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Quotes of the Day:
"The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit of doing them."
- Benjamin Jowett
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
- Albert Einstein
“When war breaks out, people say; ‘it won't last, it's too stupid.’ And war is certainly too stupid, but that doesn't prevent it from lasting.”
- Albert Camus
1. U.S. defense policy bill calls for maintaining 28,500 U.S. troops in Korea
2. N. Korea illegally running 30 S. Korean-owned facilities at Kaesong complex: Seoul
3. US, Japan agree on need to bolster deterrence over NK missile threats in security talks
4. ROK choppers spotted near DMZ after collapse of military deal with North Korea
5. US Deals with Allies Signal Concerns Over China's Disinformation Campaign
6. NK urges people to follow leader Kim Jong-un in climbing Mount Paektu
7. Hyundai Motor hires former US Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim as adviser
8. Propaganda & Agitation Department: Kim Jong-un Regime's Sword of Indoctrination (Video)
9. Seoul-Moscow ties likely stuck in limbo amid blame game
10. [INTERVIEW] Ex-NIS chief urges politicians to stop misusing spy agency
11. Korea, US tighten partnerships in chip, battery, AI
12. When the sheriff leaves town (US and implications for Korea)
13. S. Korea determined to become tourism powerhouse
1. U.S. defense policy bill calls for maintaining 28,500 U.S. troops in Korea
The buried lede:
On the allies' efforts for the conditions-based transition of wartime operational control (OPCON), the bill requests that the secretary of defense in coordination with the secretary of state submit to relevant congressional committees a report on a set of transfer conditions no later than 180 days after the act's enactment.
The draft also stipulates that no later than 45 days before the transfer, the defense secretary is to notify Congress of such a transfer.
I expect questions will be asked such as: is the US congress going to second guess OPCON transition? Does this mean there is oppoisiton ot OPCON transition in Congress?
U.S. defense policy bill calls for maintaining 28,500 U.S. troops in Korea | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · December 8, 2023
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (Yonhap) -- House and Senate negotiators released their compromise draft of an annual defense policy bill Thursday, which calls for maintaining 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea and deepening nuclear deterrence coordination between Seoul and Washington.
They unveiled the final draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2024 fiscal year. Congress passes the bill each year to set defense policy and funding priorities and give guidance on a range of key security matters.
The NDAA draft includes a call to reinforce the South Korea-U.S. alliance by maintaining the U.S. troop presence in South Korea at its current level and affirming the U.S.' extended deterrence commitment to using the full range of its defense capabilities.
It also calls for deeper coordination on nuclear deterrence as highlighted in the Washington Declaration that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden adopted during their White House summit in April.
The declaration entailed the creation of the Nuclear Consultative Group designed to discuss nuclear and strategic planning issues, and other measures to enhance the credibility of America's extended deterrence commitment to South Korea.
The mention of the declaration was not included in the initial Senate NDAA bill though it was in the House draft.
On the allies' efforts for the conditions-based transition of wartime operational control (OPCON), the bill requests that the secretary of defense in coordination with the secretary of state submit to relevant congressional committees a report on a set of transfer conditions no later than 180 days after the act's enactment.
The draft also stipulates that no later than 45 days before the transfer, the defense secretary is to notify Congress of such a transfer.
The draft increases the national defense budget by roughly 3 percent to US$886 billion.
"Providing for our national defense is Congress' most important responsibility under the U.S. Constitution, and the NDAA is key to fulfilling that duty. Our nation faces unprecedented threats from China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea," representatives of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees said in a statement.
"We urge Congress to pass the NDAA quickly and President Biden to sign it when it reaches his desk," they added.
After the House and Senate endorsed their respective NDAA versions in July, their negotiators carried out intense negotiations to craft a bipartisan version, which should then be passed by both chambers.
In this undated file photo, U.S. Forces Korea troops carry out a training exercise. (Yonhap)
This file photo, taken Aug. 21, 2023, shows military choppers at Camp Humphreys, a U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · December 8, 2023
2. N. Korea illegally running 30 S. Korean-owned facilities at Kaesong complex: Seoul
The mafia-like crime family cult shows its true colors.
(LEAD) N. Korea illegally running 30 S. Korean-owned facilities at Kaesong complex: Seoul | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · December 8, 2023
(ATTN: REWRITES headline, lead to highlight details of joint industrial park throughout)
SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has been operating some 30 South Korean-owned facilities at a now-shuttered inter-Korean joint industrial park in the North without authorization, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday.
The government also said North Korea has been removing debris from an inter-Korean liaison office that Pyongyang blew up in 2020. The office was located in the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the namesake border city.
The ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs called on North Korea to "immediately" stop the acts that violate the property rights of South Korean owners.
This file photo, taken March 13, 2023, shows the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a joint industrial park in the North's border city of Kaesong. (Yonhap)
"Despite our repeated urging and warnings, North Korea has continued to infringe on our property rights by using South Korean firms' equipment at the industrial complex without authorization and proceeding with the (debris) demolition work on the liaison office," Koo Byoung-sam, spokesperson at the ministry, told a press briefing.
The official said North Korea's illegal acts also constitute a clear violation of inter-Korean agreements, warning of possible legal actions against Pyongyang.
In May, the government said North Korea appears to be operating some 10 South Korean-owned factories at the Kaesong complex without permission.
South Korea shut down the industrial complex, once a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation, in February 2016 in response to the North's nuclear and long-range missile tests.
In 2020, North Korea blew up the joint liaison office in anger over Seoul's failure to stop North Korean defectors from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.
