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Quotes of the Day:
"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."
- Booker T. Washington
"You should never be ashamed to admit you have been wrong. It only proves you are wiser today than yesterday."
- Jonathan Swift
"Whoever wants music instead of noise, joy instead of pleasure, soul instead of gold, creative work instead of business, passion instead of foolery, finds no home in this trivial world of ours."
- Hermann Hesse
1. Why North Korea’s Latest Nuclear Claims Are Raising Alarms
2. Seoul sanctions North Korean hacking group Kimsuky
3. Remains of launch vehicle may shed light on North’s new technology
4. South Korea slaps sanctions on North's hacking group after failed satellite launch
5. N. Korea bristles at U.N., NATO criticism of its spy satellite launch
6. S. Korea wraps up anti-proliferation meeting, multinational naval drill
7. Pyongyang aims to launch multiple spy satellites
8. U.S. deepening trilateral cooperation with S. Korea, Japan against N. Korean threats: Biden
9. Top U.S., Japanese officials discuss ways to expand cooperation with S. Korea
10. Approval ratings of Yoon, ruling party inch down slightly: poll
11. Indo-Pacific region highlighted as important for Korean economy's future
12. North Korea forces exhausted soldier-laborers to keep daily diary
13. Ex-Mongolian leader says he asked to see North Korean prison camps during visit
14. S. Korea, U.S. craft 1st cybersecurity guidance
15. S. Korea wraps up drills to defend western border islands
16. Diplomacy 'only viable way' to achieve safe, stable Korean Peninsula: U.S. envoy
17. U.S., ROK Agencies Alert: DPRK Cyber Actors Impersonating Targets to Collect Intelligence
18. S.Koreans Are Woefully Unprepared for N.Korean Missile Attack
1. Why North Korea’s Latest Nuclear Claims Are Raising Alarms
Photos at the link: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/06/02/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear.html?utm
A succinct but useful overview for all of us lay people ( who are not nuclear and missile experts).
Why North Korea’s Latest Nuclear Claims Are Raising Alarms
North Korea’s new wave of propaganda suggests that it has succeeded in miniaturizing its nuclear warheads and made its missiles easier to launch and harder to intercept. The claims — not fully corroborated — show the country is on a path that is worrying to its neighbors, and to the United States.
By Pablo Robles and Choe Sang-HunJune 2, 2023
The New York Times · by Choe Sang-Hun · June 2, 2023
This propaganda photo released by North Korea’s state media intends to send a clear message: The North has achieved multiple significant advancements for its nuclear arsenal while the world was looking elsewhere.
North Korea says this nuclear warhead is smaller than anything it has produced before. If it is real, it could potentially fit on missiles that could hit South Korea and Japan.
The warhead is also portrayed as being able to be mounted on a variety of missiles, as this poster shows, which could give North Korea more production options.
These new short-range ballistic missiles, which the small warhead is designed for, are hallmarks of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s effort to modernize his missile fleet.
In a critical upgrade, North Korea uses solid fuel instead of liquid fuel to power the missiles, which makes them easier to transport, faster to launch and harder to intercept.
North Korea also claims a smaller warhead will give it new ways to carry out nuclear strikes — on a cruise missile, or on what it calls an “underwater nuclear drone.”
For decades, Washington, Seoul and their allies have tried both negotiations and sanctions to roll back North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and prevent technological advances like these.
Those efforts failed. The world is now seeing what comes next: a bigger, more dangerous nuclear arsenal that poses a greater threat to the United States and its allies in Northeast Asia.
It’s unclear whether or not the warheads in the photo were real. North Korea has a track record of showing mockups of weapons still under development for the sake of propaganda. Still, Mr. Kim has set bold goals for an arms buildup, pouring resources into weapons development.
There is no doubt that the North has achieved major upgrades to its arsenal, including solid-fuel ballistic missiles that can also make mid-air maneuvers. It is also developing cruise missiles, submarine-launched missiles and underwater drones that it says could be nuclear-armed. All these efforts are aimed at making its nuclear attacks more effective.
A failed military spy satellite launch on Wednesday is the latest demonstration of Mr. Kim’s dogged determination to expand the North’s military capabilities.
Smaller warheads that target regional adversaries
Since his failed diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump, Mr. Kim has urged his country to develop “nuclear weapons smaller, lighter and tactical” to target South Korea, Japan and U.S. military bases in the region. These short-range weapons do not threaten the continental United States, but they could boost Mr. Kim’s leverage against Washington by placing American allies under nuclear threat.
Although North Korea has conducted six underground nuclear tests, it has never been clear whether it has successfully developed smaller warheads. The photo released in March was the first concrete indication that it may have succeeded.
So far, North Korea has released photos of three nuclear devices, and the latest one — dubbed Hwasan-31, or “Volcano-31” — is by far the smallest.
Sources: James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies; Institute for Science and International Security
Although these are propaganda photos, South Korea in February acknowledged, in a defense white paper, that the North had achieved “a significant level of miniaturization” in its nuclear weapons.
The dramatic shift took only a few years. Mr. Kim had suspended testing missiles and nuclear devices before his 2018 summit with Mr. Trump. He resumed missile tests in 2019 as the talks failed to bring about benefits he had sought, especially the easing of sanctions. Since then, North Korea has been testing short-range ballistic missiles that could serve as delivery systems for these small nuclear warheads at a fast clip.
Source: NTI/CNS and Japan Ministry of Defense. Note: Data as of May 31.
The resumption of missile tests featured three new short-range ballistic missiles, known to the outside world as KN-23, KN-24 and KN-25. They can be mounted with nuclear warheads and reach South Korea, Japan and U.S. military bases in the region in a matter of minutes. All these characteristics make them more dangerous.
Source: NTI/CNS and US Department of Defense. Note: The estimated range is based on the distance from Kaesong, an area close to the Demilitarized Zone in North Korea.
Solid-fuel missiles that are harder to intercept
North Korea’s new series of short-range ballistic missiles are all powered by solid fuel. This makes them easier to hide and transport and faster to launch than older missiles that rely on liquid fuel, which is highly corrosive and unstable.
