Quotes of the Day:
“One of the primary objectives of the foreign policy of the United States is the creation of conditions in which we and other nations will be able to work out a way of life free from coercion. This was a fundamental issue in the war with Germany and Japan. Our victory was won over countries which sought to impose their will, and their way of life, upon other nations... We shall not realize our objectives, however, unless we are willing to help free peoples to maintain their free institutions and their national integrity against aggressive movements that seek to impose upon them totalitarian regimes. This is no more than a frank recognition that totalitarian regimes imposed on free peoples, by direct or indirect aggression, undermine the foundations of international peace and hence the security of the United States.”
- President Truman
"I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."
- Robert Frost
The propagandist's purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human.
- Aldous Huxley
1. Full text of President Yoon's inaugural address
2. South Korea’s new president sworn in, calls on North to denuclearize
3. New South Korea leader offers support if North denuclearizes
4. The tests begin for Yoon Suk-yeol as South Korea’s president
5. Yoon begins term at midnight with military briefing
6. Yoon champions freedom, offers to revive N.K. economy with 'audacious plan'
7. U.S. looks forward to continued cooperation with S. Korea under Yoon: State Dept.
8. Biden's trip to S. Korea, Japan to highlight U.S. focus on Indo-Pacific: Campbell
9. Yoon calls S. Korea-U.S. alliance 'linchpin' of peace, prosperity
10. What To Expect From South Korea Under Yoon Suk-yeol
11. South Korea's Entry into NATO Cyber Defense Centre Is Not Good News For China And North Korea
12. S. Korea-U.S. alliance 'nearly at its best': outgoing defense chief
13. Xi invites Yoon to visit China at convenient time
14. N. Korea's difficult economic situation forces people to risk their lives to make ends meet
15. Washington presses Seoul to give weapons to Ukraine
16. North Korean leader sends 'Victory Day' message to Putin
1. Full text of President Yoon's inaugural address
This is a speech about values: liberal democracy, freedom, free market economy, rule of law, and human rights. And national security.
Although unification is not specifically stated, reading between the lines, these words are describing a free and unified Korea.
Excerpts:
My fellow citizens, here in Korea and those abroad,
Liberal democracy creates lasting peace and peace is what safeguards our freedom. Peace is guaranteed when the international community that respects freedom and human rights come together as one.
Peace is not simply avoiding war ― real peace is about allowing freedom and prosperity to flourish. Real peace is a lasting peace. Real peace is a sustainable peace.
Peace on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia is the same ― our region cannot be exempt from threats that endanger the peace of other regions.
We, as global citizens, must make a stand against any attempt that aims to take our freedom away, abuse human rights or destroy peace.
While North Korea's nuclear weapon programs are a threat not only to our security and that of Northeast Asia, the door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat.
If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearization, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Korea's economy and improve the quality of life for its people.
North Korea's denuclearization will greatly contribute to bringing lasting peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.
Full text of President Yoon's inaugural address
President Yoon Suk-yeol salutes during his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly Plaza, May 10. Yonhap
The following is a translation of President Yoon Suk-yeol's inaugural address delivered on May 10, 2022.
My fellow Koreans,
Seven and a half million fellow compatriots living overseas,
Fellow citizens around the world,
I stand before you today, humbled by the trust and responsibility that you have given me and mindful of my solemn duty to rebuild this great nation. It is our generation's calling to build a nation that espouses liberal democracy and ensures a thriving market economy, a nation that fulfills its responsibility as a trusted member of the international community, and a nation that truly belongs to the people.
Thank you, my fellow Koreans, for gracing this historic occasion with your presence.
I am also deeply grateful to former President Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye, and Her Excellency Ms. Halimah Yacob, President of the Republic of Singapore, His Excellency Mr. Faustin Archange Touadera, President of the Central African Republic, His Excellency Mr. Wang Qishan, Vice President of the People's Republic of China, Her Excellency Ms. Diah Permata Megawati Soekarnoputri, Former President of the Republic of Indonesia, His Excellency Mr. Douglas Craig Emhoff, Second Gentleman of the United States of America, His Excellency Mr. George J. Furey, Speaker of the Senate of Canada, His Excellency Mr. Hayashi Yoshimasa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and dignitaries who have come from abroad to celebrate this occasion and other distinguished guests for their presence.
I wish to thank and pay my utmost respect to the Korean people for enduring many difficulties for the last two years in the battle against COVID-19.
I also wish to thank all the doctors, nurses and care givers for their devotion. Their professionalism is what helped all of us overcome this unprecedented crisis.
My fellow Koreans and citizens around the world,
Today, we are faced with multiple crises. Pandemics that are fundamentally altering the way we live; fast-evolving trade regimes and rearrangements in the global supply chains that are impacting our economies; climate change, food and energy crises that are causing havoc around the world; armed conflicts and wars are complex crises that no one country or a group of countries can resolve on their own. Such complex, multi-faceted crises are casting a long and dark shadow over us.
Domestically, many countries, including Korea, are experiencing record-low growth and rising unemployment. Many countries are witnessing an ever-widening gap in wages and polarization within society. Internal strife and discord are deepening which has led many of our fellow citizens to lose their sense of community and belonging.
The political process which has the responsibility to address and resolve these issues has failed due to a crisis in democracy and one of the main reasons for such failure is the troubling spread of anti-intellectualism.
When individuals disagree on certain issues and seek to reach a compromise, they can only do so when scientific facts and the truth works as the basis of their discussions. This is rationalism and intellectualism that is the foundation of democracy.
Unfortunately, truth is oftentimes bent out of shape and grossly distorted due to conflicts between nations or because of animosity between different groups within society. When we choose to see only what we want to see and hear only what we want to hear; when the masses bludgeon and silence those who do not agree with them and do this through brute force ― this is how anti-intellectualism gravely weakens our democracy and puts us in peril. This is what shakes our trust in democracy. When this happens, it makes it even more difficult for us to effectively resolve the many complex challenges that we collectively face.
However, nothing is impossible. We can overcome the challenges that we face today and the ones that we will undoubtedly have to face in the future. Koreans have a long and proud history that demonstrates our unshakable resolve.
Throughout our history, we came together in times of crises. Each of us pitched in and contributed whatever we could. Koreans never succumbed; we became stronger and wiser.
President Yoon Suk-yeol greets former President Moon Jae-in during his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul, May 10. Yonhap
As the new President, I am deeply humbled by the awesome duty to lead our nation out of the latest crises. I am also grateful to be entrusted by the people of this great nation. I am confident that once again, we will overcome.
I also look forward to working with our fellow citizens around the globe to solve problems not only within our own borders but also those that take place outside.
My fellow Koreans and citizens around the world,
Belief in shared values is paramount if we are to successfully overcome these challenges. And the most important core value is freedom. We must clearly define ― and unequivocally reaffirm ― the real meaning of freedom.
Human history shows that when political and economic freedom reigns supreme, that is where prosperity and abundance flourished. When prosperity and economic freedom flourishes, that is when freedom reaches even the darkest corners.
