Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"Practice kindness all day to everybody and you will realize you're already in heaven now."

~ Jack Kerouac

"Hate, in the long run, is about as nourishing as cyanide."

~ Kurt Vonnegut

"If you understand each other you will be kind to each other."

~ John Steinbeck

1. Defecting From the ‘Ultimate Propaganda Country’: Hyun-Seung Lee on North Korea’s Oppressive Regime, Its Relationship With China, and Its Nuclear Bluster

2. Kim Jong Un Flaunts North Korea’s Newest Weapons With Russia and China by His Side

3. Japan says North Korea threat more serious than 'ever before'

4. North Korea Unveils Look-Alike Global Hawk, Reaper Drones

5. Former AP Pyongyang Bureau Chief Jean Lee discusses anniversary of Korean War's end

6. Biden to Host Camp David Summit With Japan and South Korea Next Month -US Congressman

7. A Korean Peace Treaty Would Be an Unforced Blunder

8. South Korea unification ministry to get tougher on North

9. Risk Reduction and Crisis Management on the Korean Peninsula

10. N. Korea showcases drones, ICBMs at military parade on armistice anniv.

11. Senate approves nomination of special envoy for N. Korean human rights

12. S. Korea, UAE hold high-level consultations on nuclear cooperation

13. Unification ministry to create unit supporting victims of North Korean abductions

14. Chinese police threaten repatriation of defector women unless families pay up

15. North Koreans forced to celebrate 70th anniversary of ‘victory’ in Korean War

16. ＜Photo Report＞ A visit to a North Korea-China trade hub…Freight trucks line up to head into North Korea, but drivers not allowed to leave vehicles

1. Defecting From the ‘Ultimate Propaganda Country’: Hyun-Seung Lee on North Korea’s Oppressive Regime, Its Relationship With China, and Its Nuclear Bluster

From my good friend and colleague Hyun Seung Lee. He provides important insights based on his life in north Korea, Pyongyang, and China.

You can watch the video at the link. The transcript is provided below.

July 20, 2023 AMERICAN THOUGHT LEADERSViews 20.1K

https://www.theepochtimes.com/epochtv/defecting-from-the-ultimate-propaganda-country-hyun-seung-lee-on-north-koreas-oppressive-regime-its-relationship-with-china-and-its-nuclear-bluster-5406471

Defecting From the ‘Ultimate Propaganda Country’: Hyun-Seung Lee on North Korea’s Oppressive Regime, Its Relationship With China, and Its Nuclear Bluster

AMERICAN THOUGHT LEADERS

JAN JEKIELEK

[FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW] “I’ve communicated with some people inside of North Korea, and I heard from them that the recent famine is very similar to [the] 1990s famine. And, as we all know, almost 3 million people died of starvation during that time.”

Hyun-Seung Lee, otherwise known as “Arthur” Lee, is a former member of the North Korean ruling party. He and his family were fiercely loyal to the communist regime. But being on the side of economic reform and having witnessed several brutal internal purges by Kim Jong Un—including that of Kim’s uncle—the family made the decision to defect.

“Many people, especially top people, and even [the] general public in Pyongyang City, don’t know what’s happening outside Pyongyang because of the isolation of the information. The regime structure controls the information distribution,” says Mr. Lee.

We discuss North Korea’s current food crisis, the regime’s nuclear weapons program, the value of free information, and what can be done to bring about change.

“North Korea’s regime keeps saying that once we have nuclear weapons, we’ll live [a] better life … and we will be a strong country in terms of economy and the military side. Now, they have enough nuclear weapons—and the people are still suffering from starvation,” he says.

Despite the political and cultural divisions in the United States, Mr. Lee believes that it is one of the world’s greatest nations in terms of its commitment to democracy and individual freedoms.

“American people should respect this society, because many people in the world think that still, America is the best. The freedom they have cannot be compared to the other nations,” says Mr. Lee.

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Jan Jekielek:

Arthur Lee, such a pleasure to have you on American Thought Leaders.

Arthur Lee:

Thank you for having me.

Mr. Jekielek:

Arthur, you are a defector from North Korea. We’ve known each other for a while now, and I’m very excited to finally have you on. There’s been a lot of incredibly troubling information coming out of North Korea recently. There’s this BBC documentary that talks about a famine so bad that it might be like it was in the 90s, which was absolutely terrible. North Korea is accusing the U.S. of trying to ignite a nuclear war. There are huge rallies being staged to that effect in the Korean capital. Basically, it’s a lot of nuclear bluster, which is never good. How do we make sense of all this?

Mr. Lee:

First of all, my name is Hyun-Seung, Arthur Lee, and I’m a North Korean escapee. I escaped North Korea when I was 29 years old. I saw that BBC documentary as well. I’ve communicated with some people inside of North Korea, and I heard that this recent famine is very similar to the 1990s famine. As we all know, almost 3 million people died of starvation during that time. But most people in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea, didn’t realize what happened in the rural areas. I would say it’s a very similar situation.

The top people inside the city don’t realize what’s happening. But the people in the rural areas are suffering from starvation. The BBC documentary uses very reliable resources. It’s very sad for me and my fellow North Koreans that we are still suffering from starvation in the 21st century. As you mentioned earlier, the North Korean regime keeps immobilizing its people, and promoting everything against the United States inside of North Korea. That is one of their strategies, bonding people into one against the U.S.

Mr. Jekielek:

You’re saying that the nuclear buster is more for the internal population to say, “There’s our enemy, and we have to unite against them.” Is that what you’re saying?

Mr. Lee:

That analysis is accurate. For Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, it is a lifelong project. When we were in North Korea, the regime kept saying, “Once we have nuclear weapons, we’ll live a better life than before, and we will be a strong country in terms of the economy and the military side.” Now they have nuclear weapons, and the people are still suffering from starvation.

People keep questioning, “What’s the difference?” But for the regime, it’s a narrative and tactic to keep developing nuclear weapons. The hostile policy against the United States is the core policy of the regime. It isolates the country, and keeps utilizing resources to develop nuclear weapons.

Mr. Jekielek:

It might not be obvious how different the people in Pyongyang are from the rural areas, and how they perceive each other differently. This is not an academic question for you, because you are from Pyongyan where the elites live. Please tell me your story, because it’s unusual that someone from the elite class ends up being a defector, given that you had a pretty good life compared to most people.

Mr. Lee:

In many aspects, my story is different from many North Korean escapees. Pyongyang has the most of everything, including resources and power. The people living in Pyongyang are the people who actually shine in North Korea, and they’re ruling North Korea. I was a core elite member in the society, since my dad served twice in higher ranking positions in the country. These positions were directly appointed by the former North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un’s father.

Because of my father’s high ranking position, I went to top schools, and I was loyal to the regime. I served in the North Korean military for three years, and I was a member of the North Korean ruling party. I joined the party when I was 20 which is unprecedented. I was among the leading young personnel who could become the young leaders of North Korea. But I had an opportunity to study abroad in China, and that changed my whole point of view in life.

Eventually, my family made a life decision to defect in October, 2014. The decision was not easy because that meant that we had to give up everything that we had achieved in the past. But in 2013, there was a big incident that the media publicized—Kim Jong Un’s uncle’s execution, along with his fellow associates and aides. It was not just Kim Jong Un’s uncle’s execution, it was related to his whole staff. We assume that hundreds of officials were executed, and their families were sent to the political prison camp.

Many of my dad’s friends were executed and sent to the political prison camp, and I myself lost several friends. My close friend who started at the Chinese university with me, he and his entire family were imprisoned in the political prison camp. My sister was in China as well, and her roommate was arrested right in front of her and then sent to the political prison camp in North Korea from China.

That whole incident was an unbelievable story and gave us an unbelievable impression about the regime. Before that we were thinking that we could still change society and make society better. But that whole belief collapsed, and then my family decided to defect.

Mr. Jekielek:

How did you discuss that in the family?

Mr. Lee:

It’s very unusual to discuss defection or criticize the leader of the society, even with your family members. We were outside of North Korea and in China at the time, but we were still very cautious. We didn’t discuss the defection at home. We went to the park in an open place, and we put all the electronic devices in our car. Then we had a free discussion for a long time.

We concluded that was not the society we want to live in, and this was not the leader we want to serve. We should do something for these people, and for this country. My dad especially had very good intentions. When he served in his position in the country, he was trying to open up the country.

He was trying to improve the economy and the living conditions of the people. He was very supportive of reform, plus opening up the economy and the country. But the execution of Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Un’s uncle, destroyed everything that North Korean elite group was envisioning for the society.

Mr. Jekielek:

Was that whole execution and removal of that whole faction of people because Kim Jong Un thought they were a threat? Why did it stop all that progress?

Mr. Lee:

Kim Jong Un’s uncle was in charge of North Korea’s economic development and making money for the regime. But Kim Jong Un felt threatened by his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, and he didn’t like what he was doing. Kim Jong Un’s uncle was making policies for opening up and reform. Kim Jong Un realized that opening up and reform could threaten him and undermine his authority.

That makes sense, because when we have opening and reform, which means opening the society to the world, it would mean that every piece of information could impact Kim Jong Un’s authority, because he’s not a legitimate leader. He should not be the leader in the first place. That’s why he ordered the execution of his own brother in Malaysia.

Mr. Jekielek:

Okay, I understand. Your family might have been wondering, “Hey, maybe we’ll be next,” because you were involved in that same vision.

Mr. Lee:

Absolutely. Not just my family, but the whole group of North Korean elite members that were thinking that way. He even executed his own uncle. What’s he afraid of? He’s afraid of nothing, and he will execute anyone.

Mr. Jekielek:

Please tell me how the people in Pyongyang perceive the rural people, and how the rural people perceive the people in Pyongyang.

Mr. Lee:

I engaged with local people when I was in the military, and when I was doing business in the rural areas. The people in the rural areas very much respect Pyongyang. They want to be citizens of Pyongyang, and everything they do is trying to get to the capital city. But, on the other hand, they also have a hatred towards Pyongyang, because North Korean society is all about Pyongyang and the Kim family regime.

Once the people realized they couldn’t make it to the city, and they just felt hatred, “Why is Pyongyang so special? Why doesn’t the regime care about us?” There are all those bad impressions of elite society all over the rural areas. I sensed that, and I felt that. In some areas, people are even throwing stones at the cars with Pyongyang license plates. There is a very harsh attitude in the rural areas toward the capital city.

Mr. Jekielek:

What about the residents of Pyongyang, the elites, how do they view the rest of the people?

Mr. Lee:

They don’t have any particular views, but they think they, themselves are different. They are a little arrogant and they think, “We are the chosen,” especially the core elite group in Pyongyang. Their grandparents were a very elite group, and from a very young age they were treated specially, so they think they are different. But the ordinary Pyongyang people are not that much different from the rural people. Inside of Pyongyang there is also a division between the general public and the core members of the elite society.

Mr. Jekielek:

Let’s go back to the famine now. Why do the people in Pyongyang not know what’s happening in the rest of the country?

