiyaman, effective immediately.

The ministry added it has located a South Korean national who was traveling in the affected province of Hatay, near the earthquake's epicenter, after losing contact.

Around 2,700 South Koreans are residing in Turkey, although most of them are living outside the affected areas. Eleven South Koreans living in Hatay were relocated to safe places the previous day, it added.


This file photo, taken Oct. 14, 2019, shows the South Korean military's KC-330 tanker aircraft, KF-16 and F-15K fighter jets flying above Seongnam, south of Seoul, to mark the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2019. (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 강윤승 · February 7, 2023


8. S. Korea seeks enhanced ties with African nations on key minerals




S. Korea seeks enhanced ties with African nations on key minerals | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · February 7, 2023

SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Tuesday attended a meeting of the United States-led Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) meeting and discussed ways to boost cooperation on supply chains of major minerals with resource-rich African nations, the industry ministry said.

The meeting of the partnership was held in Cape Town on the day, involving 12 member nations, including Australia, Canada and France, as well as South Africa, Tanzania and Congo, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Launched in June 2022, the initiative was to bolster critical mineral supply chains in line with their growing demand for clean energy and other major technologies in a way that helps nations realize "the full economic development benefit of their geological endowments."

During the meeting, the nations vowed to push for the sustainable development of major minerals by protecting environments and seeking the development of local communities, and decided to check their implementation of the environmental, social and corporate governance principles on a regular basis.

South Korean officials also met with government and corporate officials of South Africa, Zambia and other African nations on how to establish their networks for major minerals and how to strengthen cooperation amid the fast-changing global industrial landscape and other circumstances, according to the ministry.


South Korea's Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon (L) speaks during a meeting on launching the Minerals Security Partnership in Canada on June 15, 2022, in this file photo provided by the industry ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

graceoh@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · February 7, 2023



9. 1st S. Korean state compensation ordered for victim of Vietnam War mass killings


Wars have long term effects. One of the many tragedies.


(2nd LD) 1st S. Korean state compensation ordered for victim of Vietnam War mass killings | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 강윤승 · February 7, 2023

(ATTN: UPDATES with defense ministry's reaction in last 2 paras)

SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Tuesday ruled in favor of a Vietnamese national seeking compensation from South Korea's government after losing family members and suffering wounds when South Korean marines killed dozens of civilians in 1968 during the Vietnam War.

The Seoul Central District Court's ruling marks the first time a South Korean court has acknowledged the state's liability to compensate victims of the 1968 mass killings in the village of Phong Nhi in Vietnam's Quang Nam Province.

About 70 people were killed in the massacre reported to have been conducted by troops of the 2nd Marine Brigade of the Republic of Korea Marines while on a mission during the Vietnam War.

Nguyen Thi Thanh, a survivor of the killings, filed a damages suit against the South Korean government in 2020 seeking some 30 million won (US$23,894) in compensation. Nguyen claimed she lost her family members and sustained gunshot wounds herself.

On Tuesday, the court ordered the state should pay about 30 million won to her, along with interest.

The court rejected the government side's argument that it is immune to such a damages suit by a Vietnamese national in accordance with a relevant agreement signed between Vietnam and South Korea and the United States.

"It is hard to view that such an agreement has legal force preventing a Vietnamese individual from filing claims toward the South Korean government," the court noted.

The court also rejected the government's claims South Korean troops' involvement in the killings has not been clearly proven or it was a justifiable act given the peculiar characteristics of the Vietnam War.

"It is acknowledged that the plaintiff's family members died at the site and she sustained serious wounds ... from the shooting by marine troops," the court said, calling the incident "a clearly illegal act."

In a video call connected from Vietnam, Nguyen welcomed the ruling, saying she was tremendously delighted to learn of the decision that she said will serve as consolation to those killed.

Lawyers representing Nguyen hailed the ruling as the first acknowledgement by an official South Korean body of the Vietnam War mass killings of civilians.

The Ministry of National Defense, which oversees the dispatch of troops overseas, hinted it may seek an appeal.

"We will review follow-up steps after going through consultations with relevant agencies," the defense ministry said in a statement, when asked if it accepts the latest ruling.