Freedom is a universal value. Every citizen and every member of society must be able to enjoy freedom. If one's freedom is infringed upon or left uncorrected, this is an assault on everyone's freedom. Freedom is not something only for the winner to enjoy. In order for everyone to enjoy freedom, everyone must be allowed to enjoy a certain level of economic freedom; everyone must be guaranteed the right to receive quality education and everyone must be granted the freedom to access and experience various cultural activities. One cannot be considered a true citizen absent such freedom.
If one's freedom is violated or one is denied the basic necessities that are fundamental to being a free citizen, then the rest of society must come together and make amends.
Individual countries must do so but global citizens must also come together in solidarity to address these injustice if and when they arise. Hunger, poverty, abuse of power and armed conflict strips away our individual freedom and robs us of our inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. We, as global citizens who enjoy real freedom, must never turn a blind eye when freedom is attacked.
Freedom abides by the rules and seeks to aid others in need. Freedom is about caring for our fellow humankinds in the spirit of solidarity and fraternity.
President Yoon Suk-yeol makes his inauguration address during a ceremony at the National Assembly Plaza, May 10. Yonhap
My fellow Koreans,
Now turning to domestic agenda, I would like to emphasize a few points.
Our society is plagued by division and social conflict which is threatening our freedom and our liberal democratic order. It is undermining our potential to attain greater societal advancement.
I do not believe we can overcome this problem without first achieving rapid and sustainable growth.
Rapid growth will open up new opportunities. It will improve social mobility, thereby helping us rid of the fundamental obstacles that are aggravating social divide and conflicts.
It is imperative for us to make that big leap. It is critical that we achieve rapid growth and this will only be possible through science, technology and innovation. Science, technology and innovation ― they will protect our democracy, expand freedom and our inalienable rights to let our people enjoy a sustainable life of dignity.
Scientific progress, technological advancement and breakthrough innovation cannot be attained alone. We must work together with other like-minded nations that respect freedom and encourage creativity.
My fellow citizens, here in Korea and those abroad,
Liberal democracy creates lasting peace and peace is what safeguards our freedom. Peace is guaranteed when the international community that respects freedom and human rights come together as one.
Peace is not simply avoiding war ― real peace is about allowing freedom and prosperity to flourish. Real peace is a lasting peace. Real peace is a sustainable peace.
Peace on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia is the same ― our region cannot be exempt from threats that endanger the peace of other regions.
We, as global citizens, must make a stand against any attempt that aims to take our freedom away, abuse human rights or destroy peace.
While North Korea's nuclear weapon programs are a threat not only to our security and that of Northeast Asia, the door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat.
If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearization, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Korea's economy and improve the quality of life for its people.
North Korea's denuclearization will greatly contribute to bringing lasting peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.
President Yoon Suk-yeol waves as he enters the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul's Yongsan District after his inauguration ceremony, May 10. Yonhap My fellow Koreans,
Korea is the tenth largest economy in the world. It is incumbent upon us to take on a greater role befitting our stature as a global leader. We must actively protect and promote universal values and international norms that are based on freedom and respect for human rights. We must take on an even greater role in expanding freedom and human rights not just for ourselves but also for others. The international community expects us to do so. We must answer that call.
It is futile to differentiate between domestic issues and international issues. When we assume a greater international role, we can also find the right solution for many of our domestic challenges.
I solemnly pledge today that I will do my utmost to elevate Korea into a country that truly belongs to the people. A country based on the pillars of freedom, human rights, fairness and solidarity; a country that is respected by others around the world. Let us embark on this journey together.
Thank you. (Yonhap)
2. South Korea’s new president sworn in, calls on North to denuclearize
Excerpts:
Yoon said South Korea, as the 10th-largest economy in the world, must play a greater role on international issues, noting major global challenges such as climate change, supply chain management and the energy crisis. He has emphasized the U.S.-South Korean alliance as central to his foreign policy goals.
Although Yoon did not name China, he vowed to “actively protect and promote universal values and international norms that are based on freedom and respect for human rights.
“We must take on an even greater role in expanding freedom and human rights, not just for ourselves, but also for others. The international community expects us to do so. We must answer that call,” he said.
South Korea’s new president sworn in, calls on North to denuclearize
Today at 1:43 a.m. EDT|Updated today at 2:28 a.m. EDT
TOKYO — South Korea’s new president took office on Tuesday, calling on North Korea to “genuinely” move toward denuclearization even as Pyongyang shows signs of preparing for a new nuclear test and is rapidly pursuing an ambitious weapons program.
Yoon Suk-yeol, who has called North Korea the South’s “main enemy,” offered to work with the international community to craft an “audacious plan” to improve North Korea’s economy in return for its commitment to “complete denuclearization.” He also said he would keep a door open to dialogue.
“Peace on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia is the same — our region cannot be exempt from threats that endanger the peace of other regions,” Yoon said in his speech. “North Korea’s denuclearization will greatly contribute to bringing lasting peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.”
In his farewell speech on Monday, outgoing liberal President Moon Jae-in — a staunch advocate of diplomacy with North Korea — made a final plea for inter-Korean dialogue and the peace process. Diplomacy with North Korea has stalled since 2019, when U.S.-North Korea denuclearization talks collapsed in Vietnam.
Yoon, 61, is a first-time politician and former prosecutor general who begins his five-year term amid soaring housing prices, deepening income inequality and a challenging economic recovery from the global coronavirus pandemic. He must now rally an opposition-controlled parliament and a divided country that elected him with the narrowest margin in South Korea’s democratic history.
Yoon will soon face his first diplomatic test on the global stage next week, when President Biden makes his state visit to Seoul. Biden and Yoon are expected to discuss North Korea, the war in Ukraine and strengthening the U.S.-South Korea-Japan alliance.
Yoon said South Korea, as the 10th-largest economy in the world, must play a greater role on international issues, noting major global challenges such as climate change, supply chain management and the energy crisis. He has emphasized the U.S.-South Korean alliance as central to his foreign policy goals.
Although Yoon did not name China, he vowed to “actively protect and promote universal values and international norms that are based on freedom and respect for human rights.
“We must take on an even greater role in expanding freedom and human rights, not just for ourselves, but also for others. The international community expects us to do so. We must answer that call,” he said.
Some 40,000 people, including high-profile South Korean politicians and businesspeople, attended Tuesday’s ceremony, held in breezy spring weather at the National Assembly in Seoul. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff led the U.S. delegation to the ceremony.
Former conservative president Park Geun-hye, who was removed in 2017 after being impeached and convicted on abuse of power charges, sat in the front row alongside international dignitaries. Moon pardoned Park in December.
As prosecutor general, Yoon led the investigation into Park’s corruption scandal. Last month, he met with Park and apologized “on a human level” for their adversarial past.
In a ceremonial move, the Blue House presidential compound opened to the public at the end of the inauguration. Yoon has decided to relocate the presidential office to the Defense Ministry complex located in Yongsan district in central Seoul, a move his team said would return the Blue House to the public but has spurred criticism and a host of security and logistical challenges.
Kim reported from Seoul.
3. New South Korea leader offers support if North denuclearizes
I expect Kim to reject the overtures, to conduct a provocation, and then the political opposition in the South as well as the pundits to blame the new President for Kim's provocations.
