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Quotes of the Day:
“Knowing what's right doesn't mean much unless you do what's right.”
- Theodore Roosevelt
“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will—then your life will flow well.”
- Epictetus
“But all history has taught us the grim lesson that no nation has ever been successful in avoiding the terrors of war by refusing to defend its rights -- by attempting to placate aggression."
- President Dwight D Eisenhower
1. Seoul official addresses concerns on possible USFK deployment in case of Taiwan crisis
2. Chinese experts believe Kim Jong-un's CHILD is seen at event
3. N. Korean nuclear test possible during Harris' visit to Japan, S. Korea: U.S. official
4. Yoon's overseas trip marked by rare summit with Japan, embarrassing hot mic
5. S. Korean gov't calls on activists to refrain from sending leaflets to N.K.
6. PM to hold meeting with U.S. Vice President Harris next week in Japan
7. U.S. trade commission opens investigation into alleged patent violations by Samsung
8. Korea, U.S., Japan to deal with North Korean nuclear test with 'strong and resolute response'
9. North American firms make investment commitments to Korea
10. Blinken highlights importance of cooperation with Korea, Japan
11. With indigenous carrier-capable fighter design, S. Korea seeks to rework naval plans
12. N. Korea demolishing more S. Korean-built facilities at Mount Geumgang resort: ministry
13. North Korean exile Jihyun Park: ‘The pen can kill innocent people, but it can also kill the devil’
14. Benefitting from South Korea's soft power
1. Seoul official addresses concerns on possible USFK deployment in case of Taiwan crisis
Much ado about nothing. Again, they have over interpreted the general's comments which were exactly correct. Those who are "leery" are among the most ill-informed. First they are under the illusion that if there is a conflict in Taiwan that it will not affect the ROK or that the ROK can somehow stay neutral. That is a fantasy. Second, as General LaCamera noted, the priority for US forces in Korea is to contribute to the defense of the South. If something happens in Taiwan we need to be very concerned with how Kim Jong Un might try to exploit that. The contingency planning directed by the 53d SCM is to address that prospect. Lastly, the US forces in Korea are optimized for the support of the ROK/US CFC and for receiving, staging, integrating and pushing forward reinforcing US forces. Most are ill-suited for supporting a Taiwan contingency (except for air power).
All that said in terms of "strategic flexibility" the US has the absolute right to deploy its forces when and where needed to support US national interests. The ROK cannot deny the US from deploying US forces. It is highly unlikely the US would do that because it is in US interests to contribute to the defense of South Korea to ensure its freedom and sovereignty. But the ROK does not get a vote on how it deploys its forces just as the US does not get a vote on whether or not the ROK decides to provide forces to the ROK/US CFC - the bilateral warfighting command charged with deterrence and defense. The US does not control ROK forces and the ROK does not control US forces (and will not control them after the OPCON transition. Both countries equally "co-own" CFC and exercise control over CFC through the Military Committee which is made up of representatives of the National Command and Military Authorities (NCMA) of both countries.
So the bottom line is this is another overblown controversy based on the lack of understanding of some press and pundits.
Excerpts:
At the forum hosted by the U.S.-based Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS), LaCamera highlighted, "My job here is to defend the Korean Peninsula and to maintain peace and stability and security in Northeast Asia."
But he noted that what starts locally can become regional and global and that it is prudent to look at "second- and third-order effects" from a contingency.
Some observers have been leery that the USFK's role could go beyond the peninsula to help address regional security issues under the name of "strategic flexibility" despite increasingly complex North Korean threats.
Seoul official addresses concerns on possible USFK deployment in case of Taiwan crisis | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · September 22, 2022
SEOUL, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul sought Thursday to assuage public concerns here about the possibility of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) troops being deployed in the event of a Taiwan-related contingency.
USFK Commander Paul LaCamera said earlier this week that commanders do "contingency planning" for "anything," in response to a forum question on the potential role of South Korea in case of China's military movement against Taiwan.
The remarks spawned speculation that USFK personnel could potentially be mobilized to a Taiwan crisis at the expense of their primary role to cope with evolving threats from North Korea.
"When it comes to the USFK operation, South Korea and the United States have a consultation mechanism," Shin said in an interview with MBC Radio. "I can tell our citizens that we will ensure consultations would not move in a direction that undermines security on the Korean Peninsula."
He pointed out that the general tenor of LaCamera's remarks appeared to be that military leaders are to prepare for even a single percent chance of security risks rather than going into detail about what can happen in a Taiwan contingency.
"Had there been such (considerations), that would be a matter to be discussed between the South and the U.S.," he said. "There haven't been any discussions on such an issue yet."
At the forum hosted by the U.S.-based Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS), LaCamera highlighted, "My job here is to defend the Korean Peninsula and to maintain peace and stability and security in Northeast Asia."
But he noted that what starts locally can become regional and global and that it is prudent to look at "second- and third-order effects" from a contingency.
Some observers have been leery that the USFK's role could go beyond the peninsula to help address regional security issues under the name of "strategic flexibility" despite increasingly complex North Korean threats.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · September 22, 2022
2. Chinese experts believe Kim Jong-un's CHILD is seen at event
Okay, but what about his son(s)?
Something for Korea watchers to speculate about.
Is this a feasible scenario? Paranoia strikes deep.
Excerpts:
'Potential adversaries among North Korean elites, if aware of the identities of the leader's children, could present a vulnerability.
'Instead of fomenting a coup or insurrection against the political leadership, the children could be kidnapped or harmed as a means of attaining leverage over the leader.
'This applied to Kim Jong-un when he was growing and could very well apply to his own children.'
He added: 'This dynamic reduces the likelihood he would allow his children to show up on state television, even inter alia.'
Chinese experts believe Kim Jong-un's CHILD is seen at event
Is this Kim Jong-un's CHILD? Chinese experts believe North Korea tyrant's hidden daughter has been caught on camera in low-key stage debut with his wife
- Kim Jong-un's secret daughter has apparently been seen for first time at event
- The young girl - tentatively identified as Kim Ju-ae - appeared on stage at North Korea's National Day celebrations earlier this month
- Experts in China believe that the girl is Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol-ju's child
By MICHAEL HAVIS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 04:08 EDT, 23 September 2022 | UPDATED: 07:44 EDT, 23 September 2022
Daily Mail · by Michael Havis For Mailonline · September 23, 2022
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's secret daughter has been seen for the first time at a national event, experts in China believe.
The girl – tentatively identified as Kim Ju-ae – appeared on stage at North Korea's National Day celebrations earlier this month.
She was one of several children performing a song for Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, but something about her in particular stood out to experts.
Writing under the alias Samhero, one analyst on the InDPRK blog noted how Ri Sol-ju reaches for this particular girl at the end of the show.
She places her hand on the child's back and is seen talking to her personally, only breaking off when she needs to move another girl out of her husband's path.
And when the other children huddle around Kim Jong-un, jumping with excitement, she appears calmer, even grabbing another girl's arm to hold her back when she follows him too closely.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's secret daughter has been seen for the first time at a national event, experts in China believe
And when the other children huddle around Kim Jong-un, jumping with excitement, she appears calmer, even grabbing another girl's arm to hold her back when she follows him too closely
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, and his wife Ri Sol Ju, left, watch a performance during a celebration marking the nation's 74th anniversary in Pyongyang, North Korea, on September 8
The analyst saw further clues during the actual performance itself: the camera focuses on her as the singing begins, lingering for several seconds, before returning to her again and again.
Meanwhile, her appearance stands out too – she is the only girl wearing her hair down, and the only one donning white socks.
Furthermore, the Kims themselves seem very invested in the performance – at one point the camera cuts directly from the beaming first family to a close-up of the girl.
At times, we can even glance the tyrant's sister, Kim Yo-jong, apparently wiping away tears.