The ministry did not make an assessment of North Korea's intent for removing the debris, which had been mostly left intact for three years after the destruction. But it could be related to North Korea's move to expand its unauthorized use of the industrial complex.
In June, the ministry filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court seeking compensation from North Korea over the 44.7 billion won (US$34.2 million) in damages incurred on the South Korean-built joint liaison office.
The government earlier said it could take legal actions against North Korea's illegal use of facilities at the Kaesong complex and its demolition of South Korean-built facilities at the Mount Kumgang resort.
A set of images captured from footage of North Korea's Central Television on June 17, 2020, shows the North's demolition of an inter-Korean liaison office in the North's border town of Kaesong the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · December 8, 2023
3. US, Japan agree on need to bolster deterrence over NK missile threats in security talks
I hope we are not discussing arms control talks with north Korea.
Excerpts:
The EDD followed Pyongyang's launch of a space rocket to put a military spy satellite into orbit last month. Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have condemned the launch as a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions banning any launch using ballistic missile technology.
During the talks, Japan said it would like to continue to enhance U.S. extended deterrence, bolstered by Japan's capabilities. The U.S. side emphasized the alliance's "steady" progress on "integrated deterrence," according to the department.
The two sides also discussed arms control and risk reduction approaches in response to nuclear risks that are becoming "increasingly challenging and complex" as diversification and expansion of regional actors' nuclear arsenals are advancing, the department said without specifying the actors.
US, Japan agree on need to bolster deterrence over NK missile threats in security talks
The Korea Times · December 8, 2023
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a media availability at the State Department, in Washington. Dec. 7. AP-Yonhap
The United States and Japan have agreed on the need to beef up deterrence amid an "increasingly challenging" security landscape marked by North Korea's repeated missile launches and its military cooperation with Russia, the State Department said Thursday.
The two sides shared the need during their bilateral Extended Deterrence Dialogue (EDD) that took place in Japan from Tuesday to Thursday (local time). Extended deterrence refers to the U.S.' commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities to defend its ally.
"Both sides concurred that it is necessary to continue strengthening deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance amidst an increasingly challenging regional security environment, which is illustrated by repeated launches of ballistic missiles by the DPRK and the enhanced military cooperation between Russia and the People's Republic of China as well as cooperation between Russia and the DPRK," the department said in a media note.
DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The EDD followed Pyongyang's launch of a space rocket to put a military spy satellite into orbit last month. Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have condemned the launch as a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions banning any launch using ballistic missile technology.
During the talks, Japan said it would like to continue to enhance U.S. extended deterrence, bolstered by Japan's capabilities. The U.S. side emphasized the alliance's "steady" progress on "integrated deterrence," according to the department.
The two sides also discussed arms control and risk reduction approaches in response to nuclear risks that are becoming "increasingly challenging and complex" as diversification and expansion of regional actors' nuclear arsenals are advancing, the department said without specifying the actors.
The U.S. and Japan also agreed to continue to explore avenues to deepen their political, diplomatic and defense cooperation through information sharing, training and exercises to further prepare the alliance to defend against potential attacks and deter nuclear use, it added.
The two sides established the EDD in 2010 to discuss and strengthen extended deterrence. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · December 8, 2023
4. ROK choppers spotted near DMZ after collapse of military deal with North Korea
Images at the link.
ROK choppers spotted near DMZ after collapse of military deal with North Korea
Photos show three helicopters where flights were previously banned, underscoring increased military activity near border
https://www.nknews.org/2023/12/rok-choppers-spotted-near-dmz-after-collapse-of-military-deal-with-north-korea/?mc_cid=0bde0bb1e1&mc_eid=611fc17960
Chad O'Carroll December 6, 2023
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South Korean helicopters flying north toward the inter-Korean border near the east coast on Tuesday | Image: NK News (Dec. 5, 2023)
At least three South Korean military helicopters flew toward the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the east side of the peninsula on Tuesday, flights that were prohibited until Seoul suspended a military deal with North Korea late last month.
The three choppers — likely UH-60P Black Hawks — appeared to fly toward the Tongil Unification Observatory near Goseong in South Korea before turning around and flying back south, photos obtained by NK News show.
The flights underscore increased military activity near the border since the suspension of the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA), which some experts say raises the risk of inter-Korean conflict.
Signed in Sept. 2018, the CMA sought to reduce the risk of accidental military clashes around the DMZ and prohibited rotary wing aircraft from flying within 10 km of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) dividing the two Koreas.
The photos appear to show the South Korean choppers flying within the previous 10 km buffer zone.
The three probable Black Hawk choppers flying north toward the Unification Observatory, where the DMZ begins, on Tuesday | Image: NK News (Dec. 5, 2023)
Seoul announced that it would partially withdraw from the CMA on Nov. 22 following North Korea’s successful launch of a military spy satellite the day before. The ROK military specifically suspended the provision creating the aerial buffer zone, announcing that it would resume surveillance and reconnaissance operations along the border.
The next day, the DPRK announced that it was scrapping the CMA in full and would no longer abide by its provisions. The North Korean military subsequently restored guard posts along the border, leading the South to do the same.
It’s unclear if the helicopters spotted Tuesday were engaged in an intelligence-related mission or were there for other reasons.
Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense said South Korea is “conducting normal military activities at levels before the CMA” but is unable to comment further on the helicopters in the photographs.
A map showing the Unification Observatory in South Korea, near where the ROK choppers were spotted | Image: Google Maps, annotated by NK News
Some experts told NK News on Wednesday that flights so close to the inter-Korean border are risky and were conducted only on an exceptional basis in the past, raising concerns about the purpose of chopper movements this week.