Excerpt:
Yoon had promised a tougher stance on North Korea during his campaign, but he avoided harsh rhetoric during his inaugural speech amid growing worries that the North is preparing its first nuclear bomb test in nearly five years. North Korea has rejected similar overtures by some of Yoon’s predecessors that linked incentives to progress in its denuclearization.
New South Korea leader offers support if North denuclearizes
AP · by HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG · May 9, 2022
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative political neophyte, took office Tuesday as South Korea’s new president with a vow to pursue a negotiated settlement of North Korea’s threatening nuclear program and an offer of “an audacious plan” to improve its economy if it abandons its nuclear weapons.
Yoon is starting his single five-year term during one of the most challenging situations of any recent new president, facing a mix of significant security, economic and social problems that are besetting the world’s 10th largest economy. There’s widespread skepticism that an increasingly belligerent North Korea will give his offers much consideration, and South Korea’s deep political and social divides, as well as growing worry about the state of the pandemic-hit economy, are reflected in a recent poll showing that Yoon faces lower popularity numbers than the departing liberal president, Moon Jae-in.
ADVERTISEMENT
Yoon had promised a tougher stance on North Korea during his campaign, but he avoided harsh rhetoric during his inaugural speech amid growing worries that the North is preparing its first nuclear bomb test in nearly five years. North Korea has rejected similar overtures by some of Yoon’s predecessors that linked incentives to progress in its denuclearization.
“While North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs are a threat, not only to our security but also to Northeast Asia, the door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat,” Yoon told a crowd gathered outside parliament in Seoul.
“If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearization, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Korea’s economy and improve the quality of life for its people,” he said.
Yoon also addressed South Korea’s growing economic problems, saying the decaying job market and a widening rich-poor gap are brewing a democratic crisis by stoking “internal strife and discord” and fueling a spread of “anti-intellectualism.”
He said he would spur economic growth to heal the deep political divide and income equalities.
North Korea’s advancing nuclear program is a vexing security challenge for Yoon, who won the March 9 election on a promise to strengthen South Korea’s 70-year military alliance with the United States and build up its own missile capability to neutralize North Korean threats.
In recent months, North Korea has test-launched a spate of nuclear-capable missiles that could target South Korea, Japan and the mainland United States. It appears to be trying to rattle Yoon’s government while modernizing its weapons arsenal and pressuring the Biden administration into relaxing sanctions. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently warned that his nuclear weapons won’t be confined to their primary mission of deterring war if the North’s national interests are threatened.
In a policy briefing earlier Tuesday, South Korean military chief Won In-Choul told Yoon that North Korea can conduct a nuclear test soon if Kim decides to do so. Yoon then ordered military commanders to maintain firm readiness, saying that “the security situation on the Korean Peninsula is very grave.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute said there’s little chance North Korea will accept Yoon’s conditional support plan because the North believes South Korea must first abandon its hostile policies, by which it means regular military drills with the United States, before talks can resume.
Yoon must also deal with a destabilizing U.S.-China rivalry and disputes over history with Japan. South Korea is also bracing for the fallout of Russia’s war on Ukraine in global energy markets.
South Korea must accept that it cannot force North Korea to denuclearize or ease the U.S.-China standoff, according to Chung Jin-young, a professor at Kyung Hee University. He said South Korea must instead focus on strengthening its defense capability and boosting the U.S. alliance to “make North Korea never dare think about a nuclear attack on us.” He said South Korea must also prevent ties with Beijing from worsening.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Tuesday that Beijing is ready to work with Yoon’s government to boost strategic partnership and jointly promote regional peace and stability. China sent Vice President Wang Qishan to Yoon’s inauguration ceremony.
ADVERTISEMENT
Yoon didn’t mention Japan during his speech. After the inauguration ceremony, he met visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who told him that ties need to be urgently repaired. Yoon expressed his willingness to work together with Japan to improve their relations, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
During his campaign, he accused Moon of exploiting Japan for domestic political reasons and stressed Tokyo’s strategic importance. But some experts say Yoon could end up in the same policy rut as Moon, considering the countries’ deep disagreements over sensitive history issues such as Tokyo’s wartime mobilization of Korean laborers and sex slaves.
Some of Yoon’s major domestic policies may face an impasse in parliament, which will remain controlled by liberal lawmakers ahead of general elections in 2024. Yoon must also rebuild South Korea’s pandemic response, shaken by a massive omicron surge in recent months.
He has also been denied a honeymoon period. Surveys show less than 60% of respondents expect he will do well in his presidency, an unusually low figure compared to his predecessors, who mostly received about 80%-90% before they entered office. His approval rating as a president-elect was 41%, according to a survey by Gallup Korea released last week that put then President Moon’s rating at 45%.
ADVERTISEMENT
Yoon’s low popularity is blamed in part on an acute divide between conservatives and liberals and on contentious policies and Cabinet picks. Some experts say Yoon also hasn’t shown a clear vision for how to navigate South Korea past the foreign policy and domestic challenges.
Yoon won the election by a historically narrow margin after catering to public frustration over Moon’s setbacks in economic policies, which were criticized for letting house prices and personal debt soar out of control and failing to create enough jobs. Yoon focused much of his message on young males who resented the loss of traditional privileges in a hyper-competitive job market and their dimmed prospects for marriage and parenthood, although his campaign was criticized for ignoring the plight of women.
“The challenges that Yoon has at the start of his presidency are the toughest and the most unfavorable ones” among South Korean presidents elected since the late 1980s, a period viewed as the start of the country’s genuine democracy after decades of dictatorship, said Choi Jin, director of the Seoul-based Institute of Presidential Leadership.
ADVERTISEMENT
In recent weeks, Yoon has invited criticism — even from some of his conservative supporters — by moving his offices from the mountainside Blue House presidential palace. Yoon said moving to the capital’s center is meant to better communicate with the public, but critics question why he has made it a priority when he has so many other urgent issues to tackle.
Yoon, 61, was prosecutor-general for Moon before he resigned and joined the main conservative opposition party last year following internal feuding with Moon’s political allies.
___
Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
AP · by HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG · May 9, 2022
4. The tests begin for Yoon Suk-yeol as South Korea’s president
A two week ROK/US air exercise is taking place at the start of the Yoon administration. He is not going to back down on deterrence, readiness, and defense in the face of Kim Jong-un's threats.
Excerpts:
It’s one thing for Yoon to have vowed while campaigning to promote exercises with the Americans but quite another to do it, knowing that Kim will increase the threat level in outbursts that are easy to dismiss as bluff and bluster but are frightening, nonetheless. Kim’s game often has been to rev up the rhetoric, conduct more missile tests and get everyone in Washington and Seoul scurrying around promoting “dialogue.” Then come the “talks” amid tremendous publicity and out comes a deal that’s made to be broken.
The pattern has reached an apotheosis of sorts with Kim ranting about using his nuclear weapons first, rather than waiting to be attacked. In meetings with his top commanders, he has proclaimed the need to “preemptively and thoroughly contain and frustrate all dangerous attempts and threatening moves, including ever-escalating nuclear threats from hostile forces.”
The tests begin for Yoon Suk-yeol as South Korea’s president
Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday assumes the presidency of South Korea amid high hopes for improved relations with the U.S. and Japan, a somewhat stronger stand against China’s attempts at pressuring the South away from the American orbit, and no more fatuous talk about an end-of-war agreement with North Korea.
