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Quotes of the Day:
“Freedom is what makes us fight, and courage is what keeps us from running away. Our first duty to freedom is to defend our own.”
- Jiyun Park, UK Political Leader and escapee from North Korea
"Comrades, I took the red tram of socialism to the stop named Independence, but that's where I got off."
Jozef Pilsudski
"I would hope that all educated citizens would fulfill this obligation—in politics, in Government, here in Nashville, here in this State, in the Peace Corps, in the Foreign Service, in the Government Service, in the Tennessee Valley, in the world. You will find the pressures greater than the pay. You may endure more public attacks than support. But you will have the unequaled satisfaction of knowing that your character and talent are contributing to the direction and success of this free society."
- John F. Kennedy
1. The family grip on power in North Korea and the Philippines
2. N. Korean leader makes second public appearance with daughter
3. To celebrate ICBM, North pins a medal on a launch platform
4. Kim’s ‘beloved’ daughter unlikely to be successor, experts say
5. Korea's Arms Exports to Exceed $20 Billion This Year
6. North Korea orders broadcasters to boycott World Cup matches involving three 'political enemies'
7. Japan seeks cooperation with US for counterstrike capability amid regional tension: Report
8. Koreans in Japan pay the price for Pyongyang's belligerence
9. Kim Jong Un says North Korea aims to have the world's strongest nuclear force
10. To boost hygiene, North Korea bans outhouses, orders public toilet construction
1. The family grip on power in North Korea and the Philippines
Interesting comparisons. Few have as much experience in both Korea and the Philippines as Don Kirk (going back to the 1960s).
This is quote a conclusion:
All of which goes to prove, in tightly-controlled North Korea, superficially a communist country but really a dynastic dictatorship, as in crime-infested Philippines, superficially a democracy but really a wild kleptocracy, power goes from generation to generation, all within the ruling families. Idealogues may talk about freedom and human rights, but no one doubts who’s calling the shots.
The family grip on power in North Korea and the Philippines
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/3748680-the-family-grip-on-power-in-north-korea-and-the-philippines/?utm_source=pocket_saves
BY DONALD KIRK, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR - 11/26/22 8:00 AM ET
In Asia’s ruling dynasties, family heritage is all-important. We have had no better proof than in the past few days, when dynastic heirs and maybe an heir-apparent to national power were on full display in two very different countries on the radar screens of analysts everywhere.
First, there was North Korea. What could have been cuter than big, bad dictator Kim Jong Un holding the hand of his daughter, looking to be maybe 10 or so, at the launch of his latest, greatest missile, a Hwasong 17. He looked as though he were escorting her to a fireworks show as he showed the kid the missile that was about to go whooshing high into the heavens in a display intended to prove he really could fire one as far as Washington, D.C. if he had a mind to — and if his engineers have figured out how to affix a nuclear warhead to the darn thing.
In South Korea, viewers were more impressed by the child’s appearance than by the possibility that she might be in line to succeed her father. “She looks just like her father,” was the immediate response of one South Korean woman. “She’s so chubby.” Yes, no doubt about it, like father, like daughter, when it comes to stature, though another Korean remarked that she has “the eyes of her mother,” Ri Sol Ju, seen with her and her father as they appeared before a crowd of cheering Korean military officers at the launch site.
“Crazy,” was the response of one Korean, amazed at the festive atmosphere that Daddy Kim made of the occasion, but the message was serious. Here was his darling daughter, his middle child, sister of older and younger brothers, whom he had elevated to prominence ahead of her siblings as living proof that she’s the chosen one. But who is she? We have to thank Chicago Bulls one-time star Dennis Rodman, after visiting Pyongyang and then Kim’s palatial second home in or near the east coast port of Wonsan, for telling us he had held the “baby girl” in his arms and her name is Ju Ae, a detail Kim’s state media has yet to confirm.
If it’s a little early to conclude she is really in the line of succession, why did her father not invite her two brothers? Again the North Korean state media hasn’t said a word about either of them, but the older brother should be 12 or 13. Is he not showing the leadership possibilities that Kim may perceive in Ju Ae? Certainly, power does not have to go to the oldest offspring. Kim has had two older brothers — he ordered the assassination of the oldest, half-brother Kim Jong Nam, at the airport in Kuala Lumpur in 2017, wanting to stamp out a perceived claimant to his job. The other one, Kim Jong Chol, born of the same mother, reportedly lives a reclusive life in Pyongyang, playing his guitar and listening to the music of Eric Clapton, whose concerts he attended some years ago.