“(It’s) not a good place to be flying except for extraordinary circumstances,” said Daniel Pinkston, a lecturer in international relations at Troy University.
He explained that movements in the area are normally limited to “urgent search and rescue, emergency evacuation and urgent transport to a medical facility,” adding that three helicopters would not usually be required for such missions.
The flights were likely “a signal to North Korea that the ROK is no longer complying with that part of the CMA since North Korea definitely would see them,” he said.
The choppers flew south again after approaching the DMZ. | Image: NK News (Dec. 5, 2023)
Professor James M. Minnich, former secretary of the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission, agreed that flights so close to the border pose hazards.
“We might well remember the tragic events of Dec 17, 1994, when Razorback-19 inadvertently crossed into North Korea while flying near the DMZ,” he said, referring to an accidental incursion into DPRK territory by U.S. chopper pilots.
“A lesson is that few pilots are experienced flying near the DMZ, and while there are panel markers along the DMZ to warn pilots, within seconds an inexperienced pilot could inadvertently cross the DMZ,” Minnich explained.
Pilot inexperience in the DMZ directly contributed to the 1994 incident, which resulted in one death.
Minnich said flights only took place near the DMZ by exception and only by qualified pilots even before the signing of the CMA.
“Given the duration of the CMA, very few pilots will currently be certified to fly in proximity to the DMZ.”
However, Shin Seung-ki, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said it’s unlikely the helicopter movements were related to CMA changes, suggesting the flights may have been for a VIP tour of a nearby military observatory.
Shin also dismissed the idea that helicopter movements near the DMZ are particularly dangerous, noting electronic maps and GPS navigation have made it much safer to fly in the area compared to when the Razorback incident occurred.
Edited by Alannah Hill
Joon-ha Park contributed to this article
5. US Deals with Allies Signal Concerns Over China's Disinformation Campaign
Dennis Wilder and I are of like mind.
Excerpts:
The agreements the U.S. made with its allies are "a deliberate acknowledgment of the threats posed by China," said David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy.
"Disinformation is part of a deliberate long-term political warfare campaign by China to subvert the democracies of the U.S., the ROK and Japan as well as to undermine the alliance relationships to prevent unified action against China," Maxwell said, using the acronym for South Korea's official name, Republic of Korea.
China is seemingly accelerating its social media operation aimed at influencing the U.S. election in 2024.
Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced on Nov. 30 that it took down 4,789 Facebook accounts based in China that were impersonating Americans, including politicians, and posting messages about U.S. politics and U.S.-China relations.
In the report on adversarial threats, Meta said China is the third-most-common source of foreign disinformation after Russia and Iran.
Dennis Wilder, a senior fellow for the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University, said, "The Chinese, Russians, and others seek to disrupt the normal give and take of our political discourse."
US Deals with Allies Signal Concerns Over China's Disinformation Campaign
December 08, 2023 2:48 AM
voanews.com · December 8, 2023
Washington —
Western foreign policy experts are welcoming recent U.S. agreements to jointly tackle foreign disinformation with Seoul and Tokyo, saying they are needed to counter Chinese efforts to undermine liberal democracies through the spread of fake news.
The U.S. signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Japan in Tokyo on Wednesday "to identify and counter foreign information manipulation," according to a State Department statement.
The agreement follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed with South Korea in Seoul on Friday to cooperate in their efforts to tackle foreign disinformation. The agreements, the first designed to fight disinformation, were made during an Asia trip by Liz Allen, the U.S. undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs.
They are designed to "demonstrate the seriousness with which the United States is working with its partners to defend the information space," according to the State Department's Wednesday statement, which did not specify any nations as threats.
In response, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told VOA on Tuesday that he wants to stress that "China always opposes the creation and spread of disinformation."
He said, "What I have seen is that there is a lot of disinformation about China on social media in the U.S. Some U.S. officials, lawmakers, media and organizations have produced and spread a large amount of false information against China without any evidence, ignoring basic facts."
The agreements the U.S. made with its allies are "a deliberate acknowledgment of the threats posed by China," said David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy.
U.S. President Joe Biden, right, greets China's President Xi Jinping at the Filoli Estate in Woodside, California, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' week, Nov. 15, 2023. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
"Disinformation is part of a deliberate long-term political warfare campaign by China to subvert the democracies of the U.S., the ROK and Japan as well as to undermine the alliance relationships to prevent unified action against China," Maxwell said, using the acronym for South Korea's official name, Republic of Korea.
China is seemingly accelerating its social media operation aimed at influencing the U.S. election in 2024.
Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced on Nov. 30 that it took down 4,789 Facebook accounts based in China that were impersonating Americans, including politicians, and posting messages about U.S. politics and U.S.-China relations.
In the report on adversarial threats, Meta said China is the third-most-common source of foreign disinformation after Russia and Iran.
Dennis Wilder, a senior fellow for the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University, said, "The Chinese, Russians, and others seek to disrupt the normal give and take of our political discourse."
Wilder, formerly National Security Council director for China in 2004-05 during the George W. Bush administration, continued to say the agreements Washington made with Seoul and Tokyo are "a significant step forward" as "democracies must work together" to offset "disinformation designed to influence electorate and sow overall dissent within our open political systems."
Beijing appears to be spreading anti-U.S. and pro-China messages in South Korea as well.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) announced Nov. 13 it had identified and taken down 38 fake Korean-language news sites operated by two Chinese public relations firms, Haimai and Haixun.
South Korea's National Cyber Security Center, which is overseen by NIS, released a report on the same day describing the kind of propaganda that the firms disseminated through the fake news sites by posing as members of the Korean Digital News Association. The organization oversees the copyrights of news articles posted by its members.