If that prognosis seems upbeat, almost optimistic, it will not be easy for Yoon to live up to the hype. A former prosecutor with no political experience before running for president, he barely defeated the candidate of the left-leaning party of outgoing President Moon Jae-in and will face a National Assembly dominated by members of Moon’s Minjoo or Democratic Party. Quite quickly, Yoon is bound to discover that politics is the art of the possible, and he will have to make accommodations and compromises to come close to accomplishing his goals.
An economy upset by the familiar bogies of high real estate prices, inflation and youth unemployment may count for more than foreign policy to many Koreans while Yoon works to alter the direction or drift of foreign policy under Moon. An early test will be to see if Yoon endorses joint military exercises with the U.S., featuring American and Korean troops on the ground, aircraft from both countries buzzing overhead, and U.S. aircraft carriers churning the waters offshore.
The U.S. and South Korea have not had real-live war games since Donald Trump canceled them after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June 2018. American commanders say the computerized exercises the Americans and South Koreans play several times a year are fine but can’t compare with troops in action.
It’s one thing for Yoon to have vowed while campaigning to promote exercises with the Americans but quite another to do it, knowing that Kim will increase the threat level in outbursts that are easy to dismiss as bluff and bluster but are frightening, nonetheless. Kim’s game often has been to rev up the rhetoric, conduct more missile tests and get everyone in Washington and Seoul scurrying around promoting “dialogue.” Then come the “talks” amid tremendous publicity and out comes a deal that’s made to be broken.
The pattern has reached an apotheosis of sorts with Kim ranting about using his nuclear weapons first, rather than waiting to be attacked. In meetings with his top commanders, he has proclaimed the need to “preemptively and thoroughly contain and frustrate all dangerous attempts and threatening moves, including ever-escalating nuclear threats from hostile forces.”
It’s the N-word — nuclear — that is most alarming. Nobody thinks Kim is about to launch a nuclear strike, considering the retribution that might destroy his regime, but he does seem anxious to conduct the North’s seventh underground nuclear blast, its first since September 2017. He’s also sure to keep ordering missile tests.
North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in March for the first time since November 2017 and intermittently pops off medium- and short-range missiles. If the latter are so routine that they don’t ring alarm bells very loudly, they may be as worrisome as ICBMs. Nobody seriously expects North Korea to launch an ICBM, with or without a nuclear warhead, at the United States, but Kim in a showdown could train short-range missiles on two of America’s largest overseas bases — Camp Humphreys, 40 miles south of Seoul, headquarters for America’s 28,500 troops in Korea, and nearby Osan Air Base, home of the U.S. Seventh Air Force.
Much depends on China, North Korea’s source of virtually all its oil and half its food. Without China’s approval, North Korea, essentially a Chinese protectorate, cannot go much beyond rhetoric. China, as South Korea’s biggest trading partner, also will exercise a restraining influence over Yoon’s desire to defy Chinese power and influence while improving relations with the U.S. NK News, a website in Seoul, quoted Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of Global Times, a Chinese propaganda organ, warning: “If South Korea takes a path of turning hostile against its neighbors, the end of this path could be a Ukraine.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping is not likely to risk China’s burgeoning trade surplus with the U.S. in a second Korean War, but such language suggests the treacherous issues Yoon must consider in fighting off China’s attempt at a stranglehold over both Koreas.
Yoon may have a foil against China in the form of improved relations with Japan, which had deteriorated sharply during Moon’s presidency. It’s a toss-up which of their great near-neighbors Koreans fear and dislike more, but anti-Chinese sentiment is so high now in South Korea that Yoon may be able to cooperate effectively with Japan on defense, particularly against North Korean missiles. No way would South Korea enter a treaty relationship with Japan, as the Americans would like, but both agree on insisting that North Korea get rid of its nuclear and missile program as a prerequisite for any real deal. Japan, limiting defense spending to 1 percent of its huge gross national product, is a sleeping giant whose military potential should not be underestimated, particularly by North Korea and China.
At the outset of the Yoon administration, if nothing else, we can be certain of threats and counter-threats. Yoon already has called North Korea the “main enemy,” a term that Moon scrupulously avoided, and influential South Koreans conservatives say the South should have its own nukes in case the U.S. folds up its “nuclear umbrella.” Yoon wants to reopen nuclear power plants that Moon shut down — a step, some say, toward developing warheads.
For sure, Yoon aims to upgrade the historic U.S.-Korean alliance while jettisoning “Sunshine Policy II,” successor to the Sunshine Policy of the late Kim Dae-Jung, president from 1998 to 2003. Yoon and President Biden should strengthen ties — in which American diplomats love to say there’s “no daylight between us” — when Biden visits Seoul on May 20-22 before going to Tokyo to reaffirm the equally vital U.S.-Japan alliance with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Central to both summits will be cooperation against North Korea.
Biden, Yoon and Kishida won’t hold a trilateral summit, but will all talk up their undying relationship. How much, however, will change? Just as the leftist Moon failed to bring about “reconciliation” and renewed dialogue with North Korea, so the rightist Yoon may be dreaming impossible dreams. All that is certain is the North-South Korean confrontation will go on, hopefully not at the risk of Korean War II.
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.
5. Yoon begins term at midnight with military briefing
A serious way to begin the presidential term. Note the participants in the bell-ringing ceremony.
Excerpts:
Yoon's predecessors, Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye, received their first JCS briefing at their homes, while former President Lee Myung-bak received his briefing at the office of his transition team.
Lee and Park held the calls at midnight, while Moon held the call at 8 a.m. as his term began immediately after a snap election that resulted from Park's removal from office.
Marking the start of the Yoon administration, a bell-ringing ceremony was held at the stroke of midnight in downtown Seoul.
Twenty representatives selected from the general public, including a naturalized citizen, a space scientist and a North Korean defector, rang the bell 33 times at Bosingak Pavillion.
(2nd LD) Yoon begins term at midnight with military briefing | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with Yoon's remarks, details in paras 2-6; CORRECTS from phone briefing to in-person briefing; CHANGES photo)
SEOUL, May 10 (Yonhap) -- New South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol began his five-year term at the start of Tuesday in an underground bunker set up at his office building by receiving a briefing from the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the commander-in-chief.
Yoon was briefed at midnight in the situation room of the national crisis management center of the new presidential office in Yongsan, joined by top security officials, including new National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han and Defense Minister nominee Lee Jong-sup.
Outgoing Defense Minister Suh Wook, JCS Chairman Gen. Won In-choul and other senior military officers connected via video link from the JCS command and control center.
"President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed his appreciation for the hard work of our troops who are dedicating themselves to defending the land and protecting the people's lives and property night and day, and emphasized they maintain a firm military readiness posture at this time when the security situation on the Korean Peninsula is grave," the presidential National Security Office said.
The JCS chairman briefed Yoon on North Korea's military movements and the South Korean military's readiness posture.
"(Yoon) said he will guarantee command of the military as president and urged the military to establish a strict command system and be faithful to their proper duties," the office said.
The national crisis management center is used for meetings by the presidential National Security Council and was previously set up in the underground bunker of Cheong Wa Dae prior to the presidential office's relocation.