Compared to liquid-fuel missiles, which could take hours to load prior to launch, solid-fuel missiles can be quickly rolled out of mountain tunnels ready for launch in a short time. This and their shorter burn time make it harder to detect where the missiles are and when they would be launched, thus leaving less time for missile defense systems to react. Their mid-air maneuverability also makes it harder to shoot them down from the sky. It’s forcing the United States and its allies to spend billions of dollars to upgrade their defenses.
“Solid-propelled missiles have shorter burn time than liquid ones. This makes the window of detection, where infrared sensors could see the hot rocket motor working, smaller,” Dr. Markus Schiller, a rocket analyst from the German space technology consulting firm ST Analytics, said.
North Korea plans to retire its old Scud and Rodong liquid-fuel short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, replacing them with a new fleet of solid-fuel missiles, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry.
In December, the North tested a new high-thrust solid-fuel rocket engine, indicating that it is switching its longer-range missiles to solid fuel as well. On April 13, it tested its first solid-fuel ICBM, Hwasong-18, for the first time. Analysts warned that there would be more Hwasong-18 tests as the North tries to perfect the system.
Test of solid-fuel rocket engine. Korean Central News Agency, via Agence France-Presse
Test of solid-fuel ICBM, Hwasong-18. Korean Central News Agency, via Agence France-Presse
New ways to launch nuclear attacks
Under Mr. Kim, North Korea has also tried to strengthen its military capabilities by developing different methods of launching nuclear attacks.
Since 2019, North Korea has launched missiles from locations scattered across the country. By doing so, it can increase its chances of avoiding an enemy’s missile-defense systems.
Korean Central News Agency, via Reuters
The missiles were launched from wheeled or tracked vehicles, the most common practice.
Korean Central News Agency, via Associated Press
They were also launched from train cars rolled out of mountain tunnels, indicating that the North is planning to use its numerous railway tunnels as hiding places for its missiles.
Korean Central News Agency, via Agence France-Presse
North Korea says it is also building underwater nuclear weapons silos and launched a missile from under a lake in 2022.
Korean Central News Agency, via Reuters
The flame pattern from a launch on March 19 led some analysts to suspect that it may have been the North’s first test from an underground silo.
North Korea has also tested cruise missiles that it said were capable of delivering nuclear warheads. Cruise missiles are slower than ballistic missiles but they can fly at extremely low altitudes and can maneuver between mountains, making them harder to detect by radar.
In early April, the country claimed to have tested “underwater nuclear attack drones” capable of creating “super-scale radioactive tsunamis” to wipe out its enemies’ naval fleets and seaports.
A photograph provided by North Korean state media showed what it said was a test of an underwater nuclear strategic attack weapon system. Korean Central News Agency, via Agence France-Presse
Since 2021, North Korea has tested missiles whose “hypersonic” gliding warheads it says can make mid-air jumps and corkscrew maneuvers.
By diversifying its methods of launching attacks, North Korea is making its nuclear arsenal a greater menace to the United States and its allies.
The remaining technical hurdles
Many of North Korea’s claims about its weapons capabilities, such as those concerning nuclear underwater drones and hypersonic missiles, are exaggerated, according to the South Korean military. Some of its new weapons, such as the Hwasong-18 ICBM, are still in developmental stages.
North Korea has so far launched all its ICBMs at deliberately steep angles, so that they flew extremely high into space but fell into waters between the North and Japan. It has yet to prove that its ICBMs can actually cover an intercontinental range. Another technological hurdle is the so-called re-entry technology. After soaring into space, an ICBM warhead must endure intense heat and friction as it crashes back into the earth's atmosphere toward its target.
In recent months, North Korea has issued a veiled threat to launch missiles over the Pacific — making the ocean its “shooting range” — to demonstrate that it has mastered re-entry technology and can fire an ICBM on a normal trajectory.
Satellites can help North Korea collect data from such long-range missile tests to improve its ICBM technology. Mr. Kim sees placing satellites into orbit as one of his top priorities, military experts say. The North launched a space vehicle carrying its first military reconnaissance satellite on Wednesday, but it was a failure. The country said it would attempt another launch in the near future after identifying and fixing problems with the rocket and its fuel.
“Although there is a gap between the North’s claims and our assessment, we cannot dismiss them,” Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup of South Korea said in April, referring to the North’s claim to have standardized a small and light nuclear warhead for its various missiles. If North Korea conducts another nuclear test, its seventh, it may be to show that its new and smaller Hwasan-31 nuclear warhead works.
“It will not be easy to say that the North has developed a small and light nuclear warhead until it successfully tests it,” Mr. Lee told South Korea’s legislature.
The New York Times · by Choe Sang-Hun · June 2, 2023
2. Seoul sanctions North Korean hacking group Kimsuky
Image of a sample email correspondent at the link. The all purpose sword is as important as the regime's nuclear weapons (treasured sword). You can employ the treasured sword once, but you can employ the all purpose sword everyday for multiple effects - and the all purpose sword is critical to the development of the treasured sword.
Friday
June 2, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Seoul sanctions North Korean hacking group Kimsuky
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/06/02/national/northKorea/korea-north-korea-hacking/20230602095559808.html
An example of an email sent out by North Korean agents working on Kimsuky spearphishing campaigns, impersonating a journalist requesting an interview or information, shared by the U.S. and South Korean governments in their joint cybersecurity advisory issued Thursday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
South Korea sanctioned North Korean hacking group “Kimsuky” believed to be behind major cyber attacks and stealing satellite technology worldwide.
“It has collected intelligence from individuals and institutions in the fields of diplomacy, security and national defense, and has provided it to the North Korean regime,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement Friday. “In addition, North Korean hacking organizations including ‘Kimsuky’ have been directly or indirectly involved in the development of North Korea’s so-called ‘satellite’ by stealing advanced technologies globally related to weapons development, artificial satellites and space.”
The Korean government also issued a joint cybersecurity advisory with the U.S. State Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency on North Korean hacking campaigns.
“These North Korean cyber actors are known to conduct spear phishing campaigns posing as real journalists, academics, or other individuals with credible links to North Korean policy circles,” reads the advisory issued Thursday.
“The DPRK employs social engineering to collect intelligence on geopolitical events, foreign policy strategies, and diplomatic efforts affecting its interests by gaining illicit access to the private documents, research, and communications of their targets,” it added, referring to North Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Kimsuky is a set of North Korean cyber actors administratively subordinate to an element within North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), according to the joint U.S.-South Korean advisory.
