Quotes of the Day:
7– “Be reflective if you must be armed. If you carry a weapon in public service, may God bless you and keep you. But know that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one day, doing irregular things. Be ready to say no.”
– Timothy Snyder
"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
"A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom."
– Bob Dylan
1. Impeachment Crisis Splits Koreans
2. Around 300 N.K. soldiers killed, 2,700 wounded during fight against Ukraine: S. Korea's spy agency
3. ROK defense ministry rejects ‘baseless’ claims it sought to provoke North Korea
4. Japan foreign minister in South Korea for talks before Trump takes office
5. Zelensky offers to release captured North Korean soldiers in exchange for Ukrainian soldiers held in Russia
6. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 12, 2025
7. Acting president again calls on gov't agencies to avoid any violence in Yoon's arrest
8. Yoon's lawyers demand exclusion of constitutional court justice over fair ruling concern
9. FM Cho vows to work with Japan to reduce tensions over wartime history issues
10. Captured N.K. soldier says he wishes to remain in Ukraine
11. Editorial: The tragic reality of North Korean soldiers forced into Russia's war
12. Special security measures mark Kim Jong Un's birthday: A new national holiday in the making
13. Five women caught in drug and phone bust at N. Korean new year party
14. N. Korea's new premier sparks economic debate in Pyongyang
15. Young Kim appointed chair of US House's East Asia and Pacific subcommittee
16. ‘I want to live here’: Zelensky posts video showing North Koreans’ reluctance to return home after capture
17. Escape from North Korea, then and now
18. [Washington Talk] “South Korea’s impeachment situation, US intervention is dangerous∙∙∙Chinese covert influence expansion is noteworthy”
19. North Storm Corps 'Storm-fallen' by U Drone
1. Impeachment Crisis Splits Koreans
The real threat is from the north and its subversion of the South's political system (e.g., infiltration of the Minjoo/DPK and the development of either active supporters or useful idiots).
While our initial assessment was that President Yoon made a major miscalculation, as it turns out he may have provided the opportunity for the DPK to show its true colors and that is creating blowback among a large segment of the population. Counterintuitively, the martial law declaration could go down in history as contributing to saving democracy by turning people against the Minjoo Party and the north's (and Chinese) influence over it., which was Yoon's intent afterall. We are seeing some reports of President Yoon's approval rating around 40% - the highest it has been throughout his presidency with the Minjoo/DPK down to around 38%.
To paraphrase Nietszche: "that which does not kill democracy makes it stronger."
Impeachment Crisis Splits Koreans
As supporters rally to prevent arrest, economy shows signs of stress
https://www.asiasentinel.com/p/impeachment-crisis-splits-koreans?utm
Jan 12, 2025
By: Shim Jae Hoon
Seoul’s Yongsan District is increasingly resembling a city under siege as thousands of policemen in full riot gear surround the presidential compound where an impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, defying arrest on mutiny and sedition charges for illegally declaring martial law on the night of December 3, sits sulking in defiance.
It is a domestic political crisis that is taking on ominous regional and international overtones, raising the possibility of the collapse of the trilateral security arrangement painfully fashioned by the Biden administration by getting Japan and South Korea together in the face of decades of lingering hostility left over from Japan’s World War II colonialism just at a time when an inexperienced and isolationist Trump II administration is about to take power in Washington, and as the north takes advantage by rattling its intercontinental rockets.
Oblivious to that, for nearly seven weeks Yoon has remained cooped up in the presidential compound, refusing to respond to an arrest warrant issued by the Corruption Investigation Agency for High Civil Servants as he does not consider it relevant to his case, and therefore has ordered his security services not to allow the police enter the presidential compound to seize him. Thousands, gathering daily either in support of or in opposition to the president, have converged on the area in a protracted confrontation between rivals.
It is not only citizens who are divided. So are members of the presidential security force, with the police demanding to arrest Yoon immediately, while an army security detachment says it can’t allow the arrest without an order from the top of their own chain of command. With the minister of defense under detention for collusion with Yoon, the military presumably doesn’t have a top officer to issue the order.
With regulations presumably contradictory governing the presidential security forces, the police’s attempt to force their way into the compound has met with stiff resistance from the military detachment. This tense confrontation has continued while a top police officer responsible for presidential compound security has surrendered to his superiors, warning that a continuing confrontation could touch off accidental gunbattles.
“Situation now borders on a civil war,” claim opposition Democratic Party legislators frustrated by the continuing siege.
To attempt to break the impasse, interim president Choi Sang Mok, the second to take the post as head of state, has urged the National Assembly to come up with a bipartisan proposal for a special counsel investigation of Yoon’s attempted martial law edict, even as the Constitutional Court hears Yoon’s impeachment.
But the Democratic Party refuses, together with its fringe allies now controlling a two-thirds majority in the congress, insisting they want Yoon locked up immediately, news reports say. Party leaders consider that extended Constitutional Court hearings not only provide Yoon a chance to blame his action on parliamentary obstructionism, but also provide time for the governing People Power Party to prepare for the presidential election that will follow the constitutional court’s verdict.
“We want a simultaneous criminal proceeding so that he will receive a death sentence on top of the constitutional court’s ruling,” declared Rep. Jung Chung Rae, chairman of the Democratic Party’s judiciary committee, provoking a howl of protest from the public, angered by what many considered a prejudgment of Yoon’s case.
Jung’s inflammatory comments have focused public attention on the party to hasten the coming presidential election that will follow the constitutional court’s ruling. Lee Jae Myung, the party president, is facing a host of corruption charges, having already been found guilty of violating the election law.
Jung’s death sentence comment has thrown the country into a maelstrom of protest. Jung, widely known for his leftwing views, caused a huge scandal in 1989 for trying to torch the official residence of the US ambassador, earning a two-year prison sentence. For this as well as Lee Jae Myung’s ambivalent position on North Korea and China, the Democratic Party is approaching the coming election facing significant public ambivalence.
Kim Jong-un takes advantage
With the crisis wearing on, North Korea test-fired another ballistic missile on January 6, alarming not only South Koreans but also neighboring Japan and the US. The intermediate-range missile was clearly intended to coincide with the arrival in Seoul of the departing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with foreign minister Cho Tae Yul and Choi Sang Mok. Blinken, looking somber, said the US had “serious concerns about some of the actions President Yoon took, but we have tremendous confidence in the resilience of South Korea’s democracy and the strength of its institutions.”
It’s unlikely, however, that Blinken found the situation here reassuring, with the country’s defense minister Kim Yong Hyun, charged with plotting the failed coup, sitting in jail as nuclear-armed North Koreans fired missiles. In the absence of an elected head of state, Blinken was talking to the second interim head in the ongoing crisis. Following the impeachment of Harvard-educated Prime Minister and interim head of state Han Duck Soo within days of Yoon’s coup, South Korea is now run by Choi Sang Mok, a Cornell-educated economics minister as, more and more, South Korea resembles a banana republic of revolving-door government.
As apprehensive as the US over the turbulent political unrest is Japan’s new cabinet under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is anxious to save the trilateral security partnership. But that prospect looks uncertain with a potential change of government likely in Seoul, and with the second Trump administration taking office in Washington on January 20.
Not only is the incoming Trump administration tending toward isolationism, but the Yoon government, considered Tokyo’s best option, is almost certainly headed for collapse. Tokyo is deeply concerned by the prospect of Lee Jae Myung, a nationalist who continues to attack Japan for its World War II colonial control of Korea, and who admires China as a newly assertive world power, taking over the Blue House.
To get a first-hand look at the situation, Japan’s new foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya was expected to arrive in Seoul today, January 13, the first visit to Seoul by a Japanese foreign minister in seven years.
Meanwhile, the political impact on the economy is becoming more evident by the day, with the Korean won sagging in value from W1,420 per US dollar before the crisis to W1,470 or even W1,480 within weeks. Foreign investors have divested Korean government bonds, while small businesses complain about falling consumption caused by street demonstrations. A recent disaster involving a jetliner crash that killed 179 passengers and crew at South Korea’s Muan airport has provoked mass cancellation of yearend overseas vacations.
A seemingly exhausted public is looking for relief. According to opinion surveys including the Korea Gallup poll, Yoon’s approval rate was making a comeback, from a wretched 14.8 percent before the impeachment, to 36.9 percent in the first two weeks of January, a spectacular gain of 22.1 percent. With voters looking for stability, his party’s approval was also making a comeback, rising to 36 percent vs 37 percent for Lee’s Democratic Party.
“The opposition’s hardball campaign is clearly backfiring,” said a headline in Chosun Ilbo, South Korea’s biggest daily newspaper. But it will take considerably more backfiring to save the PPP.
2. Around 300 N.K. soldiers killed, 2,700 wounded during fight against Ukraine: S. Korea's spy agency
(LEAD) Around 300 N.K. soldiers killed, 2,700 wounded during fight against Ukraine: S. Korea's spy agency | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · January 13, 2025
(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in paras 6-9, 11-13; ADDS photo)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- At least 300 North Korean soldiers dispatched to support Moscow's war in Ukraine have been killed, with some 2,700 others injured, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers Monday.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) shared the information with lawmakers during a closed-door meeting by the parliamentary intelligence committee, according to Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the ruling People Power Party.
The NIS said it attributed the "massive casualties" of North Korean soldiers to their "lack of understanding of modern warfare," including their "useless" act of shooting at long-range drones, based on the agency's analysis of a combat video it obtained recently.
The spy agency also said North Korea has stressed to its soldiers to kill themselves to avoid being captured alive by the Ukrainian military.
A wounded soldier, suspected to be North Korean and captured by Ukrainian forces, is seen in this photo posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Telegram channel on Jan. 11, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
On Ukraine's recent video release of two wounded North Korean soldiers in Russia's western Kursk region, Lee said, "The prisoner of war has not expressed his intention to come to South Korea."
In the nearly three-minute footage released by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X on Sunday, one of the soldiers with bandages on his hands said he wants to remain in Ukraine when asked if he wishes to return home.
The soldier also indicated he was unaware of being deployed for the war against Ukraine, shaking his head when asked if he knew he was fighting Ukraine.
In his post on X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is prepared to hand over captured North Korean soldiers in exchange for Ukrainian captives in Russia.
The NIS said it will actively consult with Ukraine if the soldiers request defection to the South based on the view that the will of the captured North Koreans is the utmost priority as "North Koreans are considered as South Korean nationals in terms of constitutional values."
