(Note: I will be traveling overseas for the next week so my daily news and commentary will be off schedule).

Quotes of the Day:

“The strategy and tactics being used against us are so foreign to our thought patterns, and the problem [that] this new type of warfare presents is so vast and complex, that it is difficult for us to hurdle the mental roadblocks and come up with the right answer, even when that answer is very plain.” 

– The Orlando Committee, proposing the creation of the Freedom Academy

"Time ripens all things. No man's born wise." 

– Cervantes

“If a country is lost to communism through propaganda and subversion it is lost to our side as irretrievably as if we had lost it in actual warfare.” You can replace “communism” with autocracy and it remains accurate and true."

 – George Gallup (1962) with modification from Matt Armstrong in 2022

1. U.S. will work to 'make sure' it can protect allies over N. Korea threats: White House official

2.  N. Korea's foreign minister meets visiting Chinese vice FM: state media

3. S. Korea delivers state medal for U.S. Gen. MacArthur after 74 years

4. Pyongyang blustering not for war but out of economic frustration

5. Hyesan detention center inmates forced to make fertilizer in bitter cold

6. Pyongyang university holds struggle session after students caught bribing professors

7. Pyongyang decapitation role set out for South Korean F-35s

8. North Korea cracks down on theft of electricity meant for industry

9. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Equality and corruption stemming from government push for elite education… “classes for gifted students” prioritized over ensuring equal educational opportunities for all

10. South Korea–Ukraine partnership charged with reenergising Europe’s battery market

11. Seoul’s spy agency accuses China of major cyber attacks

12.  U.S.-ROK Alliance: Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of a Great Friendship

13. An Open Letter to Independent Lens about “Beyond Utopia”

1. U.S. will work to 'make sure' it can protect allies over N. Korea threats: White House official

U.S. will work to 'make sure' it can protect allies over N. Korea threats: White House official | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · January 27, 2024

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- The United States will do what it has to do to "make sure" that it can protect itself and its allies, a White House official said Friday, amid a rise in tensions caused by North Korea's bellicose rhetoric and continued weapons tests.

John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, made the remarks, responding to a question of whether the U.S. believes Pyongyang actually has the ability to attack the United States.

"We are going to do what we have to do to make sure we can protect the U.S. ... protect our allies and partners," Kirby told a press briefing at the White House.

"The president has devoted more capabilities into the region and has worked really hard with our counterparts in Japan and South Korea, particularly on trilateral cooperation to be able to defend ourselves," he added.

John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Jan. 26, 2024 in this photo released by Reuters. (Yonhap)

The official also noted the North's unceasing quest for improved weapons capabilities.

"We know that the North Koreans continue to pursue advanced capabilities, including ballistic missile capabilities," he said. "And they want to achieve long-range outcomes."

Addressing a question about the possibility of North Korea's provocative moves affecting the presidential election in the United States, Kirby highlighted the U.S.' vigilance.

"No foreign actors, state or non-state, should interfere in our elections period," he said. "We are going to be as vigilant in this election cycle as we have been in the past about doing what we can do to identify and thwart any attempts for election interference."

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · January 27, 2024

2.  N. Korea's foreign minister meets visiting Chinese vice FM: state media

Kim is at the center of the axis of totalitarians.

Excerpts:

The North is stepping up military cooperation with Russia, while ratcheting up tensions with South Korea, which it has branded as an "invariable primary foe."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been seeking to strengthen solidarity with China and Russia vis-a-vis the strengthening of security cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan.

China is the North's traditional ally and key economic benefactor.

(LEAD) N. Korea's foreign minister meets visiting Chinese vice FM: state media | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · January 27, 2024

(ATTN: UPDATES with reports of meeting between vice foreign ministers of China, North Korea in last 4 paras)

SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has met with a visiting senior Chinese diplomat in Pyongyang, its state media reported Saturday, as the North appears to be seeking to strengthen ties with Beijing amid its stepped-up cooperation with Russia.

On Friday, Choe met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, who is visiting North Korea this week, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a brief dispatch.

Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the North and China, the two sides agreed to "continue to strengthen tactical cooperation and keep pace with each other to defend the common core interests," the KCNA said.

The talks took place in "a comradely and friendly atmosphere," it added.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui (R) meets with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong visiting Pyongyang this week, in this photo published by the Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 27, 2024. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

Their meeting came after Choe returned from her visit to Russia this week, during which she met with President Vladimir Putin and her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in a show of deepening bilateral ties.

The North is stepping up military cooperation with Russia, while ratcheting up tensions with South Korea, which it has branded as an "invariable primary foe."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been seeking to strengthen solidarity with China and Russia vis-a-vis the strengthening of security cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan.

China is the North's traditional ally and key economic benefactor.

Sun's visit to Pyongyang is seen as a reciprocal trip after the North's Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho visited China last month.

Also present at Friday's meeting were Pak and Wang Yajun, Chinese ambassador to Pyongyang, the KCNA said.

Friday's meeting came one day after the vice foreign ministers of the two countries held talks.

Pak and Sun had also "discussed the issues related to celebrating the 'year of DPRK-China friendship' and agreed to expand and develop the friendly exchange and practical cooperation between the two countries," the KCNA reported in a separate dispatch.

"They reaffirmed the importance of cooperation between the diplomatic fields of the two countries in dealing with various regional and international issues including the situation in Northeast Asia," the report added.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

elly@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · January 27, 2024

3. S. Korea delivers state medal for U.S. Gen. MacArthur after 74 years

(LEAD) S. Korea delivers state medal for U.S. Gen. MacArthur after 74 years | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · January 27, 2024

(ATTN: ADDS photo)

SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea delivered a state military medal for late U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who led U.N. troops against North Korea in the 1950-53 Korean War, 74 years after deciding to confer the decoration, the defense ministry said Saturday.

MacArthur, the first commander of the U.N. Command, had received a certificate for the First Class Order of Military Merit on Sept. 29, 1950, by then South Korean President Rhee Syng-man, after South Korean and U.S.-led U.N. troops recaptured Seoul from North Korean forces earlier that month.

At the time, South Korea promised to bestow the medal once it was produced but it was never delivered. The ministry said officials only recently discovered the mishap after being tipped off by a citizen interested in Korean War medals.

A ceremony to deliver the medal, now named the Taegeuk Order of Military Merit, to the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia, took place Friday (local time) at the memorial, attended by Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander, according to the ministry.

MacArthur's son, Arthur MacArthur IV, sent a letter thanking South Korea, noting the award is a "testament" to his father's legacy and an honor that "forever binds him to the people of Korea," according to the ministry.

MacArthur and his wife, Jean MacArthur, are laid to rest at the memorial in Norfolk.

The U.S. general spearheaded the amphibious landing of Incheon, just west of the capital, in September 1950, which led to the recapture of Seoul. The 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease-fire rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war.

Maj. Gen. Lee Kyung-koo (L), South Korea's defense attache to the United States, presents the Taegeuk Order of Military Merit for late Gen. Douglas MacArthur to Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander during a ceremony at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia, on Jan. 26, 2024, in this photo provided by the defense ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · January 27, 2024

4. Pyongyang blustering not for war but out of economic frustration

Kim's "economic frustration" is not because of sanctions. It is because of his deliberate policy decision to prioritize nuclear weapons, missiles, and support to the elte over the welfare of the people and the development of a functioning economy/

Kim's problems are not because of the accumulated effects of sanctions.