Using news site names such as Seoul Press with the corresponding domain name as seoulpr.com and Busan Online with busanonline.com, Haimai has been disseminating disinformation and operating the sites from China, according to the report. Busan is South Korea's second-largest city.
An article on Daegu Journal, another illicit site Haimai was running, stated in June that nuclear wastewater released from Japan would affect the South Korean food supply chain.
The National Cyber Security Center report also noted that U.S.-based cybersecurity firm Mandiant, owned by Google, released a report in July accusing Haimai of operating 72 fraudulent websites to spread anti-U.S. messages.
Cho Han-Bum, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told VOA's Korean Service on Tuesday that "China and North Korea have been attempting in various ways to influence South Korea's public opinion."
He said the influence campaign could affect South Korean politics and therefore Seoul's relations with Beijing or its stance on Pyongyang.
Kim Hyungjin in Seoul contributed to this report.
voanews.com · December 8, 2023
6. NK urges people to follow leader Kim Jong-un in climbing Mount Paektu
Yes, that will cure my hunger pangs. Yes, that will make us stronger. Yes, that will make us forget about the suffering and sacrifices we make to keep Kim Jong Un safe and secure (and comfortable).
Maybe this is a "culling exercise?" How many people would perish on a regime forced march up Paektusan?
NK urges people to follow leader Kim Jong-un in climbing Mount Paektu
The Korea Times · December 8, 2023
This undated photo provided on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019, by the North Korean government shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, with his wife Ri Sol-ju, right, riding on white horse during his visit to Mount Paektu, North Korea. AP-Yonhap
North Korea on Friday called on its people to climb up Mount Paektu in winter to better learn about "revolutionary spirits."
The Rodong Sinmun, the main newspaper, reported that around 120,000 people at some 2,400 organizations have gone up Mount Paektu so far along the path on which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rode his white horse in 2019.
North Korea claims Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula and located on the border with China, is a sacred site tied to the Kim dynasty. North Korea has idolized the ruling family as the "Paektu bloodline."
North Korea said Kim's late father, former leader Kim Jong-il, was born in a military hideout on Mount Paektu, despite the fact that he was born in Russia's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk.
In December 2019, Kim Jong-un visited the mountain, along with key party officials, ahead of the year-end deadline that Pyongyang set for the United Sates to come up with new proposals for their stalled denuclearization talks.
The North Korean leader held three meetings with former U.S. President Donald Trump, but denuclearization talks have remained stalled since the collapse of their Hanoi summit in February 2019. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · December 8, 2023
7. Hyundai Motor hires former US Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim as adviser
I am completely out of the loop. I missed the news that Ambassador Kim had retired. I thought it would be the end of the year. But I guess we are almost at the end of the year.
This seems like a wise move on Hyundai's part.
Excerpts:
The carmaker aims to take advantage of Kim’s expertise in international relations, particularly in Southeast Asia. The company has generated solid sales growth in key Asian markets, such as Vietnam and Indonesia. According to data from the industry, Hyundai Motor sold more than 40,000 vehicles in Vietnam for the first 10 months combined this year, placing it as the second-most-popular carmaker after Toyota.
Indonesia is also a strategic market for Hyundai Motor. The firm’s sales have been rapidly rising for the past few years there. Back in 2021, the company was ranked 13th in terms of car sales there, but rose to eighth two years later.
Kim’s expertise in Asia will also help the company draw up more sustainable growth strategies. His previous career also saw him take on the role of acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs for six months from January 2021.
Hyundai Motor hires former US Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim as adviser
The Korea Times · December 8, 2023
Hyundai Motor and Kia headquarters in southern Seoul / Yonhap
By Lee Min-hyung
Sung Kim, former U.S. ambassador to Korea
Hyundai Motor has appointed former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim as its adviser, in a move aimed at elevating the carmaker’s overseas networking activities and deepening business ties with global partners, the company said Friday.
Kim will start his advisory role next month at the nation’s largest carmaker. He is expected to play a crucial role in helping the company expand its footing abroad during the current geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
“We expect the former ambassador to resolve our business conundrum amid heightened uncertainties triggered by a paradigm shift in global trading circumstances, geopolitical conflicts and supply chain reorganization here and abroad,” an official from Hyundai Motor said.
His primary task includes the expansion of the carmaker’s overseas presence, so the firm can clinch more strategic partnerships with global firms. Kim is best known as the nation’s first American diplomat of Korean origin. He worked as the U.S. ambassador to Korea for three years from November 2011.
Kim will also give concrete advice to Hyundai Motor Group to enhance its global communication skills, so that the carmaker can win more orders from clients abroad and remain on good terms with its overseas partners, the company said.
One of the top priorities for Hyundai Motor Group this year was to expand its foothold abroad, particularly in Asia. Last month, the company opened its much-awaited Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS), identifying the facility as a key research and manufacturing hub in Asia.
Hyundai believes Kim’s expertise in the Asian market will contribute to its planned expansion into other territories in the region. After ending his diplomatic role in Korea, he went on to stay in Asia as U.S. ambassador to the Philippines and then Indonesia.
The carmaker aims to take advantage of Kim’s expertise in international relations, particularly in Southeast Asia. The company has generated solid sales growth in key Asian markets, such as Vietnam and Indonesia. According to data from the industry, Hyundai Motor sold more than 40,000 vehicles in Vietnam for the first 10 months combined this year, placing it as the second-most-popular carmaker after Toyota.
Indonesia is also a strategic market for Hyundai Motor. The firm’s sales have been rapidly rising for the past few years there. Back in 2021, the company was ranked 13th in terms of car sales there, but rose to eighth two years later.
