Quotes of the Day:
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“In 1943 or 1944, an officer from Gen. Marshall’s secretary came into the office of Lt. Gen. William H. Wood… This officer said, “Gen. Marshall wants an officer for a secret and dangerous mission. He wants a West Point football player.” Gen. Wood, now…then rather a lieutenant colonel, came to me a few hours after this incident and told me about it."- The story behind the quote and plaque. General George C. Marshall (VMI Football Player) - https://www.marshallfoundation.org/blog/marshall-myth-west-point-football-player/
“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.”
- Salman Rushdie
“I'm not, like, a book guy, but isn't the point of all this book stuff like what Ms. Croft was teaching us -- that unrestricted access to books allows us to be challenged and changed? To learn new things and to critically think about those things and not be afraid of them? To be better than we were before we read them?”
- David Connis, Suggested Reading
1. A declaration to end the Korean War can improve American and Korean security
2. Many North Korean women outearn their husbands, but still do the chores
3. US veterans of Korea reflect on past, push toward future
4. US Palantir invests in Hyundai Oilbank
5. Yoon thanks ex-U.S. Ambassador Stephens for contribution to alliance
6. Memoir delivers cries for help from N. Korean women trapped in sex slavery in China
7. The Secret of Kim Jong-un’s Success
8. Squid Game Says More About Communism Than Capitalism
9. Korea Faces Dramatic Population Decline
10. Unification And Cultural Identity In East Asia – OpEd
11. Top military officials of S. Korea, U.S. discuss timing of OPCON transfer assessment: sources
12. S. Korea's homegrown guided missile passes key performance test
13. Defense minister stresses political neutrality ahead of 2022 presidential poll
14. S. Korea, U.S. to hold senior-level economic talks in Seoul next week
15. North Korea Like You've Never Seen Before - DirectExpose
16. Will Korea-Japan foreign ministers' meeting be held at G7 2021?
17. Amid Omicron Worries, North Korea Orders Strengthened Quarantine on China Border
18. Kim Yo Jong conducted surprise inspection of Pyongyang’s Hospital No. 11 in mid-November
19. N. Korea intensifies efforts to crack down on anti-socialist behavior ahead of party meeting
1. A declaration to end the Korean War can improve American and Korean security
If I received this paper from a student I would have to bleed all over it with a red pen. The leaps of logic, the assumptions, and the lack of understanding of the nature, objectives, and strategy would make this paper receive a grade of F.
Just one major point. The author (who is admittedly confidant of Pak Chol a ranking member of the United Front Department and former member of the north Korean mission at the UN where he was able to provide support to north Korean symphysis, useful idiots, and agents of influence), tells us the end of war declaration makes the argument that the end of war declaration can improve American and Korean Security. She provides no logical evidence to back up the statement. Furthermore, her arguments belie a lack of understanding of deterrence, defense, and military readiness to deal with a north Korean attack which is what north Korean is preparing for. The ROK and US forces train for the defense of the ROK, the nKPA trains for an attack of the South. She argues that by giving up combined defensive training and making concessions it will somehow enhance security when in fact ending training will weaken readiness an actually increase the likelihood of conflict as Kim Jong-un will judge that he will have a superior correlation of forces when the ROK and US military combined readiness declinse sufficiently. Lastly, she states that the ROK and US military want to reserve the right to use force which is why there is opposition to the end of war declaration. An end of war declaration is irrelevant to the use of force int he future. We should never forget that the right of self defense can never be denied. If north Korea attacks, the end of war declaration will not prevent the alliance from defending the ROK. The problem is the end of war declaration and the authors and others' proposals will lead to the decline of readiness (and perhaps even the removal of US troops from the peninsula) and this will increase the likelihood that the Kim will order an attack when he assesses the conditions are in his favor.
I could go on and I am sure other readers could identify so many more flaws. These arguments are dangerous. On Monday One Korea Network will release a new book with 15 authors making the argument about the dangers of the end of war declaration.
Lastly due to the author's close association with north Korea agents and operatives, I hope that congressional staffers and members will consider their security clearances when deciding whether to meet with her. Staffers can put their careers at risk,
A declaration to end the Korean War can improve American and Korean security
Formally ending the more than 70-year-long conflict would build political will for permanent peace
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Image: Joint Inter-Korean Summit Press Corps | South Korean President Moon Jae-in exchanges gifts with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their September 2018 summit in Pyongyang
The following article is an opinion piece by Christine Ahn of Women Cross DMZ, an American nonprofit organization that aims to advance peace on the Korean Peninsula. Views expressed in opinion articles are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of NK News.
As the U.S. and South Korea reportedly discuss a formal declaration to end the Korean War, an increasing number of voices in the national security sphere have raised concerns that such a declaration would be both an empty gesture and potentially dangerous move to undermine the U.S.-South Korea alliance.
Contrary to such assertions, however, an end-of-war (EOW) declaration would actually offer an opportunity to improve Korean and American security, and break the diplomatic impasse that has loomed over the Korean Peninsula since 2019. And as history has shown, diplomacy has been the only method to achieve tangible gains in reducing tensions between the U.S. and North Korea — including the DPRK freezing testing and production of its nuclear weapons.
While not a panacea, an EOW declaration would be a vital step toward replacing the 1953 Korean War Armistice Agreement with a permanent peace. Even China, a signatory to the armistice, supports an EOW declaration, with an official saying it “will contribute to promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”
In the Korean context, an EOW declaration is generally framed as a nonbinding political declaration, distinguished from a binding peace agreement that formally ends the Korean War. But according to the report “Path to Peace,” released by the global campaign Korea Peace Now! (of which Women Cross DMZ is a member), an EOW declaration can legally end the state of war if that is what the parties intend it to achieve.
But even if it doesn’t accomplish this, an EOW declaration can still help build political will toward the signing of a binding peace agreement. In other words, an EOW declaration can be a stepping stone toward permanent peace and normalized relations — and that would undoubtedly improve security for both Americans and Koreans.
To do so, an EOW declaration must be accompanied by fundamental shifts in U.S. policy as well as commitments by all sides to reduce hostilities and build trust. That might include steps such as lifting sanctions and stopping provocative military exercises with South Korea, as well as ending the U.S. travel ban on North Korea to allow family reunions, people-to-people exchanges and ease the flow of humanitarian aid.
Okryugwan restaurant staff prepare a luncheon for the North and South Korean leaders in Pyongyang on Sept. 19, 2018 | Image: Joint Inter-Korean Summit Press Corps
ADDRESSING CRITICISMS
A peace declaration would not endanger South Korea or the U.S. In fact, as prior agreements have shown, it would help improve the security situation on all sides.
The historic summits in 2018 and 2019 by South Korea, North Korea and the U.S. led to a range of tension-reducing measures — from the DPRK’s self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing and North and South Korean soldiers demining portions of the DMZ, to repatriation of U.S. service members remains, release of three detained Americans, reunion of separated families and the establishment of the first joint liaison office.
Arguments that the U.S.-ROK alliance would weaken as a result of ending the Korean War fail to mention that the alliance is not predicated on the state of war but rather based on the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty, which “shall remain in force indefinitely” until either side decides to revoke it. Whether to maintain the alliance is thus ultimately up to South Korea.
However, a state of peace would imply the dissolution of the U.N. Command. Prolonging the presence of the U.N. Command would be destabilizing because it would signal that the U.S. is reserving the right to use force.
Finally, some insist that an EOW declaration must include commitments by North Korea to denuclearize. While we can all agree that denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula is the ultimate goal, the fact of the matter is that the DPRK has shown no willingness to unilaterally disarm, and efforts to force them to agree to such terms have been recipes for failure.
Meanwhile, Pyongyang has only developed more nuclear weapons. The country has shown remarkable resilience to pressure-based tactics such as sanctions and isolation, and military maneuvers only further provoke them.
North Korea has made it clear that denuclearization will require a peace process that includes concrete steps toward a peace treaty. Instead of treating peace as a reward for North Korea’s “bad” behavior, the Biden administration must view it as what it is — something that will benefit the security of all people.
Refusing peace would mean that the parties still want to reserve the right to use force, which could be understood as an implicit threat. And that will only deepen North Korea’s resolve to develop nuclear weapons.
A North Korean girl smiles at her school in Hamhung on Sept. 2011 | Image: NK News (file)
NO OPTION BUT PEACE
While stoking fear, those who argue against ending seven decades of war fail to offer any other viable solutions to the Korean conflict. Simply insisting that North Korea give in to U.S. demands to denuclearize, and believing that more pressure-based tactics will achieve these goals when there is no evidence to the contrary, is not a viable solution.
The cost of continued failure to negotiate peace is high. The status quo endangers Korean and American lives, both in the dollars wasted in preparation for war and in the increasing risk of a devastating military conflict. The status quo means tens of thousands of elderly Koreans, in the U.S. and on the Korean Peninsula, will die without seeing loved ones from whom they’ve been separated for 70 years.
The Biden administration has a moral and ethical obligation to end America’s oldest “forever war.” Everyone — Koreans and Americans — deserve peace.
2. Many North Korean women outearn their husbands, but still do the chores
There should be no doubt that it is the Korean women of the north who have provided families and the population writ large with the resiliency that has allowed them to survive the most horrendous living conditions in the modern era.
