Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

“Although I am an advocate of military discipline, I am opposed to the Prussian type of discipline, which makes a man a machine rather than an individual. One reason the American soldier will always be superior to that kind of soldier is that he does not obey blindly, but with intelligent cooperation, interpreting his order by his own judgment."

– Colonel Warren L Mabrey, US Army, 1921.

“No matter how hard you train, Somebody will train harder. No matter how hard you run, Somebody will run harder. No matter how much you want it, Somebody will want it more. I am Somebody."

– Steve Prefontaine.

“I cannot help, fearing that men may reach a point where they look on every new theory as a danger, every innovation as a toilsome trouble, every social advance as a first step toward revolution, and that they may absolutely refuse to move at all.”

– Alexis de Tocqueville.

1. Expert: “We welcome the establishment of a Korean version of the ‘Holocaust Museum’… “Contribute to publicizing the reality of human rights in North Korea and establishing accountability.”

2. Yoon orders military to retaliate first, report later in case of enemy attacks

3. Dossier shows N. Korea using peace as tactic in inter-Korean ties in late 70s, early 80s

4. Trump may bring about 'bolder' N. Korea policy shift if reelected: U.S. expert

5. North Korea's Kim vows to bolster war readiness to repel US-led confrontations

6. North Korea's Kim orders military to accelerate war preparations -state media

7. Defense ministry recalls new troop education material describing Dokdo as disputed territory

8. Alleged Chinese interference emerges in S. Korean elections via online commentary

9. NIS sees high chance of N. Korea's provocations ahead of S. Korea's April elections

10. South Korean troops practice terror, drone attack responses on Seoul streets

11. Kim Jong Un Drops the Biggest Hint Yet About His Successor

12. North Korean Arms Shipments to Russia Continue With 500K Munitions

13. Possible Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing summit ‘in discussion’: report

14. Fact Sheet: Department of Defense Concludes 'Decisive Year' in the Indo-Pacific Region

15. Many N. Koreans can’t heat homes due to firewood shortage

This is a google translation of an article by VOA's Eunjung Cho who interviewed, Ambassador Robert King, Greg Scarlatoiu, Sue Mi Terry and me about the new human rights museum proposed in South Korea.

Expert: “We welcome the establishment of a Korean version of the ‘Holocaust Museum’… “Contribute to publicizing the reality of human rights in North Korea and establishing accountability.”

2023.12.27

Jo Eun-jeong

https://www.voakorea.com/a/7413999.html

American human rights experts welcomed the South Korean government's plan to build the National Center for North Korean Human Rights, a Korean version of a "Holocaust Museum." It is assessed that this will inform the international community of the miserable human rights situation in North Korea and contribute to holding perpetrators of human rights violations accountable in the future. Reporter Cho Eun-jeong reports.

Robert King, former special envoy for North Korean human rights at the State Department, said on the 26th that it is a very appropriate measure for the South Korean government to establish the National Center for North Korean Human Rights, which collects and preserves records and actual conditions of human rights violations of North Korean people.

In data jointly released on the 26th, South Korea's Ministry of Unification, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Justice announced that they plan to complete the 'National Center for North Korean Human Rights' in 2027 by investing a total of $20 million over three years.

People Power Party lawmaker Ji Seong-ho, a former North Korean defector, and the South Korean media describe this center as a ‘Korean version of the Holocaust Museum.’

The Holocaust refers to the massacre of Jews committed by the Nazi regime in Germany during World War II.

Holocaust museums around the world, including in the United States, Germany, Poland, and Australia, are warning humanity of the anti-humanitarian nature of totalitarianism.

Robert King, former U.S. State Department special envoy for North Korean human rights.

Former special envoy King told VOA on this day, “(Establishing a Korean version of the Holocaust museum) is clearly an appropriate plan,” and added, “It is a reflection of what was done in Germany (by Nazi Germany) during World War II and what the North Korean authorities have done and continue to do to control the people.” “The things we are doing are similar,” he said.

[Recording: Former Special Envoy King] “It certainly is appropriate be because of the similarities to the actions that were taken, in Germany during World War Two and the actions that the North Koreans have taken in terms of controlling their population and, you know, the kind of actions that have been taken and continue to be taken there.”

Former Special Envoy King said that the U.S. Holocaust Museum mainly focuses on education for students and that many academic conferences and discussions are held, and that it is expected to have the effect of raising awareness of North Korean human rights violations in Korea as well.

Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, USA

The Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., stores and exhibits photos, videos, and relics, including victims' shoes, that convey the horrors of the massacre of Jews committed by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Since its opening in 1993, 47 million people have visited.

David Maxwell, Vice President, Asia-Pacific Strategy Center

David Maxwell, Vice President of the Asia-Pacific Strategy Center, said that the establishment of the National Center for North Korean Human Rights is the most practical example of South Korea's human rights approach to North Korea so far, and expects that experts will be able to record human rights violations in North Korea at this facility and contribute to transitional justice. I did.

[Recording: Deputy CEO Maxwell] “I think that it will be an opportunity to bring together researchers, experts, legal scholars, human rights experts who will really be able to have a place to document the human rights abuses and to do it in a in a just manner doing it correctly, and so that it will contribute to transitional justice.”

“It will be an opportunity for researchers, legal scholars, and human rights experts to come together and accurately and properly record human rights violations there to contribute to transitional justice.”

A transition period refers to a period of significant political and social change in a society or a country, and 'transitional justice' involves uncovering the truth and imposing responsibility for human rights abuses.

In the 'Comprehensive Plan for the Promotion of Human Rights in North Korea' announced on the 26th, the South Korean government announced that in addition to establishing the 'National Center for North Korean Human Rights', it plans to systematically investigate and record human rights violations in North Korea through investigations of North Korean defectors admitted to Hanawon.

Deputy Representative Maxwell pointed out that North Korea's human rights violations are serious enough to be compared to the Holocaust.

Vice Representative Maxwell said, “North Korea’s ‘songbun’ system is a status system like India’s caste and even slavery, and millions of North Koreans are suffering.”

[Recording: Vice President Maxwell] “I think it is certainly comparable. And the fact that the Sungboon System is a cast, even slave system, and that millions of Korean people in the North are suffering. And while there hasn't been any evidence of the executions on the scale in that short period of time that that occurred in World War Two, over time, I am sure that more than 6 million Koreans in the North have perished. And so it is I think it is comparable, it's different. And I think in many ways it's worse because the 25 million Korean people in the North have suffered on a scale far longer than the then then happened during World War Two.”

He continued, “There is no evidence that a large-scale massacre occurred in a short period of time like during World War II, but over a long period of time, 6 million North Koreans (on the scale of a Holocaust) would have died.”