A survivor of the Phong Nhi massacre during the Vietnam War testifies about the incident in South Korea in 2019. (Yonhap)

pbr@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 강윤승 · February 7, 2023



10. North's Kim returns after 40-day absence for military meeting




Tuesday

February 7, 2023

 dictionary + A - A 

North's Kim returns after 40-day absence for military meeting

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/02/07/national/northKorea/Korea-North-Korea-Workers-Party/20230207184820519.html


North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Military Commission in footage released by the Korean Central Television (KCTV) on Tuesday. Visible behind Kim is the flag for a "Missile Management Agency," with a logo featuring a stylized version of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile. [YONHAP]

 

North Korea's ruling Workers' Party convened a meeting of its Central Military Commission to "perfect" its readiness for war, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday.  

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over the meeting, according to the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

 

Photos released by the KCNA on Tuesday showed one of the flags behind Kim displaying the words “Missile Management Agency” along the edge of a circular logo that included a stylized depiction of the North's longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-17, being fired.


 

The North’s state media have not previously reported on the existence of an agency by that name.

 

Participants in the meeting “discussed in depth the major military and political tasks for 2023 and the long-term issues concerning the orientation for army building,” the KCNA said in an English-language statement.

 

It reported that participants focused on “the issue of constantly expanding and intensifying the operation and combat drills of the Korean People's Army to cope with the prevailing situation and more strictly perfecting the preparedness for war.”

 

The meeting comes amid satellite images that show the North preparing for a military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its military Wednesday.

 

Analysts have told the Korea JoongAng Daily it is likely that the North will showcase at least some of the weapons it tested last year, and also some weapons to project the threatening potential of its illicit weapons development programs to South Korea and the United States.

 

Kim’s attendance at the meeting also marks his return to the public eye after a 40-day hiatus. 

 

The last time state media reported the North Korean leader’s presence at a gathering was on Jan. 1, where Kim was quoted as calling for developing new intercontinental ballistic missiles and a larger nuclear arsenal to counter U.S.-led threats.

 

In that meeting, reported by the KCNA as having taken place on Dec. 31, Kim highlighted the need to secure “overwhelming military power” to defend its sovereignty and security.

 

Seoul’s unification ministry said Tuesday’s military meeting appears to be aimed at strengthening internal solidarity within the North Korean military.

 

The North's last missile test was of a short-range ballistic missile in the early hours of Jan. 1.

 

The North’s foreign ministry recently said Pyongyang will “take the toughest reaction” to any military action by the United States and warned its future responses would follow the principle of “nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation,” following Washington’s repeated pledges to provide credible “extended deterrence” to protect South Korea against the North’s military threats.

 

The North launched 70 ballistic missiles last year — a record for single year — amid warnings from South Korean and U.S. officials that the regime is ready to conduct a nuclear test at any time. 

 


BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]



11. Hanwha signs MOU with Romania for K9 howitzers


Again, Korea is a partner in the Arsenal of Democracy. Some irony here because of the long relationship between Kim Il Sung and Nicolae Ceaușescu.


Tuesday

February 7, 2023

 dictionary + A - A 

Hanwha signs MOU with Romania for K9 howitzers

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/02/07/national/defense/Korea-Hanwha-Aerospace-K9/20230207184350465.html


Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il, left in the first row, and Florentina Micu, Romarm's director, at a signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding in Romania on Feb. 6. [HANWHA AEROSPACE]

 

Hanwha Aerospace signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Romania’s state-run defense company to export its K9 self-propelled howitzer and infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), the Korean engine and arms manufacturer announced Tuesday.  

 

The MOU with Romarm concerns the provision and maintenance of the K9 and Redback IFVs, although the size and duration of the preliminary agreement were not disclosed. 

 

The announcement came as European nations — many of them being members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ― are upping military budgets amid a prolonged war between Russia and Ukraine. 


 

In a ceremony attended by executives of Hanwha Aerospace and Romarm and government officials, Romania’s Economy Minister Florin Marian Spataru welcomed the MOU, saying that the government will offer its full support to strengthen its footing in the defense industry. 