The group has “conducted broad cyber campaigns in support of RGB objectives since at least 2012," it said.
“Kimsuky actors’ primary mission is to provide stolen data and valuable geopolitical insight to the North Korean regime,” it added.
The North Korean hackers operating a Kimsuky spear phishing campaign would often impersonate a journalist, an academic scholar, or a think tank researcher, to send out an email requesting an interview or participation in a survey.
“A Kimsuky actor will use multiple personas to engage a target; one persona to conduct initial outreach and a second persona to follow-up on the first engagement to distract a potential victim from discerning the identity of the original persona,” reads the joint cybersecurity advisory.
“Once DPRK cyber actors establish engagement with a target, the actors attempt to compromise the account, device, or network belonging to the target by pushing malicious content in the form of a malicious macro embedded within a text document,” it said. “This document is either attached directly to the email, or stored in a file hosting service, such as Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive. These malicious macros, when enabled, quietly establish connections with Kimsuky command and control infrastructure, and result in the provision of access to the target’s device.”
Kimsuky was behind several large-scale cyberattacks in South Korea in recent years.
From May to June 2021, the personal information of some 830,000 people at the Seoul National University Hospital was stolen by a group of North Korean agents believed to be operating within Kimsuky, according to the police.
The group was also blamed for the 2014 cyberattack on South Korea’s state-backed Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, a subsidiary of the Korea Electric Power Corporation.
The South Korean government became the first in the world to sanction Kimsuky on Friday, said the Foreign Ministry. The ministry also shared the digital currency address of the group.
As of Friday, the South Korean government has sanctioned 43 individuals and 45 organizations tied with the North’s illicit cyber activities funding its weapons programs.
Prior permission from the Bank of Korea or the Financial Services Commission is required to engage in foreign exchange or financial transactions with the targets of these sanctions, said the ministry.
Any transactions without permission may be punished under relevant laws, it said.
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
3. Remains of launch vehicle may shed light on North’s new technology
I am curious as to what experts think is the cylindrical device is at the bottom of the white tube in the photo below.
Friday
June 2, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Remains of launch vehicle may shed light on North’s new technology
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/06/02/national/northKorea/Korea-North-Korea-salvage/20230602204750201.html
Photos released by the North's state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) of the Chollima satellite launch vehicle on Thursday, left, and of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile on Feb. 19 show the two rockets share apparently similar liquid-fuel propulsion engines, but different payload dimensions. [YONHAP]
South Korean military forces are working to salvage the remains of the North Korean satellite launch vehicle (SLV) that crashed into the sea shortly after launch in the hopes of gaining insight into the North's ballistic missile and satellite reconnaissance technology.
The Chollima-1 SLV, which Pyongyang’s state media said failed due to a botched engine ignition during second-stage separation, fell into the Yellow Sea approximately 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Eocheong Island, which is located 70 kilometers off the North Jeolla coast.
Photos released by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Wednesday showed a white metal cylinder floating in the sea, which the JCS said likely formed part of the SLV.
In photos of Wednesday’s launch released by North Korean state media, the Chollima-1’s payload appeared larger and rounder than the warheads usually mounted on the regime’s ballistic missiles.
A photo of the the white metal cylinder that is believed to have been part of the North Korean satellite launch vehicle that crash into the sea on Wednesdy. [JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF]
Should the South successfully recover not only the presumed SLV section, but also the Chollima-1’s spy satellite payload, it could shed light on the state of the North’s reconnaissance technology.
When the North conducted what it called “an important final-stage test” for a spy satellite in December, it also released blurry, black-and-white aerial photographs of Seoul and Incheon, which led South Korean analysts to question its reconnaissance capabilities.
South Korean military authorities on Friday said the cylinder had sunk amid efforts to tow it back to land for analysis and that it was lying sideways at a depth of 75 meters.
The military said it estimated the sunken cylinder was 15 meters in length, between 2 and 3 meters in diameter and “quite heavy.”
Defense officials said a naval submarine has been deployed to aid in the salvage operation, which they said would likely conclude on Saturday.
The words "checking panel 13" are visible in red letters of the side of the white metal cylinder believed to be from the fallen North Korean satellite launch vehicle on Wednesday. [JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF]
In photos taken of the cylinder on Wednesday when it was still afloat, red letters that read “checking panel 13” were visible.
Similar markings have been spotted on earlier photos of the North’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), suggesting that similar technology and components were used to build the Chollima-1 SLV.
Photographs of the grey-and-white checker pattern on the cylinder’s rim suggest it could be one of two sections that made up the upper section of the Chollima-1.
Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at Middlebury, said on Twitter that the cylinder’s relatively intact appearance “suggests the [Chollima-1’s] second stage didn’t fire very much at all.”
Lewis also cited the lack of ionospheric disturbances detected by an open source launch detection tool as evidence that “the rocket failed early enough that it didn’t disturb the ionosphere.”
Defense experts who also examined photos of the launch largely concurred that the latest SLV featured technology previously used in the North’s longer-range ballistic missiles.
Writing on Twitter, Joseph Dempsey, a research associate for the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said, “It does appear that North Korea's Chollima-1 SLV first stage may be powered by dual nozzle RD-250 derived liquid fuel engine as fitted to their Hwasong-15 ICBM.”
The North’s apparent use of an ICBM-derived liquid-fuel engine for the Chollima-1 SLV contrasts with the engine clusters visible in photos of the regime’s earlier Unha SLVs, which experts believe were derived from Scud short-range ballistic missiles.
The Stimson Center’s 38 North analysis group, which monitors North Korea developments, said, “Although the Chollima-1 exhaust plume appeared transparent, indicative of being liquid fuelled, it did deposit light grey residue around the launch pad and through the exit to the flame bucket, and across nearby mudflats.”
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
4. South Korea slaps sanctions on North's hacking group after failed satellite launch
Let's add an information campaign to exert pressure.
South Korea slaps sanctions on North's hacking group after failed satellite launch
Reuters · by Reuters
SEOUL, June 2 (Reuters) - South Korea on Friday announced new sanctions against a North Korean hacking group, Kimsuky, it accused of being involved in the North's latest satellite launch attempt.
The United States and South Korea also issued a joint advisory saying the group conducts "large-scale" cyber attacks at think tanks, academic institutions and news outlets.
