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Quotes of the Day:
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."
- John F. Kennedy
"Be great in act, as you have been in thought."
- William Shakespeare
1. N. Korea apparently reopens its border due to economic difficulties: Seoul
2. 1st radiation test on waters since Fukushima release shows contamination levels below WHO standards
3. [NEWS ANALYSIS] Korea Inc. exiting China over weak demand, festering tensions
4. North Korea's Lazarus Group hits organizations with two new RATs
5. N. Korea criticizes European countries for sending F-16 jets to Ukraine
6. Yoon's approval inches up to 37.6 pct
7. South Korean memorial to draw Chinese tourists sparks controversy for lionising Korean-born composer of PLA anthem
8. Allied field exercises begin as civil defense drills end
9. Ideological dispute over historical figures engulfs Korean politics
10. Camp David summit and message to skeptics
11. Land minister to visit Ukraine next month seeking post-war reconstruction deals
12. North Korea’s borders are creaking open
13. Online vendors sued over Kim Jong-un T-shirts
14. Govt. considers relocating bust of independence fighter from defense ministry
1. N. Korea apparently reopens its border due to economic difficulties: Seoul
A lot to unpack. Indicators of potential internal instability? Human rights issues with the forced repatriation of those Koreans in Chinese detention centers.
What happens next inside north Korea?
N. Korea apparently reopens its border due to economic difficulties: Seoul | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · August 28, 2023
SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea apparently has decided to reopen its border after more than three years of its tight virus curbs due largely to economic challenges from its border closure, South Korea's unification ministry said Monday.
North Korea said Sunday it has allowed its citizens abroad to return home amid eased concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and will put them under quarantine for a week. The decision marked the secretive regime making official the reopening of its border.
"Due to its border closure, North Korea is presumed to have faced various economic difficulties, and there were probably many inconveniences as personnel exchanges were blocked," Koo Byoung-sam, spokesperson at the ministry, told a regular press briefing.
Still, the ministry viewed the North's latest move as "limited border reopening," as the North has only approved the return of its nationals abroad, without mentioning when it will allow entry by foreigners.
North Koreans line up at a check-in counter for Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, at Beijing Capital International Airport on Aug. 22, 2023. (Yonhap)
With the latest decision, more North Korean diplomats, laborers and students staying in foreign nations are expected to come back to the North. There are also concerns that North Korean defectors in China could be forcibly repatriated to the North.
The unification ministry voiced "grave concerns" about the possible repatriation of North Korean defectors who were arrested and detained in China.
"We'd like to stress once again that such defectors should not be forcibly sent back to the North against their will. Their own will should be respected," Koo said.
North Korea, which closed its border in January 2020, imposed "maximum emergency anti-epidemic" measures in May 2022, when the country reported its first COVID-19 case.
In signs of border reopening, North Korea has recently permitted its athletes to cross the border into China to take part in the ITF Taekwon-Do World Championships in Kazakhstan. It also resumed the operation of commercial flights with China and Russia last week.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · August 28, 2023
2. 1st radiation test on waters since Fukushima release shows contamination levels below WHO standards
Soem good news so far. But I doubt this will satisfy any of the protestors.
1st radiation test on waters since Fukushima release shows contamination levels below WHO standards | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · August 27, 2023
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- The radiation levels in the waters near South Korea remain well below the standards for drinkable water defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), Seoul's oceans ministry said Sunday.
It was the first such test conducted on 15 locations in three areas of South Korea's territorial waters after Japan began to release radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean last Thursday.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said it released the results of the radiation tests, carried out Friday, on five locations in the southeastern waters, and plans to disclose the rest of the test results on 10 other locations as soon as they are available.
In the latest result, the concentration levels of cesium-135 and cesium-137 stood at 0.067-0.094 and 0.077-0.098 becquerel per liter, respectively, compared with the WHO's 10 becquerel per liter for drinking water.
That of tritium, a hydrogen radioisotope, came to 6.6-7.1 becquerel per liter, the ministry said.
The government plans to carry out detailed radiation tests on 92 locations and take expedited tests on 108 locations.
Sunday's results are from an expedited analysis.
Concerns have been deepening over the impact of the Fukushima water release on the South Korean fishing industry as people have reduced seafood consumption out of safety concerns.
The concentration levels of cesium and tritium have been the most heavily debated issues. The plant's custom purification system, known as ALPS, is capable of removing all radioactive materials from the wastewater, except for tritium.
In response, the government has beefed up the seafood radiation management system.
This image provided by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on Aug. 27, 2023, shows locations, marked by dots, in South Korea's territorial waters where radiation tests are being or will be conducted by Seoul, as Japan began to release radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · August 27, 2023
3. [NEWS ANALYSIS] Korea Inc. exiting China over weak demand, festering tensions
Monday
August 28, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Published: 28 Aug. 2023, 06:00
[NEWS ANALYSIS] Korea Inc. exiting China over weak demand, festering tensions
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-08-28/business/industry/NEWS-ANALYSIS-Korea-Inc-exiting-China-over-weak-demand-festering-tensions/1855213?utm
Hyundai Motor's No.1 factory in Beijing that was sold off in 2021. [YONHAP]
Korean corporations of all sizes are accelerating their exit from China due to heightened political and economic risks.
Once China served as a manufacturing hub for big-name companies like Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, but they now turn to cheaper options like India and Southeast Asia.
A total of 46 production and incorporated units — whose parent companies are based in Korea — closed in China over the past six years, according to market tracker CEO Score.
Sales generated by Chinese units are also on a downward trajectory with combined sales of Chinese subsidiaries owned by 113 major Korean corporations slumping by 13.1 percent last year compared to 2016.
The shift away from China first arose in 2016 as major Korean retail companies took a hit from tensions between Korea and China over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system.
