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Atlantic Council cuts ties to Koch-funded foreign policy initiative
Quotes of the Day:
“Remind me to write a popular article on the compulsive reading of news. The theme will be that most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sings of five billion strangers. The title is ‘Gossip Unlimited’ – no make that “Gossip Gone Wild’”
- Robert A. Heinlein – Stranger in a Strange Land
“The victim of mind-manipulation does not know that he is a victim. To him, the walls of his prison are invisible, and he believes himself to be free.”
- Aldous Huxley
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
- George Bernard Shaw
1. N.K. leader warns S. Korean gov't, military to be annihilated in event of preemptive strike bid
2. New Korean War monument with names of fallen heroes unveiled in Washington
3. Poland to buy hundreds of South Korean tanks, howitzers after sending arms to Ukraine
4. S. Korea launches new 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer, Jeongjo The Great
5. N.Korean Economy on Its Knees
6. Sanctions, Cyber, and Crypto: How Pyongyang Can Exploit the War in Ukraine
7. U.S. president welcomes SK’s 2.9 trillion won investment plan
8. With tears, relatives see names of the dead on Korean War memorial
9. North Korea Threatens to Annihilate South’s Military Should It Try Pre-Emptive Strike
10. Kim Jong-un calls out Yoon Suk-yeol three times in hostile anniversary speech
11. Ukraine war reshapes European arms procurement market in Korea's favor
12. Empty human rights envoy position is finally filled
13. China demands Korea uphold ‘Three Nos’ policy
14. Special Military Cell Flows Weapons and Equipment Into Ukraine
15. US Offers $10M Double-Reward for North Korea Cyberattacker Info
1. N.K. leader warns S. Korean gov't, military to be annihilated in event of preemptive strike bid
Recognize Kim's strategy, understand it, expose it, attack it.
This is an opportunity to show Kim that this political warfare,blackmail diplomacy, and war fighting strategy cannot be successful. This is the foundation of an Armistice, prehostilies, and deterrence information and influence activities campaign.
(LEAD) N.K. leader warns S. Korean gov't, military to be annihilated in event of preemptive strike bid | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · July 28, 2022
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with details; MODIFIES headline; ADDS photos, byline)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned that South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol government and its "military gangsters" will face annihilation should it make any "dangerous attempt" like a preemptive strike, according to Pyongyang's state media Thursday.
Kim issued the strongly worded, direct warning against the South's conservative administration, coupled with biting criticism of the United States, in his speech the previous day marking the 69th anniversary of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. Pyongyang calls the anniversary "Victory Day" and commemorates it in a celebratory mood.
Kim mentioned South Korea's president by name three times in the address and branded its military as gangsters, citing its stated strategy to counter the North's nuclear and missile threats through the reinforcement of the so-called three-pillar system, including the Kill Chain preemptive strike capabilities.
"Such a dangerous attempt would be punished immediately by powerful forces, and the Yoon Seok-yeol administration and his military would be wiped out," he said, appearing in public for the first time in 19 days along with his wife Ri Sol-ju for the Pyongyang ceremony.
He added the North will not tolerate their behavior any more and warned that they will pay the price if it goes on.
Kim stressed that his regime is "fully prepared" for any military confrontation with the United States, as he took issue with its joint military exercises with the South.
He repeatedly boasted of the North's nuclear war deterrent and threatened to use it if necessary, although he gave no concrete clue to whether or when his secretive regime will carry out another nuclear test.
"The double standard of the U.S., which misleadingly labels all our daily actions as provocations and threats while holding large-scale joint exercises that seriously threaten our national security, is literally thug-like behavior that pushes North Korea-U.S. relations to conflict and to a point that is irreversible," he said.
The North's armed forces are fully ready to respond to any crisis and its nuclear deterrent also stands fully prepared to use its power "faithfully, accurately and swiftly" in accordance with its mission, he emphasized in the transcript of his speech released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)
On Wednesday, Kim also visited the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery in Pyongyang to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers during the Korean War, the KCNA reported.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · July 28, 2022
2. New Korean War monument with names of fallen heroes unveiled in Washington
A warm day. A dignified ceremony. And a great honor to the fallen.
One thing that might be confusing about the 7,174 Korean soldiers (KATUSAs) who fought alongside American soldiers integrated into American units is that this is not the number of total KIA for South Korea.
We should keep in mind these statistics for South Korea.
South Korean Civilians Killed: 1,000,000
South Military Killed and Missing: 217,000
South Korean Military Wounded: 429,000
These are the statistics for US forces:
US KIA: 36,634
US WIA: 103,284.
We are honoring the unique contribution of KATUSAs to the US Army in Korea (A program of Korean Augmentation to the US Army that continues to this day).
But the greatest burden for the defense of South Korea rests on the fallen and wounded of the South Korean military as well as the civilian population. which suffered terribly because of the evil nature of the Kim family regime.
New Korean War monument with names of fallen heroes unveiled in Washington | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · July 28, 2022
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, July 27 (Yonhap) -- A new Korean War monument was dedicated in Washington on Wednesday, permanently displaying the names of over 43,000 U.S. and South Korean service members killed during the war.
The dedication of the Wall of Remembrance was marked by a ceremony attended by some 3,000 people, including government officials, Korean War veterans and their families and many others from both South Korea and the United States.
The wall features the names of 36,634 U.S. troops and 7,174 members of the Korean Augmentation Troops to the U.S. Army (KATUSA).
"The Wall of Remembrance was designed to be a monument that represents the solidity of the South Korea-U.S. alliance by honoring U.S. soldiers, along with South Korean members of KATUSA killed in battle," South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said in congratulatory remarks, read by Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik on his behalf at the ceremony.
"It will forever be remembered by those from the U.S. and the rest of the world visiting here as a place of peace and monument that shows the history of the Korean War," Yoon added.
The dedication of the newest Korean War monument on the National Mall came after 16 months of construction work that cost some US$21 million, most of which was funded by the South Korean government.
U.S. President Joe Biden had been anticipated to personally take part in the dedication ceremony, but was unable to as he was diagnosed with COVID-19 late last week.
Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, joined the ceremony on Biden's behalf, along with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
"Today, such an important day, we commemorate the sacrifice those Americans and Koreans who bravely fought together side by side to defend our freedom, laying the foundation for a thriving democratic Republic of Korea and a strong, unbreakable United States-Republic of Korea alliance," the second gentleman told the ceremony, referring to South Korea by its official name.
"It's a poignant reminder of the individual sacrifices of the more than 36,000 U.S. service members and more than 7,000 Korean troops who served together and died together in Korea," Emhoff said of the Wall of Remembrance.
"Their names are now forever engraved here on our incredible Washington Mall."
The dedication ceremony was also attended by representatives from many top South Korean businesses, including Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, that have made significant donations not only for the construction of the latest addition to the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington but also for its upkeep over the years.
The wall was first unveiled to Korean War veterans and the families of the fallen on Tuesday, the eve of the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 war.
"For the families of the fallen, we hope that having their loved one's name displayed among their brothers in arms on the Wall of Remembrance brings them a sense of peace and will forever recognize that 'Freedom Is Not Free,'" Gen. John Tilelli (Ret.), chairman of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation, said in an earlier interview with Yonhap.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · July 28, 2022
3. Poland to buy hundreds of South Korean tanks, howitzers after sending arms to Ukraine
This could be the deal of the century for South Korea.