Many North Korean women outearn their husbands, but still do the chores
Women trade; men do badly paid state jobs
Dec 9th 2021
SEOUL
BEFORE SHE fled south six years ago, Kim Eun Kyoung spent her days in one of North Korea’s many informal markets. She sold household goods and illicit South Korean TV dramas. In the evening, she did the housework and looked after her daughter. She says her husband worked just a few hours a day at his state-mandated factory job and spent the rest of his time gambling and drinking. They hardly ever saw each other. “I would have liked it if he’d helped with the housework, but we lived totally separate lives,” says Ms Kim (not her real name). “The only thing we ever discussed honestly was our economic situation.”
Ms Kim’s story is increasingly common among North Korean women, judging from surveys of those who have fled to the South over the past two decades. After the collapse of the North’s planned economy and public-distribution system in the 1990s, the state grew more relaxed about enforcing labour requirements for women. The regime continues to compel most men to work for the state, but pays most of them very little or nothing altogether. Women, who are both freer than men to spend time working in the markets and compelled to do so in order to feed their families, have therefore acquired some economic power.
In many North Korean families, women now appear to be the main breadwinners. In 2020 the Database Centre for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB), an NGO in Seoul, the South’s capital, asked 60 refugees from Hyesan, a city on North Korea’s border with China, about their married lives back home. Fully 47% said the wife brought home the kimchi, 37% said it was the husband and 17% said both contributed equally. Hyesan, an unusually open border town, may not be representative, cautions Hanna Song of NKDB. But testimonies of refugees from other parts of the country suggest similar trends.
Women’s extra earnings have yet to change expectations about what they do at home, however. Traditional views of family life remain common, notes Ms Song. Among those surveyed by NKDB, both men and women considered child care and housework to be women’s work. “Of course women should look after children, they’re much better at it,” says Jeong Jin, a 30-something woman from Hyesan who came to Seoul in 2015. “My husband always looked really unnatural holding our baby.” She acknowledges that many women complain about the double burden, but says the fault lies with the system that forces the men to work without much pay.
Even when people blame the state, the gap between expectations and reality has begun to cause conflict. Some overburdened wives demand help with chores or a say in family decisions. Many husbands insist on being respected and obeyed, regardless of how much they contribute. Common insults for useless husbands include haebaragi (“sunflowers” who sit pretty waiting for their wives to come home), natjeondeung (“day lamps”, as useful as a lamp turned on in the sunshine) or bul pyeon (“inconvenience”, a play on nam pyeon, the Korean word for husband).
The most successful marriages appear to be those that combine a woman’s economic activities with a man’s political influence. Ms Jeong says her marriage to a high-ranking police officer was a happy one even though they lived mostly off what she and her mother earned as smugglers. “My husband had little money, but a lot of power,” she explains. Men suffer through years of badly paid army or police jobs to rise through the ranks, at which point they can bring both higher salaries and opportunities to top them up by extracting bribes from smugglers or by earning bonuses by catching them—as well as the ability to protect their wives’ grey-market activities.
The state is unlikely to offer women more rights or men better jobs. After a brief period of championing female fighter pilots and engineers, Kim Jong Un, the North’s dictator, has recently reverted to promoting a traditional approach to family life, urging women to look pretty for their husbands and to care for their children. For North Korea’s harried married women, Mr Kim is about as useful as a natjeondeung. ■
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "Sunflower state"
The Economist today
3. US veterans of Korea reflect on past, push toward future
US veterans of Korea reflect on past, push toward future
Col. Seth Graves, U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys commander, U.S. veterans and their spouses, and representatives from the Korean War Veterans Association pose during the Republic of Korea Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Revisit Korea program luncheon at the River Bend Golf Course on Camp Humphreys Dec. 3, 2021. (Photo Credit: Sgt. Courtney Davis)
by Sgt. Courtney L. Davis
U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys Public Affairs Office
December 9, 2021
CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea (Dec. 8, 2021) – The ROK Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs hosted former U.S. service members for a Revisit Korea program orientation and base tour at Camp Humphreys Dec. 3.
While the program previously was dedicated to service members who served during the Korean War, it now welcomes all former U.S. Forces Korea service members and honors their contribution to the ROK-U.S. alliance.
“I served from 1986-1987 with the 51st security police squadron in Osan, and I worked with the ROK military on the gates at the air base,” said Mark McCraw. “I have had many people who have served in the military. My wife was in the navy, and my grandfathers were in the Korean War, so I am really excited to be here for the revisit tour.”
George Kranske, administrative officer executive assistant from USFK’s transformation and restationing office, painted a vivid picture of Camp Humphreys before 2007. It began as a sea level base with just an air strip surrounded by rice paddies and several Korean villages. For three to four years, 5,000-pound trucks dumped dirt on the land every day to create a high foundation, he explained.
Several veterans’ faces lit up as they remembered what it was like to be stationed on a peninsula as rural as Korea was decades ago.
“I was actually up north near the DMZ. We were a hot missile battalion. It was five miles from the Imjin River. We did air defense for the DMZ area. We were embedded with the 2nd Infantry Division,” said Paul Mallory. “I am just very interested in seeing what the Korean people have done. It’s very interesting to see how they have grown, and how they have built up the whole area is different from when I was here. There were dirt roads and grass shacks and just little huts. From when I was here it is quite a bit of difference.”
Col. Seth Graves, U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys commander, welcomed the veterans and gave a windshield tour to show how Humphreys has changed.
“I just want to thank you all for your service. I am very excited to take you on a tour and show you the newest army installation in terms of facilities and the largest OCONUS DoD installation,” said Graves. “We have a very functional state-of-the-art installation here at Camp Humphreys, and we have a lot to show you. I think you will be thoroughly impressed on how the installation has grown from what it used to be to where it is today.”
Heads turned left and right as Graves pointed out the garrison’s major buildings and attractions. He explained that Humphreys now encourages Soldiers to bring their families for their tour in South Korea. Many veterans asked how Soldiers get around such a large base without private vehicles, and Graves explained the base’s taxi services and comprehensive public bus system.
Fingers pointed out the windows and cameras flashed when passing the outdoor pool, the Humphreys Downtown Plaza, the schools, and the family housing towers. The veterans looked amazed and proud that that their service and sacrifice alongside their Korean counterparts contributed to the growth and prosperity of South Korea today.
“I was stationed at Red Cloud for a year, and it was enough at the time for me. We lived in Quonset huts. There was a lot of dirt roads. We would see women washing clothes in the creek, so it was a cross between ‘Mash’ and ‘China Beach,’ but we had a good time and we loved the people,” said Deirdre Howardson. “It was wonderful to come back to Korea. It is so different. They have grown and prospered so much, and I hope I played a little part in defending their freedom and democracy so they could grow this way.”
4. US Palantir invests in Hyundai Oilbank
US Palantir invests in Hyundai Oilbank
Hyundai Oilbank's Daesan plant in South Chungcheong Province/ Courtesy of Hyundai OilbankBy Kim Hyun-bin
Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings (HHIH) unloaded some of its stakes in Hyundai Oilbank to Palantir Technologies. The amount of stock sold to the U.S. company was valued at about $20 million, HHIH said Thursday.
HHIH's decision was aimed at winning financial support from stable strategic investors, as Hyundai Oilbank is planning to pursue an initial public offering (IPO) early next year. Hyundai Oilbank plans to apply to the Korea Exchange for a preliminary examination within this year.
Hyundai Oilbank and Palantir plan to build a long-term cooperative relationship with Palantir's investment in the HHIH affiliate.
By building a big data platform through the collaboration with Palantir, Hyundai Oilbank expects to accelerate its digital transformation in all of its business areas, including smart factories.
"Collaborating with Palantir will be a great opportunity to strengthen Hyundai Oilbank's digital capabilities. We will do our best to establish and enhance our corporate value," a Hyundai Oilbank official said.
Palantir is a big data company that supports and provides big data analysis services and platforms for major U.S. intelligence agencies, including the FBI, CIA and National Security Agency (NSA). It also has diverse customers on the commercial side, including global companies such as Airbus and BP.
Palantir has decided to invest in Hyundai Oilbank's oil refining business, as well as in the value and growth potential of its highly evaluated new businesses, such as petrochemicals and hydrogen, said the companies.
Previously, Hyundai Doosan Infracore, a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group's construction machinery division, had signed a strategic partnership with Palantir, the first time for a domestic company to do so, in 2019, with the goal of utilizing its big data collaboration platform to integrate, connect and analyze business data from the past 40 years.
5. Yoon thanks ex-U.S. Ambassador Stephens for contribution to alliance
Yoon thanks ex-U.S. Ambassador Stephens for contribution to alliance
Yoon Suk-yeol, right, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, poses with former U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens during their meeting at the party's headquarters in Seoul, Dec. 9.
Yonhap
Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), met Thursday with former U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens and thanked her for contributing to the bilateral alliance.
During their meeting at the PPP headquarters, Yoon said he believes it is thanks to people like Stephens that the two countries' relations have remained strong despite numerous threats and difficulties.
Stephens has a long history of working in South Korea, first as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1970s and then as a U.S. diplomat, which included her ambassadorship from 2008 to 2011.
She has an adopted Korean name, Shim Eun-kyung.
"From when you were young, you showed a deep interest and love for our people, culture and history," Yoon said. "Even with the passing of time, our people have not forgotten and are grateful to you for making the bilateral relationship so robust and strong."
Stephens said she is grateful to be in South Korea at a politically important time and hopes the two countries will continue to look for ways to strengthen their relationship in the face of challenges.