Then, the former Trump administration started barring U.S. companies from using information and communications technology from Huawei in 2019, citing concerns about securities.
The push from the United States to cut China off advanced technologies prompted Korean chipmakers like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to curb investment at their manufacturing sites in China.
The number of Chinese subsidiaries of Samsung Electronics was reduced to 30 as of the first half of this year from 37 in 2018.
Now, the tendency reverberates across the industry as China's appeal as a big market is fading fast due to patriotic consumption and a general slowdown in economic growth.
Automotive exodus after falling sales
Hyundai Motor employees work at its No. 3 Beijing plant in China [HYUNDAI MOTOR]
Hyundai Motor is one of the major Korean companies that saw the steepest drop in Chinese sales in recent years.
Sales of Beijing Hyundai Motor plunged 75.7 percent to 4.9 trillion won($3.7 billion) last year compared to 2016, while sales of Kia in China fell 80.8 percent during the same period.
Hyundai Motor on Wednesday said its Chongqing plant in China is up for sale at 3.68 billion yuan ($505 million), its second Chinese factory to be sold off.
Its Changzhou plant will also be up on sale within the year, which will reduce Hyundai's total number of operational factories in China from five to two.
Hyundai Motor originally had five factories in China, three in Beijing, one in Chongqing and one in Changzhou. Hyundai sold off its No. 1 Beijing factory in 2021 and halted operations at the Chongqing and Changzhou plants.
The Chongqing sale comes two months after Hyundai announced its Chinese business reconstruction plan in June due to the lingering sales slump.
First entered in 2002, Hyundai Motor's Chinese sales peaked in 2016, when it sold a total of 1.1 million units, representing 6.4 percent of the market.
However, it started to decline in late 2016 as a wide range of Korean products was largely neglected in China when the two countries clashed over the deployment of the Thaad.
The Korean automaker sold a total of 118,327 vehicles in China in the first half of this year, up 26 percent on year, which was still half of its figures from six to seven years ago.
“Hyundai Motor lost ground on Chinese brands in terms of price and lost its luxury image to German brands,” said Lee Hang-gu, a senior analyst at the Korea Automotive Technology Institute (KATI). “It is essential for Hyundai to map out a tactical strategy to make Chinese consumers think that Hyundai cars are superior to other brands, but also price competitive.”
4. North Korea's Lazarus Group hits organizations with two new RATs
A little too technical for me. But the danger of the all purpose sword of north Korean cyber is reinforced.
North Korea's Lazarus Group hits organizations with two new RATs
News Analysis
25 Aug 2023
6 mins
Advanced Persistent Threats
Cyberattacks
Malware
The internet backbone structure was among the targets of the campaign enabled by the new remote access trojans.
csoonline.com · by Lucian Constantin
One of North Korea’s most prominent cyberespionage groups has been using two new remote access trojans (RATs) in attack campaigns this year, researchers warn. One of the operations targeted internet backbone infrastructure and healthcare organizations from Europe and the United States.
“Lazarus Group remains highly active, with this being their third documented campaign in less than a year,” researchers from Cisco Talos said in a new report. “In September 2022, Talos published details of a Lazarus Group campaign targeting energy providers in the United States, Canada, and Japan. This campaign, enabled by the successful exploitation of the Log4j vulnerability, heavily employed a previously unknown implant we called ‘MagicRAT,’ along with known malware families VSingle, YamaBot, and TigerRAT, all of which were previously attributed to the threat actor by Japanese and Korean government agencies.”
An evolution of MagicRAT
In a campaign from earlier this year, the Talos researchers observed the group deploy a new RAT that appears to be a much more streamlined variant of MagicRAT. The researchers dubbed the new program QuiteRAT and saw it deployed in attacks that exploited a critical remote code execution vulnerability in ManageEngine ServiceDesk tracked as CVE-2022-47966.
Lazarus (APT38) is one of the North Korean government’s state-run hacking teams that is tasked with cyberespionage and sabotage. Its operations span back many years, but it also shares some of the toolset and infrastructure with other North Korean APT groups.
According to Talos, the Lazarus attackers started exploiting CVE-2022-47966 within days of a proof-of-concept exploit becoming available in January. One of the victims was an internet backbone infrastructure provider in Europe whose server was backdoor with a new malware program that researchers hadn’t seen before — QuiteRAT.
QuiteRAT has many similarities to MagicRAT, which is a known Lazarus tool, but is much smaller and lacks a built-in persistence mechanism. Like MagicRAT, QuiteRAT was created with the Qt framework, an open-source platform for developing cross-platform applications that has gained popularity for the ease of creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs).
Neither of the two trojans have graphical user interfaces so the choice of using Qt for development might seem strange. However, because there are very few malicious programs developed with this platform, it makes detection and analysis harder. However, QuiteRAT has a much smaller size compared to MagicRAT (4MB to 5MB vs. 18MB) despite implementing nearly identical functionality — allowing attackers to execute commands and additional payloads on the infected system remotely.
The difference comes from a more streamlined development process where QuiteRAT only incorporates a handful of needed Qt libraries, while MagicRAT bundles the whole framework, making it much bulkier.
Once deployed on a system, QuiteRAT gathers basic information such as MAC addresses, IP addresses, and the current user name of the device. It then connects to a hard-coded command-and-control server and waits for commands to be issued.
One of the implemented commands is meant to put the malware program to sleep and stop communicating to the C2 server for a specified time, probably an attempt by attackers to remain undetected inside victim networks. While QuiteRAT doesn’t have a built-in persistence mechanism, a command to set up a registry entry to start the malware after reboot can be sent by the C2 server.