The NIS assessed the two soldiers were with the Reconnaissance General Bureau, a key North Korean military intelligence agency.
News of the troop deployments is spreading across North Korea, the NIS said, noting the families of those dispatched have expressed concerns of the soldiers being dispatched as "slave soldiers" and "cannon fodder."
Meanwhile, those not directly affected by the deployment have shown more optimistic reactions, with expectations of Russian aid that can help improve their livelihoods.
The spy agency also revealed evidence suggesting the North Korean authorities have provided compensation, such as food and daily necessities, to the families of deployed soldiers.
National Intelligence Service chief Cho Tae-yong (C) attends a plenary session of the intelligence committee at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 13, 2025. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · January 13, 2025
3. ROK defense ministry rejects ‘baseless’ claims it sought to provoke North Korea
I give the benefit of the doubt to the MINDEF. I find it hard to believe they would execute a "northern wind" operation and conduct such a provocation.
ROK defense ministry rejects ‘baseless’ claims it sought to provoke North Korea
Allegations that Yoon government sought to provoke conflict to justify martial law undermine security, ministry says
https://www.nknews.org/2025/01/rok-defense-ministry-rejects-baseless-claims-it-sought-to-provoke-north-korea/
Joon Ha Park January 13, 2025
A photo released by North Korea of an alleged drone incursion in Oct. 2024 (left), and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol salutes ROK Army cadets in Feb. 2024. | Images: KCNA, ROK Presidential Office, edited by NK News
South Korea’s defense ministry categorically denied that the Yoon administration sought to provoke armed conflict with North Korea to justify martial law, accusing those who make such “baseless allegations” of undermining national security.
In a statement to press on Monday, the spokesperson’s office rejected claims that the ministry planned preemptive strikes on North Korean balloon launch facilities, while alleging that critics have “echoed” DPRK claims about South Korean drone intrusions over Pyongyang.
The statement marks the ministry’s most detailed rebuttal to date of accusations about alleged “North Wind” operations aimed at provoking the DPRK, which opposition lawmakers say President Yoon Suk-yeol attempted to use to justify his martial law declaration on Dec. 3.
The claims are “baseless allegations that demoralize troops and compromise national security readiness,” the ministry said, adding that they have not only “heightened security concerns but also hindered the operational activities of our military.”
The ministry defended Seoul’s suspension of the Comprehensive Military Agreement with North Korea and resumption of psychological warfare operations, including high-powered loudspeaker broadcasts across the DMZ, as “proportional responses to North Korean provocations.”
It also insisted that the military has maintained a consistent policy of collecting DPRK trash balloons after they land, addressing allegations that former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun planned strikes on the DPRK launch sites in connection with martial law.
“While we have warned of decisive military action if these balloons pose serious threats to our citizens, claims about ordering preemptive strikes to provoke North Korean retaliation are incorrect,” the statement read.
“The politicization of legitimate military activities through unfounded accusations not only undermines troop morale but creates dangerous vulnerabilities in our national security posture,” the ministry concluded, urging an immediate halt to “irresponsible allegations.”
But despite criticizing critics for claiming that a ROK drone dropped anti-regime leaflets over Pyongyang in October, the military once again refused to clearly state whether it was behind the alleged intrusion.
During Monday’s regular briefing, ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun defended two past ROK drone operations over the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) as routine since they came in response to North Korea’s Dec. 2022 drone intrusion.
But he maintained JCS’s stance that it cannot confirm whether the ROK orchestrated the Oct. 2024 drone intrusion over Pyongyang.
“We have no further comments to add,” the JCS spokesperson answered, emphasizing that its responses are limited due to “various considerations.”
The main opposition Democratic Party’s special committee on treason and foreign collusion allegations discusses claims of “North Wind” operations on Jan. 12 | Image: Democratic Party lawmaker Chai Hyun-il via Facebook
FOREIGN COLLUSION CLAIMS
The defense ministry’s statement came on the heels of DP lawmaker Chung Dong-young’s call on Sunday for a special prosecutor to investigate allegations that President Yoon committed acts of “foreign aggression” (외환유치죄).
Chung, head of the party’s special committee on treason and foreign collusion allegations, referenced claims that Yoon bypassed the military chain of command to order a covert drone operation targeting Pyongyang and proposed strikes against balloon launch facilities, stating this could have triggered a full-scale military confrontation with North Korea.
On Jan. 9, South Korea’s opposition lawmakers also introduced a revised version of a special probe bill into President Yoon’s martial law, expanding its scope to include the investigation of alleged foreign collusion involving activities such as drone infiltrations and propaganda operations.
However, the ruling People Power Party criticized the bill’s inclusion of the foreign collusion clauses, arguing that equating efforts to deter North Korea with foreign collusion could undermine national security and inadvertently benefit Pyongyang.
The opposition allegations follow the Dec. 15 arrest of retired Army Maj. Gen. Noh Sang-won, whose seized notebook contained an entry about “Inducing a North Korean attack at the NLL,” referring to the inter-Korean maritime border. The discovery intensified suspicions that President Yoon sought to manufacture a military clash as a pretext for imposing martial law.
While National Police Investigation Chief Woo Jong-soo confirmed the existence of the notebook entry to lawmakers during a National Assembly committee hearing, he said investigators have not determined whether any such plan was implemented.
The presidential office has also denied all allegations of attempting to provoke North Korea, calling them politically motivated attacks meant to undermine national security.
Edited by Alannah Hill
4. Japan foreign minister in South Korea for talks before Trump takes office
Keep talking.
Japan foreign minister in South Korea for talks before Trump takes office
13 Jan 2025 06:34PM
(Updated: 13 Jan 2025 06:36PM)
channelnewsasia.com
SEOUL: Japan's foreign minister held talks in South Korea with top officials on Monday (Jan 13) as the Asian neighbours seek to strengthen ties before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
Takeshi Iwaya met counterpart Cho Tae-yul for discussions in the capital Seoul, the South Korean foreign ministry said, with the two later holding a news conference.
It is the first such meeting by Tokyo's top diplomat in Asia's fourth-biggest economy for more than six years.
Cho said the ministers had "expressed strong concerns over North Korea's nuclear and missile development", in particular Pyongyang's growing military ties with Moscow, including troop deployments.
The talks also focused on trilateral cooperation with mutual ally the United States – before Trump, who has previously questioned the US's Asian security alliances, takes office on Jan 20.
The three nations have bolstered security cooperation in recent years, including sharing information on North Korean missile launches.
The latest such test was last week when Pyongyang said it had fired a new hypersonic missile, the same day US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Seoul.
Cho said he and Iwaya had agreed on "the necessity of continued close coordination among Korea, Japan, and the United States to counter the North Korean nuclear threat".
Tokyo and Seoul's bilateral ties would also continue to be developed "under any circumstances", with diplomacy to "remain consistent and unwavered", he added.
Iwaya is scheduled to meet acting president Choi Sang-mok on Tuesday, the Japanese government said.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (left) talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (right) during their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Jan 13, 2025. (Photo: AFP/Pool/Jung Yeon-je)
POLITICAL CRISIS
The Seoul-Tokyo meeting comes as South Korean officials try to reassure allies of the country's stability.
A political crisis has roiled the vibrant East Asian democracy for weeks following suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid and impeachment.
Yoon is currently facing a Constitutional Court case which will determine whether his impeachement is upheld, plus a separate probe on insurrection charges, with investigators seeking to detain him after he refused summons for questioning.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said last month Tokyo was monitoring the situation in South Korea with "exceptional and serious concerns".
If Yoon is removed from office, South Korea has to hold presidential elections within 60 days.
Both the US and Tokyo have adopted "a measured approach ... regarding what is ultimately the domestic legal process of an important ally," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
"Nonetheless, both the US secretary of state and Japanese foreign minister have visited Seoul to support South Korean foreign policy in a time of need, promoting continuity of the trilateral cooperation that deters adventurism by North Korea, China, and Russia," he added.
US-Japanese relations have also recently been strained by President Joe Biden's decision to block Nippon Steel's takeover of US Steel.
Citing national security concerns, Biden blocked the US$14.9 billion sale this month and Ishiba reportedly told the US president that "strong" concerns have been raised over the decision.
Iwaya will head to the Philippines on Tuesday as Tokyo seeks to strengthen its strategic partnership with the Southeast Asian nation, to counter China's growing military might and influence in the region.
Japan has been building the newest and largest ships of the Philippine Coast Guard, a key element of Manila's efforts to assert its sovereignty in the South China Sea which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.
channelnewsasia.com
5. Zelensky offers to release captured North Korean soldiers in exchange for Ukrainian soldiers held in Russia
What if the soldiers from north Korea do not want to be released and return to north Korea? They will not be welcomed back as heroes. It is likely their families are already suffering because of their capture. And they are probably being treated better in Ukrainian captivity than while they were in the nKPA. What if they ask to be repatriated to the South? What does Ukraine and South Korea do about that? Do they force them to return to north Korea through Russia?
Zelensky offers to release captured North Korean soldiers in exchange for Ukrainian soldiers held in Russia | CNN
CNN · by Adam Pourahmadi, Audry Jeong · January 12, 2025
A still from a video shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, January 12, purportedly shows a North Korean POW being interrogated. CNN has blurred part of the image.
Volodymyr Zelensky
CNN —
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is willing to release North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia in exchange for Ukrainian soldiers being held captive in Russia.
“Ukraine is ready to hand over (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” Zelensky said Sunday in a post on X that included a video purportedly showing two North Korean POWs being interrogated.
On Saturday, Ukraine said it had captured two North Korean soldiers, marking the first time that Kyiv has captured soldiers alive from the isolated state.
Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang have officially acknowledged the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.
CNN has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment, and is seeking comment from North Korea.
From Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky/X
Related article Zelensky says two North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were captured in Kursk region
In the video shared by Zelensky on Sunday, both soldiers appear injured and are likely speaking under duress. A Korean-speaking voice can be heard translating questions from the interrogator.
One soldier has a wound to his jaw, the other has bandaged hands.
One of the soldiers, who appears in the video lying down, says he did not know he was fighting in a war against Ukraine and that his commanders told him it was a training exercise.
The interrogator, whose voice has been modulated to obscure their identity, asks both soldiers whether they want to return to North Korea, according to a CNN translation of the video.
One nods, the other – after further prompting from the translator, who asks, “Do you like it here in Ukraine? It’s nicer here” – says he wants to stay in Ukraine but adds later that he will do as he is told.