Poland to buy hundreds of South Korean tanks, howitzers after sending arms to Ukraine
CNN · by Brad Lendon, Yoonjung Seo and Joseph Ataman CNN
Seoul, South Korea (CNN)Poland is buying almost 1,000 tanks, more than 600 pieces of artillery and dozens of fighter jets from South Korea, in part to replace equipment donated to Ukraine to help Kyiv fight the Russian invasion, the Polish Ministry of Defense told CNN on Tuesday.
The agreement, expected to be officially announced in Poland on Wednesday, will see Warsaw purchase 980 tanks based on the South Korean K2 model, 648 self-propelled K9 armored howitzers, and 48 FA-50 fighter jets, the ministry said. It would not confirm the value of the deal.
The first 180 K2 tanks, made by Hyundai Rotem and equipped with auto-loading 120mm guns, are expected to arrive this year, with the production of 800 upgraded tanks starting in 2026 in Poland, according to the ministry.
The first 48 K9 howitzers, made by Hanwha Defense, are also expected to arrive this year, with delivery of a second batch of 600 due to start in 2024. From 2025 these will be produced in Poland, the ministry said.
The ministry said these armored vehicles would, in part, replace the Soviet-era tanks that Poland has donated to Ukraine to use in its fight against Russia.
The ministry's comments to CNN come after Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak tweeted on July 22 that the deal would "significantly increase Poland's security and the strength of the Polish Army."
CNN has reached out to the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the arms manufacturers involved for comment.
Chun In-Bum, a retired South Korean general, said the deal with Poland is Seoul's single biggest weapons export pact ever.
He also praised the weapons involved.
"The K9 (howitzer)... is probably the best artillery system in the world, rivaled only by the German system. The FA-50 is a combat version of the T-50, which has gained a reputation for being the best trainer in the world inventory. The K2 tank in its latest version will be better than anything South Korea has to date," Chun said.
A South Korean K2 tank takes part in a live-fire demonstration in 2018.
Higher profile for Korean arms
Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said the arms deal had its roots in the administration of former President Moon Jae-in, who sought large foreign contracts to boost South Korea's defense industries.
Moon's successor, President Yoon Suk Yeol, who took office in May, also wants to push such exports, Easley said.
"But the war in Ukraine increases the geopolitical stakes" for Seoul, Easley said.
The profitable arms deal with Poland, a NATO member, means South Korea will be expected to share the "burden for defense of the international order," Easley said.
"Washington and NATO will expect Seoul to increase assistance to Ukraine and maintain sanctions against Russia, even if doing so comes at some cost to the South Korean economy," Easley said.
Since joining NATO in 1999, Poland has become a key member of the 30-member alliance, and has been purchasing US-made military equipment, including Abrams main battle tanks and F-35 stealth fighter jets.
Poland has also become a big backer of the government in Kyiv following Russia's invasion, making deals to send more than 200 tanks and self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine.
Urgent need
During a visit to Seoul in May, the Polish defense minister said the war in Ukraine showed Poland's urgent need for South Korean arms.
"We talked about accelerating the deliveries of these weapons to the Polish Army. Why is it important? Because of the war on our eastern border. It is important for the Polish Armed Forces to be equipped with modern equipment, proven equipment, and such is the equipment produced by Korea," Błaszczak said at the time.
He said South Korea and Poland faced similar security situations and therefore needed similar weapons.
South Korea joins supersonic fighter club as KF-21 jet takes to skies
"Why is Korean equipment proven? Because Korea has the challenge of its northern neighbor, who also conducts an aggressive policy, so our task is to equip the Polish Armed Forces with modern equipment. Equipment that will deter the aggressor. Such equipment is undoubtedly ... produced in Korea," Błaszczak said.
Some defense industry analysts question whether the South Korean weapons are the right fit for Europe, however.
Nicholas Drummond, a defense industry analyst specializing in land warfare and a former British Army officer, said the K2 tank is essentially a less capable version of the German Leopard 2 main battle tank.
"Same gun. Same engine and gearbox. But overall less sophisticated with inferior electronic architecture. ... Not a bad tank. But not class of the field," he said.
Drummond also said hardware made in Asia may eventually face supply chain problems during a war in Europe.
"It is right that Asian countries buy from Korea as these customers can easily be supported in time of war. But supporting European customers in an emergency is likely to be more challenging," he said.
An FA-50 Golden Eagle fighter jet of the South Korean Air Force at a US air base in South Korea in 2017.
South Korea's ground attack jet
The FA-50 jet, produced by Korea Aerospace Industries in association with US defense giant Lockheed Martin, is a supersonic light combat aircraft, suitable for ground attack and some air-to-air missions.
The plane, flown by the South Korean Air Force since 2013, is armed with Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, Maverick air-to-ground missiles, and a three-barreled 30mm cannon for strafing runs. It can also use precision-guided and gravity bombs.
The FA-50, in its combat and training versions, has found export customers in Colombia, Indonesia, Iraq, the Philippines and Thailand. But with its order for 48 planes, Poland would become the biggest operator of the jets outside South Korea.
CNN · by Brad Lendon, Yoonjung Seo and Joseph Ataman CNN
4. S. Korea launches new 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer, Jeongjo The Great
An important capability. Since there are only three to be procured this will need to be part of an integrated missile defense system to be most effective.
S. Korea launches new 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer, Jeongjo The Great | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · July 28, 2022
By Song Sang-ho
SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Thursday launched a new 8,200-ton destroyer armed with a missile interception platform and stronger anti-submarine capabilities, the Navy said, as the country pushes to bolster defense against North Korea's evolving military capabilities.
The ceremony for the Jeongjo The Great destroyer, named after a visionary king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), took place at the shipyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. in Ulsan, some 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
The Aegis-equipped destroyer is the first warship built as part of Seoul's acquisition program, code-named Gwanggaeto-III Batch-II, under which the country plans to procure three high-tech destroyers. It is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in late 2024
Some 150 people, including senior government, military and industry officials, joined the launch ceremony.
"As a symbol of the efforts to build a strong, high-tech ocean-going Navy and a national strategic asset, the 8,200-ton destroyer is expected to further boost the Navy's combat capabilities," the Navy said in a press release.
The 170-meter-long, 21-meter-wide destroyer is equipped with radar-evading functions and the newest Aegis combat system capable of not only detecting and tracking ballistic missiles but also intercepting them.
The vessel is also to be fitted with ship-to-ground guided ballistic missiles and long-range ship-to-air guided missiles and equipped with the locally developed advanced sonar system targeting enemy submarines and underwater weapons, like torpedoes.
The destroyer will also be able to carry MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopters that the country plans to start introducing in 2024, according to the Navy.
"We will strive harder to construct a strong ocean-going military based on cutting-edge technologies in preparation against future threats and for shifts in the battle environment," a Navy official was quoted as saying in the press release.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · July 28, 2022
5. N.Korean Economy on Its Knees
Kim's own decisions to close the borders and impose draconian population and resources control measures have had more impact on the failed economy and the suffering of the Korean people in the north than sanctions.
N.Korean Economy on Its Knees
english.chosun.com
July 28, 2022 10:59
North Korea's economy shrank another 0.1 percent last year as the impoverished country locked down its border with China for a second year.