I would be careful about the assessment that north Korean subversion operations in the Sout will be reduced because of Kim's reent statements about the South and unification.

Excerpts:

Pyongyang’s announcement on Jan. 16 that it would shut down three organizations handling inter-Korean reconciliation is another indicator of its lack of funds to operate properly. They include the Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Country, the National Economic Cooperation Bureau, and the Mount Kumgang International Tourism Administration. Kim justified the decision based on his judgment that South Korea as a partner country for unification and reconciliation was no longer worth the effort. He reaffirmed his longstanding definition of the South as the principal enemy since 2020. In realistic terms, he is basically admitting that his country lacks the revenue to support covert operations in the South, which these three organizations carried out for many years.

These organizations are not the revenue-generating machines that they were once before. Therefore, they can no longer afford to financially support those covert operations that are allegedly conducted by their moles in South Korean society. As a result of their arrest on charges of espionage and violating the National Security Law, these moles have over the years received a substantial amount of financial support from these organizations on a consistent basis. This allowed them to politically operate against the conservative party from gaining power, and remaining socially active in protests and deeply involved in labor union movements. They have one motive, and that is to subvert the country and annex it for the North.

Kim’s relinquishing the anti-South operation apparatus for financial reasons means not only that he sees no value in improving inter-Korean relations but also even intelligence operations in the South must thereafter run on a tight budget. It also indicates the financial support to dormant North Korean moles in South Korean society will significantly be withered, if not come to an immediate end.

Kim’s bluster is therefore due to his country’s damaged financial situation caused by all of the accumulated sanctions. The history of the Korean War also tells Kim that Russia’s approval of invasion on the South will be vital to militarily supplement it in case the war is prolonged. However, Moscow’s desire to evade it was also proven real, for it fears a direct battle against the U.S.

Pyongyang blustering not for war but out of economic frustration

The Korea Times · January 25, 2024

By Choo Jae-woo

Choo Jae-woo

North Korean leader leader Kim Jong-un has been barking so loudly that he has successfully awakened his neighbors, creating a sense of urgency. Three Americans came out and yelled that there would be a possible invasion impending from Pyongyang.

Two of them, Robert Carlin and Siegfried S. Hecker, argued that there is a growing danger of war on the Korean Peninsula, not because of the incremental rise in the decibel levels of bluster coming from the top dog in Pyongyang but for the change in his perception concerning world affairs and, therefore, his strategies in dealing with the U.S. and South Korea. They drew an inference from what had happened with Kim's grandfather Kim Il-sung in 1950 prior to the advent of the Korean War.

The third, Robert Gallucci, came out with a theory that may heighten the prospects of North Korea risking The Law on the DPRK’s Nuclear Forces, whereby it justifies first-strike use of nuclear weapons in the event of conventional warfare.

The two schools of thought share two common denominators in their thinking. One is the dead end that North Korea feels that it has run into by improving ties with the U.S. All three were right on the money when theyed claim Pyongyang’s ultimate outstanding goal for the last three generations of leadership has been to normalize the relationship with the U.S. For this end, Pyongyang’s nuclear aspirations, actual weapons development and the testing of the weapons were fully utilized as one of the means to draw Washington to the negotiating table. Pyongyang’s offer of denuclearization that Washington has insisted as a prerequisite for the success of normalization talks was fully utilized as bait that successfully decoyed it only to find its efforts and time were wasted.

The other is the revival of the so-called “northern trilateral camp” in the northern region of the Korean Peninsula. Long perceived as an alliance camp that vanished with the end of the Korean War, Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow are gearing up to bring back solidarity once again. Their southern counterpart, the Seoul-Washington-Tokyo grouping, saw ties consolidated at the Camp David Summit in August 2022, giving rise, as many have speculated, to the active engagement of the northern three at a level unprecedented since the 1950s. The Sino-Soviet conflict after the Korean War and North Korea’s so-called “tightrope diplomacy” between the two communist powers has seemingly lasted right up to the present day.

Pyongyang has never recovered its trust in Moscow after not getting the military support that it was once promised. Although the Soviet Union still remained the North’s largest aid provider for the rest of the Cold War period, it failed to continue playing that role after its demise in 1991. With China giving higher priority to its relations with the U.S., the North’s confidence in China has dissipated over the years. Beijing has somewhat been a player in the U.N. sanctions and even adopted its own measures against Pyongyang in 2013. China’s aid has been severed over the years, negatively affecting the sustainability of not only the North’s economy but also in and around peninsula operation activities.

North Korea’s economy has been in a dismal state since Kim Jong-un took over in 2012. In the span of 10 years, the country has recorded a positive economic growth rate only five times — in 2012 (1.3 percent), 2013 (1.1 percent), 2014 (1.0 percent), 2016 (3.9 percent) and 2019 (0.4 percent). The rest was all negative: minus 1.1 percent in 2015, minus 3.5 percent in 2017, minus 4.1 percent in 2018, minus 4.5 percent in 2020, minus 4.5 percent in 2020, minus 0.1 percent in 2021 and minus 0.2 percent in 2022.

The accumulative effects of the periods of decline overwhelm the positive growth rate as a whole. What made it worse was Kim’s execution in 2013 of his uncle Jang Song-thaek, who was the chief of the country’s foreign currency earning operations overseas. Coupled with U.N. sanctions in 2017, which prohibited North Korea from sending laborers overseas, Kim was left with no option but to resort to stealing cryptocurrencies in the virtual world. The alleged earnings may have been a lot, but he was then faced with limited ability to convert them into hard currency.

Pyongyang’s announcement on Jan. 16 that it would shut down three organizations handling inter-Korean reconciliation is another indicator of its lack of funds to operate properly. They include the Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Country, the National Economic Cooperation Bureau, and the Mount Kumgang International Tourism Administration. Kim justified the decision based on his judgment that South Korea as a partner country for unification and reconciliation was no longer worth the effort. He reaffirmed his longstanding definition of the South as the principal enemy since 2020. In realistic terms, he is basically admitting that his country lacks the revenue to support covert operations in the South, which these three organizations carried out for many years.

These organizations are not the revenue-generating machines that they were once before. Therefore, they can no longer afford to financially support those covert operations that are allegedly conducted by their moles in South Korean society. As a result of their arrest on charges of espionage and violating the National Security Law, these moles have over the years received a substantial amount of financial support from these organizations on a consistent basis. This allowed them to politically operate against the conservative party from gaining power, and remaining socially active in protests and deeply involved in labor union movements. They have one motive, and that is to subvert the country and annex it for the North.

Kim’s relinquishing the anti-South operation apparatus for financial reasons means not only that he sees no value in improving inter-Korean relations but also even intelligence operations in the South must thereafter run on a tight budget. It also indicates the financial support to dormant North Korean moles in South Korean society will significantly be withered, if not come to an immediate end.

Kim’s bluster is therefore due to his country’s damaged financial situation caused by all of the accumulated sanctions. The history of the Korean War also tells Kim that Russia’s approval of invasion on the South will be vital to militarily supplement it in case the war is prolonged. However, Moscow’s desire to evade it was also proven real, for it fears a direct battle against the U.S.