“In some ways, the situation may be even more dire in that 25 million North Koreans have been suffering for much longer than during World War II,” he said.

Greg Scarlatu, Secretary General of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea

Greg Scarlatu, Secretary General of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, a private group in Washington, also evaluated the establishment of the National Center for North Korean Human Rights as a way to raise awareness of the crimes that North Korean authorities still commit against the people.

However, he pointed out that the 'politicization of North Korean human rights' should be stopped in Korea, saying, "What will happen to the 'Korean version of the Holocaust Museum' if a progressive government takes office in Korea?"

He continued, “When conservative forces are in power, human rights are prominently emphasized, and when progressive forces are in power, North Korean human rights are basically downplayed or ignored in order to improve relations with North Korea.”

[Recording: Secretary General Scarlatu] “When conservatives are in power human rights feature prominently. When progressives are in power North Korean human rights are basically more or less downplayed, ignored for the sake of trying to engage North Korea. I'm not playing Korean politics here. I'm not blaming the side over the other. I think that both sides have their share to blame, their share of blame for the politicization of North Korean human rights.”

He said, “Both conservatives and progressives have their share of responsibility for the politicization of human rights in North Korea.”

Sumi Terry, former White House National Security Council (NSC) advisor

Sumi Terry, former White House National Security Council (NSC) adviser, welcomed the South Korean government's announcement of a comprehensive human rights policy toward North Korea.

Former aide Terry is one of the co-producers of the documentary film 'Beyond Utopia', which depicts the desperate story of North Korean defector families seeking freedom. Recently, this film was selected as a preliminary candidate in the documentary feature film category at the 96th Academy Awards (Oscar Awards).

Former aide Terry said, “For too long, we have not focused on human rights issues in our policy toward North Korea, and in particular, South Korea has been so absorbed in its relationship with North Korea that it has not prioritized raising awareness of human rights issues.”

[Recording: Former Aide Terry] “For too long, we have not focused on human rights issues, particularly in South Korea, because South Korean government was so eager to engage with North Korea that it did not prioritize raising awareness on human rights issues in general. So I do think this trend and it is a good one, a productive one, because it is very important that we do whatever we can to raise awareness on human rights atrocities that are happening in North Korea, whether they are political prison camps or everything else that is happening in North Korea. I do think this emphasis on human rights, rather than just focusing on the weapons of mass destruction, I think that is in general a positive development.”

“This action is positive and productive because it is vitally important that we do everything possible to raise awareness of all the human rights atrocities taking place in North Korea, including the political prison camps,” Terry said.

He emphasized that policy toward North Korea should not only focus on weapons of mass destruction but also highlight human rights issues.

In accordance with the 'Comprehensive Plan to Promote Human Rights in North Korea,' the South Korean government plans to strengthen access to information for North Korean residents and resolve issues such as separated families, abductees, detainees, and South Korean military prisoners.

This is Cho Eun-jeong of VOA News.

2. Yoon orders military to retaliate first, report later in case of enemy attacks

I think what he meant to say was defend yourself first and report later. A decisive response at the time and the place of the provocation is the best defense and the way to prevent escalation and further provocations.

Yoon orders military to retaliate first, report later in case of enemy attacks

The Korea Times · by 2023-12-28 16:35 | North Korea · December 28, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with soldiers during his visit to a military unit at the central section of the inter-Korean border in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 28. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday ordered the military to immediately retaliate first and report it later in case of enemy attacks, as he paid a year-end visit to a front-line Army unit.

"In case of provocations, I ask you to immediately retaliate in response and report it later," Yoon said during the visit to the Fifth Army Infantry Division in the border county of Yeoncheon, 60 kilometers north of Seoul.

"We should smash the enemy's desire for provocations immediately on the ground," he said.

NIS sees high chance of NK's provocations ahead of S. Korea's April elections

Yoon said North Korea is the only country in the world that explicitly specifies invasion and preemptive nuclear use in its constitution, adding that the North can undertake provocations at any time, depending on their political objectives.

During his visit, Yoon met with enlisted soldiers and officers, expressing gratitude for their dedication to service amid recent freezing temperatures.

He reiterated the government's support for the soldiers, assuring them that he will address their welfare concerns, including salary increases. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · by 2023-12-28 16:35 | North Korea · December 28, 2023

3. Dossier shows N. Korea using peace as tactic in inter-Korean ties in late 70s, early 80s

Perhaps of some use to researchers. This certainly helps to provide us with understanding of the nature of the Kim family regime.

Excerpts:

Since first disclosing the declassified documents in May last year, the unification ministry has revealed the documents on four occasions, including the latest one.

The 30-year-old documents are available at the Office of the Inter-Korean Dialogue and the ministry's major research center.

(LEAD) Dossier shows N. Korea using peace as tactic in inter-Korean ties in late 70s, early 80s | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · December 28, 2023

(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 5-8, 14)

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification ministry on Thursday unveiled newly declassified documents offering a glimpse of inter-Korean relations from 1979-81, when Seoul was reeling from political confusion in the aftermath of the assassination of military dictator Park Chung-hee.

The dossier includes transcripts of inter-Korean contacts between South and North Korea between January 1979 and December 1981, including proposals by the North to hold meetings of key officials, recover a suspended inter-Korean phone hotline and discuss forming a unified inter-Korean team for the 1980 Moscow summer Olympics.

Such suggestions came as the political situation in South Korea was thrown into chaos after Park's assassination on Oct. 26, 1979, ending his 18-year dictatorship. Situations further complicated on Dec. 12 the same year as Chun Doo-hwan, who later became president, led a military coup.

A working-level inter-Korean meeting takes place at Panmungak, a North Korea-controlled building, on Feb. 19, 1980, in this file photo provided by the unification ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

It was in the wake of such turmoil that North Korea, which had unilaterally severed an inter-Korean phone hotline after two U.S. Army officers were axed to death by North Korean border guards at the truce village of Panmunjom in 1976, shifted to a conciliatory stance in dealing with the South.

In January 1980, the North sent a letter suggesting inter-Korean talks to then Prime Minister Shin Hyun-hwak, according to the dossier.

The North appeared to be eager to advance high-level talks, saying the timing of the meeting would be "the earlier the better" and that it is willing to hold talks in Seoul, Pyongyang or even another country.

In the letter, North Korea addressed Shin as the prime minister of the Republic of Korea in the first-ever and rare case in which the North has called South Korea by its official name in a document addressing the South, according to the ministry.

The North additionally sent letters on possibly holding inter-Korean talks to 11 influential political and religious figures, including Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung, who later both became president.