Others have noted that the girl performed just once, when the tyrant was in attendance – apparently missing a repeat performance the following night.
Michael Madden, an expert on the North Korean elite, said Kim's daughter would be of a similar age to the girl in question.
He said: 'She would be close to ten years old in 2022 which is about the age of the girl shown in state media footage.'
Writing under the alias Samhero, one analyst on the InDPRK blog noted how Ri Sol-ju reaches for this particular girl at the end of the show. She places her hand on the child's back and is seen talking to her personally, only breaking off when she needs to move another girl out of her husband's path
The analyst saw further clues during the actual performance itself: the camera focuses on her as the singing begins, lingering for several seconds, before returning to her again and again
He added that Ri Sol-ju had herself made multiple TV appearances before she was ever identified as part of the first family.
'Madame Ri appeared on North Korean television on several occasions as a singer, sometimes as a soloist, at concerts,' he said.
'These appearances occurred prior to her July 2012 identification as Kim Jong-un's wife.'
But he emphasised that making his daughter too public could carry risks for Kim.
Mr Madden said: 'When Kim Jong-un was a child and teenager, he was kept cloistered from all but the top North Korean elites who had close family or personal relationships to his father.
'North Korean elites could not interact with him or his siblings without his father's approval.
'Potential adversaries among North Korean elites, if aware of the identities of the leader's children, could present a vulnerability.
'Instead of fomenting a coup or insurrection against the political leadership, the children could be kidnapped or harmed as a means of attaining leverage over the leader.
The girl (right) was one of several children performing a song for Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, but something about her in particular stood out to experts
'This applied to Kim Jong-un when he was growing and could very well apply to his own children.'
He added: 'This dynamic reduces the likelihood he would allow his children to show up on state television, even inter alia.'
Mr Madden, a fellow of The Stimson Center in Washington DC who also runs the North Korea Leadership Watch website, explained that there were likely more Kim children too.
The existence of Kim Ju-ae was confirmed by basketball star Dennis Rodman who visited Kim Jong-un in 2013, but others have long been rumoured.
Mr Madden said: 'The current rumours intelligence about the children of Kim Jong-un says that he has three children, two daughters and one son.
'That said, the information feeds about his children are contradictory and speculative.
'Some information about their children derives from observation of state media photos in which Madame Ri appears to be pregnant.'
North Korea's ruling regime is notoriously tight-lipped about its first family.
Kim Jong-un himself was only made known to his countrymen in 2010, the year before the death of his father and predecessor, Kim Jong-il.
There's also growing speculation that a mysterious woman seen following the dictator recently is his half sister, Kim Sol-song.
Who is Ri Sol-ju? Former singer and cheerleader who had to take a six-month course before becoming Kim Jong-un's wife
By Chris Pleasance for MailOnline
Ri Sol-ju has been pictured for years accompanying her husband Kim Jong-Un on state visits - but just who is the dictator's wife?
Very little is known about Ri, including her exact age, who her parents are and what her life was like before marrying Kim.
Even her name remains a mystery, as observers believe Ri is actually a pseudonym designed to keep her life before marriage a secret.
Kim Jong-un visited China this week alongside his seldom-seen wife, Ri Sol-ju. Little is known about her, including her age, who her parents are, and whether Ri is even her real name
It is widely believed that Ri was a singer before meeting Kim, and may have once been part of a North Korean cheerleading squad that visited the 2005 Asian Athletics Championships
Ri and Kim met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan in Beijing this week in his first foreign visit as Supreme Leader
She was first pictured on Kim's arm in 2012 at a concert and North Korea subsequently confirmed she was Kim's wife, but said nothing else about her.
She then appeared with him multiple times between 2012 and 2014 before largely disappearing from public view until recently, when her presence became much more pronounced.
Sources speaking in the South Korean media when she was first identified said she is a former cheerleader and singer, and gave her date of birth as some time between 1985 and 1989.
She was said to have been pictured in 2005 visiting South Korea during the Asian Athletics Championships as part of the North Korean cheerleading squad.
Others said she was a singer with the Unhasu orchestra who may have performed for Kim and his father, Kim Jong-il, during a New Year concert in 2010.
'There is a possibility Jong-un chose her as his wife after seeing her at the concert hall,' the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said at the time.
Ri was first seen with Kim in 2012 at a concert and then a water park (pictured). North Korean media initially said nothing about her before confirming she was his wife
Ri (pictured in 2012) is believed to have married Kim in 2009 or 2010 and likely gave birth to their first child soon afterwards
We know Kim and Ri have a second child, named Ju-ae, because the information was given away by Dennis Rodman in an interview. They are also rumored to have a third
There was a North Korean singer by the name of Ri Sol-ju, the BBC reported, but it has never been confirmed if she and Ki'ms wife are the same person.
South Korean security services agree that she is a singer, but say her name is actually Hyon Song-wol and was changed after marriage.
Elsewhere, the BBC reported that Ri was hastily married to Kim in 2009 as part of a succession plan drawn up by Kim Jong-il after he suffered a stroke.
It is believed she gave birth to their first child the following year with subsequent births taking place in 2013 and possibly in 2016, after she disappeared from public.
According to US basketball star Dennis Rodman, who is an unlikely friend of Kim, their middle child is called Ju-ae, after he let the information slip in an interview.
Nothing is known about the other children.
Ri was often pictured with Kim between 2012 and 2014 (above) but then disappeared from view, causing speculation of another pregnancy
Ri has appeared in public several times recently, including during a parade in Pyongyang to mark the found of the country's military
Before marrying Kim, Ri was reportedly sent to Kim Il-sung University, the country's most prestigious, to study a six-month course in being the first lady.
It has also been reported that she obtained a science degree from the same university years earlier.
According to AFP Ri was born in the northeastern province of North Hamkyong to an academic father and a doctor mother.
That would make her part of the political elite, since such positions are reserved only for those who are most loyal to the regime.
She is also said to be related to Ri Pyong-chol, a former air force general and close advisor of Kim Jong-un.
Ri is also known for her love of fine fashion, which is unusual in North Korea.
When she was first described by the country's press she was said to be wearing 'a trim black suit in the Chanel tradition' and once gifted a Dior bag to Kenji Fujimoto, Kim Jong-il's sushi chef.
Fujimoto claimed to have met her and described her as 'just so charming... I cannot describe her voice, it's so soft...'.
South Korean diplomats who traveled to the North for talks with Kim Jong-un recently said Ri joined him at the negotiating table.
They said the pair were an affectionate couple and 'seemed equal'.
Daily Mail · by Michael Havis For Mailonline · September 23, 2022
3. N. Korean nuclear test possible during Harris' visit to Japan, S. Korea: U.S. official
I guess we need to start a betting pool. Will he or won't he and if so when?
Again, as I usually do, we should ask what effect would Kim Jong Un be trying to achieve? Merely a necessary test to advance the program to the next level? Or does Kim think a test will ocerce the ROK and US into concessions? Will it cause a rift in the alliance? Or does he believe it is necessary for domestic purposes to reinforce the necessary sacrifices being made to have a nuclear capability? Or all of the above and more?
Again our response has to be to use this as an opportunity to show his political warfare, blackmail diplomacy, and war fighting strategies are failing and will fail. We need to inoculate the press, politicians, pundits, and the population against KJU actions by recognizing his strategy, understanding it, exposing, it, and attacking it (with superior political warfare and information). My six step response is below the article.
(2nd LD) N. Korean nuclear test possible during Harris' visit to Japan, S. Korea: U.S. official | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · September 24, 2022
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in last 3 paras)
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea may well conduct a nuclear test during U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' upcoming trip to Japan and South Korea as Pyongyang has been preparing for such a test, a senior U.S. administration official said Friday.
The official warned the North will face serious consequences should it choose to conduct a new test.