The hackers are known to conduct spearphishing campaigns posing as real journalists, academics, or other individuals with credible links to North Korean policy circles, Seoul's foreign ministry said.
On Wednesday North Korea launched its first spy satellite into space, but that ended in failure with the booster and payload plunging into the sea.
"North Korean hacking groups including Kimsuky have been, directly or indirectly, engaged in North Korea's so-called 'satellite' development by stealing cutting-edge technologies on weapons development, satellite and space," the South Korean ministry said in a statement.
The U.S., South Korea and Japan said any launch by Pyongyang using ballistic missile technology violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.
South Korea's ministry said the latest sanctions demonstrate Seoul's will to make North Korea pay for its provocations.
North Korea on Thursday rejected condemnation of the launch by Washington and other countries, saying it has a sovereign right to space development and vowing to soon put a spy satellite into orbit.
Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi, Ju-min Park in Seoul and Rami Ayyub in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese and Richard Chang
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Reuters · by Reuters
5. N. Korea bristles at U.N., NATO criticism of its spy satellite launch
Paranoia sets in. The whole world does not like the Kim family regime.
As a global pivotal state the ROK gets support from around the globe.
N. Korea bristles at U.N., NATO criticism of its spy satellite launch | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이민지 · June 2, 2023
SEOUL, June 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Friday slammed the chiefs of the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), painting their criticism of the North's spy satellite launch as interference in internal affairs.
The North's criticism came in response to remarks by U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that condemned its launch attempt as a grave violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The North's botched attempt to launch the satellite Wednesday goes against the resolutions banning its nuclear and missile programs, as the satellite launch shares the same technology used in ballistic missiles.
Jo Chol-su, director general of the international organization department at Pyongyang's foreign ministry, claimed the U.N. chief's statement breached the "sovereign rights" of a member state in an "unfair" act that interferes in domestic affairs, in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Jo said that the North will continue to exercise its sovereign rights, including the launch of a military spy satellite, to show that the U.N. does not belong to the United States.
In a separate statement also carried by the KCNA, Jong Kyong-chol, an international affairs analyst, slammed the NATO chief's "provocative" remark as interfering in domestic affairs.
Jong warned that "autonomous" countries in the Asia-Pacific will exercise their "powerful force" to deter war threats unless NATO ceases to interfere in the region. The analyst was seen referring to China and Russia.
He also claimed the North will consider NATO akin to the U.S. should the organization continue to breach its independence.
The North has vowed to "correctly" place a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit soon.
This photo, provided by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on June 1, 2023, shows the launch of the North's new "Chollima-1" rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite, "Malligyong-1," from Tongchang-ri on the North's west coast the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이민지 · June 2, 2023
6. S. Korea wraps up anti-proliferation meeting, multinational naval drill
Meetings and exercises are good but now we need action, aggressive and sustained.
S. Korea wraps up anti-proliferation meeting, multinational naval drill | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · June 2, 2023
SEOUL, June 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has concluded a four-day event of meetings and multinational maritime drills Friday aimed at preventing the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
The high-level forum of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), the first such meeting hosted by Seoul, brought together around 200 delegates from 71 countries on the country's southern resort island of Jeju on Tuesday.
South Korea also hosted the Eastern Endeavor 23 exercise in an effort to strengthen capabilities to counter WMD proliferation, which included multinational maritime interdiction exercises off South Korea's southern waters on Wednesday and an academic session and table-top exercise on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the event concluded with an operational experts' group meeting, during which the participants discussed ways to step up cooperation against North Korea's evolving threats such as cryptocurrency and other emerging technologies.
The PSI was launched in 2003 under the George W. Bush administration to stop the trafficking of WMDs, their delivery systems and related materials. The PSI holds a high-level political meeting every five years to review and set guidelines for the initiative.
The U.S. initiated the Asia-Pacific PSI exercises in 2014, and participating countries have hosted their own exercises, like Eastern Endeavor in South Korea, Pacific Protector in Australia and Pacific Shield in Japan.
Last year, the U.S. hosted the five-day Fortune Guard 22 in Honolulu in September, which brought together 21 countries, including South Korea.
The South Korean Navy's special warfare and CBR forces search a ship suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction in a Proliferation Security Initiative drill at a naval base on South Korea's southern Jeju Island on May 31, 2023, in this photo provided by the Navy. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · June 2, 2023
7. Pyongyang aims to launch multiple spy satellites
The regime will try and try again.
Pyongyang aims to launch multiple spy satellites
donga.com
Posted June. 02, 2023 08:02,
Updated June. 02, 2023 08:02
Pyongyang aims to launch multiple spy satellites. June. 02, 2023 08:02. by Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com.
It was found that the Chollima-1, a North Korean satellite launch vehicle that crashed into the waters on Wednesday, features a larger part for satellite loading than the Kwangmyongsong fired by the regime in February 2016. According to analysts, it was presumed that attempts were made to launch multiple reconnaissance satellites at one go targeting South Korea and the United States. This three-stage carrier rocket is larger than the Kwangmyongsong in total length. Also, it is reported that the failed Chollima-1 is equipped with two to four Baekdusan engines designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles. South Korean military authorities spotted the rocket's fuselage, including a second-stage propulsion system, among the broken pieces that fell after its first stage was separated the previous day. They have since worked to recover them from the sea.
The Chollima-1 appeared greatly different from the Kwangmyongsong based on images released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday showing the previous day's rocket lift-off. Compared to the latter, the diameter of which gets smaller gradually from the first stage through to the third-stage part, with the satellite loading section at the top being of the smallest scale, the former has almost the same diameter up to the third-stage part but has an outstandingly enlarged part for satellite loading. Former President of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute Kim Seung-jo analyzed that the satellite section could have been scaled up due to its practical use, or the larger scale could have been associated with the regime's attempts to carry multiple satellites at once.
According to the military and related experts, the total length of the Cheollima-1 exceeds 30 meters, slightly longer than the 29-meter-long Kwangmyongsong. It is assumed that the regime developed a larger system in terms of length and other measurements to accommodate heavier satellites. Added to this, the Baekdusan engine on liquid fuel was applied to enhance propulsion compared to the Kwangmyongsong equipped with four Rodong missile engines for a mid-range distance. The former was used for Pyongyang’s ICBMs, including the Hwasong-17, which was verified via multiple test launches.