Choo Jae-woo (jwc@khu.ac.kr) is a professor of international relations at Kyung Hee University and director of the China Center at the Korea Research Institute for National Security. He was a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution.

The Korea Times · January 25, 2024

5. Hyesan detention center inmates forced to make fertilizer in bitter cold

More examples of the brutality of the regime.

Hyesan detention center inmates forced to make fertilizer in bitter cold

"Detainees in the detention center are forced to work whether they're sick or not," a source told Daily NK

By Lee Chae Un - 2024.01.26 3:16pm

dailynk.com

Hyesan detention center inmates forced to make fertilizer in bitter cold - Daily NK English

North Korean workers distributing manure for use as fertilizer in this photo from January 2015. (Urriminjokggiri)

Prisoners at a detention center in Hyesan, Yanggang Province, have been forced to make fertilizer for long hours despite the bitter cold, Daily NK has learned. Some of the prisoners even collapse on the job.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Tuesday that people in Hyesan’s detention center are being forced to produce fertilizer with the start of the New Year’s “fertilizer struggle.” He said some people are collapsing at work “as even those who are not well are forced to work without exception.”

Every year, North Korea mobilizes everyone to produce fertilizer, the first “battle” of the year. Detainees in prison camps are no exception, with inmates forced to produce fertilizer even when the temperature is 20 degrees Celsius below zero.

According to the source, the current detainees at the detention center in Hyesan are forced to produce fertilizer from 8 AM to 6 PM. Several detainees, especially those in poor health, are forced to work long hours in the cold.

On Jan. 19, a female prisoner in her 50s collapsed while producing fertilizer. The woman was already in fragile health – she had been running a high fever for a week, could not sleep, and had not eaten. Despite this, the guards forced her to produce manure, and she eventually passed out.

“Sick people get no treatment in the detention center,” the source said. “They don’t treat you like a patient, even if you have a fever. Detainees put wet towels on each other’s heads when they’re sick to cool them down, and that’s it.”

“When prisoners get sick, they’re supposed to be sent to an outside hospital, but because the procedures for that are complicated and require approval from higher up, the detention center doesn’t send prisoners to hospitals if they can avoid it,” he said. “So the detainees are forced to endure until they get better.”

The source said that even if they can go to the hospital, detainees are reluctant to go because they have to buy their own medicine and hospital supplies, such as firewood.

“Detainees in the detention center are forced to work whether they’re sick or not,” the source said. “The guards don’t even blink when the prisoners collapse. They call them crybabies and treat them as less than human.”

Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.

Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.

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

Read in Korean

Lee Chae Un

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

dailynk.com

6. Pyongyang university holds struggle session after students caught bribing professors

Pyongyang university holds struggle session after students caught bribing professors

During the struggle session, officials told students that "exchanging money is non-socialist behavior that defiles the sacred lectern"

By Jong So Yong - 2024.01.26 4:34pm

https://www.dailynk.com/english/pyongyang-university-holds-struggle-session-after-students-caught-bribing-professors/

The Pyongyang Kim Won Gyun University of Music and Dance. (Rodong Sinmun)

A university in Pyongyang has held a struggle session after students were caught secretly giving their professors envelopes filled with cash for the New Year, Daily NK has learned.

“The party committee of Pyongyang Kim Won Gyun University of Music and Dance convened an ideological struggle meeting on Jan. 16 after being informed that students of the same year in one of the school’s departments secretly gave envelopes stuffed with dollars to their professors by hiding them in flower bouquets,” a source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

According to the source, students of all grades and departments at Pyongyang University of Music and Dance visited their professors and gave them bouquets as New Year’s greetings.

In North Korea, it is normal for students to give their professors a modest amount of money when they visit them at the beginning of the year. However, the problem arose this year when the students in question gave their professors a particularly excessive amount of cash.

The students had agreed to raise an unprecedented amount of money as a New Year’s greeting for their professors, as well as a bribe for favorable treatment. According to the source, they hid an envelope containing four USD 50 bills, or a total of USD 200, in each professor’s bouquet.

However, one of the professors was nervous about the potential consequences of the gift. After considering his course of action for several days, he took the envelope and the money to the university’s party committee and confessed that he had received US dollars, which brought the whole incident to light.

When the party committee learned of this, they called in and interrogated all the other professors who had received envelopes hidden in their bouquets. In the end, the professors had to hand over all the money they had received to the party committee, the source said.

The party committee then told students from other years and departments that they had nothing to fear if they came clean about handing over envelopes of cash to their professors. While their bribes would be confiscated, the committee said, all the money would be used only to decorate the university, take care of paintings and statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, and do spring cleaning.

Students and “corrupt” professors taken to task 

But the party committee did not stop there. On Jan. 16, it gathered all the professors and students in question and held an ideological struggle meeting, the source said.

“Some sharp criticism was voiced during the struggle meeting. The committee members told the students, ‘We won’t stop you from visiting your professors and greeting them. There’s nothing wrong with giving them a card or a bouquet, or even having a meal together for the New Year. But exchanging money is non-socialist behavior that defiles the sacred lectern.”

Meanwhile, the professor who had taken his envelope of dollars to the party committee was held up as a “principled professor,” while those who had remained silent were denounced as “unprincipled professors.” They were subjected to such humiliation that they could barely hold their heads up, the source said.

Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.

Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.

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

7. Pyongyang decapitation role set out for South Korean F-35s

People love certain words, especially decapitation and assassination.

Pyongyang decapitation role set out for South Korean F-35s

flightglobal.com · by Greg Waldron

Defence

By 2024-01-25T04:19:00+00:00

South Korea’s defence minister has stated that a key role for the country’s Lockheed Martin F-35As in a war against North Korea will be knocking out leadership targets.

In remarks to the Republic of Korea Air Force’s (ROKAF’s) 17th fighter wing, which operates F-35As, defence minister Shin Won-Sik stressed that should Pyongyang start a war against South Korea, then the F-35A will be tasked with quickly destroying North Korea’s communist regime.

Source: South Korea Ministry of National Defense

South Korean defence minister Shin Won-Sik with personnel from the 17th fighter wing. In a war against North Korea, the F-35A would be tasked with striking North Korean leadership

“[The] F-35 [is] the vanguard that will eliminate the enemy leadership and herald the end of the regime in the shortest possible time if North Korea starts a war,” says Shin.

“If the Kim Jong-un regime makes the worst choice of starting a war, you must become the invisible force that protects the Republic of Korea.”

The ROKAF operates 39 F-35As, and in December 2023 South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said it will obtain more under the Next Fighter 2 requirement. While it did not give the number to be obtained, a September 2023 Foreign Military Sales case from the US government stated that Seoul was cleared to buy 25 additional F-35As.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un has ratcheted up tensions recently, declaring Seoul an enemy and formally repudiating “peaceful unification” with South Korea.

Amid a dire economic outlook, including food shortages, North Korea has also continued to test ballistic and cruise missiles.

❝F-35, 북한이 전쟁을 일으킨다면 최단 시간 내

적 지도부 제거 및 정권의 종말을 고할 선봉장❞

- 신원식 국방부 장관, 24일(수) F-35 스텔스전투기 부대 현장점검#국방부 #공군 #17전비 #f35 #즉강끝 #스텔스 #선봉장 #stealth pic.twitter.com/d2S5NiKcum

— 국방부 (@ROK_MND) January 24, 2024

Though details about North Korea’s military are murky, its air force is no match for the ROKAF and the US Air Force, which has bases in South Korea. As a treaty ally of Seoul, US forces would all but certainly be embroiled should war break out on the Korean peninsula.