In his daily address later Sunday, Zelensky claimed that one of the soldiers had “expressed a desire to stay in Ukraine.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was tight-lipped about Zelensky’s offer to swap the captured North Koreans for Ukrainian prisoners taken by Russia, but said the Kremlin was “interested” in discussing potential exchanges.
“We do not know what is true here, who offered what to whom,” Peskov said Monday. “The process is not easy. But the life of each of our soldiers in captivity is important to us. This work will continue.”
A still from a video shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, January 12, purportedly shows a North Korean POW being interrogated. CNN has blurred part of the image.
Volodymyr Zelensky
According to Ukrainian and Western assessments, some 11,000 North Korean troops are deployed in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces occupy several hundred square kilometers after staging a cross-border incursion in August last year.
Ukraine estimates more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in Kursk, while a senior US official said North Korea has seen “several hundred” casualties – both killed and wounded – in the region since October.
On Monday, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun, who was briefed by the National Intelligence Service, said about 300 North Korean soldiers sent to Russia are believed to have died so far with 2,700 injured.
In video released Saturday by Ukraine’s Security Service, a spokesman says one of the North Koreans was captured on January 9 by Ukrainian special forces, and the other by Ukrainian paratroopers.
In his statement on X, Zelensky vowed to capture more North Korean soldiers.
“In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more. It’s only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others. There should be no doubt left in the world that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North Korea,” Zelensky said on X.
Officials in Kyiv have accused Russia of trying to cover up the involvement of North Korean soldiers on the battlefield.
CNN’s Anna Chernova contributed reporting.
CNN · by Adam Pourahmadi, Audry Jeong · January 12, 2025
6. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 12, 2025
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 12, 2025
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-12-2025
The Ukrainian General staff reported on January 12 that Ukrainian forces conducted a high-precision airstrike on the command post of Russia's 2nd Combined Arms Army [CAA] (Central Military District) in Novohrodivka, Donetsk Oblast. The Ukrainian General Staff noted that the operation is part of a broader series of Ukrainian strikes targeting command posts of Russian forces operating in the Donetsk direction. The Ukrainian General Staff reported on January 8 and 10 that Ukrainian forces struck the command posts of the Russian 8th CAA (Southern Military District) in occupied Khartsyzk, Donetsk Oblast, and the 3rd Army Corps [AC] (Central Military District) in occupied Svitlodarsk, Donetsk Oblast, respectively. Ukrainian strikes on tactical command posts and positions located near the frontline, such as the strike against Novohrodivka, are likely intended to disrupt Russian tactical activity and directly complicate Russian command and control (C2) on the battlefield. Ukrainian strikes against main command posts further in the Russian rear, such as the January 8 strike on the Russian 8th CAA post, are likely aimed at degrading broader Russian logistics and operational planning efforts, which could have impacts on Russia's ability to conduct its military operations in western Donetsk Oblast. ISW has observed that the 2nd CAA is currently leading Russian operations south of Pokrovsk, that the 3rd AC is operating near Chasiv Yar, and that the 8th CAA is leading Russian efforts near Kurakhove.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed that Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers during combat operations in Kursk Oblast on January 9. The NIS told Agence-France-Presse (AFP) on January 12 that one of the captured North Korean soldiers initially believed that North Korean authorities had sent him to Russia for training but that he realized upon arrival that he would be engaged in combat - in line with recent statements from Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. One of the captured North Korean soldiers also stated that they suffered food and water shortages for several days before their capture and that North Korean forces have suffered significant losses.
Key Takeaways:
- The Ukrainian General staff reported on January 12 that Ukrainian forces conducted a high-precision airstrike on the command post of Russia's 2nd Combined Arms Army [CAA] (Central Military District) in Novohrodivka, Donetsk Oblast.
- South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed that Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers during combat operations in Kursk Oblast on January 9.
- Russian forces recently advanced in the Kupyansk, Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Kurakhove directions.
7. Acting president again calls on gov't agencies to avoid any violence in Yoon's arrest
Acting president again calls on gov't agencies to avoid any violence in Yoon's arrest | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · January 13, 2025
By Kim Han-joo
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- Acting President Choi Sang-mok renewed his call on government agencies Monday to avoid any physical clash while trying to detain President Yoon Suk Yeol or prevent his arrest over his botched martial law bid.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which is investigating Yoon for alleged insurrection, is preparing to execute a court-issued warrant against Yoon, who remains inside his fortified compound. This follows an earlier attempt that ended in a five-hour standoff with the Presidential Security Service (PSS).
"All law enforcement actions must be conducted in a peaceful and restrained manner. Under no circumstances should violence be employed by any involved agencies," Choi said in a press release.
The PSS heightened security at Yoon's residence by installing barbed wire, barricades and buses to block access to the compound in Seoul.
Despite repeated calls from the CIO for the PSS to stand down, Choi has so far refrained from taking sides.
The CIO said it sent official letters to the defense ministry and the PSS on Sunday evening, asking for their cooperation while warning them of potential legal consequences in case they fail to comply.
"We request that the heads of relevant agencies pay special attention to maintaining order and preventing conflict," Choi said.
The acting president further stressed the need for sufficient communication between government agencies to guarantee orderly law enforcement and the safety of field officers.
A person believed to be a security guard patrols at impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's official residence in Seoul on Jan. 13, 2025, one week after a court issued a second warrant to detain Yoon in connection to his short-lived imposition of martial law. (Yonhap)
khj@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · January 13, 2025
8. Yoon's lawyers demand exclusion of constitutional court justice over fair ruling concern
(LEAD) Yoon's lawyers demand exclusion of constitutional court justice over fair ruling concern | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Choi Kyong-ae · January 13, 2025
(ATTN: ADDS details throughout)
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- The legal representatives of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday demanded the Constitutional Court exclude one of its eight justices in trials over Yoon's failed martial law bid last month.
Yoon's lawyers made the request as they say Constitutional Court Justice Jeong Gye-seon will make it difficult for the court to come up with a fair ruling due to her progressive inclinations.
Judge Jeong served as chairman of a Korean law research society composed of progressive judges and she showed her "prediction" for the trials in a confirmation hearing on her appointment held at the National Assembly last month, the lawyers said.
In response, the Constitutional Court said it will convene a meeting of justices on Tuesday.
The court can reject the request if it is apparently aimed at delaying the trials.
Last month, the opposition-controlled National Assembly voted in favor of the appointment of three Constitutional Court judges -- Jeong and Ma Eun-hyuk, both nominated by the main opposition Democratic Party, and Cho Han-chang, recommended by the ruling People Power Party.
Acting President and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok approved the appointment for two of them, Jeong and Cho.
Yoon's legal team also filed an objection against the court's decision to set Yoon's first date for pleading on Jan. 14. They said the trials on impeached acting President Han Duck-soo should be held first.
The court earlier said it would start oral arguments for the trial on Tuesday, with five hearing sessions scheduled until Feb. 4.
The team said Yoon will not attend the first formal hearing in the impeachment trial as investigators are seeking to detain him for questioning in a separate case related to his botched martial law imposition. Their first attempt to detain him on Jan. 3 failed due to a standoff with Yoon's security guards.
Previous acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was impeached after refusing to appoint the justices to the Constitutional Court.
Yoon made a martial law declaration on Dec. 3, citing removal of anti-state forces, which lasted only six hours before lawmakers voted to lift the measure at the National Assembly. The Assembly impeached Yoon on Dec. 14 and accused him of insurrection.
This composite photo shows impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) and Constitutional Court judges as the court prepares trials on the president over his failed martial law decree on Dec. 3, 2024. (Yonhap)
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Choi Kyong-ae · January 13, 2025
9. FM Cho vows to work with Japan to reduce tensions over wartime history issues
Important demonstration of leadership.
(3rd LD) FM Cho vows to work with Japan to reduce tensions over wartime history issues | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · January 13, 2025
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details throughout; RESTRUCTURES)
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will work closely with Japan to reduce the "amplitude" of tensions caused by longstanding wartime history issues, to ensure bilateral relations will move forward in a future-oriented manner, Seoul's top diplomat said Monday.
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul made the remarks after talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, stressing the importance of enhancing ties with the neighbor "under any circumstances."
"We will work closely to develop future-oriented relations (with Japan), while reducing the amplitude of tensions caused by historical issues," Cho said at the joint press conference.
"We agreed to have sincere and honest consultations with the Japanese side to ensure that the memorial ceremony genuinely comforts the victims and becomes an event that remembers the historical significance," Cho said.
Tensions heightened after South Korea boycotted a Japan-hosted memorial ceremony in November for Korean victims who were forced into hard labor at Japan's Sado mine complex during World War II, following the site's inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Seoul protested that Tokyo failed to hold the event in a way that would "sincerely" honor the victims as it had requested.
The flare-up of fresh tensions over the history sparked concerns it would negatively affect the bilateral ties that have warmed significantly under the current Yoon Suk Yeol government.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (L) speaks during a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul following their bilateral talks in Seoul on Jan. 13, 2025. (Yonhap)
Cho also said that he delivered Seoul's "concerns" clearly during the talks with Iwaya.
"We agreed to advance our bilateral relations unwaveringly under any circumstances," Cho added.
Iwaya said that Japan will take steps in accordance with the pledge it made upon the site's UNESCO listing.
At the presser, Iwaya highlighted the importance of enhancing Japan's relations with South Korea, as well as their trilateral cooperation with the United States.
"I intend to clearly deliver to the new U.S. administration that the strategic cooperation among Japan, South Korea and the United States is more important than ever," he said, mentioning the possibility of him attending the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump next week.
Monday's talks marked the first one-on-one meeting between Cho and Iwaya since South Korea became embroiled in a political crisis following President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment over his short-lived martial law imposition.
While declining to comment on South Korea's political situation, Iwaya described the two countries as "important neighbors that must cooperate as partners" in responding to various international issues.
"The importance of our bilateral relations remains unchanged," he said.
Iwaya and Cho both expressed hope that the two countries will be able to revive the "shuttle diplomacy" between their leaders, referring to the regular visits that resumed between Yoon and former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida amid the thawing ties.
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (R) and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya pose for photo ahead of their bilateral talks at the foreign ministry in Seoul on Jan. 13, 2025. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
Bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo have significantly warmed after Yoon announced a decision In March 2023 that South Korea will compensate its victims of Japan's wartime forced labor without contributions from responsible Japanese companies.