There’s no question, though, about who would lead the Marcos dynasty in the Philippines. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, having been elected president in May, is following in the footsteps of his father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who exercised dictatorial power for 18 years until his overthrow in the “People Power Revolution” of 1985-1986.
The family grip on power would appear to have been totally undermined after Marcos, with his profligate wife Imelda, Bongbong and his two sisters, plus assorted billionaire cronies, were flown to exile in Hawaii aboard two U.S. Air Force planes from Clark Air Base north of Manila. Marcos died in Hawaii but Imelda made sure the dynasty survived. She, Bongbong and his sisters eventually returned to the wellspring of Marcos family power, Ilocos Norte province far north of Manila, where they rebuilt their political base.
Who would believe that the U.S., having played a major role in bringing about the ouster of Marcos Sr., is now evidently paying obeisance to Bongbong? The sight of Vice President Kamala Harris impressing him with the commitment of Washington to the Philippine-American alliance no doubt would have been a shock to the U.S. officials who facilitated the precipitous departure of the Marcos clan from the seat of power in Manila’s Malacanang Palace in 1986. The past was obliterated, forgotten, or at least not a matter for discussion while Harris sought to patch up frayed ties.
Much as Bongbong would like to remain somewhat standoffish about plunging right back into bed with the Americans, the Philippines and the U.S. share a common concern about China. They both are upset about China under President Xi Jinping claiming China’s rule over the South China Sea, which laps up on the shores of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, and they want China to stop building bases on tiny islets out there.
Incredibly, Harris was welcomed aboard a Philippine coast guard vessel at a base on the strategic island of Palawan, facing the South China Sea, where she challenged China after reassuring Bongbong that Washington, in keeping with its alliance with the Philippines, would surely respond if China attacked Philippine vessels.
Carlos Conde, a longtime correspondent who is in charge of Human Rights Watch in the Philippines, summarized the bond between the U.S. and the Philippines after Bongbong’s predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, scorned the relationship during his presidency while cozying up to China’s Xi.
“Bottom line for Marcos,” Conde told me, “now is a great opportunity to rehabilitate the Marcos name, protect their interests (and riches), ensure the longevity of their dynasty.” And bottom line for the U.S.: “After the tumultuous years of Duterte, we finally have somebody — again — that we can dance with.”
All of which goes to prove, in tightly-controlled North Korea, superficially a communist country but really a dynastic dictatorship, as in crime-infested Philippines, superficially a democracy but really a wild kleptocracy, power goes from generation to generation, all within the ruling families. Idealogues may talk about freedom and human rights, but no one doubts who’s calling the shots.
Donald Kirk has been a journalist for more than 60 years, focusing much of his career on conflict in Asia and the Middle East, including as a correspondent for the Washington Star and Chicago Tribune. He currently is a freelance correspondent covering North and South Korea. He is the author of several books about Asian affairs.
2. N. Korean leader makes second public appearance with daughter
He must be enjoying the buzz his daughter is creating. He is able to play the western media and pundits so they help him to reinforce the legitimacy of dynastic succession - even though he is unlikely to be choosing his daughter as the next leader right now. He is just paying us.
(LEAD) N. Korean leader makes second public appearance with daughter | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · November 27, 2022
(ATTN: UPDATES with promotions of officials, awarding of hero title to vehicle)
SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a second public appearance with his daughter during a photo session with officials involved in this month's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch, state media said Sunday.
Photos published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) showed the daughter, presumed to be Kim's second child, Ju-ae, dressed in a long black winter coat with a fur collar and with her hair partially tied back, as she walked hand in hand or linking arms with her father.
The appearance gave her a striking resemblance to her mother, Ri Sol-ju.
The KCNA said the photo session was attended by "combatants of the Red Flag Company, the officials, scientists and technicians of the defence science research institute and workers of the munitions factory who made a great contribution to the test-fire of Hwasongpho-17 conducted on November 18."
Kim "appeared at the photo session venue together with his beloved daughter," it said.
North Korea first revealed the girl after she joined her parents during the launch of the Hwasong-17 ICBM on Nov. 18.
Kim "gave a warm and militant salute of congratulations to the reliable defence soldiers who proudly launched before the world a gigantic crystal made with pure loyalty, extraordinary mental power and outstanding sci-tech force," the KCNA said of the photo session.