A second new remote access trojan: CollectionRAT
While investigating the QuiteRAT attacks, the Talos researchers analyzed Lazarus’ C2 infrastructure and found additional tools, including another RAT program they dubbed CollectionRAT. “We discovered that QuiteRAT and the open-source DeimosC2 agents used in this campaign were hosted on the same remote locations used by the Lazarus Group in their preceding campaign from 2022 that deployed MagicRAT,” the Talos researchers said. “This infrastructure was also used for commanding and controlling CollectionRAT, the newest malware in the actor's arsenal.”
CollectionRAT seems to be connected to Jupiter/EarlyRAT, another malware program that was documented by CISA and Kaspersky Lab in the past in connection with North Korean cyberattacks. Like QuiteRAT, CollectionRAT was developed using unusual tools, in this case the Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC), a legitimate library that is traditionally used to create user interfaces for Windows applications. MFC is used to decrypt and execute the malware code on the fly, but also has the benefit of abstracting the inner implementations of the Windows OS and making development easier while allowing different components to easily work with each other.
Once deployed, the implant collects identifying information about the system and sends it to the C2 server. It also can spawn a reverse shell through which attackers can run arbitrary commands, can read and write files on disk and can execute additional payloads.
“Analyzing CollectionRAT indicators of compromise (IOCs) enabled us to discover links to EarlyRAT, a PureBasic-based implant that security research firm Kaspersky recently attributed to the Andariel subgroup,” the Talos researchers said. “We discovered a CollectionRAT sample signed with the same certificate used to sign an older version of EarlyRAT from 2021. Both sets of samples used the same certificate from ‘OSPREY VIDEO INC.’ with the same serial number and thumbprint.”
Lazarus's use of third-party tools
Aside from the custom-made QuiteRAT and CollectionRAT malware programs, Lazarus has also relied on third-party tools in its operations. One example is DeimosC2, a command-and-control framework written in Golang with RAT capabilities that is similar to post-exploitation frameworks like Cobalt Strike and Sliver.
“We discovered the presence of a new implant that we identified as a beacon from the open-source DeimosC2 framework,” the Talos researchers said. “Contrary to most of the malware found on their hosting infrastructure, the DeimosC2 implant was a Linux ELF binary, indicating the intention of the group to deploy it during the initial access on Linux-based servers.”
Another tool that Lazarus was hosting on its C2 infrastructure and can be used for remote tunneling between infected systems and the C2 server was PuTTY Link (Plink).
csoonline.com · by Lucian Constantin
5. N. Korea criticizes European countries for sending F-16 jets to Ukraine
The regime is helping to carry Russia's propaganda water.
N. Korea criticizes European countries for sending F-16 jets to Ukraine | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · August 28, 2023
SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea criticized a recent decision by the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway for providing F-16 fighters to Ukraine in its fight against Russia as an "anti-peace act," the North's state media said Monday.
The commentary by the North's Institute of International Studies came as Pyongyang has expressed support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and amid speculation of an arms deal between Pyongyang and Moscow.
"Their decision to supply even fighters is an anti-peace act of inciting a long war and totally destroying the regional peace and stability," said the English-language commentary, carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
Claiming the move shows the "sinister intention" of the United States and European countries to defeat Russia, the commentary said the U.S. is the "arch criminal" pushing Europe to the brink of a "horrible nuclear war."
This file photo provided by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on July 28, 2023, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) shaking hands with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during an armistice anniversary event. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
In what appeared to be an effort to align itself with Russia and express support for the country, the institute said the "righteous international community including the DPRK" denounces the move, using an acronym of the North's official name.
"Nothing can block the advance of the brave Russian army and people out in defending justice and peace, and the U.S. and the West are doomed to ruin," the commentary said.
Pyongyang has been increasingly seeking to strengthen ties with Russia, alongside China, in the face of a growing security cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.
Last month, the reclusive country invited a Russian military delegation led by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to events marking the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accompanied Shoigu on an arms exhibition featuring drones and missiles.
mlee@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · August 28, 2023
6. Yoon's approval inches up to 37.6 pct
It is not easy being a South Korean President.
Yoon's approval inches up to 37.6 pct | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · August 28, 2023
By Kim Han-joo
SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating inched up to 37.6 percent, primarily due to positive public assessments of his trilateral summit with the United States and Japan, according to a poll Monday.
In the survey of 2,507 eligible voters conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance increased by 2 percentage points from the previous week, while disapproval of Yoon's performance dropped by 1.8 percentage points to 59.4 percent.
His approval rating had steadily risen for three weeks, starting in the fourth week of July, but dropped by 2.7 points the previous week, according to Realmeter.
"The South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit acted as positive momentum for the president's assessment," said Bae Cheol-ho, a senior analyst at Realmeter. However, analysts noted that the momentum weakened during the later part of the week after Japan began releasing contaminated water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
President Yoon Suk Yeol (C) poses with children during an event held for families with multiple children at Yongsan Children's Garden, near the presidential office, in Seoul on Aug. 26, 2023, in this photo provided by the office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
khj@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · August 28, 2023
7. South Korean memorial to draw Chinese tourists sparks controversy for lionising Korean-born composer of PLA anthem
What are they thinking? Does anyone really think this will draw Chinese tourists?
South Korean memorial to draw Chinese tourists sparks controversy for lionising Korean-born composer of PLA anthem
- The city of Gwangju has proposed building a park as a memorial to Korean-born Zheng Lucheng but critics seek to stop the plan
- ‘According to that logic, if you want to attract Russian tourists, you have to build Stalin Park,’ says Seoul’s minister of patriots and veterans affairs
Seong Hyeon Choi
+ FOLLOWPublished: 8:00pm, 27 Aug, 2023
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3232311/south-korean-memorial-draw-chinese-tourists-sparks-controversy-lionising-korean-born-composer-pla
The South Korean city of Gwangju plans to attract Chinese tourists with a memorial park for prominent Korean-Chinese composer Zheng Lucheng. Photo: Weibo
Why you can trust SCMP
A plan by a South Korean city to attract Chinese tourists with a memorial for a Korean-Chinese composer known for both writing the Chinese military’s anthem and fighting against Seoul during the Korean war has sparked controversy.