"It is possible and we previously said that the DPRK is preparing to conduct a nuclear test," the official said when asked about the possibility of a North Korean nuclear test during Harris' trip to the Northeast Asian countries next week.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
The official noted Pyongyang has been said to be preparing for a nuclear test for some time.
"We have made clear that such a test would result in additional actions by the United States to demonstrate our ironclad commitment to the security of the Republic of Korea and to our Japanese allies," said the official, referring to South Korea by its official name.
"We have made clear how concerned we have been by North Korean provocations and destabilizing behavior and a nuclear test would certainly be in that category," the official added, also noting the issue of North Korean provocations will "certainly" be discussed when the U.S. vice president meets her South Korean counterparts.
The vice president is scheduled to make a four-day visit to Japan from Monday, leading a presidential delegation to the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
She will arrive in South Korea on Thursday for a meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, the official said in a telephonic press briefing. It will mark her first trip to both Japan and South Korea since taking office early last year.
In addition to Yoon, Harris is also scheduled to meet with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who will be leading South Korea's presidential delegation to Abe's funeral.
The Harris-Han meeting will be held in Tokyo on Tuesday, according to the U.S. administration official.
During her two-day trip to Seoul, the U.S. vice president will also hold a roundtable with a group of what the administration official called "groundbreaking Korean women."
"These are prominent women from different industries who have made strides in building a more inclusive and equitable society," the official said.
"This meeting will demonstrate the importance the vice president places on gender equity issues around the world," added the official. "The vice president very much wants to lend her voice and her leadership to lift up women and expand opportunities for them."
The official said Harris will have an opportunity to engage with U.S. troops stationed in South Korea when asked, but declined to provide further details.
"She wants to go there (South Korea) and make clear that the United States has a very strong commitment to the Republic of Korea's security, and that's what she's going to be signaling and that's what she's gonna be conveying to the president," the official said of Harris' trip to Seoul.
The official declined to comment on whether the vice president will be working directly to help mend relations between Seoul and Tokyo during her visit to the region, but said the U.S. certainly encourages its two allies to improve their ties.
"Obviously, we want to see the closest possible relationship between our two allies. We were encouraged to see that leadership on both sides seems to be prioritizing that issue and meeting with each other," the official said, apparently referring to President Yoon's meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York this week.
"It's not for us to get in the middle of such a negotiation, but it's certainly for us to express our support for what they are doing and anything we can do to help, but mainly just to encourage that process because the more we can be aligned bilaterally with them and then with each other, the stronger we are in the region and throughout the world."
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · September 24, 2022
Addressing Provocations, Tension, and Threats through Political Warfare
The heart of the regime strategy is this. It is executing a combination of political warfare to subvert the South and the alliance and blackmail diplomacy to extort concessions from the South the U.S., through the use of increased tensions, threats, and provocations, and the international community. All while continuing to develop advanced warfighting capabilities to achieve the regime's single strategic aim - domination of the peninsula under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State to ensure the regime's survival. These three lines of effort, political warfare, blackmail diplomacy, and advanced warfighting capabilities are mutually supporting an reinforcing.
The issue usually top of mind among national leaders and the media is the continued employment of provocations to support the regime's blackmail diplomacy to gain political and economic concessions. Thus, the alliance must have a comprehensive plan for addressing them.
The alliance should view provocations as an opportunity rather than a threat. They provide the alliance with the opportunity to demonstrate that Kim Jong Un's political warfare and military strategy will fail. This is done first and foremost by not making any concessions.
The ROK and U.S. should ensure the press, pundits, and public understand that this is a fundamental part of North Korean strategy and that it conducts provocations for specific objectives. It does not represent a policy failure; it represents a deliberate policy decision by Kim Jong-un to continue to execute his political warfare strategy. The following is a response framework for consideration:
First, do not overreact. But do not succumb to the criticism of those who recommend ending exercises. Always call out Kim Jong-un's strategy. As Sun Tzu would advise- " …what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy; … next best is to disrupt his alliances." Ensure the international community, the press, the public in the ROK and the U.S., the elite, and the Korean people living in the north know what Kim is doing.
Second, never ever back down in the face of North Korean increased tension, threats, and provocations.
Third, coordinate an alliance response. There may be times when a good cop-bad cop approach is appropriate. Try to mitigate the internal domestic political criticisms that will inevitably occur in Seoul and D.C. Do not let those criticisms negatively influence policy and actions.
Fourth, exploit the weakness in North Korea – create internal pressure on Kim and the regime from his elite and military. Always work to drive a wedge among the party, elite, and military (which is a challenge since they are all intertwined and inextricably linked).
Fifth, demonstrate strength and resolve. Do not be afraid to show military strength. Never misunderstand the north's propaganda – do not give in to demands to reduce exercises or take other measures based on North Korean demands that would in any way reduce the readiness of the combined military forces. The north does not want an end to the exercises because they are a threat; they want to weaken the alliance and force U.S. troops from the peninsula, which will be the logical result if they cannot effectively train.
Sixth, depending on the nature of the provocation, be prepared to initiate a decisive response using the most appropriate tools, e.g., diplomatic, military, economic, information and influence activities, cyber, or a combination.
One of the vital elements of superior political warfare is attacking the enemy's strategy. This requires recognizing, understanding, exposing, and attacking it with information.
Without recognizing and understanding the strategy, it cannot be adequately explained to the policymakers, the press, and the population. Again, the alliance appears to align regarding the regime's nature, objectives, and strategy. This provides the lens through which provocations must be understood so that provocations can be explained and exposed. Exposing the strategy is critical for developing public support for alliance actions and countering calls from pundits to make concessions. This provides the "why" for alliance actions.
Attacking the regime’s strategy requires an information and influence activities campaign. The alliance should employ a strategy working group that focuses on developing and employing appropriate influence activities. It must not simply be reactive but ongoing between provocations to continue emphasizing the failure of the regime's strategy.
One key element of an information and activities campaign must be responding to north Korea's nuclear weapons program. When the alliance publicly discusses the north’s nuclear weapons, it reinforces Kim Jong Un’s legitimacy. His Propaganda and Agitation Department can shape the message that the alliance and the world fear the north's “trusted shield and treasured sword” of nuclear weapons. It can use this as justification for the sacrifices and suffering of the Korean people in the north by telling them that their efforts to support nuclear weapons development are successfully protecting them from external attack. While nuclear weapons legitimize Kim and the regime, human rights undermine legitimacy. When the alliance adopts a “human rights upfront approach” every time there is a nuclear issue, the alliance can raise human rights. The fundamental message is that Kim must deny human rights to remain in power and that the Korean people suffer because of Kim’s deliberate decision to prioritize the nation’s resources for nuclear weapons and missile development and support to the regime elite and military over the welfare of the Korean people. The alliance must continuously emphasize this theme and message.
Responding to provocations with a superior political warfare strategy through information and influence activities will have a cumulative effect on the regime elite, military leadership, and Korean people by showing that Kim's strategy is not in their best interests. This will exert pressure on Kim that he may not be able to withstand over time. Above all, no concessions must be provided to him. Once concessions are made, he will judge his strategy as a success and continue to double down on its execution.
There are two other critical aspects of a superior political warfare strategy. First, the ROK must strengthen its political institutions vulnerable to north Korean subversion. The actions of the United Front Department and the 225th Bureau are focused on undermining the legitimacy of the ROK government by creating political opposition.
The second is simply maintaining the strength of the alliance. Since the regime seeks to divide the alliance with the ultimate objective of removing U.S. troops from the Korean peninsula, it is imperative that ROK and U.S. political and military leaders continuously reinforce the strength of the alliance. Despite distractions throughout the INDO PACIFIC and worldwide, the new Yoon and Biden administrations have conducted consistent high-level diplomatic and military engagement. This must be sustained.
