Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Apologies for no dispatches on 8/4/23. I was traveling and KAL still has no wifi on its flights.

Quotes of the Day:

“Does what happened keep you from acting with justice, generosity, self-control, sanity, prudence, honesty, humility, or straightforwardness?”

- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

“Life is not a problem to be solved by a mystery to be lived. Follow the path that is no path, follow your bliss.”

- Joseph Campbell

“I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”

- James Baldwin

1. Crypto Heists Funneling Billions to North Korea’s Nuclear Program Attract Senate Scrutiny

2. Russia Is Again Turning to North Korea to Replenish Ammunition Supplies

3. China executes S. Korean drug offender for 1st time in 9 years

4. N. Korea criticizes U.S. weapons package for Taiwan

5. N. Korea considering providing military support to Russia: NSC

6. South Korea Is Sidestepping the Hub

7. The Curious Case of Pvt Travis King – U.S. Serviceman Flees to North Korea

8. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Daycares and preschools stop providing meals due to financial troubles…Parents facing demands for rice and money protest by turning their backs on the schools, sending their kids to neighbors instead

9. US Submarine Provokes Renewed Tensions In Korean Peninsula – OpEd

10. U.S. working to bring Travis King home but N. Korea remains unresponsive: Blinken

11. Ex-U.N. panel coordinator says UNSC 'completely deadlocked' in imposing sanctions against N. Korea

12. US declines to invoke prisoner of war status for Travis King

13. ‘He told me that if I ran away he would report me to the Chinese police’

14. The bumpy road toward unification

15. South-North Korea and ARF

16. English proficiency of South Koreans

17. South Korea sets nationwide civil defense drill, citing North's 'provocations'

18. Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: August - KOREA

19. Miracle on Han River, no success without sacrifice

1. Crypto Heists Funneling Billions to North Korea’s Nuclear Program Attract Senate Scrutiny

We must be vigilant and aggressive in defending against the regime's all purpose sword (which must include offensive action).

Excerpts:

Lt. Gen. Tim Haugh, Biden’s nominee to become the next chief of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, said during a confirmation hearing that North Korea relies heavily on acquiring cryptocurrency to dodge sanctions and support its nuclear ambitions.

“It is certainly an enabler for the DPRK to raise funds focused on their military program,” Haugh said in response to questions from Warren, who sits on both the armed services and banking committees.

Warren last month reintroduced bipartisan legislation with Sen. Roger Marshall (R., Kan.) and others seeking to reduce national security risks associated with digital assets by bringing more of the cryptocurrency market into compliance with laws designed to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing and other crimes. The legislation would extend so-called know-your-customer requirements to crypto wallet providers, miners, transaction validators and other network participants.

It also would order a unit of the Treasury Department to complete and implement a proposal requiring banks and crypto platforms to gather more information about crypto transactions with “unhosted wallets” used for storing digital tokens. That rule, proposed in late 2020, hasn’t been put into place since Biden took office.

Crypto Heists Funneling Billions to North Korea’s Nuclear Program Attract Senate Scrutiny

Democratic lawmakers, warning of national security threat, press Biden to disclose efforts to crack down on Pyongyang

By Dustin Volz

Aug. 4, 2023 9:00 am ET

https://www.wsj.com/articles/crypto-heists-funneling-billions-to-north-koreas-nuclear-program-attract-senate-scrutiny-698fd245?mod=Searchresults_pos4&page=1

WASHINGTON—Three Democratic senators are pressing the Biden administration to disclose more information about its efforts to counteract North Korea’s dependence on stolen cryptocurrency to fund its nuclear program, calling Pyongyang’s growing reliance on digital assets to evade sanctions a severe national security threat.

In a letter sent Thursday to the White House and Treasury Department, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), Tim Kaine (D., Va.) and Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.) asked for details on any steps being taken by the administration to address the problem and for updated estimates on the scale and scope of revenue being generated by the cash-strapped regime through ill-gotten cryptocurrency.

“North Korea has methodically built its expertise in digital assets over the past few years,” the senators wrote to Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, and Brian Nelson, the Treasury Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. The Treasury Department, the senators said, “must act quickly and decisively to crack down on illicit crypto activity and protect our national security.”

A White House National Security Council spokeswoman declined to comment on the letter but pointed to previous remarks by senior officials highlighting the issue and the need to do more to combat the problem. A Treasury Department spokeswoman didn’t comment on the letter but referred to earlier department actions seeking to constrict North Korea’s crypto-laundering operations, such as sanctions on cryptocurrency mixers and virtual currency wallets linked to North Korean hackers, among other measures.

The senators’ letter cites the findings of a Wall Street Journal article in June that reported North Korean hackers have stolen more than $3 billion in crypto-related thefts since 2018 and that the money is now being used to fund about 50% of the regime’s ballistic missile program, according to U.S. officials. At the same time, North Korea’s missile launch attempts and successes also have grown rapidly.

U.S. officials have cautioned that so much is unknown about the nation’s sources of funds amid Western sanctions that it isn’t possible to have a precise understanding of the role crypto theft is playing in the increased rate of missile tests. But the test buildup by Kim Jong Un’s reclusive regime has occurred at the same time as a concerning upswing in crypto heists.

About half of North Korea’s foreign currency funding for purchasing foreign components for its ballistic missile program is now supplied by the regime’s cyber operations, Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, told the Journal in June. That is a sharp increase from earlier estimates, which had put the figure at a third of overall funding for the programs.

U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts have also said North Korea has built what is essentially a shadow workforce of thousands of IT workers operating out of countries around the world, including Russia and China, who make money—sometimes more than $300,000 a year—doing mundane technology work. But this workforce is often linked up with the regime’s cybercrime operations, investigators say.

The letter also asks for information about the actors helping to facilitate the exchange of crypto assets for other assets, such as material to make nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, where those actors are located, and whether the administration has taken any action against them.

Lt. Gen. Tim Haugh, Biden’s nominee to become the next chief of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, said during a confirmation hearing that North Korea relies heavily on acquiring cryptocurrency to dodge sanctions and support its nuclear ambitions.

“It is certainly an enabler for the DPRK to raise funds focused on their military program,” Haugh said in response to questions from Warren, who sits on both the armed services and banking committees.

Warren last month reintroduced bipartisan legislation with Sen. Roger Marshall (R., Kan.) and others seeking to reduce national security risks associated with digital assets by bringing more of the cryptocurrency market into compliance with laws designed to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing and other crimes. The legislation would extend so-called know-your-customer requirements to crypto wallet providers, miners, transaction validators and other network participants.

It also would order a unit of the Treasury Department to complete and implement a proposal requiring banks and crypto platforms to gather more information about crypto transactions with “unhosted wallets” used for storing digital tokens. That rule, proposed in late 2020, hasn’t been put into place since Biden took office.

Write to Dustin Volz at dustin.volz@wsj.com

2. Russia Is Again Turning to North Korea to Replenish Ammunition Supplies

Excerpts:

The U.S., Britain and France have demanded that the U.N. investigate Russia’s reported use of hundreds of Iranian-provided drones in the war in Ukraine, which would violate U.N. sanctions. It is unclear whether the U.N. will do so in the face of strong opposition from Russia.

A large amount of munitions on both sides is being expended amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive aimed at breaking the winter’s stalemate and recapturing territory taken by Russian forces last year.

Some U.S. and European officials said they believe a successful Ukrainian offensive could pave the way for negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow by the end of the year, and that China could help bring Russia to the table.

Senior officials from up to 30 countries are preparing to meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this weekend to talk about ending the war in Ukraine.

WORLD

Russia Is Again Turning to North Korea to Replenish Ammunition Supplies

As fighting in Ukraine depletes stockpiles on both sides, Moscow is looking to Pyongyang for help

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-is-again-turning-to-north-korea-to-replenish-ammunition-supplies-d79a5318?mod=Searchresults_pos7&page=1

By Vivian Salama

Aug. 3, 2023 5:49 pm ET

WASHINGTON—Russia is looking to buy more ammunition from North Korea to replenish its dwindling stockpiles amid Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine, the U.S. said Thursday.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that any arms deal between North Korea and Russia would be a violation of several United Nations Security Council resolutions. He added that the U.S. would continue to identify and stop Russian efforts to acquire ammunition from North Korea, or any other state that might be prepared to support the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

“This is yet another example of how desperate [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is becoming, because his war machine is being affected by the sanctions and the export controls,” Kirby said. “He is going through a vast amount of inventory to try to subjugate Ukraine.”

The revelation, which was based on declassified U.S. intelligence, follows a visit by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Pyongyang last week with the aim of reaffirming their military partnership.

Ammunition shortages have been a problem for both sides in the Ukraine war. President Biden last month warned that Ukraine was running out of ammunition. And Moscow has previously turned to Pyongyang for supplies, according to U.S. officials.

Earlier this year, the White House said Russia was negotiating a deal with North Korea to exchange weapons for food and other commodities. The U.S. has also imposed sanctions and export controls on individuals who have allegedly attempted to facilitate arms deals between Russia and North Korea.

The Russian embassy in Washington, D.C., referred questions to the defense ministry in Moscow, which didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment. The North Korean mission to the United Nations also didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Skip Adin 13

China executes S. Korean drug offender for 1st time in 9 years | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · August 4, 2023

SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- China executed a South Korean drug offender Friday for the first time in nine years, an official at Seoul's foreign ministry said.

The official expressed regret over the execution, which was conducted in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, despite Seoul's repeated calls for clemency.

China notified South Korea of the execution in advance through diplomatic channels, the official said.

The man was arrested in China in 2014 on charges of drug trafficking. He was sentenced to death by a district court in 2019, and a higher court finalized the ruling in November 2020, according to the official.

This combination of photos shows images of the Chinese national flag and illegal narcotics. (Yonhap)

He was known to have been in possession of 5 kilograms of methamphetamine when arrested. In China, those caught smuggling, selling, transporting or producing over 1 kilogram of opium, or more than 50 grams of methamphetamine or heroin can face the death penalty, life imprisonment or a minimum of 15 years in prison.

"The government regrets, from a humanitarian perspective, that the execution took place on one of our nationals," the official said.

The South Korean government had requested Beijing reconsider or delay carrying out the execution numerous times, all to no avail, according to the official.

julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · August 4, 2023

4. N. Korea criticizes U.S. weapons package for Taiwan

The regime is carrying China's water (no surprise).

(This fits the nK-PRC relationship: "To carry someone's water" does indeed mean to occupy a subservient position, to do the bidding, the menial tasks, and frequently the dirty work, of a more powerful person, and is most often used in a political context.)

Excerpts:

"If the U.S. persists in dangerous acts of provoking the core interests of China while repeatedly violating the red line set by China in the Taiwan issue, it will surely have to pay a high price for them," Maeng said.

The statement comes as the North is increasingly seeking closer ties with China, its biggest ally and economic benefactor, alongside Russia, in the face of strengthened trilateral security cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.

N. Korea criticizes U.S. weapons package for Taiwan | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · August 4, 2023

SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea warned Friday that Washington's plan to provide weapons to Taiwan reflects its "sinister intention" to deter China and will heighten regional tensions to an "ignition point of war."

Last week, the United States announced its plan to provide military aid worth up to US$345 million, which involves the transfer of weaponry to Taiwan from Washington's own stockpile, in what was seen as bolstering Taiwan's self-defense capabilities against China.

"The U.S. says in public that it abides by the principle of one China but instigates in the rear the 'independence' of Taiwan, inseparable part of China," a North Korean foreign ministry official said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, branding the move as "double-dealing" by the U.S.