Yoon's predecessors, Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye, received their first JCS briefing at their homes, while former President Lee Myung-bak received his briefing at the office of his transition team.
Lee and Park held the calls at midnight, while Moon held the call at 8 a.m. as his term began immediately after a snap election that resulted from Park's removal from office.
Marking the start of the Yoon administration, a bell-ringing ceremony was held at the stroke of midnight in downtown Seoul.
Twenty representatives selected from the general public, including a naturalized citizen, a space scientist and a North Korean defector, rang the bell 33 times at Bosingak Pavillion.
The event has its roots in the practice of the Bosingak bell being rung 33 times at 4 a.m. to signal the end of the night curfew and start of the new day during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
Prior to the bell-ringing ceremony, various cultural events were held to celebrate the start of the new government.
The formal inauguration ceremony of Yoon is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the National Assembly Plaza.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
6. Yoon champions freedom, offers to revive N.K. economy with 'audacious plan'
We should remember that the conventional ideas about north Korean economic aid for development are actually a threat to the legitimacy of the Kim family regime. And providing the economic support that Kim Jong-un demands will result in strengthening the regime while the Korean people in the north continue to suffer.
Freedom and economic development are existential threats to the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.
(4th LD) Yoon champions freedom, offers to revive N.K. economy with 'audacious plan' | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with Yoon's meeting with foreign envoys in paras 18-20; CHANGES headline; ADDS photos)
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, May 10 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol took the oath of office Tuesday, vowing to rebuild the nation on the foundation of a liberal democracy and market economy and offering to revive North Korea's economy with an "audacious plan" should it take steps to denuclearize.
In his inauguration address at the National Assembly Plaza, Yoon outlined various challenges facing the country and the world from pandemics and rearrangements in global supply chains to record-low growth and rising unemployment.
"It is our generation's calling to build a nation that espouses liberal democracy and ensures a thriving market economy, a nation that fulfills its responsibility as a trusted member of the international community, and a nation that truly belongs to the people," he said before some 41,000 people gathered at the ceremony.
"I stand before you today, humbled by the trust and responsibility that you have given me and mindful of my solemn duty to rebuild this great nation."
Yoon technically began his five-year term at midnight in the underground bunker of the new presidential office building in Yongsan where he was briefed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on North Korea's latest military movements and the South Korean military's readiness posture, according to his office.
"While North Korea's nuclear weapon programs are a threat not only to our security and that of Northeast Asia, the door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat," Yoon said in his inaugural speech.
"If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearization, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Korea's economy and improve the quality of life for its people," he said.
Yoon dedicated a large portion of his speech to underscoring the value of freedom -- a word he used 35 times -- and his commitment to working with other nations to overcome common challenges.
He also warned of the debilitating effects of internal division and conflict on South Korea's societal advancement and growth.
"It is critical that we achieve rapid growth and this will only be possible through science, technology and innovation," he said. "Science, technology and innovation -- they will protect our democracy, expand freedom and our inalienable rights to let our people enjoy a sustainable life of dignity."
Yoon takes over at a time when the South Korean economy is struggling to deal with "three simultaneous highs" in inflation, interest rates and exchange rates.
On the security front, the threat of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs looms larger than ever, as the communist nation appears set to carry out its seventh nuclear test as early as this month.
Both economic security and North Korea are expected to feature high on the agenda of Yoon's first summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Seoul on May 21.
Biden's visit, set for May 20-22, will come only 10 days after Yoon took office, and their planned meeting will mark the earliest-ever Korea-U.S. summit to take place following a South Korean president's inauguration.
Yoon headed straight to the new presidential office after the ceremony, waving to citizens while standing in his car and stopping briefly at a playground with first lady Kim Keon-hee to meet with children.
Yoon fought hard to set up the new office on the former defense ministry compound as a demonstration of his will to draw closer to the public.
Yoon regarded Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office built on a majestic compound at the foot of a mountain, as a "symbol of imperial power."
In the afternoon, he met with foreign delegations visiting South Korea to attend his inauguration, including U.S. second gentleman Douglas Emhoff and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.
Emhoff handed him a letter from Biden that he said not only offered the U.S. president's congratulations but outlined his will to work closely with Yoon over the next five years.
Hayashi also gave Yoon a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, to which the president responded that he looks forward to working with Kishida to improve bilateral ties.
Later in the day, Yoon will attend inauguration celebrations at the National Assembly and host a dinner for local and foreign dignitaries at Hotel Shilla.
In his speech, Yoon called on the nation to take on greater responsibilities as the 10th largest economy in the world.
"It is incumbent upon us to take on a greater role befitting our stature as a global leader," he said. "We must take on an even greater role in expanding freedom and human rights not just for ourselves but also for others. The international community expects us to do so. We must answer that call."
One of the biggest challenges Yoon faces in foreign policy is repairing deeply fractured ties with Japan.
With China, Yoon needs Beijing's cooperation to rein in North Korea's nuclear ambitions and maintain a robust bilateral trade relationship.
On the domestic front, Yoon faces a hostile National Assembly controlled by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP).
With 168 out of 300 seats, the DP has delayed the parliamentary confirmation process for Yoon's Cabinet nominees, forcing the new government to hold its first Cabinet meeting this week with several members of the outgoing administration.
Meanwhile, the June 1 local elections are only weeks away, and the new government wants to avoid a scenario where Yoon's ruling People Power Party loses either the local elections or the seven parliamentary by-elections being held concurrently so early in its term.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
7. U.S. looks forward to continued cooperation with S. Korea under Yoon: State Dept.
I expect there will be good cooperation because the two administrations will be sufficiently aligned on the assumptions about the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime.
U.S. looks forward to continued cooperation with S. Korea under Yoon: State Dept. | Yonhap News Agency
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, May 9 (Yonhap) -- The United States looks forward to continuing to work with South Korea under President Yoon Suk-yeol in tackling various challenges facing the U.S.-South Korea alliance, a state department spokesperson said Monday.
"The U.S.-ROK Alliance is the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and we look forward to continuing U.S.-ROK cooperation in tackling the most pressing global challenges," the spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency, asking not to be identified.
ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.
The remarks come as Yoon is set to be inaugurated on Tuesday (Seoul time), in a ceremony that will also be attended by Douglas Emhoff, husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
The U.S. second gentleman is heading an eight-member delegation that also includes Labor Secretary Martin Walsh, Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) and Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA).
Yoon began his five-year term at the start of Tuesday with a briefing from the Joint Chiefs of Staff at an underground bunker at his new presidential office building in Yongsan, Seoul.
His inauguration ceremony is set to be held at 11 a.m. (Seoul time) at the National Assembly Plaza.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
Related Articles
8. Biden's trip to S. Korea, Japan to highlight U.S. focus on Indo-Pacific: Campbell
Excerpts:
"In fact, what I have been struck by, first of all, is the level of engagement on Indo-Pacific countries around issues associated with Ukraine and Europe," added Campbell, underscoring the support of Asian countries for U.S.-led sanctions against Russia, as well as their support for European countries that included diverting their natural gas supplies to European states.
He reiterated the need to engage with Asian countries to address global challenges, including the war in Ukraine.