The two ministers said they also discussed preparations for the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations, holding out expectations that it will serve as additional positive momentum for the two countries' path toward the future.
The ministers shared "grave concerns" over North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats and its deepening military ties with Russia, including the North's troop deployment to aid Moscow in its war against Ukraine.
They condemned the North's illegal military activities and reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination to address the issues.
Following the presser, Cho hosted a dinner banquet for Iwaya and his delegation.
Ahead of meeting with Cho, Iwaya visited Seoul National Cemetery to pay his respects and met with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik to discuss bilateral relations.
Iwaya's two-day trip to Seoul marks the first visit by a Japanese foreign minister in nearly seven years. He was expected to pay a courtesy call on acting President Choi Sang-mok on Tuesday.
Iwaya is on a four-day tour this week that will also take him to the Philippines and Palau.
elly@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · January 13, 2025
10. Captured N.K. soldier says he wishes to remain in Ukraine
Of course he does. Treatment as a POW is better than being in the nKPA.
But this is a dilemma for Ukraine.
Captured N.K. soldier says he wishes to remain in Ukraine | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · January 13, 2025
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- Ukraine has released a rare video of two captured North Korean soldiers under interrogation, in which one of them said he wants to remain in Ukraine when asked if he wishes to return home.
The soldier with bandages on his hands made the remarks in the nearly three-minute footage released by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X on Sunday, a day after he announced the two North Koreans' capture in Russia's western Kursk region.
During the interrogation, the soldier asked in Korean if Ukrainians were all good people, to which an interpreter replied, Ukraine is a good place to live.
"I want to live here," the soldier, lying down on a bed, said after a brief pause.
A wounded soldier, suspected to be North Korean and captured by Ukrainian forces, is seen in this photo posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's X account on Jan. 11, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The soldier said he would go back home if he was required to but nodded when asked if he would stay in Ukraine if he was told to do so.
The soldier also indicated that he was unaware of being deployed for the war against Ukraine, turning his head from side to side when asked if he knew he was fighting Ukraine.
When asked what his commanders had told him, he replied, "(They) said we were going to be training like actual combat."
He said that he had been on the front line since Jan. 3 and that he had hid in a dugout.
"After seeing my comrades die, I hid in a dugout, and I was injured on Jan. 5," the soldier said.
A wounded soldier, suspected to be North Korean and captured by Ukrainian forces, is seen in this photo posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's X account on Jan. 11, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The second captive had bandages over his jaw and appeared to be unable to speak properly.
When asked by the interpreter if he wished to return to North Korea, the soldier was initially unresponsive, but when the interpreter asked again, using "Joson," the North Korean term for the country's name, the soldier nodded.
The soldier also appeared to indicate that his parents did not know where he was when asked.
In his post on X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is prepared to hand over captured North Korean soldiers in exchange for Ukrainian captives in Russia.
He also said that there may be other options for captured North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return.
Ukraine's security service said Saturday that the soldier with an injured jaw was born in 1999, while the other was born in 2005.
It said an interrogation of the two soldiers took place through a Korean interpreter in cooperation with South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) as they did not speak Ukrainian, Russian or English.
South Korea and the United States have accused North Korea of sending more than 10,000 troops to Russia to support Moscow's war with Ukraine. The NIS told lawmakers last month that at least 100 North Korean soldiers have been killed, with around 1,000 others injured.
A wounded soldier, suspected to be North Korean and captured by Ukrainian forces, is seen in this photo posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's X account on Jan. 11, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · January 13, 2025
11. Editorial: The tragic reality of North Korean soldiers forced into Russia's war
Beware of the impact of Puint's war on the north Korean People's Army.
Excerpts:
However, forcing soldiers into a war where death is almost guaranteed would risk internal unrest, including resistance from the troops. To avoid such risks, the regime resorted to deceiving its soldiers about the true nature of their deployment. This shameless exploitation of young North Koreans to line Kim’s pockets underscores the regime’s appalling disregard for human rights.
For captured North Korean soldiers to be recognized as prisoners of war under international law, both North Korea and Russia would need to officially acknowledge their participation in the conflict. Under international law, prisoners of war should be repatriated to their home country. Neither country has made such acknowledgment, and one of the captured soldiers testified that he thought he was “sent for training.” Without formal recognition, they could be classified as “unlawful combatants,” stripping them of the protections afforded to prisoners of war. The South Korean government must take steps to bring captured North Korean soldiers who express a desire to defect to South Korea. After all, they are considered South Korean citizens under the Constitution.
Recall the conditions that will lead to regime collapse: the loss of central governing effectiveness (the ability of the party/regime to govern all of the territory in the north from Pyongyang combined with the loss of coherency and support for the military. Support for Putin's war could cause breaks downs in the chain of control of the military and eventually senior military leaders may choose not to support the regime.
While we correctly focus on the conventional and nuclear threat from the north, we neglect preparations for the possibility of regime collapse at our peril.
Editorial: The tragic reality of North Korean soldiers forced into Russia's war
https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion-en/2025/01/13/6ND7VYQHVJATPGH5W7URHZOOBU/
By The Chosunilbo
Published 2025.01.13. 08:53
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared images of wounded North Korean soldiers reported to have been captured in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers, aged 20 and 26, as prisoners of war on the battlefield in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. One of the soldiers said that he thought he was being sent to Russia for training,” not for combat, during interrogation by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service. He only realized he had been deployed for war after arriving in Russia.
The Kim Jong-un regime sent over 10,000 young North Koreans into dangerous circumstances, concealing the fact that they would be fighting someone else’s war. Imagine the shock and despair a North Korean soldier must have felt to arrive in Russia expecting a training exercise, only to find himself in the middle of a battlefield. Wounded North Korean prisoners of war revealed that they “went four to five days without food or water.” This is the grim reality of North Korean soldiers, deceived into war and used as cannon fodder. Unfamiliar drone attacks have also killed many soldiers.
Reports of the atrocities faced by deployed North Korean soldiers continue to surface. Ukrainian forces told British media that North Korean troops were being used as “human demining tools,” forced to walk in lines through minefields, detonating the mines with their bodies—a barbaric method used by Russia during World War II. Unfamiliar drone strikes have killed many soldiers, while others have succumbed to the harsh Russian winter.
Ukrainian forces told U.S. media that North Korean soldiers often choose death to capture, likely out of fear that their families back home would face severe repercussions if they were taken alive. Reports have also detailed accounts of grieving North Korean families being coerced into signing pledges to remain silent about the deaths of their loved ones. They are forced into silence, even as they mourn their children—a reality akin to living in hell.
Before sending troops to Russia, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s coffers were reportedly running dry due to deteriorating relations with China and international sanctions against North Korea. Russia, struggling in its war against Ukraine, reportedly pays combatants around $2,000 per month. With 10,000 North Korean soldiers deployed, Kim stands to earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
However, forcing soldiers into a war where death is almost guaranteed would risk internal unrest, including resistance from the troops. To avoid such risks, the regime resorted to deceiving its soldiers about the true nature of their deployment. This shameless exploitation of young North Koreans to line Kim’s pockets underscores the regime’s appalling disregard for human rights.
For captured North Korean soldiers to be recognized as prisoners of war under international law, both North Korea and Russia would need to officially acknowledge their participation in the conflict. Under international law, prisoners of war should be repatriated to their home country. Neither country has made such acknowledgment, and one of the captured soldiers testified that he thought he was “sent for training.” Without formal recognition, they could be classified as “unlawful combatants,” stripping them of the protections afforded to prisoners of war. The South Korean government must take steps to bring captured North Korean soldiers who express a desire to defect to South Korea. After all, they are considered South Korean citizens under the Constitution.
12. Special security measures mark Kim Jong Un's birthday: A new national holiday in the making
Special security measures mark Kim Jong Un's birthday: A new national holiday in the making - Daily NK English
"People have naturally come to accept these security measures since they're familiar with similar protocols during other major holidays," a source told Daily NK
By Lee Chae Eun - January 13, 2025
dailynk.com · by Lee Chae Eun · January 13, 2025
FILE PHOTO: A bag of sweets handed out to commemorate Kim Il Sung's birthday in 2017 (top), and another bag of sweets handed out in 2019 for Kim Jong Un's birthday (bottom). (Daily NK)
North Korea implemented special security measures for Kim Jong Un’s birthday on Jan. 8, signaling ongoing efforts to establish the date as a national holiday.
A Daily NK source in North Hamgyong province reported that heightened security measures were in effect from 5 p.m. on Jan. 7 to 5 p.m. on Jan. 9. Central government authorities ordered all organizations, including neighborhood units and workplaces, to prevent any incidents during the leader’s birthday.
During this period, institutions and enterprises formed dedicated security teams to guard Kim family statues and revolutionary sites, while also increasing workplace security personnel. Neighborhood offices enforced strict two-person security patrols, marking a departure from the typical single-person shifts despite existing two-person patrol regulations.
These measures mirror security protocols used for major state holidays honoring Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, reflecting the growing status of Kim Jong Un’s birthday. Notably, residents have shown little resistance to these measures, suggesting broad acceptance of Jan. 8 as a de facto holiday despite its lack of official designation.
“People have naturally come to accept these security measures since they’re familiar with similar protocols during other major holidays,” the source explained, adding that while residents acknowledge the day’s significance, the additional security requirements create more inconvenience than celebration.
The holiday atmosphere has been reinforced by the distribution of gifts, particularly to children. In Hoeryong this year, candy was distributed between Jan. 4-6 to children from infancy through fifth grade. Previously, such gifts were reserved for Kim Il Sung’s birthday (April 15) and Kim Jong Il’s birthday (Feb. 16).
A Chongjin resident in their 30s noted, “Jan. 8 feels like a proper holiday now, especially when it includes candy distributions for children.” However, holiday supplies were limited to officials from provincial and city party committees, with ordinary households excluded due to North Hamgyong province’s financial constraints.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com · by Lee Chae Eun · January 13, 2025
13. Five women caught in drug and phone bust at N. Korean new year party
Observe for indicators of instability and resistance.
Five women caught in drug and phone bust at N. Korean new year party - Daily NK English
“As drugs and Chinese-made mobile phones are considered very serious problems here in North Korea, punishments have intensified to the point that it’s hard to bribe your way out of a fix,” a source told Daily NK
By Lee Chae Eun - January 13, 2025
dailynk.com · by Lee Chae Eun · January 13, 2025
The Namyang Workers District in Onsung, North Hamgyong Province. / Image: Daily NK
North Korean security agents arrested five women in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong province, for simultaneously violating two major anti-socialist laws: drug use and possession of Chinese mobile phones.