Maeong Yong-rim, director-general of the Department of Chinese Affairs at the North's Foreign Ministry, claimed the U.S. aims to make Taiwan the "first-line trench for carrying out its strategy for deterring China" to ultimately secure a "hegemonic" position in the Asia-Pacific region.

The official reaffirmed Pyongyang's commitment to help China defend its sovereignty and achieve the "sacred cause of unification," warning that Washington would face unspecified consequences should it continue to "provoke" Beijing.

"If the U.S. persists in dangerous acts of provoking the core interests of China while repeatedly violating the red line set by China in the Taiwan issue, it will surely have to pay a high price for them," Maeng said.

The statement comes as the North is increasingly seeking closer ties with China, its biggest ally and economic benefactor, alongside Russia, in the face of strengthened trilateral security cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently appeared for a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Li Hongzhong, a politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party. They were the first foreign delegations to visit the North since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C), alongside Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) and Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong (R), observes a military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, on July 27, 2023, to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, in this file photo released the next day by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · August 4, 2023

5. N. Korea considering providing military support to Russia: NSC

N. Korea considering providing military support to Russia: NSC | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · August 4, 2023

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is considering providing additional military support to Russia, including munitions to be used in the latter's ongoing war in Ukraine, a National Security Council (NSC) official said Thursday.

John Kirby, NSC coordinator for strategic communications, said the U.S. will continue to expose and sanction efforts to assist Russia's illegal war against Ukraine.

"Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu recently traveled to North Korea in a bid to convince North Korea to sell munitions to Russia to support Russia's war," he told a telephonic press briefing.

North Korea reported last week that the Russian defense minister visited Pyongyang to take part in events marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, celebrated in the country as Victory Day.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) shakes hands with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during their meeting at the headquarters of the Workers' Party of Korea's Central Committee in Pyongyang on July 26, 2023, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. A Russian military delegation, led by Shoigu, visited the North to celebrate the 70th anniversary the next day of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution)

"Our information indicates that Russia is seeking to increase military cooperation to the DPRK such as through DPRK sale of artillery munitions, again to Russia," added Kirby, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

His remark follows a Financial Times report that Ukrainian troops have been using North Korean rockets seized from a ship believed to have been headed to Russia, indicating North Korea's continued provision of military support to Russia.

"Any arms deal between North Korea and Russia would, of course, directly violate a series of U.N. Security Council resolutions," Kirby told the press briefing.

"And we are going to continue to identify, expose and counter Russian efforts to acquire ammunition from North Korea or quite frankly any other state that might be prepared to support its war in Ukraine," he added, noting the U.S. had imposed sanctions on an individual involved in Russia-North Korea arms trade in March.

The NSC official also insisted that Russia's outreach to North Korea for ammunition reflected the dire condition Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin are in.

"I think this is yet another example of how desperate Mr. Putin has become because his war machine is being affected by the sanctions," said Kirby.

"He (Putin) is going through a vast amount of inventory to try to subjugate Ukraine and he's reaching out to countries like North Korea, like Iran, and certainly he's been trying to reach out to China to get support for his war machine."

bdk@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · August 4, 2023

6. South Korea Is Sidestepping the Hub

I was prepared to not like this article based on the headline and subtitle.

But it is one of the few articles that provides a fairly comprehensive description of the ROK as a partner in the Arsenal of Democracy (my term not the authors') and that is a good thing for the US and the alliance.

Excerpt:

Seoul’s diversification of its security ties should not be seen as a negative development from the vantage point of the White House or Washington’s Capitol Hill. International relations isn’t necessarily a zero-sum game, and South Korea opening doors for new partnerships elsewhere does not automatically mean closing doors with the United States. On the contrary, many of the newer security ties that South Korea is developing include the United States, as is the case with trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington, as well as burgeoning South Korea-NATO ties. No mainstream South Korean leader questions that the alliance with the United States is a cornerstone of their country’s security, and in poll after poll, more than 90 percent of South Koreans consistently support it.

South Korea Is Sidestepping the Hub

How Seoul is using arms sales to build ties beyond Washington.

By Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a professor of international relations at King’s College London and the KF-VUB Korea chair at the Brussels School of Governance.

Foreign Policy · by Ramon Pacheco Pardo · August 3, 2023

South Korea’s $13.7 billion arms deal with Poland, struck in September 2022, couldn’t have come at a better time for Seoul. As the war in Ukraine spiked global demand for weapons and equipment, the move established Seoul as a major player in the arms export scene, which has traditionally been dominated by the United States and Russia. Seoul won’t just make money with this opening; it’s also a chance to forge deeper security ties well beyond the Korean Peninsula.

For decades, the United States has leveraged the hub-and-spokes model of alliances to shore up friends across Asia and the Indo-Pacific. Under this arrangement, Washington has guaranteed the security of allies, such as Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Australia, through bilateral—rather than multilateral—arrangements. In return, these allies contributed to U.S. security and were also implicitly expected to support Washington’s security policies in Asia and beyond. Chief among these countries is South Korea. Its location on the Cold War fault line between capitalism and communism makes it a key partner for the United States in its efforts to counter North Korea and a rising China.

South Korea has proved itself to be a staunch ally of the United States over the 70-year history of the alliance—supporting U.S. military objectives, such as the wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, even when some other partners abstained.

But at the same time, Seoul has long prioritized independence and autonomy in its defense and security matters. While it destabilized relations, the Donald Trump presidency alone didn’t trigger this; it only accelerated the belief that, ultimately, South Korea must rely on its own military capabilities to protect itself. Thus, in recent years, South Korea has built a broad network of security partnerships in the hopes of not putting all of its geopolitical eggs into one alliance basket. Under both former President Moon Jae-in and current President Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea has significantly expanded both the nations it partners with and the domains in which it cooperates.

Though it has long sought to diversify its security and foreign-policy portfolios, only recently has Seoul found the key to proving its viability as a major political and military partner: arms sales. At the turn of the century, South Korea was not even among the top 30 exporters in the world. Yet by 2022, with the full political support of the Moon and Yoon administrations, South Korea had become the world’s ninth-largest arms exporter. The increasing imminence of the Russian threat has made replenishing and upgrading arsenals an urgent task, and South Korea has benefitted from its ability to fulfill orders quickly—with state-of-the-art weapons, no less.

South Korea’s increased independence is already shaking up dynamics in Europe, where South Korean arms firms have stepped in to swiftly help replenish arms stocks depleted by support for Ukraine and unable to be met by the declining European defense industry.

Since the landmark deal with Poland, several of Russia’s neighbors have purchased their own military equipment from South Korea, including Estonia, Finland, and Norway. South Korea has also made waves in the international tank market, having beaten out German firms for major deals in Europe and, more recently, Australia.

Seoul has traditionally relied on exports to boost its economy, and its foray into arms sales may seem like little more than another attempt to boost its trade balance. But selling fighter jets and howitzers is hardly the same as exporting mobile phones or K-pop songs. South Korea isn’t just selling weapons for the sake of it; these sales are used as inroads for deeper cooperation with potentially valuable security partners.

So-called fence-sitters are rejecting zero-sum geopolitical binaries in favor of multi-alignment.

Take the United Arab Emirates, for example. Weapons transfers and sales between the UAE and South Korea have morphed into a more comprehensive relationship over time, including combined training exercises, anti-piracy cooperation, military equipment and technology development programs, and information sharing. These security ties are part of an even more comprehensive package of economic and political cooperation.

Though arms sales are the hook, South Korea is marketing itself as more than an arms merchant. Yoon has cast his country as a “global pivotal state.” No longer conceived of solely as a regional power, he wants South Korea to be seen as an independent and reliable geopolitical partner that plays a key role in the political, security, and economic affairs of different regions of the world. The strategy is a rare area of consensus in the South Korean political scene, as both conservatives and liberals believe that diversifying geopolitical ties is in their country’s best interest.

If Yoon is to achieve this lofty goal, Seoul must demonstrate more independent behavior in global affairs. In this respect, Europe is arguably the region in which South Korean security ties are about to take the biggest qualitative leap, given the inroads made through recent arms sales. Previously, South Korea’s security ties in the region were mediated or at least facilitated by the United States. Increasingly, however, this is no longer the case. South Korea’s burgeoning links with NATO members have laid the groundwork for long-term cooperation. The European Union, Austria, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom are among several European players establishing or upgrading their links with Seoul in ways that fall below the level of official alliance status.

While South Korea’s efforts in Europe and the Middle East are aimed at boosting its global standing and improving the bottom line of its arms firms, its outreach in its own backyard is aimed specifically at countering North Korea and China. To that end, South Korea is developing a fighter jet with Indonesia, transferring patrol boats to Vietnam, and supplying vessels and joining military drills with the Philippines. India, meanwhile, is ramping up its purchases of South Korean military gear and exploring options for joint weapons production. South Korea is also quietly boosting security ties with Taiwan; Taipei’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the speaker of the parliament have publicly thanked South Korea for its support. Seoul has even started mending fences with Tokyo as the pair look to jointly enhance intelligence sharing and anti-missile defenses.

So long as the shadow of Trump or a Trump-like president returning to office in the United States looms over Washington’s Asian alliances, South Korea will continue to deepen ties with third countries and position itself as a central security actor in the region. To its credit, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has skillfully rekindled and boosted its security relationship with South Korea, confirming that the U.S.-South Korean alliance is no longer confined to the North Korean threat. But the Biden administration can’t guarantee which presidential candidate Iowa or Ohio voters will prefer when they cast their ballots in 2024. Like many other countries, South Korea is hedging its bets.

Seoul’s diversification of its security ties should not be seen as a negative development from the vantage point of the White House or Washington’s Capitol Hill. International relations isn’t necessarily a zero-sum game, and South Korea opening doors for new partnerships elsewhere does not automatically mean closing doors with the United States. On the contrary, many of the newer security ties that South Korea is developing include the United States, as is the case with trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington, as well as burgeoning South Korea-NATO ties. No mainstream South Korean leader questions that the alliance with the United States is a cornerstone of their country’s security, and in poll after poll, more than 90 percent of South Koreans consistently support it.

Some U.S. arms manufacturers may fear losing market share to their South Korean competitors. But from a more self-interested perspective, South Korea boosting ties with other countries could actually help the United States reduce its military spending overseas: The more its allies and partners cooperate with each other, the less they will depend on Washington’s largesse. Washington should want its allies and partners to be as prepared and capable as possible to counter emerging threats, and Indonesia or Poland purchasing new military gadgets from South Korea will only further that goal.

The damage done to U.S. alliances by the Trump administration continues to cast a long shadow, and even the best assurances by the Biden administration may not be enough to prevent other spokes, such as Australia, Japan, and the Philippines, from following South Korea’s lead. But as the case of South Korea shows, having more independent partners does not necessarily lead to less reliable ones—so long as the United States can embrace the benefits of realignment.

Foreign Policy · by Ramon Pacheco Pardo · August 3, 2023

7. The Curious Case of Pvt Travis King – U.S. Serviceman Flees to North Korea

Excerpts:

Based on past experience, North Korean officials have doubts and questions about the sincerity of Pvt King’s actions. They are likely to wonder if his defection is part of a U.S. scheme to create difficulties or problems for the North. Americans held by North Korea, including both military defectors as well as tourists and business detainees, have been treated with little sensitivity or compassion. The initial assumption is that these individuals are seeking to harm the regime and that they are agents of the hostile United States, and they are treated harshly. The questioning starts with an assumption of guilt and malice on the part of the detainees. Kenneth Bae and Charles Jenkins, who underwent interrogation, describe how this process works.