The North Korean leader also said "we should consolidate our greatest strength seized firmly with two hands as more absolute and irreversible one, never resting on our laurels, and continue to put spurs to the limitless bolstering of the defence capabilities."
He expressed his expectation and belief that the country's scientists, technicians, and munitions industry workers "would make a do-or-die struggle" and "thus expand and bolster up the nuclear war deterrent of the country at an exceptionally rapid speed," the KCNA said.
Kim promoted the military ranks of a large number of officials and scientists in recognition of their contributions to developing the Hwasong-17.
They included the promotion of Jang Chang-ha, chief of the Academy of National Defense Science, and Kim Jong-sik of the Munitions Industry Department of the Workers' Party of Korea, to generals.
One person was promoted to colonel general, two people to lieutenant generals, nine to major generals, 19 to senior colonels, and 44 to colonels, among others.
North Korea also awarded the title of hero to the vehicle from which the ICBM was launched, according to the KCNA.
"The Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Saturday issued a decree on awarding the title of DPRK Hero and Gold Star Medal and Order of National Flag 1st Class to the new-type ICBM Hwasongpho-17 launching vehicle No. 321," it said, referring to North Korea's formal name.
The transporter erector launcher "clearly proved before the world that the DPRK is a full-fledged nuclear power capable of standing against the nuclear supremacy of the U.S. imperialists and fully demonstrated its might as the most powerful ICBM state," it added.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · November 27, 2022
3. To celebrate ICBM, North pins a medal on a launch platform
But the platform has a long way to go to catch up to the nK generals who must have the most medals in the world.
Sunday
November 27, 2022
dictionary + A - A
To celebrate ICBM, North pins a medal on a launch platform
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/27/national/northKorea/Korea-North-Korea-ICBM/20221127143724861.html
In a photo released Sunday by Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walks with his daughter during a commemorative photo session celebrating the North’s successful launch of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). [YONHAP]
North Korea celebrated its successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Nov. 18 by promoting key figures in its missile program — and, bizarrely, by bestowing an honor on the launch platform used to fire the missile.
According to the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, the North's rubber-stamp legislature, awarded a DPRK Hero title and Gold Star Medal, as well as an Order of the National Flag, 1st Class, to launch vehicle no. 321, which was used to fire the Hwasong-17 ICBM in the Nov. 18 test. It "proved before the world that the DPRK is a full-fledged nuclear power," KCNA said, "capable of standing against the nuclear supremacy of the U.S. imperialists and fully demonstrated its might as the most powerful ICBM state."
DPRK is the acronym for the North's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Launch vehicle no. 321 is a transporter erector launcher (TEL), a type of mobile launcher that resembles a long truck and transports missiles to a launch site, raises the missile to the desired angle and then fires it.
While it is highly unusual that a launch vehicle was given the kind of honor usually reserved for people, the distinction highlights the importance of TELs in allowing the North to mobilize and deploy ICBMs with greater spontaneity and flexibility, evading South Korean and U.S. pre-launch detection capabilities.
While the North was able to launch short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) from locations around the country, including hard-to-detect sites such as a reservoir, previous ICBM launches usually took place on one of the concrete runways at Sunan airfield near Pyongyang, usually with aid from fixed supports.
Sunan airfield is located near Sin-ri, where North Korea's ICBM assembly facility is located.
But it remains unclear whether the North will be able to easily deploy a significant number of Hwasong-17 ICBMs across the country, given the 24-meter length of the missile and its weight of over 100 tons once it is loaded with liquid propellant.
Hong Min, director of the North Korea research division at the Seoul-based Korea Institute of National Unification, told Yonhap in an interview that the honors bestowed on launch vehicle no. 321 is North Korea's way of signaling it has fixed past issues with its TEL vehicles.
"While many analyses in the past believed the reason North Korea launched ICBMs from Sunan airfield was its TEL vehicles' lack of maneuverability, the hero title [granted on the TEL used in the launch] is the regime's way of showing it can deftly change its ICBM launch sites, and to show it can use TELs in the future to conduct surprise ICBM launches," he said.
Launch vehicle no. 321 was not the only recipient of honors from the regime as it celebrated the successful ICBM launch.
KCNA reported Sunday that the regime had conducted a mass promotion of key officials in its military and researchers tied to its missile program.
The state agency reported two new generals, one new colonel general, two new lieutenant generals and nine new major generals, among others.