The city of Gwangju has proposed building a park memorialising Korean-born Zheng Lucheng who wrote the anthem of the People’s Liberation Army.
In 2009, Zheng Lucheng was named one of the “100 heroes and model figures who made outstanding contributions to the founding of New China” by the Chinese government. Photo: Weibo
Park Min-shik, South Korean Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, made a post on Facebook on Tuesday criticising the plan, saying it “denies the spirit of the constitution” to commemorate someone who “led the way to tear down liberal democratic Korea”.
“When the tragedy of the Korean war broke out, he organised a war consolation performance group and comforted the Chinese army. Not only that, but he abandoned his nationality and became a Chinese citizen, writing songs for the Chinese Communist Party and ending his life as a Chinese,” Park said.
“As the minister of patriots and veterans affairs, I express strong concern over the plan [by] Gwangju to commemorate the person who took the lead in overthrowing a free Republic of Korea with taxpayers’ money. It should be completely withdrawn.”
The city government of Gwangju, which is in southwestern South Korea and is Zheng’s birthplace and hometown, announced its plans to create a memorial park commemorating Zheng in May 2020. The work, including a statue and paintings of Zheng, is expected to be finished by the end of this year.
Zheng’s history as a musician for the Chinese and North Korean army that fought against South Korea during the Korean war is controversial in South Korean politics. The ruling conservative People Power Party issued a statement calling for an immediate halt to construction of the memorial park commemorating the “communist military cheerleader”.
Kang Gi-jung, the mayor of Gwangju and a member of the opposition Democratic Party, countered that the city “neither regards Zheng as a hero nor does it disparage him,” and said Zheng was a symbol of friendship between South Korea and China which would help attract more Chinese tourists.
“In the eyes of Gwangju, he is an outstanding musician,” Kang said, while also describing the musician’s personal pain as in keeping with a period when Korea was occupied by Japan.
“Thanks to his achievements … many Chinese tourists visit Gwangju. We will discover and invest in Zheng as a historical and cultural resource of the city.”
Zheng, who is also known by his Korean name Jeong Yul-seong, is considered one of the greatest modern composers of military songs in China. In 2009, he was named one of the “100 heroes and model figures who made outstanding contributions to the founding of new China” by the Chinese government for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his speech at Seoul National University in 2014, also mentioned Zheng’s name as one of the examples of the people who supported the “friendly exchanges” between the two countries.
Zheng was an anti-Japanese resistance activist who is known to have been involved in the Korean independence movement in China, where he studied music.
In 1939, he joined the Chinese Communist Party and composed military songs for the PLA. He returned to Korea – in North Korea – after it gained independence from Japan in 1945, where he taught music and worked as chief of the North Korean army band, writing its military anthems.
After the outbreak of the Korean war in 1950, Zheng returned to China following a request from then-Chinese premier Zhou Enlai and obtained Chinese citizenship to organise music consolation groups for the Chinese military sent to fight against South Korea and the allied forces.
Zheng died in 1976 and was buried in Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, a main resting place for the highest ranking government figures in Beijing.
He is best known for composing military songs and marches in China and North Korea. In addition to the PLA song, he is known for writing “Ode to Yanan”, “March of the Korean People’s Army” and “Tumen River”.
The Jeong Yul-seong memorial society issued a statement on Thursday saying it was “not helpful” for the memorial construction to be stopped suddenly, and it was inappropriate to have an “excessive ideological dispute”.
However, Park said of mayor Kang’s remark that seeking to draw Chinese tourists was a “poor excuse” for building the memorial park. The minister told Channel A on Wednesday he was considering filing a constitutional appeal to stop construction.
“According to that logic, if you want to attract Russian tourists, you have to build Stalin Park, and if you want to attract Japanese tourists, you have to build Japanese Emperor Park,” Park said.
“It makes no sense. Money is important, but national identity is a value that we cannot concede, so I don’t think we can justify it by attracting tourists.”
South Korea’s patriotism and veterans affairs ministry considered conferring a posthumous honour on Zheng in 2018 after former president Moon Jae-in visited China in 2017.
But it was rejected because of the composer’s support for China and North Korea during the Korean war and after an investigation declared there was uncertainty around his purported work for the Korean independence movement.
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Seong Hyeon Choi
Seong Hyeon joined the SCMP in 2022. He is from South Korea and graduated with a bachelor of journalism and master of international and public affairs from the University of Hong Kong. He worked as a research intern for Korea Chair at US foreign policy think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and as a news trainee for NK news.
8. Allied field exercises begin as civil defense drills end
I do think major exercises were conducted last week as well - certainly the theater CPX (which will continue this week as well).
August 28, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Published: 28 Aug. 2023, 18:42
Allied field exercises begin as civil defense drills end
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-08-28/national/defense/Allied-field-exercises-begin-as-civil-defense-drills-end/1856931
K-9 howitzers from the South Korean Army's 7th Artillery Brigade fire shells during a joint field training drill by South Korean and U.S. militaries in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, on Monday. [YONHAP]
The ongoing joint South Korea-U.S. exercise entered its second, military-focused phase on Monday, following the conclusion of the Ulchi civil defense exercise the previous week.
The remaining joint drills by the South Korean and U.S. militaries, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, are due to run until Thursday.