Yoon expressed confidence that the bilateral relationship will develop further if people like Stephens maintain their understanding and love for each country's history and culture. (Yonhap)
6. Memoir delivers cries for help from N. Korean women trapped in sex slavery in China
The terrible tragedies these women endure.
And most of us have no idea of the NGOs and the people working to help these Koreans.
Excerpts:
Amid the deep frustration that came from her realization that there was little she could do for these women, she said that she was relieved to find there are groups of humanitarian workers who pursue every possible means to rescue the victims. Their heroic actions have helped save many.
She called the frontline humanitarian workers "unsung heroes."
"Frontline workers and justice missionaries who risk their lives to go into some of the darkest places on Earth to help suffering girls and women in slavery and forced prostitution are the hidden unsung heroes ― they are transforming one life at a time," she said.
Friedman said that she felt the urge to release a memoir about her experiences with those women to let the international community know about their need for help and to take coordinated action to stop such contemporary sex slavery.
"My hope is that we professionals, especially women, will step up and volunteer to help our sisters and daughters who are trapped and languishing in modern-day sex trafficking," she said. "It's easy to get discouraged when you only see the big picture of 4.8 million girl and women victims in slavery globally. That's why I wrote my memoir about my personal journey to interview and document the personal stories of survivors and victims across Asia, to spur more people on to help and get involved in global volunteerism (Betheherocampaign.com)."
She will continue her campaign to raise international awareness of the issue through a film project she is currently working on; a feature film based on her book, telling the world these stories.
Memoir delivers cries for help from N. Korean women trapped in sex slavery in China
gettyimagesbank
Korean-Canadian author-filmmaker Sylvia Yu Friedman tells stories of women sold to Chinese farmers, coerced into prostitution in Asia
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Every year, an unspecified number of North Koreans risk their lives for the chance of a better life outside the impoverished nation. They secretly cross the border to arrive in China, hoping to go to a third country for a new life free of fear and starvation. If caught, they must pay the price: they may be executed or sent to labor camps notorious for their appalling human rights conditions.
For some, particularly women, their audacious decisions to escape to China are based on false promises. They are lured by human traffickers to cross the border for "jobs."
Once arriving in China, their lives are no longer under their control. They may be raped by traffickers, who are Chinese or ethnic Koreans who were born and raised in China, before they are sold to poor, older Chinese farmers. Some are forced into prostitution or to perform online pornography. Scared by death threats or potential harm to their family members left behind in the North, they find it impossible to end the sexual bondage by themselves.
Sylvia Yu Friedman / Courtesy of Sylvia Yu FriedmanSylvia Yu Friedman, an award-winning filmmaker and investigative journalist who chronicled this modern-day sexual slavery in Asia in a documentary series, raised fresh worries about the ramifications of such enslavement: the traumas of victims' lives are passed down onto their children.
"There are thousands of children of North Korean mothers and Chinese fathers. Hundreds, if not thousands, of these children are abandoned by their mothers if they escape to a third country like South Korea, or if they are sold again to another husband," she said.
Friedman recently released a book titled, "A Long Road to Justice: Stories from the Frontlines in Asia," published by Penguin Random House. The memoir is her personal account of the stories of these women who were deceived into leaving their homes for other countries in Asia, including China and Hong Kong, for jobs, but ended up getting trapped in sex slavery.
Her documentary project led her to meet a wide range of people involved in contemporary sex trafficking, including smugglers, human traffickers and their victims, as well as frontline humanitarian workers who are trying to rescue victims.
The Korean-Canadian author and journalist came to live with the piercing pleas of those women, after interviewing several North Korean women who were sold to Chinese farmers, survivors of Japan's war-time system of sex slavery, and African and Asian women who were coerced into prostitution in Hong Kong's red-light district.
"A Long Road to Justice" by Sylvia Yu FriedmanHer memoir unveils the tragic realities of poverty-driven sex slavery.
"Only 5 percent of people who have been forced into slavery are kidnapped. Most people are trafficked through deception: they were in dire poverty and dream of a better life," her book reads. Some poor parents sold their daughters to traffickers for money, she said, citing a humanitarian worker.
The sexual enslavement of North Korean women in China, which involves Korean traffickers in China, is a chilling reminder for Friedman of Korea's tragic past during World War II.
"It's a wicked cycle repeating in a way, since Korean women were dragged as wianbu or comfort women to China and all over the Asia Pacific on the frontlines of war to comfort the Japanese soldiers before and during World War II," she said. "There were Korean brokers and collaborators involved in recruiting young Korean women as comfort women and the same type of opportunists today deceive and lure vulnerable North Korean women into bride trafficking and online pornography in China."
Friedman said that the shock and sadness that gripped her back in 2007 during her field trip to China's northeast to interview several North Korean women are still fresh.
"I'll never forget sitting with North Korean women in the homes of their poor Chinese husbands," she said. "They looked beyond depressed, in quiet despair and shame ― barely whispering responses to my probing questions. I had never felt more helpless and sad for them and saddened for our divided peninsula."
Amid the deep frustration that came from her realization that there was little she could do for these women, she said that she was relieved to find there are groups of humanitarian workers who pursue every possible means to rescue the victims. Their heroic actions have helped save many.
She called the frontline humanitarian workers "unsung heroes."
"Frontline workers and justice missionaries who risk their lives to go into some of the darkest places on Earth to help suffering girls and women in slavery and forced prostitution are the hidden unsung heroes ― they are transforming one life at a time," she said.
Friedman said that she felt the urge to release a memoir about her experiences with those women to let the international community know about their need for help and to take coordinated action to stop such contemporary sex slavery.
"My hope is that we professionals, especially women, will step up and volunteer to help our sisters and daughters who are trapped and languishing in modern-day sex trafficking," she said. "It's easy to get discouraged when you only see the big picture of 4.8 million girl and women victims in slavery globally. That's why I wrote my memoir about my personal journey to interview and document the personal stories of survivors and victims across Asia, to spur more people on to help and get involved in global volunteerism (Betheherocampaign.com)."
She will continue her campaign to raise international awareness of the issue through a film project she is currently working on; a feature film based on her book, telling the world these stories.
7. The Secret of Kim Jong-un’s Success
He appears to be thriving on the backs of the Korean people. And continuing to win the poker game with pairs of twos.
I think what has helped him is the system Kim Il Sung designed to oppress the Korean people in order for the regime to remain in power.
But is the time coming where the system can no longer be sustained?
Some of the contingencies we have to prepare for.
What is the long-term term outlook for Kim Jong-un? More likely than not, North Korea will be celebrating twenty years of ‘glorious’ leadership under Chairman Kim. But many scenarios are possible should a single man succumb to threats ranging from disease, accident, assassination, conflict, or coup.
Perhaps the biggest unknown remains the true impact of covid. With the Omnicron variant spreading globally, the coronavirus that has already stifled North Korean progress may yet undermine the regime in ways not yet visible to the outside world.
The Secret of Kim Jong-un’s Success
By carefully manipulating the strategic levers of power, Kim is not just surviving but, by all appearances, thriving.
It may seem odd to laud the longevity of a thirty-seven-year-old dictator. But from concluding and then quickly reneging on a missile agreement in his first months in office, to ordering the brutal death of his regent uncle, to staring down former-President Donald Trump’s “fire and fury” pressure, Kim Jong-un is an improbable success story.
The secret to his success is forging a favorable balance of power inside and outside North Korea.
Kim began his rise to power ten years ago, on December 17, 2011, when his father, Kim Jong-il, died from a massive heart attack. The North Korean regime was seized with shock and uncertainty. Could the young Kim Jong-un navigate his country’s second-ever political transition? Assuming he survived, how would the atavistic totalitarian state change?
Less than a month before his thirty-eighth birthday, Kim Jong-un is marking what he hopes will be the first of several decades at the helm of running the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). By carefully manipulating the strategic levers of power, Kim is not just surviving but, by all appearances, thriving.
The keys to his durability have centered on rejuvenating party power and discipline, co-opting elites, opening more markets, developing strategic arms, and balancing outside nation-states.
Politically, Kim upgraded the power of the Workers’ Party of Korea, ensured loyalty through purges and rewards, and suppressed and controlled the flow of public information.
Economically, at least before the pandemic, he has delivered benefits for elites. He has accomplished this feat despite stiff international sanctions through a combination of permitting more markets and more significant trade with China. Theft is also essential for his cash flow, which relies on a formidable and growing illicit cyber operation.
Militarily, Kim Jong-un has made remarkable strides towards developing a more lethal inventory of nuclear-capable long-range weapons. And he has kept the surrounding powers bidding for his affection or at least at bay.
The third Kim looked down on his father and set his sights, at least his leadership style, on his grandfather, DPRK founder Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-un is far more ambitious than his father ever was. Indeed, Kim Jong-un’s goals are as grandiose as his grandfather’s but focused on building North Korea’s long-term power rather than near-term unification. Internationally, he covets a seat at the table of nuclear-weapon states.
Over the past ten years, Kim has notched some noticeable achievements. First and foremost, Kim and his regime have survived formidable odds at home and abroad. His progress in developing a suite of strategic weapons has astonished many worldwide. And, from summit meetings with the American president to restoring close ties with China, Kim has maintained his autonomy and a favorable regional balance of power.
But success has come at a price. Arguably Kim’s biggest failure is the inability to convert historic summits into a process that would have conferred greater legitimacy and prosperity on his regime. Instead of establishing a genuine détente with the United States and ending North Korea’s pariah status, Kim walked away from Hanoi in early 2019 without some agreed process in place.