Apart from a small number of RAC MiG-29s and Sukhoi Su-25s, the majority of Korean People’s Air Force assets are believed to be unserviceable. North Korea certainly possesses substantial air defences, but these would be subjected to intense attrition by allied air forces.

In recent months Pyongyang has also tried to burnish its aerospace credentials with the unveiling of large, unmanned air vehicles that resemble the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper and Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk: the turboprop-powered Saetbyol-9 and jet-powered Saetbyol-4.

While a brief video purporting to show both in flight emerged last year, the development status and capabilities of both is unclear, particularly given Pyongyang’s lack of a capable aerospace sector.

Source: Korean Central News Agency

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un with the Saetbyol-9. The capability of Pyongyang’s UAV creations is not clear

Separately, South Korea has started production of the Korean Air Medium-Altitude Unmanned Air Vehicle (MUAV), according to Seoul’s official Yonhap news agency, quoting the DAPA.

Development of the MUAV – also designated KUS-FS – was completed in 2022. Last year the DAPA said production would begin in 2024.

The DAPA envisages the MUAV providing a continuous intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability on targets deep within North Korea. Moreover, local production will support the country’s domestic aerospace sector.

8. North Korea cracks down on theft of electricity meant for industry

​Kim has created so many problems in north Korea due to his policies from corruption among government (party) officials to a failed economy to a humanitarian disaster for the Korean people.

North Korea cracks down on theft of electricity meant for industry

Three months hard labor for tapping into wires that supply electricity to factories or hospitals.

By Ahn Chang Gyu for RFA Korean

2024.01.26

rfa.org

North Korea is cracking down on electricity theft, punishing not only residents who tap into factory supply wires, but also the corrupt officials that sell them access, residents in the country told Radio Free Asia.

Electricity is not supplied to residential areas all day and all night in North Korea.

Instead, rolling blackouts are common everywhere, with some rural parts of the country only getting one hour of power each day so that they can prepare dinner.

But factories, hospitals and other important government facilities receive a steady supply. Shrewd employees at those facilities make extra cash by charging residents to run wires from their houses to connect with the industrial wires.

“The social security department is patrolling each neighborhood of the town at night, cracking down on houses that secretly use industrial electricity,” a resident in Kyongwon county in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for personal safety.

“They regularly go to factories and institutions to check to make sure there are no electric wires connected to homes,” he said. “Two days ago, a house was caught using electricity at night by tapping into an industrial wire. Six houses have been cracked down on by the county, just this month alone.”

Location, location, location

The amount of electricity the government supplies to your home depends greatly on where you live, he explained.

“Kyongwon is a typical agricultural county with a few small local industrial plants and coal mines,” he said. “Electricity was well supplied until the fall threshing season, but now it is only available for about an hour a day.”

Juche Tower glows over a darkened Pyongyang, May 5, 2015. (Wong Maye-E/AP)

Though the capital Pyongyang is given priority, even residents there usually go without power for some of the day. Areas close to the border with China also receive more electricity because the government wants to give a good impression to the outside world.

Kyongwon county borders China, but the populated areas are some 5 kilometers (3 miles) away, so they have not been deemed important enough for constant supply.

“On January 1st, the New Year’s special electricity supply lasted less than six hours that day,” the resident said.

Least wonderful time of the year

Most of the electricity in the border areas is generated by hydroelectric power, and output is lower in the cold winter months, another resident from North Hamgyong told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.

“As winter approaches and electricity is not readily available, there are many cases of people being caught secretly using industrial electricity,” he said. “Around January 10, a house in Kilju town that had been secretly using the military hospital’s electricity for over three months was caught.”

The resident said that the wires had been installed in such a way that detecting them was not easy.

“Also they dug into the ground about 30 meters (98 feet) away from the hospital and buried the electric cables all the way to their house,” he said. “The next-door neighbor never noticed the house was using industrial electricity.”

The police investigated the situation and discovered that a hospital employee who oversees its electrical equipment connected the cables in exchange for 100,000 won (US$12) per month,” he said.

“The hospital employee and the male head of the house were punished with three months in a disciplinary labor center,” the second resident said.

Using industrial electricity in the home is common practice for government officials and rich residents, he explained.

The rich and powerful can usually bribe or bully their way out of punishment in North Korea.

“It is only the powerless residents who are caught and punished,” he said.

Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.

rfa.org

9. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Equality and corruption stemming from government push for elite education… “classes for gifted students” prioritized over ensuring equal educational opportunities for all

The socialist workers paradise where all are equal.

＜Inside N. Korea＞ Equality and corruption stemming from government push for elite education… “classes for gifted students” prioritized over ensuring equal educational opportunities for all

asiapress.org

A textbook called "Socialist Morality" for elementary school second graders. The textbook was published in 2013 and depicts four people with bouquets of flowers paying homage to a statue of Kim Il-sung. The textbook emphasizes loyalty to those in power. (ASIAPRESS)

North Korea's February 2023 adoption of the "Prodigy Education Law" was a government attempt to cultivate the country’s elite. The law has led to the emergence of “classes for gifted students” that aim to push students to enter elite schools, but the law has created a growing dilemma for the North Korean authorities as it encourages the spread of private education, which in turn leads to educational inequality. (KANG Ji-won / CHO Eui-sung)

◆The history of North Korea’s gifted education and the passage of the “Prodigy Education Law”

In the Kim Il-sung era, gifted education was vilified as discriminatory and reactionary. Under Kim Jong-il, however, the North Korean government’s view of such education changed. Recognizing the role of talented people in national competitiveness and social development, the country has shifted toward having a system that aims to cultivate such the “gifted.”

The North Korean authorities have implemented a policy to cultivate talented people for national construction and development by promoting a “gifted” education system centered on the Pyongyang First Middle School, Keumsung Academy, and the No. 1 Middle Schools in each province.

*Pyongyang No. 1 Middle School: A mathematics education institution located in the Potonggang District of Pyongyang, the school’s mission is to train national cadres and science and technology students through selecting highly intelligent students from across the country.

*Keumseong Academy: An academy in the Mangyongdae District of Pyongyang that trains gifted students in the arts.

In February 2023, the 14th Plenary Session of the 24th Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly adopted the “Prodigy Education Law,” which establishes a system for gifted education, selects gifted students, establishes guidelines, and guarantees educational conditions. The law can be seen as laying the foundation for a more stable and sustainable effort to cultivate gifted students by codifying the tenants of gifted education policy.

◆ The growing gap in education inequality…some students can’t even eat lunch and have to given up going to school

However, contrary to the intentions of the North Korean authorities, educational inequality among North Koreans is growing as a side effect of the program.

In late August 2023, an ASIAPRESS reporting partner in Hyesan, a city in North Korea's Yanggang Province, said that, in recent years, North Korean schools have begun to offer entry into “gifted classrooms,” which are operated separately from regular classes and provide advanced and high-quality education.