Mr. Lee:

Many people, especially the top people and even the general public in Pyongyang city don’t know what’s happening outside of Pyongyang, because of the isolation of the information. The regime strictly controls the information distribution in Pyongyang city, even from person to person, especially information about the regime. If that information is negative about the society, then the regime thinks it shouldn’t be distributed. Somebody who wants to share or distribute this information with other people could be very severely punished.

Mr. Jekielek:

You have contacts both in the city and outside the city, and you’re getting different feedback. Is that the situation?

Mr. Lee:

Pretty much. People inside Pyongyang mostly don’t understand the famine. But the rural people reported to us last week that they lost five people to starvation, and that whole family died. Nobody checked on them, and they found them after their death several days later.

Mr. Jekielek:

This society functions differently than what most people are used to. I want to establish some of that as we’re talking here. For example, in that BBC documentary, they also talked about using some special methodologies to actually do the communication because of the potential risk. You said this information control is so strict, if people knew that anyone was communicating with the outside, especially you, that would be probably a death sentence.

Mr. Lee:

Yes, it’s a high risk. But still, some people want to deliver the truth to the outside world, and people want to share with their loved ones. In the end, information is the key to change society. We all know that. People are risking their life to share this information.

Mr. Jekielek:

One of the activists in that documentary mentions that since the Chinese border was sealed during Covid, even the very limited amount of information was reduced even further. He called it the blackest of the black holes, and that black hole has gotten even darker.

Mr. Lee:

Yes. Due to the pandemic, the amount of information is limited. But we have North Korean people outside North Korea, and those people keep contact with the people inside Korea. We have different people as sources.

Mr. Jekielek:

What is the most important piece of information you could share with us today?

Mr. Lee:

First of all, I can confirm some of the famine stories, and it’s very tragic. Several months ago, 19 people in the farming area were dead because of starvation. When we think about a farming area, they shouldn’t be in that situation. They’re producing rice, our food, but the regime took all the rice for the military side. The farmers reported this several times, but they couldn’t get a solution from the regime, and eventually they died. That was a very heartbreaking story.

Secondly, people are executed because of information sharing. Two years ago, the North Korean regime established a law that someone who shared information with people inside North Korea could be executed. I heard that many people were punished just for sharing K-dramas and U.S. movies.

Mr. Jekielek:

Nevermind actually sharing on-the-ground reality.

Mr. Lee:

Yes. Regardless of the level of the information, they punish people.

Mr. Jekielek:

Let’s jump to the second point, which was about the nuclear war bluster. You explained that having these big rallies is a method of internal control by focusing on the enemy. Is there actually some increased threat right now?

Mr. Lee:

I would say there is no external threat to North Korea, but the regime created that. The regime keeps making up propaganda that the United States and South Korea are always trying to invade North Korea to take away their assets, and take away their life. The regime’s message is, “That’s why we have to be prepared, and we have to utilize our resources to prevent those invasions.” But in reality there’s no external threat, as we all know. But on the inside it’s isolated, so people can’t understand what’s happening on the outside. For many people there is no choice but to believe the regime’s narrative. That’s the reality.

Mr. Jekielek:

I definitely want to talk more about that. But do you think there’s any increased threat to South Korea and the U.S.?

Mr. Lee:

I don’t see any increased threat because the North Korean regime mainly accuses South Korea and the United States because of military exercises. But it’s general military training and a defense exercise, it’s not an attacking exercise. But the regime believes if the U.S. and South Korea conduct military drills, then it could lead to an attack on North Korea.

They have always said that we need to be prepared. Once there was a big military exercise, and then they mobilized people, had rallies, and a signing campaign to be soldiers. On the other hand, North Korea has maintained its main policy; unifying the South Korean peninsula under Kim Jong Un’s regime. It’s actually stated in the constitution, and that’s the ultimate goal for the regime.

Mr. Jekielek:

On one side you have very strict deliberate messaging repeated again and again. On the other hand, you have a vacuum of external information. How many people do you think believe the propaganda?

Mr. Lee:

In the 1990s, most people believed what the regime said. But throughout the famine, people accessed a lot of information from outside. They have conducted market activity, and their reliance on the regime has decreased. Gradually, the regime’s control has been undermined. People have lost credibility in the regime. Now, it’s very hard to say. But I have to say, half of the people still believe the regime’s agenda and promises.

Mr. Jekielek:

What about the Pyongyang people? Will those believe more or believe less?

Mr. Lee:

When I interacted with people when I was in North Korea, it seemed like not many people believed what the regime said. But the entire society’s atmosphere is that if you don’t believe it, you can be punished. You may not believe it, but you cannot share that with other people. That’s the situation. The people who have access to more information, believe less in the regime’s narrative.

Mr. Jekielek:

When you were there with your family, did you believe it?

Mr. Lee:

Before I came to China to learn outside information, I totally believed what the regime said. I was an elite member, but I didn’t have any access to any outside information. I had to believe it, there was no choice. North Korea is the ultimate propaganda country.

Mr. Jekielek:

Let’s talk about the Korea/China relationship because there is a lot of cross border activity. There are refugees that have escaped and then get forcibly repatriated. We’ve heard about that. There’s the whole sex work industry which Yeonmi Park exposed. Then there’s 100,000 people officially working in China legitimately.

This border closure kept them in China, even though they don’t have visas. There are all of these complications. On top of that, there are IT workers that the regime is cultivating to place in companies outside, partially for nefarious reasons of their own, as opposed to just making money outside the country. To summarize, not a lot of people go out of the country, but the ones that can go back and forth end up in China. Please break that down for us.

Mr. Lee:

Since the pandemic, the North Korean regime intentionally closed the border from January, 2020, until now. I would say that they intentionally closed the border because of some benefit. It’s not for the benefit of the people, it’s the benefit for Kim Jong Un himself. In the past, we conducted business with China with a lot of byproducts. People got the benefit from this business, even though most of the money was extracted by the regime. But the people involved in the industries are still making money from this business.

But now, it is total closure, and Kim Jong Un only gets money from those people outside of North Korea, who we call slave workers. They are all officially dispatched from the North Korean regime. I would say 100,000 people are working in China. Because of their visa status, they are all illegally working in China. The UN Security Council resolution in 2017 told every country, “The UN members should send back all North Korean workers to North Korea,” because those monies exclusively contribute to North Korea’s nuclear and weapon programs.

But China didn’t follow the rules and take responsibility, especially because China is a member of the National Security Council. But North Korea knows that if they close the border China cannot send North Korean workers back to North Korea. Therefore, let them stay in China and let them make millions of dollars every year, regardless of their willingness.

So many of the workers sent information and even wrote handwritten letters to us and other people saying, “We want to go back because we want to see our families.” For three or four years, they haven’t been able to see their families.

They worked so hard, up to 12 to 14 hours a day in harsh conditions. They couldn’t actually earn any money because the regime kept all the money. They said, “When you come back to North Korea, we will give it to you.” But none of them received the actual money they made, they only got a small portion of the money. Most of the North Korean workers inside China now are very frustrated, and they want to defect.

It’s a very similar situation with the IT workers as well. They’re highly trained and skilled people. They make millions of dollars every year hacking cryptocurrency and hacking banks. They also outsource work. They’re making websites and making animations for different companies. Recently, I heard that most of their clients are from the U.S. Their clients in the U.S. didn’t even know they were North Korean IT workers because there are a number of different involvements and fake IDs.

Mr. Jekielek:

Shell companies and so forth.

Mr. Lee:

Shell companies in Hong Kong and outside.

Mr. Jekielek:

What about the refugees? There are actually people who have escaped North Korea and ended up in China. There are also sex workers, and that’s a whole dark human trafficking industry as well.

Mr. Lee:

I didn’t know about the sex workers, because of the information isolation. That information couldn’t reach us when I was in North Korea, and I learned about it after I defected. It’s very heartbreaking, especially Yeonmi Park’s story and all the suffering she went through. It’s unimaginable. I would say it’s not just Yeonmi, there are thousands of people who are in the same situation right now.

During the famine, many, many North Korean escapees left North Korea and settled down in China. Of course, they didn’t have any identification. They couldn’t register their ID in China. They were living illegally with their Chinese families. Many of them were originally sold as a sex workers and then as slaves. Some women married Chinese people and they gave birth. Several months ago, Chinese authorities began rigorously looking for these people to arrest them and send them back to North Korea.

Some Chinese police take bribes, put them on a list, and then two or three months later just arrest them again. The families are obviously frustrated with this situation. They have two or three children. What if the moms repatriated to North Korea and couldn’t see their families in the future? That’s what the two countries are doing to their own people.

Also, there are two types of escapees in China, those people who escape North Korea because of the economic situation. There are also those people who are working for officials in China, and they were captured by the Chinese police when they tried to escape.

Mr. Jekielek:

Just to be clear, these are people in China already, and when they try to escape, they’re captured by the Chinese authorities?

Mr. Lee:

Yes. Recently, many North Korean workers tried to escape. Many almost succeeded in their escape, but the Chinese authorities arrested and interrogated them. They keep them in the detention center, and now they’re ready to send them back if the border is reopened.

Mr. Jekielek:

The workers are trying to escape to South Korea, is that right?

Mr. Lee:

Most of them were trying to escape to South Korea.

Mr. Jekielek:

The one line from this BBC documentary that really hit home is when the woman says, “I want to be in a society where we don’t have to spy on each other.”

Mr. Lee:

That’s actually a very sad thing. Totalitarian and authoritarian societies share similar features, like people spying on each other and reporting on each other, so that the regime gets the benefit and punishes people for their actions. For example, your neighbors can spy on your family. If your family expressed disagreement with the regime, that just one word could be delivered by your neighbor to the ruling party. Because of that word, and because of that action, your entire family could be thrown into the political prison camp.

Mr. Jekielek:

I still find this difficult to fathom, but with these prison camps, it’s not necessarily just the accused people sent there. It could be three generations of people.

Mr. Lee:

Yes, of course. That’s just the most notorious system in North Korea. It’s a guilt by association system, which means that all the generations have to be punished in that system. If your grandfather becomes a traitor to the nation, your grandson must live in the political prison camp. I heard that even babies who were born in the political prison camp have to spend their whole life in political prison camp. Actually in 2010, my neighbor and his entire family was imprisoned in the political prison camp.

He was the political ambassador in Beijing, and the charge against him was just several meetings with Kim Jong Un’s brother. Later, we found out that the entire family vanished. Our neighbor told us that even their children and grandchildren were in the political prison camp. They have four children, and then they have grandchildren.

The third son’s child is only two years old, and that two-year-old baby was also sent to the political prison camp. The only survivor of that family was a little five-year-old girl, the granddaughter, because she had a different last name. The regime forcefully divorced the daughter and the son-in-law, and then the daughter kept the son-in-law’s last name. That’s why that child is the lone survivor of the entire family. Other than that, the whole family was sent to the political prison camp. That happened a lot.

We assume there are 200,000 people imprisoned in political prison camps, and 90 percent of them are from the elite class. The North Korean regime doesn’t put just the general public in the facility. They put elite members who used to be loyal to the country. Most of them are political victims of the regime. The regime thinks they are a threat to the regime.

Mr. Jekielek:

How does the North Korean economy work?