According to a Daily NK source in the province, the arrests occurred on Dec. 30 when security agents raided a private residence where the women had gathered. The group, consisting of women in their 30s and 40s, included a drug dealer, two Chinese phone users, and two money changers.
The women were caught during a year-end celebration while using methamphetamine. One woman had specifically requested another to bring her Chinese phone to ask a Chinese trader about topping up her “mobile money,” leading to the seizure of the illegal phones.
While year-end gatherings are common in North Korea, similar to South Korean traditions, recent trends show an increasing presence of drug use at these social gatherings. In this case, a neighbor reported suspicious activity to authorities, leading to the raid.
The incident reflects the intensified surveillance following North Korea’s 2022 Public Reporting System Law. The regime considers both drug use and Chinese phone possession serious threats – drugs for undermining ideological discipline and social order, and Chinese phones for enabling unauthorized information flow.
“As drugs and Chinese-made mobile phones are considered very serious problems here in North Korea, punishments have intensified to the point that it’s hard to bribe your way out of a fix,” the source said. “And with the people in the latest incident getting busted with both at the same time, they’re unlikely to go free.
“The five are currently undergoing questioning while being detained, and given the large number of people implicated, we have to wait and see what punishments they receive since the investigation could take longer than normal,” the source continued, adding: “Anyway, crackdowns on drugs and Chinese-made mobile phones are likely to intensify as a result of the incident.”
Read in Korean
dailynk.com · by Lee Chae Eun · January 13, 2025
14. N. Korea's new premier sparks economic debate in Pyongyang
The key criteria for appointment or promotion is not competence and merit, but personal loyalty to Kim Jong un. That is all important. Nothing else matters.
N. Korea's new premier sparks economic debate in Pyongyang - Daily NK English
Questions have also emerged about the new premier's qualifications, with some officials expressing concern about his limited economic experience
By Jeong Seo-yeong - January 13, 2025
dailynk.com · by Jeong Seo-yeong · January 13, 2025
North Koreans are closely watching for potential economic changes following Pak Thae Song’s appointment as premier, replacing Kim Tok Hun at the 11th Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee in late 2023.
“The premier’s replacement has become the main topic of conversation in Pyongyang,” a Daily NK source in the capital reported recently. “People are debating whether Pak will perform better than Kim.”
Those living in Pyongyang are particularly attentive to potential changes in public provisions, as this falls directly under the premier’s responsibilities. Many note that living conditions have deteriorated over the past five years, with growing inequality and worsening food distribution. Last year, families never received a full month’s worth of provisions, and during summer, they were given moldy rice. Many express hope that the new premier will improve the situation.
People in the capital are also concerned about persistent water and power shortages, especially those living in high-rise apartments. “People in Pyongyang’s central districts are particularly invested in the new appointment,” the source said. “Those living on upper floors say that despite their nice apartments, unreliable water and power supply remain major issues they hope the new premier will address.”
While many hope Pak will bring economic improvements, some remain skeptical. “People want the new premier to help them overcome their current hardships,” the source explained. “However, given that previous changes in leadership haven’t led to significant improvements, some view this reshuffle as meaningless.”
Questions have also emerged about Pak’s qualifications. Some officials express concern about his limited economic experience, noting his background as a party bureaucrat. “There’s worry about how someone without economic expertise can effectively manage the economy and work with more experienced Cabinet ministers,” the source revealed.
Officials suggest that Pak’s appointment may be more focused on strengthening internal control over the state economy, given his party background. His career includes positions as Chief Secretary of South Pyongan province’s party committee, chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly, director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department, and various roles in science and education. At the recent plenary meeting, he was not only named premier but also secured a position on the Politburo’s Presidium, a key party decision-making body.
Meanwhile, his predecessor Kim, though stepping down as premier, maintains his political influence as a Central Committee secretary and head of the party’s economic department.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com · by Jeong Seo-yeong · January 13, 2025
15. Young Kim appointed chair of US House's East Asia and Pacific subcommittee
Young Kim appointed chair of US House's East Asia and Pacific subcommittee
donga.com
Posted January. 11, 2025 07:31,
Updated January. 11, 2025 07:31
Young Kim appointed chair of US House's East Asia and Pacific subcommittee. January. 11, 2025 07:31. by Jeong-Soo Hong hong@donga.com.
Young Kim, a three-term Korean American member of the U.S. House of Representatives, was appointed chair of the East Asia and Pacific subcommittee under the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday (local time).
"Representative Kim is a tireless advocate for strengthening America's presence in the Chinese Communist Party's backyard and showcasing American leadership globally," Brian Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced Kim's appointment. "The East Asia and Pacific region is not only the most significant geopolitical competition zone for the U.S. but also home to some of our strongest allies and partners," Kim said in a statement. She emphasized plans to promote human rights and strengthen free trade through bipartisan efforts.
Kim, a Republican representative, successfully secured her third term in the House last year. She previously chaired the Indo-Pacific subcommittee under the Foreign Affairs Committee. Born in Incheon, South Korea, Kim immigrated to the U.S. with her family in 1975. She served as an aide to former Representative Ed Royce, a pro-Korea Republican, for 21 years, gaining extensive experience in Asia-related policies before being elected to the House of Representatives in 2020.
한국어
donga.com
16. ‘I want to live here’: Zelensky posts video showing North Koreans’ reluctance to return home after capture
Video at the link.
Let's help Ukraine and South Korea with a PSYOP program tailored for multiple target audiences (to include the nKPA forces still in north Korea).
‘I want to live here’: Zelensky posts video showing North Koreans’ reluctance to return home after capture
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-01-13/national/northKorea/I-want-to-live-here-Zelensky-posts-video-showing-North-Koreans-reluctance-to-return-home-after-capture/2220933
Published: 13 Jan. 2025, 11:17
Updated: 13 Jan. 2025, 14:01
A captured North Korean soldier answers questions in a video posted Sunday on X by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released a video on Sunday showing two North Korean soldiers allegedly being interrogated after their capture in Russia's Kursk region, where they displayed seemingly hesitant attitudes about returning to their country.
In the approximately three-minute video posted on X, the soldiers are either sitting or lying down as they answer questions. The questions appear to be posed by a man who speaks Korean.
Related Article
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) previously said that interrogations are conducted with the cooperation of interpreters from the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS).
When asked if they knew they would be fighting Ukrainians, one of the North Korean soldiers shook his head.
"[The commanders here] said we would be doing practice as if it were the real thing," said the soldier. He added that he had been there since Jan. 3. "I came, saw comrades die and then I got injured on Jan. 5 while hiding in a bunker."
When asked if he wanted to go back home, he replied, “Are the Ukrainian people good?” After hearing the answer, "It is good," he responded, "I want to live here."
Another North Korean soldier nodded when asked, "Do your parents know you are here?"
When asked, "Do you want to return to North Korea?" he looked down in silence, but nodded when asked, "Do you want to return to Chosun?”
"Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong-un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia," Zelensky said in his post on X.
BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]
17.
Excertps:
I also take issue with the categorization of escapes as “creative.” From what I have heard from North Korean refugees, they did what was necessary and within their capability to escape to freedom, not that there was anything “creative” about their escapes. Many North Korean refugees, such as my co-author, Han Song-mi, escaped across the border to China while being shot at by North Korean guards.
While the daring escapes inspire us, they also serve as a reminder of the ongoing human rights crisis in North Korea. Each successful defection sheds light on the lives of those left behind and challenges us to do more to support those who risk everything for freedom. Plus, let’s remember that after these daring escapes, there is the reality that North Korean refugees escaping to freedom are adjusting to the challenge of living in freedom.
As we hear these stories, let’s remember that behind every statistic is a human life. The courage and resilience “or creativity” of North Korean defectors deserve our admiration. For those of you who want to help share such stories, my email is in my bio.
Escape from North Korea, then and now
The Korea Times · January 13, 2025
By Casey Lartigue Jr.
It has been said that everything is brand new to those who don’t know history. Earlier this year, I was interviewed live on Arirang TV about recent “creative” escapes by North Korean refugees. The inspiration for the interview was a pair of newspaper articles in the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post highlighting modern-day defection stories and portraying them as unprecedented responses to the Kim regime’s tightening grip.
One point I made during the interview is that this narrative misses a critical point: for decades, defectors have defied overwhelming odds to escape to freedom, and their stories deserve to be remembered even when reporters believe they have found something new.
The Washington Post highlighted a family that bravely escaped in a rickety boat in 2023. But in 1984, several North Korean fishermen sailed across the Sea of Japan to Japan, eventually receiving asylum in South Korea. In 1998, a family braved rough currents and North Korean patrols in a fishing boat to reach South Korea. In 2019, four defectors used a small boat to cross the East Sea.
Even under heavy surveillance, defectors have taken to the skies to escape North Korea. In 1953, Lt. No Kum-sok flew a Soviet MiG-15 jet to Gimpo Air Base in South Korea, a story later chronicled by Blaine Harden in "The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot." Decades later, in 1994, Lt. Cho Chang-ho crossed the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in a helicopter with his family. In 1996, another North Korean pilot flew a MiG-19 fighter jet to South Korea.
The most perilous route remains the DMZ, a deadly, fortified strip dividing North and South Korea. I have personally met three North Koreans who escaped directly across the DMZ, including one who shot another North Korean soldier on patrol with him before fleeing across the border.
In 1967, Lee Soo-keun, vice president of the North Korean Central News Agency, leaped into a U.N. Command vehicle at Panmunjom under fire from North Korean troops. (He was later executed as an accused spy).
In 1977, a young North Korean soldier stole his sergeant’s lunch and fled across the DMZ to avoid retaliation. That same year, a North Korean farmer defected across the DMZ to South Korea, describing widespread starvation and harsh living conditions in North Korea. In 2017, soldier Oh Chong Song sprinted across the DMZ under heavy gunfire from his comrades. In 2018, a North Korean soldier swam across a river in the DMZ to reach South Korea.
Embassies have often served as temporary sanctuaries for North Korean defectors. In March 2002, about two dozen North Koreans rushed into the Spanish Embassy in Beijing. In May 2002, numerous North Koreans sought asylum by entering various foreign diplomatic missions in Beijing, including U.S., Canadian and Japanese consulates. The frequency of such escapes led China to fortify embassies against defectors. Later that same year, 36 North Koreans, including two babies, navigated through China and other third countries before arriving in Seoul.