The reporting partner said that guidelines have been established to allow students who are selected to go on to higher-level gifted schools, including the Pyongyang No. 1 Middle School. This has led to an unprecedented level of competition among North Koreans to get into the gifted education system.

"The system is designed to educate students in a different framework than other students, and students and parents are desperate to get in."

In the meantime, the phenomenon of some teachers making money from tutoring students in order to get into the gifted education system is on the rise, adding another layer of inequality and corruption to North Korea’s education system.

The issue here is that the overwhelming majority of students who fail to enter the gifted education system are worse off. The quality of general education deteriorates as limited educational resources are focused on gifted education programs. Moreover, some students are unable to attend school because their families are so poor.

"For students who can't bring lunch boxes to school, study classes and divisions are asking them to take turns bringing extra lunch boxes."

◆ North Korean authorities take measures to counter education inequality, but…

North Korean authorities seem to recognize that one of the causes of extracurricular activities outside of school is the poor treatment of teachers and are trying with whatever resources are available to improve teachers’ treatment and raise their salaries as part of efforts to support the public education system, according to another reporting partner in North Hamgyong Province.

"There was a party directive instructing officials to provide rations to teachers. The city party committee appealed to local companies to provide food for teachers, and since July, they have been providing 20 days' worth of rations, I’ve heard.”

According to the reporting partner, the living allowance for teachers has also been steadily increasing, and was already around 18,000 won a few years ago. At the end of 2023, the North Korean authorities raised wages for workers and civil servants at the same time, and teachers now earn between 38,000 and 50,000 won per month.

*1,000 North Korean won is about 0.119 dollars.

At the same time, authorities are also tightening their control over private education. The Hyesan reporting partner said that in early August, the authorities issued a directive to eliminate the practice of teachers taking bribes to provide after-school tutoring. This included a directive that instructed parents and teachers to send all school-age children to school.

Despite these efforts, the government’s dilemma is unlikely to be solved anytime soon. Many of the students receiving tutoring are the children of party cadres and the donju (the wealthy entrepreneurial class), so the reporting partners question how effective the government crackdowns will be.

※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.

A map of North Korea (ASIAPRESS)

asiapress.org

10. South Korea–Ukraine partnership charged with reenergising Europe’s battery market

I see what you did there Mr. Headline editor.

South Korea–Ukraine partnership charged with reenergising Europe’s battery market | East Asia Forum

Anthony Rinna

eastasiaforum.org · January 27, 2024

IN BRIEF

South Korea is focusing on its partnership with Ukraine, with the aim of leveraging Ukraine's abundant lithium resources for its burgeoning battery industry. But despite the potential benefits, South Korea faces the challenge of navigating its dependency on China for critical minerals, whilst presenting itself as an independent and reliable alternative for Europe's renewable battery industry. This is especially difficult amid growing fear that China’s dominance puts Europe in a vulnerable position, and regulations limiting cooperation with China.

South Korea has emerged as a solid partner for war-ravaged Ukraine. Not only do South Korea and Ukraine have common experiences straddling geopolitical fault lines, but Seoul has proven it is ready to share its experiences in postwar reconstruction and redevelopment with Kyiv.

Alleviating suffering of the Ukrainian people and helping Ukraine re-emerge from the ashes of war is Seoul’s immediate priority in its burgeoning partnership with Kyiv. But in the long term, the emerging South Korea–Ukraine relationship in the realm of lithium also stands to benefit Europe more broadly by helping Europe break China’s grip on the production of renewable batteries.

South Korea has become a battery cathode export powerhouse. Access to lithium, a resource which Ukraine reportedly has in abundance, is absolutely critical for South Korea’s ambition to hold a 40 per cent share of global battery production by 2030.

The partnership between Seoul and Kyiv presents an opportunity for South Korea to secure greater amounts of lithium. This will help Seoul tap into the European battery market, which is set to grow with the rise of electric vehicles.

Ukraine itself has partnered with neighbouring Poland, home to a major lithium-ion battery factory owned by South Korean company LG Energy Solution. Most batteries produced in Poland end up in Western Europe, positioning South Korea for greater participation in Europe’s battery markets.

This convergence of interests has not been lost on either Kyiv or Seoul, and throughout 2023, avenues to deepen cooperation were a consistent topic in meetings between the two countries.

In September 2023, following Seoul’s provision of humanitarian aid and deals to help with Ukraine’s reconstruction, South Korea’s Infrastructure Minister Won Hee-ryong met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss South Korea’s participation in lithium mining as part of their renewable battery industry.

Several representatives from private South Korean companies accompanied Won Hee-ryong during his visit to the Ukrainian capital, potentially as part of the South Korean government’s bid to encourage greater private sector participation in securing supplies of critical minerals.

The broader regional promises of South Korea–Ukraine cooperation in the field of lithium extraction hinge in large part on South Korea’s ability to present itself as an alternative to China in the European battery market.

A European Union report published in September 2023 warned that Beijing’s dominance in global battery production could leave Europe vulnerable. This has prompted calls for the European Union to pursue greater independence from China, and by extension all Asian battery producers.

For South Korea one of the main challenges it faces in leveraging a lithium partnership with Ukraine is doing so independently of Chinese entities.

Seoul’s ability to position itself as an independent actor in the race to secure supplies of lithium is particularly urgent in light of the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which contains provisions limiting US partners’ ability to cooperate with China. Chinese entities may have no more than a 25 per cent stake in a South Korean firm, otherwise these firms fall under US provisions governing foreign entities of concern.

Unfortunately, it has proven difficult for Korean industries with vested interest in critical minerals to avoid cooperation with Chinese firms.

China’s stranglehold on much of the world’s lithium supply has often forced South Korean companies to team up with Chinese counterparts. South Korea risks becoming overly dependent on China in order to access its lithium reserves.

South Korea is already highly dependent on China for access to the critical minerals needed for some of its most powerful industries. In 2023 alone, South Korean firms such as POSCO and SK On have signed agreements with China-based companies to cooperate on the extraction of minerals such as lithium and nickel.

Despite these challenges, there are several options that South Korea can explore to mitigate these risks and reap benefits.

South Korea’s participation in the United States-led Mineral Security Partnership, which includes both the European Commission and individual European states, provides Seoul with an avenue to pursue greater independence from China and closer cooperation with European partners.

Focussing on battery recycling could help mitigate the risk of not having a sufficiently large or continuous supply of lithium. Should Seoul manage to find a way to gain access to Ukrainian lithium independent of restrictive partnerships with Chinese entities, advancements in battery recycling may help South Korean firms invest in Ukraine’s natural resources and secure a constant supply independent of Chinese actors.

Ultimately, South Korea will need to present itself as the best Asian partner for Kyiv in the realm of lithium extraction, while also proving to other European partners that it can participate in Europe’s renewable battery industry without worsening their over-dependence on China.

Should South Korea manage to pull this off, it can position itself as not merely as a long-term economic partner for a Ukraine, but also other European partners.

Anthony V Rinna is Senior Editor at the Sino-NK research group.

https://doi.org/10.59425/eabc.1706392800

eastasiaforum.org · January 27, 2024

11.Seoul’s spy agency accuses China of major cyber attacks

Of course many of north Korea's cyber warriors operate in China.