4. Yoon's overseas trip marked by rare summit with Japan, embarrassing hot mic
I guess President Yoon is human. Who has not made such a gaffe? What US president has not done so?
(News Focus) Yoon's overseas trip marked by rare summit with Japan, embarrassing hot mic | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · September 24, 2022
By Lee Haye-ah
OTTAWA, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol wound up his second overseas trip amid embarrassment over the use of foul language caught on hot mic, but the trip was marked by one unmistakable outcome: the first summit with Japan in nearly three years.
Yoon began the trip with a stop in London to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, an occasion that also provided the president with the opportunity to meet with new King Charles III and mingle with other leaders who had flown in from across the world.
Despite the solemnity of the events surrounding the funeral, Yoon, whose approval ratings tumbled to the 20 percent range in the summer, took another hit from critics at home after he was forced to postpone signing a condolence book for the queen.
Yoon's office said the signing was postponed from Sunday to Monday, the day of the funeral, per the instructions of the British royal family, given traffic conditions in London that made it difficult for all the visiting foreign leaders to travel to Westminster Hall at the same time.
But critics claimed Yoon had been snubbed by the British royal family and that leaders from the Group of Seven nations had received proper care in accordance with diplomatic protocol.
Yoon's second stop was New York, where the president spent the largest portion of his seven-day trip to attend the U.N. General Assembly, hold a series of bilateral summits on the sidelines, and meet with diverse groups of people, including students, Korean American scientists and global business leaders.
In previewing the trip, the presidential office had picked three highlights: Yoon's first address to the U.N. General Assembly, the first bilateral summit between South Korea and Japan in nearly three years, and a second summit between Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden.
The South Korea-Japan summit, in particular, raised hope of a breakthrough in relations badly frayed over wartime forced labor and other issues related to Tokyo's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
The summit with Biden was also seen as an opportunity to deliver South Korea's concerns about the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which is feared to put Korean carmakers at a disadvantage in the American market, and move forward discussions on a potential currency swap deal that could help stabilize financial markets.
What played out, however, was a tug of war between South Korea and Japan over whether the summit would be held at all, with the end result being a 30-minute meeting described by South Korea as "informal talks."
The summit took place suddenly, as the details had been kept under wraps for days, in the form of Yoon visiting the venue of an event hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in New York.
Yoon and Kishida "agreed on the need to improve bilateral relations by resolving pending issues," South Korea's readout of the meeting said. The two agreed to instruct their diplomats to accelerate talks to that end.
Yoon and Kishida also "shared serious concern about North Korea's nuclear program," including its recent legalization of nuclear arms and the possibility of a seventh nuclear test, and "agreed to cooperate closely with the international community to respond to it," according to the readout.
A presidential official hailed the summit as "the first step toward producing tangible results."
"After two years and 10 months, despite the existence of various disputes between South Korea and Japan, the two leaders met and took the first step toward a resolution. That is why it was highly significant," the official told reporters in New York.
Meanwhile, the summit with Biden did not materialize as planned due to scheduling issues caused by the U.S. president's unforeseen attendance at Queen Elizabeth's funeral and U.S. domestic political events, according to Yoon's office.
Instead, the two had three brief encounters, at a reception hosted by King Charles III in London, at a fundraiser hosted by Biden in New York and again at a reception hosted by the U.S. president.
"President Yoon explained our businesses' concerns about the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and asked that the U.S. administration cooperate closely with South Korea in the process of enforcing the IRA so as to resolve our concerns," Yoon's office said in a press release summarizing the three encounters.
"In response, President Biden said he is well aware of our concerns, and that South Korea and the U.S. should continue to hold serious consultations," it added.
On a potential currency swap deal, the presidential office said the two leaders agreed to "cooperate closely to implement liquidity facilities for financial stabilization if needed."
On security issues, they "assessed the consultations under way between South Korea and the U.S. over extended deterrence, and agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation to deter North Korea's attacks and to come up with joint response plans against North Korea's provocations," it said.
The biggest news of the day, however, emerged after video circulated of Yoon apparently using foul language during the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference in New York.
In the clip, Yoon could be heard telling aides in vulgar language that it would be embarrassing if the National Assembly did not approve of something unspecified,
It was initially thought that he was referring to Biden's pledge to contribute another US$6 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the embarrassment if Congress refused to endorse it.
Critics at home, including the main opposition Democratic Party, accused Yoon of creating a diplomatic disaster, sending the presidential office scrambling to come up with a plausible explanation.
"He wasn't speaking publicly on the stage but in passing, and although I don't know who recorded it and how, I actually think it should be verified," a senior presidential official told reporters in New York.
"I think it's highly inappropriate to draw a link between private remarks and diplomatic accomplishments," the official added.
Hours later, Yoon's senior secretary for press affairs, Kim Eun-hye, said the president made no mention of Biden and that the actual word he used was the Korean word for "throw out" because he was talking about how he would be embarrassed if the opposition-controlled National Assembly rejected his pledge to contribute $100 million to the Global Fund over the next three years.
The gaffe likely left an indelible stain on the president's trip, which was planned around his mantra of freedom and solidarity, with both concepts featuring prominently in his U.N. speech, and sought to honor the three nations that sent the most troops to fight alongside South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War.
On his final stop, Yoon visited Canada to hold a summit with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on securing stable supply chains for the production of electric vehicle batteries.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · September 24, 2022
5. S. Korean gov't calls on activists to refrain from sending leaflets to N.K.
No, no, no! This is absolutely the wrong direction and the wrong way of thinking. This will not prevent an escalation of tensions or provocations. This is providing support to Kim Jong Un. Information is an existential threat to the regime. And per the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry the information isolation of the Korean people living in the north is a human rights abuse. We have an obligation to help inform the Korean people.
But the idea that escapees from the north refraining from sending information into the north will reduce or prevent an escalation of tensions is a fantasy. And Kim Jong Un will again judge his political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategy a success. He is receiving a concession whether one wants to call it that. He will continue to double down on increased tensions, threats, and provocations to gain political and economic concessions.
We have to stop this madness and get on with a strategy based on human rights up front, information and influence, and the pursuit of a free and unified Korea.
(LEAD) S. Korean gov't calls on activists to refrain from sending leaflets to N.K. | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · September 23, 2022
(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in paras 5-6; ADDS photo)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification ministry urged local activist groups to refrain from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border amid lingering concerns that such a campaign could lead to the escalation of tensions on the peninsula.
The ministry also made clear Seoul will take a "strong and stern" measure in case Pyongyang carries out its threat of retaliatory action against those who seek to spread those leaflets, usually using large-scale balloons.
"The government is concerned that the leafleting is continuing despite our repeated calls on the organizations to refrain from (sending leaflets), and we urge them again to refrain from sending the leaflets and other materials," the ministry's deputy spokesperson, Lee Hyo-jung, said during a regular press briefing.
Last month, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, reiterated the claim that the leaflets sent by activist groups in the South were the source of the COVID-19 outbreak in the North and warned of "deadly retaliatory" countermeasures against Seoul.
The ministry's statement came amid speculation that activist groups could send leaflets on the occasion of North Korea Freedom Week, which runs from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1.
Observers say the government also appears to be seeking to avoid unnecessarily provoking the North.
Some defector groups in South Korea have flown huge balloons carrying leaflets, coronavirus-related pills and other items near border regions.
The government has banned the leafleting to protect the lives and safety of residents living in the border areas, saying such leaflets could provoke the North to take bellicose action. The ban came months after the North blew up an inter-Korean liaison office in the border town of Kaesong in 2020 in anger over Seoul's failure to stop such leafleting.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · September 23, 2022
6. PM to hold meeting with U.S. Vice President Harris next week in Japan
PM to hold meeting with U.S. Vice President Harris next week in Japan | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 김덕현 · September 23, 2022
SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo plans to hold a meeting with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris next week in Japan on the sidelines of a state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.