Related Article
According to South Korean military officials, daytime and nighttime drills by the allied militaries over the four-day period from Monday to Thursday could also involve U.S. strategic assets, such as B-1B supersonic bombers.
The remaining exercise also includes large-scale outdoor field drills and training by U.S. Space Forces Korea to predict and track the trajectories of North Korean missiles using intelligence assets, including reconnaissance satellites.
“We will demonstrate the allies’ strong willpower and bolster our joint operations capabilities so that we can overwhelmingly respond to any provocation by North Korea,” according to a South Korean military official who spoke on condition of anonymity to reporters.
South Korean and U.S. Navy special commandos train during a joint field drill at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Friday. [REPUBLIC OF KOREA NAVY]
Earlier on Friday, South Korean and U.S. Navy special commandos began joint field drills at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, to strengthen their readiness against the North’s advancing military threats.
The drills include training for special reconnaissance operations, casualty treatment and responding to unexpected military contingencies, according to the South Korean Navy.
“Our special operations unit will strengthen their decisive warfare posture and combined defense preparedness through realistic training programs to ensure that it can accomplish its mission without fail under any circumstances,” the Navy’s press release said.
The allies’ special operations units will continue training for maritime and overland infiltration and strike operations through September, the Navy said.
Both militaries are also currently involved in recovering debris from the North’s latest attempted satellite launch, which failed after it flew south past Jeju Island on Thursday.
According to the North’s state media, the latest Chollima-1 space launch vehicle (SLV) was mounted with a military reconnaissance satellite, named Malligyong-1.
Related Article
A section of the previous Chollima-1 SLV, which also broke up and fell into the sea shortly after its launch in May, was recovered by South Korean forces in June.
Meanwhile, a South Korean naval detachment departed Monday on a 141-day training mission that will take them on a 55,600-kilometer (34,550-mile) journey to 14 ports in 13 countries.
Cadets wave to the Navy's Hansando training vessel as it leaves Jinhae, South Gyeongsang, on Monday. [REPUBLIC OF KOREA NAVY]
According to the Navy, a total of 151 graduating cadets at the Naval Academy and 500 crew members are participating in the mission, which consists of the 4,500-ton Hansando training vessel and the 4,200-ton Hwacheon logistic ship.
The cadets are scheduled to make their first port call in Hawaii before marking their way to 13 countries, including the United States, Germany, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and India, before they make their final stop in Yokosuka, Japan. The sailors will return home on Jan. 15.
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
9. Ideological dispute over historical figures engulfs Korean politics
Ideological dispute over historical figures engulfs Korean politics
The Korea Times · by 2023-08-28 08:27 | Society · August 28, 2023
A bust of independence fighter Hong Beom-do is installed outside the Ministry of National Defense's headquarters in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
Gov't considers relocating bust of independence fighter from defense ministry
By Lee Hyo-jin
Ideological conflicts surrounding historical figures are escalating among politicians, as the government seeks to relocate the bust of independence fighter Hong Beom-do, which currently sits near the defense ministry building.
The Ministry of National Defense said Monday that it is considering relocating the bust citing Hong's past involvement with Soviet communist forces. The plan has triggered protests from opposition parties and an association representing independence fighters.
The dispute is a recurring theme in Korean politics where conservatives and liberals tend to hold different views on Korea's independence-related history.
"There have been recent indications about General Hong Beom-do's affiliation with the Communist Party and other activities related to it," said defense ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu during a briefing.
The move is in line with the ministry's plan to remove the busts of five independence fighters ― including Hong ― from the Korean Military Academy in Seoul, also due to their past collaboration with the Soviet Communist Party.
Regarding this, Jeon said, "The installation of the monuments (at the military academy) was pushed ahead somewhat abruptly in 2018 without a general consensus, leading to various disagreements within the military, as I understand."
Born in 1868, Hong is a renowned independence fighter who was the commander-in-chief of the Korean Independence Army. He led some 1,300 freedom fighters to victory against Japanese forces at the Battle of Bongodong in 1920.
In 1921, Hong moved to the Soviet Far East, seeking refuge from Japan's attempts to capture him. He was forced to relocate to Kazakhstan in 1937 under then Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin's policy, along with many other ethnic Koreans.
"It is regretful that the legacy of the independence fighter has become a source of political and ideological debates," political commentator Rhee Jong-hoon told The Korea Times. "If we look at the history of Korea's independence movement as a whole, General Hong Beom-do cannot be described as a communist."
Busts of six independence fighters stand near the Ministry of National Defense's headquarters in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday. The independence activists represented are Hong Beom-do, Ahn Jung-geun, Yoon Bong-gil, Lee Bong-chang, Kang Woo-kyu and Park Seung-kwan. Yonhap
Gwangju's plan to honor communist composer stirs controversy
Some critics viewed that the plan to remove the monuments of independence fighters aligns with the Yoon administration's recent tactics of branding its opponents as "communists." In his Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15, Yoon lashed out at "anti-state forces" which he described as "blindly follow(ing) communist totalitarianism," and urged the public not to be deceived by such forces.
Rhee commented that the government's anti-communist ideology would only appeal to the far-right supporters, and thus would not be helpful to the Yoon administration in the long term.
The presidential office said it is up to the defense ministry or military academy to make a decision on the relocation or removal of the busts of independence fighters.
Rep. Woo Won-shik of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who heads a foundation commemorating Hong, condemned the defense ministry's move.
"The abrupt announcement about the removal of the bust, citing vague reasons, brings humiliation to the independence fighter," he said during an interview on a local radio program, Monday.
Woo explained that there are no records indicating that Hong actually engaged in the activities of the Communist Party, although the independence fighter had briefly joined the party in 1927 to make ends meet.