Seoul’s spy agency accuses China of major cyber attacks

koreaherald.com · by Kim Arin · January 24, 2024

North Korea trying to work generative AI into hacking operations

By Kim Arin

Published : Jan. 24, 2024 - 17:10

Bae Jong-wook, the deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, speaks during a conference on Wednesday at a venue in Seoul. (NIS)

South Korean spy agency on Wednesday reported a significant uptick in attempts of cyber attacks by foreign sources last year, waged mainly by North Korea and China. Chinese attacks tended to inflict more severe damage than North Korean ones, despite the latter being more frequent.

The National Intelligence Service said cyber attacks against the public sector increased by 36 percent overall last year compared to the year before. North Korea accounted for 80 percent of those attacks, and China, 5 percent.

But rated in terms of the severity of damage, attacks by Chinese sources were responsible for 21 percent of total “cyber security incidents of high significance” over the year. North Korea was responsible for 68 percent of significant attacks.

The spy agency did not state whether the cyber attacks could be attributed to the Chinese government, referring to them only as attacks “from China” or “by Chinese sources.” The agency said it was unable to reveal whether the attacks were state-backed for foreign relations reasons.

Chinese cyber attacks were characterized by a “slow and stealthy infiltration,” the spy agency said, intended to reduce its chances of being exposed.

In one instance, Chinese hackers infiltrated into the servers of a South Korean company and snatched information on its customers and commercial secrets for several years by stashing malware disguised as an open software.

Amid a heated space race, cyber attacks on ground stations aimed at gaining control of satellites were becoming more prevalent, the spy agency said.

Some major attacks of Chinese origin were believed to have targeted the satellite network systems here, according to the spy agency, intercepting signals transmitted through communications.

Besides hacking into South Korean government services, China was suspected of waging influence campaigns to spread pro-Beijing propaganda.

In November last year, the spy agency busted China-made websites generating “pro-China” and “anti-US” stories for South Korean audiences online. To look authentic, the websites mimicked the features of actual news outlets here.

The spy agency warned of an increase in cyber security threats intended to sway public opinion and possibly interfere with the parliamentary election slated for April.

South Korean national defense ministry has similarly highlighted the heightened risk of foreign cyber operations in the run-up to the election. Shin Won-sik, the defense minister, told The Korea Herald on Monday that the country “must brace for the threat of cyber psychological warfare in the form of large-scale hacking and the spread of disinformation.”

In October last year, the spy agency announced it found security flaws in the servers of the National Election Commission following a 12-week inspection. The election watchdog agreed to the cyber security inspection after being informed by the spy agency of at least seven counts of North Korean attacks in the past two years.

The spy agency said that it was in the final stages of addressing the security vulnerabilities of the election watchdog’s servers, to be completed before the parliamentary election.

Unlike Chinese attackers, the spy agency said North Korea often acted quickly, changing targets and directions of operations at the orders of its leader, Kim Jong-un.

In the beginning of last year, North Korea’s army of hackers tried to attack South Korean agricultural and fisheries organizations after Kim ordered them to address food shortages.

Then in August and September, when Kim stressed the importance of the country’s naval forces, his hackers stole designs and other data from South Korean shipbuilders. In October, in response to the North Korean leader’s calls for more drones, they tried to get the related technology from defense companies of South Korea and 25 other countries.

The spy agency said North Korea was in the process of integrating generative artificial intelligence into its hacking tools and techniques. There was no known instance of a North Korean cyber attack involving generative AI yet, it added.

The spy agency cited quantum encryption as one of the emerging challenges in the cyber security landscape. The agency was working with private industries and research institutions to develop solutions to defend against quantum computer-based attacks.

To enhance cooperation with allies in cyber defense, the spy agency said it was planning to launch the Cyber Summit Korea workshop in September under the theme of a “step ahead for global cyber security.”

koreaherald.com · by Kim Arin · January 24, 2024

​12. U.S.-ROK Alliance: Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of a Great Friendship

U.S.-ROK Alliance: Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of a Great Friendship

washingtontimes.com · by The Washington Times https://www.washingtontimes.com

U.S.-ROK Alliance: Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of a Great Friendship (sponsored) U.S.-ROK Alliance: Celebrating the 70th Anniversary … more >

Monday, January 22, 2024

OPINION:

Anniversaries are an important time to reflect on good memories, achievements, sorrows, and hope for a better future. In 2023, the great ROK-U.S. Alliance celebrated 70 years together between the people of South Korea and the United States. A relationship sealed on the battlefields of the Korean War is now helping to build and shape a global partnership in all facets of our increasingly intertwined lives.

The Korea-US Alliance Foundation (KUSAF) and the Korea Defense Veterans Association (KDVA) are proud to support the millions of Koreans and 5.1 million American Veterans who have served together in Korea. Their contributions and sacrifices have helped build this Alliance into one of the most important and most powerful alliances in the world.

The Veterans’ example of selfless service has inspired tremendous achievements in 2023 with the great State Visit for ROK President Yoon, Suk Yeol, the historic U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral Leaders’ Summit at Camp David, the ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), and the first UN Command Member States Defense Ministerial Meeting in Seoul. Each event was significant, but having all four in one year added even more meaning to the 70th anniversary of the Alliance.

KUSAF & KDVA are hopeful for the SCM’s “Defense Vision of the ROK-U.S. Alliance” which will serve as a “forward-looking posture” for bilateral defense cooperation, aimed at strengthening deterrence against the North Korea threat, modernizing Alliance capabilities, expanding into a science and technology security partnership, and strengthening solidarity with like-minded countries. Under this light, we believe that security cooperation among ROK-U.S.-Japan and UNC Member States will be strengthened.

The most famous expression that represents the U.S.-ROK Alliance is “We go together” (or in Korean, “Katchi Kapshida”). For the past 70 years, the U.S. and ROK walked the “same path” together by deterring North Korea’s nuclear threats and developing a solid and cooperative security and economic partnership. We hope the U.S. and ROK will keep walking together, and that Japan walks with us.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

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washingtontimes.com · by The Washington Times https://www.washingtontimes.com

​13. An Open Letter to Independent Lens about “Beyond Utopia”

​The arguments against Beyond Utopia are so wrong. The gist of the argument is in this proposed disclaimer which I will "translate:"

● Add a disclaimer when broadcasting the film and on the Independent Lens website to the effect of: “Beyond Utopia represents one perspective of what is a highly controversial situation and its causes” and offer additional resources for your viewers.

They want the film to acknowledge the US started the Korean War. They want the US blamed for the division and all the ils that it has caused. They want the Kim family regime painted in a more favorable light.

An Open Letter to Independent Lens about “Beyond Utopia”

https://medium.com/@dborshay/an-open-letter-to-independent-lens-about-beyond-utopia-53b7f65a8cc5

Deann Borshay Liem, Independent Filmmaker

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Publicity still from “Beyond Utopia”

The following letter was sent to Lois Vossen, Executive Producer at Independent Lens, regarding the documentary Beyond Utopia, on January 7, 2024. We have updated this post with Lois Vossen’s responses on January 9th and 17th and our responses on January 13th and 23rd.