Learning about these escapes evokes the ingenuity and determination seen in other historic struggles for freedom, such as enslaved Black people in America escaping to freedom, East Germans scaling the Berlin Wall and Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. Enslaved Black people often relied on disguises and false identity papers to pass as free Black people or even as White individuals. Others hid in boxes, barrels or containers to be shipped to free states, like Henry "Box" Brown, who escaped by mailing himself in a wooden crate from Virginia to Philadelphia.
Everything is brand new to those who don’t know history. History shows that ingenuity and courage have always defined escapes from one of the world’s most repressive regimes.
I also take issue with the categorization of escapes as “creative.” From what I have heard from North Korean refugees, they did what was necessary and within their capability to escape to freedom, not that there was anything “creative” about their escapes. Many North Korean refugees, such as my co-author, Han Song-mi, escaped across the border to China while being shot at by North Korean guards.
While the daring escapes inspire us, they also serve as a reminder of the ongoing human rights crisis in North Korea. Each successful defection sheds light on the lives of those left behind and challenges us to do more to support those who risk everything for freedom. Plus, let’s remember that after these daring escapes, there is the reality that North Korean refugees escaping to freedom are adjusting to the challenge of living in freedom.
As we hear these stories, let’s remember that behind every statistic is a human life. The courage and resilience “or creativity” of North Korean defectors deserve our admiration. For those of you who want to help share such stories, my email is in my bio.
Casey Lartigue Jr. (CJL@alumni.harvard.edu) is the co-founder of Freedom Speakers International with Lee Eun-koo; and co-author with Han Song-mi of her memoir "Greenlight to Freedom: A North Korean Daughter’s Search for Her Mother and Herself.”
The Korea Times · January 13, 2025
18. [Washington Talk] “South Korea’s impeachment situation, US intervention is dangerous∙∙∙Chinese covert influence expansion is noteworthy”
This is a Google Tranaltion of a VOA report.
Watch the eipsaode of Washington Talk at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0O7fBMVEY0
[Washington Talk] “South Korea’s impeachment situation, US intervention is dangerous∙∙∙Chinese covert influence expansion is noteworthy”
2025.1.11
https://www.voakorea.com/a/7934164.html
There are various opinions expressed in the U.S. government and public regarding the impeachment of South Korea, but former high-ranking U.S. officials pointed out that it is dangerous for the U.S. president to intervene deeply in the domestic politics of an ally. They emphasized that the U.S. should listen to the voices of both conservatives and progressives in South Korea and observe democratic procedures. They also diagnosed that China has declared its principle of non-intervention in this incident, but is attempting to weaken the U.S.-South Korea alliance and covertly expand its influence through the equidistant foreign policy of the Korean opposition party. Reporter Ham Ji-ha summarized the conversation between former Deputy National Security Advisor James Jeffrey and Patrick Cronin, the Asia-Pacific Security Studies Chair at the Hudson Institute, on VOA's "Washington Talk" on the 11th.
Host) Secretary of State Tony Blinken visited Korea and showed that the US-ROK alliance is still strong. The Biden administration has been promoting US-ROK-Japan cooperation as an important factor in restraining China. Please evaluate the importance of this visit at a time when Korea is experiencing political turmoil.
(Patrick Cronin, Chair) Although power is currently concentrated in the United States under the incoming Trump administration, this is the last two weeks for the Biden administration to highlight their achievements. Secretary Blinken would have wanted to emphasize the tremendous progress that has been made in the U.S.-South Korea relationship, both bilaterally and multilaterally with allies like Japan. He would have wanted to see this progress carried over to the Trump administration, and he would have wanted to highlight the accomplishments of the Biden administration. Secretary Blinken would also have wanted to signal to North Korea, China, and Russia that the U.S.-South Korea relationship is very important, and there should be no outside interference or meddling while South Korea is going through political turmoil.
Moderator) Secretary Blinken said that the United States is deeply concerned about the actions taken by President Yoon Seok-yeol, but he also mentioned that South Korea has been a very special partner to the United States over the past several decades, especially over the past four years. The United States has so far refrained from directly criticizing President Yoon. Do you think the United States has mixed feelings about the arrest and possible impeachment of President Yoon, who has been a steadfast partner?
(Former Deputy National Security Adviser James Jeffrey) The United States wants stability in the Korean government more than anything. It is not a stable time right now. But that’s okay. Democracies go through such times, including American democracy. Secretary Blinken knows that. So it’s a somewhat reassuring message to Korea. Yes, we don’t like some of the things President Yoon has done. But on the other hand, there are processes underway in Korea. We trust you. Stay calm. We are with you. Don’t worry about us. We’re not worried about you. It’s a good message. I think it was an effective visit.
Host) A month after martial law was declared and the president was impeached, public opinion in Korea has changed. There are reports that President Yoon and the ruling party’s approval ratings are rising, and a recent Gallup poll showed that 11 percentage points shifted from supporting impeachment to opposing it. The United States has highly evaluated the voices and actions of Koreans since martial law. Do you think the United States will respect and listen to the voices opposing impeachment that have been gaining strength recently?
(Chairman Cronin) I hope so. The United States should certainly listen to all voices of our ally, South Korea. But at the same time, we are watching the democratic process that is underway in South Korea. This is a matter for the Korean people to decide, and they voted. I was outside the National Assembly during the impeachment vote. Without the support of some members of the ruling party, we would not have gotten the two-thirds vote needed to impeach President Yoon. So we cannot reverse the impeachment vote. We have to let the process take its course. Now, let the Constitutional Court decide whether the impeachment is valid or not. I think that is what the United States wants. We want to see the constitutional process go through its stages peacefully. And we are prepared to cooperate with any government that comes into power.
A protest demanding the resignation of President Yoon Seok-yeol is taking place in front of the presidential residence on the 12th.
Host) The opposition Democratic Party of Korea announced that it will request the Constitutional Court to remove the charge of sedition from the grounds for impeachment of President Yoon so that the impeachment trial can proceed quickly. The ruling party argued that removing the charge of sedition means that the impeachment should be dismissed immediately. There are concerns about the legality of the declaration of martial law and the legal procedures for the subsequent application and investigation of the charge of sedition. Do you believe that democracy and the rule of law are functioning properly in Korea as the United States publicly states?
(Former Deputy Chief of Staff Jeffrey) Yes. First of all, I have lived in many democracies. They are flawed democracies like the United States. Sometimes they impeach or put presidents on trial. In fact, we are seeing it right here in the United States. So the general perception in the United States is that as long as the core of the U.S.-Korea relationship remains intact and our alliances are stable, how those things play out is not our primary concern. That is what Dr. Cronin just said. I am familiar with that position. However, it is not clear whether President Trump will stick to this traditional American foreign policy line after taking office. We will have to wait and see.
Host) As you said, I'm curious to know how President Trump will be different. Because the protesters against impeachment are wearing American flags, the slogan "Stop the Steal," and red hats reminiscent of "MAGA," and are clearly appealing to President Trump for help. How do you think President Trump will be different?
(Former Deputy Chief of Staff Jeffrey) First of all, if President Trump doesn't like what another leader or party in Korea has done, you might think he'll use strong rhetoric and make rash statements. I want people to recognize that presidents don't say things that they don't necessarily intend to implement with their actions and policies. President Trump is quite different. You have to judge the Trump administration by what it actually does, not by what he says or what he threatens.
Host) Former White House strategist Steve Bannon said on a podcast this week about the political turmoil in Korea, “Brothers and sisters in Korea, we stand with you.” Do you think Steve Bannon has any influence on President Trump?
(Former Deputy Chief of Staff Jeffrey) Steve Bannon can back the Korean people, but you can't say that President Trump backs Steve Bannon. One of the problems with Team Trump is that many people think they can speak for President Trump. There is only one person who can speak for President Trump. That is President Trump himself. And sometimes what President Trump says and what he actually thinks are different. So good luck to everyone.
Host) There is something in common among those who oppose impeachment. They say that there was election fraud in Korea as well, which is similar to what Trump supporters say. Do you think this argument will resonate with President Trump and his supporters?
(Former Deputy Chief of Staff Jeffrey) President Trump himself may be sympathetic. He’s obsessed with the 2020 election. But the people around him are not. Candidates who have made claims that the election was stolen from them in Arizona and elsewhere in 2020 and 2022 have not done well. So the Republican Party and even politically active and influential Trump supporters really want to move beyond that. So they’re not going to be as influenced by claims that the election was botched in Korea or Ukraine or Georgia or anywhere else. They’re going to be focused on what American interests are, what our policies are toward Korea and North Korea and China, and whether events in Korea strengthen or jeopardize American interests. As a former member of Trump’s policy team, I can tell you this: The individual actions of those who are part of that team or who claim to be part of that team may not actually represent the entire Trump team. One of the problems and the charms of Trump is that he allows a wide range of ideas and opinions to be expressed. It’s not a disciplined group, especially not before they’re in office. But even after that, you will see and hear conflicting statements and actions from many people in the Trump camp. In the end, what matters is what the government as a whole does. I am confident that they will not do anything that will endanger our Korean friends.
Host) Many people in Washington say that the Korean opposition and ruling party delegations will go to Washington and Mar-a-Lago to meet with government officials and members of the incoming Trump administration. Do you think these actions will appeal to President Trump? What kind of impact will they have?
(Chairman Cronin) They might be disappointed. They obviously want to get the new president’s attention, but so do China and many other countries, and that’s why they’re coming to the inauguration. But what I’m really worried about is that President Trump might make a surprise statement because he thinks it’s right to say that. It might seem like he’s interfering too much in Korea’s domestic politics. He might not have considered the implications. He shouldn’t be involved in that conflict. If you look at what’s happening in Europe, for example, there’s a very negative reaction in Britain to Elon Musk interfering in British politics. But it wasn’t President Trump who said that. Right? It’s one thing for Elon Musk to say that, and it’s another thing for Steve Bannon to say that. Steve Bannon’s remarks are less important to the Trump camp than Elon Musk’s remarks. It’s very important that the president stay out of the domestic politics of our allies and focus on our strategic interests. He has a lot of strategic challenges from day one. There’s no need to start interfering now. The only time that could change is when there’s a crisis. So if the Air Force actually uses physical force to arrest a suspended president, then President Trump could at least say, "You're overstepping your bounds and disobeying the Constitution." But it's still dangerous for a president to interfere in the domestic politics of an ally.