Kim is too crafty a leader and too set on winning global attention to ignore the United States’ offer for serious dialogue over the long term. Because Kim needs to maintain a strategic equilibrium among regional powers, shifts in either South Korea or U.S.-China relations could trigger new provocations, diplomatic overtures, or both.
In March, the South Korean presidential election may force Kim to alter his standoffish behavior with the Biden administration because a more conservative leader in the Blue House will force Pyongyang to adjust to prevent a deteriorating external environment.
President Joe Biden lacks the broad political backing required to offer Kim lucrative concessions. Still, Kim may seek more serious dialogue with the United States, if only to preempt a new conservative leader in the Blue House or—far less likely—should China and U.S. relations regain some stability.
What is the long-term term outlook for Kim Jong-un? More likely than not, North Korea will be celebrating twenty years of ‘glorious’ leadership under Chairman Kim. But many scenarios are possible should a single man succumb to threats ranging from disease, accident, assassination, conflict, or coup.
Perhaps the biggest unknown remains the true impact of covid. With the Omnicron variant spreading globally, the coronavirus that has already stifled North Korean progress may yet undermine the regime in ways not yet visible to the outside world.
Image: Reuters
8. Squid Game Says More About Communism Than Capitalism
Interesting analysis.
The key point and why it has value for information and influence activities in the north.
Squid Game isn't really about capitalism, properly understood. It's about developing strategies for undermining and resisting authoritarian control and retaining your humanity under a system designed to strip it all away.
Squid Game Says More About Communism Than Capitalism
Squid Game Says More About Communism Than Capitalism
The breakout Netflix series contains critiques of a decidedly "anti-capitalist" political and economic system that's haunted the Korean Peninsula.
| 12.9.2021 12:30 PM
Squid Game, the breakout Korean series about players competing to the death for a giant piggy bank full of cash, is Netflix's biggest series launch, and co-CEO Ted Sarandos says "there's a very good chance it will be our biggest show ever."
Critics have argued that the show offers a devastating critique of contemporary capitalism.
In a Jacobin review headlined, "Squid Game Is An Allegory of Capitalist Hell," the writer asserts that "Korea's extreme inequality is Squid Game's central theme." New York Times reporter Jin Yu Young wrote that "it has…tapped a sense familiar to people in the United States…that prosperity in nominally rich countries has become increasingly difficult to achieve, as wealth disparities widen and home prices rise past affordable levels."
The show's creator Hwang Dong-hyuk told Variety that he "wanted to write a story that was an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, something that depicts an extreme competition, somewhat like the extreme competition of life."
"Is there a theme more unifying in global pop culture than 'capitalism is bad?'" asks Vulture writer Roxana Hadadi in her recap of one episode before continuing, "It helps that the statement is true, of course…"
But Squid Game has a much richer and more resonant takeaway than "capitalism is bad."
(Warning: This article and video contain spoilers.)
The series hints at a different message when Front Man, the Darth Vader–esque manager of the dangerous and lucrative series of competitions, chastises an employee who violated the rules. "You've ruined the most crucial element of this place: equality," he says.
Later, players are invited to witness the mass execution of those who violated the "pure ideology" of this insulated world when they participated in an organ harvesting scheme for personal enrichment, with the emphasis on the enrichment as the heart of the crime. Throughout the games, the faceless pink-uniformed workers are all masked with only symbols distinguishing their ranks in the collective's hierarchy. Meanwhile, the elites sit cloistered together, observing the spectacle from above.
Does this all sound like a reference to capitalism or a different economic system—the one that's actually haunted the Korean Peninsula?
One participant in the games is North Korean escapee Kang Sae-byeok, who's accepted the deadly consequences and poor odds in the long-shot hope of winning money to bring the rest of her family across the border after a sleazy smuggler ripped her off.
Are organ brokers and border coyotes examples of capitalism? They're black markets of the sort that crop up when voluntary trade is prohibited. More than 1,000 people a year risk their lives trying to escape the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the majority of successful escapees settle in the South, according to the charity Connect North Korea.
Another character, Pakistani Ali Abdul, also finds himself in dire straits because of exploitation from a boss leveraging his immigration status against him. In other words, the consequences of a gray labor market emerging in response to state-imposed border control.
What about the main character, Seong Gi-Hun? He's an unemployed gambling addict in trouble with loan sharks, drawn into the game because he wants to make enough money to prevent his ex-wife from moving his daughter abroad with her new husband. We later learn that his life troubles began after a strike at the car factory where he worked killed a colleague and caused Gi-Hun to miss his daughter's birth.
His story is based on the real-life 2009 Ssangyong Motor strike that ended in a militarized raid by Korean riot police.
This might sound like a critique of modern capitalism, but in the real-life strike, Ssangyong Motor had been taken over by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation three years earlier—a Chinese state-owned operation, which was responsible for the crackdown on workers.
So was free market capitalism to blame?
A key to understanding Squid Game's deeper meaning is the distinctive wardrobe, and in particular, the green tracksuits that the contestants are required to wear. The show's art director told The New York Times that they're a reference to the green uniforms of the Saemaul Undong, or New Village Movement, a state-led industrialization program. This was government industrial policy—i.e., centralized planning—and, like China's Cultural Revolution under Mao's communist regime, involved stripping communities of their local customs and identities through a program known as misin tapa undong, or "movement to overthrow the worship of gods."
There are some obvious symbols of capitalist excess in the show, like the crass, golden-masked Westerners who watch the proceedings from a luxury box while placing bets on the desperate contestants as if they're the very racehorses our protagonist lost all his money on. Or the arrogant and broke former financial adviser who believes that everyone gets what they deserve.
And, of course, there's that giant piggy bank near the ceiling filling up with bundles of cash every time someone is eliminated from the competition.
South Korea is an unqualified capitalist success story. Unlike its communist neighbor to the north, "the miracle on the river Han" experienced massive economic growth from the 1960s on largely thanks to market reforms, and growth that raised the standard of living for the rich, middle class, and poor at a rate that far exceeded that of its neighbors. Today, the country has the 37th-highest GDP per capita in the world and ranks 26th in the Fraser Institute's Human Freedom Index.
South Korea's approach was far from perfect, and persistent government meddling in the economy accounts for many of the country's problems. Housing prices have skyrocketed as South Korea's idiosyncratic land-use regulatory regime has encouraged rampant real estate speculation. And its loose monetary policy fueled troublingly high levels of personal debt and price inflation—trends that have accelerated in the COVID era.
All of these are serious problems facing South Korea, and many advanced economies worldwide. Its citizens are putting more money into cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, which The New York Times characterizes as emblematic of the "get rich quickly" culture of South Korea but could also be the result of a crisis of confidence in centralized banking and the legacy financial system represented by the main character's bottomed-out hotshot financial adviser friend.
Maybe the reason for Squid Game's global resonance isn't its leftist critique of capitalism—a Hollywood cliché—but that it taps into something more fundamental and universal: a growing unease with systems of centralized surveillance and control. At its core, this is what the game is all about.
A central horror of Squid Game is that participation is voluntary—to a degree. Participants sign away their lives and their rights, which can only be regained with a majority vote. This conceit, too, misunderstands the nature of capitalism and contracts. In a truly free society, you always have the right of exit. Instead, the game's structure is more reminiscent of social contract theory, which is regularly employed to justify gross governmental violations of rights so long as those carrying them out are appointed through an ostensibly democratic process.
Squid Game is not about voluntarism, but force, deception, and coercion. It's not about free markets and choice, but dehumanization and forced assimilation into a collective.
As the show's star, Lee Jung-jae, told The New York Times: "It's about people. I think we pose questions to ourselves as we watch the show: Have I been forgetting anything that I should never lose sight of, as a human being?"
And, in the end, our hero regains his personal agency at the last possible moment and decides not to play any longer, even with victory assured. He leaves battered and traumatized, but with his soul intact.
Squid Game isn't really about capitalism, properly understood. It's about developing strategies for undermining and resisting authoritarian control and retaining your humanity under a system designed to strip it all away.
Produced by Zach Weissmueller; graphics by Calvin Tran
Photo credits: Dong-Min Jang/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Wang Yiliang / Xinhua News Agency/Newscom; Rod Lamkey - CNP/Sipa USA/Newscom
9. Korea Faces Dramatic Population Decline
One of the most challenging conditions for the future of Korea with significant implications for the military and national security.
Interestingly, the best path out of this might be through unification.
Korea Faces Dramatic Population Decline
December 10, 2021 11:47
Korea's population will halve over the next 100 years unless the birthrate makes a drastic recovery or immigration brings about a reversal, Statistics Korea said in a biennial projection Thursday.
The current fertility rate of 0.8 children born to a Korean woman in the course of her lifetime will not recover to one until 2030, so the population will decline naturally by 100,000 a year in 2030 and by over half a million by 2070.
That means the population of children under 14 will halve from 6.31 million last year to 2.82 million in 2070, but the elderly population over 65 will more than double from 8.15 million to 17.47 million.
The ratio of child population to elderly population will soar from 1 to 1.3 in 2020 to 1 to 6.2 in 2070. This will raise the median age from 43.7 to 62.2 over the same period.
The proportion of elderly people who have to be supported by a working adult will increase from 38.7 per 100 economically productive population in 2020 to 117 in 2070. Korea's ratio is the lowest among the OECD member states now but will be the highest 50 years from now, according to estimates by the UN.