"One of the areas that we need to really step up our game on between the United States and EU ... is, in fact, the Pacific areas where they do have interests and they do have capabilities to bring to bear," said Campbell.
"Much of our discussion to date has been about how the Indo Pacific, how Europe is tilting or more focused on the Indo-Pacific, but what we have also seen is a much greater interest across the Indo-Pacific in developments in Europe," he added.
Biden's trip to S. Korea, Japan to highlight U.S. focus on Indo-Pacific: Campbell | Yonhap News Agency
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, May 9 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Joe Biden's upcoming trip to Seoul and Tokyo seeks to send a clear message that the U.S. continues to remain committed to addressing various challenges in the region, a White House official said Monday.
Kurt Campbell, Indo-Pacific policy coordinator at the National Security Council, added the U.S. also recognizes that larger and most pressing challenges for the country and the rest of the world lie in the Indo-Pacific region.
"The overriding message that we are seeking to send is that although there are urgent and immediate tasks ahead of us in Ukraine that are unavoidable and must be met by a transatlantic unity that is profound, deep and sustained, but at the same time, we must recognize that the larger, more fundamental challenges for the 21st century really lay in the Indo-Pacific region," Campbell said of Biden's upcoming trip.
The White House has said the president will visit South Korea and Japan from May 20-24.
It will mark Biden's first trip to Asia since taking office in January 2021. He will hold his first summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who began his five-year term at midnight on Tuesday (Seoul time).
Campbell noted the crisis in Ukraine had been expected to draw all U.S. attention to Europe, leaving nothing left to focus on issues in the Indo-Pacific.
"That has been exactly the opposite of what has occurred," he insisted in a seminar, jointly hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, and the Center for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy of the Vrije Universteit Brussel's School of Governance.
"In fact, what I have been struck by, first of all, is the level of engagement on Indo-Pacific countries around issues associated with Ukraine and Europe," added Campbell, underscoring the support of Asian countries for U.S.-led sanctions against Russia, as well as their support for European countries that included diverting their natural gas supplies to European states.
He reiterated the need to engage with Asian countries to address global challenges, including the war in Ukraine.
"One of the areas that we need to really step up our game on between the United States and EU ... is, in fact, the Pacific areas where they do have interests and they do have capabilities to bring to bear," said Campbell.
"Much of our discussion to date has been about how the Indo Pacific, how Europe is tilting or more focused on the Indo-Pacific, but what we have also seen is a much greater interest across the Indo-Pacific in developments in Europe," he added.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
Related Articles
9. Yoon calls S. Korea-U.S. alliance 'linchpin' of peace, prosperity
We have the ROK-US alliance as the linchpin. We have the Japan-US alliance as the cornerstone. What we will call a trilateral alliance - ROK/Japan/US?
Yoon calls S. Korea-U.S. alliance 'linchpin' of peace, prosperity | Yonhap News Agency
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, May 10 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday the alliance between South Korea and the United States is a "linchpin" of regional peace and prosperity.
Yoon made the remark during a meeting with U.S. second gentleman Douglas Emhoff and other members of a delegation sent by U.S. President Joe Biden to attend Yoon's inauguration ceremony earlier in the day.
"The South Korea-U.S. alliance of 70 years has been a linchpin of peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia," Yoon said during the meeting at the new presidential office in Yongsan. "I believe that of the many alliances the United States has, the South Korea-U.S. alliance is the most successful model case."
Emhoff handed Yoon a letter from Biden, saying the note contained not only words of congratulation but also Biden's will to work closely with Yoon over the next five years.
Emhoff also said the U.S. president is looking forward to meeting Yoon during his visit to Seoul next week.
The U.S. team, which included Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh and Reps. Ami Bera (D-CA) and Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), was the first foreign delegation to meet with Yoon following his inauguration.
Yoon later met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who also handed him a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Yoon said he looks forward to working with Kishida to improve bilateral ties and asked that Hayashi continue to communicate closely with his Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin.
In his meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, the president touted the "very important" relationship between South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
Al Mubarak responded that he considers South Korea to be his second home, while also noting that UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan sent his warm congratulations.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
10. What To Expect From South Korea Under Yoon Suk-yeol
Not having a majority in the national assembly is going to make things difficult for Yoon.
Conclusion:
Given that the Yoon administration faces an opposition-led National Assembly eager to capitalize on his foreign policy mistakes, the biggest foreign policy constraint the Yoon administration faces is the need to ensure public support for his leadership on the international stage. To this extent, Yoon’s ability to achieve success in foreign policy will be dependent on his ability to successfully navigate a narrow pathway while maintaining public consensus in support of his global leadership.
What To Expect From South Korea Under Yoon Suk-yeol
President Yoon Suk-yeol will likely face foreign policy issues regarding the United States, North Korea, Japan, and China and will need to ensure public support for his leadership on the international stage.
May 9, 2022 2:11 pm (EST)
With the start of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in South Korea, long-time observers of South Korean politics and foreign policy may think back to the last South Korean transition in power from progressive to conservative rule in 2008, when the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration assumed the reins of power from the progressive Roh Moo-hyun administration. During Yoon’s campaign, he pledged the restoration of a “comprehensive strategic alliance” with the United States as the centerpiece of a South Korean foreign policy and stated his desire to build on Lee’s “Global Korea” by becoming a “global pivotal state.” Additionally, the return of foreign policy advisors who served in the Lee administration, such as National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han and his deputy Kim Tae-hyo, inevitably suggests the start of “Lee Myung-bak 2.0.” Under Lee, the U.S.-South Korea alliance deepened, North Korea lashed out, relations with Japan remained hamstrung by historical grievances, and China blamed the United States and South Korea for fanning tensions with North Korea. Yoon will likely face similar issues, but his pathway for managing these issues may be narrower than Lee’s, as Yoon will face both a steep learning curve and little margin for error.
The scheduling of an early summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in South Korea only eleven days following Yoon’s inauguration underscores and generates high expectations for an expanded U.S.-South Korea partnership on global and regional issues. But with early expectations set so high on both sides, it remains to be seen whether or how they will be met. To be successful, Yoon must ensure that both his administration meets Biden’s expectations and that the Biden administration’s global leadership meets the expectations of the South Korean public.
North Korea will surely place itself at the top of the Biden-Yoon agenda with its intensified missile testing of increasingly varied types and ranges. North Korea’s track record of hostility toward South Korean conservative administrations suggests the likelihood that both Biden and Yoon will need to reach an early consensus on how to manage a North Korea-instigated escalation of inter-Korean tensions. North Korea may desire to exacerbate U.S.-South Korean alliance frictions over how to respond to its escalation of provocations by reprising tensions in 2009 caused by the North’s sinking of the South Korean Cheonan frigate and shelling of the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong-do. Given the risks of South Korean domestic politicization of Yoon’s campaign statements about the “preemptive strike” option, the Yoon administration must show resolution and successfully manage North Korean provocations while avoiding the risk of being perceived as pouring gasoline on the crisis.