Prominently mentioned in state reports were two people: Jang Chang-ha, head of the North's Academy of National Defense Science, which leads research into the North's missile and nuclear weapons programs, and Kim Jong-sik, head of the ruling Workers' Party's Machine-Building Industry Department, which is charged with manufacturing the country's strategic weapons.
Both Jang and Kim were named in a separate Sunday KCNA report as having attended a commemorative photo session with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
According to the KCNA, Kim appeared at the photo session venue "with his beloved daughter," who has appeared prominently in state footage of the successful ICBM launch.
State media, including the Rodong Sinmun, released a series of photographs on Nov. 19 and 20 showing the leader and his daughter holding hands and walking around together on the launch site and watching the missile take flight.
South Korean intelligence speculates that Kim and Ri Sol-ju married in 2009 and have two daughters born in 2010 and 2013 and a son born in 2017.
In September 2013, retired NBA star Dennis Rodman, who visited Pyongyang on the invitation of the North Korean leader, revealed to media he had held Kim's baby girl "Ju-ae" in his arms, possibly revealing her name for the first time.
The daughter in the photographs of the missile launch, based on her presumed age, is thought to be that second daughter, Ju-ae.
Although she was dressed in a white padded coat at the launch, for the commemorative photo session on Sunday she was dressed in a black coat with a fur collar with her hair pulled back in a look that resembled that of her mother.
The presentation of Kim's daughter seems to appears to be a move showing North Korea's confidence in the Hwasong-17 launch and its nuclear weapons program. It also appears to show regime security and the stability of the so-called Mount Paektu bloodline, referring to the North Korean ruling dynasty.
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
4. Kim’s ‘beloved’ daughter unlikely to be successor, experts say
Speculation and more speculation. I wonder if the oddsmakers in Vegas have a line for north Korean succession.
Kim’s ‘beloved’ daughter unlikely to be successor, experts say
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum;Yoon Min-sik · November 27, 2022
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un brought his “beloved” second child, styled just like her mother this time, into the public eye for the second time in about a week through a photo published in state media on Sunday.
Photos showing a very intimate father-daughter moment at a large-scale event celebrating the successful launch of the new Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile, suggest that Ju-ae has emerged as a very important figure to the North Korean leader, or possibly a candidate for succession to the hermit kingdom.
But Seoul-based experts on North Korea said Kim Jong-un taking his daughter twice to large public occasions is unprecedented but not likely to be a part of his succession plans, pointing out the tradition of North Korean leadership passing along the male line.
“A successor should be a legitimate son and North Korea does not unveil successors in advance given that a successor would be under the spotlight and surveillance through the synthesis of personal information including DNA data,” Hong Min, director of the North Korean Research Division at the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification, said.
“Therefore a public appearance can be interpreted in a way to mean that she is a long away from being a successor.”
Hong said North Korea’s widespread patriarchal culture and lower social status of women as well as Ju-ae’s lack of military experience would serve as barriers.
According to North Korea’s state media on Sunday, Ju-ae attended a staged photo op with officials, scientists and technicians of a defense science research institution and workers of a munitions factory who “made a great contribution to the test-fire of Hwasongpho-17” on Nov. 18.
Unlike her look as an ordinary kid with white winter jacket in photos unveiled earlier last week, Ju-ae was styled in a black-colored fur coat and half-up ponytail similar to her mother Ri Sol-ju, which reports suggested as the North trying to build up her image as a part of the Kim dynasty so-called “Paektu bloodline.”
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, also said that “there have been no signs of idolizing” Ju-ae in state media reports, dismissing the possibility of her being selected as a candidate for succession.
North Korea, therefore, is focused on delivering a message that “Hwasong-17 can protect the Mount Paektu bloodline as well as present and future generations by accompanying Kim Ju-ae,” he said.
Experts instead believe that public appearances by Ju-ae could be made frequently in propaganda with the goal of promoting the national image.
What we know about the Kim family
Most of South Korea’s and the world’s intelligence about Kim and his children are based on secondhand information and cannot be independently verified -- unless Kim reveals them to the public, as in the case of his daughter born in 2013.
The National Intelligence Service in Seoul believes that Kim has an elder child -- a son born in 2010.
Indicative of the lack of information about Kim’s family, a now-debunked rumor in September claimed a short-haired girl that appeared during the anniversary of the founding of North Korea may be Ju-ae. A group of girls performed on stage for the event, and one girl in particular was seemingly favored by Kim, Ri and Kim’s sister Kim Yo-jung.