This photo, provided by the unification ministry, shows a collection of declassified documents on inter-Korean talks between 1979-81. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The following month, North Korea agreed to recover the suspended phone hotline during inter-Korean working level talks, more than three years after it had cut off the communication channel after the so-called Axe Murder Incident.

Historians and experts view that the North was aiming to use peace as a disguise to paint a positive picture of the North and foster favorable powers during a period of uncertainty in the South.

"It seems North Korea assessed that it was time to shift to a mode for dialogue based on the judgment that an atmosphere of dialogue and peace could build favorable conditions for talks on the possible withdrawal of United States Forces Korea," a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "It used inter-Korean talks as a means for its unification strategy."

South Korean officials make their way to attend working-level inter-Korean talks at Panmungak, a North Korea-controlled building, on March 18, 1980, in this file photo provided by the unification ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The North's amiable attitude, however, quickly chilled as the military government led by Chun completely came into power and carried out a bloody crackdown of a pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju on May 18 in 1980.

In a working-level talk that took place on May 22, North Korea condemned events leading to the military government's imposition of martial law as "very disgraceful" and called the bloody quelling of the uprising as "trampling the people of same ethnicity and blood with guns and knives."

Such working-level talks for an inter-Korean meeting of prime ministers eventually fell through after 10 sessions, without reaping productive results.

In his new year's address in 1981, Chun, who had then become president, suggested mutual visits and talks with Kim Il-sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un. The North ruled out the proposal and lambasted Chun as "acting blindly without knowing one's position."

Since first disclosing the declassified documents in May last year, the unification ministry has revealed the documents on four occasions, including the latest one.

The 30-year-old documents are available at the Office of the Inter-Korean Dialogue and the ministry's major research center.

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · December 28, 2023

4. Trump may bring about 'bolder' N. Korea policy shift if reelected: U.S. expert

Interesting, worrisome, and objective analysis from Andrew Yeo.

This is a troubling assessment (if you favor a strong ROK/US alliance and believe the alliance is in US national interests)

Excerpts:

Though chances of summitry between the U.S. and the North could be higher under Trump than Biden, the scholar pointed out a caveat: a potential policy cacophony between Seoul and Washington could cause a rift in their alliance.

"If (Trump) gives up on the goal of denuclearization, if he approaches North Korea engagement from the position of arms control or for a freeze of risk mitigation, that might lead to a policy clash with the Yoon (Suk Yeol) government," Yeo said.

The Republican contender's strategy on the North gained renewed attention as Politico, a U.S. media outlet, reported this month that Trump is considering a formula under which Pyongyang freezes its nuclear program -- or retains the existing one -- and stops making new bombs in return for incentives.

...

On deepening security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan that Biden has fostered, Yeo said that under Trump, it could slow down due in part to his team's policy review, but it would not be brought to naught given its benefits.

"The acceleration of trilateral cooperation, the frequency of meetings, the sense of urgency that we're seeing with Biden, I think, would not be there under Trump," Yeo said.

"Trump thinks about foreign policy in terms of transactional costs ... If it's the U.S. that's funding the burden on North Korean missile threats or on supply chains and Chinese economic coercion, it will be much more costly for the U.S. to just take this on itself," he added.

(Yonhap Interview) Trump may bring about 'bolder' N. Korea policy shift if reelected: U.S. expert | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · December 28, 2023

By Song Sang-ho and Kim Dong-hyun

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 (Yonhap) -- Former U.S. President Donald Trump could make a "bolder" shift in North Korea policy if reelected, an American expert said Wednesday, raising the prospects of him eyeing another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, Andrew Yeo, the SK-Korea Foundation chair at the Brookings Institution's Center for East Asia Policy Studies, also warned of a potential policy "clash" between South Korea and the United States should Trump handle the North Korean nuclear quandary from a standpoint of arms control rather than denuclearization.

Trump is seeking a second White House term in the November 2024 election expected to be a rematch between him and incumbent President Joe Biden -- whose "calibrated, practical' approach to the North has borne little fruit amid the regime's rejection of dialogue.

"Under Trump, we are more likely to see a bolder shift in North Korea policy than under a second Biden administration," Yeo said, noting that Trump's policy views are "more flexible" given that he does not appear to have "set" views.

"One (of the reasons) is because Trump -- whether out of his own personal conviction or legacy -- believes that he has some rapport with Kim, and that I think Kim will be more open to talking to Trump than Biden because of that relationship that they had in the past," he added.

This photo, taken on Oct. 25, 2023, shows Andrew Yeo, a senior fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation chair at the Brookings Institution's Center for East Asia Policy Studies, speaking during a forum jointly hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations and the Sejong Institute, in Washington. (Yonhap)

During his first presidential term from 2017-2021, Trump sought leader-to-leader diplomacy with the North, which led to the first-ever summit between the two countries in Singapore in 2018 and two subsequent in-person meetings the following year.

Though chances of summitry between the U.S. and the North could be higher under Trump than Biden, the scholar pointed out a caveat: a potential policy cacophony between Seoul and Washington could cause a rift in their alliance.

"If (Trump) gives up on the goal of denuclearization, if he approaches North Korea engagement from the position of arms control or for a freeze of risk mitigation, that might lead to a policy clash with the Yoon (Suk Yeol) government," Yeo said.

The Republican contender's strategy on the North gained renewed attention as Politico, a U.S. media outlet, reported this month that Trump is considering a formula under which Pyongyang freezes its nuclear program -- or retains the existing one -- and stops making new bombs in return for incentives.

Though Trump dismissed it as "fake news," Yeo took note of a debate on whether Trump -- known for his transactional foreign policy anchored in a cost-benefit calculus -- will be more open to the idea of South Korea having nuclear arms for its own defense should he let the North keep its nuclear weapons.

"I think that's one of the concerns under Trump ... Would we see nuclear proliferation on the Korean Peninsula?" he said. "It's not just on the North Korean side, but on the part of South Korea as well."

The scholar also touched on worries among experts that if negotiations with Pyongyang resume, Trump could make concessions on issues concerning the South Korea-U.S. alliance, like a drawdown of American troops in South Korea

"If he begins to devalue the alliance, he might take his own approach to North Korea, and he might be more willing to just push for the freeze and to give some concessions to North Korea," he said. "But the question is what those concessions are. If they relate to the alliance, that would undermine and divide the alliance."

This photo, taken on June 30, 2019, shows then U.S. President Donald Trump (L) shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the inter-Korean border truce village of Panmunjom. (Yonhap)

On deepening security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan that Biden has fostered, Yeo said that under Trump, it could slow down due in part to his team's policy review, but it would not be brought to naught given its benefits.

"The acceleration of trilateral cooperation, the frequency of meetings, the sense of urgency that we're seeing with Biden, I think, would not be there under Trump," Yeo said.