Host) Do you agree with Dr. Cronin's statement that President Yoon's forced arrest could be a wake-up call for the United States?
(Former Deputy Chief of Staff Jeffrey) I totally agree. And I want to reiterate what Dr. Cronin said. No matter what, there will be a warning bell. But another important point is that there is a seriousness to President Trump and the people around him. I experienced this in the first Trump administration. And now we're seeing this with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel. President Trump doesn't want serious problems during his term. He wants everyone to behave and not create problems that he actually has to deal with. Problems that aren't just short remarks or WhatsApp comments. So if something dramatic happens, President Trump will not only make a statement, but he may take a step that may not be wise. But it's a warning. Don't rock the boat. 'I don't want a lot of problems in Korea, in Ukraine, in Germany, in Israel, in Panama.' That's a pretty good message.
Host) Republican Congressman Young Kim published an op-ed titled, "The United States should pay attention. The forces that led the impeachment of the president in Korea are trying to weaken the alliance and the trilateral cooperation between the US, Korea, and Japan." What do you think about the fact that American politicians are starting to actively express their opinions on the sensitive political situation in Korea? If the media focused on the anti-Yoon Seok-yeol protests when the political turmoil began, what do you think about the fact that other voices are now being heard?
(Former Deputy Chief of Staff Jeffrey) That's the beauty and the beauty of America. We have a diversity of opinions, and we have freedom of expression. Young Kim is a member of Congress. There are 534 other members of Congress, and many of them have expressed different opinions. What I can say is that a Korea that the U.S. Congress cares about is better than a country that nobody cares about, because it emphasizes that the U.S. has considered Korea a partner and an ally since 1950. We are concerned and we want everything to work out. Individual members of Congress may have different views on the solution, but the fundamental thing that unites everyone in Congress and in Washington is, 'Korea, we need you, and you need us. Let's solve this problem in a rational and calm way.'
Anchor) The Chinese Embassy in Korea posted a notice on WeChat: "According to the Korean Immigration Control Act, foreigners in Korea cannot participate in political activities except in cases stipulated by law." The embassy also asked Chinese people to refrain from making public political statements and to distance themselves from political rallies. Ruling party lawmakers are releasing photos of Chinese people attending anti-Yun rallies. Do you agree with the concerns that China could influence anti-Yun rallies, Korean society, and Korean politics?
(Cronnie Cronin) Yes. The Chinese influence campaign has infiltrated not only Korea but also the United States and most of our allies and partners around the world. The question is what are we going to do about it? And the answer is not martial law. The answer is to address it through policy prescriptions that can counter that influence campaign. At the same time, I agree with Ambassador Jeffrey that Xi Jinping is even less eager to create a crisis on his own doorstep than President Trump. So Xi is trying to restrain further incidents. He wants to start anew with whatever government he is dealing with in Korea. He sees this as an opportunity for China to expand its influence on the Korean Peninsula. Chinese influence has been declining for the past five to eight years. Since the THAAD deployment incident in 2016-2017. They stopped the missile defense batteries, protested, and put economic pressure on Korea. President Yoon noted that there was Chinese influence, and he pointed to the issue of drones photographing US aircraft carriers in Busan Port. That is undoubtedly a security threat. That is why we have security cooperation and alliances. We have to work together against these kinds of threats. That doesn't mean we have to stop the democratic process to deal with that problem. We can deal with it through the democratic process in the United States, and we can do it through the democratic process in Korea under our constitution.
Host) But wouldn't China try to expand its influence with anti-Yun forces? The ruling party is criticizing the main opposition party leader for having pro-China policies.
(Chairman Cronin) Right. And it's not just the leader. The Democratic Party of Korea in general wants to go back to what they call the "equidistance policy," which is a kind of mediation between China and the United States in dealing with the great powers. China wants to distance Korea from its alliance with the United States by doing that equidistance policy. That's what's worrying. China is not going to give up that intention. That's what they're trying to do. So we shouldn't take the words coming out of the Chinese embassy, "Don't interfere, don't meddle," as what they're actually saying on the ground. It's naive to think that they're not interested in increasing their influence. But Xi Jinping is basically saying, "Don't get caught doing these things. Otherwise, we'll look like the bad guys. We want to make it look like the United States is leaving and we're rising."
Host) Do you think this is a good opportunity for China to influence the elections in Korea through its influence? We often hear that Russia is interfering in the US elections and exerting influence.
(Former Deputy National Security Adviser Jeffrey) China could do that. I'm not a China expert. What I've learned is that China is cautious and careful. It's not like Putin. The Russians are quick to cut undersea cables or try to influence elections. The Chinese, on the other hand, are looking at the second- and third-order effects of their intervention. They're looking at, "Are we going to support those who are more opposed to China's role in Korea going forward, or are we going to support those who are?" The Chinese embassy statement is meant to say, "We're not really going to play any role. We're just innocent bystanders." And as Dr. Cronin said, that's probably not the case. But they're being very careful.
Host) If the Constitutional Court reinstates President Yoon, will he be able to return to diplomacy and actively pursue cooperation with the United States as he did before the impeachment and martial law declaration? Or will his influence be weakened?
(Chairman Cronin) He will be less influential. But of course, he will have to try to come back. The United States will have the same interests as before. At least they can start again from common interests. That was the driving force behind the cooperation between President Yoon and the Biden administration. There was common interests. We help Korea, and Korea helps the United States. They can continue to work on that basis. But the biggest loss here is his domestic support. As you mentioned, the polls may be coming back. That is the polls coming back on this impeachment struggle, and that is because the Democratic Party seems to be overstepping the constitution. But even if he comes back from suspension, he will still be seen as a lame duck president domestically, and that will have a negative impact on his ability. He also will not be able to regain control of the National Assembly. That is what triggered this crisis last year anyway.
Host) North Korea claims that Kim Jong-un successfully tested a medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile capable of striking Guam. This happened just days before President Trump’s inauguration. Is North Korea trying to gain influence over the incoming Trump administration? How will North Korea’s provocation affect President Trump’s willingness to talk to Kim Jong-un?
(Cronin Chair) I think Kim Jong-un is trying to get Trump's attention, but I think it's more than that. He's exploiting the domestic crisis in Korea. He's also trying to show that the relationship with Russia gives him greater capabilities, although they're not exactly clear on what they're getting from Russia. Russia denied this week that they're providing North Korea with this missile technology. But that's not necessarily their final position. Second, the timing of these missile launches was designed to get Trump's attention. It's to say, 'You don't want instability in the region. You have bigger goals. You want to deal with China. You want to rebuild America's economic power. Let's make a deal. Talk to me again and come back with terms that I can accept. But this time, it's going to cost me more. I have more capabilities. Look at my capabilities. I now have intermediate-range ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles. I can evade your defenses and hit key defense targets in the Pacific, if not the mainland.' So this is not just about ICBMs, we have to negotiate intermediate-range missiles as well. They are prepared to negotiate.
Moderator) President Trump is skeptical of alliances and is expected to demand that allies share more of the burden. However, after winning the election, President Trump expressed interest in shipbuilding cooperation with Korea in a phone call with President Yoon Seok-yeol. Do you think this cooperation can ease President Trump’s demand for Korea to shoulder a greater burden of defense costs?
(Former Deputy Chief of Staff Jeffrey) Absolutely. In my experience during the first Trump administration, he puts extreme demands on the table that are non-negotiable at the beginning and sees how they react. For example, shipbuilding is a huge issue for the US Navy to compete with China. President Trump has made a very important point. As you know, Korea is one of the world's leading shipbuilders. This is a great idea and it will help. I think this is exactly the kind of cooperation that the Trump administration is looking for.
Moderator) The Biden administration will be sending Ambassador Joseph Yun to Korea as an interim ambassador. Normally, a chargé d'affaires performs the role of ambassador. What is the background to sending Ambassador Joseph Yun to Korea at this time, and will it help in managing the alliance?
(Chairman Cronin) It won’t hurt. It’s a sign that this relationship is very important to the United States. We want someone at the ambassador level who has worked with the Trump administration, who has worked with the Biden administration, who is trusted, a true expert. Right now, we can’t appoint someone who can communicate with both parties every day, every minute, because this job is very strategically important. This will help. I think Ambassador Yoon is a great expert and someone trusted by both sides.
So far, you've heard a conversation between former Deputy National Security Advisor James Jeffrey and Patrick Cronin, the Hudson Institute's Asia-Pacific Security Studies Chair.
※ The above interview video can be viewed on the VOA Korean website and on 'Washington Talk' on YouTube and Facebook.
19. North Storm Corps 'Storm-fallen' by U Drone
This is a Google translation of an RFA report.
North Storm Corps 'Storm-fallen' by U Drone
https://www.rfa.org/korean/weekly_program/c2e0bc15d55cd55cbc18b3c4c2e0bb34ae30b300bc31acfc/ukraine-drone-leaflets-defection-north-korea-01102025145332.html
WASHINGTON-Kim Jin-guk kimj@rfa.org
2025.01.12
A North Korean soldier with red tape on his leg (a North Korean military identification mark) covers his head as a Ukrainian drone flies by.
/Official Telegram account of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO)
00:00 /15:53
( Host ) We will accurately grasp the current state of the military standoff on the Korean Peninsula and seek a path to peace . This is Kim Jin-guk, presenting 'Encyclopedia of New Weapons on the Korean Peninsula' from Washington D.C., USA . We will connect with Lee Il-woo, Secretary General of Korea's 'Independent Defense Network.'
Kursk Oblast , North Korean soldiers overflow from battlefield to hospital bed
( Anchor ) There are assessments pouring in that the North Korean army, which was deployed to the Ukraine war since mid-December last year , lost nearly a third of its deployed troops in just over a month of combat . Currently, not only the hospitals in the Kursk region where the North Korean army is deployed , but even hospitals in Moscow are said to be full of North Korean wounded soldiers ?
( Lee Il-woo ) According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as of January 5 , the number of North Korean casualties was approximately 3,800 , meaning one in three of the total deployed troops were killed or wounded . The North Korean military began its full-scale combat deployment on December 16 of last year , so since the first North Korean wounded soldiers were identified in Russian hospitals on December 15 , it is estimated that small -scale deployment of troops began in November .
According to intercepted information from the Ukrainian military intelligence service and information from anti-Russian partisan groups operating in Russia and Ukraine , North Korean wounded soldiers are being kept in hospitals throughout the Kursk region and on the outskirts of Moscow, separated from Russian wounded soldiers .