Dear Lois,

We are writing about the documentary Beyond Utopia, which is opening the new season of Independent Lens. As documentarians, we have traveled to North Korea many times. We have made films about the un-ended Korean War, the division of the Korean peninsula, and the effects of these devastating events on Koreans in the diaspora. Over the past two decades, our work has focused on combating stereotypes and historical erasure and bringing nuance and humanity to those living on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

We are concerned that Beyond Utopia presents an unbalanced and inaccurate narrative about Korean history and North Korean society. While the film’s verité sequences of the Roh and Lee families’ plight are compelling, noticeably lacking is any mention of the ongoing impact of the Korean War and U.S. policies that have destabilized the livelihood and well-being of North Korea’s people — factors that cause families like the Rohs and Lees to leave the country.

While an armistice stopped the fighting in 1953, a peace treaty was never signed. North and South Korea, as well as North Korea and the United States, are still at war. Ongoing hostilities have resulted in the hyper-militarization of North and South Korea and the remilitarization of Japan, threatening to engulf the region in renewed fighting. These factors contribute to North Korea’s siege mentality, nuclear weapons development, and the economic hardships faced by the civilian population.

U.S.-led sanctions underpin the difficult economic conditions portrayed in the film. North Korea is one of the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world. Dr. Kee Park of the Harvard University Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, a neurosurgeon who has trained doctors and regularly performed surgeries in North Korea, calls these sanctions “warfare without bullets.”

In this context, the film’s sequence about North Koreans coveting human waste is simply callous. Other countries also use human waste as a fertilizer and for the production of methane gas. In the case of North Korea, sanctions severely limit the country’s capacity to import oil, fertilizer, and even spare parts to run farm equipment. In the absence of this information, the sequence promotes derision rather than empathy for the plight of ordinary people struggling to get by with extremely scarce resources.

We are also concerned that the film’s factual imprecisions obscure events that are critical for understanding Korean history. For example, the film’s narrator explains that “At the end of World War II when Japan surrendered, they lost the empire that they had been building. Part of the settlement deal was that Korea was split.” By inferring that the division of Korea was a term of Japan’s surrender (which it was not), this language erases the role of the U.S. in dividing Korea. In an effort to prevent the USSR from occupying the entire peninsula, the U.S. proposed (and the Soviets agreed) to divide Korea at the 38th parallel to disarm Japanese forces. The division was solidified by the founding of two separate states in 1948.

Similarly, the film portrays the Korean War as an international effort led by a “UN force containing soldiers from 21 different countries.” Lost is the fact that of these countries, the United States comprised 99.7 percent of the international force, totaling 5.7 million military and support personnel. The U.S. led the war effort and continues to be the only foreign presence with military bases on the Korean peninsula.

We also have questions about the power dynamics in the filmmaking process between the filmmaker, the crew, the pastor, and the defectors. Unequal power relations undergird these rescue activities in which defectors are entirely reliant upon brokers, missionaries, smugglers, and others for food, shelter, and security. In what ways did the filmmakers take advantage of, benefit from, and contribute to these unequal power relations and vulnerabilities? This dynamic is alluded to in the film itself as Pastor Kim directs the Roh family as to how they should film their journey for the documentary during some of their most vulnerable moments. The power imbalance continues in South Korea, where defectors are reliant on NGO largesse and the South Korean government for their support and livelihood.

Beyond Utopia implies that identifying brutalities and helping North Koreans flee to freedom are the only solutions to North Korea’s human rights violations. To be sure, the North Korean government, as all countries which ascribe to the United Nations charter, should be held accountable for breaches in human rights. But U.S. policies that have destabilized the human security of the North Korean people for the past 70 years must also be held accountable. We believe that diplomacy, engagement, and building trust are more sustainable and effective ways to improve the lives of everyone on the Korean Peninsula.

We are taking this step of writing to you because this film is being presented on public television, an entity that we support and which has presented our own films. We would like to know the process by which this film was vetted and by what standards. We ask that you add a disclaimer on the film and on the website that indicates the film represents only one perspective of what is a highly controversial situation and its causes, and offer additional resources for your viewers. We also request that Independent Lens pursue alternative, diverse programming for audiences seeking further information about the issues raised by this film. We ask that you include voices of Asian American and Korean diasporic community members, scholars, and activists who have a critical understanding of this history, and who have been researching, writing about, and grappling with issues of displacement, war, peace, and the impact of U.S. policies on the Korean peninsula.

Thank you in advance for your consideration. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Deann Borshay Liem, Producer | Director, First Person Plural, In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee, Memory of Forgotten War, Geographies of Kinship, Crossings

Hye-Jung Park, Producer | Director, The #7 Train, The Women Outside: Korean Women and the U.S. Military, North Korea: Beyond the DMZ

JT Takagi, Producer | Director, Bittersweet Survival, The #7 Train, The Women Outside: Korean Women and the U.S. Military, Homes Apart: Korea, North Korea: Beyond the DMZ

cc:

Carrie Lozano, President and CEO, Independent Television Service

Stephen Gong, Executive Director, Center for Asian American Media

Don Young, Director of Programming, Center for Asian American Media

Leslie Fields-Cruz, Executive Director, Black Public Media

Denise Greene, Director of Program Initiatives, Black Public Media

Francene Blythe-Lewis, Executive Director, Vision Maker Media

Cheryl Hirasa, Executive Director, Pacific Islanders in Communications

Amber McClure, Director of Programs, Pacific Islanders in Communications

Sandie Viquez Pedlow, Executive Director, Latino Public Broadcasting

Luis Ortiz, Program Manager, Latino Public Broadcasting

S. Leo Chiang, Co-Director, Asian American Documentary Network

Grace Lee, Co-Director, Asian American Documentary Network

Response from Independent Lens to our Open Letter about “Beyond Utopia”

Lois Vossen of Independent Lens sent us a PDF in response to our open letter. We have copied and pasted it below.

January 9, 2024

Oscar shortlisted Beyond Utopia by independent filmmaker Madeleine Gavin chronicles two family stories of escape from North Korea.

The documentary will be presented on January 9, 2024, on PBS as an episode of Independent Lens, an award-winning anthology series of independently produced films like I Am Not Your Negro, Writing With Fire and The Invisible War.

Independent Lens films explore a range of people, nuanced perspectives and experiences. By providing viewers with a variety of viewpoints presented by independent filmmakers, Independent Lens encourages civic engagement and informed dialogue around complex issues.

Independent Lens takes seriously our responsibility to present audiences with the highest quality of programming and believes that Beyond Utopia exceeds this standard. Beyond Utopia meets PBS’ editorial guidelines for nonfiction content, including the requirements to clearly identify sources and engage in rigorous fact-checking.

To clarify decision making surrounding the film’s composition and participants, the filmmaker has offered this statement:

“Beyond Utopia follows two families attempting to escape from North Korea. We spent five years making the film and did so in cooperation with a diverse and highly-credentialed group of consultants throughout Asia and the United States. Our goal was to honor the families that trusted us with their stories and to provide audiences with a window into Pastor Kim’s lifelong dedicated work. We have been humbled and gratified by the wonderful reception that the film has received.

Our film attempts to give voice to North Koreans, people who have been largely unseen and unheard by the outside world for more than 75 years. Our film does not set out to present a comprehensive history of the Korean War, or the development of the North Korean state. Our goal was to provide only enough background information to ground the personal journeys of our participants, and this historical information was thoroughly vetted by numerous experts and scholars for accuracy and fairness; We are not aware of a single factual error.