From what intelligence officials have gathered thus far, it appears that Ri and the three children are the extent of Kim Jong-un’s family, unlike that of his father, Kim Jong-il, who had children outside of his marriage.
While it has been confirmed Kim’s daughter is in Pyongyang, no information about Kim’s oldest child -- the probable heir to the North Korean leadership -- has been made public other than his year of birth. This is not uncommon for the reclusive country, as Kim Jong-un himself has remained mostly in the shadows until he was announced the heir in 2010.
As for the youngest child, thought to be born in 2017, even its gender remains unknown.
By Ji Da-gyum (dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)
Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum;Yoon Min-sik · November 27, 2022
5. Korea's Arms Exports to Exceed $20 Billion This Year
Korea's Arms Exports to Exceed $20 Billion This Year
english.chosun.com
November 25, 2022 12:35
Korea's arms exports crossed a record US$17 billion early this month and will likely exceed $20 billion by year's end.
The main driver has been Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which spurred frantic arms purchases from neighboring Poland.
Arms export deals Korea struck with Poland alone this year are worth $14.76 billion, including K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzer guns, FA-50 light combat fighter jets and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers.
Originally, Poland had considered buying the weapons from the U.S. and Germany, but it decided to buy Korean weapons instead because they are cheaper and can be delivered faster. The German Leopard-2 A7 tank and PzH 2000 self-propelled gun are twice as expensive as Korea's K2 tank and K9 howitzer.
From left, the K-9 self-propelled howitzer gun, the K2 tank and the FA-50 light combat fighter jet
A shipment of 180 K2 tanks can be delivered to Poland within three years, while Leopard-2 tanks would take an epic 15 years. Germany has lost a lot of competitiveness as a result of slashed defense spending and halt of assembly lines in the defense industry since the end of the Cold War, though it once boasted world-class weapons and combat capabilities.
Another reason for the success is that "Korea was sincere about agreeing to produce products locally in Poland, transfer technology and carry out joint development as requested," said Chang Won-joon of the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade.
China Blocks Polish Delegation's Flight to Korea
Korea Clinches Sale of 300 Multiple Rocket Launchers to Poland
Korea Signs Massive Arms Deal with Poland
Korea to Sell 48 Fighter Jets to Poland
U.S. Blocks Korean Trainer Jet Sale to Uzbekistan
Korea Aerospace Picked for Fighter Project
Seoul Eyeing Export of 24 Fighter Jets to Peru
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
english.chosun.com
6. North Korea orders broadcasters to boycott World Cup matches involving three 'political enemies'
"Stunning reports?" I think this is not very surprising given the. nature of the Kim family regime.
North Korea orders broadcasters to boycott World Cup matches involving three 'political enemies'
sportbible.com
North Korean broadcasters have decided to boycott World Cup matches that involve their political enemies, according to stunning reports.
Led by Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, the secretive state has a fractured relationship with neighbouring country South Korea and has recently upped their efforts in ballistic testing around the peninsula.
North Korea continue to hold tense relationships on the world stage with countries like Japan and the USA.
Only last week, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he was open to North Korea hosting a World Cup in the future.
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“FIFA is a global football organisation. We are football people, not politicians, and we want to bring people together,” he said.
“Any country can host an event. If North Korea wants to host something [...].”
The 52-year-old FIFA chief added: “I actually went to North Korea some years ago to ask the North Koreans if they were ready to host part of a Women’s World Cup with South Korea.
“Well, I was not successful, obviously, but I would go another 100 times if it would help. Only engagement can bring real change. We’re a global organisation and want to remain an organisation that unites the world.”
According to KBS World TV, North Korean networks will not show any matches that involve South Korea, Japan and the United States during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino hasn’t ruled out the possibility of North Korea hosting a World Cup in the future. Credit: Alamy
FIFA are already facing a huge wave of criticism over their decision to award the World Cup to Qatar, especially due to the country's poor human rights records.
However, Infantino was adamant that they have made the right choice by making Qatar the first nation in the Middle East to host FIFA’s prestigious tournament.
“I’m still convinced that this World Cup will open the eyes of many people from the western world to the Arab world,” he said.
North Korea are currently ranked 112th in the world and have only appeared at the World Cup twice. They made their debut in the 1966 tournament held in England, and their second outing came in South Africa back in 2010.