Statistics Korea also forecasts that neither the fertility rate nor life expectancy will increase as fast as expected, and fewer foreigners than hoped will move here.
In the worst-case scenario, the population will dwindle to 31.53 million in 50 years, down about 40 percent from now, and to just 12.14 million 100 years from now or a mere 23 percent of the current population.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
10. Unification And Cultural Identity In East Asia – OpEd
Excerpts:
Nevertheless, the longer the two Koreas stay divided, the more diverging their national identities will be. Then the common cultural element will not override this difference as evident in the case of China and Taiwan. Even if governments strive for unification, younger South Koreans are not in favour of it. Similar to the situation in Taiwan, the younger generations that benefitted from the post-democratisation period of liberalism do not look upon unification favourably due to possible economic fallout that may emanate from it.
Like their counterparts in Taiwan, South Korean youth have experienced the fruits of liberalisation in a post-dictatorial era. This liberalisation has also been accompanied by a western understanding of nationhood with multi-cultural civic aspects overriding a monocultural one. North Koreans in South Korea feel excluded and there are nuanced differences in the Korean language and script used in both countries. Even after several decades, Vietnam and Germany have not fully reconciled over their divided past. But in these two countries, the responses from the younger population are optimistic regarding the fruits of unification. While older generations are divided over nation-building and viewing history, younger people ignore the cleavages and worry more about common issues such as the economy. If ever Korean unification is achieved, its durability will depend on the generations that will be born after it rather than the ones that might witness it.
Unification And Cultural Identity In East Asia – OpEd
Cold War-era ideological battles partitioned many a nation, but most united by the end of the 20th century. In East Asia, these divisions still persist, as evident in the diametrically opposed existence of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Republic of Korea, and the People’s Republic of China and Republic of China. Yet while the former two still hold onto the common Korean identity, the latter pair seem to have diverged on the common Chinese identity. And this difference might be crucial in determining whether unification is possible for these two pairs.
In the post-Cold War era, Samuel Huntington proposed that instead of conflict over ideological differences, future wars will be fought over cultural faultlines. Increasingly, national identities are grappling with cultural forces which threaten to overwhelm civic elements. Countries lacking in adequate nation-building are being torn apart by competing ethnic groups. When even existing states are unable to hold themselves together, the question arises whether unification of others is possible and if so, on what basis.
Korea is still a homogenous cultural identity based on ethnonationalism, influenced by the rise of Korean nationalism in the 20th century in face of an occupying Japan. As the examples of Vietnam and Germany show, ideology can be easily overthrown in favour of bringing together who consider themselves as one. North and South Korea still consider themselves Koreans. This is because to them, a nation is based on ethnic and cultural uniformity (minjoksa) rather than any civic base. This idea has bled well into the decades after the partition. While North Korea refers to itself as Choson and South Korea refers to itself as Hanguk, both the names constitute the geographical expression covering the entire Korean peninsula. This has been the basis for various measures towards unification such as intra-Korean sports teams, even if these efforts were partly driven by the ambition and belief on either side that they will be the one to unify the peninsula.
On the other hand, Taiwan is creating a distinction between itself and mainland China. Taiwanese has become not only a political identity but also a cultural one. The country holds no (dis)illusion of one day taking over mainland China as it did under Chiang Kai-shek but prefers to be left alone. In 1991, about a quarter of Taiwanese considered themselves Chinese and about 50% considered themselves both Chinese and Taiwanese. By 2014, only 3% considered themselves exclusively Chinese and 33% consider themselves both Chinese and Taiwanese. The exclusive identification with a Taiwanese identity is more prominent amongst the youth. Within these twenty years, there was a 240% increase in people who identified exclusively as Taiwanese.
The creation of a Taiwanese identity has been propelled by the existence of an indigenous culture that was not fully erased after Chiang Kai-shek and his Chinese forces took over the island. It was easier to accommodate both sides after Taiwan’s democratization in 1987. While Chinese (as a cultural identity) and Taiwanese (as a political identity) need not be mutually exclusive, the ever-growing strife between China and Taiwan, the rise of chauvinistic Chinese nationalism in the mainland, and the coalescing of the various groups in Taiwan have led to growing bipolarity of the Chinese and Taiwanese identity. The latter has become more multicultural and civic rather than monoethnic in its scope.
There are other factors that also contribute towards the prospect of a Korean unification while counting out a Chinese one. The two Koreas are dependent on each other than the two Chinas are. The presence of nuclear weapons in North Korea compels South Korea to support the North’s economy and ensure its stability, producing mutually compatible stabilizing responses.
Nevertheless, the longer the two Koreas stay divided, the more diverging their national identities will be. Then the common cultural element will not override this difference as evident in the case of China and Taiwan. Even if governments strive for unification, younger South Koreans are not in favour of it. Similar to the situation in Taiwan, the younger generations that benefitted from the post-democratisation period of liberalism do not look upon unification favourably due to possible economic fallout that may emanate from it.
Like their counterparts in Taiwan, South Korean youth have experienced the fruits of liberalisation in a post-dictatorial era. This liberalisation has also been accompanied by a western understanding of nationhood with multi-cultural civic aspects overriding a monocultural one. North Koreans in South Korea feel excluded and there are nuanced differences in the Korean language and script used in both countries. Even after several decades, Vietnam and Germany have not fully reconciled over their divided past. But in these two countries, the responses from the younger population are optimistic regarding the fruits of unification. While older generations are divided over nation-building and viewing history, younger people ignore the cleavages and worry more about common issues such as the economy. If ever Korean unification is achieved, its durability will depend on the generations that will be born after it rather than the ones that might witness it.
*Aswathy Koonampilly is a postgraduate in International Relations from Christ University, Bangalore.
11. Top military officials of S. Korea, U.S. discuss timing of OPCON transfer assessment: sources
While the press focuses on IOC, FOC,and FMC of the OPCON transition process the very important issue from the 53d SCM is this excerpt:
In parallel, the two leaders committed to complete the comprehensive joint study on COTP capabilities as well as the annex and appendix rewrites to COTP Change 1 by the Spring 2022 Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue. They also pledged to complete a ROK-U.S. bilateral assessment on ROK critical military capabilities and Alliance comprehensive response capabilities against DPRK nuclear and missile threats by the 54th SCM.
The most important thing the alliance must do is to re-evaluate the entire process and the conditions since there have been so many changes to the plan since the process beginning 2004.
Top military officials of S. Korea, U.S. discuss timing of OPCON transfer assessment: sources | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Yonhap) -- Top military officials of South Korea and the United States have met to discuss the possibility of conducting an assessment required for the envisioned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) earlier than the current plan of next fall, sources said Friday.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Won In-choul and Gen. Paul LaCamera, the head of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), held closed-door talks Thursday to discuss the timing of the full operational capability (FOC) assessment, the second part of a three-phase program to verify if South Korea is ready to lead the allies' combined forces, the sources said.
The meeting came a week after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly agreed to consider advancing the timing for the FOC assessment during a courtesy call on President Moon Jae-in in Seoul.
During their annual security talks here last Thursday, Defense Minister Suh Wook and Austin agreed to conduct the assessment next fall, though Seoul has apparently sought more progress in the OPCON transition process before the term of the Moon administration ends in May.
During the meeting with LaCamera, Won was expected to reiterate Seoul's hope to conduct the FOC assessment in the first half of next year.
"I understand Commander LaCamera listened to Won's view, and there may be more meetings between them going forward," a source said on condition of anonymity.
The allies completed the initial operational capability assessment, the first part of the verification program, in 2019.
The FOC assessment has been delayed due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. But last week's bilateral agreement to fix the year for the FOC assessment raised hopes that the overall OPCON transfer process will pick up pace.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
12. S. Korea's homegrown guided missile passes key performance test
S. Korea's homegrown guided missile passes key performance test | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has successfully conducted key performance tests of a homegrown ship-based guided missile ahead of its deployment next year, the state-run defense quality assessment agency and Navy officials said Friday.
The Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (DTaQ) said that the missile, called the Haegung, hit the intended target in two tests, one conducted on Wednesday and one Friday. Haegung means sea bow in Korean.
The missile is designed to intercept incoming missiles or shoot down hostile aircraft. Its development was completed in 2018 under an acquisition project led by the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD).
The Navy plans to deploy the weapons system to its key warships, such as frigates, landing ships and mine layer ships, the DTaQ said.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
13. Defense minister stresses political neutrality ahead of 2022 presidential poll
To that end the ROK/US alliance must consider the timing of the March exercises and how that will be used by political parties. We absolutely cannot cancel the exercise because of the impact on readiness and the OPCON transition process but we can adjust the timing and do it in such a way (with a supporting IO effort) so that it removes it as a potential issue during the election.
Defense minister stresses political neutrality ahead of 2022 presidential poll | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook instructed senior military officials Friday to "strictly" maintain political neutrality ahead of next year's presidential poll, casting the armed forces as "the last bulwark of national defense."
Suh made the remarks during a year-end meeting of top commanders from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as the country's political parties are quickening their preparations for the March 9 presidential election.
"I emphasize the need to strictly maintain political neutrality," Suh said.
"Our military has been fulfilling its role as the last bulwark of national defense under any circumstances. I call on you to ensure that our military will not stand at the center of any political controversy," he added.
Friday's gathering focused on assessing the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, as well as discussing next year's defense tasks, including responses to North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
On North Korea, participants shared the assessment that the reclusive regime has continued to push for advancing its nuclear and missile programs, while striving to strengthen internal unity and stabilize people's livelihoods.