Han and Harris will visit Japan to attend the funeral and their meeting will take place next Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement.
During the meeting, Han and Harris plan to discuss the alliance between Seoul and Washington as well as pending issues on the Korean Peninsula, in the region and the world, it said.
Harris plans to visit South Korea next Thursday after attending the funeral.
kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 김덕현 · September 23, 2022
7. U.S. trade commission opens investigation into alleged patent violations by Samsung
U.S. trade commission opens investigation into alleged patent violations by Samsung | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 우재연 · September 23, 2022
SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) said Friday it has opened an investigation into alleged patent violations by Samsung Electronics Co. over outdoor electronics displays.
The formal investigation was initiated following a complaint on Aug. 19 by Manufacturing Resources International (MRI), an Atlanta-based manufacturer of outdoor and semi-outdoor digital liquid-crystal displays, which alleged that the South Korean tech giant infringed on its five patents.
The patents concern cooling systems for electronic displays used in outdoor kiosks, according to a notice posted by ITC.
MRI claimed that products of Samsung Electronics and its affiliate Samsung SDS Co. infringe on certain MRI patents.
The U.S. company asked ITC, after the investigation, to "issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders" against Samsung, according to the notice.
Samsung has expanded its digital indoor and outdoor signage businesses in recent years. It has joined in a multi-year effort to upgrade the ballpark of the New York Mets as a display and technology solutions partner.
It has also been tapped to provide technology solutions to Hollywood Park in California, home to SoFi Stadium, which is currently being developed into a massive retail and entertainment district.
Samsung declined to comment on the matter.
jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 우재연 · September 23, 2022
8. Korea, U.S., Japan to deal with North Korean nuclear test with 'strong and resolute response'
Let's hope there is a strong political warfare component that attack's the regime's strategy.
Friday
September 23, 2022
dictionary + A - A
Korea, U.S., Japan to deal with North Korean nuclear test with 'strong and resolute response'
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/09/23/national/diplomacy/korea-japan-us/20220923114903353.html
Foreign Minister Park Jin, right, meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in New York on Thursday, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. [NEWS1]
Foreign ministers of Korea, the United States and Japan expressed serious concern about North Korea’s adoption of a new law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state, adding that they would meet any nuclear test from North Korea with a "strong and resolute response.”
Foreign Minister Park Jin met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in New York on Thursday, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Reaffirming that “a [North Korean] nuclear test would be met with a strong and resolute response from the international community,” the three ministers said they were deeply concerned about Pyongyang’s “escalatory and destabilizing messaging” regarding its nuclear weapons use, in their joint statement released following the meeting.
North Korea adopted a new law on Sept. 8 that states Pyongyang will “automatically and immediately” launch a nuclear strike to attack the origin of any provocation if the “command and control system” of its nuclear forces is in danger of an attack, an apparent reference to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to an English-language report from the Korean Central News Agency released the next day.
Satellite images of North Korea’s site for its previous six nuclear tests from April showed signs that the North may be preparing for another nuclear test, and leaders around the world including Foreign Minister Park said Pyongyang appeared to be only “a political decision away” from conducting a test.
North Korea has already launched dozens of ballistic missiles this year, each of which violated multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
Blinken was said to have reaffirmed the U.S.' “steadfast commitments” to the defense of South Korea and Japan in the meeting.
“The United States’ ironclad alliance commitments to the ROK and Japan and our close, enduring friendships are critical to the security and prosperity of our citizens, the region, and the world,” reads the joint statement released Thursday.
The three ministers also discussed the North Korean abduction of Japanese citizens and the Yoon Suk-yeol government’s “audacious initiative” for the North during their meeting. The initiative outlines a plan to support the North economically should it take serious steps toward denuclearization.
Park also brought up Korea’s woes regarding the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act in the meeting, according to Korea’s Foreign Ministry. Blinken in response was quoted by the ministry to have said he “understands Korea’s concerns” and that Washington is open to finding ways to resolve the situation with Seoul.
Security needs of Pacific Islands and the Asean region were also addressed by the three ministers in their joint statement. The islands as a group recently turned down China’s offer of a security and economic pact.
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
9. North American firms make investment commitments to Korea
Friday
September 23, 2022
dictionary + A - A
North American firms make investment commitments to Korea
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/09/23/business/industry/Korea-Applied-Materials-Dupont/20220923183420056.html
President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at a ceremony in New York on Thursday, which was designed to celebrate investment plans by companies in North America. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]
Seven tech and chemical companies from the U.S. and Canada will invest a combined $1.15 billion in research and production facilities in Korea, according to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy on Friday.
The ministry said that the companies including Applied Materials, DuPont, Solid Energy System and Northland Power submitted an investment application to the Ministry on Thursday, which the ministry hopes will strengthen Korea's supply chains of key items and boost bilateral economic ties.
The pledges were made during a ceremony in New York attended by President Yoon Suk-yeol, senior officials from the Seoul government and representatives of the companies.
Applied Materials, the world's largest semiconductor equipment maker in terms of sales, and two chip materials suppliers - DuPont and Entegris - plan to build research and development centers here, the ministry said.
Auto parts manufacturer BorgWarner also decided to establish a R&D center in Korea for EV and hybrid cars, and battery maker Solid Energy System will set up a research center for the development of next-generation EV batteries as well as production facilities, according to the ministry.
Canadian power firm Northland Power plans to build an offshore wind power generation complex in Korea's southern region, and the U.S.-based EMP Belstar will establish an eco-friendly logistics center here, the ministry said.
"The investment pledges are significant as they are linked to the government's policy goals of strengthening supply chains and achieving carbon neutrality goals," Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang said during the ceremony.
"We will offer more incentives for foreign investment from advanced industries and reform rules or other regulations that fail to meet international standards," he added.
Companies with some interest in future investment in Korea also attended the Thursday event, the ministry said, including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Boeing.
During the first six months of this year, Korea received $11.09 billion worth of foreign direct investment commitments, according to government data.
BY PARK EUN-JEE, YONHAP [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]
10. Blinken highlights importance of cooperation with Korea, Japan
One of the key 10 action items on the White House's INDOPACIFIC Strategy is improved trilateral cooperation. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/U.S.-Indo-Pacific-Strategy.pdf
Friday
September 23, 2022
dictionary + A - A
Blinken highlights importance of cooperation with Korea, Japan
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/09/23/national/diplomacy/Korea-United-States-US/20220923104912615.html
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin. far right, holds a trilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Thursday. [YONHAP]
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday stressed the importance of trilateral cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the U.S., urging the countries to work together on regional and global issues.
Blinken made the remarks at the top of a three-way meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa in New York.
"The United States, Japan, Korea — we have the most vital bilateral relationships, but we also have this trilateral partnership," Blinken said at the top of the meeting, held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
"And I think what we have seen over the years, including in recent months, is that when we are working together, we are even more effective. And we're more effective not only in dealing with any regional security issues that are before us, but with a whole series of global issues that are front and center here at the United Nations this week," he added, according to the state department.
The top U.S. diplomat reiterated the trilateral relationship "matters" to the U.S.
"It makes a difference. And I think we can see that in the work that we're doing together," he said.
After the meeting, the South Korean foreign minister said the three also underscored the importance of trilateral cooperation in dealing with North Korea's nuclear ambition.
"We discussed the need to be prepared to closely work together and sternly react with regard to North Korea's threat to use nuclear weapons," Park told reporters.
North Korea said earlier this month that its parliament legislated a new law that allows Pyongyang to launch an "automatic nuclear strike" when the country is attacked.