The 15-meter-long fuselage, including the second-stage part, was found around 200 kilometers west of Eochengdo in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, where the space launcher fell on Wednesday. The South Korean military has worked to bring it up to the surface. The vessel Tongyeong ATS-31, the vessel APL Gwangyang, and the Special Security Unit were deployed during the recovery mission.
This massive fuselage, reportedly as long as more than half the total carrier rocket, floated to the surface in the previous day but sank 75 meters down the sea bottom as of Thursday. The first-stage part, the third stage, including the satellite loading part, and the satellite are assumed to have fallen around the waters. Once the ongoing recovery mission is successfully completed, it will help take a closer look at the technologies and performance of this North Korean satellite launch vehicle, in effect, an ICBM, according to the South Korean military.
한국어
donga.com
8. U.S. deepening trilateral cooperation with S. Korea, Japan against N. Korean threats: Biden
This is one of the successes of Biden foreign policy: the improvement of alliances in general but specifically ROK-Japan corporation (line of effort number 7 in the White House's INDOPACIFIC strategy).
Will this be undone in 2024? Our allies are concerned.
U.S. deepening trilateral cooperation with S. Korea, Japan against N. Korean threats: Biden | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · June 2, 2023
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, June 1 (Yonhap) -- The United States is strengthening its cooperation with South Korea and Japan to deter evolving threats posed by North Korea, President Joe Biden said Thursday.
Biden's remark comes after North Korea launched what it claims to be its first military spy satellite in a botched attempt.
"In the Indo-Pacific, we deepened our alliance and our trilateral cooperation with Japan and the Republic of Korea," Biden said while addressing the graduating class of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado.
"We are now talking together, working together to enhance deterrence against threats in the region, including from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," he added, referring to North Korea by its official name.
North Korea blasted off its space launch vehicle carrying a claimed reconnaissance satellite on Wednesday (Korea time). The satellite fell into the Yellow Sea due to what Pyongyang has called "abnormal starting" of the second stage engine of its space rocket.
The U.S. condemned the space despite its ultimate failure, noting a space launch vehicles uses the same technology used in ballistic missiles, which the North is prohibited from using or developing under multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.
A U.N. Security Council meeting has been called to discuss North Korea's latest launch, according to news reports.
Biden earlier offered to host a three-way summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington next month.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) speaks with U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ahead of their three-way talks in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 21, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · June 2, 2023
9. Top U.S., Japanese officials discuss ways to expand cooperation with S. Korea
Top U.S., Japanese officials discuss ways to expand cooperation with S. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · June 1, 2023
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, June 1 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed ways to expand trilateral cooperation between the United States, South Korea and Japan while meeting with top Japanese officials Thursday, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Austin met with Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo.
"The secretary reemphasized with Minister Hayashi the unwavering U.S. commitment to the defense of Japan under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, including U.S. extended deterrence backed by the full range of conventional and nuclear capabilities," defense department spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said of the meeting in a press release.
"Furthermore, the leaders discussed opportunities to expand trilateral cooperation with the Republic of Korea on a range of issues, including by expanding information sharing," he added.
The meeting came one day after North Korea launched what it claims to be its first military spy satellite in a failed attempt that ended with its claimed satellite falling into the Yellow Sea.
The U.S. has increasingly been emphasizing the importance of trilateral cooperation between the U.S. and its two Northeast Asian allies to deal with North Korea's evolving nuclear threats.
Pyongyang has fired some 80 ballistic missiles since the start of last year, and is anticipated to conduct what will be its seventh nuclear test in the near future.
U.S. President Joe Biden has reportedly proposed hosting a trilateral summit in Washington this summer with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
This photo provided by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on June 1, 2023, shows the launch of the North's new "Chollima-1" rocket, allegedly carrying a military reconnaissance satellite, "Malligyong-1," from Tongchang-ri on the North's west coast at 6:29 a.m. the previous day. The projectile fell into waters some 200 kilometers west of the South's southwestern island of Eocheong following its flight over the waters far west of the border island of Baengnyeong. In just about 2 1/2 hours after the launch, the North confirmed its failure, citing the "abnormal starting of the second-stage engine." (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
bdk@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · June 1, 2023
10. Approval ratings of Yoon, ruling party inch down slightly: poll
The pendulum will continue to swing until 2026. One of the challenges of one 5 year term presidencies is the fact that the president is a lame duck on day one.
Approval ratings of Yoon, ruling party inch down slightly: poll | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 유청모 · June 2, 2023
SEOUL, June 2 (Yonhap) -- The approval ratings of President Yoon Suk Yeol and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) inched down slightly this week, amid continued opposition attacks on the government's diplomacy with Japan, a poll showed Friday.
In the poll of 1,002 adults aged 18 and over conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday to Thursday, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance inched down 1 percentage point from the previous week to 35 percent. Yoon's disapproval rating was 57 percent, up 2 percentage points from the previous week.
In the latest poll, 29 percent cited diplomacy as the key factor in their negative assessment of the president, followed by the economy (8 percent) and relations with Japan and its planned release of radioactive water into the sea (8 percent).
The approval rating of the PPP dropped 1 percentage point to 35 percent, while the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) saw its approval rating inch up by 1 percentage point to 32 percent, Gallup Korea said.
Regarding the outlook for next year's general election results, nearly half of the respondents, 49 percent, predicted that the DP will win a majority in the National Assembly, compared with 37 percent forecasting a majority win by the PPP.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks in an export strategy conference in Seoul on June 1, 2023. (Yonhap)
ycm@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by 유청모 · June 2, 2023
11. Indo-Pacific region highlighted as important for Korean economy's future
Indo-Pacific region highlighted as important for Korean economy's future
The Korea Times · June 2, 2023
Participants, including Jeju Governor Oh Young-hoon, seventh from right in first row, applaud during the closing ceremony of the Jeju Forum, held at the International Convention Center Jeju, Friday. Courtesy of the Jeju Forum
Jeju Forum draws 3,000 participants for three-day event
By Lee Yeon-woo
JEJU ― Partnerships with Indo-Pacific countries were highlighted as a pathway for Korea's stable economic development in the future amid intensifying geopolitical tensions between China and the United States.