"Trump thinks about foreign policy in terms of transactional costs ... If it's the U.S. that's funding the burden on North Korean missile threats or on supply chains and Chinese economic coercion, it will be much more costly for the U.S. to just take this on itself," he added.

Under a second-term Biden administration, Yeo predicted, there would be some policy tweaks like "de-emphasizing" the denuclearization aspect to make North Korea more willing to engage, and bringing in China in a concerted effort to address the North Korean conundrum.

"There will be some shift in direction," he said. "I don't think it'll be as significant or a major departure from the first Biden administration, but a lot of it will have to do with where the Yoon government is on North Korea policy and also how the North Koreans themselves would react."

Asked about how Pyongyang would act in the lead-up to the U.S. election, Yeo said that the regime could try to undertake provocative acts if they would be "helpful to get Trump reelected."

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · December 28, 2023

5. North Korea's Kim vows to bolster war readiness to repel US-led confrontations

One of the key lines of effort for the regime is to create the perception of a threat from the SOuth and the US in order to justify the enormous expenditure of resources on advanced military capabilities (namely nuclear and missiles) while the people suffer and sacrifice to keep Kim Jong Un in power and the elite happy with luxury goods.

North Korea's Kim vows to bolster war readiness to repel US-led confrontations

BY HYUNG-JIN KIM

Updated 5:50 AM EST, December 28, 2023

AP · December 28, 2023

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for bolstered war readiness to repel what he said were unprecedented United States-led confrontational moves, state media reported Thursday, as rival South Korea vowed a stern retaliation against any provocations by the North.

Kim’s comments during the key political meeting tasked with setting state objectives for 2024 indicated North Korea will likely continue weapons tests to modernize its nuclear arsenal. Observers say Kim likely hopes to eventually use his boosted arsenal as leverage in potential diplomacy with Washington, possibly after the 2024 U.S. presidential election in November.

During Wednesday’s second-day session of the ruling party’s plenary meeting, Kim set forth unspecified tasks for the military and the munitions industry to “further accelerate the war preparations” in the face of anti-North Korea “confrontation moves by the U.S. and its vassal forces unprecedented in history,” the official Korean Central News Agency said.

It said Kim also clarified the party’s stance on expanding North Korea’s strategic cooperation with anti-imperialist countries amid the world’s rapidly changing geopolitical situation.

KCNA said Kim spoke about the direction of the North’s dealings with South Korea as well, but didn’t elaborate.

The Workers’ Party meeting is expected to last several days, and state media are expected to publicize details of its discussions after it ends, likely on Dec. 31. Experts say North Korea is expected to come up with pledges and steps to strengthen its nuclear attack capability and expand cooperation with Russia and China, which are also locked in separate confrontations with the U.S.

South Korea’s spy agency said Thursday there is a high possibility that North Korea will launch military provocations and cyberattacks ahead of South Korean parliamentary elections in April and the U.S. presidential election in November. The National Intelligence Service said in a statement that senior North Korean military figures believed involved in past major deadly attacks and provocations have been given top posts in recent months. The NIS said North Korea has conducted nuclear and missile tests and flown a drone across the rivals’ border ahead of the South’s previous parliamentary elections.

During a visit to a frontline army unit Thursday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for a swift, stern retaliation against any provocations by North Korea.

“If provoked, you should immediately respond and retaliate before reporting to (your higher-ups) later. I’d like you to sternly and swiftly smash the enemy’s intentions to stage provocations on the spot,” Yoon told troops.

Lee Sang-sook, a research professor at Seoul’s Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, said that limited clashes triggered by North Korean provocations along the Koreas’ tense border could happen next year. She said North Korea will also likely test-launch an intermediate-range missile, a submarine-launched ballistic missile, and other weapons under its five-year military buildup plan launched in 2021.

Topics to be dealt with at the North Korean meeting could include its push to operate more spy satellites following its launch of its first military reconnaissance satellite on Nov. 21. After the November launch, North Korea said it would submit to the plenary meeting a plan to launch more satellites to improve its spaced-based surveillance capabilities on its rivals.

Since 2022, North Korea has performed a barrage of missile tests in breach of United Nations bans, including the Dec. 18 launch of the solid-fueled Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile — its most advanced weapon designed to attack the mainland U.S. The North has argued it has sovereign, legitimate rights to conduct such tests to deal with the expansion of U.S.-South Korean military exercises that it views as invasion rehearsals.

Kim has refused to return to diplomacy with the U.S. since his high-stakes diplomacy with then-President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019. A main sticking point in the collapsed Kim-Trump diplomacy was how much sanctions relief North Korea would be given in return for a partial surrender of its nuclear program.

Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the State Department, maintained last week that the U.S. harbors no hostile intent toward North Korea and remains committed to a diplomatic approach. He said the U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan remains “ironclad.”

___

Associated Press writer Jiwon Song contributed to this report.

AP · December 28, 2023

6. North Korea's Kim orders military to accelerate war preparations -state media

I am sure the Propaganda and Agitation Department is pleased with the amount of coverage Kim's statements are receiving.

This will likely be reported for the next day or two in all the major media outlets in English and Korean.

North Korea's Kim orders military to accelerate war preparations -state media

https://news.yahoo.com/north-koreas-kim-orders-military-212946175.html?mc_cid=b313c682a4&mc_eid=70bf478f36&guccounter=1

Soo-hyang Choi

Updated Wed, December 27, 2023 at 10:08 PM PST·2 min read

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attends the 5th National Meeting of Mothers in PyongyangBy Soo-hyang Choi

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea leader Kim Jong Un has ordered his country's military, munitions industry and nuclear weapons sector to accelerate war preparations to counter what he called unprecedented confrontational moves by the U.S., state media said on Thursday.

Speaking on the policy directions for the new year at a key meeting of the country's ruling party on Wednesday, Kim also said Pyongyang would expand strategic cooperation with "anti-imperialist independent" countries, news agency KCNA reported.

North Korea has been expanding ties with Russia, among others, as Washington accuses Pyongyang of supplying military equipment to Moscow for use in its war with Ukraine, while Russia provides technical support to help the North advance its military capabilities.

"He (Kim) set forth the militant tasks for the People's Army and the munitions industry, nuclear weapons and civil defence sectors to further accelerate the war preparations," KCNA said.

On Thursday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited a frontline military unit in the eastern county of Yeoncheon to inspect its defence posture and called for an immediate retaliation if there was any provocation from North Korea.

"I urge you to immediately and firmly crush the enemy's will for a provocation on the spot," Yoon told troops.