 

Government officials from Romania visited Korea three times over the last five months to explore potential partnerships, touring a main production site of Hanwha Aerospace in Changwon. 

 

If the MOU develops into a formal contract, it will mark the latest in a string of arms deals signed with European nations.

Hanwha Defense, whose defense unit is now merged with Hanwha Aerospace, sold 212 K9 howitzers costing a total of 3.2 trillion won ($2.5 billion) last year. A contract for a second batch of 460 howitzers is being negotiated, according to local media outlets. 

 

Other NATO members like Norway, Finland and Estonia also bought the K9 howitzer from Hanwha. 

 

"If the MOU progresses into future exports, the K9 self-propelled howitzer could build a reputation as a proven provider of weapons as it is deployed in 10 countries around the world,” said Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, in a statement. 

"We will expand our footing further into different parts of Europe, alongside with Romania, expanding the business," he said. 


BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]



12. [INTERVIEW] 'Korea, US can create synergy in space industry': NASA ambassador




[INTERVIEW] 'Korea, US can create synergy in space industry': NASA ambassador

The Korea Times · February 7, 2023

Paul Yun, a solar system ambassador of NASA, speaks in Houston about the U.S. space agency's candidate areas for the landing of humans on Mars by the late 2030s or early 2040s, in this 2015 file photo. Courtesy of NASA


Space expert positively views Korea's Mars 2045 vision

By Baek Byung-yeul


President Yoon Suk Yeol's ambitious vision to send a spacecraft to Mars by 2045 will be easier to achieve if Korea further strengthens cooperation with the United States, which has the world's leading space technology, according to an ambassador of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).


"NASA values international cooperation with other countries including Korea. This is because the cooperation can create synergy and technologies from other countries can greatly help NASA as well, such as increasing the success rate of space exploration. Space exploration needs to proceed in a way that can benefit both countries, and the Danuri lunar orbiter is a great success story," Paul Yun, NASA's solar system ambassador, told The Korea Times in a recent email interview.


Yun, who also serves as a professor of mathematics at El Camino College in California, has been promoting NASA's space exploration activities as an ambassador since 2012. The ambassador cited Danuri, also known as the Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) that has been conducting a year-long scientific research project circling the moon since Dec. 28, 2022, as an example of the collaborative efforts between the two countries.


The lunar orbiter was launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at the U.S. Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in August, 2022. The spacecraft also carried NASA's ShadowCam device to capture images of the moon's permanently shadowed region.


"Danuri was carried by the SpaceX projectile, which was also made thorough the help of NASA and NASA's experience also helped Korea to safely send Danuri into lunar orbit. Korea has installed NASA's ShadowCam device on Danuri, helping the U.S. agency explore the amount of ice in the Antarctic region and human landing candidates. Collaboration with NASA, which has decades of experience in space exploration, will help both countries and increase the success rate of Korea's space exploration," the ambassador said.


Yun also gave a positive evaluation of the Korean president's space exploration vision, saying that Korea also has to ride on the space industry, which advanced countries are trying to foster as one of their next growth engines.


On Nov. 28, 2022, Yoon announced that Korea will take a leap forward to become one of the world's space powerhouses by around 2045. To that end, the country aims to send a spacecraft to the moon by 2032 for resource mining and land on Mars by 2045.


The president brought up such an ambitious goal as he believes "a country with a vision for space can lead the global economy and solve the problems humans are facing."


"Bank of America estimated the space economy to be worth $3 trillion around the 2050s. The space economy is on the rise every year, focusing on the space internet and telecommunication services, which are essential for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Space tourism and resource exploration are also expected to drive the growth of the space economy," Yun said, adding that the space economy is a challenge and an opportunity for the development of a nation.


He said he was impressed by the rapid development of Korea's space industry.

"Considering the development speed of Korea's own space rocket, it is expected to have the ability to carry a spacecraft to Mars by 2045. There were many negative views when the Naro space rocket was launched a decade ago, but the success of the Nuri space rocket in 2022 proved that the performance of Korea's launch vehicle is rapidly improving," Yun said. "In more than 20 years, I estimate that the country's launch vehicle will have the ability to explore deep space beyond Mars."