The Bank of Korea here on Wednesday estimated North Korea's GDP at W31.41 trillion last year, much the same as 2003 (US$1=W1,313).
The North's gross national income was worth W36.30 trillion last year, a mere 1.7 percent of South Korea's and per-capita GNI stood at W1.42 million, 1/28th of South Korea's W40.48 million.
/News1
In 2019 the North's economy grew 0.4 percent, but it plunged to -4.5 percent when the North locked the border with its sole supporter China amid the COVID panic of 2020.
"North Korea continued to suffer from UN sanctions and its own shutdown of borders," said Lee Kwan-kyo at the BOK. "It's hard to tell how much longer this will continue."
The North's total trade volume amounted to just US$710 million last year, down 17.3 percent from the previous year. Exports shrank another 8.2 percent to $80 million and imports 18.4 percent to $630 million.
english.chosun.com
6.Sanctions, Cyber, and Crypto: How Pyongyang Can Exploit the War in Ukraine
Kim seeks opportunities for illicit activities and sanctions evasion.
Excerpts:
Earlier this month, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan mentioned that North Korea collaborates with “all kinds of cyber criminals around the world, including Russian cyber criminals.” This statement supported public and private sector analysis identifying potential links between North Korean and Russian cybercrime groups. Historically, Moscow has provided logistical and technical support to Pyongyang, which has supported the development of North Korea’s offensive cyber program. This includes establishing educational partnerships and training programs in computer science and coding to providing optic telecommunication cables for enhanced internet access to bolster cyber operations. Similar to China, Russia also allows North Korea to conduct state-sponsored illicit activity within its jurisdiction in defiance of U.S. and U.N. sanctions. For example, the U.S. Army published a report in 2020 that estimated over 6,000 North Korean cyber criminals are operating overseas in countries like Belarus, China, India, Malaysia, and Russia.
Continuous reporting on the presence of North Korean cybercriminals in Russia, and Russian-speaking regions in eastern Europe, further highlights serious concerns over Pyongyang’s official recognition of the two breakaway states in Ukraine and Matsegora’s comments regarding the potential employment of North Korean laborers to rebuild the regions.
Sanctions, Cyber, and Crypto: How Pyongyang Can Exploit the War in Ukraine
North Korea now joins Russia and Syria in recognizing two Moscow-backed breakaway states in eastern Ukraine. That could provide a new foothold for sanctions evasion and cybercrime.
thediplomat.com · by Jason Bartlett · July 27, 2022
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According to North Korean state media, Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui recently acknowledged the People’s Republic of Donetsk (PRD) and the People’s Republic of Luhansk (PRL) in eastern Ukraine as independent states. As a result, Kyiv severed diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, citing North Korea’s efforts to undermine the sovereignty of Ukraine on behalf of Moscow.
Located in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, the two rebel-controlled territories have significantly contributed to Russian efforts to assert its ideological, political, and military influence over Ukraine for years, with a particularly important role in the ongoing Russian invasion starting in February 2022. Choe expressed Pyongyang’s intent to develop “state-to-state relations with those countries,” following a series of official government statements and convenings seemingly codifying diplomatic relations between the two breakaway states and North Korea.
Sanctions Evasion
If Russian forces completely isolate Donetsk and Luhansk from the rest of Ukraine, North Korea could expand its sanctions evasions campaigns in eastern Europe without potential pushback from the Ukrainian government. Traditionally, Russia and North Korea have a shared history of forced labor and migration dating back to the Cold War when banished Soviet-Koreans helped create political and social infrastructure in North Korea, as well as numerous industrial projects within both countries.
In the modern day, the U.S. government reports that Pyongyang continues to dispatch domestic laborers and IT workers into foreign countries like Russia to illicitly generate currency for Pyongyang. While the current number of overseas workers post-COVID-19 is difficult to confirm, CNN reported in 2018 that an estimated 50,000 North Korean laborers are stationed inside Russia to generate roughly $500 million a year for Pyongyang. Despite a U.N. resolution stipulating that all member states should repatriate North Korean laborers by December 2019, the U.N. Panel of Experts on North Korea indicated that both Russia and China have allowed North Korean laborers to overstay their visas in clear violation of U.N. sanctions.
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Earlier this month, Russia’s ambassador to North Korea elevated these concerns with a public statement declaring that “[North] Korean builders will be an asset in the serious task of restoring social, infrastructural and industrial facilities [in the Donbas] destroyed by the retreating Ukronazis.” In that same statement, Russian Ambassador Matsegora echoed Choe’s intent on developing state-to-state relations, adding that North Korea and the two separatist regions have “wide prospects for bilateral cooperation” with emphasis on trading coal, wheat, and industrial equipment for labor. The employment of North Korean laborers within these regions would directly violate U.S. and U.N. sanctions, in addition to violating sanctions banning the sale, purchase, and trade of coal and other specific goods to North Korea.
Cyber and Crypto
North Korean cyber operatives continue to launch a series of cyber intrusions against financial institutions to steal funds for Pyongyang with an increased focus on cryptocurrency exchanges. According to blockchain analysis, North Korea has successfully stolen roughly $1 billion worth of cryptocurrency from 2021 to March 2022 alone, making it the greatest state-sponsored cyber threat to the global financial services sector.
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Although Russian President Vladimir Putin recently signed into law a bill that bans the use of digital payments, including cryptocurrency, for goods, services, and products across Russia, this law will likely not affect cryptocurrency activity occurring within the two breakaway states as it currently includes language specific only to Russia. As a result, North Korean cybercriminals masquerading as IT workers could seek to operate within these regions to support Pyongyang-sponsored illicit cyber activity targeting cryptocurrency exchanges and other blockchain-related financial technology.
Earlier this month, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan mentioned that North Korea collaborates with “all kinds of cyber criminals around the world, including Russian cyber criminals.” This statement supported public and private sector analysis identifying potential links between North Korean and Russian cybercrime groups. Historically, Moscow has provided logistical and technical support to Pyongyang, which has supported the development of North Korea’s offensive cyber program. This includes establishing educational partnerships and training programs in computer science and coding to providing optic telecommunication cables for enhanced internet access to bolster cyber operations. Similar to China, Russia also allows North Korea to conduct state-sponsored illicit activity within its jurisdiction in defiance of U.S. and U.N. sanctions. For example, the U.S. Army published a report in 2020 that estimated over 6,000 North Korean cyber criminals are operating overseas in countries like Belarus, China, India, Malaysia, and Russia.
Continuous reporting on the presence of North Korean cybercriminals in Russia, and Russian-speaking regions in eastern Europe, further highlights serious concerns over Pyongyang’s official recognition of the two breakaway states in Ukraine and Matsegora’s comments regarding the potential employment of North Korean laborers to rebuild the regions.
Jason Bartlett
Jason Bartlett is a contributing author to The Diplomat and a research assistant in the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at CNAS. He tweets @jasonabartlett.
thediplomat.com · by Jason Bartlett · July 27, 2022
7. U.S. president welcomes SK’s 2.9 trillion won investment plan
Excerpts:
A growing area of concern is that we have not seen growing levels of foreign investment to Korea. Net foreign investment outflow, which is the amount of foreign investment to Korea from Korea's investment overseas, continues to grow. This is attributable to lacking regulatory environment ranked among lower ranks of the OECD member countries, trade union struggles and uncompetitive tax regulations. We need to expedite regulatory and labor reform to build a favorable and inviting business environment for foreign investors.