"It's really hard to understand why they would bring up the issue which has already been settled under former President Park Chung-hee, during the so-called Cold War era," the lawmaker said. Hong was rewarded with the Order of Merit for National Foundation posthumously by Park in 1963.
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) took a cautious stance on the matter. Rep. Yoo Sang-bum, the party spokesperson, told reporters that "the defense ministry and the military academy will make a reasonable decision considering the public opinion."
Similar disputes arose surrounding Gwangju Metropolitan Government's controversial plan to build a park in honor of communist composer Jeong Yul-seong.
Conservative civic groups hold a rally in front of the Gwangju Metropolitan Government, Monday, demanding the city government to withdraw construction plans for a park commemorating communist composer Jeong Yul-seong. Yonhap
Born in Gwangju around 1914, Jeong moved to China in 1933 where he studied music and entered the Korean independence fighter training academy in Nanjing before joining the Chinese Communist Party in 1939.
Minister of Veterans Affairs and Patriots Park Min-shik on Monday called on Gwangju City to withdraw its plan. Describing Jeong as "a cheerleader for our enemies who wielded guns and swords against us," Park told reporters that his ministry will do whatever it takes to deter the project to build the park.
But Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jung said the project will commence as planned.
"It (the project) is something that the citizens of Gwangju have come together for… it is not a project to be ashamed of to be considered wrong," he said during a press conference held on the same day. Kang also added that Jeong is an important figure for Korea in forging closer bilateral ties with China.
The Korea Times · by 2023-08-28 08:27 | Society · August 28, 2023
10. Camp David summit and message to skeptics
Excerpts:
Korea's strengthening of relations with the U.S. and Japan is less likely to translate into a loss of the Chinese market. The U.S. and Japan also depend heavily on the Chinese market. It appears to be a self-evident result that if we join the U.S. camp at a time when they have severed economic relations with China, we will lose the Chinese market. However, it may not be so. Those concerned about losing the Chinese market need to recall one fact, i.e., the purpose of the U.S.-led strategy to keep China in check. The U.S. strategy is aimed at correcting China's unfair and illegal economic behaviors. This means that once China accepts this, everything will be normalized. It must be acknowledged that China's correction of economic behavior also best serves Korea's national interest. Until then, we should put aside concerns about losing the Chinese market for a while. On a grand scale, it is time to show the wisdom of giving bipartisan and pan-national support to the Indo-Pacific strategy and subsidiary measures pursued by the Korean government.
Camp David summit and message to skeptics
The Korea Times · August 28, 2023
By Choo Jae-woo
The public must have experienced something unusual while watching the trilateral summit between South Korea, the United States and Japan on Aug. 18 at Camp David, the retreat of the U.S. president. This is so that they could watch Korea's transformation. When the United States and Japan were secretly engaged more than 120 years ago, Korea was annexed to Japan. The so-called "Taft-Katsura secret treaty" served as a justification for the annexation and Korea quickly lost its sovereignty. Korea was sacrificed in the struggle of great powers against imperial Russia whose expansion they wanted to stop.
However, the summit revealed Korea's altered status and reputation to the world. It is impossible not to boast of it as a historical moment that opened up a new chapter in Korea's diplomatic history. This is due to the fact that Korea has been resurrected as an essential partner nation that stands shoulder to shoulder with the United States and Japan in responding to common threats rather than serving as a scapegoat.
There is no disagreement over the fact that the summit has opened a new horizon for the relationship between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan. The key is now to continue and maintain what has been agreed in the future. Some skeptics are concerned about the feasibility. Just in case Donald Trump is elected as president again in 2024, they worry the outcomes of the Korea-U.S.-Japan summit will all become futile. Moreover, the possible earlier exit from power by the incumbent leaders Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida and Yoon Suk Yeol may give rise to such concerns.
Given past experience, however, communication channels at high and working levels will continue regardless of the leadership changes. The so-called "2 plus 2 dialogue" at the defense and foreign affairs ministries has prevailed for decades. For this precedent, so will the newly agreed annual meetings by the national security advisers, and ministers of commerce, industry and finance respectively flourish in the future.
Also intriguing is the new dialogue forum the leaders of the three nations have established. These channels of communication, which were scheduled to take place yearly, were set up in accordance with the challenges the three nations were confronting. At the Indo-Pacific Dialogue, the three countries agreed to coordinate and cooperate to implement the strategy's major tasks. These tasks include dealing with the threat of disinformation, the shady use of foreign information and the exploitation of surveillance technology. To further the coordination and cooperation of development policies, a new dialogue was launched ― the Trilateral Development Policy Dialogue. Its inaugural meeting was scheduled for this October.
The most notable part of the results of the trilateral summit for Korea's strategic interests was information sharing. Information sharing is a prerequisite for the success of all cooperation. Without fulfilling it, cooperation or policy coordination would be hard to come by. Countries must have high confidence and trust in each other to feel comfortable sharing information that is sensitive to their respective interests. It is in this vein we can see the level of confidence and trust that the U.S. and Japan have in Korea.
Other skeptical concerns in Korea were raised against possible punitive measures from China for Korea's joining of the U.S. and Japan to strengthen trilateral cooperation. It would be difficult for China to follow such a suit as they did in 2016 by adopting sanction measures against Korea when it decided to join the U.S. decision to deploy THAAD. The Chinese economy is in shambles and such decisions would only backfire should it decide to sanction Korea while it is in the middle of strengthening a trilateral relationship.
Another reason is the changes in the structure and nature of the Korea-China economic relations. Korea, as one of the ten largest economies in the world must overcome its obsession that the trade surplus with China will perpetuate. The reality speaks otherwise. None of the top ten economies ― except Japan ― records a trade surplus with China. The Korean public must accept the reality that our trade balance with China is turning into a deficit, and it will continue as Korea must rely on cheaper goods from China for its consumption.