U.S. analysts have been heartened by the Yoon administration’s public intention to restore Japan-South Korea relations to their highest level in decades, achieved in the late 1990s under South Korean president Kim Dae Jung and Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. But Yoon will have to contend with past South Korean judicial rulings on Japan’s wartime injustices toward South Korean women and regarding forced labor that have become structural obstacles to the improvement of relations. Most importantly, both Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida must show the political commitment necessary to address ongoing domestic political opposition on both sides to the settlement of these issues. To do so, Yoon must find a way to gain domestic support for the role and responsibility of the executive branch in managing foreign relations while also affirming the validity of Korean court judgments.
Finally, Yoon’s pathway for maintaining stability in China-South Korea relations while committing South Korea to much closer strategic alignment with the United States will constitute an early foreign policy challenge. China has already issued veiled warnings to South Korea not to align itself too closely with the United States by suggesting that a good China-South Korea relationship is essential to South Korean security. China’s ambassador to South Korea has responded to Yoon’s campaign statements regarding the acquisition of additional high-altitude missile defense batteries from the United States by signaling that this is a red line that could jeopardize the bilateral relationship. While an overaggressive Chinese approach to the Yoon administration will only consolidate South Korean public support behind Yoon, actions by the Yoon administration that are perceived by the South Korean public as needlessly generating retaliation from China could have the opposite effect.
Given that the Yoon administration faces an opposition-led National Assembly eager to capitalize on his foreign policy mistakes, the biggest foreign policy constraint the Yoon administration faces is the need to ensure public support for his leadership on the international stage. To this extent, Yoon’s ability to achieve success in foreign policy will be dependent on his ability to successfully navigate a narrow pathway while maintaining public consensus in support of his global leadership.
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License.
11. South Korea's Entry into NATO Cyber Defense Centre Is Not Good News For China And North Korea
If China and north Korea are unhappy this must be the right thing to do.
South Korea's Entry into NATO Cyber Defense Centre Is Not Good News For China And North Korea
South Korea had been trying to join the CCDCOE since 2019 to learn more about threat-response methods and ways to defend critical infrastructure
Last week, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service became the first in Asia to join NATO’s cyber defence group—a step that risks inflaming tensions with regional giant China and the old enemy North Korea.
The NIS said in a statement that it had been accepted as a contributing participant for NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), a cyber defence hub founded in Tallinn, Estonia, in May 2008 and focused on cybersecurity research, training, and exercises.
South Korea had been trying to join CCDCOE since 2019 to learn more about threat response methods and ways to defend critical infrastructure, with the overarching goal of having world-class capabilities to respond to those threats.
China and North Korea
The decision, according to Hu Xijin, who is the editor of the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece The Global Times, is an affront to Beijing and even lays the framework for the Asian war.
“If South Korea takes a path of turning hostile against its neighbours, the end of this path could be a Ukraine,” he wrote.
Despite the fact that the cyber defence group is separate from the NATO command structure, Chinese military analysts reportedly said that Beijing was concerned about the admission of its near neighbour and American partner to the group—and this could threaten Chinese security interests in the region.
China views NATO as domineering and expanding, according to Shanghai-based military researcher Ni Lexiong, and South Korea’s decision to join the centre certainly does not benefit China. But he told South China Morning Post that Seoul would have taken Beijing’s interests and friendship with China into account.
According to a retired People’s Liberation Army colonel and military commentator, China understands that South Korea’s admission to the group does not imply membership in the alliance, but Beijing is not pleased as cyberwarfare is becoming a new battlefield.
Similarly, South Korea has been also under threat from North Korea which necessitated the enhancement of its defence capabilities.
So analysts believe that South Korea relies on China to put influence and pressure on North Korea in order to control its actions.
NIS’s joining of the group also happens at a time when President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea, who will be taking the office this week, has promised to be tougher on Pyongyang. He is anticipated to forsake his predecessor’s Sunshine Policy, which sought to improve relations with North Korea through dialogue.
However, it is also believed that South Korea’s principal security and national defence goal is to neutralise North Korean nuclear missile threats. But analysts believe that in order to do this Seoul must not only form an alliance with the United States but also collaborate with China—considering the fact that China has a strong relationship with North Korea.
Cyberwarfare
Cyberthreats from China and North Korea are something that cannot be overlooked, as both countries, in the past few years, have sheltered an army of cyberthreat actors.
The Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), a South Korean nuclear research body, claimed last year that it was hacked by the North Korean advanced persistent threat (APT) group Kimsuky.
It was one of the several attacks by Kimsuky and other North Korean state-backed APT organisations which targeted the South Korean government and national infrastructure.
At that time, Ha Tae-keung of the People Power Party, South Korea’s main opposition party, said, “If the state’s key technologies on nuclear energy have been leaked to North Korea, it could be the country’s biggest security breach, almost the same level as a hacking attack by the North into the defence ministry in 2016.”
In the case of China, South Korean institutions involved in the construction of an advanced missile defence system and radar were targeted by Chinese hackers linked to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, said cybersecurity firm FireEye in 2017.
Even in 2013, according to some reports, South Korean officials said that a cyberattack on South Korean banks and broadcasters originated from a Chinese IP address.
However, considering all these facts as well as what has been happening currently during the Russia-Ukraine conflict in terms of using cyberspace as a tool of war, South Korea’s decision to join the CCDCOE is understandable.
After joining the NATO group, the South Korean agency NIS said, “Cyberthreats are causing great damage to not only individuals but also separate nations and also transnationally, so close international cooperation is crucial.”
12. S. Korea-U.S. alliance 'nearly at its best': outgoing defense chief
I think he is right. And this is because of the professionalism and hard work of our ROK and US professional diplomats, civil servants, military personnel (regardless of presidential administration), shared values, and people to people relationships. Despite the political actions of leaders it is all of the above that sustain our alliance.
(Yonhap Interview) S. Korea-U.S. alliance 'nearly at its best': outgoing defense chief | Yonhap News Agency
By Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL, May 9 (Yonhap) -- The military alliance between South Korea and the United States has reached "nearly its best level" over the recent years, outgoing Defense Minister Suh Wook said Monday, rejecting claims it has waned due to the Moon Jae-in administration's drive for peace with North Korea.
In an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency, Suh pointed to the close-knit cooperation he has maintained with his counterpart, Lloyd Austin, and other U.S. defense officials as proof that the alliance remains robust at least from a military perspective.
Concerns have persisted about a possible weakening of the alliance as Seoul and Washington have scaled down their major regular military exercises to help facilitate diplomacy with the recalcitrant regime.
"I have long dealt with the alliance, and it has reached nearly its best level," Suh said, noting that even the alliance partnership is not "100" percent free from small disagreements.
The interview took place on the eve of the inauguration of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who has vowed to cement the alliance and "normalize" the allies' combined exercises.
Suh rejected suggestions that under the Moon administration, the allies have suspended most of their major combined exercises.
"The number of small-scale training events below regiment levels has rather increased," he said.
Noting a shift in the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, Suh said it is up to the next government to determine what to do with the allied exercises.
He was referring to the North's suspension in March of a self-imposed moratorium on its nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, once seen as a major feat of Moon's dovish approach to the North.
Suh also cited the possibility of the North continuing its provocative mode in the wake of its end to the moratorium.
"North Korea appears to be following its own timetable (on its weapons development) irrespective of the South's political calendar," the minister said. "But the North might take into account the presidential inauguration here and Biden's planned visit to Seoul."