Those who have been detained by North Korea in the past have experienced little sympathy or understanding. Even the American defectors who voluntarily remained in North Korea and who have been able to reflect on their experience after leaving have had little positive to report. The suspicion and the feeling of “otherness” remains. Of the six U.S. military personnel who defected in the past, only one, Jenkins, was able to leave North Korea and that was not until 39 years after he arrived in North Korea.

Based on past experience with Americans in North Korea, we are not likely to get any information until the interrogation is completed. U.S. student Otto Warmbier was arrested on January 2, 2016, as he was aboard the aircraft preparing to leave North Korea to return. Over eight weeks later, he appeared at a North Korean press conference to apologize for his actions and the Swedish Ambassador, who handles U.S. consular issues in Pyongyang, was finally permitted to meet with him at about that same time. Based on past experiences with the North Korean government, Pvt King’s fate is not likely to be resolved quickly and it is not likely to be resolved in a favorable way.

The Curious Case of Pvt Travis King – U.S. Serviceman Flees to North Korea - Korea Economic Institute of America

keia.org · by Troy Stangarone · August 2, 2023

The Curious Case of Pvt Travis King – U.S. Serviceman Flees to North Korea

Published August 2, 2023

Author: Robert King

Category: Korea Now

On July 18, 2023, U.S. Army soldier Pvt Travis King, who was on a civilian tour of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone that marks the boundary between South Korea and North Korea) bolted from the tour group and sprinted onto the North Korean side of the boundary. He was chased by soldiers guarding the south side of the border, but the distance was only a few yards. He was quickly across the delineation line and just as quickly was taken into custody and whisked away in an unmarked van. I want to note upfront that, although Pvt Travis King and I share the same last name, we are unrelated. “King” is the 34th most common surname in the United States, and according to the 2010 U.S. Census, some 465,422 Americans share that surname.

Pvt King, born in Wisconsin in 1999, enlisted in the U.S. Army in January 2021. He was later assigned to the 1st Armored Division, and his unit arrived in South Korea in February 2022. He had a long record of problems during his short time in the military. In early September 2022 he failed to report for daily formation, and when he was later located he “refused to return to post or to America.” Three weeks later he punched a South Korean man in the face a number of times, and few days after that he was arrested by South Korean police following a fight with South Korean civilians. He damaged the police car in which he was being driven to the police station after his confrontation with South Korean civilians. A South Korean court fined him the equivalent of four thousand dollars. When he refused to pay that fine, he was held for seven weeks in a South Korean detention facility, which prevented Pvt King from returning to the United States with his military unit.

After his South Korean confinement ended, Pvt King was kept at a U.S. military base in South Korea for a week, and then on July 18 he was escorted to Incheon International Airport where he was scheduled to board a flight from South Korea to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was expected to face disciplinary action and be discharged from the U.S. Army for having received a foreign criminal conviction. Pvt King was escorted by military personnel to the customs checkpoint at Incheon, where the accompanying military personnel were not permitted to accompany him to the departure gate. He left the airport without boarding his flight, claiming that he was missing his passport. The following day he joined a regular civilian tour on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone boundary between South and North Korea. While on that tour at Panmunjom, he sprinted across the border into North Korea.

Defection vs. Detention –Americans Willingly and Unwillingly in North Korea

The decision of Pvt Travis King to go to North Korea was a conscious choice. Military personnel in Korea clearly understand that illegally crossing the border would provoke North Korean officials, and he also knew that he was willfully disobeying lawful orders from his military superiors to return to the United States. His sudden dash into the North was a conscious choice to avoid disciplinary action at home, however misguided or poorly thought out it was. His action was defection to avoid returning to the United States rather than detention against his will by North Korea.

In the past two decades, some twenty Americans have been detained against their will in North Korea. Most were individuals legally visiting the North as tourists, humanitarian aid workers, business men and women, with approval of North Korean authorities. They were detained and prevented from leaving by North Korean officials for violating North Korean law. Many of these violations were actions that would not be considered illegal in the United States or most other countries, but they were violators of the law in the North although the visitors did not understand the local regulations and practice.

The most tragic and highly publicized was the case of Otto Warmbier, a U.S. college student who visited Pyongyang with a tour group over the New Years holiday in January 2016. During the visit he removed from the hotel wall and then placed on the floor a framed propaganda slogan with the signature of Kim Jong-il. His action was considered highly disrespectful of the Supreme Leader and a serious violation of North Korean law. At a perfunctory trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to fifteen years in prison at hard labor. Shortly after the trial, he was found in his prison cell in an unresponsive state. Over a year later, Warmbier was returned to his family in the United States in a persistent vegetative state, and U.S. physicians determined that he suffered severe brain damage. He died soon after his return.

From 2009 to 2017 some twenty U.S. citizens were detained in North Korea for various periods of time. In most cases these were individuals with proper documentation for their visit to the North, and they were there for reasons considered legitimate by government authorities. They were detained for various periods of time and were ultimately permitted to leave the North. Those there for the longest period of time were Kim Dong Chul (October 2015 to May 2018) and Kenneth Bae (November 2012 to November 2014). Both are of ethnic Korean background, but are U.S. citizens. Kim Dong Chul operated a business in a special economic zone in northern North Korea, but he was accused of illegal religious activity and spent almost three years in prison. Bae operated a tourist company which took foreign visitors to North Korea for tours sanctioned by Pyongyang, and he was arrested for illegal religious activity. He wrote a thoughtful memoir of his experiences in the North focusing on his two-year imprisonment.

Wikipedia has a reasonably complete list of Americans who have been detained against their will by North Korea. For the time period from the mid-1990s to about 2019, the list is reasonably complete. In that period North Korea was more open to foreign tourists and business people, and the presence of more individuals led to more being detained for violating local laws. The number of U.S. citizens visiting North Korea declined significantly after 2017 when U.S. regulations were changed and travel restrictions were imposed on U.S. citizens because of problems with the detention of U.S. visitors. In the last four years of the COVID pandemic, North Korea has closed its borders to foreign visitors from all countries, with the result that foreigners, including U.S. citizens, are not able to visit the country.

The North Korean military responded to the UN Command in Korea regarding inquiries about Pvt King’s crossing into the North, but no information was released about the North Korean response. It is likely simply an acknowledgement that Pvt was in their custody, but with no additional information. More information or comment from the North is unlikely until the North Korean military has completed its interrogation.

“Defectors” Who Switch Allegiance to North Korea

In addition to U.S. citizens who are visiting and, in some cases, living temporarily in North Korea for humanitarian and business reasons, there are also “defectors” who have made the decision to leave the United States and who are living in North Korea for political or other reasons. “Defectors” is not a completely satisfactory term for this group, but is reasonably accurate. The experience of these “defectors,” however, has generally not been positive.

In the last several decades, half a dozen are in the “defector” category. All of them were U.S. military personnel who illegally crossed the border into North Korea. This took place during the period after the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953 until the changes in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the Soviet Union went through political and economic change. Those who chose to go to Korea in this era were U.S. soldiers who were stationed in South Korea.

The best-known individual in this category is Charles Robert Jenkins (1940-2017). Born in North Carolina, Jenkins was a U.S. Army deserter. While he was stationed in South Korea in January 1965, he abandoned his patrol and walked across the DMZ. His decision was made because he was being ordered to lead “more aggressive, provocative patrols” and rumors were circulating that his unit would be sent to Vietnam. This is based on Jenkins personal memoir written after he spent almost forty years in North Korea. North Korean media reported that Jenkins defected “because of disgust with conditions in South Korea and that he believed life was better under the Communists.”

Although Jenkins remained in North Korea for 39 years, he was never trusted by North Korean officials. He was held captive more than accepted as a comrade in arms. A Japanese student nurse, Hitomi Soga, who with her mother had been abducted earlier from Japan by the North Korean military men, was given to Jenkins as his wife, and they were parents of two daughters. Between 1978 and 2000 Jenkins acted in North Korean motion pictures. One role he played in a series of movies about the Korean War was the evil “Dr. Kelton,” a capitalist warmonger who used war and conflict to benefit the capitalist U.S. war industry. Jenkins was very well-known in the North for his movie roles.

In 2002 Jenkins’ Japanese wife was permitted to visit her family in Japan for ten days as part of a temporary reconciliation between Japan and North Korea following a visit to North Korea by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. This was part of a Japanese effort to deal with North Korea’s illegal abduction of Japanese citizens. Soga refused to return to the North at the end of the ten days, but the Japanese government was able to set up a reunion between Soga and Jenkins ss in Indonesia. Jenkins also refused to return to North Korea, and the couple returned to Japan. In Japan, Jenkins faced a court martial for desertion from the U.S. Army, but after forty years, he was given a given a dishonorable discharge and confined for only 25 days at a U.S. military facility in Japan. He provided information to U.S. intelligence about his experience in North Korea, and he wrote a memoir of his experiences. Jenkins died in Japan in December 2017.

In addition to Jenkins, three other American soldiers illegally crossed into North Korea. The group lived together, and all became involved in North Korean propaganda efforts. James Joseph Dresnok (1941-2016) was an American soldier who defected across the DMZ while serving in South Korea in August 1962 when he was 21. Larry Allen Abshier (1943-1983) abandoned his post in South Korea and crossed into North Korea in May 1962 when he was 19 years of age. The third U.S. soldier, Jerry Wayne Parrish (1944-1998), was serving in South Korea when he illegally entered North Korea in 1965. All three of these men had troubled family backgrounds. In his memoir, Jenkins quoted Parrish as saying that if he ever went home, “his father-in-law would kill him.”

The four defectors were eventually all granted North Korean citizenship, and all married, but they were never fully trusted by the North Koreans. The four all acted as evil U.S. villains in North Korean movies. Dresnok had the best screen name for his American roles – “Arthur Cockstud.” The four “movie stars” had similar backgrounds, though they were not a collegial group. Of the group only Jenkins finally left North Korea. The others died in the North.

In addition to the four movie stars, two other defectors from the U.S. military are known. Roy Chung (born 1957 and died before 2004). Chung was born in South Korea and immigrated with his family to the United States in 1973. He joined the U.S. Army and was serving in West Germany when he was reported absent without leave (AWOL) on June 5, 1979. Other defectors crossed the DMZ to defect to North Korea, but Chung apparently began his journey from Bayreuth, West Germany, where his unit was stationed. That area is very near the German border with Czechoslovakia. It may be that he went to Czechoslovakia, which was then a part of the Warsaw Pact and had close links to other communist countries, including North Korea. Two months after his disappearance, Radio Pyongyang announced that Chung had defected “because he could no longer endure the disgraceful life of national insult and maltreatment he had to lead in the U.S. imperialist Army.”

The sixth American who “defected” to North Korea was Joseph T. White (1961-1985). He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1981 and was later stationed in South Korea with a unit on the DMZ near Kaesong. At 2 in the morning, he was seen by fellow soldiers walking through the DMZ carrying a duffel bag, which they later learned was full of military documents he stole, including maps of the mine placement along the border. In February 1983 White’s parents received a letter from their son saying he was an English teacher and was happy in North Korea. In November 1985 his parents received a letter from a North Korean contact of Joseph White telling them that their son had drowned in August 1985 and his body was not recovered.