Mr. Lee:

The economy is already broken. It has already collapsed. But the people made their own life through market activity. At the domestic level, they achieve it through the market system. But when it comes to the top level, the regime can procure money from resources like labor workers, IT workers, and gold smuggling. We can’t call that an economy. It’s more like one gang leader making his money and distributing the money with his own clan.

Mr. Jekielek:

The rest is people effectively functioning on a black market. When analysts say that the regime is highly dependent on money from China, are they talking about IT workers and all these other different workers, or is there some other source of money as well?

Mr. Lee:

Before the pandemic, almost 90 percent of trade was with China. Analysts say the reliance on China is through imports and exports. The North Korean regime sells the natural resources to China, and then they get the goods from China, so that is the import and export exchange. China is a bigger market than Russia, but Kim Jong Un didn’t like China. Many years ago he actually gave all business people an order, “We want to utilize the Russian market more than the Chinese market.”

We thought that Kim Jong Un was crazy. There’s nothing we can trade with Russia at the moment. When we do business between North Korea and China, it mostly involves front money. Chinese investors and business people put up the money first so that they can get the resources from North Korea. The Chinese region obviously supports the North Korean regime. They provide them with refined oil every year. They let the North Korean regime conduct smuggling and anything else for the survival of the regime. They don’t want the North Korean regime to collapse.

Generally, Chinese business people think they can make money and they do a lot of business with the regime. North Korea has natural resources, so they can get the natural resources from North Korea at a very low price. This price gap helps them make a lot of money.

Mr. Jekielek:

Here in DC, where you’ve decided to live, what do you see as the future for North Koreans and yourself?

Mr. Lee:

I’m currently working as a fellow at a nonprofit, and I consult with government agencies on North Korea policy. The reason I became involved in that is because I think that policy is important. In 2016, I found out that not many people have an accurate view of North Korea. I want to share accurate views and share more information, so that they can create the right policy.

Soon, I’ll be studying Public Administration at Columbia University. I am pursuing this career because I want to be a more effective policymaker and policy influencer. Hopefully, one day U.S. policy and international policy can make a change in North Korea.

Mr. Jekielek:

In very broad strokes, what would be the right policy for the U.S.?

Mr. Lee:

The right policy would be focusing on changing the society, because previously the U.S. international community couldn’t reach the goal of democratization and improving human rights. The top problem is the system and the leader. We are afraid to say changing the regime. But we should encourage the people inside to change their lives, and give more truth and objective information to the people, so that they can decide what they want.

Now, the people inside North Korea can’t make their own decisions. It’s all drafted by the regime. It’s the only voice of the regime, not the voice of the people. I lived in North Korea 29 years, and I also experienced China. I can guarantee that an authoritarian regime is a totally different system and a totally different ideology.

Mr. Jekielek:

I often talk to people about the Chinese Communist Party’s policy of comprehensive national power. The summary is that they don’t believe in win-win relationships. It can only be, “I win, you lose.” If they are losing, it’s not acceptable.

Mr. Lee:

It’s the same policy with China as well. You lose, I win.

Mr. Jekielek:

People in America are concerned about the U.S. attempting to intervene in other places. They point to some failed policies. In some cases, it looks like it was much more self-interested than actually helping people. They worry about calling for America to try to intervene in other places. What do you say to people that are thinking that way?

Mr. Lee:

To a degree, I agree with them. America should focus on its own policy and focus on its own people. But the Korea issue, and some other issues around the world, directly impact U.S. National Security and U.S. policy. The Korean Peninsula issue was a long, unresolved issue for America since the 1950s. Actually, I don’t see any hope if there is no U.S. involvement. I’m not saying direct involvement, but I want U.S. policymakers and the U.S. people to give the North Korean people a chance to change their society.

I have lived in four different countries; North Korea, China, South Korea, and the United States. I learned that the U.S. is the best among the four. I know many people criticize the United States, and they even don’t believe in their society, because of the different policies and divisions. But still, it’s the best country I’ve experienced. The core values of this society are individual freedom and democracy. Even though they may argue and debate, this country has the best system so far. I have hope for North Korea, and this will eventually help their society.

Mr. Jekielek:

I was listening in a Twitter space where Elon Musk was interviewing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Actually, for some of it, Robert F. Kennedy Jr was interviewing Elon Musk. Elon Musk said, “After World War II, what other nation would have rebuilt Germany and Japan, and these other countries who were the prime aggressors in the war?” They put in billions and billions and billions of dollars, along with goodwill.

It was a very interesting answer, and it’s why he believes America is a good nation even with all its flaws. When I talk about communist China, I’ll talk about certain policies and realities over there, like encroachments on freedom in Hong Kong, and how that society has totally changed. People say, “We do the same thing here in America.” I always say, “No, it’s not the same, even though there might be some surface similarities.” But sometimes, I find it difficult to explain that to people.

Mr. Lee:

It would be sad if that were the same situation in America. From my observations, there are many differences. For example, if I criticized the leader of North Korea in North Korean society, I could be destroyed. My entire family could be destroyed because of that one comment. But in the United States, there is still some protection built into the system. There are platforms where you can share, and people who you can trust and who support you.

It’s the same thing in China as in North Korea. In the Chinese system, if you’re against the Chinese leaders’ policy, you could be immediately removed from the society. You could face a lot of punishment by the authorities. But in the United States, the foundation of the system is a lot different. I believe that the U.S. shouldn’t go in that direction. Ultimately, freedom of expression is what allows people to be liberated in their mindset.

Mr. Jekielek:

This has been such a remarkable conversation. I’ve learned a lot. Any final thoughts as we finish up?

Mr. Lee:

I hope that American people will respect their society because many people in the world still think that America is the best. The freedom America has cannot be compared to the other nations. The American people should keep their freedom, and keep their national pride.

Mr. Jekielek:

Arthur Lee, it’s such a pleasure to have you on the show.

Mr. Lee:

Thank you very much. It’s my privilege to talk with you, and share my thoughts.

Mr. Jekielek:

Thank you all for joining Arthur Lee and me on this episode of American Thought Leaders. I’m your host, Jan Jekielek.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

* Click the "Save" button below the video to access it later on "My List."

2. Kim Jong Un Flaunts North Korea’s Newest Weapons With Russia and China by His Side

Kim is always surprising us.

Excerpts:

Kim’s five-year weapons strategy focuses on drones, tactical nuclear arms and other modern advances, as well as a push into cyber, said Kim Young-jun, who advises the South Korean government on national-security issues. That brings advantages because these areas are often less costly and more efficient than conventional military capabilities—all the more important now given North Korea’s economic struggles, he added.

“I am surprised by the pace of North Korean development—more rapid than I would have guessed,” said Bruce Bennett, senior defense analyst at Rand Corp., a think tank based in Santa Monica, Calif. “The North’s transparency is intended to support its objective of demonstrating superiority.”

Kim Jong Un Flaunts North Korea’s Newest Weapons With Russia and China by His Side

Pyongyang typically used to exercise more restraint at military parades with Chinese and Russian officials present, but no more

By Dasl Yoon and Timothy W. Martin

Updated July 28, 2023 8:26 am ET

https://www.wsj.com/articles/kim-jong-un-flaunts-north-koreas-newest-weapons-with-russia-and-china-by-his-side-125399f5?mod

SEOUL—Flanked by Russia’s defense minister and a Chinese Politburo member, Kim Jong Un smiled as North Korean missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland rumbled through the streets of downtown Pyongyang.

The scene from a Thursday evening North Korean military parade reflected a new bravado from Kim, the 39-year-old dictator who has labeled his country a nuclear power.

During similar celebrations in prior years, Pyongyang had toned down its displays of nuclear firepower when officials from Moscow and Beijing were present, or did so at the risk of upsetting its two allies who could vote for fresh sanctions at the United Nations Security Council.

But lately the three countries have rallied together—and around their shared grievances against the U.S. and its allies. North Korea has conducted dozens of illegal missile tests in recent years, though China and Russia have repeatedly blocked efforts to hold the Kim regime accountable.

“Now, there’s no such reticence,” said Ankit Panda, the Stanton senior fellow in the nuclear-policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Kim openly shows off North Korea’s growing capabilities with implicit assent from Moscow and Beijing.”

North Korea’s Thursday military parade celebrated the 70th anniversary of the cease-fire that brought an end to fighting in the 1950-1953 Korean War. The country showcased its newest intercontinental ballistic missiles—named the “Hwasong-17” and “Hwasong-18”—as well as new attack and spy drones.

The military parade in Pyongyang celebrated the 70th anniversary of the cease-fire that brought an end to fighting in the Korean War. PHOTO: STR/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

As part of the festivities, Kim invited the first foreign delegations to North Korea since the pandemic, with the Russians led by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Chinese headed by Politburo member Li Hongzhong. Kim, dressed in a silver tie and black suit, oversaw the parade seated next to Shoigu and Li. But the third-generation North Korean leader skipped his customary speech.

Instead, North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam rose to warn the country’s adversaries. “Now, the question is not if a nuclear war will occur on the Korean Peninsula, but rather who will ignite this nuclear war and when,” he said, according to a state media report published in Korean.

Shoigu, in a meeting with Kim, discussed developing “strategic and tactical collaboration” with North Korea in the field of defense and security, Pyongyang’s state media said. Shoigu also praised North Korea’s “unwavering support” for Russia’s “special military operation,” which is how Moscow typically refers to its invasion of Ukraine.

China has little incentive to cross North Korea now, as the U.S. increases its military presence in the region, while a collapse of the Kim regime would create instability right on China’s borders. But the two countries have often clashed. In 2017, Pyongyang accused Beijing of “dancing to the tune of the U.S.” when official Chinese media outlets voiced discontent over the North’s torrent of weapons tests.

North Korea’s Leader Shows Off Weapons to Russia’s Defense Minister

Japan says North Korea threat more serious than 'ever before'

Japan said Friday that North Korea posed a more serious threat to its national security than "ever before", as nuclear-armed Pyongyang rattles its neighbours with repeated missile tests and belligerent rhetoric.

Issued on: 28/07/2023 - 04:39

2 min

France 24 · by NEWS WIRES · July 28, 2023

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In its annual white paper -- a rundown of the most pressing military threats and plans to ensure stability -- Japan's defence ministry made a case for a significant hike in domestic defence spending as the world enters "a new era of crisis".

While China's growing military might and Russia's invasion of Ukraine were major focuses of the white paper, North Korea also ranked as a key concern for Japan.

"North Korea's military activities pose an even more grave and imminent threat to Japan's national security than ever before," the document said.

"It is believed that North Korea has the ability to attack Japan with nuclear weapons fitted to ballistic missiles."

The white paper, approved by the cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday morning, comes as North Korea ramps up the frequency of its missile tests.

North Korean state media on Thursday released photos of Kim Jong Un giving Russia's defence minister a tour of the country's newest and most advanced weaponry, including intercontinental ballistic missiles and previously unseen military drones.

Russia, another historic ally of North Korea, is one of a handful of nations with which Pyongyang maintains friendly relations.

Kim Jong Un has been steadfast in his support for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, including, Washington says, supplying rockets and missiles -- a charge Pyongyang has denied.

Pyongyang's recent weapons tests -- the latest was on Monday -- come as Tokyo, Seoul and Washington increase military cooperation to counter the North's growing nuclear threats and China's influence in the region.