Kim’s expertise in Asia will also help the company draw up more sustainable growth strategies. His previous career also saw him take on the role of acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs for six months from January 2021.
The Korea Times · December 8, 2023
8. Propaganda & Agitation Department: Kim Jong-un Regime's Sword of Indoctrination (Video)
I strongly recommend reading Robert Collins' report here: https://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/PAD_web.pdf
You can hear him and others discuss it here in an 80 minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjThYpWHsqY
Propaganda & Agitation Department:
Kim Jong-un Regime's Sword of Indoctrination
By Robert Collins
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
On November 28, 2023, HRNK launched its latest report, Propaganda & Agitation Department: Kim Jong-un Regime's Sword of Indoctrination by Robert Collins, at the DACOR Bacon House in Washington, D.C.
This report explains how the Kim regime organizes and implements its policy of human rights denial using the Korean Workers' Party Propaganda & Agitation Department (PAD) to preserve and strengthen its monolithic system of control.
Click here to read the report.
The recording of the report launch is now available online. You may view the video by clicking on the thumbnail above or on this link.
The event began with a keynote address by Amb. Julie Turner, the U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues.
Robert Collins (HRNK Author & Senior Advisor) then gave an overview of the report and discussed the role of the PAD in the Kim Jong-un regime.
This was followed by recorded remarks from Nat Kretchun (Senior VP for Programs, Open Technology Fund) and Jieun Baek (Founder & Director, Lumen).
David Maxwell (HRNK Board Member) and George Hutchinson (HRNK Author) also served as discussants.
Greg Scarlatoiu, HRNK Executive Director, moderated the event.
You may view additional event recordings, interviews, and other video content on our YouTube channel.
Thank you very much for your continued attention and support.
9. Seoul-Moscow ties likely stuck in limbo amid blame game
.
Seoul-Moscow ties likely stuck in limbo amid blame game
The Korea Times · by 2023-12-08 20:42 | World · December 8, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to receive credentials from newly arrived foreign ambassadors at the Alexander Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Dec. 4 (local time). AP-Yonhap
S. Korea's indirect arms supply to Ukraine stands in way of restoring bilateral relations: expert
By Nam Hyun-woo
Relations between South Korea and Russia are expected to get stuck in limbo, with Moscow apparently criticizing Seoul’s alleged indirect artillery ammunition support for Ukraine, while Seoul sees ongoing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea as an imminent national security threat.
Experts arrived at the predictions following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent remark that normalizing bilateral ties depends on South Korea. This was interpreted as indirect pressure on Seoul to cease provision of military support to Ukraine.
According to Russian news agency TASS, Putin told the new South Korean Ambassador to Russia Lee Do-hoon that it “depends on Seoul” if South Korea-Russia cooperation returns to "the trajectory of partnership, so beneficial for our countries and peoples,” during a credentials presentation ceremony on Monday.
Putin expressed regret for the broken relationship. “The relations between Russia and (South) Korea are unfortunately going through not the best period,” he said, adding that he was ready to improve them.
The remarks came against a background of rising tensions between South Korea and Russia.
In the wake of the war between Russia and Ukraine, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hinted at providing support other than humanitarian aid to Kyiv. Moscow responded with a summit between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Russia in September, which resulted in Pyongyang providing Moscow with ammunition.
Putin to seek another presidential term in Russia
South Korean government officials are saying it is providing humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine and supplying non-lethal military items, such as helmets, first-aid kits and mine detectors. But international reports suggest Seoul has been providing indirect ammunition support by supplying the Americans with 155-millimeter shells to replace the munitions the U.S. is sending to support Ukraine's defense.
The Washington Post reported, Monday, that Seoul officials “were receptive as long as the provision was indirect” in U.S. requests for shells, and that South Korea has become “a larger supplier of artillery ammunition for Ukraine than all European nations combined.”
155-millimeter artillery shells are packed for shipping at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Feb. 16. Reuters-Yonhap
Against that backdrop, Putin’s remark is seen as a means of putting pressure on South Korea over the purported munition supplies.
“Though the shell supply may not be a decisive factor in the Ukraine war, it affects Russia’s strategy of having a protracted war to make its enemy suffer supply drains,” said Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification.
“That means the implied message of Putin’s remark is that Seoul is to blame for the frayed ties and it should stop listening to the U.S. and stop supplying shells to Ukraine.”
More broadly, Hong said Putin’s remarks appear to be targeting Seoul’s efforts to expand its defense exports to countries close to western Russia, such as Poland.
“One of the most sensitive geopolitical risks that Putin sees is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s expansion east, and Seoul appears to be playing a role in that by expanding its defense exports, which even include technology transfer,” he said. “The most important background for Putin’s remarks would be this.”
Seoul did not offer a noteworthy response to Putin's, instead reiterating that “Our government maintains necessary communication with the Russian side for the sake of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, as well as for the protection of our citizens and companies on the territory of Russia.”
South Korea’s intelligence authority believes Russia has played a role in North Korea’s recent launch of a military spy satellite — though it has yet to provide hard evidence for that. President Yoon has also stressed that Moscow-Pyongyang military cooperation is “a serious violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and a major provocation threatening the peace of the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia and Europe.”
“Seoul and Moscow both know that South Korea will not loosen its ties with the U.S., and Russia will not be proactive in containing North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, even if Seoul and Moscow mend their ties,” Hong said. “For a while, the diplomatic relations between the two sides will likely be a buck-passing filled with diplomatic rhetoric blaming each other for the frayed ties.”