What Lies Ahead for Pvt Travis King

Members of Pvt King’s family have “begged American officials to ‘fight’ for his safe return” and “pleaded with the U.S. government to do more to get him home.” United States State Department consular officials who deal with Americans detained in North Korea have reached out through usual channels to determine the status and welfare of Pvt King and to seek his return. The consular affairs staff at the State Department are particularly well informed and understanding in dealing with problems of U.S. citizens.

Most of the work done by the State Department, however, focuses on individuals detained by North Korea against their will. Pvt King’s action was a voluntary choice he made. It was an unfortunate impulsive decision, but a decision that is particularly difficult to “undo.” North Korean officials are not likely to be particularly concerned or swayed by humanitarian concerns of Pvt King’s family or understanding for a young man’s impulsive decision that turned out to be a bad decision.

Based on past experience, North Korean officials have doubts and questions about the sincerity of Pvt King’s actions. They are likely to wonder if his defection is part of a U.S. scheme to create difficulties or problems for the North. Americans held by North Korea, including both military defectors as well as tourists and business detainees, have been treated with little sensitivity or compassion. The initial assumption is that these individuals are seeking to harm the regime and that they are agents of the hostile United States, and they are treated harshly. The questioning starts with an assumption of guilt and malice on the part of the detainees. Kenneth Bae and Charles Jenkins, who underwent interrogation, describe how this process works.

Those who have been detained by North Korea in the past have experienced little sympathy or understanding. Even the American defectors who voluntarily remained in North Korea and who have been able to reflect on their experience after leaving have had little positive to report. The suspicion and the feeling of “otherness” remains. Of the six U.S. military personnel who defected in the past, only one, Jenkins, was able to leave North Korea and that was not until 39 years after he arrived in North Korea.

Based on past experience with Americans in North Korea, we are not likely to get any information until the interrogation is completed. U.S. student Otto Warmbier was arrested on January 2, 2016, as he was aboard the aircraft preparing to leave North Korea to return. Over eight weeks later, he appeared at a North Korean press conference to apologize for his actions and the Swedish Ambassador, who handles U.S. consular issues in Pyongyang, was finally permitted to meet with him at about that same time. Based on past experiences with the North Korean government, Pvt King’s fate is not likely to be resolved quickly and it is not likely to be resolved in a favorable way.

Robert R. King is a Non-Resident Distinguished Fellow at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI). He is former U.S. Special Envoy for North Korea Human Rights (2009-2017). The views expressed here are the author’s alone.

Photo from fresh888’s photostream on flickr Creative Commons.

keia.org · by Troy Stangarone · August 2, 2023

Here is an opportunity. One of the things we should be sending into north Korea are homeschooling lesson plans that are focused on real education without the Juche ideological influence. Remember how they teach math to elementary school children in the north: If you have 4 American bastards and you kill two American bastards, how many American bastards do you have left to kill?

But notice how the regime is cracking down on homeschooling. Party education is critical to indoctrination of the population for complete control over their entire lives.

Excerpts:

◆ The authorities quickly move to crackdown on private childcare

However, the authorities believe that parents who do not send their kids to state-run facilities are turning their backs on the state. Government officials have begun efforts to crack down on private childcare.

“There was an inminban (neighborhood watch unit) meeting held yesterday (July 23). There was an order for each inminban to investigate the issue of people not sending their kids to preschool and to report the results to the people’s committee. At the meeting, we were told to make sure that neighbors are not allowed to take care of other people’s kids. That’s all that was said. I don’t think that the authorities will crack down much on people, though.”

*Inminban are the lowest administrative units in North Korea. They are typically made up of 20-30 households.

Daycares and preschools are an essential part of the collectivism and organizational life promoted through North Korea’s style of rule. That people are turning their backs on the school system has undoubtedly alarmed the authorities.

＜Inside N. Korea＞ Daycares and preschools stop providing meals due to financial troubles…Parents facing demands for rice and money protest by turning their backs on the schools, sending their kids to neighbors instead

asiapress.org

A daycare center on the outskirts of Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province. A slogan can be seen saying, “Thank You, Dear Father General Kim Jong-il.” Daycare centers serve as places for the regime to promote hero worship of the leader. Taken by Ri Jun in October 2007 (ASIAPRESS)

North Korean local governments continue to face worsening financial troubles, which has led to a crisis for the operations of state-run daycares and preschools. Without any food or snacks to provide students under their care, the facilities have been forced to demand rice and money from parents. Faced with these demands, parents have stopped sending their children to daycares and preschools and paying neighbors to look after their kids instead. Taken aback by parents turning their back on state-run childcare facilities, the authorities have moved to regain control over the situation. An ASIAPRESS reporting partner living in Yanggang Province gave the following report in late July. (KANG Ji-won / HAN Ha-yu)

◆ Parents face a barrage of non-tax payments if they send their kids to daycares and preschools

As a result of financial troubles, Yanggang Province’s daycares no longer provide meals and snacks to children under their care. The authorities are turning to parents to pay the operating costs of the schools, which used to provide childcare free-of-charge.

“Daycares have forced parents to bring fruit and snacks for their kids, and starting in June, each household was requested to provide three kilograms of rice,” the reporting partner told ASIAPRESS, who provided insight into how the authorities are levying non-tax payments on parents of children attending daycares. In North Korea, non-tax payments refer to anything demanded by the state that falls outside of official provisions.

Following the increase in non-tax payments from daycares and preschools, many parents are paying their neighbors to look after their children instead.

◆ N. Korea’s free childcare system exists in name only

North Korean daycares take care of the children of working mothers who are four years old or younger, which is before the age they attend preschool. Preschools, meanwhile, are part of North Korea’s compulsory education system and are attended by children aged 5-6 before they enter elementary school. On the surface, kids can attend both education facilities free of charge. Successive North Korean governments have used the country’s free education system to show off the superiority of socialism; however, in reality, non-tax payments levied on parents have become so common that the country’s free education system exists in name only. The reporting partner gave his account of the present situation:

“The daycare in my neighborhood was attended by around 19 children, but now there’s only four. The manager of the daycare went to the Hyesan party organization to request solutions to the food and snack issues. The party ordered the people’s committee (local government) to properly provide food to enable parents to send their children to daycare.”

Most of the mothers who either go to an office or factory to work, or who work in the markets, prefer to have their children looked after by neighbors rather than by state-run daycares. How much do families pay to have neighbors look after their children? According to the reporting partner:

“I understand that parents pay anywhere from RMB 4-7 (1 RMB equals around KRW 180) for someone to look after a children aged 2-5 years old from 8 AM to 7 PM. People with some financial wherewithal can send their children to neighbors with experience in childcare, while those without any financial flexibility just send their kids to family members or people they know. They make a point of not sending their kids to daycare.”

In short, parents who need to work to ensure their family survives are paying out of their own pockets for childcare. This shows why attendance at state-run childcare facilities is falling despite the regime’s boasts about how effective the facilities are.

◆ The authorities quickly move to crackdown on private childcare

However, the authorities believe that parents who do not send their kids to state-run facilities are turning their backs on the state. Government officials have begun efforts to crack down on private childcare.

“There was an inminban (neighborhood watch unit) meeting held yesterday (July 23). There was an order for each inminban to investigate the issue of people not sending their kids to preschool and to report the results to the people’s committee. At the meeting, we were told to make sure that neighbors are not allowed to take care of other people’s kids. That’s all that was said. I don’t think that the authorities will crack down much on people, though.”

*Inminban are the lowest administrative units in North Korea. They are typically made up of 20-30 households.

Daycares and preschools are an essential part of the collectivism and organizational life promoted through North Korea’s style of rule. That people are turning their backs on the school system has undoubtedly alarmed the authorities.

That being said, until state-run childcare facilities return to operating normally and non-tax payments disappear, the authorities will be unable to completely stop people from avoiding state-run daycares and preschools no matter how harsh the orders they hand down are.

※ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea

Map of North Korea ( ASIAPRESS)

asiapress.org

9. US Submarine Provokes Renewed Tensions In Korean Peninsula – OpEd

Again, there is a repeat of the north Korean talking points. Who has the hostile policy? It is the Kim family regime. The ROK/US alliance is postured to defend against the north while the regime is postured to attack the South.

Excerpts:

“There is more. As part of its campaign to reinforce U.S. Asia-Pacific hegemony in the face of China’s rise and its implicit threat to U.S. regional hegemony, the U.S. has deepened and expanded a trilateral alliance with the right-wing Yoon government in South Korea and the Kishida government in Tokyo, which is doubling its already massive military budget as it reasserts Japanese status and role as a major military power.”

...

Unfortunately, said Dr Gerson, the growing danger is rooted in history and powerful structural forces. Peace can only be built on mutual trust, and that is totally lacking in Northeast Asia. Why?

Because the offer was not accompanied by not decreasing the pace of threatening US, ROK and Japanese military operations and not with even a symbolic reduction in “hostile” military actions.

In the North, its leaders and people were traumatized by the almost complete destruction of the nation. 90% of its buildings were estimated to have been destroyed.

“And the Trump-Bolton reverse course at the 2018 Hanoi summit, in which the U.S. abandoned pursuit of step-by-step denuclearization and demanded total immediate North Korean nuclear disarmament, left Pyongyang believing that a negotiating path with the U.S. cannot be trusted.”

US Submarine Provokes Renewed Tensions In Korean Peninsula – OpEd

eurasiareview.com · by Thalif Deen · August 3, 2023

The United States, which has long accused North Korea of nuclear saber-rattling, is now at the receiving end of the same charges.

The accusations have been prompted by the arrival in South Korea on July 18 of a US submarine capable of launching nuclear missiles.

According to a report in the New York Times on July 19, “it was the first time in four decades, the latest effort by Washington to raise South Koreans’ trust in its commitment to defending the country against North Korea.”

The North Koreans have accused Washington and Seoul of raising tensions by “openly discussing the use of nuclear weapons”.

Dr. Joseph Gerson, President of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, told IDN that on the surface, the escalating danger was marked by the port call of the USS Michigan, a US nuclear-armed U.S. submarine, to Busan in South Korea.

“It was the first U.S. introduction of U.S. nuclear weapons to the ROK since 1981 at the height of the Cold War.”

The port call came amidst the not decreasing pace of massive US-South Korean-Japanese joint military operations, termed “exercises,” which are designed to demonstrate the allies’ ability to destroy North Korea and its political leadership, including the Kim Dynasty, said Dr Gerson, who recently participated in Common Security and 70th Anniversary of the Korean Armistice conferences and events in South Korea.

“And, with its frequent missile tests, including intercontinental ballistic missiles thought to be able to reach the United States, and its history of nuclear weapons tests, North Korea is demonstrating that even a lowly porcupine can inflict devastating wounds and defeat an intimidating tiger,” he declared.

Meanwhile, facing insurmountable barriers, the US is on the verge of virtually giving up on its attempts to either curb or punish North Korea for its continued nuclear threats and its violations of Security Council resolutions.

The two major stumbling blocks are two of the veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council, namely Russia and China, which have thrown their protective arms around the North Koreans.

In an interview on July 18, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “first and foremost, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) has broken numerous Security Council resolutions”.

There have been over 20 tests in 2023 alone, she pointed out.

“And, we have made an effort to engage diplomatically with this government. President Biden made that offer on day one, and that offer is still on the table that we’re willing to engage with them at the diplomatic table. They’ve not accepted, but it’s not for lack of trying on our side.

Asked about the lines of communication between the US and North Korea, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on national TV, “Well, we have channels of communication. We’ve used them. And we made clear going back to early in this administration that we were prepared to have negotiations with North Korea on the nuclear program with no preconditions”.