During the party plenum, North Korea's Kim also laid out economic goals for the new year, calling it a "decisive year" to accomplish the country's five-year development plan, KCNA said.

"He ... clarified the important tasks for the new year to be dynamically pushed forward in the key industrial sectors," and called for "stabilising the agricultural production on a high level."

The North has suffered serious food shortages in recent decades, including famine in the 1990s, often as a result of natural disasters. International experts have warned that border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic worsened food security.

North Korea's crop output was estimated to have increased year-on-year in 2023 due to favourable weather conditions. But a Seoul official has said the amount was still far below what is needed to address the country's chronic food shortages.

The 9th plenary meeting of the 8th central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea kicked off on Tuesday to wrap up a year during which the isolated North enshrined nuclear policy in its constitution, launched a spy satellite and fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

The days-long assembly of the party and government officials has been used in recent years to make key policy announcements. Previously, state media released Kim's speech on New Year's Day.

(Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Chris Reese, Jamie Freed and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

7. Defense ministry recalls new troop education material describing Dokdo as disputed territory

Oops. But the fact is that it is disputed territory and is the cause of friction in ROK-Japan relations. I think they are making a mistake here.

(LEAD) Defense ministry recalls new troop education material describing Dokdo as disputed territory | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · December 28, 2023

(ATTN: ADDS comments from foreign ministry in paras 6-8)

SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry said Thursday it was recalling its newly published basic educational material for troops over its description of South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo as a disputed territory.

The move came after President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed immediate changes to the material published Tuesday, which listed Dokdo among disputes between major countries around the Korean Peninsula, such as China, Russia and Japan.

The material said these countries project their military power abroad for their national interests and military conflicts could occur at any time as territorial disputes, including the Diaoyudao/Senkaku Islands, the Kuril Islands and the "Dokdo issue," are ongoing.

Japan and China have been in a dispute over the Diaoyudao Islands, also known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, while Japan and Russia have been at odds over the Kuril Islands known in Japan as the Northern Territories.

Seoul has rejected Tokyo's repeated territorial claim over Dokdo, calling the set of rocky islets an integral part of South Korean territory in terms of history, geography and international law.

South Korea's foreign ministry reiterated such views Thursday, saying Dokdo is undeniably part of Korean territory.

"Dokdo is clearly an integral part of the Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law ... territorial disputes over Dokdo do not exist," foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said in a briefing.

Lim also stressed that Dokdo is not subject to "any diplomatic negotiation or judicial settlement."

South Korea has repeatedly made protests to Japan over its territorial claim to Dokdo.

In 2021, South Korea lodged a complaint with Japan over a video by the Japan Self-Defense Forces, which described Dokdo as a disputed territory.

South Korea keeps a small police detachment on the islets, effectively controlling them.

This undated file photo shows the easternmost islets of Dokdo in the East Sea. (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · December 28, 2023

8. Alleged Chinese interference emerges in S. Korean elections via online commentary

Alleged Chinese interference emerges in S. Korean elections via online commentary

https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2023/12/28/E4HJCOYJJBBN3EF6OUPXSNQOBM/

By Ko Yoo-chan,

Park Su-hyeon

Pubilshed 2023.12.28. 15:58

In a recent development, concerns have been raised by a domestic research team regarding potential interference by Chinese individuals in South Korean presidential and local elections through comments on the widely used portal site ‘Naver.’

Individuals engaging in these online comments were notable for their criticism of the People Power Party (PPP) candidate and vocal support for the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate. Leading up to the 20th presidential election last year, the then-PPP candidate, Yoon Suk-yeol, faced derogatory terms such as ‘Room Salon uppercut,’ accompanied by warnings of potential national collapse and war if he were elected. Similarly, the DPK candidate, Lee Jae-myung, was addressed as ‘His Imperial Majesty.’ The comments also included negative remarks about individuals supporting the PPP, men in their 60s, and the Yeongnam (Gyeongsang Province) region.

The Chosunilbo

On Dec. 27, Professor Yun Min-woo, from the Department of Police Science & Security Studies at Gachon University, shared that his research team had detected suspected organized comment activities from the Chinese side. Utilizing big data analysis with web crawling on Naver news comments, the team identified over 50 accounts engaged in organized comment activities expressing Chinese superiority and criticizing Korea-U.S. and Korea-Japan relationships. Most notably, these activities peaked during the months of September to November, with over 30,000 comments recorded. An account named ‘참붕어빵’ (Cham Bungeoppang) posted an average of over 130 comments per day during this period.

The identified accounts shared characteristics with suspected Chinese comment manipulation accounts disclosed by the U.S. Department of State’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) and the European External Action Service (EEAS). Account names often reflected Chinese-style transliterations or grammar, and comments consistently featured spelling errors.

Professor Yun noted, “The content of the Chinese comment manipulation activity confirmed in foreign countries is almost identical when written in Korean and disseminated, leaving no choice but to see it as organized intervention.” These accounts were found to follow each other, forming a network, and liking each other’s comments to increase visibility on articles.

The research team categorized Chinese manipulation comments into eight types based on their content, covering pro-China sentiments, international relations analysis from a Chinese perspective, derogatory remarks about Korean culture and people, support for pro-China figures, and criticism of anti-China politicians.

In a more in-depth investigation, the team selected three of the 50 manipulation comment accounts, serving as network hubs, and scrutinized all the comments they left on Naver news pages from May 2019 to September of this year. The results confirmed that the Chinese side left various negative comments about PPP candidates in the 2021-2022 presidential and local elections while consistently posting supportive comments for DPK candidates. The repetition of similar content across various related news articles raises concerns about the extent of this organized interference.

9. NIS sees high chance of N. Korea's provocations ahead of S. Korea's April elections

I would say there is a rather high probability of this happening.

NIS sees high chance of N. Korea's provocations ahead of S. Korea's April elections | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · December 28, 2023

SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's spy agency said Thursday there is a high possibility that North Korea could carry out military provocations early next year ahead of major elections in South Korea and the United States.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment, citing North Korea's track record of staging provocations before South Korea's general elections and Pyongyang's reinstatement of key figures involved in high-profile provocations against Seoul.

South Korea is scheduled to hold general elections in April next year, and the U.S. will hold the presidential election in November.

"There is a high possibility that North Korea could unexpectedly conduct military provocations or stage a cyberattack (on the South) in 2024, when fluid political situations are expected with the elections," the NIS said in a release.

This file image, captured from footage of North Korea's Korean Central Television on Dec. 19, 2023, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un (R) overseeing the launch of a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

In the months before South Korea's parliamentary elections in April 2016, North Korea carried out a series of provocations, including a fourth nuclear test in January and the launch of a long-range missile in February.