The region's importance was noted at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, which wrapped up on Friday. The three-day event gathered around 3,000 participants on Jeju Island, with the theme of Working Together for Sustainable Peace and Prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
"The Indo-Pacific, where 65 percent of the world's population resides and which accounts for 62 percent of the world's Gross Domestic Product, is inevitably poised to become the center of geopolitical competition in areas such as security, economy and advanced technology," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said at the opening ceremony held on Thursday.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo delivers a keynote speech during the Jeju Forum's opening ceremony held at International Convention Center Jeju, Thursday. Courtesy of Jeju Forum
Experts viewed that the region's strategic importance is higher than ever as geopolitical blocs surrounding the two superpowers pose threats to Korea's economic stability. Last week, members of the Group of Seven, the richest nations agreed to "de-risk" from China, pledging to bolster supply chains with their partner countries.
"The trend toward moving away from China or limiting new investments into China is clear. And the Chinese approach to weaponize trade will accelerate that process," said Heo Yoon, a professor at the Graduate School of International Studies at Sogang University. "The cost of allowing politics and security to enter the world of business and economics will get higher."
Heo talked about the issue of diversifying relationships within Indo-Pacific countries in various sectors, including supply chains, trade and finance as crucial for Korea at this moment, to ensure "economic resilience." He added that the Korean government's Indo-Pacific strategy can play a role in the process.
Jagannath Panda, the head of the Stockholm Centre for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, agreed, saying that the current world economy requires more engagement among middle-rising economies in the Indo-Pacific.
Experts exchange opinions during the session, Countering Rising Protectionism amid South Korea's Indo-Pacific Manifesto, held at International Convention Center Jeju, Thursday. Courtesy of Jeju Forum
Politicians also pledged their roles at the event. High-profile figures such as the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta, National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, and former U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon attended the event.
"The National Assembly will join the path of solidarity for the sustainable peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region," said Rep. Kim. "We will establish a forum for dialogue to share policy positions and perspectives with lawmakers from various countries, and to seek practical alternatives by promoting investment and cooperation between companies."
In the meantime, Jeju's potential role was also discussed. Kim Sung-hun, President of Cheju Halla University, urged the establishment of a new offshore financial center on Jeju Island to pursue new economic opportunities caused by the changing surroundings in trade.
"Reorganization of the global supply chain in manufacturing requires a large number of funds for the establishment of manufacturing systems and infrastructure in Indo-Pacific economies," said Kim.
The Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity was first launched in 2001 as a platform for international dialogue to seek creative solutions. This year's forum, which was held from Wednesday to Friday on Jeju Island, hosted 50 sessions, with 400 speakers from 20 institutions.
Participants listen to a session held at International Convention Center Jeju, Thursday. Courtesy of Jeju Forum
The Korea Times · June 2, 2023
12. North Korea forces exhausted soldier-laborers to keep daily diary
Hmmm... The Korean Workers Party version of "journaling." They are trying to emulate the self help techniques of the west! (note sarcasm)
North Korea forces exhausted soldier-laborers to keep daily diary
Party reviews their diary entries every week and punishes those deemed ‘insincere’
By Kim Jieun for RFA Korean
2023.06.01
rfa.org
North Korea is forcing exhausted soldiers assigned to a high-profile state construction project to keep a daily diary to prove their loyalty.
But many complain that after working 14-hour days with no weekends, they are too drained to think about what to write, a resident and a soldier in the country told Radio Free Asia.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2021 unveiled an ambitious plan to address a housing shortage in the capital Pyongyang by building 10,000 new homes in the city by the end of the year, and a total of 50,000 by the end of 2025.
Soldiers with orders to provide free labor for the project, called “stormtroopers,” live in squalid conditions with inadequate food rations and they are under pressure to meet tight deadlines.
On Feb. 25, Kim Jong Un and his young daughter Ju Ae attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new street in Pyongyang’s Sopho district. During the ceremony, Kim presented a diary book to a contingent of young stormtroopers who were building houses in the city.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae attend a ceremony for the construction of a new street, in Sopho District, Pyongyang, in this photo released on February 26, 2023, by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Credit: KCNA via Reuters
Diaries with the title “Days of My Youth” were later distributed to every soldier, and from then on, they were made to fill it with a new entry each day, a resident of the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA’s Korean Service on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
“These stormtroopers … work 14 hours per day and they have no rest days except for major national holidays,” he said. “There are frequent accidents where workers fall because they were falling asleep on the job, but now on top of all this [authorities] are telling them to write daily journal entries.”
Forcing loyalty
Their entries will be checked once per week, according to the resident.
“If you skip even one day, or write an entry insincerely, you will be singled out in front of everyone and humiliated during life review sessions on Saturday,” he said.
The review sessions are not just a facet of the military.
Every North Korean citizen must attend such sessions in companies, organizations, or neighborhood watch units, and review how they can be more loyal. Citizens are made not only to criticize themselves, but also to report instances of deficient loyalty among their peers.
For the stormtroopers, the diary assignment is yet another way that the government is forcing them to prove their loyalty.
“How can they expect struggling young people who go to bed hungry every day to be in the mood to write a diary every day?” the resident said.
The diary also serves as a reminder of the project’s deadline, he said.
“At the bottom of each diary page it says ‘There are ______ days left to report loyalty to the Mother Party,’ implicitly urging the completion of the construction before Oct. 10,” which is Party Foundation Day.
A former stormtrooper who worked in Pyongyang, but was sent home to the northwestern city of Sinuiju after being injured in an accident, told RFA that the diary is also used in punishments.
“A member of the stormtrooper platoon I was in deserted because he was starving and he hid at a relative’s house in the city,” she said. “He was captured after ten days. The brigade commander forced him to write self-criticism letters to fill in the blank pages in his diary.”
People who have heard about the plight of the stormtroopers are unhappy that the government gave the diaries as gifts to the soldiers, but monitors what they write and punishes them for it, the soldier said.
Shortly after a major holiday in April, the party committee at North Korea’s top university received a letter penned by a citizen that strongly criticized diary censorship,” she said.
“The writer of the letter faked his name, so the judicial authorities couldn’t investigate any further.”
Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
rfa.org
13. Ex-Mongolian leader says he asked to see North Korean prison camps during visit
Excellent. Let's call KJU's bluff on human rights. We need more leaders like former Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. He is an example of a leader executing a human rights up front approach.