Blinken said the US sent that message several times. “Here’s the response we got: one missile launch after another.”

“Now, we have not stood still. The partnership, the alliance that we have with Japan and with South Korea has grown even stronger, even deeper, and we’ve taken further steps to make sure that we could defend ourselves, defend our allies and partners, deter any aggression coming from North Korea”.

“So, in effect, the response that North Korea has elicited with these repeated provocations has only been to solidify the work that the United States, Korea, and Japan are doing together to make sure we can defend ourselves,” Blinken declared.

Unfortunately, said Dr Gerson, the growing danger is rooted in history and powerful structural forces. Peace can only be built on mutual trust, and that is totally lacking in Northeast Asia. Why?

Because the offer was not accompanied by not decreasing the pace of threatening US, ROK and Japanese military operations and not with even a symbolic reduction in “hostile” military actions.

In the North, its leaders and people were traumatized by the almost complete destruction of the nation. 90% of its buildings were estimated to have been destroyed.

“And the Trump-Bolton reverse course at the 2018 Hanoi summit, in which the U.S. abandoned pursuit of step-by-step denuclearization and demanded total immediate North Korean nuclear disarmament, left Pyongyang believing that a negotiating path with the U.S. cannot be trusted.”

And on the US side, the North’s history of secretly creating an HEU (highly enriched uranium) path to develop nuclear weapons rings across the years, said Dr Gerson.

“There is more. As part of its campaign to reinforce U.S. Asia-Pacific hegemony in the face of China’s rise and its implicit threat to U.S. regional hegemony, the U.S. has deepened and expanded a trilateral alliance with the right-wing Yoon government in South Korea and the Kishida government in Tokyo, which is doubling its already massive military budget as it reasserts Japanese status and role as a major military power.”

And on the continent, he pointed out, China, Russia and North Korea are deepening their military cooperation, as illustrated this week with the joint Chinese-Russian delegation to the DPRK’s victory celebration marking the Armistice anniversary.

Matthew Miller, State Department Spokesperson said July 19 that all of the members of the UN Security Council, except Russia and China, voted to condemn the DPRK’s continued violation of UN Security Council resolutions, expressing concern about continued launches, and calling for progress for dialogue.

“We hope the UN Security Council will continue to come together to address the DPRK’s actions.”

Asked about the latest test, Miller said “I will say that we condemn the DPRK’s ballistic missile launches, as we have condemned their previous ballistic missile launches. They are in violation of multiple UNSC resolutions.”

“They pose a threat to the DPRK’s neighbors and the international community. We remain committed to a diplomatic approach to the DPRK, call on them to engage in dialogue, and our commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad,” Miller declared.

Meanwhile, on July 13, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US, plus the High Representative of the European Union, condemned “in the strongest terms North Korea’s brazen launch of another Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) conducted on 12 July 2023, following the launch using ballistic missile technology conducted on 31 March 2023 along with the launches of two ballistic missiles on June 15, 2023.”

North Korea continues to expand its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities and to escalate its destabilizing activities, the ministers said.

“These launches pose a grave threat to regional and international peace and stability and undermine the global non-proliferation regime. They are a flagrant violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs), which prohibit North Korea from conducting any further launches that use ballistic missile technology. We once again call on North Korea to refrain from any other provocative actions”.

“We reiterate our demand that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner and fully comply with all obligations under the relevant UNSCRs. North Korea cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon State under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT),” the G7 ministers declared.

eurasiareview.com · by Thalif Deen · August 3, 2023

10. U.S. working to bring Travis King home but N. Korea remains unresponsive: Blinken

U.S. working to bring Travis King home but N. Korea remains unresponsive: Blinken | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · August 4, 2023

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- The United States is working to learn more about the safety of a U.S. service member who crossed into North Korea last month, but the reclusive state has yet to offer any response, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday.

The top U.S. diplomat added that the U.S. is also working to bring the U.S. soldier home safely.

"I wish we did know more," Blinken said when asked what information the U.S. government had on Travis King in an interview with American TV network ABC.

"We're actually trying to learn more about his whereabouts and his well-being, and we simply don't have that information," added Blinken, according to a script of the interview released by the state department.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is seen speaking at an annual security forum hosted by the Aspen Institute in Aspen, Colorado on July 21, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)

Private 2nd class King crossed the inter-Korean border at the Joint Security Area inside the demilitarized zone on July 18.

State department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Wednesday that Pyongyang has communicated with United Nations Command (UNC), although only to acknowledge its receiving of earlier UNC messages about King, but has not responded to U.S. requests to confirm his safety or whereabouts.

"We are asking these questions. They haven't given us responses," Blinken was quoted as saying.

"We're trying by every reasonable means possible just to get that basic information, and then to see what we can do about bringing him home," he added, while confirming that the U.S. basically knows nothing about the safety of King at the moment when asked.

bdk@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · August 4, 2023

11. Ex-U.N. panel coordinator says UNSC 'completely deadlocked' in imposing sanctions against N. Korea

It seems China and Russia have taken complete responsibility for the protection of the north. And they have made the Panel of Experts completely dysfunctional (or nonfunctional).

Ex-U.N. panel coordinator says UNSC 'completely deadlocked' in imposing sanctions against N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · August 4, 2023

By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- A former U.N. panel expert on North Korea said Friday the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) remains "completely deadlocked" in imposing sanctions against Pyongyang's banned weapons programs, apparently criticizing China and Russia for failing to remain impartial and vetoing sanctions.

Eric Penton-Voak, former coordinator on the Panel of Experts on U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea, made the remarks during a press briefing hosted by NK Pro in Seoul, stressing that all eight experts in the panel need to be "impartial and independent."

"During those two years that I was on the panel, obviously, DPRK's weapons of mass destruction programs accelerated extraordinarily while the U.N. Security Council was completely deadlocked," he said.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The U.N. has sought to impose additional sanctions on North Korea following Pyongyang's repeated missile provocations but their efforts were met with opposition from Russia and China, both veto power-wielding permanent members of the Security Council and close allies of North Korea.

The former U.N. panel coordinator appeared to take issue with Chinese and Russian members for failing to remain impartial in drafting reports on sanctions against North Korea.

"I'm afraid to say that two colleagues on the panel act consistently in the interests of their own countries and they misuse the principle of consensus in order to prevent the panel from reaching the conclusions it really should as an independent organization," he said, apparently referring to members from China and Russia.

Pointing it out as a "fundamental problem," he emphasized that the experts' views are "obviously influenced by their own capital cities."

The U.N. panel is comprised of experts from the five permanent Security Council members -- Britain, France, China, Russia and the U.S. -- as well as South Korea and Japan, and monitors sanctions on North Korea.

Eric Penton-Voak, a former coordinator of the U.N. panel of experts on sanctions on North Korea, speaks at a press briefing on the outlook for international sanctions on the North in Seoul on Aug. 4, 2023. (Yonhap)

He added that the biannual report released by the panel is "inevitably and fundamentally diluted," though he highlighted the "huge quantity of valuable information" in it.

"All I would ask is that when you read the report ... I would just urge you to read it in that light, that it is actually a serious and diluted document that doesn't say what it could and should say," he added.

julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · August 4, 2023

12. US declines to invoke prisoner of war status for Travis King

We can, must, and will do whatever is necessary to return an American regardless of his actions. But we will not reward him for actions that bring dishonor or even possibly harm to the US.

US declines to invoke prisoner of war status for Travis King

The Korea Times · August 5, 2023

U.S. Army soldier Travis King appears in this unknown location, undated photo obtained by REUTERS. Reuters-Yonhap

The United States has declined so far to classify Army Private Travis King as a prisoner of war, despite his being taken into North Korean custody after he crossed into the country last month, four U.S. officials told Reuters.

The decision, which could mean King is not covered by the protections entitled to prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention, is highly sensitive for the U.S. military given its commitment to leave no soldier behind enemy lines.

How to classify the 23-year-old, who dashed across the heavily guarded border during a civilian tour of the demilitarized zone separating North Korea and South Korea, has been an open question for the military.

As an active-duty soldier he might appear to qualify as a POW, given that the United States and North Korea technically remain at war. The 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

But factors including King's decision to cross into North Korea of his own free will, in civilian attire, appear to have disqualified him from that status, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on King's POW status, but said the defense department's priority was to bring him home and it was working to achieve that through all available channels.

"Private King must be treated humanely in accordance with international law," the spokesperson said.

Washington has conveyed that message in private communications to Pyongyang, the U.S. officials said, adding that those communications have not invoked POW status.

The United States still has the option to call King a POW. A U.S. official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said there was no final decision and that the U.S. view on King's status could evolve as it learns more about his case.

The State Department referred a request for comment to the Pentagon. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Protections for captives

Prisoners of war are protected by the Third Geneva Convention, to which North Korea and the U.S. are signatories. That agreement details standards for the treatment of captives, ensuring everything from sufficient medical care and Red Cross access, to the ability of prisoners to send messages to their families.

Rachel Van Landingham, a military law expert at Southwestern Law School, said King would benefit from being classified as a POW, even if that could be seen legally as a stretch.

"It provides a much clearer, very structured framework for exactly how they're to treat him down to the number of cigarettes a day they're required to give him if he asks," she said.

It is not clear that labeling King a POW would change how the isolated North Korean government treats him. Pyongyang, which continues to develop nuclear weapons in violation of UN resolutions, has repeatedly shown it is not willing to be bound by international law.

In any case, said Geoffrey Corn, a military law expert at Texas Tech University School of Law, it would be difficult for the United States to assert that King is a prisoner of war ― in part because there was no active fighting at the time on the peninsula.

"He wasn't really captured in the context of hostilities. If that happened to us, we'd probably designate him as an undocumented alien who crossed the border without a visa," Corn said.

King, who joined the U.S. Army in January 2021, had served as a Cavalry Scout with the Korean Rotational Force, part of the decades-old U.S. security commitment to South Korea.

But his posting was dogged by legal troubles.

He faced two allegations of assault in South Korea, and eventually pleaded guilty to one instance of assault and destroying public property for damaging a police car during a profanity-laced tirade against Koreans, according to court documents.

After serving time in detention in South Korea, King had been due to face military disciplinary action on his return to Fort Bliss, Texas.

There are precedents for using the POW designation in cases where the U.S. was not in an active war.

The U.S. awarded POW medals to Christopher Stone, Andrew Ramirez and Steven Gonzales who were held for more than a month by Yugoslavia after being captured on March 31, 1999 during a NATO peacekeeping mission. And Navy Lieutenant Robert Goodman was also awarded the medal after he was captured in 1983 in Lebanon and taken prisoner in Syria for a month after his aircraft was shot down.

The Pentagon has so far described King's formal status as "AWOL," or absent without leave. He would automatically be declared a deserter after 30 days being AWOL, according to military regulations.

Corn said he could be declared a deserter sooner, given the likelihood King knew his decision had ended his military career.

"He can't really run across that border without the knowledge and arguably the intent to remain away permanently," Corn said. (Reuters)

The Korea Times · August 5, 2023

13. ‘He told me that if I ran away he would report me to the Chinese police’

This is one major problem: victim blaming.

Excerpts:

Park said that she was afraid to speak about her situation because human trafficking involves sexual assault, and victim blaming is rampant.

“I thought that if I talked about it, everyone would point fingers at me. … But when I saw someone else [talking about it] I thought a lot … ‘It’s not your fault.’ And isn’t it the right thing to have a little courage?”