In 2020, North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles on four occasions in March alone, just weeks before South Koreans went to the polls to elect lawmakers in April.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said last week his country will not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack in the event of nuclear provocations by its enemies. At a key party meeting Wednesday, he also called for the military to "accelerate" war preparations.

The NIS said it also took note of the return of three key North Korean officials believed to be behind Pyongyang's major provocations targeting the South.

In June, Kim Yong-chol, a former North Korean spy chief, was named as an adviser to the United Front Department in charge of inter-Korean affairs.

Kim is suspected of having masterminded the North's sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan and the shelling of the western South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong in 2010. The torpedo attack killed 46 South Korean sailors, and the artillery shelling killed two Marines and two civilians.

A Seoul-led multinational investigation concluded that Pyongyang torpedoed the Cheonan warship, but the North has denied its involvement in the incident.

This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Dec. 19, 2023, shows the North's firing of a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

In August, the North's leader named Ri Yong-gil and Pak Jong-chon as the chief of the General Staff of the North Korean military and the head of the ruling party's military department, respectively. They are blamed for the explosion of three North Korean wooden-box land mines along the border in 2015. The blast seriously injured two South Korean soldiers.

North Korea has been restoring military measures it halted under a 2018 inter-Korean military accord in response to Seoul's partial suspension of the deal over the North's spy satellite launch in November.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · December 28, 2023

10. South Korean troops practice terror, drone attack responses on Seoul streets

Unfortunately these exercises do not simulate with sufficient accuracy the likely intensity of a north Korean attack. It will make Hamas pale in comparison.

South Korean troops practice terror, drone attack responses on Seoul streets

Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · December 28, 2023

South Korean soldiers take part in the Integrated Defense Operation in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 27, 2023. (South Korea Army)

SUWON, South Korea — Seoul’s metropolitan government held an urban field exercise this week with the country’s military to prepare for threats against the roughly 10 million residents from North Korean attacks, the South Korean army said.

The one-day Integrated Defense Operation in the capital city Wednesday focused on a wide range of simulated threats, including an aerial drone attack on a water purification plant, a North Korean special operations forces assault and a chlorine gas leak, according to a news release from South Korea’s army.

The exercise was held to defend Seoul from “terrorist threats” from North Korea; further efforts will be made to “strengthen our integrated defense posture to protect the lives of the people,” South Korean army Col. Choi Won-seok said in the release.

The South Korean army did not disclose how many soldiers and Seoul municipal employees took part in the exercise. Photos released by the army showed soldiers operating in streets and drilling rigs preparing to simulate a rescue of people trapped underground.

South Korean soldiers simulate a rescue of people trapped underground using a drilling rig in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 27, 2023. (South Korea Army)

American troops did not participate in the exercise, U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Wesley Hayes said by email Thursday.

The drill comes a day after the year anniversary of a North Korean drone incursion into South Korean airspace. Five North Korean drones flew across the Demilitarized Zone and into Seoul and Gimpo city on Dec. 26, 2022, prompting South Korea’s military to scramble fighter jets and helicopters, and ground civilian flights from airports.

None of the drones were captured or shot down, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

On Aug. 23, South Korea held its first national civil defense drill in six years. The 20-minute drill required residents to evacuate to one of 17,000 designated shelters and for cars to stop and pull over to the side of the road.

Other large-scale defense exercises are held annually in densely populated cities in South Korea, such as the Ulchi Exercise in August. Over 580,000 civil and military personnel were activated in the four-day exercise focusing on threats in urban areas, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety at the time.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a plenary meeting Wednesday ordered “civil defense sectors to further accelerate … war preparations” due to the “grave political and military” tension on the Korean Peninsula, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported the next day.

South Korean army Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, the then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers in October that Pyongyang still threatened the safety of Seoul.

Of the over 700 long-range artillery systems in North Korea’s arsenal, 300 of them “constitute a threat to the Seoul metropolitan area,” Kim said during a National Assembly meeting Oct. 12.

David Choi

David Choi is based in South Korea and reports on the U.S. military and foreign policy. He served in the U.S. Army and California Army National Guard. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · December 28, 2023

11. Kim Jong Un Drops the Biggest Hint Yet About His Successor

Evidence? A posed photo? But "Kimology" like "Kremlinology" is hard.

Kim Jong Un Drops the Biggest Hint Yet About His Successor

https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxjkbz/kim-jong-un-daughter-successor

Evidence is growing that the young daughter of the North Korean Supreme Leader could be the chosen heir to the world’s only communist dynasty.

By Jack Cummings

December 27, 2023, 9:22am

There is growing evidence that the “most beloved” daughter of the North Korean Supreme Leader could be the chosen heir to the world’s only communist dynasty.

State-controlled media and Kim Jong Un himself have begun referring to Kim Ju Ae as “General Morning Star” following the launch of North Korea’s first spy satellite last month, an apparent promotion from the title “Noble Child.”

That title initially belonged to Kim Il Sung, the founder of the North Korean regime. It was later used for Kim Jong Un before he took power in 2011.

North Korean Arms Shipments to Russia Continue With 500K Munitions – Bloomberg - The Moscow Times

The Moscow Times · by The Moscow Times · December 27, 2023

Continuing North Korean arms shipments to Russia this winter are allowing Moscow to maintain pressure on Ukraine as it faces the risk of losing critical Western supplies, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing satellite imagery.

The United States, South Korea and Japan said in October they had confirmed North Korea was supplying Russia with arms and military equipment supplies for use against Ukraine, adding that Pyongyang was seeking Moscow’s military assistance in exchange. Russia and North Korea deny the claims.

Satellite imagery from October-December 2023 appears to show hundreds of shipping containers loaded onto and unloaded from Russian ships at North Korea’s Najin and Russia’s Dunay ports, which are located 180 kilometers apart, according to Bloomberg.

The Russian-North Korean trade has “continued unabatedly despite additional U.S. sanctions and widespread reporting on this activity in the past few months,” analyst Jaewoo Shin of the Austrian Open Nuclear Network risk-reduction program told Bloomberg.

Bloomberg said North Korea holds some of the world’s largest munitions stores, much of which is interoperable with Russian weapons in Ukraine.

Recent deliveries may include 120mm mortars, 122mm and 152mm artillery shells and 122mm rockets, according to conflict analyst Joost Oilemans, who cited an analysis of frontline supplies.

“[S]o for all we know that’s another half million shells,” said Oilemans, the creator of the open-source intelligence project Oryx, which documents military equipment losses in the Ukraine conflict.

South Korean intelligence said in November that the North had likely delivered more than 1 million rounds of artillery to Russia via 10 shipments since August.