The white paper said China's military activities posed "an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge" to Japan while reiterating that joint military drills with Russia were also a concern.

China regularly sends government ships to islands in dispute with Tokyo while also conducting naval drills in waters including in the Pacific, raising alarm in Japan and area nations.

Beijing has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with many leading democracies fearing China may also move to aggressively take over Taiwan.

"The international community is facing its greatest trial since World War II and we have entered a new era of crisis," Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said in the document.

The white paper reiterated Tokyo's commitment to boost its military spending and capacity.

For decades, Japan has capped military spending at around one percent of GDP.

But late last year, Kishida's government approved a plan to increase defence spending to two percent of GDP by fiscal year 2027, to around 11 trillion yen ($78.7 billion).

(AFP)

France 24 · by NEWS WIRES · July 28, 2023

4. North Korea Unveils Look-Alike Global Hawk, Reaper Drones

North Korea Unveils Look-Alike Global Hawk, Reaper Drones

The two drones first appeared in satellite imagery last month, and have now been unveiled to the public including video of them in the air.

THOMAS NEWDICK, TYLER ROGOWAY

PUBLISHED JUL 27, 2023 1:57 PM EDT

thedrive.com · by Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway · July 27, 2023

North Korea has unveiled two new drones that appear to be almost exact visual copies of the well-known U.S.-made RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Its state media has also provided brief videos showing both of them in flight. While the precise capabilities of these North Korean drones remain very much unclear — they are certain to fall well short of their U.S. lookalikes — the fact that Pyongyang has been plowing resources into developing them does at least point to an increasing interest in advanced UAV designs for both surveillance and attack, as well as the ability to actually realize those interests.

The designations of the North Korean drones remain unknown, and, for the meantime, they are being referred to as the “Global Hawk-type” and “Reaper-type.”

Both were formally revealed during the Weapons and Equipment Exhibition 2023 yesterday, attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu. Shoigu was visiting Pyongyang to further military cooperation between the two countries and, reportedly, to secure more North Korean-made armaments for use in Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

The larger of the two drones, the Global Hawk-type, is very similar in appearance and size to the U.S. Air Force’s jet-powered RQ-4A, as well as derivatives of the same type that are also operated by the U.S. Navy, NATO, and others, including South Korea. Key features of the U.S.-made drone, including the V-tail and the air intake located above the fuselage are faithfully replicated in the North Korean design.

Last month, NK News, a U.S.-based news website covering North Korea, reported that the Global Hawk-type drone had been spotted in satellite imagery while undergoing testing on the ground at Panghyon Air Base, in North Pyongan Province, in the west of the country. Analysis at the time suggested a wingspan of around 115 feet, almost identical to the 116.2 feet wingspan of the RQ-4A. The improved RQ-4B model, by comparison, has a wingspan of 130.9 feet.

As well as the video showing the Global Hawk-type drone apparently during flight testing, a series of photos presented alongside the UAV at the exhibition in Pyongyang show it flying against backdrops in the North Korean capital, including the Ryugyong Hotel and Mirae Scientists Street. It’s unclear if these are genuine photos or if they have been manipulated, adding in the landmarks in the background, for example.

Next to no details are available of the specifications of the Global Hawk-type drone or even the mission that it’s intended to perform. However, its close resemblance to the RQ-4 series clearly suggests a high-altitude flight profile. Depending on engine performance and other factors, it’s likely expected to fly over longer distances. The RQ-4A has an endurance of more than 30 hours and has an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission, carrying a variety of sensors including imagery intelligence (IMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), and moving target indicator (MTI) sensors.

An RQ-4 Global Hawk. U.S. Air Force photo/Bobbi Zapka

The Reaper-type drone displayed in Pyongyang alongside the larger Global Hawk lookalike also appeared in recent satellite imagery, which indicated a wingspan of around 65 feet. The MQ-9 has a wingspan of 66 feet.

While the turboprop-powered MQ-9 is used for both ISR and attack missions, it’s notable that the North Korean Reaper-type drone was displayed with two different types of missiles carried on six pylons below its wings, including one weapon that looks very similar to the U.S.-made AGM-114 Hellfire. This popular air-to-ground missile is used by the MQ-9, among many others. The brief video clip also shows the drone launching a pair of Hellfire-lookalike missiles, although it isn't clear if it is real.

Aircrews perform a preflight check on an MQ-9 Reaper in Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force

The Reaper-type drone was also displayed alongside photos, one of which showed Kim Jong Un looking at the UAV on the runway. It’s possible that this photo was taken during flight testing of the drone, perhaps also at Panghyon.

This drone appeared alongside an apparent specification placard, although the content was blurred by North Korean media.

For some time now, it’s been known that North Korea was developing new drones, although any details of particular designs had been limited until recently.

Nevertheless, at the Party Congress in Pyongyang in January 2021, Kim Jong Un called for the development of “unmanned striking equipment” and “reconnaissance drones,” with a range of 310 miles. It’s not known if the Global Hawk-type and Reaper-type drones were prepared according to this request, but it’s certainly a possibility.

As to the true origins of the two new drones, it may be tempting to see the design parallels as evidence that they are direct attempts to copy the RQ-4 and MQ-9 series UAVs. However, that doesn’t mean that North Korea was able to obtain, by whatever means, plans or other detailed information that would allow them to be reverse-engineered. On the other hand, it’s the case that North Korea has been involved in espionage activities, including targeting Western defense industries, which could potentially yield data that might assist in such an effort. Iran, of which North Korea has an at times troubling relationship with, has also recovered crashed examples of both types and has made their own copies of them. We do not know if these programs are connected to North Korean ones though. Still, having the data does not equate to being able to make a true facsimile of the weapon system in question.

The ability of the country’s industries to actually replicate some of the more complex components and subsystems that lie at the heart of these UAVs’ capabilities is highly dubious. The high-technology sensors that the RQ-4 and MQ-9 series rely on are beyond North Korea’s reach, even with the benefit of espionage. That is not to say that sensors with significantly lower performance aren't possible. The complex composite structures that make up these aircraft are another issue as is the engine technology. Simpler means of production and engines with less performance could result in significantly lower ceilings and ranges.

It’s also the case that the broad configurations of both the MQ-9 series have been seen replicated, to one degree or another, in other drone designs from different countries.

Also mysterious is the presence of apparent satellite communication (SATCOM) ‘humps’ above the forward fuselages of both North Korean drones. Currently, Pyongyang is not understood to operate the kinds of satellites that could be used to communicate with drones, including ensuring the high bandwidth flow of data between UAV sensors to ground stations beyond line-of-sight.

It remains possible that the SATCOM domes are intended to be used in conjunction with suitable communication satellites from other, friendly countries, although the options here are limited. They are most likely just another form of emulation of the American design, regardless of their utility. They also would keep to the same general moldline in order to leverage a proven design and limit risk. If stolen aerodynamic data is also being relied on, keeping the moldline nearly the same would be a primary goal. Other antenna arrays on the drones are also of questionable value to North Korea.

There is a particular question mark over the engines used in these drones, with limited production capacity in North Korea suggesting that their powerplants would likely have to be secured from foreign countries.

Still, even less-capable drones of this kind could be of use to North Korea.

A Global Hawk-type drone, even with less endurance and ceiling than its U.S. equivalent, and with inferior sensors and data transfer capabilities could still play role monitoring movements on the ground in neighboring South Korea. Depending on its sensor range and operating altitude, such missions could potentially also be flown from relatively deep within North Korean airspace. In a confrontation with the South, the Global Hawk-type drone would not last long in the skies over North Korea, but it could also have a maritime surveillance function during peacetime, which is of increasing importance for Pyongyang as the South continues to expand its naval forces.

North Korea lacks in sensor technology significantly compared to its rivals to the south. Any radar it carries would likely be vulnerable to extensive standoff electronic attacks that could limit its utility even in peacetime. Even using the drone as a communications relay would be a viable mission though, especially for a country that lacks higher-end beyond line-of-sight connectivity.

As for the Reaper-type drone, UAVs of this type have repeatedly shown their value in lower-intensity conflicts around the globe, not only for gathering ISR and distributing it in real-time to ground forces, but also conducting precision strikes using a range of weapons. So far, the North Korean military has lagged behind in terms of drones in this class, especially armed ones.

Late last year, there was a series of incursions into South Korean airspace made by North Korean UAVs, although these were very basic designs, not dissimilar to hobby-type drones. Nevertheless, the fact that one of these drones managed to enter a no-fly zone around the office of the South Korean president provided an indication of the kind of threat that UAVs can pose and prompted an urgent overhaul of South Korean defenses against these kinds of threats.

In the past, North Korea has otherwise mainly used small and crude reconnaissance drones, but it is known to have larger types, including those that are similar to target drones, like the ones shown below while on parade in Pyongyang.

In addition, there have been indications that the regime has worked to clone Chinese designs and generally improve in this area in recent years. This includes developing more capable ‘man-in-the-loop’ types and those that are based on commercial developments. It’s possible that China, with a considerable amount of experience in the field, might also have provided assistance to North Korea as it developed these two new drone designs.

While neither of these types would be survivable in an all-out conflict with South Korea and the U.S., just building, testing and operating them could be seen as a useful endeavor for North Korea. The experience gained here could allow their largely independent aerospace industry to achieve other designs that are more tailored to the tactical realities they face. And, as we noted, they could provide some relevant use during peacetime. The reality is that just getting them flying at all is an accomplishment.

South Korean soldiers operating a 20mm Vulcan rotary cannon during an anti-drone drill on December 29, 2022 in Yangju, South Korea. Photo by South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images

There are rumors already that examples of the new drones could make an appearance at a military parade that’s expected to take place in North Korea next week. Of most interest will be the possible proliferation of long-range loitering munitions in North Korea, like Iran's Shahed-136 that is wreaking havoc in Ukraine. These weapons are far more relevant to Pyongyang and they could be built in very large numbers, offering a massive problem to South Korean air defenses.

Moreover, it’s likely we will only see more of these, and probably other drone designs, too, as Pyongyang increasingly shows interest in the potential of UAVs as part of its wide-ranging effort to modernize its military.

Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com

thedrive.com · by Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway · July 27, 2023

5. Former AP Pyongyang Bureau Chief Jean Lee discusses anniversary of Korean War's end

Former AP Pyongyang Bureau Chief Jean Lee discusses anniversary of Korean War's end

NPR · by Steve Inskeep · July 27, 2023

Seventy years ago today, a treaty ended the fighting in the Korean War and created North and South Korea. Steve Inskeep speaks to Jean Lee about the significance of this anniversary.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Seventy years ago today, a cease-fire took effect on the battle lines between North and South Korea. It froze the Korean War in which the United States supported the south. It did not technically end that war, which continues without a final peace agreement to this day. The people who have studied North Korea include Jean Lee. She is a former Pyongyang bureau chief for the Associated Press. Welcome back to the program.

JEAN LEE: Hi. Thanks for having me here.

INSKEEP: What makes this anniversary significant?