U.S. president welcomes SK’s 2.9 trillion won investment plan
donga.com
Posted July. 28, 2022 07:58,
Updated July. 28, 2022 07:58
U.S. president welcomes SK’s 2.9 trillion won investment plan. July. 28, 2022 07:58. .
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won met with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House and unveiled a 22-billion-dollar investment plan. The meeting was held online as President Biden had been infected with COVID-19, in which Biden welcomed the investment plan as a "historic announcement" and thanked SK 10 times.
SK's investment plan to the U.S. involves 15 billion dollars in building memory semiconductor facilities and R&D, 5 billion dollars in green energy and 2 billion dollars in the bio industry. Including 7 billion dollars earmarked to invest in the U.S., the investment plan reaches almost 30 billion dollars. A significant portion of the 247 trillion won plan to invest in 'BBC industries (battery, bio and semiconductors)' over the next five years would go to the U.S.
During Biden's visit to Korea in May, Samsung Electronics said that it would invest 17 billion dollars to build foundry facilities in Texas, while Hyundai Motor unveiled a 10-billion-dollar investment plan that included building of an electric car plant in Georgia. Korean companies' growing investment in the U.S. appears to be inevitable, given intensifying trade tensions between the U.S. and China, growing dependence on U.S. technology and facilities in semiconductors, the U.S.’ strategies to give preference to U.S. manufactured products.
A growing area of concern is that we have not seen growing levels of foreign investment to Korea. Net foreign investment outflow, which is the amount of foreign investment to Korea from Korea's investment overseas, continues to grow. This is attributable to lacking regulatory environment ranked among lower ranks of the OECD member countries, trade union struggles and uncompetitive tax regulations. We need to expedite regulatory and labor reform to build a favorable and inviting business environment for foreign investors.
한국어
donga.com
8. With tears, relatives see names of the dead on Korean War memorial
With tears, relatives see names of the dead on Korean War memorial
More than 43,000 names have been added to memorial on the National Mall in Washington
By Michael E. Ruane
Updated July 27, 2022 at 11:05 a.m. EDT|Published July 27, 2022 at 7:00 a.m. EDT
The Washington Post · by Michael E. Ruane · July 27, 2022
Marine Corps Pfc. Walter P. Cribben was frantic. His identical twin, Pvt. James J. Cribben, was with an outfit that had just been overrun by thousands of Chinese soldiers.
It was March 1953, at a place called Outpost Vegas in the middle of the Korean Peninsula. The Cribbens were tough Irish American kids from Chicago. They were 18.
But the fight at the outpost had been a bad one for the Marines. Walter had crawled out toward the front lines to search for his brother but had been wounded and was sent back.
Later, as a truck filled with dead Marines was being brought in, Walter stopped it at gunpoint. He said he wanted to look for his brother. He began unzipping body bags.
Walter Cribben never found James, who remains missing in action, and was tormented by the Korean War almost to the day he died.
On Tuesday, the name of James J. Cribben was officially unveiled on the new Memorial Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington.
It was etched in stone along with the names of 36,000 other Americans and 7,100 of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (KATUSA).
“It’s just incredible to know how long that’s going to be there,” James Cribben’s nephew, Jeff Cribben, said tearfully as he stood before his uncle’s name. “It’s good. It’s good stuff.”
Robin Piacine, of Crossville, Tenn., carried a framed photo of her uncle, Sgt. William C. Bradley, an Army medic who had been captured in the war and died of pneumonia in captivity. He, too, is still missing.
“This wall is so important, because I don’t want anyone to ever forget the sacrifices all these men made,” she said. “And what it means to the families, as we have maybe the only place in the world to come to, to honor and love a lost loved one.
“I don’t have a marker for him,” she said. “His body isn’t home. So to me, it’s such a hallowed place. And he’s among his comrades.”
The unveiling followed a 3 p.m. ceremony for several hundred relatives and friends of the fallen at the memorial. As a quintet from the U.S. Marine Band played the hymn “Abide With Me,” family members filed past the wall of names.
The formal dedication of the wall was held Wednesday morning. Funding for the $22 million project came from donations from the people of the United States and South Korea, according to the Park Service and the memorial’s foundation.
As part of the ceremony, second gentleman Doug Emhoff and national security adviser Jake Sullivan placed a wreath at the memorial, and a Marine trumpeter played taps. Other speakers referred to the Korean War dead as “fallen flowers” and “guardians of freedom.”
In the Korean War (1950-1953), forces of the United States, South Korea and their allies fought forces of communist North Korea and China, aided by the Soviet Union.
It was a bitter struggle that killed people on the ground and in the air. It claimed 36,000 Americans in three years, whereas the Vietnam War claimed 58,000 over a decade.
Seven thousand Americans are still missing in action.
Tuesday’s events took place on a humid afternoon, under gray skies with a sprinkling of rain. Dragonflies flitted over the seated crowd as dignitaries from the United States and South Korea spoke. Later, people placed white roses near relatives’ names on the gray granite of the monument.
Some wore T-shirts and buttons emblazoned with images of youthful soldiers.
The story of the Cribben twins was related by Jeff Cribben, 62, who is Walter’s son and James’s nephew. He lives in San Diego.
“They went over together, and they were fighting in the same battles,” he said. “They would never let my dad and uncle go out on patrol together.”
So when one was ordered on patrol, the twins would flip a coin to see which brother went, he said.
“Who’s gonna know?” Jeff Cribben said. “My uncle had lost the coin flip, so out to the outpost he went.”
James Cribben was among about 40 Marines manning Outpost Vegas, in what was called the Nevada complex. It consisted of outposts Reno, Carson and Vegas. They were so named because “it was a real gamble to be there,” Jeff Cribben said.
About 7 p.m. on March 26, 1953, the Chinese assault came. The fighting went back and forth, and the outpost was pulverized by artillery.
Walter Cribben crawled out to see if he could find his brother, but a piece of shrapnel from a mortar blast hit his hand and he had to retreat.
“They sent him back to the aid station,” Jeff Cribben said. “And when he got there, a transport vehicle [was] coming through loaded with dead Marines. My dad stopped them, with his weapon, and told them he would be looking for his brother.
“So he spent the next amount of time unzipping body bags, looking for his brother,” he said. “That’s the horrific part.”
After the war, Jeff Cribben said, his father came home and tried to live a normal life. “He was very smart and successful. And then he would sabotage himself with alcohol and ruin everything. Almost on purpose.”
He had a nervous breakdown in 1969. He was committed to a hospital in San Diego, where he was treated with electroshock therapy.
“It didn’t work,” his son said. “He came out of there addicted to Librium and 10 other medications. They called him cured.”
His life did not improve. In 1992, he was living in a halfway house in Arizona and not doing well.
One day a person from the Department of Veterans Affairs came to visit him, and said, “Don’t you know what’s wrong with you? ... You’re classic post-traumatic stress.”
The veterans administration placed him in a program for post-traumatic stress disorder. He was judged 100 percent disabled, his son said.
“So he got injured twice: Once in the hand and once in the head,” Jeff Cribben said. “I don’t know who suffered more — the one who got lost, my uncle, or my dad.”