Yonhap
12. With indigenous carrier-capable fighter design, S. Korea seeks to rework naval plans
I would rather the ROK invest in naval aviation rather than a nuclear powered submarine.
With indigenous carrier-capable fighter design, S. Korea seeks to rework naval plans - Breaking Defense
The push for a naval version of the jet would likely not have happened if not for a series of decisions that dates back months.
breakingdefense.com · by Lee Ferran · September 22, 2022
The Korean defense firm KAI shows of a model fighter. (Andrew White for Breaking Defense)
SEOUL — With the unveiling of a new carrier-capable version of its future indigenous fighter, the Republic of Korea has taken a big step in a months-long reworking of its future aircraft carrier capability.
Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) used the DX Korea exhibition in Seoul this week to display a scale model of the KF-21N — a maritime version of the KF-21 next-generation fighter, previously known as the KF-X program.
But the push for a naval version of the jet would likely not have happened if not for a series of decisions that dates back to May, when the Ministry of National Defense (MND) decided to drop 2023 funding for a planned small carrier, known as the CVX. Envisioned as a next-generation amphibious assault ship for the RoK Navy, CVX would have the added capability of being able to operate fixed-wing aircraft, including jet fighters. The ship had an in-service target of 2033.
Following the decision not to fund CVX, the RoK announced it was changing long-held plans to purchase the F-35B short-take off and vertical landing variant, which would have been launched from the CVX. Instead, the MND announced it would be buying 20 of the conventional F-35A models.
Everything snapped into clarity on Monday of this week, when Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, the Chairman of the RoK’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, informed the National Defense Committee that the MND would consider purchasing a larger aircraft carrier than the previously proposed CVX design if a maritime jet fighter could be developed indigenously.
“Major changes need to be made [to CVX], so these changes will be evaluated together,” Kim said, while referring to the MND’s quest for a medium-sized carrier over the lighter CVX-class amphibious assault ship.
“There are differing opinions about whether aircraft carried on board should be developed domestically. CVX was left out of the defense budget for next year because we want to prudently reevaluate major assets so that they can be designed to adequately respond to threats,” Kim added.
According to a spokesperson for KAI, the KF-21N now lies in a preliminary design concept phase, hardly surprising given the fact the Republic of Korea Navy does not currently operate an aircraft carrier. (For his part, Kim said that the KF-21 will not be STOVL-capable.)
KAI’s spokesperson confirmed to Breaking Defense how KF-21N will comprise a folding wing design, thereby enabling it to be stowed under the deck on board a carrier. The air frame will also be capable of CATOBAR (catapult assisted take off but arrested recovery) and STOBAR (short take off but arrested recovery) operations on board an aircraft carrier, the spokeperson claimed.
The KF-21N stands to feature a pair of General Electric F414 turbofan engine, each capable of producing 22,000lbs in thrust. This will provide the KF-21N a maximum speed of 1.6M. the KAI spokesperson added.
Furthermore, the KF-21N will have a maximum take-off weight of 25,600kg and maximum available payload of 7,620kg. It will also measure 17.1m in length, 5.2m in height and 12.3m in width, company documents state.
KAI’s spokesperson also suggested to Breaking Defense how the design, development and manufacture of a technology demonstrator of the KF-21N would heavily depend upon “government” decision makers moving forward.
Meanwhile, KAI also displayed a scale model of its KF-21 ‘Boramae’ multi-role fighter. KF-21 recently completed its maiden flight in July. The air frame is destined to replace the RoK Air Force’s legacy fleets of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs and Northrop F-5 jets.
breakingdefense.com · by Lee Ferran · September 22, 2022
12. N. Korea demolishing more S. Korean-built facilities at Mount Geumgang resort: ministry
Translation of "unpleasant-looking facilities:" anything built by the South.
Excerpts:
Since March this year, the North has been dismantling the resort's facilities, including the floating Haegumgang Hotel, the Ananti Golf Resort, Onjong Pavilion and more recently, the House of Culture, according to the ministry.
Pyongyang earlier announced it would remove the facilities at Mount Geumgang, as its leader Kim Jong-un ordered the authorities to tear down all "unpleasant-looking" facilities at the resort in 2019.
N. Korea demolishing more S. Korean-built facilities at Mount Geumgang resort: ministry
The Korea Times · September 23, 2022
A hotel staff member stands near a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling at the foyer of Kumgangsan Hotel at Mount Geumgang resort area, once a popular destination for South Korean tourists, in North Korea in this Oct. 23, 2018 file photo. Yonhap
North Korea is continuing to dismantle South Korean-built facilities at the Mount Geumgang resort on its east coast in breach of inter-Korean accords, the unification ministry said Friday.
Citing satellite images taken by Planet Labs, the Voice of America, a U.S.-based news outlet, earlier reported that the North appears to have taken down the dome-shaped roof of the House of Culture, a 620-seat indoor performance hall with investments from the South reaching around 30 billion won ($21.3 million).
"Our government will make it clear once again that North Korea's action is a clear violation of inter-Korean agreements and an infringement of our property rights, and all responsibility lies with the North," the ministry's deputy spokesperson, Lee Hyo-jung, said during a regular press briefing. "We urge North Korea to immediately stop its unilateral measures and to come forward to work out a solution through dialogue."
Since March this year, the North has been dismantling the resort's facilities, including the floating Haegumgang Hotel, the Ananti Golf Resort, Onjong Pavilion and more recently, the House of Culture, according to the ministry.
Pyongyang earlier announced it would remove the facilities at Mount Geumgang, as its leader Kim Jong-un ordered the authorities to tear down all "unpleasant-looking" facilities at the resort in 2019.
Launched in 1998, the Mount Geumgang tour project was once regarded as a key symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation and economic cooperation. It was suspended in 2008 after a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean guard near the resort for allegedly intruding into an off-limits area. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · September 23, 2022
13. North Korean exile Jihyun Park: ‘The pen can kill innocent people, but it can also kill the devil’
Ms Park's book is at the top of my "Korea to read pile" of books.
The pen (or the byte) is an existential threat to the regime.
We must focus on the three key elements of a forward looking Korea strategy: human rights upfront, information and influence activities campaign and the pursuit of a free and unified Korea.
North Korean exile Jihyun Park: ‘The pen can kill innocent people, but it can also kill the devil’
Financial Times · by Christian Davies · September 23, 2022
As we settle into our corner table at Rowntree’s Cafe in Bury town centre, my North Korean lunch companion is chatting to our Indonesian waitress about their adopted home. I am still reeling from Jihyun Park’s recent memoir, which I finished the night before.
In 1996, Park was working as a maths teacher on the outskirts of the city of Chongjin in North Korea’s north-east — a job secured, in part, by her mother bribing local university officials with Chinese cigarettes and dried octopus.
The country was undergoing a vicious famine, and many of her pupils had stopped turning up to class. She would see them around town — malnourished, filthy, foraging for food. Some were as young as four or five years old. She recalls one fishing in a sewer for a few grains of rice.
One day, she saw a boy hunched against a wall at the railway station. It was one of her favourite pupils, who had professed his desire to become a doctor so that he could care for his classmates.
“Eyes wide in despair, I covered my mouth with both hands and held my breath,” she writes in The Hard Road Out. “[It was] the boy who would never become a doctor because his life had come to an end at the age of thirteen as he huddled against a wall. The little barefoot boy who still haunts me to this day.”
Since that time, Park has endured a further litany of horrors: tricked into servitude in rural China, trafficked, raped, beaten, separated from her young son, sent back to North Korea and thrown into a prison camp before re-entering China and making an unsuccessful attempt at escaping across the Gobi desert to Mongolia.
But when I meet her in Bury, a former Lancashire mill town now nestled in the Manchester commuter belt, she is radiating happiness. Fourteen years after she came to Britain as a refugee, Park seems keen to dissect the foibles of her adopted compatriots and impervious to the gloom that has taken hold of the rest of the country.