The professor added that NASA's robotic and human moon and Mars exploration program called Artemis will also have a positive impact on Korea's 2045 plan.


"Through NASA's Artemis program, the U.S. is preparing for crewed lunar landing in 2025 and crewed mission to Mars in the late 2030s. I can say the success of Danuri has helped establish mutual trust between Korea's aerospace science community and NASA. NASA will continue to explore Mars in the 2040s and collaboration with NASA is expected to greatly increase the success rate of Korea's 2045 Mars landing plan," he said.


Paul Yun, fifth from right, a solar system ambassador of NASA, poses with officers from the Korean Army and the U.S. Army at Camp Humphreys U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek in this Dec. 2022 photo after delivering a lecture on NASA's space exploration. Courtesy of Paul Yun


Fostering astronauts is top priority


When asked what kinds of efforts Korea has to make to accomplish the vision, Yun emphasized the need for programs to foster astronauts.


"To become a leading nation in the space industry, it is necessary to nurture astronauts as well as launch vehicles and satellites. Currently, leading countries are carrying out many missions through astronauts. I think that the launch of astronaut fostering programs from a long-term perspective at the national level will pave the way for Korea to play a leading role in the industry. This policy will ultimately help increase the number of private astronauts," he said.


The ambassador also advised that Korea and its people need to be more patient about failures that could occur in the space exploration process.


"The possibility of high failure is always there in the space exploration process and I think the only way to succeed in the space sector is to humbly accept it as a step in the development process. This will eventually increase the probability of success in the next attempt, which will be conducted after thorough analysis and preparation," he said. "When exploration fails, it is important for the people and politicians to have a mature attitude to trust and have patience in researchers."






The Korea Times · February 7, 2023




13. Possible nuclear armament for South Korea


I appreciate and respect the arguments in South Korea and the desire of the Korean people for nuclear weapons. I am confident that cooler heads will prevail among the South Korean leadership.


But I agree with the author, the Korean people, and the Korean leadership. The defense of the ROK is paramount and everything that can be done should be done to first ensure deterrence to prevent war, and then to be able to successful defend the South should Kim Jong Un choose to attack.


Conclusion:


Can there be peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula? Why do those who call for peace and denuclearization stay quiet when it comes to North Korea's possession of nuclear arms? South Korean society has become insensitive to North Korea's nuclear blackmail and gaslighting after hearing its threats for so long. The path to South Korea's nuclear armament will be obviously very rough, but the expense and effort to protect the country and its people must be spent willingly, no matter the cost.




Possible nuclear armament for South Korea

The Korea Times · February 6, 2023

By Park Jung-won


President Yoon Suk Yeol said recently that if North Korea's nuclear threats continued to worsen, South Korea would need to consider redeploying U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea and possibly establish its own nuclear armament. He pointed out that South Korea has the scientific and technological capability to develop such weapons within a short timeframe.


Opposition parties and experts criticized him for making reckless and dangerous remarks that could lead to a disastrous war. Some of these criticisms may be valid. For example, it is not wrong to say that pushing ahead with an independent nuclear weapons program would risk weakening the Korea-U.S. alliance due to U.S. opposition. The importance of this alliance to South Korea's peace and prosperity cannot be overemphasized.


Thus establishing a certain level of a "nuclear balance" whereby the U.S.'s nuclear capability serves as a reliable counter to the North Korean nuclear threat through extended deterrence seems to be the best measure for the time being. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who visited South Korea on Jan 29-30, shared a similar view by noting the importance of the U.S.'s nuclear umbrella.


Nevertheless, Yoon's statement that South Korea might obtain its own nuclear arms cannot be dismissed as foolish. Anxiety exists over whether the U.S. would actually protect South Korea in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack. National security planning should not be based on hope. The worst case must be assumed as a possibility. South Korea and the U.S. may be blood allies, but in international politics, all countries worry about their own security before that of their treaty partners.


In a worst-case scenario, it is not impossible to imagine the U.S. striking a deal with North Korea that sees reduced capability ― through the dismantling of long-range missiles capable of reaching the U.S. ― or a partial reduction in the number of nuclear weapons, and the recognition of the North as a de facto nuclear power.