His father died of lung cancer in 1999 — “never knowing what happened to his brother,” his son said. “And we still don’t.”
The Washington Post · by Michael E. Ruane · July 27, 2022
9. North Korea Threatens to Annihilate South’s Military Should It Try Pre-Emptive Strike
We must understand the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime. Kim is showing us his nature here.
North Korea Threatens to Annihilate South’s Military Should It Try Pre-Emptive Strike
The Kim regime has grown more bellicose, with a new South Korean administration planning to resume full-scale joint military exercises with the U.S. next month
https://www.wsj.com/articles/north-korea-threatens-to-annihilate-souths-military-should-it-try-pre-emptive-strike-11658998419?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1
By Dasl YoonFollow
July 28, 2022 4:53 am ET
SEOUL—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country’s nuclear missiles stand “fully ready” for a military conflict with the U.S. and threatened to annihilate South Korea’s military should it attempt a pre-emptive strike.
The 38-year-old dictator made the remarks while delivering a speech for the country’s Victory Day, an annual July 27 holiday that celebrates the signing of the armistice that halted fighting in the Korean War nearly seven decades ago. Without a peace treaty, the conflict remains technically ongoing.
The Kim regime has grown more bellicose in recent months, with a new conservative South Korean administration planning to resume full-scale, joint military exercises with the U.S. next month. Pyongyang has conducted 18 rounds of missile tests this year and, according to Seoul officials’ assessments, has completed preparations for a seventh nuclear test.
U.S. and South Korea jet fighters conducting a military exercise in June.
PHOTO: YONHAP NEWS AGENCY/VIA REUTERS
In his first direct references to South Korea’s new leader, Mr. Kim called out President Yoon Suk-yeol three times by name, according to North Korean state media. President Biden went unmentioned in the speech. Washington continues “dangerous, illegal hostile acts” along with Seoul by conducting the military exercises that threaten Pyongyang’s security, Mr. Kim added.
Mr. Kim, who attended the celebration with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, condemned the Yoon administration and its “military gangsters” for threatening pre-emptive strike, which Seoul officials have floated as a possibility should a North Korean attack look imminent.
“Our armed forces are thoroughly prepared to respond to any crisis, and our nation’s nuclear war deterrence is also fully ready to mobilize its absolute strength faithfully, accurately and promptly to its mission,” said Mr. Kim, as quoted in state media.
Pyongyang is laying the groundwork for further provocations—including a potential nuclear test—by expressing aggression toward the U.S. and South Korea, said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
“The speech shows that he is set on maintaining a state of conflict for now,” Prof. Yang said.
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Mr. Kim’s threats aren’t new, a spokesman for South Korea’s defense ministry said Thursday. But North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats are escalating, the spokesman added. The North Korean leader’s remarks echo what his sister and regime mouthpiece, Kim Yo Jong, said in April, when she warned a more confrontational South Korea could face a “shower of fire” and a “miserable fate little short of total destruction and ruin.”
South Korea and the U.S. will revive combined exercises that have been scaled down since 2018 under the left-leaning Moon Jae-in administration, which gave priority to diplomacy with the North. Mr. Moon’s five-year term ended in May.
Even before taking office on May 10, Mr. Yoon—a conservative who backs a tougher line against North Korea—vowed a return to large-scale joint field exercises. Earlier this month, Mr. Yoon ordered the military to “swiftly punish” North Korea if it carries out a provocation.
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Pyongyang has conducted a record number of weapons launches this year, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, a submarine-launched weapon and a hypersonic missile.
The Yoon administration has condemned each of Pyongyang’s recent launches as provocations—phrasing that the prior Moon government used sparingly. Earlier this month, the new head of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff warned that North Korea’s provocations will be met with “unsparing retaliation.”
North Korea Fights Covid With Painkillers, Lockdowns and TV Health Segments
North Korea Fights Covid With Painkillers, Lockdowns and TV Health Segments
Play video: North Korea Fights Covid With Painkillers, Lockdowns and TV Health Segments
North Korea is facing a surge in fever cases after reporting its first local Covid-19 infection in mid-May. WSJ examines Kim Jong Un’s strategy to battle the pandemic in the impoverished country, which has little testing capacity and an unvaccinated population. Photos: KCTV; STR/AFP
North Korea has completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test, with only the political decision remaining before it is conducted, South Korean officials said. At a Tuesday press briefing, State Department spokesman Ned Price warned that any North Korean nuclear test “would carry tremendous costs.”
North Korea watchers say Pyongyang may have postponed its nuclear test due to the recent Covid outbreak. Since late April, North Korea has reported more than 4.7 million fever cases and 74 deaths, according to state media. But in recent days, daily cases have fallen to double digits. At an indoor event for war veterans on Tuesday, hundreds of North Koreans gathered without social distancing or face masks, according to state-media photos of the event.
Write to Dasl Yoon at dasl.yoon@wsj.com
10. Kim Jong-un calls out Yoon Suk-yeol three times in hostile anniversary speech
A fundamental propaganda theme is to undermine the legitimacy of all South Korean presidents.
Thursday
July 28, 2022
Kim Jong-un calls out Yoon Suk-yeol three times in hostile anniversary speech
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/07/28/national/northKorea/Korea-North-Korea-Kill-Chain/20220728172712307.html
In this photo released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a speech in Pyongyang celebrating the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. [YONHAP]
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un blasted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for suggesting Seoul would enhance its preemptive strike capabilities against Pyongyang — a course of action Kim said would lead to South Korea's "annihilation."
The North Korean leader made the remarks at an outdoor gathering in Pyongyang Wednesday celebrating the end of the Korean War in 1953. The speech was Kim's first public appearance in 19 days.
Kim’s speech struck a defiant and threatening chord against Seoul’s conservative administration and Washington. Kim mentioned South Korea’s president by name three times in the speech and branded the South’s military as "gangsters." He expressed particular rage at Seoul’s deterring the threat from North’s nuclear weapons and missile program by strengthening its “Kill Chain” preemptive strike capabilities.
“Such a dangerous attempt will be punished immediately with a powerful force that will wipe out the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and his military,” Kim said in the speech, which was released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday.
Wednesday marked the 69th anniversary of the armistice that ended hostilities in the Korean War, which began with a North Korean invasion of the South on June 25, 1950.
The North celebrates the date of the armistice signed on July 27, 1953 as the “Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War,” although the North failed in its objective to conquer the South by military force during the war.
“If the South Korean regime and military gangsters scheme of ways they can militarily confront us and preemptively neutralize or destroy part of our military power using specific military means and method, they should abandon such thoughts,” Kim said.
“Our armed forces are thoroughly prepared to respond to any crisis, while our country’s nuclear war deterrent is fully prepared to use its absolute power faithfully, accurately and quickly to achieve its mission,” he added.
Kim also used his speech to give warnings to Washington.
“The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is thoroughly prepared to deal with any military conflict with the United States,” Kim said, referring to the North by its official name.
“If the United States continues to undermine our country’s image and severely violate our safety and fundamental interests, it will have to endure greater anxiety and crisis,” he warned.
Kim criticized joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington, arguing that such drills were hypocritical for nations that oppose the North’s weapons tests.