LEE: I'm so glad that you mentioned that this conflict hasn't been resolved. You know, we call it the forgotten war, but I think it's really important to recognize that North Korea has not forgotten it. This war still underpins so much of what we see from North Korea today. It's going to be marked very differently in South Korea and North Korea - probably will pass very quietly in South Korea, but we're going to see huge events in North Korea because this is an opportunity for Kim Jong Un to reinforce the Kim family rule of North Korea. This is a war that his grandfather launched in 1950. His father used it to justify building one of the biggest militaries in the world. And today, the grandson, Kim Jong Un, is using it to justify the need to build nuclear weapons.

INSKEEP: Does each country still claim the right to the whole peninsula?

LEE: You know, North Korea certainly uses the fight to remove U.S. troops from the South Korean side as justification for its buildup of nuclear weapons. On the South Korean side, South Koreans have moved on from the war in so many different ways and would much rather live - co-exist with a divided Korea rather than to imagine the country being one. I mean, these are two countries now with vastly different economies. North Korea is one of the poorest economies in the world, and South Korea has the world's 10th largest economy, so two very different Koreas today. And the costs, I think, of reunification would be enormous.

INSKEEP: Are they - have they been separated long enough that you would say that they are no longer one country culturally? You've just said they're not economically, but what about culturally?

LEE: Oh, absolutely. I spent so many years going back and forth, and I can tell you that that required me to speak two different languages. Even the - all of the languages - all the language that I used in North Korea was almost completely different, so I'd say that they can't communicate. They don't look the same anymore because they have completely different diets. Their political structures are different, their cultural references are different, and how they see themselves in the world is so different. So I would say that there's that older generation, my parents' generation, that remembers the country when it was one Korea. But with each passing decade and each passing generation, that memory has become so distant. When I meet young North Koreans in North Korea, they speak completely differently than young South Koreans, and they are almost strangers. And I would say the South Koreans - that my students in South Korea, the young South Koreans that I've gotten to know, really see the North Koreans almost as these distant cousins, distant relatives that they know they're related to but really want to hold at arm's length. So this is a reality that we may need to deal with when it comes to thinking about the difference between the two Koreas today.

INSKEEP: In a few seconds, what did you think about when an American soldier who'd gotten in some kind of trouble recently crossed that cease-fire line - I guess not a border, but a cease-fire line from the south to the north?

LEE: You know, I've been to that joint security area inside the DMZ, and you can see how easy it is to step across. That's the only area where you can step across. There are no barriers. But, oh, what a complication not only for diplomacy, terrifying for his family, but it certainly complicates things whenever you have an American citizen in North Korea. So let's see how that - I hope they return him without any complication, but it certainly makes the relationship more difficult.

INSKEEP: Jean Lee is a former Pyongyang bureau chief at the Associated Press and hosts a podcast called "The Lazarus Heist" about North Korea's cyber theft. Thanks so much for your insights.

LEE: Thanks for having me.

NPR · by Steve Inskeep · July 27, 2023

6. Biden to Host Camp David Summit With Japan and South Korea Next Month -US Congressman

Trilateral cooperation continues to grow stronger.

Biden to Host Camp David Summit With Japan and South Korea Next Month -US Congressman

U.S. News & World Report2 min

July 27, 2023

View Original

By David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to host the leaders of Japan and South Korea in a trilateral summit at Camp David next month, the co-chair of the U.S. congressional caucus on Korea said on Thursday.

Democratic congressman Ami Bera told a Washington think tank he anticipated the summit between the close allies "in, I guess, a couple of weeks now" at the U.S. presidential retreat in the mountains of western Maryland.

South Korean and Japanese media have reported that the meeting will be held at Camp David on Aug. 18. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's office said last week it would be in August, with the exact date and location to be announced soon.

The White House declined to comment. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters plans were not yet finalized.

Washington is keen to encourage closer cooperation with its two main allies in Asia amid shared concerns about China's growing might and North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

Japan and South Korea have been moving to mend strained bilateral ties following years of feuds over historical issues which undercut cooperation.

Biden in May praised Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for "courageous work to improve their bilateral ties," saying the trilateral partnership was stronger because of it.

Bera told the Center for Strategic and International Studies he would like to see "real tangibles" from the summit, including on the economic front, "whether that's in the semiconductor space ... the clean-energy, electric-vehicle space."

"We've talked a little bit about joint exploration in the East China Sea, what that might look like," he added. "Is there a way for U.S. energy companies to be engaged in a maybe Japanese-Korean venture in the joint development zone?"

Bera referred to cooperation on supply chains and an agreement the United States had negotiated with Japan covering rare earths critical in high-tech uses. "I think ... Korea should be involved in that as well," he said.

Bera said he expected Yoon to raise South Korean concerns about Biden's Inflation Reduction Act "and maybe you'll see some progress on what that looks like and some adjustments."

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, editing by Deepa Babington)

Tags: South Korea, North Korea, United States, Japan

7. A Korean Peace Treaty Would Be an Unforced Blunder

Thank you Representative Kim. I hope you can ensure this bill is defeated in Congress. Congresswoman Kim understands the nature, objectives, and strategy of Kim Jong Un and the Kim family regime. I only wish she had emphasized the pursuit of a free and unified Korea which is the challenge and the solution.

Excerpts:

The big problem here is that North Korea has consistently failed to abide by previous attempts to make peace on the Korean Peninsula. In 1992, South Korea and North Korea agreed to the Agreement on Reconciliation, Nonaggression, and Exchanges and Cooperation Between the South and North, which states that “the two sides shall endeavor together to transform the present state of armistice into a solid state of peace between the South and the North and shall abide by the present Military Armistice Agreement until such state of peace has been realized.”

...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not a reliable negotiator, engages in illegal activity to circumvent sanctions on the country’s nuclear weapons program, and has declared the armistice agreement as invalid. Time and time again, he has shown that he cannot be trusted and has no interest in formally pursing an end to the Korean War. In 2021, Kim Jong Un’s vice foreign minister shot down former South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s call for peace, characterizing it as premature. There is no reason for us to think otherwise.

...

Peace on the Korean Peninsula cannot be achieved through words alone—it requires action. Binding guarantees can only be ensured through strength, and giving concessions to authoritarians who have no real interest in peace only prompts further aggression. History has given us no reason to think otherwise. In 1938, the U.K. and France conceded the annexation of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany, believing that the concession would stop Germany’s expansion. By 1945, most of Europe was in ruins. In 2014, the free world timidly responded to Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula but failed to take concrete action. Today, in 2023, Ukraine is fighting for its existence.

A Korean Peace Treaty Would Be an Unforced Blunder

Pyongyang shows no willingness to abide by any terms.

By Young Kim, the representative for California’s 40th Congressional District and chairwoman of the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Foreign Policy · by Young Kim · July 27, 2023

Today is Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, marking 70 years of the signing of the Korean War armistice agreement and of the alliance between the United States and South Korea. That alliance has become one of the United States’ strongest, adapting over the decades to maintain our shared economic and security goals while remaining focused on shared values of freedom, democracy, and rule of law. An end-of-war declaration undermines these shared values that U.S. and Korean forces fought for 70 years ago and cedes leverage to the North Korean regime.

I know South Korea. As a Korean American who grew up in South Korea in the aftermath of the Korean War, this is personal to me and guides my work in the U.S. Congress as chairwoman of the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I was born in Incheon, where U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur made his famous landing to push the North Korean army north of the 38th parallel.

The South Korea I grew up in during the 1960s was very different from the South Korea we know today. It was under the rule of a dictatorship, and still recovering from the war’s devastation. This is the South Korea that vividly remains in my memories as a young girl, when I saw my first glimpse of freedom and opportunity as I looked up, wide-eyed from the side of the road, at U.S. soldiers throwing candy from their trucks.

In my lifetime, South Korea has transformed from the donor recipient country I knew as a child to the highly developed donor country I visit today. South Korea has blossomed into an industrialized “start-up nation,” boasting the world’s 10th-largest economy, leading the world in the development of innovative technologies, and transforming into a reliable partner in security and global affairs for the free world.

During his joint address to the U.S. Congress in April, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol touted how far South Korea has come: “Seoul was once reduced to ashes. Now it is one of the world’s most vibrant digital cities. Busan was once flooded with war refugees. Now it is the world’s second-largest port city in terms of transshipment volume.”

As more time passes, today’s modern and successful South Korea is the only one known by many South Koreans and Americans. As memories of devastation from the Korean War fade, many are pushing the idea that the only way to make progress on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is to make unilateral concessions to get the Kim regime back to the negotiation table. In other words, less sticks, and more carrots.

A bill was recently reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to codify unilateral concessions and support a formal end-of-war declaration. The Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act (H.R. 1369) directs the Department of State to review current restrictions barring U.S. nationals from traveling to North Korea for travel that qualifies as “in the national interest” of the United States, and it calls on the secretary of state to actively promote meetings “with a view to replacing the Armistice Agreement with a peace agreement and establishing a permanent and solid peace regime.” Further, it calls on the secretary to “pursue serious, urgent diplomatic engagement with North Korea and South Korea in pursuit of a binding peace agreement constituting a formal and final end to the state of war between North Korea, South Korea, and the United States.”

The big problem here is that North Korea has consistently failed to abide by previous attempts to make peace on the Korean Peninsula. In 1992, South Korea and North Korea agreed to the Agreement on Reconciliation, Nonaggression, and Exchanges and Cooperation Between the South and North, which states that “the two sides shall endeavor together to transform the present state of armistice into a solid state of peace between the South and the North and shall abide by the present Military Armistice Agreement until such state of peace has been realized.”

In 2007, the South and North agreed to the Declaration on the Advancement of South-North Korean Relations, Peace, and Prosperity, which states, “the South and the North have agreed not to antagonize each other, reduce military tension, and resolve issues in dispute through dialogue and negotiation. The South and the North have agreed to oppose war on the Korean Peninsula and to adhere strictly to their obligation to nonaggression.” Most recently, the two sides agreed to “build a permanent and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula” in the Panmunjom Declaration.

That’s a lot of words promising peace—and almost no actual follow-up from Pyongyang’s side. Can anyone honestly assess that North Korea has met its obligations to “not antagonize” South Korea and “reduce military tension” as it launches intercontinental ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan and gears up to conduct another nuclear test? The precedents show that the Kim regime, even if it agreed to a permanent peace, would not abide by the terms of such an agreement.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not a reliable negotiator, engages in illegal activity to circumvent sanctions on the country’s nuclear weapons program, and has declared the armistice agreement as invalid. Time and time again, he has shown that he cannot be trusted and has no interest in formally pursing an end to the Korean War. In 2021, Kim Jong Un’s vice foreign minister shot down former South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s call for peace, characterizing it as premature. There is no reason for us to think otherwise.

There would also be immediate security consequences for South Korea and the region if a peace declaration, like previous agreements and declarations, were determined by North Korea to be invalid or premature.

A likely predicate for a peace treaty would be the withdrawal of U.S. forces from South Korea The United States currently has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, which is the third-largest U.S. military presence in a foreign country. Since the signing of the 1953 armistice, these troops have served as a deterrent to another North Korean invasion or nuclear attack.