READ MORE:
South Korea, meanwhile, hosted the 2002 tournament alongside Japan. In this year’s World Cup, both South Korea and Japan have made positive starts to their respective campaigns.
Japan stunned Germany with a 2-1 victory in the World Cup on Wednesday, while South Korea held Uruguay to a 0-0 draw on Thursday.
sportbible.com
7. Japan seeks cooperation with US for counterstrike capability amid regional tension: Report
Japan seeks cooperation with US for counterstrike capability amid regional tension: Report
republicworld.com
Last Updated: 26th November, 2022 18:54 IST
Japan Seeks Cooperation With US For Counterstrike Capability Amid Regional Tension: Report
Japan is in a hostile neighbourhood and faces threats from the People's Republic of China and Democratic People's Republic of North Korea.
Written By
sagar kar
Image: AP
Japan is considering acquiring counter-strike capability with the help of US to deter rival nations. Japan is in a hostile neighbourhood and faces threats from the People's Republic of China and Democratic People's Republic of North Korea. A Japanese news agency said that the proposal of acquiring counter-strike capability was mentioned in a policy document.
The policy document was discussed at a working level meeting of Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner, Komeito. According to Sputnik, the Japanese news agency said that the ruling party, back in April, discussed the idea of acquiring a counter-strike capability with the help of the US. This is significant because after the 2nd World War, the new Japanese constitution was written by primarily American officials, during the allied occupation of Japan, under the leadership of General MacArthur.
Japan's constitution and its defensive posture
The new constitution of Japan (also known as MacArthur's constitution) replaced the country's constitution of 1890, which was written after the Meiji Restoration. The Meiji Constitution was written at a time when Japan was industrialising and becoming a more cohesive nation, on par with nations of Europe and North America. It was a constitution that reflected an ascendant society. Japan's current constitution was written by Americans when Japan was an occupied country, a country destroyed due to the firebombing campaigns and the two nuclear bomb strikes. Article 9 is the most well known article of the constitution, which bars Japan from maintaining any capability of aggression.
Impact of emergent threats
As a result of this Article 9, Japan does not have an air force, army or navy, but it does maintain a self-defense force. Since the 2nd World War, due to this US imposed constitution, Japan has maintained a purely defensive posture, which rules out the ability to deter the enemy. Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe (the patriarch of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party) wanted to reinterpret Article 9 in a creative way, to ensure Japan can move on from a purely defensive posture. He was, unsurprisingly, quite unpopular in China due to this stance of his.
Japan's willingness to adopt a counter-strike capability reflects Japanese polity's desire to move on from the defensive posture. This change is largely driven by emergent threats in the region, such as North Korea and China. Having a counter-strike capability means - if Japan is convinced that a rival nation is launching an attack on Japan, Tokyo can, if it chooses, target the missile silos, and command and control centres of the rival nation. Whether Japan chooses to use this capability is less important.
The rationale of deterrence
The demonstration of capability and a credible threat to use the capability, is the essence of deterrence. The underlying rationale is if the rival nations know that Japan has counter-strike capability and believe that Tokyo might use the capability, they will not target Japan. The Japanese news agency said that the guided missiles Japan might deploy will have a capability of 3,000 kilometers. As of now, it is not clear when Japan will acquire a counter-strike capability.
First Published: 26th November, 2022 18:54 IST
republicworld.com
8. Koreans in Japan pay the price for Pyongyang's belligerence
Koreans in Japan pay the price for Pyongyang's belligerence – DW – 11/25/2022
DW
Ethnic North Korean residents of Japan say they are experiencing an increase in violence and threats after a recent series of ballistic missile launches by the North.
Most of the incidents have targeted children who attend schools operated by the General Association of Korean Residents of Japan, also called the "Chosen Soren," which is a de facto embassy representing interests of North Koreans who are still loyal to the regime in Pyongyang.
As North Korea continues its weapons testing, school officials have called on the Japanese government to increase security around North Korean schools and act against anyone threatening or harassing children.
"It is getting worse again," said Choe Kwan-ik, managing editor of the North Korean community newspaper the Choson Sinbo.
"Korean school children wear uniforms that are different from those worn at Japanese schools and this makes them easy targets for verbal abuse and even physical attacks. Some of our children have been kicked and punched," Choe told DW.
According to Choe, children have reported harassment mainly from adult men. Some were told to "get out of Japan."