U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on May 20, the eve of the leaders' first in-person summit.
Suh, who took office as the defense minister in September 2020, will be replaced by his successor, Lee Jong-sup, a retired three-star Army general. The National Assembly adopted a confirmation hearing report on Lee earlier in the day.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)
13. Xi invites Yoon to visit China at convenient time
Xi invites Yoon to visit China at convenient time | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, May 10 (Yonhap) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping invited President Yoon Suk-yeol to visit China at a mutually convenient time, a Chinese official said Tuesday.
Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan extended the invitation during a meeting with Yoon after attending Yoon's inauguration ceremony earlier in the day.
"President Xi Jinping welcomes and invites the president to visit China at a mutually convenient time," he said through an interpreter.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
14. N. Korea's difficult economic situation forces people to risk their lives to make ends meet
The horror. The desperation. The will to take care of their families. I just do not think we can fathom the suffering in the north.
Excerpts:
The source said that, recently, there are people who unhesitatingly create violent situations or run in front of vehicles. He claimed most are women who are responsible for their families amid food shortages. The source further pointed out that these people are gambling on their lives, willing to go through fire and water so that their families do not starve.
N. Korea's difficult economic situation forces people to risk their lives to make ends meet - Daily NK
Most are women who are responsible for their families amid food shortages, a source told Daily NK
A street in Wonsan, Kangwon Province. (Daily NK)
A recent report from inside North Korea suggests that a growing number of the country’s citizens are manufacturing incidents and accidents for compensation money.
In short, North Koreans are increasingly putting their lives at risk engaging in dangerous behavior to make ends meet amid continuing economic difficulties due to the protracted closure of the country’s borders.
A source in South Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Sunday that more and more people in Hamhung are intentionally provoking violent situations or throwing themselves in front of vehicles.
On May 1, a man in his 30s surnamed Kim assaulted a man in his 40s surnamed Kang in Hamhung on May 1. Kang owed Kim money, and Kang had come to collect the debt.
When Kim went to Kang’s home to collect the KPW 300,000 he was owed, Kang intentionally got on his nerves, behaving as if Kim was the one in the wrong, asking: “Are you doing this because you’re afraid I won’t pay you back?”
Ultimately, Kim punched Kang, and Kang immediately reported the incident to the police. Not only did Kim fail to collect the debt, he also ended up having to pay Kang KPW 500,000 in medical bills, or else end up in a forced labor brigade.
In mid-April, a woman surnamed Choe ran in front of a passing cargo truck in Hamhung’s Sapo District. Fortunately, she suffered no life-threatening injuries, but she hurt her leg and received a concussion when the truck knocked her down.
Choe reportedly demanded RMB 20,000 (almost USD 3,000) from the truck driver as compensation.
The driver refused to pay, pleading that he did nothing wrong, but the local police pressured him, claiming that regardless of the facts his vehicle hurt somebody, so he must choose between paying for the medical expenses or going to jail.
The source said that, recently, there are people who unhesitatingly create violent situations or run in front of vehicles. He claimed most are women who are responsible for their families amid food shortages. The source further pointed out that these people are gambling on their lives, willing to go through fire and water so that their families do not starve.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
15. Washington presses Seoul to give weapons to Ukraine
I expect this will be an agenda item at the May 21st summit. But it would be best if the ROK would make a commitment before the summit.
Tuesday
May 10, 2022
Washington presses Seoul to give weapons to Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a speech via video in the auditorium of the National Assembly Library on April 11, with lawmakers in attendance. In his speech, he asked South Korea to send Ukraine offensive weapons. [KIM SANG-SEON]
The United States asked South Korea to provide offensive weapons to help Ukraine fight Russia.
According to the Pentagon on Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin presided over a meeting of senior defense officials from 43 countries via video conference from the U.S. Air Force Base is Ramstein, Germany on April 25. The topic of the meeting was aid to Ukraine.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries, U.S. allies and friendly countries such as South Korea, Japan, Australia, Israel, Sweden and Finland attended the meeting. The South Korean representative was Kim Man-ki, director of defense policy at the Ministry of National Defense.
Delegations from each country were briefed by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley on the situation in Ukraine. Afterwards, the delegations discussed ways to help Ukraine.
According to multiple military sources, the U.S. representatives suggested at the time that “if it is difficult to send weapons directly to Ukraine given each country’s relationship with Russia, the U.S. will intervene.” This means the U.S. will take possession of the weapons from its allies and send them to Ukraine.
“The U.S. is trying to determine whether South Korea intends to provide offensive weapons,” said a military source who asked not to be named. “The Moon Jae-in administration had a strong negative stance against the U.S. proposal. But with the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the U.S. expects to find a more forward-looking position.”
“There is a possibility," another source predicted, "that the U.S.-Korea summit on May 21 or the 20th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) coming later in May will discuss Ukraine-related issues.”
South Korea has maintained that it will not provide offensive weapons to Ukraine.
On April 8, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov requested offensive weapons such as air defense weapons systems in a phone call with South Korean Defense Minister Seo Wook. However, Seo explained to Reznikov, “There are restrictions considering the security situation and the impact a deployment would have on our military’s readiness posture.”
Nevertheless, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address to the National Assembly last month, “The South Korean military has the equipment to stop Russian ships and missiles.
“I would be grateful if South Korea could help Ukraine fight Russia,” he said.
South Korea provided assistance worth a total of $50 million to the Ukrainian government, including non-lethal military supplies such as bulletproof vests, helmets, combat rations and medical supplies.
The U.S. is trying to make the war between Russia and Ukraine a cause for the democratic camp of countries, and is hoping for help from its allies. Accordingly, NATO member countries are sending offensive weapons such as tanks, fighter jets and self-propelled artillery to Ukraine.
“The U.S. had doubts about South Korea’s sincerity because South Korea did not actively respond to Russian sanctions at first,” said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Women’s University.
“Whether to support Ukraine by offering offensive weapons should be decided by the Yoon government after comprehensively reviewing South Korea’s international status, the ROK-U.S. alliance, and the principles of South Korea’s foreign policy and security.”
BY LEE CHUL-JAE [kjdnational@joongang.co.kr]
16. North Korean leader sends 'Victory Day' message to Putin
North Korean leader sends 'Victory Day' message to Putin
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / Yonhap
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed his country's "firm solidarity" with Russia in a congratulatory message sent to President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's celebration of its "Victory Day" holiday, the North's state media reported Tuesday.
In the message sent the previous day, Kim congratulated Putin on the anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, according to the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party, and the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Russia celebrated the 77th anniversary of the holiday Monday.
Kim's message "extended firm solidarity to the cause of the Russian people to root out the political and military threat and blackmail by the hostile forces and safeguard the country's dignity, peace and security," the KCNA said in an English-language article.
"It expressed belief that the strategic and traditional relations of friendship between the two countries would steadily develop in conformity with the requirements of the times," it added.
The North has recently highlighted its traditional ties with Russia, which has drawn condemnation from many countries for its invasion of Ukraine.
In February, a spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry blamed the Ukraine crisis on the "hegemonic policy" of the United States and the West. (Yonhap)
V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