In return, the U.S. might withdraw some of its troops from South Korea. In the harsh world of international politics, such a scenario is not inconceivable. If South Korea is truly a sovereign independent state, it is quite natural for its president to speak about the possibility of nuclear armament at a time when the North Korean nuclear threat has become a reality. Why should the South Korean president not be able to say this? If the domestic political situation in the U.S. were to change, South Korea might have to watch helplessly as such a deal between the U.S. and North Korea took shape.


Is it crazy to believe that the U.S. would only actively intervene in the event of a real wartime situation in South Korea if it were cornered in an extreme situation such as Pearl Harbor and 9/11? South Koreans have already witnessed, under former President Donald Trump, that the U.S. can consider deals with North Korea without such a catastrophic situation. South Koreans have also seen many attempts by U.S. governments to pull troops out of South Korea.


The more serious problem is if Yoon makes such remarks about the possibility of his country's own nuclear development, without following them up with concrete measures. If so, Yoon would indeed be an incompetent leader who, as the opposition claims, is an amateur at diplomacy and is jeopardizing South Korea's security.


For example, he should be negotiating with the U.S. to revise the Korea-U.S. nuclear energy pact, to secure fuel-reprocessing authority related to peaceful use, under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) system. And just as the U.S. has supported Australia's nuclear-powered submarine development, it should do the same for South Korea. More fundamentally, Yoon should instruct related agencies to report to him on South Korea's technological status and capabilities for developing nuclear weapons.


In other words, Yoon should order them to verify Korea's ability to quickly achieve its "nuclear potential," even if it decides not to produce or possess nuclear weapons for the time being. South Korea might need to leave the NPT in the worst-case scenario, but its capacity to quickly make nuclear weapons must be confirmed before such a withdrawal.


In this process, if the U.S. strongly opposes Yoon's administration, Yoon should consider conducting the type of brinkmanship diplomacy that South Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee, did in the past. Rhee's steadfastness gave birth to the Korea-U.S. alliance treaty. If South Korea does not take this course of action with strong resolve, it faces the grave possibility of one day being hit by a surprise nuclear attack from North Korea.


Another possible option for Yoon, amid domestic political disagreement over nuclear armament despite the North's increasingly extreme threats, would be to ask the South Korean people directly in the form of a national referendum, or by a pledge in a general election, whether they want their country to counter these threats by developing its own nuclear capability.


If the general public responds no, South Korea will be sadly reduced to an "impossible state," but the public will most likely respond to the idea positively. According to a recent poll, 77 percent of South Korean respondents said that their country needed to develop its own nuclear weapons program.


Can there be peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula? Why do those who call for peace and denuclearization stay quiet when it comes to North Korea's possession of nuclear arms? South Korean society has become insensitive to North Korea's nuclear blackmail and gaslighting after hearing its threats for so long. The path to South Korea's nuclear armament will be obviously very rough, but the expense and effort to protect the country and its people must be spent willingly, no matter the cost.


Park Jung-won (park_jungwon@hotmail.com), Ph.D. in law from the London School of Economics (LSE), is a professor of international law at Dankook University.



The Korea Times · February 6, 2023



​14. Seoul's nuclear gambit is not in favor of alliance politics


Actually I think the alliance is being strengthened because of these discussions.


Seoul's nuclear gambit is not in favor of alliance politics

The Korea Times · February 7, 2023

Mitch ShinJagannath PandaBy Mitch Shin and Jagannath Panda


South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has begun the New Year by provocatively underscoring his hawkish approach to North Korea, evident since his presidential campaign days. In early January, however, he may have overstepped his brief by suggesting that if the threats from North Korea grow, South Korea could consider developing nuclear weapons or asking the United States to redeploy nuclear weapons.

Notably, on careful consideration, the statement does not seem as off the cuff as it may appear at the outset. Primarily because it was made on the back of his assertions earlier the same month about the inadequacy of the U.S. extended deterrence and the need for joint nuclear exercises with the U.S. In response, the U.S. has rejected both Yoon's ideas, namely nuclear armament and joint nuclear exercises, by repeatedly emphasizing the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.