“When I arrived, what I noticed about people in England is not that they are rich, but that they are always smiling, that they are relaxed and don’t seem to have any worries,” she enthuses.
“When I came here it was the first time I had seen that. Most people in the world are good — but especially in my town Bury and in England, because they are teaching me about happiness and about freedom.”
Rowntree’s is a quintessential British cafe specialising in cooked breakfasts and fish and chips. We both order the latter — mine with mushy peas, hers with gravy — and each get a can of Coke. I tell Park my own reason to be a little sentimental: my father was born and raised in neighbouring Bolton and prides himself on spotting a fellow Lancastrian a mile away. My only regret is that I have forgotten to seek out a serving of black pudding, popular in both Bury and North Korea and perhaps the only thing that connects the two places other than Park herself.
She was born in Chongjin in 1968 into a modest family that for much of her youth was faithful and obedient to the North Korean regime. But her father grew increasingly embittered as the family’s lowly class status restricted his children’s access to the universities they deserved to attend. Her mother, part of a generation of North Korean women who had taken to the black market to provide for their families, was engaging in increasingly risky illicit commercial activities.
In 1997, Park’s brother Jeong-ho deserted from the army. Her mother had already left for China, on the run from angry creditors after a business transaction went wrong. In the knowledge that “if Jeong-ho gets arrested, we all get arrested”, it was decided that Park, her sister, brother-in-law and niece should escape to China. The decision was unavoidable, but heart-rending: her father was too sick to leave his bed and they would never see him again.
“My father never told me what he thought until he finally told us to leave the country,” she says. “He was a brave person; he encouraged us even though he didn’t know if we would survive, and [that he] would never see us again. That’s why I will never give up encouraging North Koreans to be free.”
After several harrowing years in rural China, during which time she gave birth to her first son, Park moved to the north-eastern Chinese city of Harbin. In 2004, she was ratted out to the authorities and deported back to Chongjin, where she was left to rot in a detention centre. She was released only because she had a gangrenous leg and the guards “didn’t want another death on the books”.
She bribed her way back into China and was reunited with her son. Their attempt to escape to Mongolia failed, but during that aborted mission she met her present husband, a warm-hearted North Korean whom she credits with saving their lives.
I became a Eurosceptic after a trip to the European parliament. I was shocked! I had learnt that Britain was an ‘empire country’, so why was it like a colony of all these other countries?
In 2008, the family were granted asylum in the UK and moved to Manchester. They eventually settled in Bury, where Park and her husband had another son and a daughter. I ask her what else she noticed about her new neighbours.
“I never drink, I never smoke, so for me it was difficult to understand how many ladies here get drunk, they smoke and they shout in the street.” She is speaking affectionately and wholly without reproach. “And the other thing is that friends use the F-word to each other! They are not each other’s enemies, so why do they use these words?”
Once in Britain, Park began a new chapter as a human-rights activist and advocate for the rights of refugees. But she rose to national prominence in 2021, when she was selected to stand — ultimately unsuccessfully — as a council candidate for the Conservative party.
She puts her decision to join the party down to Brexit, though as she later explains, this was not the issue that would eventually push her into running for local office.
“I joined the Conservative party in 2017, after the Brexit referendum,” she says. “I became a Eurosceptic after a trip to the European parliament in 2015 for a meeting about refugee issues. I was shocked! I had learnt that Britain was an ‘empire country’, so why was it like a colony of all these other countries?”
She likens the EU to a North Korean apartment building, which is typically presided over by an inminbanjan, normally an older married woman who monitors every aspect of its residents’ lives on behalf of the state.
“Britain is a country which should have its own life, not controlled by other European countries like Germany or France,” she says. “When Brexit happened, I was really happy. I will never regret my decision, and I still support it.”
The cafe is busy, and I wonder how many of our fellow diners share her Brexit convictions. I ask her about Boris Johnson, who at the time of our meeting is yet to be defenestrated by Conservative MPs. Given her staunch support for leaving the EU, I expect enthusiasm. But the temperature drops.
“I’m really disappointed. He broke my heart and the hearts of many, many people,” she says. She was revolted by the illegal parties in Downing Street during coronavirus lockdowns. “He has broken laws — it’s not normal. He has done great things, but he’s not our leader nowadays and I hope he resigns.”
Did the “partygate” scandal resonate with her because, like many Britons during the pandemic, she was not given the chance to say a proper farewell to a beloved relative? “Yes, people were dying every day and I felt helpless. It reminded me of the trauma in North Korea,” she says.
That feeling of helplessness encouraged her to start collecting and delivering food and medical supplies to vulnerable people in the town. “That’s why I started volunteering, and why I decided to stand as a candidate in a local election.”
Refugees are not illegal people — we are humans from countries that destroyed our rights
As a Conservative party member and advocate for the rights of refugees, what does she make of the government’s plans to transport migrants seeking asylum in the UK to Rwanda?
“When the policy was first announced, I agreed with it because it is meant to deal with the deaths [from] illegal crossings of the Channel as a result of human trafficking,” she says. “I understand the people in the boats. When we were trying to get to Mongolia, it was either death or survival, and we had a 50/50 chance. Human trafficking doesn’t just kill the physical body, it kills the soul.
“But what makes me really angry is refugees being sent back to Afghanistan, Syria and other countries where there are no human rights. That makes me really angry! We are not illegal people — we are humans from countries that destroyed our rights.”
As we talk, a clear distinction emerges between big universal issues such as refugee rights, human trafficking, sexual violence against women and the predations of totalitarian regimes on the one hand, and questions relating more narrowly to British domestic, local and party politics on the other.
For Park, the former category relates directly to her own experiences. These are the causes about which she has strong feelings, on which she is a vocal public advocate.
But her life as a Conservative party member and a council candidate appears to be something else. Paradoxically, her entry into local politics and campaigning on issues such as fly-tipping were expressions of her right to a private life — a life that the Kim regime had made impossible.
“People ask me why I’m a Conservative. But I am just expressing my voice. I don’t do it because I support a party. I do it because I am an activist, I want to help people. I have freedom of choice,” she says.
“This is my hometown. When I do my human rights activism, I am strong, with a loud voice. But here in Bury, I am totally different. I am with people visiting the market, buying vegetables and fish, laughing together. I sit in the back garden with a cup of tea. In North Korea, there is no difference between work and life — it is just politics, politics, politics.”
If you were wondering about the fish and chips, they hit the spot. Both satisfied, we take a walk through the town centre and sit on a bench near a statue of Robert Peel, a 19th-century Conservative prime minister and one of Bury’s most famous sons. The little square is calm and pleasant, with pubs on one side and an Anglican church on the other.
I ask Park about China. Arriving there after her family’s escape from North Korea in 1997, she realised that she had effectively been sold into slavery. She was raped by a “marriage-broker” and forcibly married to a local farmer. In her memoir, the brutality she experiences in North Korea comes predominantly at the hands of the state. But in China it seems to come from the society around her.
Menu
Rowntree’s Cafe
58 The Rock, Bury BL9 0PB
Fish and chips (with mushy peas or gravy) x2 £16.70
Coca-Cola x2 £2.40
Total £19.10
Park’s story shines a light on the fact that, for decades, the only way for many North Korean women to escape the regime has been by selling themselves (or being sold, often tricked and informed only when it is too late) as wives to Chinese farmers in a region where most local women leave to find jobs in the cities.
She describes being taken to “a sort of exhibition hall where an auction was taking place . . . It was not simply a market where men came to buy women. Entire families came to purchase workers — slaves to plough their fields instead of oxen.”
Because these women have no legal rights in China, they often have no legal claim to the children born of these marriages, forcing them to choose between remaining in servitude or running away and never seeing their children again. In one devastating passage in her memoir, Park reveals that the people who sold her to the traffickers behind her back were her own mother and sister.