Issues of consent and power dynamics are critical to our work as filmmakers and we treat them with the utmost consideration. Fully cognizant of the difficulty in getting informed consent from the Roh family and Soyeon while they were in the midst of living the real events documented in the film, we moved forward with the mandate that unless we ultimately got such full consent from them, there would be no film. This was both a journalistic and ethical imperative for us. Beyond Utopia exists only as a result of our subjects’ full, enthusiastic and informed consent.

Beyond Utopia has been seen for nearly a year and the participants are on this journey with us. Their endorsement is evident in the many personal appearances that Pastor Kim, Soyeon, and the Roh family have made and continue to make on behalf of the film all around the world.

Questions and debate are a part of any serious journalistic endeavor and we welcome dialogue about the choices we made with this film, as well as the reasons we are proud of our work.”

Sincerely,

Lois Vossen

Executive Producer, Independent Lens

Our Response to Independent Lens

The following is our response to Independent Lens about “Beyond Utopia” sent to Lois Vossen January 13, 2024.

Dear Lois:

Thank you for your reply to our open letter regarding Beyond Utopia and for including a statement by Director Madeleine Gavin. As filmmakers, we understand the challenge of providing “only enough background information to ground the personal journeys” of the film’s participants, as Gavin shared in your reply to us. However, omitting the central role of the United States and the ongoing Korean War in shaping Korean history and North Korean society promotes an unbalanced and inaccurate narrative about why people defect or leave the country. Rather than providing a nuanced perspective that might lead to informed discussion, the film obfuscates these issues and reinforces an oversimplified and politicized narrative that’s already dominant in the mainstream media.

As members of the Independent Lens community, we wholly support the organization’s mandate to provide viewers with a variety of viewpoints and to “encourage civic engagement and informed dialogue around complex issues.” It is in this spirit that we wrote our open letter to Independent Lens. Concerns about the filmmaking process notwithstanding, our ask for accountability and transparency of Independent Lens is in its capacity as the film’s publicly funded broadcaster. As such, we reiterate our requests:

● Please provide audiences with alternative, diverse programming about the issues raised by this film; include voices of Asian American and Korean diasporic community members, scholars, and activists who have a critical understanding of this history, and who have been researching, writing about, and grappling with issues of displacement, war, peace, and the impact of U.S. policies on the Korean peninsula.

● Add a disclaimer when broadcasting the film and on the Independent Lens website to the effect of: “Beyond Utopia represents one perspective of what is a highly controversial situation and its causes” and offer additional resources for your viewers.

● Please provide a description of how the film was vetted by Independent Lens, including your curatorial and fact-checking processes, and identifying panelists and sources, to the extent that this information can be made available to the public.

Finally, you stated that Beyond Utopia “exceeds” Independent Lens’ standards for assuring the highest quality of programming. What are those standards and in what way(s) did the film exceed them?

Thank you again for considering our concerns and requests.

Sincerely,

Deann Borshay Liem, Producer | Director, First Person Plural, In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee, Memory of Forgotten War, Geographies of Kinship, Crossings

Hye-Jung Park, Producer | Director, The #7 Train, The Women Outside: Korean Women and the U.S. Military, North Korea: Beyond the DMZ

JT Takagi, Producer | Director, Bittersweet Survival, The #7 Train, The Women Outside: Korean Women and the U.S. Military, Homes Apart: Korea, North Korea: Beyond the DMZ

Response from Independent Lens January 17, 2024

Dear Deann, Hye-Jung and JT,

I deeply appreciate your thoughtful feedback. Your ongoing work to foster a fuller understanding about Korea is important and commendable.

All Independent Lens documentaries provide the viewpoint of an independent filmmaker, and Beyond Utopia is one example of the point-of-view documentaries we showcase.

Public media offers a range of programs across various series to help audiences learn about complex issues. I acknowledge the need for more programming on Korea and that there are aspects and questions to be explored in future work.

As you noted, we’re unable to share individual filmmaker documentation of the vetting process. The Beyond Utopia filmmakers provided documentation to Independent Lens and to PBS Standards and Practices that met the vetting requirements outlined in PBS Editorial Standards.

I’m always interested in hearing from filmmakers and audience members, and value your thoughts as we continue to do all we can to best serve independent filmmakers and the American public.

With best regards,

Lois

Our Response January 23, 2024

Dear Lois,

Thank you for your reply sent on January 17. We appreciate that Independent Lens acknowledges the need for more programming on Korea and that there are aspects and questions to be explored in future work. In this regard, Independent Lens has our full support. However, we are troubled by the fact that Beyond Utopia appears to breach PBS’s Editorial Standards and Co-Production Guidelines for accuracy and editorial partnership.

You state that Beyond Utopia met the vetting requirements of PBS Editorial Standards; however, we are at a loss to understand how the standards were applied. The standard for accuracy, for example, states that “accuracy includes more than simply verifying whether information is correct.” Producers must place the facts “in sufficient context based on the nature of the piece to ensure that the public is not misled.”

As we pointed out in our letter to you sent on January 7, Beyond Utopia omits any reference to the destabilizing impacts of the unended Korean War on North Korean society as a factor in the decision of families such as the film’s subjects to leave their country. The hardships faced by the people of North Korea today cannot be understood accurately outside of the context of ongoing hostilities stemming from the Korean War, including draconian economic sanctions against North Korea.

We also fail to see how the film passed PBS standards for editorial partnerships. The first principle in the PBS Co-Production Guidelines, as referenced in the PBS Editorial Standards (#10, p. 8), states that “[t]o protect the integrity of public television programming, the content of such programming must be free from the control of parties with a vested self-interest in that content.” And yet, Beyond Utopia is produced in association with the Human Rights Foundation, with its CEO, Thor Halvorssen, serving as one of the film’s Executive Producers. Moreover, as noted in the film’s credits, several people involved in the making of the film have “direct ties to two organizations working to help North Koreans obtain freedom, the Human Rights Foundation and Liberty in North Korea.” Both entities clearly have a “vested self-interest” in the film’s subject matter and would have exerted significant editorial influence in the program. This would be like the NRA producing a film about gun control, with CEO Wayne LaPierre serving as the film’s Executive Producer and others affiliated with the NRA serving as commentators. In fact, Beyond Utopia relies upon commentary by Liberty in North Korea to deliver the film’s message as to what should be done to help North Koreans.

The mere disclosure in the film’s credits of partners with vested interests in the film’s editorial decisions does not substitute for the due diligence called for by the standard to ensure that programing acquired by PBS is free from the editorial control of parties with a vested self-interest.

We hope that, in the future, Independent Lens makes use of the kinds of editorial procedures and external advisors that other parts of PBS use to ensure that the documentary films it presents to the American public, supported by their tax dollars, fully comply with PBS standards and show their subjects in the historical and current contexts that they deserve.

Sincerely,

Deann Borshay Liem, Producer | Director

First Person Plural, In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee, Memory of Forgotten War, Geographies of Kinship, Crossings

Hye-Jung Park, Producer | Director

The #7 Train, The Women Outside: Korean Women and the U.S. Military, North Korea: Beyond the DMZ

JT Takagi, Producer | Director

Bittersweet Survival, The #7 Train, The Women Outside: Korean Women and the U.S. Military, Homes Apart: Korea, North Korea: Beyond the DMZ

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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