As a result, Yoon has in the aftermath of his global headline-generating remarks tried to calm the waters: In an interview with the Wall Street Journal at the World Economic Forum in Davos soon after, he reiterated his trust in the U.S. extended deterrence and his will to respect the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime, which bars the parties to the NPT (including South Korea) from acquiring nuclear assets.


In the interim, many analyses listing the pros and cons of South Korea acquiring its own nuclear weapons have been published. For example, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) ― and a potential candidate for the next presidential election ― recently argued for the need for an "active nuclear umbrella," highlighting the conservatives' support for Yoon's bold proposition. In addition, Yoon might have even set the timetable for the country's nuclear development.


On the other hand, amid the unprecedented missile launches by North Korea last year, Washington has reassured its full commitment to defend Seoul from any nuclear attack. Regardless, some have favored the South's nuclear development overture, claiming that the U.S. might not use its nuclear weapons to defend the South in the event of an emergency on U.S. soil, that is, if North Korea attacks cities on the West Coast of the U.S. with its nuclear weapons.


In other words, the contention is that the U.S. would not be able to fully use its resources to protect the South when there is an increasing possibility of the North using its nuclear weapons directed at the U.S. mainland.


Further, this stress on a pro-nuclear armament initiative is reminiscent of the 1970s when the controversial Park Chung-hee government authorized a covert nuclear weapons program amid questions about the U.S. commitment to defend the South. Declassified intelligence documents years later revealed that these ambitions were discovered and thwarted due to strong U.S. opposition for fear of influencing the balance of power in Northeast Asia.


Pro-armament arguments remain the grounds for recent domestic opinion poll results declaring that more than half of South Koreans support the country developing nuclear weapons due to the growing threat from North Korea. At a time when the peninsula is under unprecedented nuclear threat, history too, therefore, evokes public support for South Korea strengthening its own nuclear capabilities.


Nonetheless, the U.S. and the international community will not support the South's designs to develop nuclear weapons. The reasons include fear of reprisals from the North and a detrimental change in the region's status quo. Moreover, as the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the ultimate goal of the U.S., it will not consider redeploying its tactical nuclear weapons on the South's soil either.


At the same time, if South Korea persistently questions the execution capabilities of the U.S. extended deterrence, Washington may also rethink the necessity of spending enormous amounts of money and resources to defend South Korea: Under the Mutual Defense Treaty signed after the 1950-53 Korean War, about 28,500 troops are stationed in South Korea.


Such a narrative could be a bellwether for straining the relations and weakening the military alliance between the two countries ― which would bode well for North Korea's aim to weaken the South Korea-U.S. leverage in the region.


Besides, South Korea's nuclear development will also become a main catalyst for the North boosting up its nuclear capabilities further. It will also provide Pyongyang grounds to appeal to the international community against the unfairness of the economic sanctions on the North.


The main purpose of South Korea acquiring nuclear weapons is to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. This rationale has been consolidated in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, it is too risky an endeavor, especially when there is plenty of room to closely coordinate with the U.S. and strengthen the country's military capabilities.


In addition, considering the status of the U.S. military assets, including its nuclear and conventional missile programs, South Korea does not need to develop its own nuclear weapons unless the U.S. withdraws its troops from its soil or the Mutual Defense Treaty is abrogated.


Ironically, the South Korean conservatives who prioritize the strengthening of the South Korea-U.S. military alliance are the ones vigorously supporting the domestic nuclear development rhetoric, which will surely weaken the alliance. While reiterating that the alliance with the U.S. is ironclad, they have jeopardized the U.S.-South Korea relations in jeopardy by adopting a one-dimensional formula: "nuclear to nuclear."


Taking the long view, rather than fan the controversial and boastful talk, Yoon must put his nuclear armament plans in perspective by developing a well-thought-out countermeasures strategy, including the prospects of a worst-case scenario. Public awareness about the nuclear-armament implications is also a relevant need to avoid misinformation chaos.


National security needs to be preserved. Importantly, however, to achieve its "global pivotal state" ambition, Seoul needs to be more responsible while advancing radical thoughts that could endanger its reputation, ties with the U.S., and the region's tenuous stability.