Park says that without help from the international community to ensure the safety of North Korean refugees in China, many more will become human trafficking victims.

“There are probably North Korean refugees still waiting for their repatriation date in Chinese prison,” she said. “I think the ultimate goal is for all residents of North Korea to enjoy the freedom and human rights we enjoy now. In order to do that, wouldn’t it be right to take steps to save North Korean refugees who are living in a third country right now?”

She said she will continue to advocate for undocumented North Koreans in China.

“All I can do is speak up for those people, and if someone says they will save them, I’ll be willing to join in as well.”

‘He told me that if I ran away he would report me to the Chinese police’

North Korean escapees recount their experiences as trafficking victims in China

By Seo Hye Jun for RFA Korean

2023.08.04

rfa.org

When Park Eun Mi and Son Hye Young fled North Korea and stepped into China, they thought their troubles would be over. They were escaping widespread hunger, and expected that in China they could find decent jobs and piece their lives together away from the oppressive regime that had failed to provide for them and their families.

Instead they stepped into a world where they, like many others before them, were to be bought and sold like possessions, and their lives were under the control of the brokers who had promised them freedom.

About 150,000 to 200,000 North Koreans live in China in areas close to the North Korean border and as many as 70% to 80% could be victims of human trafficking, a report released in March by the Dutch law firm Global Rights Compliance said.

The report said North Korean women are sold for hundreds of U.S. dollars, and the criminal organizations selling them collectively earn more than $100 million each year.

North Korean refugees who have fled to China without formal immigration status are especially vulnerable to trafficking, the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons report said.

“Traffickers lure, drug, detain, or kidnap some North Korean women upon their arrival in the PRC and compel them into commercial sex in brothels and bars, through internet sex sites, or in relation to forced marriage,” it said.

Now both living in South Korea, Park and Son shared their experience as trafficking victims to Radio Free Asia’s Korean Service.

“You are just one of my possessions.”

Park Eun Mi was born in Hyesan, a city on the Chinese border in Ryanggang province. In 2007, during one of the worst food shortages in North Korea since the 1994-1998 famine, then 16-year-old Park crossed over into China with the help of a broker.

“My family’s financial life had become very difficult, so I sought a way out and that was defecting from North Korea,” she said. “I heard from people around me that there would be no problem making a living if I defected.”

The broker also promised her that she could also send money back from China to help her family.

“He said, there are many elderly couples without children in China, so when young girls go there, they are usually adopted as daughters. Then, through the work they give you, you can make a living and earn money to help your parents,’” said Park. “I didn’t even know the word human trafficking back then.”

She said she trusted the brokers, believing them to be kind people who helped poor North Korean children, but they turned out to be criminals who handed people over for money. She didn’t realize she had been trafficked until she arrived in China.

“I felt it when I arrived at my destination and I was handed off to another broker in the countryside,” said Park. “From then on, people came and saw me, and suddenly took my friend next to me out early in the morning and went out to sell her.”

Park said she feared retribution if she were to protest being sold when it was her turn.

“When people are too shocked, people become speechless. I felt like something terrible would happen to me if I said a word, so I was rather calm,” she said.

The day came when she was sold to a man seeking a wife. For the next six years her life consisted of sexual exploitation and constant threats from her buyer.

“He told me that if I ran away he would report me to the Chinese police,” she said.

She had no choice but to comply with the demands of her buyer and his family.

“I think I waited a long time to earn their trust because it’s pretty obvious what they’d do to me if I’d have given them any sign of running away,” she said.

“There were times when they went beyond my tolerance and insulted my personality. The most common insult I heard was, ‘You are one of my possessions. I can discard you when you'er no longer useful,’” she said. “It was hard to live hearing those words on a daily basis.”

‘My body is being sold’

Son Hye Young was born in the city of Tanchon in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong. Her parents died in the ‘90s famine and she found herself living on the streets as a kotjebi, a beggar child with no permanent place to live.

Eventually, in 2007, while in China, she and several other kotjebi were rounded up by a trafficker.

“When I was taken away, the woman said things like, ‘How much will you charge for it? And ‘how much will you sell it for? So, I said to this woman, ‘Please don’t talk like that in front of us. I know my body is being sold, but this doesn’t seem right.’”

Son Hye Young, a North Korean refugee who was living as a kotjebi (homeless street beggar), was sold for 36,000 Chinese yuan. Credit: RFA

The trafficker sold her for 36,000 yuan (about $5,000).

What followed was a life of misery, she said, living in a rat-infested hut with an incompetent husband who spoke a language she didn’t understand and who came from a culture she hadn’t yet adapted to.

“I got pregnant and gave birth to a baby but there was no formula. I had no money to buy formula, so I thought of an idea of buying a goat and mixing goat milk to make it,” she said. “So, I worked at a construction site for a month despite not being able to speak Chinese. I bought a goat and then I said I had to learn Chinese. So, I didn’t go out anywhere, locked myself up and watched TV at home.”

Son said that there are still many North Korean women who are involved in “human trafficking scams” in China.

“The reality is that North Korean refugees cannot earn money, so they are sold to families. Then they run away,” said Son. “There are many cases where the seller and the broker coordinate and instruct the North Korean refugee to live in the house of the buyer for 10 days and then come back. There are some caught doing that by the Chinese police.”

By 2012, Son had made a life for herself in China as the caretaker of her 3-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son. But she was forcibly repatriated to North Korea one day after someone reported her to the Chinese police.

Back in her homeland, she was severely beaten and tortured by North Korean authorities, she was sent to a prison.

Two paths

Park explained that for North Korean women who escape to China, there are only two paths for them to avoid being trafficked.

“First … is getting a job through connections such as relatives. The second is that if you don’t have any connections, you literally have to sleep out in an open place you don’t know, but that itself doesn’t make sense,” she said. “The moment you are on the street, you are caught by the police and sent back to North Korea. In the end, you have no choice but to go through with being trafficked.”

Park, now in South Korea, works to help other victims like herself. She has learned English so she can discuss human trafficking with an international audience. She explained how she used to think that her situation was her own fault.

“I felt guilty. It’s as if I’d done something wrong to have this happen,” she said. “But now thinking rationally, it’s not my fault.”

Park said that she was afraid to speak about her situation because human trafficking involves sexual assault, and victim blaming is rampant.

“I thought that if I talked about it, everyone would point fingers at me. … But when I saw someone else [talking about it] I thought a lot … ‘It’s not your fault.’ And isn’t it the right thing to have a little courage?”

Park says that without help from the international community to ensure the safety of North Korean refugees in China, many more will become human trafficking victims.

“There are probably North Korean refugees still waiting for their repatriation date in Chinese prison,” she said. “I think the ultimate goal is for all residents of North Korea to enjoy the freedom and human rights we enjoy now. In order to do that, wouldn’t it be right to take steps to save North Korean refugees who are living in a third country right now?”

She said she will continue to advocate for undocumented North Koreans in China.

“All I can do is speak up for those people, and if someone says they will save them, I’ll be willing to join in as well.”

Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong.

rfa.org

14. The bumpy road toward unification

This gets to a key assumption: Will the regime reform and open and then pursue unification or can unification happen only after there is first a change to the regime from within leading to reform and opening then the pursuit of a free and unified Korea. I believe that the assumption that the Kim family regime will reform and open is one of the worst strategic errors that could possibly be made on the Korean peninsula.

The reform of the UNification Ministry is that it should focus on unification. As I have written before:

It should have a number of critical planning functions:

1. Long term unification planning as the primary focus.

2. In conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense it should focus on crisis action unification planning - hastily converting the long term planning efforts into crisis action implementation if there is war or regime collapse.

3. The interagency focal point for coordinating unification planning among all Korean government agencies as well as with the international community.

4. Support for a human rights upfront approach to north Korea

5. Design,development, and implementation of an information campaign to inform and educate multiple target audiences (north, South and international community) on the importance of unification and how it will happen).

It if focuses on the major tasks it can be streamlined and made efficient. The problem as I have heard is that there are many in the ministry who have been appointed by the previous administration who do not really support the pursuit of a free and unified Korea but instead a form of coexistence.

Excerpts:

In the end, as demonstrated by the drama at the confirmation hearing, the unification ministry needs to be fundamentally reformed. Its name should be changed to a neutral expression such as the "Ministry of Inter-Korean Relations," rather than the current name, which gives the impression of blind unificationism. Unification is only the endpoint of inter-Korean relations and presupposes sovereign choice through the exercise of the Korean people's right to self-determination. Any half-baked promotion of unification cannot be a serious ministry policy goal.

It is thus necessary to firmly pursue a new North Korea policy with a long-term perspective that seeks the goal of North Korea's reform and opening. South Korea's economic aid to North Korea should be conditionally linked to genuine progress made toward peace on the Korean Peninsula. These conditions should be based on the principle of "benefit in return," whereby benefits are offered to North Korea in return for concessions that it makes, such as increasing openness to the outside world, mutual broadcasting, human rights improvements, allowing regular reunions of separated families and complete denuclearization. Given North Korea's attitude toward South Korea, any road toward such progress will be long and bumpy. It should start with the reform of the unification ministry.

The bumpy road toward unification

The Korea Times · August 3, 2023

By Park Jung-won

President Yoon Suk Yeol said that the Ministry of Unification's purpose should no longer be to provide aid to North Korea. Whatever Yoon's true intention, fundamental reform of the unification ministry seems to be inevitable. The confirmation hearing for the unification minister nominee Kim Yung-ho, a political science professor, held on July 21 at the National Assembly illustrated the seriousness of the matter.

Kim might have been better off had he politely declined the post, no matter how earnestly Yoon asked him. He was very reluctant to comply with the opposition party's demands to submit his personal records for verification. However, what was most alarming were the dangerous and misguided perceptions of the nature of inter-Korean relations revealed by opposition lawmakers' questions and remarks during the hearing.

Hwang Hee, who served as the culture minister during the Moon Jae-in government, asked Kim whether North Korea's ultimate goal is to reunify the South through communization or to join the international community as a normal state. Kim replied that it is the former. Hwang lamented that Kim's perception was seriously wrong, as if Hwang was in full grasp of the North Korean regime's intentions. It is, however, closer to the truth that North Korea's ultimate goal is to communize the South. The fact that North Korea stipulates a mandate of "territorial completion" in its Nuclear Forces Policy Act (Sept. 8, 2022) should be understood as North Korea's clear intention of unifying the Korean Peninsula with North Korea as a strong nuclear power.

Hwang further noted that the South Korean Constitution seeks peaceful unification, asking Kim how South Korea can act as a driving force for inter-Korean reconciliation when the two Koreas have such different regimes. He added that it is quite easy to demand North Korea to denuclearize from the outside, but it is very difficult to say that North Korea's regime security is guaranteed from the outside without providing them with a strong sense of trust.

When Kim failed to provide a clear response to this, Hwang pressed the nominee, demanding a proper answer. Hwang argued that it is South Korea's role to guarantee the security of the North Korean regime. When Kim responded, "It is difficult to guarantee the North Korean regime's security from outside," Hwang retorted, "Does the South Korean government not want to guarantee the North Korean regime's security?" And he attacked him by asking, "As the minister of unification, you are the one who should do the job, but why can't you provide a definite answer?"