Also, the U.S., South Korea and Japan were ranked first, second and third in terms of total trade with China in 2022. In terms of direct investment (FDI) to China, South Korea, Japan and the United States ranked first, second, and third as of 2021, except for areas with unclear investment sources such as Hong Kong, Singapore and the Virgin Islands. For this reason, the reality is that the more these countries strengthen their cooperation, the less China can take retaliatory or unfriendly measures.
Korea's strengthening of relations with the U.S. and Japan is less likely to translate into a loss of the Chinese market. The U.S. and Japan also depend heavily on the Chinese market. It appears to be a self-evident result that if we join the U.S. camp at a time when they have severed economic relations with China, we will lose the Chinese market. However, it may not be so. Those concerned about losing the Chinese market need to recall one fact, i.e., the purpose of the U.S.-led strategy to keep China in check. The U.S. strategy is aimed at correcting China's unfair and illegal economic behaviors. This means that once China accepts this, everything will be normalized. It must be acknowledged that China's correction of economic behavior also best serves Korea's national interest. Until then, we should put aside concerns about losing the Chinese market for a while. On a grand scale, it is time to show the wisdom of giving bipartisan and pan-national support to the Indo-Pacific strategy and subsidiary measures pursued by the Korean government.
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 · August 28, 2023
11. Land minister to visit Ukraine next month seeking post-war reconstruction deals
Global Pivotal State
Land minister to visit Ukraine next month seeking post-war reconstruction deals
The Korea Times · August 28, 2023
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, center, speaks during a press conference at the Government Complex in Sejong, Monday. Yonhap
By Park Jae-hyuk
The land minister said Monday that he will visit Ukraine in September to help Korean companies take part in a $140 billion project to rebuild the country's transport and energy infrastructure once the war there ends.
"At first, we will focus on governmental assistance and loans for Ukraine, a feasibility study on the reconstruction projects, backup operations in Poland and the establishment of personal, physical and systematic footholds to organize consortiums for the project," Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong told reporters, adding that the date of his visit could change.
He was initially expected to visit Kyiv this month with executives of Korean companies, which had sent their representatives to a meeting in Poland last month for Ukraine's reconstruction projects.
Samsung C&T, Hyundai E&C, Kolon Global, HD Hyundai XiteSolution, Hyundai Rotem, Yooshin Engineering, Naver, Korea Land & Housing Corp. (LH), Korea Water Resources Corp., International Contractors Association of Korea and Export-Import Bank of Korea took part in that meeting, which was attended by Won, as well as President Yoon Suk Yeol, who paid an unexpected visit to Ukraine.
Among the Korean firms, Hyundai E&C signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ukraine's Boryspil International Airport for reconstruction and expansion projects. Samsung C&T signed a smart city development deal with Lviv, a city in western Ukraine.
Once the land minister visits Ukraine, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is expected to send a business delegation comprised of executives from energy suppliers.
During Monday's press conference, Won also mentioned the ministry's plan to impose a 10-month suspension of business on GS E&C over the collapse of an underground parking garage at an apartment building under construction in Incheon. GS E&C, one of Korea's largest builders, took part in the construction of the parking garage.
"We warned that the leading building developer should have been more careful about preventing such an accident," the minister said, although he did not rule out the possibility of the construction company filing a lawsuit against the punitive measure.
Won emphasized that LH and land ministry officials will also face punishment for habitually overlooking poor construction work.
He also said that the ministry will focus on "fine-tuning" steps, so that people do not believe that the declining supply of houses will lead to another sharp rise in domestic apartment prices.
The Korea Times · August 28, 2023
12. North Korea’s borders are creaking open
Forced repatriation is a human rights abuse and China is complicit.
North Korea’s borders are creaking open
Thousands of defectors and exiles in China face a grim forced return
Aug 27th 2023 | SEOUL
The Economist
THE GATES of North Korea, closed since January 2020 ostensibly to keep covid-19 out, are finally creaking open. On August 27th state media announced that citizens who had been locked out of the country during the pandemic were starting to return home. Some North Korean civil aeroplanes have already made return trips to Beijing.
Many will welcome any relaxation of restrictions, hoping that more trade with China will allow in food needed to stave off the country’s endemic shortages. But for one group the news inspires dread. According to the UN as many as 2,000 North Korean defectors are now languishing in Chinese prisons, awaiting a possible forced return to a state that deals extremely harshly with those suspected of trying to escape its clutches.
Some North Koreans were trapped in China against their wishes when the borders shut. Many had gone with the permission of Kim Jong Un’s regime, to study or earn money for the state. After so much time away they are likely to be forced to endure re-education to reassure the authorities of their ideological reliability.
Others left without the regime’s approval, either to engage in trade or to escape its tyranny. They can expect rougher treatment. Merely crossing the border without permission is punishable by up to five years of “reform through labour”. Those repatriated in the past have been subjected to torture, sexual violence, forced abortions and other forms of mistreatment, says Su Bo-bae, a researcher at the Database Centre for North Korean Human Rights, a Seoul-based think-tank.
An escapee interviewed by another rights group, Rights for Female North Korean Defectors, was imprisoned after being forcibly repatriated from China. He was sentenced to hard labour and forced to adopt stress positions for five hours every morning. Violence was routine. He recalled seeing a guard grabbing an elderly woman by the hair until it came out in clumps and pounding her face.
Although the situation is most worrying for North Koreans in detention in China, all defectors there are at risk. In recent years Chinese digital surveillance infrastructure has improved and fake residency cards have been harder to obtain. The need to show a QR code linked to residence papers when entering public places during the pandemic has made undocumented North Koreans stand out more.