On October 4, North Korea launched a medium-range ballistic missile that passed over northern Japan, triggering the automatic J-Alert warning in towns and cities in the northern Hokkaido, Aomori and Miyagi prefectures. Residents were instructed to take shelter indoors in case the missile came down, although it eventually crashed harmlessly into the Pacific Ocean to the east of Japan.
The same day, Tokyo police reported that a man confronted a Korean student on a train, stamping on the boy's foot.
The Asahi newspaper reported another incident involving a man entering an elementary school operated by the Chosen Soren and threatening a teacher and a student over North Korean missile tests.
Police said at least nine other similar incidents, while countless posts appeared on social media sites targeting the North Korean community, including calls for pro-Pyongyang schools to be "destroyed."
North Korea fires missile over Japan
Regime in North Korea takes advantage of tension
Senior Chosen Soren officials and representatives of a Japanese human rights group focusing on ethnic minorities subsequently visited the Justice Ministry and called on authorities to protect North Korean residents in Japan.
In a press conference after the meeting, Chong Chan-gil, president of the Tokyo Korean Junior and High School Teachers' Union, said nobody stepped forward to help the students who were being attacked, even though many people were around.
"We call on the government to take steps before an even more serious assault occurs," he added.
North Korean state media has condemned the incidents, with an article published by the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) accusing "Japanese reactionaries" of "inciting military tension" and arousing anti-North Korean public opinion through the media.
In an article, KCNA accused Japan of making "innocent children an object of entirely unjust discrimination and persecution."
The Chosen Soren holds pro-Pyongyang propaganda events in JapanImage: Kyodo/picture alliance
North Korean immigrant Chung Hyon-suk told DW that she is relieved that her children are no longer students, as pupils at North Korean schools in Japan have always been popular targets for intimidation.
"These children are powerless and weak so it is not very brave for adults to threaten or attack them," she said.
"But I guessed after these latest launches that there would be some sort of backlash," said Chung, who recalls that after a similar crisis on the Peninsula, someone painted the words: "North Koreans live here. Be careful," on her family's home.
"It's a complicated relationship between the two countries, but I just wish we could find a way to be friends and get along," she said.
Japan's colonial history
The North Korean community in Japan is connected to the legacy of Tokyo's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and the end of World War II in 1945.
In 1959, thousands of North Koreans were returned from Japan. However, many opted to stayImage: Kyodo/picture alliance
Thousands of Koreans were brought to Japan to work for Japanese companies during the war. After Japan's surrender, many opted to remain, their allegiances on the newly divided peninsula depending on where their hometowns were.
North Koreans maintaining a strong connection with the cult of personality surrounding the ruling Kim regime in Pyongyang elicits suspicion in Japan, with organizations like Chosen Soren closely monitored by authorities for its ties with the regime.
As well as funding the leadership in Pyongyang, critics claim North Koreans in Japan have been involved in efforts to obtain research and technology to assist missile and nuclear programs and assisted in the abduction of Japanese nationals by the North's agents.
Chosen Soren operates a network of around 70 schools across Japan with around 10,000 pupils, a sharp decline from the 40,000 who attended the schools in the peak years of the 1970s.
The schools stick rigidly to a North Korean curriculum and pupils are taught to revere the Kim dynasty as their leaders. Chosen Soren also operates a university, with many graduates going on to work at companies linked to the organization, such as travel, trading or media firms.
Choe said that while there has been an increase in incidents targeting North Koreans in recent months, discrimination is a problem that the community here has always had to live with.
"Every time the situation changes on the Peninsula, the situation here gets worse," he said.
Edited by: Wesley Rahn
DW
9. Kim Jong Un says North Korea aims to have the world's strongest nuclear force
This is all Kim has. He has to focus on hi nuclear capabilities. He is going all in on his nuclear program.
Kim Jong Un says North Korea aims to have the world's strongest nuclear force
Reuters · by Josh Smith
SEOUL, Nov 27 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country's intends to have the world's most powerful nuclear force as he promoted dozens of military officers involved in the recent launch of a new ballistic missile, state media reported on Sunday.
The announcement comes after Kim inspected a Nov. 18 test of the Hwasong-17, North Korea's largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and pledged to counter what he called U.S. nuclear threats.
North Korea's "ultimate goal is to possess the world's most powerful strategic force, the absolute force unprecedented in the century," Kim said in the order promoting the officers, adding that building up the country's nuclear capabilities would reliably protect the dignity and sovereignty of the state and the people.