Yoon also made clear as a presidential candidate last year that he opposes an end-of-war agreement, saying that “you cannot protect national security and peace with paper and ink.” Most of the South Korean public agrees with this stance. These U.S. forces also give the United States the capability to conduct routine joint military exercises in response to North Korean, Chinese, and Russian provocations in the Indo-Pacific. Removing forces from South Korea before the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea would have disastrous consequences and put tens of millions of Korean, American, and Japanese lives at risk.

Peace on the Korean Peninsula cannot be achieved through words alone—it requires action. Binding guarantees can only be ensured through strength, and giving concessions to authoritarians who have no real interest in peace only prompts further aggression. History has given us no reason to think otherwise. In 1938, the U.K. and France conceded the annexation of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany, believing that the concession would stop Germany’s expansion. By 1945, most of Europe was in ruins. In 2014, the free world timidly responded to Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula but failed to take concrete action. Today, in 2023, Ukraine is fighting for its existence.

The United States and South Korea should pursue a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula only when certain conditions are met by North Korea, and they should remain firm on those conditions. They should include the irreversible destruction and dismantling of all nuclear facilities and weapons, a complete cessation of all illicit activities to evade sanctions, and improvements on human rights.

The memories of the destruction of the Korean War are fading—which shows how far we have come. Today, as we reflect on the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice agreement, we must commit to never let the plight of the North Korean people become a peripheral concern and remember that the success of the U.S.-South Korea alliance stems from strength and resilience, not concessions to authoritarians.

Foreign Policy · by Young Kim · July 27, 2023

8. South Korea unification ministry to get tougher on North

But the ministry's number one priority should be planning for unification. I have shared the following ideas before:

It should have a number of critical planning functions:

1. Long term unification planning as the primary focus.

2. In conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense it should focus on crisis action unification planning - hastily converting the long term planning efforts into crisis action implementation if there is war or regime collapse.

3. The interagency focal point for coordinating unification planning among all Korean government agencies as well as with the international community.

4. Support for a human rights upfront approach to north Korea

5. Design, development, and implementation of an information campaign to inform and educate multiple target audiences (north, South and international community) on the importance of unification and how it will happen).

It if focuses on the major tasks it can be streamlined and made efficient. The problem as I have heard is that there are many in the ministry who have been appointed by the previous administration who do not really support the pursuit of a free and unified Korea but instead a form of coexistence.

Excerpt:

A much-revamped unification ministry is expected to focus greater effort on monitoring and cataloguing human rights abuses in the North and analyzing political trends and devising effective responses from the government in South Korea.

South Korea unification ministry to get tougher on North – DW – 07/27/2023

Julian Ryall

07/27/2023July 27, 2023

South Korea's conservative nominee for unification minister says he wants to press Pyongyang on rights abuses and ditch the policy of appeasement pursued by the previous government.

DW · by Julian Ryall

North and South Korea on Thursday marked the 70th anniversary of the armistice that brought the three-year Korean War to an end, although the open hostility between the two sides is still apparent today.

And recent changes in Seoul, implemented by the conservative administration of President Yoon Suk-yeol, only emphasize the widening chasm between North and South.

Yoon's nomination for the new head of the unification ministry, Kim Yung-ho, is a conservative academic who has stated in the past that the nation needs to take a far firmer line with Pyongyang, particularly when it comes to the North's record on human rights violations.

The ministry coordinates South Korea's policy towards the North and sets rules for cooperation.

Speaking to reporters shortly before his confirmation hearings commenced, Kim said Seoul should "selectively" review whether it should continue to adhere to agreements made with North Korea under previous left-leaning governments. He added that Seoul's responses should be contingent on the North's behavior.

Tipped as South Korea's new unification minister, Kim Yung-ho has promised a tougher line on the NorthImage: Yonhap/picture alliance

A new course for the unification ministry

Speaking at a hearing on July 21, Kim criticized recent missile launches by the North.

"North Korea has repaid our goodwill for the peace of the Korean Peninsula and the future of our people with reckless provocations and threats and has taken numerous inter-Korean agreements back to square one," he said, according to South Korea's Yonhap News.

"We need to maintain our principles against North Korea's provocations and respond in a stern manner," he added.

Kim is widely expected to secure the top office in the unification policy. He has indicated plans to take the ministry in a different direction.

"There should be a change in the role of the unification ministry," he said. "It needs to pursue policy in a principled and values-based way."

Kim's outlook tallies neatly with that of President Yoon, who has taken a far tougher line against the regime of Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang than his immediate predecessor, Moon Jae-in.

Yoon, who has stated that the ministry has been operating "like a support agency for North Korea," said he wants it to reorientate its objectives to move towards freedom and democracy for the citizens of the North.

A much-revamped unification ministry is expected to focus greater effort on monitoring and cataloguing human rights abuses in the North and analyzing political trends and devising effective responses from the government in South Korea.

Two Koreas mark 70 years since suspension of war

Dialing up pressure on Pyongyang

A structural shake-up of the ministry will also see it downsized from its present complement of 616 full-time staff, and it has even been suggested that it may lose its status as an independent ministry and be incorporated into the Foreign Ministry as an agency.

One division that is likely to be axed is the Kaesong Industrial District Foundation, which was charged with overseeing South Korean companies that had operations within the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a joint North-South manufacturing hub that was set up just over the border in North Korea in 2002 as a confidence-building measure.

The South Korean government withdrew from the venture after the North fired a rocket in 2016. In June 2020, with relations at a low ebb, North Korea blew up the inter-Korean liaison office at the site.

"Yoon is very much of the opinion that all exchanges should benefit the real interests of the two Koreas and instead of simply supporting the North Korean government," said Park Jung-won, a professor of international law at Dankook University.

"The ministry should be securing benefits in return, such as improvements in the North's human rights record and meetings between families who have been divided since the end of the Korean War in 1953," he told DW.

"He believes the previous government misused the ministry as it only supplied assistance to the North Korean regime and never received anything in return, such as moves towards denuclearization," Park added.

Stalemate since Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi

Park points out that the ministry effectively has had little to do since the Hanoi summit of February 2019, which collapsed when former US President Donald Trump walked out after Kim sought to have all UN sanctions on his regime lifted.

Since then, Park said, the North has refused to communicate with the South, even in response to requests from the progressive government of former South Korean President Moon.

Kim Sang-woo, a former politician with the left-leaning South Korean Congress for New Politics, and now a member of the board of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation, said President Yoon has become "frustrated" that previous governments have been accommodating towards the North, but have seen no positive returns.

Two North Korea-US summits led to no major changes in North Korea's military buildupImage: Evan Vucci/AP Photo/picture alliance

"Since Hanoi, the unification ministry has effectively been a dead shop," he said. "And if it does not have a role to play, then Yoon will reduce its role, even possibly to the point that it is subjugated into the Foreign Ministry as an agency."

The relationship between the two sides has continued to deteriorate in recent years. Amid growing tensions, former politician Kim is not convinced that an aggressive stance on the North's human rights record will be beneficial.

"I believe in moderation and balance, but Yoon is more conservative and has made it clear that he is open to talks if the North comes in good faith, but if not, then he is not going to beg for talks," he said. "It really all does depend on the North."

Edited by: Wesley Rahn

DW · by Julian Ryall

9. Risk Reduction and Crisis Management on the Korean Peninsula

The 17 page report can be downloaded here: https://www.38north.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/23-0727_Engman-and-Lampinen_FINAL.pdf

Risk Reduction and Crisis Management on the Korean Peninsula - 38 North: Informed Analysis of North Korea

BY: MAJ. GEN. (RET.) MATS ENGMAN AND FRIDA LAMPINEN
JULY 27, 2023SPECIAL REPORTS

38north.org · by Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Mats Engman

Executive Summary

The security dynamics of East Asia are changing. The growing instability of the world order in the 21st century is being keenly felt in the Pacific Rim, where the risk of armed conflict among major powers is on the rise. Rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, strategic realignment in the Indo-Pacific, disputed claims in the South China Sea, the securitization of non-military issues in the competition between the US and China and military escalation on the Korean Peninsula all contribute to an increasingly competitive and unpredictable geopolitical situation.

The Korean Peninsula is a prominent example of an area where high tensions significantly increase the risk of unintended incidents and where a current overreliance on existing deterrence and defense capabilities and messaging is exacerbating relations, and where the urgency for multi-domain risk reduction mechanisms that encourage trust building is growing.

In this paper, we discuss the risk of an armed conflict in the East Asian region, analyze the current system of deterrence and risk management and propose a new approach to what we believe to be a more sustainable peace process. The situation on the Korean Peninsula is inherently intertwined with the regional security environment, and the negative spiral of enmity currently unfolding in East Asia must be broken, or at least better managed, before it is too late.

At the current rate, efforts are needed to help avoid current tensions from escalating into armed conflict, especially investing broadly and generously in a risk management framework that reaches beyond hard security measures. To avoid a bad situation is not the same thing as seeking to create a better one marked by positive peace—a longer-lasting peace built on sustainable investments that are closer to the root of the conflict. If the opportunity to talk suddenly arises, decision makers may feel pressured to strike a deal while the iron is hot. By investing in forward-oriented planning and preparing multiple options in advance, parties are less likely to rush decisions and unsustainable settlements may potentially be avoided.

That said, we recognize that peacebuilding is a long-term process. On the Korean Peninsula, it means also realizing that North Korean denuclearization is more likely to come about as a result of establishing a peace regime and normalization of relations, and not a condition for peace. However, in the meantime, military power is necessary for ensuring international order and for staving off further military provocations from North Korea and China.

Download PDF

Download "Risk Reduction and Crisis Management on the Korean Peninsula," by Mats Engman and Frida Lampinen

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38north.org · by Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Mats Engman

10. N. Korea showcases drones, ICBMs at military parade on armistice anniv.

From Murphy's Laws. No parade ready unit has ever passed combat and no combat ready unit has ever passed a parade.

(4th LD) N. Korea showcases drones, ICBMs at military parade on armistice anniv. | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · July 28, 2023

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more info; ADDS photo)

By Kim Soo-yeon and Lee Minji

SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has staged a massive military parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, its state media said Friday, displaying its latest intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and drones in a show of its military might.

With senior officials from China and Russia present, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un took to the reviewing stand to observe the military parade in Pyongyang late Thursday to mark Victory Day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

With their presence at the parade, the North apparently aimed to show its solidarity with Beijing and Moscow, which backed Pyongyang during the Cold War-era conflict, as Seoul, Washington and Tokyo are bolstering three-way security cooperation.

Kim did not deliver a much-anticipated speech at the event.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C), alongside Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) and Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong (R), observes a military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on July 27, 2023, to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, in this photo released the next day by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

The Korean War, which started with an invasion by the North in 1950, ended with the armistice on July 27, 1953. But the North claimed victory in the war, celebrating the date of the armistice signing as Victory Day.

The recalcitrant regime has used the parades to flaunt its military capabilities by displaying new high-tech weapons. The latest parade, the second in about five months, came amid heightened tensions caused by Pyongyang's continued missile tests.

At the parade, the North showcased new advanced drones and long-range missiles, including Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18 ICBMs. But it did not introduce new types of ICBMs.

Video footage aired by the North's Korean Central Television later in the day also showed what appears to be the North's first-ever nuclear-armed unmanned underwater vehicle named the "Haeil," as well as unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and strike drones.