Regarding security tasks for 2022, participants vowed to "sternly' respond to any threats from terrorism and outside the Korean Peninsula and improve the South Korea-U.S. tailored deterrence strategy to counter threats from the North's nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
They also highlighted their commitment to developing space security capabilities based on inter-service cooperation, portraying outer space as a "core realm that has significant influence over national security."
The participants included Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Won In-choul, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Nam Yeong-shin, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Boo Suk-jong and Marine Corps Commandant Lt. Gen. Kim Tae-sung. Other leading officials joined the session via video links.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
14. S. Korea, U.S. to hold senior-level economic talks in Seoul next week
Sustained, high level alliance engagement across the instruments of national power continues.
S. Korea, U.S. to hold senior-level economic talks in Seoul next week | Yonhap News Agency
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will hold vice-ministerial economic talks in Seoul next week on ways for closer cooperation in supply chains of key industries, infrastructure and technology sectors, according to Seoul officials Friday.
Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon and Jose Fernandez, U.S. undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment will lead the sixth annual Senior Economic Dialogue (SED) slated for Friday, they said.
It will be the first time for Fernandez to visit Seoul since taking office in August.
During the trip, Fernandez is expected to meet senior officials from the finance ministry, with infrastructure projects likely to be high on the agenda, according to informed sources.
Washington has been pushing to build a global supply chain less dependent on China, including an envisioned initiative called Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
The two sides are expected to touch on bolstering ties in some key industries, including semiconductors and batteries, and other technology sectors.
Follow-up measures on bolstering vaccine partnership are likely to be another major agenda item, as the allies' leaders agreed to work together to expand manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines during their Washington summit in May.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
15. North Korea Like You've Never Seen Before - DirectExpose
North Korea Like You've Never Seen Before - DirectExpose
Eric Lafforgue / Art In All Of Us / Corbis via Getty Images
You have probably heard something about the crippled nation of North Korea but there aren’t a lot of genuine photos that show the harsh conditions. Korea used to be one nation until the country was divided following World War II, with the North becoming a communist state while the South became a democracy. It is very rare for Western photographers to document the poverty-ridden society under the dictatorship of Kim Jong-un. It is a risky adventure since it is illegal to take photos of everyday life and show them outside the country. Here are some incredible photographs that were smuggled out of the country:
1. North Korea spends a fortune on its armed forces
It is unknown how much exactly the North Korean leader, Kim Jung-Un spends on funding the Korean People’s Army, though it is said to be quite a fortune. The North Korean army uses lasers and missiles banned in other countries and has an impressive cyber warfare unit.
STR / AFP / Getty Images
It is mandatory for every North Korean over 18 to enlist, even women. North Korea also possesses an unknown number of nuclear weapons, though according to estimates, its nuclear arsenal is limited. North Korea also possesses a large number of chemical weapons.
2. You need to work for your education in North Korea
Did you know that the students in North Korea are required to purchase their own chairs, desks, and heating during the winter? And if that wasn’t enough, they are also forced to work while at school to produce things for the government.
Carl Court / Getty Images
If the parents want their daughter to focus on her education and avoid occasional hard labor, they need to either bribe the schoolteachers or stop sending her to school altogether, forcing her to miss the single opportunity she has at an education.
3. Only less than 3% of their roads are paved
Without a lot of government funding, most of the roads are left unpaved. In fact, if you travel through North Korea, you will only see less than 3% of their roads finished. That is, out of the 120,538 square kilometers of roads, only about 2.83% are paved.
STEPHEN SHAVER / AFP / Getty Images
Fun fact: all the roads in North Korea (if they were finished) could circle Pluto 3.5 times. At the same time, the 450 miles of paved roads would barely make the distance from New York to Cleveland.
4. Bill Gates’ net worth is larger than North Korea’s GDP
Bill Gates has a net worth of about $90.2 billion as of 2017, which is four and a half times larger than North Korea’s. According to reports, North Korea’s gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to be about $17.4 billion, while United States is $16.77 trillion.
Carl Court / Getty Images
Though there have been several reforms over the last few decades, North Korea’s economic system is still a centrally planned one, meaning that the governmet has control over production, prices, distribution and so forth. This also means that the people of North Korea have to rely on their government to fulfill their every need.
5. The country was named the most corrupt in the world
This probably won’t shock you but last year, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index, North Korea is tied as the most corrupt country in the world. They were tied with Somalia with a score of 8. The rating is between 0 (highly corrupt) and 100 (very clean).
KCNA / AFP / Getty Images
Looking at the results as a whole, though, shows that 68% of all the countries in the world have a serious corruption problem, but North Korea definitely takes the cake. By the way, there is no perfect corrupt-free country according to the Corruption Perceptions Index.
6. North Korea is about the size of Pennsylvania
Looking at these pictures, you might think that North Korea is a big country but in truth, it is about the size of Pennsylvania. North Korea’s area is about 120,538 square kilometers, which is only slightly bigger than the U.S. state.
ED JONES / AFP / Getty Images
Unlike PA, though, only about 19.5% is suitable for growing crops. What’s more, several natural disasters that occured in the 1990s hurt the country’s agriculture severly, after being considered one of the most productive agricultural systems in the world in the 1980s.
7. Western citizens can’t walk by themselves in North Korea
If you decide to visit North Korea, after your visit has been approved by the party, they will assign a guide to you. To be clear, you can’t say “no thank you.” For the rest of your stay, the guides will be with you at all times and your tour will rarely leave the minivan.
Overlander.tv / Youtube
8. Soldiers are everywhere in North Korea
The North Korean army, named The Korean People’s Army or KPA, is one of the biggest in the world, with over 1.2 million people in active duty. It has been reported that one in every 25 North Korean citizens is an enlisted soldier.
Eric Lafforgue / Art In All Of Us / Corbis via Getty Images
The largest of all KPA branches is the Ground Force, with a staggering one million personnel and an equally impressive number of weapons and fighting vehicles. North Korea’s navy is also a large one, and holds the largest number of submarines in the world.
9. Smoking Marijuana is legal in North Korea
According to reporters who’ve visited the country, you can both consume and purchase cannabis pretty freely and not worry about being prosecuted anywhere in North Korea. It is unknown whether there aren’t any rules against marijuana altogether, or there are rules that aren’t being enforced.
Gerhard Joren / LightRocket via Getty Images
It is also unknown if the same rules apply to both tourists and North Korean citizens. According to an American NGO named Open Radio for North Korea, severe actions were being taken against North Koreans who consumed methamphetamines, but not against those who used marijuana or opium.
10. North Korean public service is tough
The below photo was taken at the Mansu Hill Grand Monument. The uniformed, hardworking girls are sweeping one of the walkways as a form of public service. Not something you would see in the U.S. that’s for sure.
ED JONES / AFP / Getty Images
According to North Korean refugees, the citizens of North Korea are divided into groups according to their level of loyalty to the government. Their loyalty is determined by their own behavior, their political background, their economic and social status, and the behavior of their family and relatives going back three generations.
11. All male citizens are forced to get a certain haircut
According to an anonymous source from Pyongyang, who contacted South Korea newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, Men in North Korea were ordered to cut their hair so it wasn’t longer than 2 centimeters. They were also told to model their hairstyles after Kim Jong Un, whose hair has been described as “ambitious.”
Carl Court / Getty Images
Women were also required to keep their hair at a bob length and model it after Kim’s wife, or choose from a selection of 14 approved styles. Married women were supposed to wear their hair short, whereas single women were allowed to wear their hair longer and curlier.
12. It costs $8,000 to leave North Korea
It isn’t easy to leave North Korea and you will be punished if you are caught trying to escape. There is a way to defect, but it would cost you $8,000 to do so. That will only get you to China, though and very few North Koreans would actually be able to afford it.
Stringer / Getty Images
North Koreans who manage to make it to China are not granted refugee status, however, because of the already fragile relationship between the two countries. China regards these defectors as illegal economic migrants. Most of what we know about North Korea comes from such defectors, who provide valuable information about the secluded country.
13. Locals and tourists can’t shop in the same shops
Even Western tourists aren’t allowed to go where they please in North Korea. When Michal Huniewicz, the photographer who took this photo, managed to get away from his two guides for a minute, he stumbled upon a local shopping area. He was soon removed by a cop as it was for locals only.
ED JONES / AFP / Getty Images
Most North Koreans rely on their government to supply them with food and housing, though there are several supermarkets and department stores available in Pyongyang. Black markets and small scale farmers markets are also available, though the government regulates them heavily.
14. Military truck aren’t what you think
When you picture military trucks in the United States, this is probably not the kind of truck you have in mind. Well, in North Korea, these are the vehicles that transport soldiers around. This is definitely an illegal photo to take! Any photos of military personnel would get you in serious trouble in North Korea.
ED JONES / AFP / Getty Images
15. You have to keep the streets clean
While traveling around Pyongyang, its cleanness is very noticeable. The government spends a lot of time making sure their capital city is one they would proudly show. However, the physical state of the country’s capital does not represent what life in other parts of North Korea is actually like.
KIM JAE-HWAN / AFP / Getty Images
16. Music in North Korea
North Korea’s previous leader, Kim Il-Sung, required that all music acts be ideologically correct. Jazz music was especially prohibited. His successor, Kim Jong-il, was more encouraging towards music, and allowed more western music genres to be played and enjoyed.