Mitch Shin is an assistant editor at The Diplomat and nonresident Korea Foundation fellow at Pacific Forum. Jagannath Panda is the head of Stockholm Centre for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs at the Institute for Security and Development Policy, Sweden and a senior fellow at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), the Netherlands.


The views expressed above are the authors' own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.



The Korea Times · February 7, 2023

15. North Korea party meeting set to discuss ‘urgent’ food issue

 



​The regime will never solve the food crisis as long as it prioritizes nuclear weapons and missiles.


North Korea party meeting set to discuss ‘urgent’ food issue

Stars and Stripes · by KIM TONG-HYUNG · February 6, 2023

Farmers plant rice using rice seedling transplanter at Chongsan Cooperative Farm in Kangso District, Nampho, North Korea, on May 9, 2022. North Korea has scheduled a major political conference Feb. 2023, to discuss the “urgent task” of improving its agricultural sector, a possible sign that the country’s food insecurity is getting worse as its economic isolation deepens amid a defiant nuclear weapons push. (Cha Song Ho/AP)


SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has scheduled a major political conference to discuss the "urgent task" of improving its agricultural sector, a possible sign of worsening food insecurity as the country's economic isolation deepens amid a defiant nuclear weapons push.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Monday that members of the ruling Workers' Party's Politburo met on Saturday and agreed to hold a larger plenary meeting of the party's Central Committee in late February to review strategies on agriculture and set new goals. It said the Politburo members acknowledged a "a turning point is needed to dynamically promote the radical change in agricultural development."

"It is a very important and urgent task to establish the correct strategy for the development of agriculture and take relevant measures for the immediate farming … to promote the overall development of socialist construction," the KCNA said.

The Politburo meeting came amid indications that the country was preparing to stage a massive military parade in Pyongyang, possibly this week, to glorify the rule of leader Kim Jong Un and his growing collection of nuclear-capable weapons, which he has aggressively pushed to expand despite limited resources and economic decay.

Although not unprecedented, it's uncommon for North Korea to hold two different party plenaries in a span of two months. It's also rare for North Korea to call a plenary meeting over a single agenda, this time agriculture, South Korean Unification Ministry spokesperson Koo Byoungsam said in a briefing.

"The government will closely watch North Korea's food situation and internal trends," said Koo. He said South Korea estimates that North Korean food production fell by about 4% in 2022 to 4.5 million tons.

Following the collapse of nuclear negotiations with the United States in 2019, Kim declared to strengthen his nuclear weapons and missile program against "gangster-like" U.S. sanctions and pressure and urged his nation to stay resilient in the struggle for economic self-reliance.

But the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed further shock on North Korea's already broken economy, by forcing the nation to shield its poor healthcare system with strict border controls that choked off trade with China, its main ally and economic lifeline. The country was also hit with devastating typhoons and floods in 2020 that decimated crops.

In a study published on the North Korea-focused 38 North website last month, analyst Lucas Rengifo-Keller said food insecurity in North Korea is likely at its worst since the country's 1990s famine that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

It's difficult to establish an accurate assessment of North Korea's humanitarian needs considering the closed nature of its regime and the poor quality of the limited statistics it discloses. But North Korea's grain balance estimates issued by U.N. agencies and outside governments as well as possibly sharp increases in rice and corn prices observed by NGOs and media indicate that "country's food supply has probably failed to satisfy minimum human needs," Rengifo-Keller wrote.

Russia's war on Ukraine likely worsened the situation by driving up global prices of food, energy and fertilizer, on which North Korea's agricultural production is heavily dependent.

"Put simply, North Korea teeters on the brink of famine," Rengifo-Keller said.

The Workers' Party's Central Committee also held a plenary meeting in December, when Kim doubled down on his nuclear ambitions by calling an "exponential increase" of nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nukes targeting rival South Korea and the development of more powerful long-range missiles designed to reach the U.S. mainland. Party members also during the meeting identified key economic projects for 2023, highlighted by agricultural and construction activities.

Stars and Stripes · by KIM TONG-HYUNG · February 6, 2023








De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com


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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