“The double standard of the United States, which misleadingly labels all of our daily actions as provocations and threats while holding large-scale joint exercises that seriously threaten our national security, is literally thug-like behavior that pushes North Korea-U.S. relations to conflict and to a point of no return,” he said.
Pyongyang frequently criticizes the joint exercises, calling them a rehearsal for an invasion of North Korea.
While former President Moon Jae-in’s administration repeatedly postponed and scaled down joint exercises to avoid angering the North, Yoon’s government agreed to stage full-fledged joint military exercises with the United States for the first time in four years between late August and early September.
South Korea's presidential office responded to Kim's speech by expressing “regret” that he had threatened Seoul.
“We maintain a stance of constant readiness for any provocation,” presidential spokesperson Kang In-sun said Thursday afternoon. “We will defend the [South Korean] people with a strong South Korea-U.S. alliance.”
Kang called on North Korea “to walk the path to real denuclearization and peace.”
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
11. Ukraine war reshapes European arms procurement market in Korea's favor
Luck - when opportunity meets preparation. South Korea has been preparing for this opportunity.
Ukraine war reshapes European arms procurement market in Korea's favor
The Korea Times · July 28, 2022
Four FA-50 light combat aircraft flying over urban area / Newsis
Poland inks deals to buy fighter jets, tanks, howitzers amid conflict in neighboring Ukraine
By Jung Min-ho, Joint Press Corps
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, some Eastern European countries, still armed largely with Soviet-era weapons, have sent their equipment to help Kyiv ― in a move that could reshape the future of the region's weapons systems.
In a major procurement deal illustrating such a shift, Poland, which has provided Ukraine with its Soviet-designed T-72 tanks, agreed Wednesday (local time) to buy 48 FA-50s, a light combat jet co-developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin, 980 K2 battle tanks, manufactured by Hyundai Rotem, and 648 K9 howitzers, made by Hanwha Defense.
After signing the framework contracts in Warsaw, Mariusz Blaszczak, the defense minister of Poland, said its armed forces need better weapons to protect the country from potential aggressors and the deals are "just the first stage of the two countries' cooperation."
Poland's Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak poses during a press conference at the ministry office in Warsaw, July 27. Blaszczak approved arms deals with Korea for the purchase of equipment for the Polish Army. EPA-Yonhap
"We want peace, so we must prepare for war … The Polish armed forces should be so strong that an aggressor cannot decide to attack," Blaszczak said.
"Above all, we need to withdraw MiGs (any member of a family of Russian fighter jets produced during the Soviet era by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich) … The MiGs have negligible combat capability. Also, we cannot get spare parts from Russia. They have to be withdrawn. The first FA-50 will arrive next year and will substitute those aircraft. This is a well-thought decision, it will strengthen the Polish Air Force and allow the Polish Air Force to develop."
It would mark Korea's biggest arms export deal, which could be worth up to 20 trillion won ($15.3 billion). With the two sides still negotiating how many tanks and howitzers should be produced in Poland before signing the final contracts, the numbers may change.
The K2 Black Panther / Newsis
Speaking to The Korea Times, an industry source said the war in Ukraine seems to be a major factor in creating new opportunities for Korean arms makers. As tensions mount, especially among the countries bordering Russia, many have started reassessing the possibility of war and double-checking their military capabilities, he said.
"Poland, for example, has decided to increase its defense budget after the war," he said. "The latest deals are expected to help Korean companies expand their overseas businesses."
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, simply known as NATO, has for years been trying to replace Russian military equipment among the former allies of the Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991. Some experts believe that Korea may be in a favorable position to accelerate the shift in Eastern Europe than Germany and France ― other major arms exporters ― given their relatively reluctant stance on military support for Ukraine, in contrast with many other NATO members.
KAI President Ahn Hyun-ho said the arms deal would be the beginning of more collaboration between Seoul and Warsaw in the defense industry.
"The customers of FA-50s are potential customers of KF-21s," he noted, referring to Korea's first locally-developed fighter jet that is still under development.
Lee Yong-bae, Hyundai Rotem's president and CEO, said the trust between the two nations will grow further as they get equipped with the same weapons for defense, which he thinks will lead to progress in other industries.
The K9 Thunder / Courtesy of Hanwha DefenseKorea has emerged as the world's fastest-growing arms exporter, vastly outpacing the growth of other major market players in recent years.
According to a recent report by the Export-Import Bank of Korea, the nation's arms exports reached a record high of more than 7 billion dollars last year. Its exports during the 2017-21 period were 177 percent higher than that in the 2012-16 period ― by far the highest growth among the top 20 exporters.
The country is now the world's eighth largest, and Asia's second (after China), arms exporter ― a rapid rise from 31st position on the list by the SIPRI arms transfer database back in 2000.
The Korea Times · July 28, 2022
12. Empty human rights envoy position is finally filled
South Korea's human rights ambassador. Not the US.
I will keep beating the drum. The most qualified person for the US Ambassador for North Korean Human Rights is Greg Scarlatoiu.
Here is his bio:
Executive Director
Read BioGreg Scarlatoiu is the Executive Director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) in Washington, D.C. He has coordinated 28 HRNK publications addressing North Korea’s human rights situation and the operation of its regime. He is a visiting professor at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul as well as instructor and coordinator of the Korean Peninsula and Japan class at the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Institute (FSI). Scarlatoiu is vice president of the executive board of the International Council on Korean Studies (ICKS). He is also a member of the advisory board for The Korea and World Politics Institute. Prior to HRNK, Scarlatoiu was with the Korea Economic Institute (KEI) in Washington, D.C. He has over six years of experience in international development, on projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. For fifteen years, Scarlatoiu has authored and broadcast the weekly Korean language ‘Scarlatoiu Column’ to North Korea for Radio Free Asia. A seasoned lecturer on Korean issues, Scarlatoiu is a frequent commentator for CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and other media organizations. He has published op-eds and letters to the editor in newspapers including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He has published academic papers in volumes produced by organizations including The Hanns Seidel Foundation, The Asan Institute for Policy Studies, and the International Journal of Korean Studies. He has appeared as an expert witness at several Congressional hearings on North Korean human rights. Scarlatoiu holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, Tufts University, and a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts from Seoul National University’s Department of International Relations. He graduated from the MIT XXI Seminar for U.S. national security leaders in 2016-2017. Scarlatoiu was awarded the title ‘Citizen of Honor, City of Seoul,’ in January 1999. He is fluent in Korean, French, and Romanian. A native of Romania born and raised under that country’s communist regime, Scarlatoiu is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
https://www.hrnk.org/about/staff-interns.php
Thursday
July 28, 2022
Empty human rights envoy position is finally filled
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/07/28/national/northKorea/korea-north-korea-human-rights/20220728173342832.html
Lee Shin-hwa, the newly appointed envoy for North Korean human rights, left, speaks with Foreign Minister Park Jin at the ministry headquarters in Seoul on Thursday. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]
Lee Shin-hwa, a political science professor at Korea University, was appointed envoy for North Korean human rights on Thursday, filling a post that’s been vacant for nearly five years.
Lee received her letter of appointment from Foreign Minister Park Jin, who presented it on the president’s behalf.
“I expect Ambassador Lee’s rich scholarly work and international experience will be a great asset on the job,” Park was quoted as saying by his ministry.
He asked for Lee's “active involvement” in coordinating international efforts to address human rights violations in the North and to encourage the regime to address them.