Most defectors are women and many risk being separated from their children if sent back. A defector who spoke to The Economist and other media outlets in South Korea, at a naturalisation centre for North Korean arrivals, exemplifies this. She escaped to China 2014 and married and had children there—before escaping to the South for fear of repatriation. “I had something to protect,” she says, “I was worried about my family”.
When reminded by the UN of its legal obligation not to return anyone to a country where they might be tortured, the Chinese government responds that North Korean border-crossers are economic migrants whom it handles “in keeping with Chinese laws, international law and humanitarianism”. This illustrates China’s broader see-no-evil approach to its neighbour’s transgressions. On August 17th the UN Security Council addressed North Korean human rights for the first time in five years. China’s representative called the discussion “irresponsible, unconstructive and an abuse of the council’s power”.
In 2008, just before the Beijing Olympics, China permitted seven North Korean defectors to travel to third countries. Some activists hope they might do something similar before the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September. That is optimistic. Before the Olympics, China and the West were jointly trying to talk the North Koreans out of their nuclear ambitions. With Sino-American rivalry raging, China is now opposed to the West and seems unmoved by any North Korean outrage.■
The Economist
13. Online vendors sued over Kim Jong-un T-shirts
The National Security Law needs to be repealed. It has prevented the Korean people in the South from correctly understanding the regime in the north. And of course freedom of expression should not be denied.
The values of individual liberty and freedom are stronger than any north Korean propaganda.
Online vendors sued over Kim Jong-un T-shirts
koreaherald.com · by Moon Ki Hoon · August 28, 2023
By Moon Ki Hoon
Published : 2023-08-28 16:29:18
Snapshot images of the T-shirt
An online vendor has become embroiled in legal action for selling T-shirts featuring a smiling image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in a case highlighting the polarized perspectives of South Koreans towards their northern neighbor.
Six right-wing activist groups have filed a joint civil lawsuit against two individual sellers, with e-commerce giants Naver and Coupang also named as defendants for displaying the product on their platforms. According to the complaint submitted to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the involved parties allegedly violated Article 7 of the National Security Law, which prohibits actions that "praise, incite or propagate activities of an anti-government organization," or the distribution and sale of such materials.
“The parties accused have done more than just paint a friendly image of Kim Jong-un; they knowingly threatened South Korea’s liberal democracy by praising and inciting the North Korean leader in clear violation of the National Security Law," the plaintiffs claimed in the filing.
The now-deleted product listing showed the T-shirt priced at 14,900 Won ($11.50), available in various colors. Below the North Korean leader's smiling face printed on the front, the T-shirt bore a caption in North Korean dialect wishing good luck. Its 4.9-star rating based on 69 reviews indicated its allure to shoppers who have a taste for outlandish designs.
Despite the controversy, there is no evidence linking the T-shirt's designers or sellers to North Korean affiliations, let alone a political agenda. Hashtags associated with the product, such as "funny," "parody" and "useless gift," suggest its intent was humorous.
South Korea's National Security Law, established in 1948 to counter the looming threat from North Korea, forbids any positive commentary or dissemination of North Korean propaganda, with violators risking up to seven years behind bars.
Leading global human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have argued that the law infringes upon the basic freedoms of speech and assembly. Ambiguous phrases within its provisions like "praising" and "anti-government organization" are seen as potentially suppressing democratic dissent -- recalling South Korea's history from the law's creation until the 1980s, when the law served as a potent instrument for the country's series of authoritarian dictatorships.
The law has faced multiple challenges in the past, but the Constitutional Court has upheld its constitutionality in seven separate instances since 1991.
koreaherald.com · by Moon Ki Hoon · August 28, 2023
14. Govt. considers relocating bust of independence fighter from defense ministry
Govt. considers relocating bust of independence fighter from defense ministry
koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · August 28, 2023
By Yonhap
Published : 2023-08-28 11:13:04
This file photo shows Hong Beom-do. (Herald DB)
The government is considering relocating a bust of revered independence fighter Hong Beom-do from outside the defense ministry headquarters due to his past record of collaborating with Soviet communist forces, officials said Monday.
Earlier, the defense ministry said it is considering relocating the busts of five Korean independence fighters, including Hong's, from the Korea Military Academy in northern Seoul, sparking protest from opposition parties and the Heritage of Korean Independence, an association representing the independence fighters and their descendants.
The move is seen as being in line with the Yoon administration's push to align closer with the United States and Japan in the face of growing cooperation among North Korea, China and Russia.
In his Liberation Day address on Aug. 15, Yoon blasted "anti-state forces" that he said "blindly follow communist totalitarianism," and urged against succumbing to the forces of communist totalitarianism.
"If there has to be a relocation, the bust at the Korea Military Academy and the bust in front of the defense ministry should be looked at together," a senior government official told Yonhap News Agency, suggesting they were installed in the wrong place to begin with.
Another official said the relocation would be aimed at deepening understanding of the Yoon administration's philosophies on the state, history and national security among troops.
As a potential new site for the busts, the government has been considering the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, 85 kilometers south of Seoul.
The presidential office said it will defer any decision to the defense ministry and the Korea Military Academy.
Gen. Hong is a historic and highly symbolic figure in Korea's fight against Japan's 1910-45 brutal colonial rule. As top commander of Korea's liberation army, he spearheaded victories in battles against Japanese forces. Especially well known is the Battle of Fengwudong in Manchuria, China, in 1920.
The following year, he moved to the Soviet Far East, seeking refuge from Japan's hunting operation.
He was forced to relocate to Kazakhstan in 1937 under then Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's policy, along with many other ethnic Koreans. He died at the age of 75 in the Kazakh region of Kyzylorda in 1943, two years before Korea's liberation. (Yonhap)
koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · August 28, 2023
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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