ED JONES / AFP / Getty Images
Pictured above is North Korean musical sensation, Moranbong Band, or Moran Hill Orchestra. The group, known as North Korea’s answer to the Spice Girls, consists of female members that were specifically chosen by current supreme leader, Kim Jong-un. The group performs in formal events and televised concerts, and is widely popular among North Koreans.
17. You can’t travel around the country freely
Even if you are a citizen of North Korea, you aren’t allowed to roam around the country freely. You are required to get a permit if you want to travel outside of your city/town. This is so the government can keep tabs on where everyone is.
Ed Jones / AFP / Getty Images
They are still not allowed to travel big distances in their own car—they have to take a bus or train.
18. North Korea takes pride in Pyongyang
This is the capital city of Pyongyang and is the largest city in North Korea. It was destroyed during the Korean war and eventually rebuilt with Kim II-Sung’s plans.
Ed Jones / AFP / Getty Images
19. State workers work very hard in North Korea
Here we see state workers carrying some unknown object across a bridge. Looks like they don’t have access to a truck or something that could carry the heavy object or at least transport the workers to their construction site.
BYAMBASUREN BYAMBA-OCHIRAFP / Getty Images 13
20. Public transportation is very popular
Public transportation is the most common way people commute to work and home. Not that many people have cars so the bus is a popular way of traveling. They still need a permit if they want to leave their city/town.
Alexander Demianchuk / TASS via Getty Images
21. North Korean architecture is basic
Except for maybe a couple of buildings/monuments, the architecture in North Korea is pretty basic and modest. Here we have blocks of flats where the people live. This is what they call their home.
Alexander Demianchuk / TASS via Getty Images
22. Train station picture was staged
This was the train station in Pyongyang and it certainly was a strange sight for the photographer. His train was the only train that day, so you would expect the station to be pretty much empty, but it wasn’t. Photographer Michael Huniewicz said the station looked staged, like a theatrical performance.
ED JONES / AFP / Getty Images
23. The empty entry point
This is the entry point to North Korea where you board the train to take you there. When Michal arrived, it was pretty much deserted.
Yuri Smityuk / TASS via Getty Images
24. Even the Chinese are watching
North Koreans don’t have the freedom to leave the country whenever they wish. The government has watchtowers and guards everywhere to make sure that their own people don’t escape. If caught, you will be thrown in a concentration camp and you could even be put to death if you are revealed to be a traitor.
Tao Zhang / Getty Images
25. North Korea’s vast farmlands
While traveling through the countryside of North Korea, all you are going to see is miles and miles of farmland. Here we can see rice fields being tended to by the locals.
Yevgeny Agoshkov / TASS via Getty Images 37
26. The two leaders watch over
Now this photo of the two statues isn’t illegal as both of the statues are in the picture! The Grand Monument on Mansu Hill features two 22 meters high bronze statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, also known as father and son.
KIM WON JIN / AFP / Getty Images 31
27. Waiting for the train to pass
The photographer is passing by the countryside of North Korea by train. Here we can see people waiting for the train to pass so they can continue on their way.
Raymond Cunningham / Getty Images
28. North Korean Taxis aren’t for tourists
The photographer didn’t get a chance to take one of these colorful taxis as he was always toured around in his guide’s minivan. He couldn’t anyway since the taxis are for locals only so tourists aren’t allowed to use them.
Alexander Demianchuk / TASS via Getty Images
29. You aren’t allowed to photograph certain places
You aren’t actually allowed to take pictures from the train but obviously, that didn’t stop photographer Michael Huniewicz. This is a picture of a rundown pink tower block the photographer saw through his window.
Eric Lafforgue / Art In All Of Us / Corbis via Getty Images
30. North Korea and China are surprisingly close
Here we can see both North Korea (left) and China (right) as China borders North Korea on the Yalu River. As you can see, there is a big difference between the two nations.
FRED DUFOUR / AFP / Getty Images
31. Cars are a luxury
You don’t see very many people driving cars and trucks. It is pretty much a luxury to have one, which is why people have to walk places, bike, or use carriages.
YOSHIKAZU TSUNOAFP / Getty Images
32. Soldiers supervise your every move
This photo was taken in one of the parks in Pyongyang. The two women (and maybe a son) are street cleaners, sweeping the streets for dust and whatnot. The soldier standing there is required to watch them, and make sure the job gets done properly.
CHOO Youn-Kon / AFP / Getty Images
Work is stressful enough without having a soldier constantly watching you.
33. North Korea also has a different calendar
The North Korean calendar, also known as Juche calendar, borrows from both traditional Korean tradition and the Gregorian calendar used in most parts of the world.
ED JONES / AFP / Getty Images 23
34. There story behind Kijong-dong (Peace Village)
Kijong-dong is a village located next to the South Korea border. It is one of the two villages permitted to be in the Korean Demilitarized Zone, that was established after the Korean war in 1953.
KIM JAE-HWAN / AFP / Getty Images
Kijong-dong is considered a ‘propaganda village’ by outsiders, meant to act as a front to intimidate the South Koreans. It is surrounded by cultivated fields and contains high-standard multi-story buildings, though many say they are only there for show and aren’t actually populated.
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16. Will Korea-Japan foreign ministers' meeting be held at G7 2021?
Will Korea-Japan foreign ministers' meeting be held at G7 2021?
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks during a press conference after holding a bilateral meeting with his Paraguayan counterpart Euclides Acevedo Candia in Tokyo, in this Nov. 22 photo. AP-Yonhap
By Jung Da-min
With Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi set to attend the G7 summit of foreign and development ministers to be held in the U.K. over the weekend, political watchers here are paying attention to whether the two ministers will sit down with each other for the first time since the Japanese minister took office in early November.Korea has been invited to the G7 foreign ministers' meeting along with other guest countries including Australia, India and South Africa. The Korean foreign ministry said Wednesday that Chung will attend the meeting on Saturday and Sunday.
Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong speaks during the first session of the 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial at Grand Hyatt Seoul, Dec. 7. Yonhap
The Japanese foreign ministry said Friday that Hayashi will make a four-day trip to the U.K. to attend the G7 foreign ministers' meeting that runs from Friday to Sunday (local time), along with the other G7 members ― Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the U.K., and the U.S. ― as well as official participants of the European Union. Representatives of ASEAN member states and the guest countries mentioned above will also take part.
After Hayashi took office in early November, Chung sent a congratulatory letter but the two ministers have yet to hold a phone conversation or in-person meeting. Japan's Kyodo News said Hayashi was coordinating a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and is also expected to hold such separate meetings with several other counterparts including U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
17. Amid Omicron Worries, North Korea Orders Strengthened Quarantine on China Border
From my recent twitter comments on this subject:
The Pyongyang COVID Paradox is this: The regime is deathly afraid of a COVID outbreak which could destabilize the regime. Yet COVID is an opportunity to exert even greater controls over the population to prevent resistance to the regime. But the draconian population and resources control measures are removing access to the "safety valves" necessary for the survival of the people, e.g., markets. The suffering we could see in the coming months could be far worse than the Arduous March of 94-96. Control of the people, continued intensive ideological indoctrination, and veneration of Kim Jong-un takes priority over COVID, especially if they now have processes and facilities in place to isolate and remove those who may be suspected of being infected.
The Paradox is that pandemic control provides the opportunity and "cover" for greater tyrannical political and physical control of the population.
Amid Omicron Worries, North Korea Orders Strengthened Quarantine on China Border
North Korea is stepping up health surveillance as well as tightening already severe restrictions on cross-border trade.
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With the world on high alert due to the recent spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, North Korean authorities are focusing all their energy on bolstering quarantine efforts.
The Daily NK reported yesterday, citing a source in North Hamgyong Province, that the Central Emergency Anti-epidemic Headquarters issued an order to quarantine headquarters nationwide on November 28, calling on them to strengthen quarantine efforts and take thorough measures to deal with the situation.
In North Hamgyong Province, the authorities responded the same day with an emergency meeting of officials ranked section chief and above from provincial and city quarantine stations, provincial and city hospitals, and local clinics. The meeting ordered doctors to take thorough measures and manage their domains to prevent fever patients from emerging within their jurisdictions.
In particular, it stressed that doctors visit households in their jurisdiction twice a day from November 29 – the very next day – to check for fever or other symptoms, and immediately report their results to hospitals and quarantine stations.
The source said doctors were also threatened with punishment if fever patients emerged in their districts, or if they failed to quickly identify patients with suspicious symptoms and take appropriate measures. Specifically, the source told Daily NK that they were threatened with transfers to rural hospitals or even being stripped of their credentials, depending on the severity of their mistake.
North Korea has been using the “section doctor system” – where doctors are in charge of seeing patients in a particular area – to prevent the spread of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. However, there is reportedly considerable public discontent with the arrangement.
The section doctor system began from the Seventh Meeting of the Second Supreme People’s Assembly in February of 1960. The meeting called for “complete, general free medical treatment” throughout the country. The authorities officially declared the launch of the new system during the Fourth Party Congress in September the following year.
Later, the authorities planned even denser systems of healthcare, including a “residential system” based on places of residence and a “workplace system” based on factories and enterprises.
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However, free medical treatment has existed in name only since the 1990s, as has the section doctor system. While doctors have been visiting families in their jurisdictions in the morning and afternoon to check temperatures, they are reportedly showing little interest in treating sick patients.