The Korea Times · by 2023-12-08 20:42 | World · December 8, 2023
10. [INTERVIEW] Ex-NIS chief urges politicians to stop misusing spy agency
[INTERVIEW] Ex-NIS chief urges politicians to stop misusing spy agency
The Korea Times · December 8, 2023
Nam Jae-joon, former director of the National Intelligence Service (2013-2014), looks out during an interview with The Korea Times at his residence in Seoul's southern district of Songpa on Dec. 5. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Former spymaster says agency will play greater role in future
By Kang Hyun-kyung
A blame game is in full swing after Korea lost to Saudi Arabia in a bid to host the World Expo 2030 in a vote held in Paris, France on Nov. 28.
Despite President Yoon Suk-yeol’s energetic pitch to host the expo in Busan, Korea secured only 29 votes in the first round of voting, far behind its rival which won 119 votes. Saudi Arabia was declared the winner without a run-off vote as it earned over two-thirds of the ballots in the first round of voting.
The shocking results caused a stir and triggered intense soul-searching in Korea to find out what went wrong. A witch hunt also ensued to find out who was primarily responsible for the crushing defeat.
An intelligence failure and the gathering of inaccurate information have been suggested as two possible reasons that led the presidential office to be erroneously optimistic about the odds of Korea winning the bid.
Nam Jae-joon, a retired four-star general and the former director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) (2013-2014), said inaccurate intelligence sounds like a more plausible reason.
“An intelligence failure is not the source of the problem,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times on Tuesday. “If people are blaming the NIS for intelligence failure, they are wrong. The NIS would probably have had accurate information about how the voting results would turn out.”
According to Nam, the NIS agents would have gathered and analyzed intelligence properly and reported it to their boss and all the way to the president.
Korea’s unsuccessful expo bid came as the NIS reels from the consequences of a power struggle.
As its title suggests, the spy agency is supposed to work secretly to live up to its mission of safeguarding the nation from various threats, including covert and overt operations by other governments targeting Korea.
But recently, the NIS did the exact opposite.
The intelligence agency attracted unwanted attention from the public as rumors about a power struggle between the NIS director and other key officials were leaked to media outlets since June.
There has been contradicting media coverage of the agency. One media outlet reported that the first vice director would be replaced, describing him as a troublemaker, while another said the NIS director was unable to control the intelligence agency. The contrasting media reports indicated that the two sides leaked internal information to attack the other side.
The infighting enraged Yoon.
He sacked NIS director Kim Kyu-hyun and replaced two deputy directors in late November as soon as he returned to Seoul from a state visit to the United Kingdom and last-minute pitch to rally support from other countries in the expo bid in Paris.
Ex-NIS director Nam Jae-joon during an interview with The Korea Times / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Nam said it was very inappropriate for the intelligence agency to make headlines for infighting.
“Speaking from my own experience as a spymaster, the NIS is an elite organization and agents there are ready to sacrifice themselves for the nation. They are all dedicated warriors,” he said. “If any problems occur about the agency, that’s probably because of a person who oversees the agency and not the NIS agents.”
He used a bus analogy to pinpoint who is ultimately responsible for the problem at the NIS.
“Let’s suppose there’s a bus. One day, the bus went in the wrong direction until it was stuck in the middle of nowhere. Who do you think is responsible for the incident?... The answer is the driver, not the bus,” he said.
He said the president needs to pick the right person to be the NIS director.
Nam said a spymaster is very different from other Cabinet ministers in terms of roles.
“Diplomats, for example, are people who negotiate with their counterparts, and if necessary, they make concessions to reach an agreement. But this is not the case for the NIS,” he said. “The intelligence service is not supposed to make concessions, as far as national interests are concerned. NIS agents risk their lives to protect the country from threats. Unlike battlefield theaters, there is no bloodshed but their operations are as severe as wartime military operations.”
The former intelligence chief criticized politicians for using the NIS to safeguard their personal interests, stressing this was evident in the past.
“Korea will pay the price unless political leaders stop using the spy agency for their own goals. They need to let the NIS work to fulfill its duty to protect the nation from threats, instead of using it as an institution to help them realize their personal interests,” he said.
Nam blamed politicians for pushing the intelligence agency to meddle in areas that are not in its jurisdiction.
“Their hands are tied,” he said. “But whenever or whatever happens, politicians bash the NIS. Politicians criticize the NIS when the intelligence agency investigates fellow politicians who violated the National Security Act. They claim they are the victims of political oppression. This is nonsense. They are criminals,” he said.
He said the intelligence agency will play a greater role in government in the future to thwart various threats created by technologies, and therefore politicians need to help the NIS focus on its duty.
Nam served as the first NIS director of the Park Geun-hye government (2013-2017). He said he got a phone call in early 2013 from Park, who was President-elect at the time, telling him to be the NIS director. She did not even ask if he was willing to take her offer, so he said he had to accept without having time to think about it.
His tenure, however, ended in May 2014, just over a year after he took the job.
Nam declined to go into detail about why he was dismissed, saying in media interviews at the time that he was leaving because he was told to quit.
Park's tenure was cut short after she was impeached by the Constitutional Court in March 2017.
Two former NIS officials contacted by this reporter said Nam is one of the best spymasters they had worked for, echoing that he is a patriot and always put national interests first.