Excerpts:
“I asked if I could visit the labor camps and see for myself if the stories I had heard were true. Second, I wanted to see the nuclear facility,” Elbegdorj said, adding that his third request was to meet a North Korean family for an informal chat over tea.
DPRK authorities rejected all three requests, he said, confirming for the first time that he did not meet with Kim Jong Un. Instead, the then-Mongolian president met with Kim Yong Nam, chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly and de facto head of state, for “extensive talks.”
Ex-Mongolian leader says he asked to see North Korean prison camps during visit
Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj confirms he didn’t meet Kim Jong Un in 2013, stresses need to call DPRK’s ‘bluff’ on human rights
https://www.nknews.org/2023/06/ex-mongolian-leader-says-he-asked-to-see-north-korean-prison-camps-during-visit/
Chad O'Carroll June 2, 2023
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Former Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj visiting North Korea in Oct. 2013 | Image: Rodong Sinmun
Former Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj requested to inspect North Korea’s infamous prison camps and nuclear facilities ahead of his high-profile trip to Pyongyang while in office, a visit originally scheduled to include a meeting with leader Kim Jong Un, he told NK News this week.
Elbegdorj was the first foreign head of state to visit the DPRK under Kim’s rule in Oct. 2013 but notably did not end up meeting the newly anointed North Korean leader.
But the former president revealed to NK News on Wednesday that he made three requests ahead of his visit that may have complicated his chances of meeting Kim Jong Un.
“I asked if I could visit the labor camps and see for myself if the stories I had heard were true. Second, I wanted to see the nuclear facility,” Elbegdorj said, adding that his third request was to meet a North Korean family for an informal chat over tea.
DPRK authorities rejected all three requests, he said, confirming for the first time that he did not meet with Kim Jong Un. Instead, the then-Mongolian president met with Kim Yong Nam, chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly and de facto head of state, for “extensive talks.”
Despite the limitations on his visit, Elbegdorj said the North Koreans granted one request: to provide a lecture at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang.
The former president said his North Korean hosts explicitly requested that he not mention democracy, human rights, or the market economy. But Elbegdorj told NK News that he still took advantage of the opportunity to deliver a speech titled “No Dictatorship Lasts Forever,” a controversial topic for North Korea.
Elbegdorj made the remarks during an event on Wednesday for the Elders, an independent group of global leaders working for “peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet.”
Fyodor Tertitskiy, a leading North Korea researcher at Kookmin University, said Elbegdorj’s requests likely played a big part in Kim Jong Un’s decision not to meet him.
“If the Mongolians had any sense about what kind of country North Korea is, people in Ulaanbaatar would have definitely known that their requests would be rejected,” he told NK News. “It seems to reason that North Korea saw it as a diplomatic insult and that’s why Kim Jong Un refused to meet him.”
Looking forward, Elbegdorj said that he feels the “best way” to deal with the North Korean government is “by addressing the long sufferings of the … people”.
“I think we talked a lot about Kim’s family, but we missed the very important thing that’s the North Korean people,” he said. “And we know that the abuse and violation of the dignity and rights of North Koreans is beyond, I may say, Biblical proportions.”
Elbegdorj said DPRK nuclear and missile activities, including the satellite launch conducted on Wednesday morning, are “just smoke to hide the sufferings of the North Korean people”.
“Revealing the Kim family’s bluff and talking about what they don’t want to talk about is the best way to deal with North Korea,” he said.
Despite the former Mongolian president’s human rights focus during his visit, Pyongyang and Ulaanbaatar have continued to maintain positive diplomatic ties.
Mongolia invited Kim Jong Un to visit Ulaanbaatar “at a comfortable time,” state-run media reported in Sept. 2022, less than two weeks after South Korean foreign minister Park Jin visited the country and called for more robust ties between Seoul and Ulaanbaatar.
Edited by Bryan Betts
14. S. Korea, U.S. craft 1st cybersecurity guidance
S. Korea, U.S. craft 1st cybersecurity guidance | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · June 2, 2023
SEOUL, June 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States signed an arrangement Friday on the creation of their first joint cybersecurity guidance aimed at ensuring smooth combined military operations, Seoul's defense ministry said.
The signing came as they are stepping up security coordination against persistent threats from North Korea that further ratcheted up tensions this week with its failed yet defiant launch of a space rocket.
Brig. Gen. Ryu Seung-ha of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and Col. Erick O. Welcome of the U.S. Forces Korea inked the statement of adherence on the guidance at the JCS headquarters in Seoul.
The guidance is designed to ensure a smooth linkage between the allies' combined command control mechanisms -- South Korea's Allied Korea Joint Command and Control System and the U.S.' Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange System-Korea.
Absent such a guidance in the past, the two sides had to write a memorandum of understanding to link the two systems for certain data. The guidance, however, stipulates specific cybersecurity standards and procedures to enable the linkage between the systems in a more secure and stable manner.
The allies viewed the arrangement as a "big step" to cement the foundation for cybersecurity cooperation between the defense authorities of the two countries, according to the ministry.
"We expect this to contribute greatly to expanding the South Korea-U.S. alliance to the cybersecurity domain," it said.
Brig. Gen. Ryu Seung-ha (L) of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and Col. Erick O. Welcome of the U.S. Forces Korea pose for a photo after signing an arrangement on the creation of the allies' first joint cybersecurity guidance at the JCS headquarters in Seoul on June 2, 2023, in this photo released by the defense ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · June 2, 2023
15. S. Korea wraps up drills to defend western border islands
An important symbolic area but also very vulnerable.
S. Korea wraps up drills to defend western border islands | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · June 2, 2023
SEOUL, June 2 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean military has concluded three-day drills for the defense of western border islands, the Marine Corps said Friday, amid tensions caused by North Korea's botched launch of a space rocket earlier this week.
The drills took place on the border islands in the Yellow Sea, including Baengnyeong Island, led by the North West Islands Defense Command and joined by troops from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marine Corps.
In the exercise that began Tuesday, the armed services mobilized a series of weapons systems, including AH-1S Cobra and AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and a naval landing ship as well as F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets.
The North's launch of the rocket on Wednesday added new urgency for the strengthening of such defense drills, as observers saw it as part of an effort to further enhance the regime's ballistic missile technology and build space-based reconnaissance capabilities in the long term.