This scene shows how distorted Hwang's perception of the nature of inter-Korean relations is. How can South Korea or the U.S. guarantee security for North Korea's regime under Kim Jong-un? This is something they couldn't do even if they wanted to. The security of North Korea's regime is fundamentally a matter for the North Korean people to decide. International law refers to this as the right of self-determination of peoples. To demand that South Korea and the U.S. guarantee the permanence of the Kim dynasty is tantamount to asking both countries to directly violate international law, i.e., a direct infringement of the rights of the North Korean people. Hwang admonished Kim by saying that the most important thing a South Korean unification minister should do is to guarantee the security of North Korea's regime. Are North Koreans destined to live forever under a hereditary dictatorship?

Another episode during the hearing occurred when opposition lawmakers wrongly described Kim as a far-right figure. The far-right refers to a force that advocates extreme nationalism and justifies violence, such as Hitler's Nazi Party in Germany. Kim reportedly said in the past that Kim Jong-un's regime must disappear in order for the Korean Peninsula to be unified under a free and democratic order. Yet he must have recognized at the time that this does not mean invading North Korea by force, nor would this be possible, given that the South Korean Constitution aims for peaceful unification. Some candid remarks made when Kim was a scholar rather than a government official do not qualify him as being far-right. In South Korean society, if you are silent on North Korean human rights, does this make you progressive? If you emphasize North Korean human rights, have you suddenly become far-right? Since North Korea refuses to denuclearize, if you favor strengthening sanctions against North Korea, are you far-right? And if you prefer to ease sanctions on North Korea, are you progressive? Is South Korean society one that can be used for political interests by doctoring the concept of the far-right or progressive if it is only related to North Korean issues?

In the end, as demonstrated by the drama at the confirmation hearing, the unification ministry needs to be fundamentally reformed. Its name should be changed to a neutral expression such as the "Ministry of Inter-Korean Relations," rather than the current name, which gives the impression of blind unificationism. Unification is only the endpoint of inter-Korean relations and presupposes sovereign choice through the exercise of the Korean people's right to self-determination. Any half-baked promotion of unification cannot be a serious ministry policy goal.

It is thus necessary to firmly pursue a new North Korea policy with a long-term perspective that seeks the goal of North Korea's reform and opening. South Korea's economic aid to North Korea should be conditionally linked to genuine progress made toward peace on the Korean Peninsula. These conditions should be based on the principle of "benefit in return," whereby benefits are offered to North Korea in return for concessions that it makes, such as increasing openness to the outside world, mutual broadcasting, human rights improvements, allowing regular reunions of separated families and complete denuclearization. Given North Korea's attitude toward South Korea, any road toward such progress will be long and bumpy. It should start with the reform of the unification ministry.

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 · August 3, 2023

15. South-North Korea and ARF

Should and can ARF play a leading role in peaceful conflict resolution?

Excerpt:

East Asian nations should look to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional organization, as a starting point for peaceful conflict resolution. According to this view, ASEAN's governing body is the ASEAN Regional Forum. The ASEAN-led forum is one of the few international venues in which Pyongyang is a frequent participant. China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the United States and the European Union are only some of the 27 members. For a long time, the maintenance of peace on the peninsula has been an overarching goal of the ARF, which also addresses broader regional concerns like disputes in the South China Sea.

South-North Korea and ARF

The Korea Times · August 3, 2023

By Simon Hutagalung

Both Seoul and Washington have said it would be "the end" of Kim Jong-un's government if North Korea used its nuclear weapons against the United States or its ally South Korea. A statement from Seoul's defense ministry said, "Any nuclear attack on the alliance will face an immediate, overwhelming, and decisive response," echoing previous statements from both Seoul and Washington. At a time when military cooperation between Seoul and Washington is increasing and North Korea is stepping up its nuclear tests, tensions between the two Koreas are at an all-time high.

On July 27, Pyongyang's defense minister expressed concern that a U.S. nuclear-capable submarine's port call to Busan would constitute a "legal threshold" for the North to deploy nuclear weapons for the first time since 1981. As a "legitimate defensive response" to Pyongyang's persistent nuclear threats, the U.S. submarine's port call is justified, the statement claims. This journey was agreed upon in April, during South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to the United States, where he and U.S. President Joe Biden made a joint statement warning Pyongyang that the use of nuclear weapons would have catastrophic results.

Last year, North Korea passed a wide range of nuclear legislation that detailed a variety of situations, some of which were intentionally left ambiguous, under which the country may deploy its nuclear weapons. By declaring that North Korea's status as a nuclear state was now "irreversible" when he announced his new nuclear legislation last year, Kim Jong-un virtually ended any chance of denuclearization discussions. If "an attack by nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction ... is judged to draw near," Pyongyang may deploy its nuclear weapons, according to the law's unclear wording.

President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea made a six-day state visit to the United States, during which he and Vice President Joe Biden discussed strengthening the United States' security shield for South Korea in light of the North's increasing missile testing and the North's nuclear threat.

This is a very terrifying development for the entire area and the entire planet. The degree to which North and South Korea may actively gather assistance from regional powers is complicated by the ongoing conflict and competitiveness among Northeast Asian countries. Attempts to change the status quo through the engagement of regional powers have failed thus far. Despite the importance of bilateral discussions between North Korea and the United States in reducing tensions in the area, they have thus far failed to yield a deal. Instead, regional international institutions like ASEAN may be able to broker a peace pact that provides everyone with sufficient safety.

East Asian nations should look to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional organization, as a starting point for peaceful conflict resolution. According to this view, ASEAN's governing body is the ASEAN Regional Forum. The ASEAN-led forum is one of the few international venues in which Pyongyang is a frequent participant. China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the United States and the European Union are only some of the 27 members. For a long time, the maintenance of peace on the peninsula has been an overarching goal of the ARF, which also addresses broader regional concerns like disputes in the South China Sea.

To convince North Korea that it is safe to give up its nuclear program, ASEAN may be able to play a significant role in the negotiations. Several factors suggest that the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) might be significant in catalyzing progress toward lasting peace on the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang views ASEAN as more impartial than the U.S. or other regional powers in Northeast Asia. The European Union benefited from its apparent neutrality in the 1990s, but this has substantially altered with the installation of its sanctions policy. The relationship between ASEAN and North and South Korea is positive and growing: "With strong ties to both Koreas, ARF is perfectly positioned to act as a middle man' between the North and South." Middle-power countries like the ones that make up ASEAN are often seen as sharing common interests with the two Koreas. North Korea would be better off looking to other ASEAN members like Vietnam and Indonesia for development trajectory examples. When it comes to bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula, Indonesia is in a prime position to lead since it now chairs ASEAN.

To sum up, ARF is the primary venue for addressing the Korean conflict. Peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula were hot topics during the recent ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the only security gathering in the region. The chairman's statement issued following the 27th meeting since the group's formation in 1995 was unprecedented in its focus on a global flashpoint. To reaffirm its "readiness to play a constructive role, including through utilizing ASEAN-led platforms such as the ARF, in promoting a conducive atmosphere to peaceful dialogue among the concerned parties," the ASEAN-led security forum made this statement for the first time. The normal call for calm, collaboration, and strict adherence to UNSC resolutions was absent here.

Simon Hutagalung serves in the Indonesian Foreign Ministry. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not represent those of the ministry

The Korea Times · August 3, 2023

16. English proficiency of South Koreans

Koreans are much more proficient in English than we Americans are in Korean, and other languages as well. I was visiting Joong Ang University this week and they had a team of interpreters translating my lecture into Korean, Chinese, and Russian, They were from the university's department of interpretation. The entire team was fluent in English as well Chinese and Russian and capable of simultaneous translation. Anecdotal for sure, but I have experienced a lot of these anecdotes throughout my time in Korea.

[Robert Fouser] English proficiency of South Koreans

koreaherald.com · by Korea Herald · August 3, 2023

How well do South Koreans speak English? The development of translation apps and decreased personal interaction after the pandemic may be making this question less important, but English education still occupies an important place in the South Korean society. English is a required language from elementary school through university. Scores of standardized English tests are usually required for employment and advancement in companies. English kindergartens and other types of private schools remain popular.

English proficiency across nations is difficult to compare because of the many variables involved. In the past, the media used TOEFL scores to gauge English proficiency in different countries, but results are skewed because in many nations TOEFL takers are limited to people hoping to pursue a university degree in English. Like TOEFL, TOEIC is available in many countries but 80 percent of test takers come from South Korea and Japan, making a broad comparison difficult. Nevertheless, scores from the two tests offer insight into where countries stand.

The most ambitious attempt is that of EF Education First, a foreign language teaching company founded in 1965. EF Education developed the EF Standardized English Test (EF SET) and uses the test data to create the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), which allows for international comparison. The most recent edition of the EF EPI from 2022 ranks English proficiency in 111 countries and regions.

So how does South Korea come out? Data from the TOEFL iBT in 2021 show that South Korea ranks below the mean of European countries, but in the middle overall. Among Asian countries, for example, South Korea’s mean total score was 86, whereas as China and Taiwan were 87 and Japan was 73. Among Asian nations, Malaysia, and Pakistan, both of which share a history of British colonial rule, had a score of 92.

TOEIC scores for 2022 show South Korea doing slight better than its neighbors. The country had a mean score of 675, whereas Japan came in at 561 and China at 548. In Asia, the Philippines, which has a history of US colonial rule, scored high at 749. France, Germany, Italy and Spain all had mean scores above 700.

Results from the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) in 2022 offer the most accurate comparison. Data for the report index came from more than 2,100,000 people around the world who took the EF Standard English Test (EF SET) or one of the EF’s placement tests in 2021.

In the 2022 report, South Korea ranked 36 out of 111 countries and regions and was classified as having “moderate proficiency.” The top group, “very high proficiency,” was dominated by European countries, but Singapore ranked 2nd after the Netherlands, and South Africa 12th. The bottom group, “very low proficiency,” centered on countries in Africa and Asia, with Laos ranking last.

Compared to its neighbors, South Korea came out well in the EF EPI. It ranked higher than neighboring China and Japan, both in the “low proficiency” group, and higher than any other Asian nation except for Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Hong Kong, all of which experienced colonial rule by an English-speaking power.

The EF EPI also ranked English proficiency in cities around the world. Among major cities, Seoul was in the “high proficiency” group, sitting between Paris and Kuala Lumpur. It was also the highest-ranking Asian city in a survey and ahead of Beijing and Tokyo, which were in the “moderate proficiency group.”

Among South Korean cities, Daegu joined Seoul in the “high proficiency” group. Busan, Incheon, and Daejeon were in the “moderate proficiency” group, and Ulsan near the top of the “low proficiency” group. By province, Gyeonggi, South Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang provinces fell in the “moderate proficiency” group, while the others were in the “low proficiency” group (no data for Gwangju and Jeju Province were given). The concentration of younger people with higher English proficiency in cities and nearby areas influences much of the regional discrepancy. Data from Japan reveal a similar trend where proficiency is highest in the largest urban areas around Tokyo and Osaka.

This quick tour of test data from around the world suggests that South Koreans are fairly proficient in English. The tests do not focus on speaking but that usually correlates with overall proficiency. South Korea’s achievement is even more laudable considering that the linguistic distance between Korean and English. With continued interest and investment in English education, South Korea should join the “high proficiency” group fairly soon.

Robert J. Fouser

Robert J. Fouser, a former associate professor of Korean language education at Seoul National University, writes on Korea from Providence, Rhode Island. He can be reached at robertjfouser@gmail.com. -- Ed.

By Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

koreaherald.com · by Korea Herald · August 3, 2023

17. South Korea sets nationwide civil defense drill, citing North's 'provocations'

Seven decades of complacency due to the success of the Armistice and deterrence.

This is good to see. I suppose this will be part of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise.

Excerpts:

“We expect to strengthen the response capacity of the nation through a practical drill reflecting the aspects of provocations of North Korea,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said in a news release this week.

The release said the 20-minute drill is part of a larger exercise to test the South Korean government’s response to potential threats including “advanced nuclear missile threats, cyber attacks, drone terrors, etc.”

The prime minister also called on South Koreans to take the drills seriously, something that hasn’t always been the case.

Many South Koreans have become resigned to the fact that much of the population would only have minutes to respond to any possible North Korean missile or airstrike.

South Korea sets nationwide civil defense drill, citing North's 'provocations' | CNN

CNN · by Brad Lendon,Sooyeon Kim · August 4, 2023

Seoul, South Korea CNN —

As tensions with North Korea spike, South Korea will hold its first nationwide civil defense drill in six years later this month, requiring most of the country’s 51 million residents to practice evacuating to shelters or underground safe spaces during the 20-minute exercise.

The drill, scheduled for 2 p.m. on Wednesday, August 23, will see many drivers required to pull over to the side of roads and the exits to subway stations closed with commuters required to remain inside, a statement from the South Korean Interior Ministry said.

“We expect to strengthen the response capacity of the nation through a practical drill reflecting the aspects of provocations of North Korea,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said in a news release this week.

The release said the 20-minute drill is part of a larger exercise to test the South Korean government’s response to potential threats including “advanced nuclear missile threats, cyber attacks, drone terrors, etc.”

The prime minister also called on South Koreans to take the drills seriously, something that hasn’t always been the case.

Many South Koreans have become resigned to the fact that much of the population would only have minutes to respond to any possible North Korean missile or airstrike.

exp Korea armistice celebration Ripley pkg 072701ASEG3 CNNI World_00000923.png

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Pyongyang marks 70 years since the end of the Korean War

The capital Seoul, for example, lies just 30 miles south of the demilitarized zone that separates the South from the North, which maintains a vast array of artillery along its border.

But Han said citizens should “follow the lead of the nation during the exercise and actively participate in it.”

Instructions from the Interior Ministry said 17,000 shelters would be open nationwide, and locations are searchable in popular Korean apps.

To minimize disruption to key services, the ministry said hospitals, airlines, railways, subways and commercial sea traffic would not be affected by the emergency drill.

It also said 13 areas of the country designated as a disaster zone following recent heavy rainfall would be excluded from the drill.

South Koreans have long become used to periods of fractious relations with the North, but the current level of tensions are especially high.

North Korea last month launched an intercontinental ballistic missile with its longest flight time ever, the latest advancement in a missile program that has been testing at a breakneck pace over the past two years under leader Kim Jong Un.

exp North Korea marks Armistice Day Stewart LIVE 072704ASEG1 CNNI WORLD_00002001.png

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North Korea welcomes Russia and China to commemorate "victory day"

The launch of the Hwasong-18 missile was conducted “at a grave period when the military security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region has reached the phase of nuclear crisis beyond the Cold War,” a statement in North Korean state media said.

Later in July, a US Navy nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine called in the South Korean port of Busan, prompting more threats from Pyongyang, with North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam saying the presence of the vessel may meet the country’s criteria for use of nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang tested short-range ballistic missiles after the US sub made its call in Busan.

Han, the South Korean prime minister, said the civil defense drill would be held in conjunction with large-scale US-South Korea military exercises that have drawn sharp criticism from Pyongyang in the past.

It will also come less than a week after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol travels to the United States for a trilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, where “the continued threat posed by” North Korea will be on the agenda, according to a White House statement.

CNN · by Brad Lendon,Sooyeon Kim · August 4, 2023

18. Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: August - KOREA

KOREA

https://www.fdd.org/policy-tracker/2023/08/02/biden-administration-foreign-policy-tracker-august-2/#Korea

Anthony Ruggiero

Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow

Trending Negative

Previous Trend:

Neutral

North Korea celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War with a military parade that included intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Senior Russian and Chinese officials attended the event. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu led his country’s delegation, marking the first visit by a Russian defense minister since 1991. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave Shoigu a tour of a defense exhibition that included ballistic missiles and drones. Russia and North Korea have strengthened their relationship, with Pyongyang providing materiel for Moscow’s war in Ukraine in exchange for sanctions evasion and commodities. Kim also met with a Chinese Politburo member who led Beijing’s delegation. Both China and Russia have dropped any pretense that they will implement UN Security Council sanctions prohibiting Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

On July 18, Washington and Seoul held the first meeting of their Nuclear Consultative Group. The two allies had pledged to establish the group following South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit in April. A White House readout said the group will serve as an “enduring mechanism for strengthening the U.S.-ROK Alliance and enhancing our combined deterrence and response posture.” As a public show of Washington’s commitment to Seoul’s defense, two U.S. nuclear-capable submarines visited South Korea.

North Korea threatened to shoot down U.S. reconnaissance flights. On July 12, Pyongyang tested its solid-propellant ICBM. The Biden administration responded with a strongly worded statement. The last U.S. sanctions on North Korea were issued on June 15.

19. Miracle on Han River, no success without sacrifice

Insights into north Korea, important history, and analysis on the Miracle on the Han.

Excerpts:

Park Chung-hee's greatest accomplishment, I explained, was choosing talented people from the private sector to receive government backing and laying the foundation for the South Korean economy's rapid development. He also launched the Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement), which helped Koreans shake off the victim mentality left by the Korean War. The president made a point of sharing a bowl of rice wine with farmers on the edge of a rice paddy, inspiring all Koreans with hope and the idea that they could prosper.

The second reason South Korea prospered was because of the immense sacrifices made by its workers. Overseas, there were the nurses and miners who took jobs in Germany and the construction workers who worked in sweltering 50-degree weather in the Middle East. And at home, there were the workers at Guro Industrial Park who remained seated at their sewing machines for 16 or more hours a day.

I enthusiastically explained how it was those workers' sacrifices that enabled exports to the United States. That was how South Korea brought in the precious foreign currency that paved the way for national development.

That's not the half of it. The records show that more than 5,000 of the 300,000 South Koreans who were sent to the Vietnam War died in the fighting. That tally would rise above 10,000 if those who died later from complications of trauma were included.

In short, South Korea's development was built on the sweat of its workers and the blood of its soldiers.

Third, I told my young guide that South Korea's strength derives not from men but from women. The country's development was due to our mothers. It was made possible by the value they placed on diligence, thrift and education, and their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the success of their husbands and children.

The mothers of that time are the grandmothers of today. I think the majority of South Korea's grandmothers should be honored for their contribution to the nation.

Those three things, I concluded, were the driving force behind the "Miracle on the Han River."

Miracle on Han River, no success without sacrifice

The Korea Times · August 2, 2023

By John Alderman Linton

Around 20 years ago, I started visiting tuberculosis hospitals and sanatoriums in North Korea as part of a campaign to rid the country of that disease. I've been to the North countless times since then.

One night, I was returning to Pyongyang from the countryside in a run-down Toyota van. It was hard to hear much of anything over the whine of the engine, but one of the guides assigned to us by North Korea cautiously struck up a conversation with me.

"I'm told South Korea is a little ahead of us. If that's true, can you tell me about it?" The question caught me completely off guard.

During the Gwangju Uprising, I was framed as one of the agitators behind the demonstrations there simply because I did some interpretation for the citizen committee one day. During the rule of Chun Doo-hwan in the Fifth Republic, I spent two painful years under the watchful eyes of plainclothes policemen.

So for a moment, I was worried that speaking favorably of South Korea in the North might lead to me being jailed or deported. Eventually, I asked the young guide if he wanted a real answer. He seemed sincere in his curiosity, so I decided to humor him.

The first reason South Korea is doing so well, I told the young guide, is thanks to Park Chung-hee.

I'd grown up in Jeolla Province (in the southwest) and picked up regional prejudices as a child. In all honesty, I used to regard people from Gyeongsang Province (in the southeast) as being almost as bad as the Japanese. Of course, when I was a little older, I learned about the accomplishments of Park Chung-hee, a native of Gyeongsang Province.

Park was an autocratic president who rammed through the unjust Yushin regime and perpetrated many undemocratic acts, including the infamous emergency measures. But he still deserves credit for being the first Korean leader in 5,000 years to prioritize the private sector instead of the public sector.

When I asked my young guide if he knew about Hyundai founder Chung Ju-yung, he said he knew about Chung's donation of 1,001 cows to North Korea. But I pointed out that Chung wasn't the only figure of his kind in South Korea ― there was also POSCO founder Park Tae-joon, Samsung founder Lee Byung-chull, Daewoo founder Kim Woo-choong and LG cofounders Koo In-hwoi and Huh Man-jung.

Park Chung-hee's greatest accomplishment, I explained, was choosing talented people from the private sector to receive government backing and laying the foundation for the South Korean economy's rapid development. He also launched the Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement), which helped Koreans shake off the victim mentality left by the Korean War. The president made a point of sharing a bowl of rice wine with farmers on the edge of a rice paddy, inspiring all Koreans with hope and the idea that they could prosper.

The second reason South Korea prospered was because of the immense sacrifices made by its workers. Overseas, there were the nurses and miners who took jobs in Germany and the construction workers who worked in sweltering 50-degree weather in the Middle East. And at home, there were the workers at Guro Industrial Park who remained seated at their sewing machines for 16 or more hours a day.

I enthusiastically explained how it was those workers' sacrifices that enabled exports to the United States. That was how South Korea brought in the precious foreign currency that paved the way for national development.

That's not the half of it. The records show that more than 5,000 of the 300,000 South Koreans who were sent to the Vietnam War died in the fighting. That tally would rise above 10,000 if those who died later from complications of trauma were included.

In short, South Korea's development was built on the sweat of its workers and the blood of its soldiers.

Third, I told my young guide that South Korea's strength derives not from men but from women. The country's development was due to our mothers. It was made possible by the value they placed on diligence, thrift and education, and their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the success of their husbands and children.

The mothers of that time are the grandmothers of today. I think the majority of South Korea's grandmothers should be honored for their contribution to the nation.

Those three things, I concluded, were the driving force behind the "Miracle on the Han River."

After listening to my account, the young guide countered with a theory of his own. "That's not how I see things. I think you just chose the right side. We sided with Russia, with the Soviets, and South Korea sided with the United States. That's why you're so well off."

He seemed to think South Korea's strength was not its own, but only borrowed from the United States.

When I train medical students, I often pose questions to help them realize the errors in their thinking. That's the approach I took with my young guide.

"You know about the Philippines, right? While we were at war with you North Koreans, the Philippines helped out by sending a lot of soldiers to the battlefront. Even after the war, they helped us economically by building Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul."

"The Philippines has been aligned with the United States for a century now. Now you tell me why they're not prosperous today."

My young guide didn't have an answer for that.

That put an end to our conversation, and we remained silent for the hour or so that remained of our drive back to Pyongyang.

While I'd offered a logical rebuttal to my young guide's idea, he seemed unwilling to give up his misconception. But I appreciated his question nonetheless, since it allowed me to ponder the nature of the Miracle on the Han River and how exactly it came to be.

John Alderman Linton, an American-Korean whose Korean name is Ihn Yo-han, is a director at Yonsei University Severance Hospital International Health Care Center.

The Korea Times · August 2, 2023

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

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."

Access NSS HERE

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