“[North Korean arms shipments] will allow Russia to keep up much higher pressure for longer on Ukrainian forces,” Oilemans added.

Russia and North Korea, which have pledged closer military cooperation, deny the arms transfers for use in the Ukraine conflict.

The reported steady stream of deliveries comes as flagging U.S. and European military aid threatens Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia.

Russian-North Korean cooperation will likely continue into 2024 due to “symbolic and largely insufficient” sanctions, said former CIA Korea analyst Soo Kim, who now works at the U.S. management consulting firm LMI.

The Moscow Times · by The Moscow Times · December 27, 2023

13. Possible Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing summit ‘in discussion’: report

Perhaps China is afraid of Japan and Korea ganging up on it. (note sarcasm). But seriously it must be worrying how strongly aligned Japan and Korea are with each other and with the US.

Excerpts:

China’s commitment to the trilateral summit platform is still questionable, given its rise as a global power and a shift in focus away from regional issues. Additionally, the growing cooperation between South Korea and Japan with the United States within this framework has been a cause of concern for Beijing.

With South Korea’s current conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration, Seoul has been more vocal in criticizing China on the international stage – with concerns ranging from Beijing’s decision to repatriate North Korean defectors back to the Kim Jong Un regime to China’s coercive behavior towards the democratically self-governed island of Taiwan.

As Seoul has been aligning its diplomatic messages with Washington and Tokyo, Beijing has shown its reluctance in criticizing Pyongyang – its few remaining allies in the region against the democracies.

Possible Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing summit ‘in discussion’: report

But China has been exhibiting reluctance in proceeding with the trilateral summit, source says.

By Lee Jeong-Ho for RFA

2023.12.27

Seoul, South Korea

rfa.org

South Korea, China, and Japan are reportedly continuing discussions to hold a trilateral summit – an initiative that Seoul and Tokyo see as an opportunity to send a unified warning to North Korea and curb its nuclear ambitions.

“Arrangements are underway for a summit of the leaders of Japan, China and South Korea in February or sometime later,” Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday, without citing any specific source.

“Tokyo wants to use the framework of dialogue among the three nations to exchange views on North Korea, which has made repeated ballistic missile launches, among other issues,” it said, adding that Japan plans to schedule the summit while keeping in mind the timing of its regular Diet session next year.

The trilateral summit has typically been a platform for key Asian nations to strengthen their economic ties and present a united diplomatic stance on mutually agreeable issues such as the denuclearization of North Korea.

However, the escalating rivalry between the United States and China, along with South Korea’s recent lean towards the U.S., thereby increasing the strategic value of North Korea, has caused Beijing to hold back from publicly criticizing Pyongyang.

For instance, during the meeting foreign ministers of the three nations in South Korea’s port city of Busan last month, they failed in issuing a statement jointly condemning North Korea’s satellite launch.

Apart from that, the foreign ministers not only failed to agree on a date for a significant trilateral summit of their leaders but also did not conduct a joint press conference, an unusual move that may indicate differing diplomatic positions among these major Asian geopolitical players.

A senior South Korean official, familiar with the situation, told Radio Free Asia that despite the NHK report, China has been exhibiting reluctance in proceeding with the trilateral summit.

Requesting anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, the source said that it still remains uncertain whether the summit could be convened early next year at this stage.

Beijing’s concerns

China’s commitment to the trilateral summit platform is still questionable, given its rise as a global power and a shift in focus away from regional issues. Additionally, the growing cooperation between South Korea and Japan with the United States within this framework has been a cause of concern for Beijing.

With South Korea’s current conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration, Seoul has been more vocal in criticizing China on the international stage – with concerns ranging from Beijing’s decision to repatriate North Korean defectors back to the Kim Jong Un regime to China’s coercive behavior towards the democratically self-governed island of Taiwan.

As Seoul has been aligning its diplomatic messages with Washington and Tokyo, Beijing has shown its reluctance in criticizing Pyongyang – its few remaining allies in the region against the democracies.

For instance, after North Korea’s satellite launch last month, Beijing refrained from issuing a public criticism, as the strategic value of Pyongyang has been raised due to intensifying U.S.-China relations.

China’s foreign ministry often expressed its regrets about such acts in previous occasions, as rocket technology can be used for both launching satellites and missiles. For that reason, the U.N. bans North Korea from launching a ballistic rocket, even if it claims to be a satellite launch.

Edited by Taejun Kang and Elaine Chan.

rfa.org

14. Fact Sheet: Department of Defense Concludes 'Decisive Year' in the Indo-Pacific Region

Graphics at the link: https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3626886/fact-sheet-department-of-defense-concludes-decisive-year-in-the-indo-pacific-re/

May be useful in some Asia Pacific security briefings.

Fact Sheet: Department of Defense Concludes 'Decisive Year' in the Indo-Pacific Region

defense.gov

An official website of the United States Government

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Immediate Release

Dec. 27, 2023 |×

Throughout 2023, the United States has worked alongside allies and partners to deliver groundbreaking achievements for peace, stability, and deterrence in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. As Secretary Austin has said, “In this decisive decade, 2023 will be remembered as a decisive year for implementing U.S. defense strategy in Asia.”

Transforming U.S. Regional Force Posture

In 2023, the United States delivered historic achievements with allies and partners to make U.S. force posture in the Indo-Pacific region more mobile, distributed, resilient, and lethal, including by:

Forward stationing key U.S. military units to Japan, including a U.S. Marine Littoral Regiment – the Marine Corps' most advanced formation – and a U.S. Army watercraft unit to significantly enhance combat-credible deterrence.
Launching a series of new force postures initiatives with Australia, including more and longer expeditionary visits of U.S. submarines resulting from AUKUS, increased rotations of U.S. bombers and fighters, expanded maritime and ground forces cooperation, enhanced space and logistics cooperation, continuing upgrades of key bases, and movement toward the creation of Submarine Rotational Force-West in Australia by 2027.
Expanding U.S. rotational access across the Philippines by designating four new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites at strategic locations, which will strengthen the interoperability of U.S. and Philippine armed forces and allow both countries to address shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
Concluding a Defense Cooperation Agreement with Papua New Guinea (PNG) that builds on decades of bilateral defense and security cooperation, strengthens the U.S.-PNG relationship, and increases regional stability and security.
Bolstering deterrence and increasing strategic asset rotations to the Korean Peninsula, including the first port call of a U.S. SSBN to the Republic of Korea (ROK) in over 40 years and the first landing of a U.S. nuclear-capable B-52 on the Peninsula since 1988.

2023 By The Numbers

Graphic showing numbers related to achievements in the Indo-Pacific.