"The strategic reconnaissance drones and multi-purpose attack drones that were newly developed and produced ...made circular flights in the sky above the square for the military parade," the KCNA said.

The North also described the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBMs as "the most powerful core mainstay means" of its strategic force to "fully and overwhelmingly" deter nuclear threats by its enemies.

North Korea has invited Chinese and Russian officials to its celebrations, marking its first known foreign visitors since Pyongyang's tight border closure over the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Li Hongzhong, a politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party, stood together with the North's leader in the VIP stand to observe the parade. Shoigu was called on before Li as organizers introduced the distinguished guests during the main event.

Kim was seen exchanging smiles and talking in close proximity with Shoigu and Li, who stood to Kim's right and left, respectively.

Observers note that such imagery signals the virtual condonation by China and Russia, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), over the North's pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missiles banned under multiple council resolutions.

In particular, Kim and Shoigu vowed to strengthen defense cooperation during their talks this week. The meeting has sparked speculation that the two sides may have discussed Pyongyang's arms supplies for use in Moscow's war with Ukraine.

The North's leader also gave Shoigu a tour of an arms exhibition Wednesday, which showcased new advanced weapons, including ICBMs and an unmanned aerial vehicle that appears to be modeled after the U.S. Global Hawk surveillance aircraft.

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on July 28, 2023, shows drones displayed at a military parade held in Pyongyang the previous day to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

In a speech delivered at the parade, North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam warned that the U.S. will face an "unimaginable and unforeseen crisis" if it attempts to conduct a nuclear strike against the North.

"The U.S. imperialists have no room of choice of survival in case they use nuclear weapons against the DPRK," Kang said, using the acronym of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The footage from the North's state TV showed Kim holding back tears as he sang along to the national anthem before the military parade started.

Kim's wife, Ri Sol-ju, and his daughter, Ju-ae, appear to have skipped this week's parade. Ju-ae, known as his second child, oversaw a military parade held in February with her father.

Kim's powerful sister, Yo-jong, was also not seen at the event. Instead, Hyon Song-wol, a vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, was seen accompanying Kim throughout the parade.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un tears up during the national anthem before watching a military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on the night of July 27, 2023, to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, in this photo captured from the North's official Korean Central Television. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

In an assessment of the North's latest military parade, South Korea's unification ministry said Pyongyang "externally showed off its nuclear force in the presence of the Chinese and Russian delegations by mobilizing various delivery means, such as nuclear-capable Hwasong-18 ICBMs."

It also noted that Pyongyang displayed its solidarity with Beijing and Moscow vis-a-vis strengthened trilateral security cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.

North Korea has recently been ramping up weapons tests, as Seoul and Washington are stepping up efforts to bolster America's extended deterrence commitment to mobilizing the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

The North has fired more than 100 ballistic missiles since last year, including Hwasong-18 ICBMs. The solid-fuel ICBM type is among the high-tech weapons that the North has vowed to develop, which also includes a military spy satellite and a nuclear-powered submarine.

Pyongyang warned that a U.S. nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine's recent port visit to South Korea could meet legal conditions for its use of nuclear weapons.

In September, the Kim regime enacted a new nuclear law authorizing the preemptive use of nuclear arms, calling its status of a nuclear state "irreversible."

At a key party meeting held last December, the North's leader called for an "exponential" increase in its nuclear arsenal and the development of tactical nuclear weapons that targets its "undoubted enemy" of South Korea.

Under Kim's rule, the North has staged 14 military parades, including this week's event. The last parade was held in February to mark the 75th founding anniversary of its armed forces, and the country introduced the Hwasong-18 ICBM for the first time during the parade.

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on July 28, 2023, shows a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) rolling out at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang during a military parade held the previous day to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on July 28, 2023, shows the North staging a military parade in Pyongyang the previous day to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War, celebrated as Victory Day in the North. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · July 28, 2023

11. Senate approves nomination of special envoy for N. Korean human rights

Great news. Congratulations to Ambassador Turner.

We have been 6 years without a Human Rights Ambassador.

Senate approves nomination of special envoy for N. Korean human rights | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · July 28, 2023

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, July 28 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. Senate has approved the nomination of a new special envoy for North Korean human rights, congressional records showed Friday.

The Senate confirmed the appointment of Julie Turner as U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights by a voice vote Thursday.

The confirmation comes six months after President Joe Biden nominated the state department official to serve as new special envoy. If appointed, Turner will become the first U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights since 2017. Turner currently serves as director of East Asia and the Pacific at the state department.

"The human rights situation in the DPRK is one of the most protracted human rights crises in the world," Turner said during her confirmation hearing before the Senate foreign relations committee in May.

"As the DPRK's human rights record has deteriorated, the connection between its widespread violations and abuses, and the threat it poses to international security are clear," she has said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Julie Turner, nominee for U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights, is seen speaking during her confirmation hearing before the Senate foreign relations committee in Washington, D.C., on May 17, 2023, in this captured file image. (Yonhap)

bdk@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · July 28, 2023

12. S. Korea, UAE hold high-level consultations on nuclear cooperation

The ROK is a Global Pivotal State that chooses to be a peaceful nuclear power, a partner in the Arsenal of democracy, a champion of human rights, that desires to shape and support the rules-based international order.

S. Korea, UAE hold high-level consultations on nuclear cooperation | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · July 28, 2023

SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday held high-level consultations and discussed ways to boost cooperation in the nuclear sector, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Second Vice Foreign Minister Oh Young-ju met with Suhail Al-Mazrouei, the UAE minister of energy and industry, at the 5th High-Level Consultation on Nuclear Cooperation in Seoul to discuss bilateral nuclear cooperation, the first such in-person meeting to be held in four years.

The two sides agreed to work on developing a "cooperation model" for exporting nuclear reactors to a third country based on Seoul's successful construction of four nuclear reactors in Barakah, located 270 kilometers west of Abu Dhabi.

They also agreed to seek new areas for cooperation, including in the small modular reactor sector.

In 2018, the two countries launched a high-level dialogue channel on nuclear cooperation to deal with joint efforts to export nuclear reactors to a third country, nuclear security, safety and regulation, and research and development.

The current Yoon Suk Yeol administration, which launched in May last year, has been actively pushing to revive the country's nuclear energy industry, reversing the former government's nuclear phase-out policy.

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates hold high-level consultations on nuclear cooperation at a Seoul hotel on July 28, 2023. (Yonhap)

julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · July 28, 2023

13. Unification ministry to create unit supporting victims of North Korean abductions

Unification ministry to create unit supporting victims of North Korean abductions

The Korea Times · July 28, 2023

Kim Yung-ho, right, new unification minister, poses with President Yoon Suk Yeol at the presidential office in Seoul, Friday, as he officially begins his term. The ministry said that it will launch a new department dedicated to supporting the victims of abduction by North Korea. Yonhap

Under new head, ministry plans to curtail inter-Korean exchanges

By Jung Min-ho

Under a new leader, the Ministry of Unification is poised to get tough on North Korea.

The ministry said on Friday that it will launch a new department dedicated to supporting the victims of abduction by North Korea as part of its reform effort to focus more on the North's poor human rights record in handling inter-Korean relations.

At the same time, the ministry will significantly reduce its exchanges with Pyongyang. Four units responsible for inter-Korean talks, trade and other possible joint projects will be merged under a single body, with some 80 officials expected to be relocated to other divisions or ministries.

The announcement comes a month after President Yoon Suk Yeol called on the ministry not to operate like a "support department for North Korea," saying it is time for change. He also said the ministry should pursue peaceful unification based on the Constitution, which says it must include "the principles of freedom and democracy."

Speaking to reporters, Vice Minister Moon Seung-hyun said the shakeup is necessary as the North continues to refuse dialogue, while bolstering its nuclear weapons.

"Despite much effort put in for talks over the past years since Hanoi (summit between North Korea and the U.S.), there has been zero progress," Moon said.

"Some may argue that South Korea is giving it all up. That's not true … If there is demand emerging for inter-Korean talks, we will respond quickly by making structural adjustment for the changing situation."

A unification ministry official walks in the hallway at the Government Complex Seoul, Friday, after the announcement of a major reform plan under a new leader. Yonhap

Resolving the issue of abductions by North Korea is one of the key policy objectives laid out by Kim Yung-ho, who was inaugurated as the new minister the same day.

According to ministry data, as many as 100,000 South Koreans were abducted by the North during the 1950-53 Korean War and an additional 500 are thought to have also been abducted and held by North Korea against their will after the conflict.

Yet, South Korea has so far paid little attention to the issue, let alone make proactive efforts to resolve it. The ministry has handled it as just one of many subjects related to "separated families" on the Korean Peninsula. By contrast, Japan has raised the abduction issue of its 17 abductee citizens at almost every diplomatic opportunity over the past several decades.

Choi Sung-yong, an activist who has long promoted the return of kidnapped South Koreans, welcomed the ministry's decision to create a division dedicated to the issue.

"Representatives of many families of the victims demanded it for decades, only to be turned down or ignored by not just liberal administrations but also conservative ones," he told The Korea Times. "I'm grateful that the Yoon administration is finally responding to our calls."

After the South Korea-U.S. summit in Washington in April, Yoon and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden said in a joint statement that they would work together for the return of South Koreans held in North Korea against their will, including prisoners of war. This is the first time in decades that the leaders of the two countries have vowed in a joint statement to cooperate for that purpose.

One of the fundamental duties of South Korea or any other democratic country is to protect the lives of its citizens, said Oh Gyeong-seob, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a think tank.

"In that sense, though it was late, the government in South Korea made the right decision," he added.

The new minister said in his inauguration speech that inter-Korean unification that meets the demands of South Korea's Constitution will be possible only when North Korea starts correcting its wrongdoings.

"For this to happen, it is important not to be obsessed with the temporary ups and downs of inter-Korean relations and to stick to principles in our policy endeavor from a long-term perspective," he said. "We should not hurry to accept North Korea's unilateral demands only to produce short-term results. In order to meet the expectations from our people and the (high) national status, we should unwaveringly adhere to our principles based on our clear vision for unification."

The Korea Times · July 28, 2023

14. Chinese police threaten repatriation of defector women unless families pay up

Truly evil.

Chinese police threaten repatriation of defector women unless families pay up

Women whose husbands or in-laws won't or can't pay the police are expected to be sent to a collection point on the China-North Korea border

By Jeong Tae Joo -

2023.07.27 5:28pm

dailynk.com

Police officials in China’s Hebei Province recently informed the husbands and in-laws of female North Korean defectors who have been arrested for various reasons that the women can only be released if the family members pay a fine and submit a pledge document.

A source in China, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, told Daily NK yesterday that starting in mid-July, Hebei Province police officials “have been calling the Chinese husbands or in-laws of North Korean women under arrest, mostly for minor crimes, telling them that if they pay fines of RMB 3,000 – 5,000 [around USD 420 – 700] and submit a pledge document, they can bring the women home.”

In short, unless their Chinese husbands or in-laws vouch for them and pay a fine to bring them home, the police plan to send the women to a collection point on the China-North Korea border, according to the source.