He described the Hwasong-17 as the "world's strongest strategic weapon" and said it demonstrated North Korea's resolve and ability to eventually build the world's strongest army.
North Korean scientists have made a "wonderful leap forward in the development of the technology of mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles," and were expected to expand and strengthen the country's nuclear deterrent capabilities at an extraordinarily rapid pace, Kim was also quoted as saying.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un addresses the Supreme People's Assembly, North Korea's parliament, which passed a law officially enshrining its nuclear weapons policies, in Pyongyang, North Korea, September 8, 2022 in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)/File Photo
Kim was pictured in photos posing with scientists, engineers and military officials involved in the test.
According to state media, those workers pledged to defend the "absolute authority" of the party and Kim, and vowed that "our missiles will fly vigorously only in the direction indicated" by Kim.
Capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, the launch of the Hwasong-17 prompted the United States to call for a United Nations Security Council presidential statement to hold North Korea accountable for its missile tests, which are banned by Security Council resolutions.
State media also showed Kim Jong Un's daughter accompanying him as he reviewed the officers. Her unexpected first appearance at the Hwasong-17 test has raised the prospect that leadership of the totalitarian state could pass to a fourth generation of Kims.
North Korea's powerful Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly awarded the Hwasong-17 missile the title of "DPRK Hero and Gold Star Medal and Order of National Flag 1st Class", state news agency KCNA reported in another statement, using the initials of the country's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"(The missile) clearly proved before the world that the DPRK is a full-fledged nuclear power capable of standing against the nuclear supremacy of the U.S. imperialists and fully demonstrated its might as the most powerful ICBM state," KCNA said.
Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Leslie Adler and Edwina Gibbs
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Reuters · by Josh Smith
10. To boost hygiene, North Korea bans outhouses, orders public toilet construction
To boost hygiene, North Korea bans outhouses, orders public toilet construction
americanmilitarynews.com · by Radio Free Asia · November 27, 2022
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
In an effort to improve hygiene, North Korean authorities are ordering residents outside the capital to demolish their private outhouses and upgrade or construct public toilets – at their own expense, sources in the country told Radio Free Asia.
But people are complaining that the plan makes no sense because communal toilets are less hygienic than outhouses, which each family maintains, and that the government should instead focus on tackling more basic needs, like improving living conditions and repairing homes damaged by natural disasters such as typhoons, the sources say.
“People do not have enough food to eat because of the hardships of living due to the coronavirus. They are living in leaky houses and can’t even think about repairing them,” a resident of the city of Tokchon in the northwestern province of North Pyongan told RFA’s Korean Service on condition of anonymity for fear of getting punished for speaking out.
Outside of the capital Pyongyang, very few homes in North Korea have individual toilets. People who live in apartments often use communal toilets with their neighbors, and in rural areas, residents build outhouses detached from their homes.
Communal toilets in these areas are usually shared between two or three neighborhoods, but authorities have ordered that rural residents work together to renovate them, or build new ones.
“Last week, residents in Songchon county were mobilized to demolish the village’s common toilet and expand and build a new one there,” said a resident of the county in South Pyongan province, north of Pyongyang.
The construction costs must be covered by the residents themselves, he said.
Authorities have called a meeting of each neighborhood watch unit, and ordered that every home with an outhouse must demolish it and use the new public toilet, the source said. Residents were told that if each house uses a separate outhouse, the village environment will be polluted, he said, explaining that during the rainy season, the sewage flows out of these outhouses, creating a stench and causing water-borne contagious diseases to spread.
Manure quota
Residents also complain that the plan is not only a huge hassle, it deprives them of fertilizer for their home gardens, and makes it harder for them to fulfill yearly government manure collection quotas for use in communal farming.
RFA reported in January 2019 that authorities ordered every able-bodied citizen to collect an impossible 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of manure per day. In October of that year, fights broke out in public bathrooms as citizens laid claim to the human waste therein.
Orders for manure collection go out every year, and sources have said that the government’s quota is unreasonably high because the true purpose is to get the citizens to pay a fine for not collecting their share.
With no more outhouses, residents have no reliable source of human waste at collection time.
“It is considered the same as cash,” the Tokchon source said. “It will be difficult for the authorities to succeed in forcing the use of communal toilets.”
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americanmilitarynews.com · by Radio Free Asia · November 27, 2022
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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