Download: Full Size (522.24 KB)

Photo By: DOD

VIRIN: 231227-D-D0439-001

Making Historic Investments in Capability

The United States is deploying cutting-edge military capabilities right now, developing the capabilities needed to maintain deterrence in the Indo-Pacific in the future, and supporting allies and partners as they invest in their own capabilities by:

Releasing the most strategy-driven defense budget in the Department's history, including $170 billion for procurement to advance air, sea, and land power; $145 billion for research, development, test, and evaluation; and $9.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative – more than ever proposed for these key lines of effort.
Announcing the Optimal Pathway for Australia to acquire conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine capabilities through AUKUS.
Supporting Japan’s decision to acquire new capabilities that strengthen regional deterrence, including indigenous and acquired counterstrike capabilities like the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, as well as Tokyo’s decision to double its defense budget over the next five years and develop its research, testing, and industrial expertise to promote regional peace and stability.
Advancing defense industrial base cooperation with Australia, including by agreeing to develop the ability to co-produce Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) by 2025, announcing an AUKUS Innovation Challenge focused on electronic warfare, and launching a new Maritime Autonomy Experimentation and Exercise Series through AUKUS.
Bolstering India's defense modernization plans, including by advancing the priorities outlined in the Roadmap for U.S.-India Defense Industrial Cooperation to co-produce fighter jet engines and Stryker armored vehicles, as well as launching the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) to promote partnerships between U.S. and Indian researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors.

Advancing a Shared Regional Vision

The United States is joining together with Indo-Pacific allies and partners in ways that strengthen peace and security across the region, including by operating together like never before. Key examples include:

Japan and the ROK, cooperating more deeply than ever following this year’s historic Camp David Summit. In December, the three countries delivered on two key objectives from the summit – a multi-year, trilateral exercise plan and the full activation a real-time DPRK missile warning data-sharing mechanism.
Australia and Japan, strengthening cooperation through participating in bilateral and trilateral exercises, and integrating Japan into existing U.S.-Australia force posture initiatives.
India, modernizing the scope our military engagements including by incorporating advanced fighter aircraft and strategic bombers in our exercises, which strengthens interoperability and highlights shared efforts to promote stability and security in the Indo-Pacific.
The Philippines, issuing the alliance’s first-ever Bilateral Defense Guidelines to chart a vision for defense cooperation across all domains.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including through capacity-building programs and training courses to support the incorporation of Women, Peace, and Security principles into regional security planning and operations, as well as an emerging leaders fellowship program for young civilian and defense leaders in the Indo-Pacific.
Investing over $1.2 billion in security cooperation initiatives across the Indo-Pacific region, including one of the largest U.S. investments in history to bolster Indo-Pacific partners’ capability and capacity, maritime domain awareness, and resilience against coercion.
Exercise BALIKATAN with the Philippines, which featured more than 17,600 service members from the Philippines, Australia, and the United States, and – for the first time ever – featured littoral live fire and cyber defense elements to support deeper interoperability.
Exercise COPE THUNDER with the Philippines, which returned to the Philippines for the first time after more than thirty years, featuring participation by fifth-generation fighter jets.
Exercise SUPER GARUDA SHIELD with Indonesia and over ten nations represented, which featured more than 4,000 service members participating in amphibious and airborne operations training, command and control simulation, academic exchanges, and professional development exercises.
Exercise MALABAR with India, Japan, and Australia, hosted in Australia for the first time this year, which facilitated high-end training in anti-submarine exercises, communications, and air defense.
Exercise PACIFIC VANGUARD with the ROK, Japan, and Australia, which strengthened interoperability at sea by bringing together over 2,000 naval forces from the United States and three of its closest allies.

Indo-Pacific Indo-Pacific Command partnerships Australia Japan South Korea India Indonesia Phillipines aukus United Kingdom

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15. Many N. Koreans can’t heat homes due to firewood shortage

Dangerous times for the Korean people in the north. The level of suffering is unfathomable as we sit in our temperature controlled homes.

Many N. Koreans can’t heat homes due to firewood shortage

People have such difficulty heating their homes that many wear thick layers indoors to stay warm

dailynk.com

Many N. Koreans can’t heat homes due to firewood shortage | Daily NK English

As North Korea faces a huge drop in temperatures down to 20 degrees Celsius below zero at times, many North Korean families in the northeast part of the country cannot heat their homes due to a shortage of firewood, Daily NK has learned.

Speaking through the phone on condition of anonymity, a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Dec. 19 that “many families in Hoeryong have been unable to prepare enough kindling to heat their homes lately.” He added that people live “hellish lives” with “not enough to eat, and now they can’t even put together enough kindling.”

North Koreans usually begin preparing kindling or charcoal briquettes in autumn to heat their homes in winter, but the source said most people have been unable to purchase enough due to the high price of firewood.

“Even families that had a tough time during COVID-19 could prepare at least a cubic meter of firewood, but this year, they’ve been unable to put together even that much because the firewood price skyrocketed with the onset of winter,” the source said. “Because it’s too expensive to buy wood by the cubic meter, they buy it by it bundle-by-bundle to heat their homes, though this barely meets the need.”

In fact, at one market in Hoeryong, the price of a cubic meter of firewood climbed from KPW 80,000 in mid-November to KPW 150,000 by early December, a 23.5% increase in just half a month.

The price of bundles of firewood — 20 to 30 pieces each — likewise spiked from KPW 2,000 in mid-November to KPW 3,000 this month, a 50% increase.

According to the source, more people buy firewood by the bundle than in previous years due to falling purchasing power, even though the wood is actually more expensive when buying it by the bundle rather than in cubic bulk.

However, the source said that “KPW 3,000 bundles of wood last just two days,” adding that a bundle “is good enough for cooking, but it can’t heat the floor.” Korean homes are typically heated by an underfloor heating system called ondol.

WAGING WAR AGAINST THE COLD – EVEN INDOORS

Many North Koreans barely make KPW 2,000-3,000 even if they work all day, which makes it impossible to buy both food and kindling with what they earn.

As a result, many people cannot properly heat their homes in the bitter cold, so they wage war against the cold indoors by wearing thick layers.

As the temperature plummets, a great number of North Koreans are also suffering from flu-like symptoms, including high fevers and coughs. The flu is especially rampant among young children, according to the source.

“Children inevitably come down with colds because they have weakened immunity from malnutrition, and [their parents] can’t even heat their homes in the cold. Parents feel terrible because they can’t buy a single tablet of medicine, even when their kids come down with serious colds.”

Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.

Daily NK works with a network of sources who live inside North Korea, China and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.

Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean

Lee Chae Un

Lee Chae Un is one of Daily NK’s full-time journalists. She can be reached at dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

dailynk.com

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."

Access NSS HERE

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