In the meeting, Lee said that she feels a "grave responsibility" to improve the human rights situation in the North and pledged to work closely with partners worldwide to improve the lives of North Koreans, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The position of special envoy on North Korean human rights has been empty since the first such ambassador, Lee Jung-hoon, left the post in September 2017.
The position was created in 2016 when the North Korean Human Rights Act was passed.
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration has stressed from its inauguration in May the importance of human rights in North Korea, a topic that was largely avoided by the Moon Jae-in administration.
In a meeting with members of the foreign press in Seoul on Wednesday, Park said Seoul will be taking a stronger stance on human rights violations in the North in coming years.
“The human rights situation in the North is not none of our business, it should be treated very much as our own business,” Park told members of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club at the Korea Press Center. “The Republic of Korea can make a huge difference for North Koreans so they can enjoy basic human rights and improve their quality of life.”
Park said that the Yoon administration will “actively participate” in international discussions of North Korean human rights, including in drafting and joining UN resolutions condemning North Korea human rights violations.
On the controversial issue of the repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in 2019, Park said that it was an incident “that should never be repeated.”
Lee also spoke against the decision Thursday.
“I think the [footage] represents well what was happening at the time,” Lee said, referring to recently released video from November 2019 when two North Korean fishermen were repatriated to North Korea through Panmunjom.
The four-minute video, released to reporters last week, showed the fishermen protesting and shouting as they were handed over to North Korean officials.
“Forced repatriation without due process violates both international and domestic laws,” Lee said.
Lee’s tenure is set for a year, during which time she will coordinate with governments, international organizations and civic groups to bring global attention to North Korean human rights.
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
13. China demands Korea uphold ‘Three Nos’ policy
Here is it. China is showing its hand. It fears a trilateral ROK-Japan-US alliance and integrated missile defense.
China demands Korea uphold ‘Three Nos’ policy
koreaherald.com · by Jo He-rim · July 28, 2022
By Jo He-rim
Published : Jul 28, 2022 - 16:07 Updated : Jul 28, 2022 - 16:08
Chinese (top) and Korean flags (123rf)
As China appears to relay stronger words to express its discomfort against Seoul’s diplomacy plans largely aligning with the United States, eyes are on how the Yoon Suk-yeol administration will navigate its way through the US-China rivalry.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday demanded the Yoon administration, which was inaugurated in May, to up hold the previous government’s China policy of the so-called “Three Nos” -- no additional deployment of the US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in Korea; no participation in a US-led missile defense network; and no involvement in a trilateral military alliance with the US and Japan.
“We still remember vividly that in 2017, the ROK side made a solemn statement on the THAAD issue. It played a crucial role in boosting mutual trust and deepening cooperation between the two countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
“A commitment made should be a commitment kept despite a change of government. When it comes to major sensitive issues concerning the security of its neighbors, the ROK side needs to continue to act prudently and find a fundamental solution to the issues.”
The Chinese spokesperson also explained that its opposition to South Korea deploying additional THAAD batteries is not targeted at South Korea, but “the US’ malicious intention to deliberately undermine China’s strategic security.”
Beijing addressed the Three Nos policy as a response to South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin’s recent remark, which hinted that the South Korean government might withdraw from the previous administration’s China policy.
“The Three Nos policy is not something we had promised to China. As far as I know, (the government at the time) had only explained it as its position toward China,” Park said during the first interpellation session of the Yoon administration at the National Assembly on Monday.
“(The Three Nos policy) is directly related to our sovereignty, and it should be us making decisions on our security. It would be hard to accept if China tells us to keep to the promise (of the Three Nos Policy),” Park added.
The Three Nos policy was floated by the then-incumbent Moon Jae-in administration in October 2017, as it had sought to mend ties with China after South Korea decided to deploy the American anti-ballistic missile system on its soil in 2016.
The government’s announcement of the Three Nos was not a policy agreed with another party, but just a measure that the Moon administration had pursued at the time.
China has also been very critical of South Korea possibly joining a US-led chip alliance dubbed “Chip 4.” The US has asked three global chip powerhouses -- South Korea, Japan and Taiwan -- to hold consultative meetings for securing a stable chip supply chain.
Saying it would be “commercial suicide” for South Korea to join the Chip 4, China warned that South Korea could potentially lose the Chinese market, which takes almost 60 percent of total exports of South Korean chips.
The Yoon administration has been showing strong intent to strengthen its alliance with Washington, and has joined a series of regional economic groupings led by the US.
Seoul joined the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework as a founding member, and also took part in the Supply Chain Ministerial, a ministerial-level discussion hosted by top US officials -- both events that are largely seen as the US’ move to keep China in check.
The Yoon administration is also reviewing to normalize the operation of the THAAD system in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and is also working to strengthen trilateral cooperation with the US and Japan.
Seoul maintains that its actions are not intended at countering China, and that it seeks to increase communication with the neighboring country.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park is expected to travel to China before Aug. 24, as the day marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also expected to visit Seoul within this year, according to the Foreign Ministry here.
By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)
14. Special Military Cell Flows Weapons and Equipment Into Ukraine
Logistic, a comparative US advantage and really a US super power.
Special Military Cell Flows Weapons and Equipment Into Ukraine
The New York Times · by Eric Schmitt · July 27, 2022
A little-known group at U.S. European Command in Germany fills Ukraine’s battlefield requests with donations from more than 40 countries.
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Ukrainian soldiers fired an American-supplied M777 155-millimeter howitzer at Russian positions in the Donetsk region of Ukraine in May.Credit...Ivor Prickett for The New York Times
By
July 27, 2022
STUTTGART, Germany — It takes a village to help Ukraine fight the Russians.
Consider a recent shipment of 105-millimeter howitzers. Britain donated the weapons, and New Zealand trained Ukrainian soldiers how to use them and provided spare parts. The United States supplied the ammunition and the vehicles to tow them and flew the load to a base near Ukraine’s border.
Choreographing the sequence was the job of dozens of military logistics specialists ensconced in a large, secure attic room at the U.S. European Command headquarters in Germany. The little-known group is playing a pivotal role in keeping the Ukrainian military armed and equipped as its battlefield needs become more complicated.
Think of the cell as a cross between a wedding registry for bombs, bullets and rocket artillery, and a military version of FedEx. Uniformed officers from more than two dozen countries try to match Ukraine’s requests with donations from more than 40 nations, then arrange to move the shipments by air, land or sea from the donor countries to Ukraine’s border for pickup. All within about 72 hours.
Rear Adm. R. Duke Heinz, the U.S. European Command’s chief logistician, said the cell was trying to meet Ukraine’s demands for more weapons faster.Credit...Lena Mucha for The New York Times
“The flow has been nonstop,” Rear Adm. R. Duke Heinz, the European Command’s chief logistician, told a small group of reporters who visited the logistics hub last week.
As the brutal five-month-old war appears to be edging closer to a new phase — with Ukraine laying the groundwork for a major offensive in the country’s south — Ukrainian political leaders and commanders are pressing the United States and its other allies to accelerate and broaden the flow of arms and munitions.
“Ukraine needs the firepower and the ammunition to withstand its barrage and to strike back at the Russian weapons launching these attacks from inside Ukraine’s own territory,” Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said last week in Washington. “And so we understand the urgency, and we’re pushing hard to maintain and intensify the momentum of donations.”