The drills had not been held since 2017, amid COVID-19 restrictions and the previous administration's drive for inter-Korean reconciliation.
Troops engage in drills to defend western border islands on Baengnyeong Island on May 31, 2023, in this photo released by the Marine Corps. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · June 2, 2023
16. Diplomacy 'only viable way' to achieve safe, stable Korean Peninsula: U.S. envoy
Diplomacy that leads to a free and unified Korea is the only viable way to achieve unification and the establishment of a free and unified Korea that is secure and stable, non-nuclear, economically vibrant, and unified under a liberal constitutional form of government based on individual liberty, rule of law, and human rights as determined by the Korean people. A free and unified Korea or in short, a United Republic of Korea (UROK).
Diplomacy 'only viable way' to achieve safe, stable Korean Peninsula: U.S. envoy | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · June 1, 2023
SEOGWIPO, South Korea, June 1 (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap) -- The top U.S. envoy to South Korea on Thursday stressed the importance of diplomacy in resolving heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, highlighted by Pyongyang's failed yet defiant launch of a space rocket this week.
"As we prosper, we'll also consider and confront the destabilizing actions of reckless states like North Korea. We still believe that diplomacy is the only viable way to achieve a safe and stable Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons," U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg said during a session at the annual Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity held on the country's southern island of Jeju.
During the session on the Seoul-Washington alliance, Goldberg said the bilateral partnership "ensures peace in the region and cooperation with like-minded partners in the international community."
He stressed the importance of the allies' work in deterring potential aggression from the North, "particularly the threat or use of weapons of mass destruction."
Goldberg added that the Washington Declaration, signed recently by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden, confirms America's efforts to "protect peace and ensure security in the Korean Peninsula."
The envoy also said that the ironclad alliance between Seoul and Washington "consistently delivers on positive results for both of our nations and for our allies across the globe."
U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg gives a lecture on the South Korea-U.S. alliance at Air University in Daejeon, 139 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 18, 2023, in this file photo provided by the Air Force. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
odissy@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · June 1, 2023
17. U.S., ROK Agencies Alert: DPRK Cyber Actors Impersonating Targets to Collect Intelligence
Graphics at the link (and the graphics have practical advice) : https://www.nsa.gov/Press-Room/Press-Releases-Statements/Press-Release-View/Article/3413621/us-rok-agencies-alert-dprk-cyber-actors-impersonating-targets-to-collect-intell/
U.S., ROK Agencies Alert: DPRK Cyber Actors Impersonating Targets to Collect Intelligence
nsa.gov
FORT MEADE, Md. - The National Security Agency (NSA) is partnering with several organizations to highlight the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) use of social engineering and malware to target think tanks, academia, and news media sectors.
To help protect against these DPRK attacks, NSA and partners are publicly releasing the Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA), “North Korea Using Social Engineering to Enable Hacking of Think Tanks, Academia, and Media.”
“DPRK state-sponsored cyber actors continue to impersonate trusted sources to collect sensitive information,” said Rob Joyce, NSA director of Cybersecurity. “Education and awareness are the first line of defense against these social engineering attacks.”
The agencies — the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of State, and the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) National Intelligence Service, National Policy Agency, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs — have observed sustained information gathering efforts originating from a specific set of DPRK cyber actors known collectively as Kimsuky, THALLIUM, or VELVETCHOLLIMA.
The advisory details how North Korea relies heavily on intelligence gained from these spearphishing campaigns. Successful compromises of the targeted individuals enable Kimsuky actors to craft more credible and effective spearphishing emails that can be leveraged against sensitive, high-value targets.
“These cyber actors are strategically impersonating legitimate sources to collect intelligence on geopolitical events, foreign policy strategies, and security developments of interest to the DPRK on the Korean Peninsula,” said Joyce.
Kimsuky is administratively subordinate to an element within North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB). The RGB is primarily responsible for this network of cyber actors and activities. Data stolen by Kimsuky is shared with other DPRK cyber actors in support of the RGB’s objectives.
NSA and its partners encourage individuals and U.S. entities to implement the mitigations listed in the CSA to protect against DPRK actors’ cyber operations, and to report spearphishing examples to www.ic3.gov with a reference to “#KimsukyCSA” in the incident description.
Read the full report here.
Visit our full library for more cybersecurity information and technical guidance.
NSA Media Relations
MediaRelations@nsa.gov
443-634-0721
nsa.gov
18. S.Koreans Are Woefully Unprepared for N.Korean Missile Attack
Who is not unprepared? Do they need the training of my school days and put their heads under their desks? (again note sarcasm).
S.Koreans Are Woefully Unprepared for N.Korean Missile Attack
english.chosun.com
June 01, 2023 13:25
Won Sun-woo
The Seoul Metropolitan Government sent a text message to citizens at 6:41 a.m. on Wednesday urging them to "prepare to evacuate" and added, "Make sure children and elderly people can evacuate first." But there was no mention of the reason why.
At about the same time in Okinawa, Japan, about 1,300 km south, the Japanese government sent a mobile text message saying, "Missile launched. North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please seek shelter inside buildings or underground." The contrast speaks volumes. Japan took the same steps when North Korea fired missiles last year and young children headed to shelters from their kindergartens. That might seem excessive, but at least the warnings clearly stated that a missile launch was underway, which is essential in a country like Japan that also has to be prepared for earthquakes and other natural disasters. Both the government and the public are fully prepared.
Some may argue that stating the reason for the evacuation warning would have caused chaos. But how many people here know how to properly deal with such a warning? The North fired 10 missiles so far this year and around 70 last year and flew drones into Seoul. Yet the country has not conducted a nationwide civil defense drill in six years. Hardly anyone knows where the nearest evacuation shelter is. South Koreans have long lost interest in North Korea's missile launches.
Most South Koreans were alarmed by the text message but then shrugged and got on with their lives, while many others were simply annoyed. The incident exposes the country's fatal lack of preparedness. The reality is that South Koreans must be ready to deal with a North Korean missile attack and evacuate to shelters rather than treat such warnings as fearmongering. The missile's debris fell into the West Sea this time, but it could drop in the middle of Seoul the next time.
Read this article in Korean
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
english.chosun.com
19.
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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