The source said that the police told the detained women, their husbands and in-laws that if the women steer clear of crime while living with their Chinese families, they will “never” be repatriated back to North Korea, even if they are unable to obtain refugee status or ID cards.

Ultimately, the fates of the defector women depend on choices made by Chinese nationals because it is only their Chinese husbands or in-laws who can pay the fine and submit the pledge document, the source added.

“North Korean defector women who didn’t cause trouble while living in China but were caught trying to head to South Korea were released to families who received the notice from the police after paying fines of RMB 3,000 to 5,000, or even up to RMB 10,000 [around USD 1,400], and submitting a pledge document.”

The pledge document requires signatories to confirm they live with a North Korean defector, stipulates the fine they paid, and includes a pledge that if the woman returns home, the family will wholeheartedly submit to supervision by their local police and help prevent problems from arising in the jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, some of the North Korean women detained by Chinese police face repatriation because their Chinese husbands or in-laws are not bringing them home. The families either have no money or they see no need to pay the fine as they think the women will simply run off again, the source said.

Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.

Daily NK works with a network of sources who live inside North Korea, China and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.

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

Read in Korean

dailynk.com

15. North Koreans forced to celebrate 70th anniversary of ‘victory’ in Korean War

North Koreans forced to celebrate 70th anniversary of ‘victory’ in Korean War

U.S. President Biden declares Thursday as ‘National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day’

By Moon Sung Hui, Son Hyemin, and Kim Soyoung for RFA Korean

2023.07.27

rfa.org

North Koreans are complaining about being overworked in preparation for Thursday’s 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War, residents in the country told Radio Free Asia.

Citizens are made to drop everything to beautify their towns, practice for dancing and sports competitions, and attend educational lectures, taking them away from economic activities at a time when many in the country are having trouble making ends meet.

Though the fighting in the war is widely considered to have ended in a stalemate, and no peace treaty to end it was ever signed, North Korea has made July 27 a national holiday called the “Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War.”

To prepare for Thursday’s festivities, authorities are even taking children out of school, a source from the northern province of Ryanggang told RFA’s Korean Service on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

“The authorities bother people from the early morning until late at night to prepare for the event,” he said. “From 5:30 in the morning, each neighborhood watch unit must mow lawns, clean public toilets, and paint fences … to create a holiday atmosphere.”

Workers are called away from factory floors to study propaganda, the resident said.

“[They] have classes at education halls, study films, and paint propaganda signs and wall boards,” he said. “Starting July 20, the wall board exhibitions related to [the holiday] were held in each city and county.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un [center], Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong [fourth from right] and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu [left] attend a celebration performance marking what the North calls “Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War,” in Pyongyang, Thursday, July 27, 2023. Credit: KCNA via KNS/AFP

Citizens are also being made to donate money for the big event, another Ryanggang resident told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.

“Each household is donating 3,000 won (US$0.27) to support the People’s Army,” she said. “[That’s] enough to buy a kilogram (2.2 lbs) of corn, which is enough to feed a poor family for a day.”

The second resident said students were being made to practice marching for parades and dancing for a mass dance event.

“They are complaining that they hope it rains all day that day,” she said.

According to the second resident, the schedule for Thursday is similar in each city and town across the country. Events include every citizen presenting flowers to statues of North Korea’s previous leaders, a military parade, and sports competitions with teams fielded by each factory and organization.

Additionally, there are propaganda speech contests, and mass dance events.

“For these events, the Central Committee [of the Korean Workers’ Party] has set July 27 as a rest day. From 10 p.m., fireworks will be held in each province,” she said.

Satellite imagery revealed that a military parade was held Thursday in the capital Pyongyang. It included missile transporter erector launcher vehicles, or TELs.

Money matters

Because every citizen has something to do to prepare for the day, they are not free to earn money, and will experience difficulty making ends meet as a result.

In most North Korean families, men are required to work at their government-assigned jobs, but they are paid only a nominal salary. The responsibility for earning money therefore falls on their wives, many of whom operate family businesses by buying and selling goods in the marketplace.

Though these women are still called housewives colloquially, they are in fact the breadwinners of their families, and taking them away from their work is a recipe for family hardship.

Ladies in Kowon county, in the eastern province of South Hamgyong have been made to practice dancing every day from 7 to 8 p.m. in front of the local cultural center, a resident there told RFA on condition of anonymity for personal safety.

“Housewives who have to buy food for their families by selling in the marketplace are being mobilized … during the day to prepare for a ball event in the evening,” she said. “People are complaining, saying, ‘We won’t get anything to eat and we are told to dance.’”

In the city of Sinuiju, on the Chinese border in the northwest, people were made to prepare for a three-hour mass dance from 7 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, a resident there told RFA on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

“There are college students involved in the outdoor mass dance and singing political event but the housewives who are members of the city’s Socialist Women’s Union of Korea get mobilized as well,” she said. “They complain, saying that ‘dancing is originally meant to be fun and exciting, but being forced to dance makes it more difficult than working.’”

Global remembrance

The international community released statements that reflected on the lessons learned from the Korean War 70 years ago.

U.S. President Joe Biden issued an order that recognized the sacrifices of soldiers who fought in the war and officially made Thursday National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day in the United States.

“Let us honor the Korean War Veterans who fought to defend the security and stability we enjoy today,” the order said. “Let us renew our commitment to the democratic values for which they served and sacrificed.”

A statement by Lloyd Austin, the U.S. secretary of defense, called on Americans to remember the sacrifices of U.S. soldiers and its allies, and reiterated that the “ironclad alliance” with South Korea “is stronger than ever.”

Several U.S. lawmakers, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) issued a statement warning that North Korea continues “to threaten the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific with its missile and nuclear program.”

“Today’s anniversary reinforces the need for a strong U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance to bolster peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and reminds us how important it is to stand against authoritarianism,” the statement said.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), who in March introduced the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act which would officially end the Korean War with a peace treaty, said that passing that legislation would be an important first step to achieving peace on the peninsula.

He argued that a peace treaty would not be a form of appeasement to North Korea and that U.S. troops could still be stationed in South Korea even with a peace treaty.

Performers sing during a celebration marking what North Korea calls “Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War,” in Pyongyang, Thursday, July 27, 2023. Credit: KCNA via KNS/AFP

U.N. secretary general Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, said in a statement that the armistice agreement has “served as a legal foundation for the preservation of peace and stability on the Peninsula,” but reminded the world that Korea remains divided.

“Amidst rising geopolitical tensions, increased nuclear risk, and eroding respect for international norms, the threat of escalation is growing,” he said. “We need a surge in diplomacy for peace. I urge the parties to resume regular diplomatic contacts and nurture an environment conducive to dialogue.”

The seven decades since the war ended show that the status quo on the Korean peninsula is not an “adequate response to the suffering of people” in North Korea, said a joint statement by several U.N. experts, including Elizabeth Salmon, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is more isolated from the global community than ever before,” the statement said, drawing attention to current issues such as mass poverty, starvation, and overbearing government control, and continuing issues from over the past 70 years, like separated families, forced disappearances, and abductions of citizens from other countries.

“We cannot remain indifferent. Today, every actor, and particularly both parties to the Armistice Agreement and the international community, must recall the plight of the people of North Korea, the disappeared and the separated, and urgently seek ways to reengage and find solutions.”

Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong.

rfa.org

16. ＜Photo Report＞ A visit to a North Korea-China trade hub…Freight trucks line up to head into North Korea, but drivers not allowed to leave vehicles

Photos at the link: https://www.asiapress.org/rimjin-gang/2023/07/photo/kokyou-3/

＜Photo Report＞ A visit to a North Korea-China trade hub…Freight trucks line up to head into North Korea, but drivers not allowed to leave vehicles

asiapress.org

A North Korean customs house as seen from the Chinese side. Containers from China can be seen in front of the customs house.

◆The current situation at the Rason-Quanhe trade hub

Overland trade between North Korea and China has restarted after North Korean closed its borders due to COVID-19. At the end of December, the trade route between Sinuiju and Dandong, the biggest hub for overland trade between the two countries, reopened. What is the current situation at the Rason-Quanhe trade hub? An ASIAPRESS reporting partner living in China recently visited the Rason-Quanhe area, which boasts the second largest amount of trade flow after Sinuiju-Dandong. (HAN Ha-yu)

A map of the North Korea-China border (ASIAPRESS)

North Korea has gradually pulled away from the strict isolation policies it adhered to during the COVID-19 pandemic. In late December 2022, China shifted from its “zero-COVID” policy to a “living with COVID” policy, which led to the start of train-based trade between Sinuiju and Dandong, the biggest trade route between the two countries. North Korean authorities, however, are still not permitting people from crossing over the border.

Freight trucks waiting to pass through the Quanhe customs facility. The trucks are carrying containers filled with goods to be transported into North Korea.

◆ North Korea-China trade on fast-track to normalization

According to China Customs data, which allows us to see changes in the amount of trade between North Korea and China, the amount of imports and exports during the first half of 2023 exceeded the total amount of imports and exports recorded in all of 2022. Maritime-based trade through Nampo Port in the West Sea was restarted some time ago, but it is clear that the volume of North Korea-China trade is recovering at a rapid pace.

Two bridges that connect China and North Korea. In the past, the left-hand-side bridge was used for trade; however, presently, trade is conducted along the green-colored bridge to the right, which was constructed by China. The bridge to the right, meanwhile, is now just a tourist attraction as you can only walk to the middle.

A monument saying that the area is Chinese territory. It is located at the entrance of a bridge heading toward North Korea.

What is the situation at Rason-Quanhe route along the Tumen River, which is another major hub for North Korea-China trade after the Sinuiju-Dandong route? According to Yonhap News, freight trucks began going back and forth between Rason and Quanhe in January of this year. ASIAPRESS commissioned a reporting partner living in China to visit the Quanhe customs house to find out more about the current situation.

A graph showing changes in trade between North Korea and China. (ASIAPRESS)

◆ Drivers not allowed to leave their vehicles in North Korea

The reporting partner told ASIAPRESS that “drivers of freight trucks who cross over into North Korea can’t leave their vehicles. They go immediately to unloading spots, unload their containers, and then immediately head back to China. I’ve heard that in accordance with North Korean COVID-19 quarantine procedures, the containers must stay up to a week in front of the North Korean customs house where they are quarantined and sanitized before being carried off to their final destinations.”

The reporting partner added that “I didn’t see any freight trucks that had come over from North Korea that day, and I asked a trade-related official about what kinds of goods were being transported from China to North Korea, but I couldn’t find out anything.”

The front of the Quanhe customs house in China. Entry into the customs house is restricted and there are guards at the entrance.

The new headquarters of the Chinese customs house, whose construction was started in 2017 and is now complete. This building, however, does not appear to be in use. It is currently one stop on routes taken by tour groups.

(Left) A photo of barbed-wire fencing on the North Korea-China border taken in September 2019. (Right) A photo taken in late July 2023 showing two layers of fencing on the Chinese side. This suggests that security along the China-North Korea border has been tightened.

※ With the exception of one photograph, the photos published below were all taken by an ASIAPRESS reporting partner based in China in late July 2023.

asiapress.org

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

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."

Access NSS HERE

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