More American-supplied weapons like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, are at the top of Ukraine’s wish list. But so are armed drones and fighter jets. Gen. C.Q. Brown, the Air Force chief of staff, suggested last week that the United States or one of its European allies could send fighter jets to Ukraine in the coming weeks or months.
The United States recently said it would send four more M142 HIMARS to Ukraine, adding to the dozen mobile rocket launchers already in the field. Ukrainian soldiers have used them to destroy dozens of Russian command posts, air defense sites and ammunition depots, Ukrainian and American officials say.
“This has significantly slowed down the Russian advance and dramatically decreased the intensity of their artillery shelling,” Ukraine’s defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said in an online interview last week for the Atlantic Council, a Washington research group. “So it’s working.”
The headquarters of the European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, this month.Credit...Lena Mucha for The New York Times
Admiral Heinz said the cell was trying to meet Ukraine’s demands for more weapons faster, and acknowledged that “if the roles were reversed, then the comments would be the same.”
The weapons distribution nerve cell, formally called the International Donor Coordination Center, is where it happens. For such a high-profile mission, the room has a distinctly bare-bones feel. Officers sit at long folding tables, tapping on their laptops or conversing on phone headsets with colleagues in several different languages.
Our Coverage of the Russia-Ukraine War
Like much of Europe that suffered through last week’s heat wave, the attic room has no air-conditioning. Just a few open ceiling windows offered a faint breeze.
The center started its round-the-clock operations in March, combining British and American efforts to coordinate the flow of weapons and equipment. The process is straightforward. Ukraine submits requests through a secure, classified database. Military officers peruse the online list to determine what their countries can donate without jeopardizing their own national security. Nations also contribute training and transportation. A Ukrainian three-star general working in the center answers questions and clarifies his country’s priorities.
The center can send a technical team — a military version of the Geek Squad — to check the condition of a donor’s potential contribution and help arrange the paperwork for its delivery. Once a match is approved, planners find the best way to deliver the shipment.
About 75 percent of the arms are sent to staging bases in Poland, where Ukrainian troops pick up their cargo and take it back across the border. Admiral Heinz declined to identify two other neighboring countries where shipments are delivered, citing security concerns by those nations. The planners use different border crossings into Ukraine for weapons and for humanitarian assistance, he said.
In nearly five months, the center has moved more than 78,000 tons of arms, munitions and equipment worth more than $10 billion, U.S. and Western military officials said.
Many Baltic and Eastern European countries have donated Soviet-standard weapons and ammunition that the Ukrainian military has long used. But given the intense fighting, those stocks are running low, if not already depleted. One factory in Europe is making some Soviet-standard munitions, including howitzer shells, and it is operating 24/7, Admiral Heinz said. The shortage has required Ukraine to begin transitioning to Western-standard weapons and ammunition, which are more plentiful.
Once the weapons are in Ukraine, U.S. and other Western military officials say they are not able to track them. They rely on Ukraine’s accounts of how and where the arms are used — although U.S. intelligence and military officials, including Special Operations forces — are in daily contact with their Ukrainian counterparts, U.S. officials said.
American and Ukrainian officials have downplayed reports that some weapons are being siphoned off on the black market in Ukraine, but Admiral Heinz acknowledged that “we are not serial-number tracking these once they go across the border.”
Russia has attacked Ukrainian train depots and warehouses but has not shown it can effectively strike moving targets — like weapons convoys — with its rapidly diminishing arsenal of precision-guided munitions, American officials said.
President Biden greeted employees in May at a Lockheed Martin facility that manufactures weapon systems, including Javelin antitank missiles.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times
The initial shipments of weapons, including Stinger antiaircraft and Javelin antitank missiles, were flown into Poland and quickly shuttled across the border. But as larger, heavier and more complex weapons are donated, the military planners also send shipments by sea, rail and truck.
The center also arranges for Ukrainian solders to be trained on how to use and maintain the weapons, like the HIMARS, which requires at least two weeks of instruction, military officials said.
The United States has trained about 1,500 members of the Ukrainian military, largely in Germany. A group recently arrived in Britain to attend a new program that officials there say will ultimately train as many as 10,000 Ukrainian recruits in weaponry, patrol tactics, first aid and other skills.
When the Ukrainians run into a problem, “tele-repair” sites set up by the center can help keep equipment running and check the maintenance status of weapons.
Shifting to this all-inclusive program of equipping, training and sustaining the flow of weapons, and synchronizing the shipments with training, has posed growing challenges to the coordination center.
“It’s definitely a more complex task,” said Brig. Christopher King, the top British officer in the center. “What I would say is they are very easy to train and very committed.”
The coordination center typically works on shipments two months out, Admiral Heinz said. In addition to the weapons and ammunition the Pentagon announced last week — the 16th round the Biden administration has approved since August 2021 — Admiral Heinz said that two more shipments — No. 17 and No. 18 — are in the pipeline.
The admiral did not provide details of the future shipments, which will require President Biden’s approval.
For now, senior officials say the allies are standing firm behind Ukraine’s fight.
“The goal is for Ukraine to win the right to defend the sovereignty of their country, and to regain that ground,” said Admiral Heinz, an Afghan and Iraq war veteran.
“I can’t define what winning looks like for the Ukrainians,” he said, adding that was up to President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people. “The United States and our allies and partners are in it until he tells us he doesn’t need any more help.”
Kitty Bennett contributed research.
The New York Times · by Eric Schmitt · July 27, 2022
15. US Offers $10M Double-Reward for North Korea Cyberattacker Info
We must aggressively defend against Kim's "all purpose sword."
US Offers $10M Double-Reward for North Korea Cyberattacker Info
North Korean state-sponsored actors, who help economically prop up Kim Jong Un's dictatorship, continue to pummel US infrastructure.
Becky Bracken
Editor, Dark Reading
darkreading.com · July 27, 2022
The federal Rewards for Justice program has doubled, to $10 million, the available reward for useful information about North Korean state-sponsored actors' attacks on US healthcare systems and other critical infrastructure.
The State Department has a Tor-based tip line where anyone can submit information they have on North Korean-sponsored threat actors, including Lazarus Group, Kimsuky, BlueNoroff, and Andariel, all linked to the DPRK government apparatus.
Earlier this month, the FBI, US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), and the Treasury Department issued a warning that North Korean state-sponsored actors are attacking the US healthcare and public health sectors with a new ransomware tool called Maui.
Also in July, Microsoft warned that a North Korean APT threat it calls DEV-0530 has been using a custom ransomware dubbed H0lyGh0st to successfully compromise small businesses in multiple countries.
The hefty reward signals the success the DPRK has had using cybercrime to fund its activities as a way to work around stringent international sanctions, according to Kevin Bocek, vice president of security strategy and threat intelligence at Venafi.
"This money is being funneled directly into weapons programs, and cybercrime has become an essential cog in the ongoing survival of Kim Jong Un's dictatorship," Bocek said via email, in reaction to the reward hike announcement. "Worryingly, this blueprint is also being mimicked by other rogue states. So, cutting North Korean cybercrime off at the source is essential to the national security of the U.S. and its allies."
darkreading.com · July 27, 2022
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
VIDEO "WHEREBY" Link: https://whereby.com/david-maxwell
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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