The source said doctors are only taking daily temperatures, providing no medication for complaints. He ruefully added that doctors are showing exclusive interest in fevers as they face punishment for outbreaks in their areas of responsibility.
Meanwhile, Daily NK has reported that the Central Committee’s Organization and Guidance Department issued an order on November 14 calling on the Central Emergency Anti-epidemic Headquarters, Ministry of State Security, and General Staff Department of the Korean People’s Army to strengthen quarantine rules along the Sino-North Korean border.
According to a high-ranking Daily NK source in North Korea, the order calls for strengthening border security during the winter and strict bans on drawing water from the Yalu River.
During the winter, local residents reportedly walk on the frozen river to the deep middle section, where they break the ice to draw water for use at home.
Last August, the Ministry of Social Security declared a buffer zone extending one or two kilometers from the “border closure line,” warning that people or animals that enter the zone in a disorganized way would be “unconditionally fired upon.”
However, even after the declaration, ordinary people living near the Yalu River, security guards from nearby schools and businesses, and other individuals who received prior permission continued to go to the river to draw water. This is because in certain border regions with poor waterwork facilities, residents have no alternative to river water for their daily use.
However, the North Korean authorities’ recent ban on drawing water from the Yalu in winter appears largely aimed at preventing smuggling over the frozen river.
Smuggling activity usually increases in North Korea’s border regions in winter, when the rivers freeze. Even last winter, when North Korea closed the border and strengthened patrols, smuggling continued along the Yalu River.
With the latest order being relayed through the Central Emergency Anti-epidemic Headquarters, Ministry of State Security, and General Staff Department to regional quarantine authorities, the border guard, the Seventh Corps, and other organizations, it would seem expectations regarding the restart of trade have been immediately put on hold as well.
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North Koreans had hoped that trade restrictions would be relaxed around the time of the Lunar New Year, but that seems less likely to happen for now.
However, the authorities cannot completely eradicate smuggling despite tougher border controls. The source said that even now, smugglers along the border tend to use Chinese yuan, and that smuggling would continue one way or the other, no matter how the authorities attempt to close and enforce the border.
This article is a compilation of two reports that first appeared on Daily NK, which contacts multiple sources inside and outside North Korea to verify information. The Diplomat was not able to verify the claims independently.
18. Kim Yo Jong conducted surprise inspection of Pyongyang’s Hospital No. 11 in mid-November
Sheeee''s baaack. Conducting "on the spot guidance" for her brother. Or is this a Propaganda and Agitation Department attempt to repsond to the report she has been MIA.
I wonder what the sunglasses mean.
I bet there will be some retribution over this:
Inspecting the hospital cafeteria, Kim looked at the rice box and asked how many people it could feed. The cafeteria staff told her 23 to 25 people. She then ordered regulation servings of rice be served on 25 military trays.
However, the rice filled only 18 of the trays, with the other seven remaining empty.
Kim again ordered staff to scoop the rice into the trays, adjusting the amount so that all 25 were filled. They did so, but the amount of rice on each tray was far less than the regulation amount.
Kim Yo Jong conducted surprise inspection of Pyongyang’s Hospital No. 11 in mid-November
Kim wore sunglasses, keeping them on “in dignified fashion” as she ascertained the situation in the facility, a source told Daily NK
Central Committee Deputy Director Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, made a surprise inspection visit to Pyongyang’s Hospital No. 11 in mid-November, Daily NK has learned.
This comes after her brother recently authorized her to inspect “rear area” (logistics) units and facilities.
A Daily NK source in North Korea said Thursday that Kim made an unscheduled inspection of Hospital No. 11, a joint civilian-military hospital in Pyongyang’s Taedonggang District, on Nov. 16.
According to the source, Kim – accompanied by personnel from the party’s Military Government Guidance Department – inspected the hospitals’ drug warehouse, cafeteria and other facilities.
Kim first inspected the drug warehouse. Although the hospital’s ledger had boasted that the facility was prepared for all contingencies with winter training set to begin, she found empty first aid kits.
Hastily assembling at the hospital upon news of Kim’s surprise visit, the hospital’s director and head of the rear area department went to the warehouse to explain that due to a sudden spike in patients, they had used wartime supplies and planned to restock medications once cross-border trade restarted.
However, Kim retorted that the military would have no medicines to save casualties should a war begin now.
Inspecting the hospital cafeteria, Kim looked at the rice box and asked how many people it could feed. The cafeteria staff told her 23 to 25 people. She then ordered regulation servings of rice be served on 25 military trays.
Kim Yo Jong at the Eighth Party Congress / Image: Yonhap
However, the rice filled only 18 of the trays, with the other seven remaining empty.
Kim again ordered staff to scoop the rice into the trays, adjusting the amount so that all 25 were filled. They did so, but the amount of rice on each tray was far less than the regulation amount.
Kim demanded an unvarnished assessment on things on the ground, calmly asking hospital staff how much more rice they would need to provide patients with the regulation amount and how much they would need if there were a sudden influx of patients.
She said everyone was a “revolutionary warrior” for her brother, and as such they all have a duty to accurately report the situation. She added that the will of the Supreme Commander – i.e., her brother – is to get soldiers to precisely execute party policy by getting a quick handle on real conditions, not to “revolutionize” or punish anyone.
However, after Kim’s visit, hospital cadres in charge of rear area affairs were reportedly punished with transfers out of Pyongyang.
Meanwhile, the source said when she visited Hospital No. 11, Kim wore sunglasses, keeping them on “in dignified fashion” as she ascertained the situation in the facility. At the end, she removed her sunglasses and calmly spoke in an affectionate way, smiling with her eyes. He said families attached to the Ministry of Defense’s Army Health Bureau soon got word that people in attendance were very moved by what they saw.
According to the source, the supply chief of the cafeteria of Hospital No. 11, who saw Ko Yong-hui – the mother of Kim Jong Un – when she accompanied late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on an on-the-spot guidance visit, said Kim reminded him of Ko, telling people, “It was like seeing the Pyongyang Mother [Ko].” The source said this comment has gotten around by word of mouth.
Ha Yoon Ah is one of Daily NK’s full-time journalists. Please direct any questions about her articles to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
19. N. Korea intensifies efforts to crack down on anti-socialist behavior ahead of party meeting
In case you have not noticed, the regime has adapted the Clinton/Carville slogan, "its the economy, stupid" to be "its the ideology, stupid." (And if you do not demonstrate personal loyalty to Kim Jong-un you must be pretty studpid because you won't survive).
N. Korea intensifies efforts to crack down on anti-socialist behavior ahead of party meeting
Law enforcement agencies were working hard to show results ahead of scheduled reviews of their execution of state policy during an upcoming plenary meeting of the Central Committee
A scene from the fifth plenary session of the 7th Central Committee. / Image: Rodong Sinmun
With the Fourth Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee scheduled for the end of the year, North Korea is reportedly launching an all-out propaganda and agitation effort in support of an intensive “struggle” against anti-socialist and non-socialist behavior.
According to a Daily NK source in Yanggang Province on Thursday, the authorities have been holding monthly lectures in regions along the Sino-North Korean border since July encouraging individuals to turn themselves in and confess if they have engaged in said behavior.
Lectures also restarted this month in places throughout the province, including Hyesan and Pochon County.
Given that most residents along the Sino-North Korean border have watched South Korean films or TV programs, used Chinese-made mobile phones or been involved in money remittances, the lectures reportedly tried to induce people to turn themselves in and confess, labeling their behavior as “reactionary.”
In particular, the central point of the lectures was that all people should actively take part in the confession program with a high sense of public awareness, knowing full well North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s “policy of lenience.”
In fact, lecture materials obtained by Daily NK began with a quote by Kim, who said “just as a mother does not abandon a troublesome child, officials should embrace and educate even people who commit crimes,” bringing them back into the party’s fold.
This appears to be an inducement strategy aimed at continued signs that locals are leaking internal information overseas and bringing in content from outside the country. The authorities are apparently aware that strengthened crackdowns and punishments cannot completely stop this trend.
Based on the principle that they will “forgive you the first time,” authorities also seemingly intend to promote Kim’s “love for the people” and to induce actual action.
The lecture materials said that although many people got a new start on life after confessing their crimes, others continue to engage in wrongdoing, doubting state policy and refusing to confess.
The lecture materials also attempted to generate a climate of fear by introducing cases such as one of a high school student in Kapsan County who received a “stern judgment” after he was busted for watching 14 television programs from the “puppet state (South Korea)” on a USB card he had illegally purchased.
This appears aimed at swaying the minds of locals who are engaged in similar behavior, a strategy that plays on their belief that they can be forgiven if they confess.
Because of this, there have also been actual confessions. In late September, a woman in her 40s in Wiyon-dong, Hyesan – identified by her family name of Choe – confessed to a security officer that she had watched South Korean films and TV programs, turning over the USB.
However, the security officer in question – looking to produce actual results – reported the matter to the city branch of the Ministry of State Security. Choe underwent two months of questioning and was only recently released after she paid RMB 30,000 (about USD 4,700) to the investigator.
This basically amounted to lower level cadres misusing Kim’s order to show forgiveness to extort bribes.
The source said there are cases of the Ministry of State Security treating people who confess like animals, not citizens, so a growing number of people are refusing to confess.
He said law enforcement agencies were working hard to show results ahead of scheduled reviews of their execution of state policy during the upcoming plenary meeting of the Central Committee. He said because of this, people feel they must be really careful at this time and are laying low.
V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