Ex-spymaster Nam Jae-joon during an interview with The Korea Times / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
The Korea Times · December 8, 2023
11. Korea, US tighten partnerships in chip, battery, AI
Korea, US tighten partnerships in chip, battery, AI
The Korea Times · December 8, 2023
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, center, speaks during a forum to elevate tech partnerships between Korea and the U.S. at the headquarters of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) in Seoul, Friday. From left are FKI Vice Chairman Kim Chang-beom, Jake Sullivan and Korea's National Security Advisor Cho Tae-yong. Courtesy of FKI
By Lee Min-hyung
National Security Advisor Cho Tae-yong
Top-ranking security officials from Korea and the United States agreed to elevate partnerships in state-of-the-art tech fields encompassing semiconductors, batteries and artificial intelligence (AI), a local business lobby group said Friday.
According to the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), Cho Tae-yong, a national security adviser here, met with his U.S. counterpart Jake Sullivan at a forum dedicated to boosting private-public sector ties in next-generation core tech areas.
A group of 30 firms from the two countries were invited to the event in Seoul, Friday, to deepen their partnerships. They included Samsung, Hyundai and SK from Korea, and Google, IBM and Amazon from the U.S.
The event comes amid a growing technological hegemony war around the world particularly in cutting-edge tech sectors. Global supply chains are undergoing rapid disruptions, particularly in manufacturing firms and countries heavily reliant on trade.
“It is very encouraging for both countries to upgrade their bilateral economic and technological partnership on the basis of the bilateral alliance,” FKI Chairman Ryu Jin said in an opening remark at the forum. “When the two countries collaborate with each other from not just the business, but governmental side, they will be able to reinforce competitiveness in core and emerging technologies and strengthen economic security.”
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
The head of the business lobby also called on the governments from both sides to minimize trade barriers and ease regulatory hurdles, so they can expand bilateral investments in high-tech industries.
Cho also underscored the importance of taking the lead in core technological areas, so the nations can build a better economic and geopolitical future.
“The future of any country’s economy and geopolitics will be determined by how they lead in the key emerging tech areas,” Cho said.
The top security official also pledged to garner more support for companies in Korea and the U.S., in order to tighten partnerships to adopt international standards. He also promised to strictly block the risk of key tech outflows to other countries.
The event followed agreements from the Korea-U.S. summit in April when both sides reached a consensus on advancing collaborations in core and emerging tech areas.
The Korea Times · December 8, 2023
12. When the sheriff leaves town (US and implications for Korea)
The author covers a lot of ground to get to this point on Korea:
If the U.S. truly becomes indecisive and withdrawn, the world could go down a path of calamitous disorder. North Korea’s regime under Kim Jong-un is no doubt watching. Kim might conclude that, wielding his own nuclear threat while the U.S. remains distracted, he can get away with a surprise invasion of South Korea. China will also be closely monitoring the U.S.’s passive attitude. Were China to invade Taiwan in a surprise attack, the U.S. might be too distracted by domestic politics to make a countermove in time to prevent a takeover.
If this is the reality we now face, the question for South Korea is how well it understands this rapidly changing and disorderly world, whether it can judge it accurately, and how it can prepare for it. Is it an exaggeration to say that South Korea is now at a crossroads in terms of its very survival as a country? Modern Korean history has shown that the peninsula’s preservation depends on how it responds to fundamental changes in the global security landscape. Such a change might now be occurring if the sheriff really leaves town.
When the sheriff leaves town
The Korea Times · December 7, 2023
By Park Jung-won
During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union, in opposition, served as the world’s de facto police. Since then the U.S. has largely carried on that task alone. But in recent years, as the Russia-Ukraine and Hamas-Israel conflicts illustrate, the pessimistic view has gained ground that the fundamental framework of the international order is collapsing. The growing fear is that the world is becoming more lawless in the absence of U.S. assertiveness.
The U.S.’s assumed role as the world’s policeman is no longer guaranteed. The American people now seem to be saying to their leaders, “Look, our country shouldn’t pay so much attention to other countries’ issues, always sending our troops abroad. We should focus on more important economic problems and keep our borders sealed to protect the country from illegal immigrants!”
Scholars who take a realist point of view perceive that the essence of international politics is the struggle for power. The U.S.-China rivalry, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the Hamas-Israel conflict are all power struggles from this perspective. And power hates a vacuum. When a superpower’s perceived authority weakens on the international stage, fierce competitors will quickly fill the gap. After the Soviet Union collapsed, West Germany astutely identified and made use of the opportunity to achieve peaceful unification with East Germany through pragmatic diplomacy. More often, however, such vacuums end up in tragedy. As the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union’s influence in and support for the Eastern Bloc vanished, long dormant ethnic tensions in Yugoslavia resurfaced. Disastrous civil wars broke out in Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia as the former multi-ethnic state disintegrated.
The second Gulf War in 2003, controversial in its initiation and poorly executed in its aftermath, is viewed by many as the turning point at which the U.S. started to decline in its role as world hegemon. The U.S. has since frequently revealed a lack of determination, failing to act even when firm resolve would seem essential. In 2012, President Barack Obama warned that any use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, led by Bashar al-Assad, against domestic rebels would be a “red line,” strongly implying that the response would include a U.S. military strike. However, the U.S. did not act even after it had determined that Syria had used chemical weapons. Russia clearly detected this power vacuum, and shortly thereafter intervened by supporting the Assad regime and increasing its influence in the Middle East.
The Obama administration virtually neglected North Korea, describing its policy with a bizarre expression, “strategic patience,” or what might be better referred to as “strategic ignorance.” As a result, North Korea was able to buy time to advance its nuclear capabilities. Obama’s administration did impose economic sanctions on North Korea, but these were largely ineffective. Although the Biden administration has emphasized its differentiation from predecessors, its North Korea policy has not deviated from the basic framework of “strategic patience.” In the meantime, North Korea has already completed its nuclear capability in a practical sense.