The Obuz Emergency Hospital on Pirogov Street in Kursk, which I am personally looking into, has been receiving wounded soldiers since early December , and at first , only one floor was given over to the North Korean wounded , but now I hear the number of rooms used by the North Korean army has increased . The conditions of the wounded soldiers were extremely extreme , with no “in-between.” Some were able to lead somewhat normal lives with simple abrasions, lacerations , or fractures , while others had severe trauma that required amputation of arms or legs. There are continuous reports that the soldiers eat an enormous amount of food compared to their size .
North Korean wounded soldiers admitted to the Kursk emergency hospital. / Telegram
Each hospital accommodates 100 North Korean wounded soldiers , and according to a phone conversation intercepted by Ukraine and recorded by a nurse at a hospital outside Moscow , it seems that the Russians are not very fond of these wounded soldiers . In some cases, they swear in Russian so loudly that it is difficult to understand that they should “go to hell,” and there are also stories about not being given painkillers during surgeries .
In fact, the wounded soldiers who went to the hospital like this are quite lucky, but if you monitor the situation on the Kursk Front every day, you can often see the bodies of North Korean soldiers who died so gruesomely that they could not be evacuated . And since the Russian side has no intention of making any significant changes in their weapons systems or tactics , and the hospitals that admit North Korean soldiers are continuously experiencing a shortage of medicine, it is expected that most of the 12,000 soldiers dispatched by North Korea will be dead or disabled by this spring .
Why is the Northern Storm Corps being carried away like fallen leaves ?
( Host ) The troops that North Korea dispatched to Russia are the Storm Corps, which is considered the most elite force in North Korea. When news of their dispatch first broke, many predicted that they would carry out special operations such as rear strike missions and harass the Ukrainian military. But in actual combat , why were they swept away like fallen leaves without any notable achievements ?
( Lee Il-woo ) No matter how elite the Storm Corps is, that is only a story that applies within the North Korean military. The Storm Corps reported by North Korean state-run media are truly terrifying human weapons, but to understand why they were so helpless on the Kursk Battlefield, we need to look into past war history .
The history of mankind is the history of war, and the history of war is the history of the development of weapons . As the saying goes, the battle of the spear and the shield, mankind has put a lot of effort into making tools to better kill enemies in war and better defend themselves from enemy attacks . Especially since the latter half of the 19th century, these efforts and achievements have accelerated rapidly . When a new weapon that changes the very nature of war appears , the side using the new weapon can unilaterally wipe out the enemy , and the side without the new weapon has no choice but to be massacred .
Let me introduce you to the case of the Battle of Omdurman, which took place in what is now northern Sudan, Africa in 1898. This battle was a fight between the British army and the Mahdi forces of Sudan . The British army consisted of about 8,000 troops, supported by 17,000 Egyptian colonial troops , and the Mahdi army consisted of about 52,000 troops , including 3,000 cavalry . At the time, the British army was defending a drainage garrison with the Nile River behind them , and the Mahdi army surrounded the British army on three sides . When the battle actually broke out, it was not a battle, but a massacre . Winston Churchill, who later became British Prime Minister, also participated in this battle , and according to Churchill's memoir, the British soldiers were excited like children enjoying a festival, even though they were surrounded . The Mahdi army charged fiercely armed with spears , swords , arrows , and muskets , but the British army responded with Maxim machine guns that could fire 500 bullets per minute, and killed about 4,000 Mahdi soldiers in 30 minutes . When the Mahdi army's lines collapsed, the British ordered about 400 cavalry to charge , and when the battle, which was close to a one-sided massacre, ended a few hours later, the Mahdi army's casualties amounted to about 23,000 . This was because the Mahdi army was completely unprepared for the new weapon, the machine gun . At that time, the Mahdi army was the most elite force in all of Africa .
The North Korean troops deployed to Kursk are also elite units from North Korea's perspective. However, in November of last year , after seeing the organization and weapons of the North Korean troops on the battlefield, various media outlets predicted that they would use human wave tactics used during the Korean War . In December, drone-filmed combat videos released showed North Korean troops charging forward without any tactics, just as expected . Walking or running into a white snow field without any terrain for concealment or cover was considered suicidal in the past , but it is even more dangerous in modern battlefields where drones have been deployed in large numbers . The Ukrainian military is looking down on the entire battlefield with electro-optical cameras during the day and with thermal imaging cameras at night, and they are hunting down North Korean troops by sending in FPV drones with explosives attached to them . As previously reported, many of the wounded North Korean soldiers are either lightly injured or have severe trauma that requires amputation of limbs , and this is because of the drones . If a grenade or mortar shell dropped by a drone lands nearby and injures you, the injury is relatively minor , but if an FPV drone with explosives attached hits it directly, you will die on the spot or your limbs will be blown off by the explosion . The North Korean soldiers deployed to the battlefield knew about the existence of drones , but they did not know how to deal with them , and even if they did know how to deal with them , they were not provided with equipment that could be used to deal with them . Because of this, they are being slaughtered unilaterally, just like the Mahdi Army that fought against the British in the late 19th century . To give you an idea of how severe this is , from December 20 to 23 , over a period of about three days , a single drone soldier from the Ukrainian 8th Special Purpose Regiment killed 77 North Korean soldiers and seriously injured 40 others in the village of Jelani Shlyakh . No matter how great the North Korean Storm Corps that went to Kursk was in North Korea , they were like toys in front of drones .
[ Encyclopedia of New Weapons on the Korean Peninsula ] What will happen in the skies of the Korean Peninsula when the F-15K is improved
[ Encyclopedia of New Weapons on the Korean Peninsula ] Is the Price of Deploying the North's Storm Corps to Russia Strategic Nuclear Submarines ?
One hundred against one , thanks to drones, Ukrainian military can even attack Sungdong
( Host ) Despite the large-scale deployment of North Korean troops to the Kursk Front, Ukraine has resumed its offensive since January . Looking at the Kursk region, the North Korean and Russian armies are attacking the northern and western parts of the salient occupied by the Ukrainian army , but how is the Ukrainian army withdrawing its troops to attack the eastern part of the salient ?
( Lee Il-woo ) The number of troops that Ukraine has deployed to the Kursk salient area is around 20 brigades , but since the subordinate units of each brigade are deployed in a rotational manner to carry out their missions, the actual number of troops is only around 20,000 to 30,000 . The problem is that the size of the Russian troops surrounding them on three sides is around 3 to 4 times that number , and currently the Russian military is launching attacks centered around the airborne troops and the naval ground forces from the Malaya Lokhnya area in the north of the salient and the Jelani Shlyakh area in the west of the salient . And most of the Ukrainian military forces are focusing on blocking their offensive .
However, starting on January 5 , the Ukrainian military launched an offensive by deploying troops ranging from one to two battalions into the Berdin area in the northwest of the salient , quickly advancing about 10 km and occupying about a fifth of the previously occupied area . The problem is where on earth did Ukraine, which is currently barely holding its defensive line, get the troops to carry out this offensive .
The unit that carried out this offensive was the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade , which was defending a very wide area, facing the 2nd Tank Regiment Assault Battalion of the Russian Army to the east and the 11th Guards Airborne Assault Brigade of the Russian Army to the south . Despite this , the offensive was possible because drones were deployed to create spare troops in areas that previously required troops to defend . Near the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade, the 8th Special Purpose Regiment , which was originally in charge of defending the western side of the Kursk Salient, was deployed . This unit was the very same unit that killed 77 North Korean soldiers with one drone soldier introduced earlier . As this unit was deployed and provided a wide defensive area, Ukraine had spare troops on this side , and they were able to launch an offensive with those troops . This will be an example of how the strategic map of the entire front can change depending on how drone power is used .
A North Korean soldier with red tape on his leg (a mark used to identify North Korean soldiers) fires at a Ukrainian drone attack. /Ukrainian Special Operations Forces
FPV Drone North Korea-Russia / North Korea-Iran Cooperation Must Be Strongly Checked
( Host ) If the North Korean military wants to survive on the front lines, they will first need to secure a means to deal with FPV drones , but not only is Russia not providing such protective measures to the North Korean military, but most of the protective equipment supplied to the Russian military deployed there is not functioning properly ?
( Lee Il-woo ) It is virtually impossible to detect and shoot down an FPV drone the size of a person's head with general field air defense weapons . This is because its flight altitude is low and its size is so small that it is almost undetectable by most radars . This is also why most of the FPV drone countermeasure radars currently used in advanced countries are X- band radars based on anti-personnel radars . However, Russia has almost no such radars .
Most of the Russian military’s field air defense systems and drone jammers are being deployed primarily at key facilities in mainland Russia. From Russia’s perspective, protecting high-value facilities such as ammunition depots, fuel depots , and air force bases from long-range suicide drones from the Ukrainian military is a priority over killing a few North Korean soldiers .
Chinese FPV drone jammer disassembly and analysis video. /Source: Telegram
This is why the FPV drone countermeasure weapon used on the front lines is mainly a 'jammer' . A jammer is literally a disturbance device , and it is a drone countermeasure device that blocks or intercepts the wireless control signal of FPV drones that are controlled wirelessly . The most commonly used jammers currently are short-range jammers that are carried around like a bag . Even if you buy a cheap one , a set of these jammers will cost 1,000 to 2,000 dollars , and of course, they are installed on tanks and armored vehicles rather than infantry .
Chinese jammers are mainly supplied to infantrymen, and on January 3 , a Russian frontline drone engineer released a video via Telegram exposing the problems of Chinese jammers . It is said that Chinese jammers often have internal parts that are not properly soldered or have a lot of metal shavings such as unidentified aluminum, which frequently causes short circuits or electric shocks when turned on . Most of the equipment is poorly assembled , and the current that is specified in the manual as 25 amperes is often only 5 amperes when measured, causing the equipment itself to not work .
The biggest problem is that Russia has neither the will nor the ability to solve this problem . However, since there is no possibility that North Korea will procure drone jammers and supply them to the frontline North Korean troops , most of the 12,000 North Korean soldiers currently deployed to Kursk will be killed or disabled by March of this year at the latest if the current rate continues .
( Host ) This was Lee Il- woo, Secretary General of the Korea Independent Defense Network . Now, with Kim Jin-guk from RFA in Washington , D.C.
Editor Lee Jin-seo, Web Editor Lee Gyeong-ha
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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