“The money this marriage will bring in will save our family. We will be grateful to you to the end of our days,” her mother told her after she realised she had been tricked.
As we sit on the bench, I ask her how she feels now about her mother, with whom she has no means of contact. “I am still angry at my mother. But I also understand she had no choice. She had to think about the whole family. They depended on me, and I saved their lives.” She wipes away a tear. “But still, the memory is painful. I am not only a mother, I am a mother’s child as well.”
I feel wretched about asking her to revisit those times. But she appears reinvigorated, as if reminded why she was meeting me in the first place.
“But it also means I have a duty to speak out, because I am a truly free person. It is not only about getting information to North Koreans, but about getting it to South Koreans and everybody else too. Too many journalists write about Kim Jong Un’s hairstyle, or if he likes Swiss cheese, and not about the crimes he is committing.”
How does one person carry so much — the pain of a family lost and life destroyed, and the joy and challenge of a new family and a new life in such an unfamiliar place?
She credits her family and her memoir’s co-author, Seh-lynn Chai, who is from South Korea, with helping her confront her past and unearth fragments of happy memories from her North Korean life.
“It is not one person carrying all this. Seh-lynn saved my life, she gave me happiness and smiles. I share it with others, I share it with you, you share it through this interview. The pen can kill innocent people, but it can also kill the devil.”
I am getting a little emotional. In the three weeks that I have been back home in the UK after a year in South Korea, she is the only person I meet to express any contentment, or any optimism about the future.
“England is still a free and democratic country, not because only English people live here, but because English people and refugees live together.” Robert Peel is peeking over her shoulder. “English people teach us the language and the culture, and we tell them about freedom and why it is important. That’s why the country is still strong.”
She returns to her favourite subject. “I love being in the north of England. It is relaxed and it is lovely talking to people. You know the neighbours, you solve some problems together.” She giggles. “I love being a northerner.”
Christian Davies is the FT’s Seoul bureau chief
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Financial Times · by Christian Davies · September 23, 2022
14. Benefitting from South Korea's soft power
Excerpts:
Meanwhile, President Yoon said that “concrete cooperation will be made on supply chain matters and economic security. Indonesia is rich in strategic minerals such as nickel, which is an important material for the high-technology industry of South Korea”.
To the general public, bilateral relations between Indonesia and South Korea have so far focused on investment and business. Indonesia needs to be more proactive in wooing South Korea’s investment in the creative economy as a source of soft power and foreign exchange revenue.
Indonesia cannot just stand still and wait for the generosity of other nations.
Benefitting from South Korea's soft power
Kornelius Purba (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta ● Sat, September 24, 2022
thejakartapost.com · by The Jakarta Post
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Kornelius Purba (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta ● Sat, September 24, 2022 2022-09-24 02:18 0 653438bc42be6680ce39d10d73e8586d 1 Academia South-Korea,soft-power,K-pop,BTS,Black-Pink,K-Drama,China,Japan,ASEAN,creative-economy,mineral,EV Free
Few would doubt that South Korea outperforms China and Japan when it comes to soft power, although on the economic scale the former trails far behind its East Asian neighbors known as the world’s second and third largest economies respectively.
Now the time has come for South Korea to prove it can do better than its giant neighbors in maximizing its strength to help other nations develop, rather than simply reaping the financial benefits from its soft power.
South Korea has a bitter history with its two neighbors. Japan is its former colonial master, and until today many Korean people still cannot forgive the Japanese military brutality during the occupation era. China and South Korea established their diplomatic ties in August 1992, or 44 years after Korea declared its independence from Japan on Aug. 15, 1948. China played a part in the Korean War and has been the main supporter of North Korea from the very beginning.
Some of my South Korean friends initially laughed but then nodded when I said that South Korean people should feel grateful to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, his father Kim Jong-il and his grandfather Kim Il-sung because thanks to their wars on the South, South Korea could build its economy much faster than it should have been able to.
With the idea of Korean reunification fading, the South just wants the North to stop its nuclear threats and focus on economic development. Big powers such as the United States, China and Japan also prefer the status quo for many reasons.
South Korea should thank Japan, because its military occupation during World War II strongly motivated Korea to seek revenge, not by invading Japan back but by defeating its former colonial master, especially in the race for high technologies and culture that would enable it to “conquer” the world.
China also plays a crucial role. Its persistent defense of the North, its big brother attitude and its territorial claim have allowed South Korea to grow stronger. Now China has no choice but to accept interdependent economic and trade relations with South Korea. While China remains the strongest ally of North Korea, it is also realistic and needs an economically strong South Korea.
South Korea has invested billions of dollars to promote its traditional and pop culture products – movies, music and online games – to create the Korea Wave which has been spreading across the globe, counterbalancing the power of Hollywood and US pop cultural products. It proves that not only English-speaking countries can dominate global pop culture.
Now boy band BTS and girl band Blackpink, K-drama and K-pop have become household names, along with Samsung and Hyundai, kimchi and bulgogi. Young Indonesians now pay more attention to Korean pop culture and the number of Indonesians studying in Korea has increased significantly.
The latest fruit of Korean investment in pop culture is the television series Squid Games which just won six Emmy Awards out of 14 categories. Lead actor Lee Jung-jae created history as Asia’s first to win the best actor in a drama series. In 2020, South Korean movie Parasite won four Oscars, including best picture, the first victory for a foreign movie.
Joseph S. Nye Jr, the father of the soft power theory told a discussion group on South Korea in October last year that the world was impressed by the South’s great economic success and democratic achievement. He suggested that the South boost its soft power globally.
“But here’s an area where I think Korea could do more. I think Korea could be outstanding in terms of demonstrating through its international policies what success means. And if I were to say of the three pillars, resources for soft power, to my mind that would be the one that Korea might do more of,” said the Harvard professor.
According to him, South Korea needed to emulate Norway. which only has about 5 million people. “But with its democratic culture at home, its policies of 1 percent of its GDP given for aid to developing countries, its interest in mediating peace agreements, Norway punches above its weight, so to speak. So, there’s a small country with a lot of soft power,” said the professor.
But it seems that other countries, including Indonesia, still regard South Korea thanks to its hard power superiority. In the meantime, Seoul should move further by maximizing its abundant soft power resources not just for its economic and business interests but to magnify its global role and influence.
In the last few years, we have yet to hear South Korea offer its Southeast Asian neighbors collaboration by sharing its know-how, which would allow the 10-member ASEAN to benefit from South Korean soft power. After all, ASEAN is seeking to transform into a sociocultural community that is aware and proud of its identity, culture and heritage.
Just one month after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol agreed to boost the implementation of the Indonesia-South Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IK-CEPA) during their bilateral summit in Seoul, the House of Representatives ratified the agreement in August. The two countries first signed the economic deal in 2020.
The Jakarta Post quoted President Jokowi as saying that the agreement would boost economic ties between the two countries in industrial, infrastructure, employment and trade. Korea’s investment has helped to accelerate Indonesia’s rapid economic growth, especially in the “steel industry, petrochemicals, batteries, electric vehicles, power cable industry, telecommunication and renewable energy.
Meanwhile, President Yoon said that “concrete cooperation will be made on supply chain matters and economic security. Indonesia is rich in strategic minerals such as nickel, which is an important material for the high-technology industry of South Korea”.
To the general public, bilateral relations between Indonesia and South Korea have so far focused on investment and business. Indonesia needs to be more proactive in wooing South Korea’s investment in the creative economy as a source of soft power and foreign exchange revenue.
Indonesia cannot just stand still and wait for the generosity of other nations.
***
The writer is senior editor at The Jakarta Post.
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thejakartapost.com · by The Jakarta Post
De Oppresso Liber,
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Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
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