If the U.S. had provided Ukraine with sufficiently powerful weapons, such as F-16 fighter jets, when Russia first invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the situation in that war might be much different by now. However, the U.S. was reluctant to provide such advanced support. And as time dragged on, there are now even fears that the U.S. might eventually withdraw its assistance to Ukraine. Donald Trump’s lead in the polls for the next presidential election only increases these concerns.
This does not mean that the Biden administration has neglected efforts to demonstrate America’s global leadership. Biden has focused on the fact that the U.S.’s alliances are its biggest strength. The U.S. has tried to maintain its influence in international politics by forming common fronts with its allies. It has been strengthening these alliances through various networks, such as the Quad, AUKUS, South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral cooperation, and NATO-Indo-Pacific linkages. However, the Biden administration faced an unexpected ambush in the latest Hamas-Israel conflict, which was followed by a flat-footed response. The U.S. now appears to be turning a blind eye to the possibility that Russia and Iran might have played a hand in the attack on Israel.
From its beginnings the U.S. adopted an isolationist stance beyond its immediate region, and it was only after World War II that it emerged, perhaps reluctantly, as a superpower in international politics. Is the U.S. now tiring of its role as a hegemonic power that can manage the international order? If so, an analogy presents itself: the sheriff is giving up and leaving town. What happens next? Gangsters and other outlaws will step in to fill the void.
If the U.S. truly becomes indecisive and withdrawn, the world could go down a path of calamitous disorder. North Korea’s regime under Kim Jong-un is no doubt watching. Kim might conclude that, wielding his own nuclear threat while the U.S. remains distracted, he can get away with a surprise invasion of South Korea. China will also be closely monitoring the U.S.’s passive attitude. Were China to invade Taiwan in a surprise attack, the U.S. might be too distracted by domestic politics to make a countermove in time to prevent a takeover.
If this is the reality we now face, the question for South Korea is how well it understands this rapidly changing and disorderly world, whether it can judge it accurately, and how it can prepare for it. Is it an exaggeration to say that South Korea is now at a crossroads in terms of its very survival as a country? Modern Korean history has shown that the peninsula’s preservation depends on how it responds to fundamental changes in the global security landscape. Such a change might now be occurring if the sheriff really leaves town.
Park Jung-won (park_jungwon@hotmail.com), Ph.D. in law from the London School of Economics (LSE), is a professor of international law at Dankook University.
The Korea Times · December 7, 2023
13. S. Korea determined to become tourism powerhouse
So at dinner last evening we were speaking with a staff member from the Korea Society who just completed a Fulbright in Korea. As a lover of K-Dramas she found that Korea had tours to the filming locations of K-Dramas throughout Korea. With the popularity of K-Dramas around the world it makes sense to bring tourists to filming locations.
S. Korea determined to become tourism powerhouse
koreaherald.com · by Lee Si-jin · December 8, 2023
Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran seeks to assist and expand more sought-after tourism products and local festivals loved by Koreans
By Lee Si-jin
Published : Dec. 8, 2023 - 15:32
Jang Mi-ran, the second vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, talks during a press conference on Thursday at the Government Complex Seoul. (MCST)
With plans to prepare for the Visit Korea Year 2023-24 campaign, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is going all out to make Korea another Asian tourism powerhouse and create a more enjoyable tourism environment for domestic holidaymakers.
In a press briefing in Seoul on Thursday, Jang Mi-ran -- the second vice minister of culture, sports and tourism -- expressed high hopes to turn Korea into an appealing destination for both foreigners and locals, exceeding pre-pandemic visitor levels in 2024.
“I engaged in various tourism-related meetings with local governments, agencies and firms to gather perspectives from industry professionals (since my appointment in July), but there were not a lot of unique or special tourism products or festivals,” Jang said in a briefing at the Seoul Government Complex in Jongno-gu, central Seoul.
“It is important to create tourism products that are appealing to locals and approved by them. We are recommending or introducing things if we like them first. I personally felt this applies to tourism as well,” the vice minister told The Korea Herald.
Young tourism major students who share their individual travel experiences on various social media platforms can offer realistic suggestions and showcase the charms of their hometowns, as well as areas of improvement, Jang said. She said she wanted to spend more time with such students to understand the local tourism landscape.
The vice minister emphasized the importance of creating a safer tourism environment for global and domestic visitors as well.
The Culture Ministry is set to organize a public-participatory inspection team to root out rip-offs and discriminatory pricing. A separate team will be launched to deal with such cases and assist visitors who file complaints.
The ministry decided to increase the number of K-tourism roadshows -- promotional events held overseas to showcase Korea’s traditional and contemporary culture -- from 15 to 25 in 2024.
Exempting Chinese tourists from visa issuance fees, which was temporarily applied to Chinese travelers from September to December, will be extended to 2024.
Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia will be included in the list of exempt countries.
According to Jang, travel-friendly services like a foreigner-exclusive mobile app for train, bus and taxi services, and an English navigation app will be available in 2024.
To quench tourists’ thirst for Korean content-related events, beauty festivals, K-pop shows, food fairs, e-sports experiences, medical tourism packages and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions tourism packages are expected to be expanded as well.
“We hope to attract 20 million global visitors to Korea in 2024, and exceed the pre-pandemic number of foreign travelers from 2019. We will also make the utmost effort to collaborate with local governments and tourism-related firms to support mass tourism,” the Culture Ministry official said.
In 2022, the country welcomed approximately 3.2 million inbound visitors, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea had a record of 17.5 million inbound tourists in 2019.
koreaherald.com · by Lee Si-jin · December 8, 2023
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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