Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"You must not only aim right, but draw the bow with all your might."

- Henry David Thoreau

"Yet somehow our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is in the way that it cares for its helpless members."

- Pearl Buck

"It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

1. A Korean War Christmas miracle: How a 59-person ship saved 14,000 refugees

2. U.S., Asian Allies Quicken Response to North Korean Missiles

3. N. Korea set to convene plenary meeting of ruling party this week

4. South Korea Is Slowly Becoming a Submarine Superpower

5. Ep. 42 Yungho Kim: Yoon Government’s North Korea Policy after Camp David - “Free and Peaceful, Unified Korea”

6. ＜Investigation Inside N. Korea＞ How is the country’s fishing industry doing? (1)　COVID and shrinking fishing grounds major problems…Kim regime’s restrictions on fishing lead some fishermen to financial collapse

7. Kim Jong UN bans Christmas, but activists send gifts of Bibles, food and messages of hope

8. North Korea expected to renew efforts to promote tourism next year

9. Number of Koreans studying in China dwindles 78% from 6 years ago

10. North Korea's economy contracts for third straight year

11. Reincarnated ROKS Cheonan frigate heads to the front lines

12. Grant our Korean War records Unesco Heritage

13. Foreign workers in S. Korea reach all-time high of 1 million

14. Did North Korea play a role in Hamas terrorism?

15. Why China is keeping its distance as Russia and North Korea cosy up

1. A Korean War Christmas miracle: How a 59-person ship saved 14,000 refugees

Something to reflect on this Christmas Day. The tragedy and sacrifice of war and good men and women doing the right thing for the right reasons and creating miracles.

A Korean War Christmas miracle: How a 59-person ship saved 14,000 refugees

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/12/24/meredith-victory-korean-christmas-miracle/

By George Bass

December 24, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. EST

About 14,000 Korean refugees crowded onboard the SS Meredith Victory in December 1950, as it transported them from Hungnam, North Korea, to South Korea during the Korean War. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)

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The Korean War took a terrible human toll, claiming the lives of 5 million military personnel and civilians. It also caused 1.5 million North Korean citizens to flee their homeland.

About 14,000 of them made their escape at Christmastime in 1950 — on a single ship with a 59-person capacity.

The conflict, which had broken out six months earlier, was the culmination of tensions that had begun in August 1945, when Korea was occupied by opposing Soviet and U.S. forces and split into two zones. Five years later, following the outbreak of war, a United Nations Command force led by the United States was sent to assist the Republic of Korea in the south.

The UNC troops were soon driven to the port of Busan, at the southern tip of the peninsula. By October, the Chinese Communist Forces had joined the war, supporting the North Koreans to surround UNC forces at the Chosin Reservoir on Nov. 27.

Enter Capt. Leonard LaRue. LaRue was a U.S. Merchant Marine officer who as a child had been entranced by tales of service on the high seas. Enlisting at age 20, he served in the six-year Battle of the Atlantic between Allied and German navies from 1939 to 1945.

Having sailed into Soviet ports and across perilous Arctic waters and survived brushes with Hitler’s U-boats, LaRue was well placed when Merchant Marine cargo vessels were called upon to supply besieged U.S. forces in Korea.

Korean War hero priest’s remains identified

His ship, the SS Meredith Victory, was an unarmed freighter with five cargo holds, each comprising three decks. Built by the California Shipbuilding Corp. and first deployed in 1945, it had formed part of the government’s Pacific and Atlantic cargo service.

In June 1950, the Meredith Victory was consigned to the James River Reserve Fleet, where it was due to be deactivated. A month later, with the Korean War underway, the U.S. Military Sea Transportation Service requested that all reserve ships be reactivated.

The Meredith Victory was redeployed as one of a network of military vessels that, alongside resources sent by the U.S. Army and Air Force, would deliver military materiel — fuel, trucks, ammunition — across the Pacific.

A long stream of Korean refugees board a vessel in North Korea's Hungnam harbor on Dec. 21, 1950, as they flee the advancing Chinese Communist and North Korean forces. (AP)

As its captain, LaRue found himself at anchor off North Korea when the Hungnam evacuation began. The attack by the North Koreans and the Chinese Communist Forces — who together numbered 250,000 — had driven 100,000 troops and 90,000 refugees from the mountains of North Korea onto the beaches. On Dec. 9, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the American commander in chief of the UNC, ordered an evacuation by sea.

“I trained my binoculars on the shore and saw a pitiable scene,” LaRue was later quoted as saying in Bill Gilbert’s 2000 book “Ship of Miracles.” The docks were teeming with North Korean refugees who had been threatened with beheading by Chinese Communist Forces personnel, who were accusing them of desertion and aiding the Americans.

Using booms and improvised hand-built elevators, LaRue filled the Meredith Victory — which was 450 feet long, 50 feet wide and designed to carry 35 crew members, 12 officers and a maximum of 12 passengers — with 14,000 fleeing civilians. Refugees stood chest to chest or lay on top of deck machinery and jet fuel drums.

In a 1960 interview with This Week magazine, LaRue described his ensuing 28-hour voyage to Busan. “We were facing waters mined by the enemy with a vessel that had no means of detecting them or destroying them,” he said. “We knew that Communist submarines, operating in the vicinity, could easily spot us and sink us with a torpedo.” Of the jet fuel against which refugees were resting, he observed, “A spark could turn the ship into a funeral pyre.”

Korean War vets gather in Arlington for first time since pandemic

After a journey of almost 450 nautical miles, the Meredith Victory arrived at Busan on Christmas Eve 1950.

The authorities turned the ship away because the city was overrun with retreating military personnel and evacuees who had arrived earlier. After requesting some blankets, food, water and interpreters — which took more than seven hours to arrive, according to the ship’s log — LaRue and his quarry were directed onward to Geoje Island, 50 miles to the southwest.

North Korean civilians, loaded down with possessions, line up to enter a landing ship tank for evacuation from Hungnam on Dec. 20, 1950. (Max Desfor/AP)

They reached its shores on Christmas Day, with not one life lost. Tank landing ships were attached to the hull of the Meredith Victory, and the 14,000 refugees were winched down into them, 16 at a time, in swelling, near-freezing seas.

Accounts describe the Koreans giving half-bows as they left the freighter that had carried them from certain death. Bob Lunney, a staff officer on board, stated, “There was no overwhelming joy on their faces because they had only begun their journey to freedom.”

Unaware of the trek ahead of them were five new additions to the 14,000 refugees: the so-called “Kimchi babies” who had been born to expectant mothers during the voyage. Their nickname came from one of the few Korean words that the U.S. crewmen recognized.

One of the Kimchi children, Lee Gyeong Pil, would remain on Geoje with his parents and go on to become a goodwill ambassador, as well as a veterinarian tending the island’s 3,500 cattle. Another, Sohn Yang Young, would grow up watching his parents lament the loss of his siblings, who had been left behind in North Korea with family members. They were never seen again.

LaRue remained in command of the Meredith Victory until its decommissioning in 1952. Two years later, he entered St. Paul Benedictine Abbey in New Jersey and became a Benedictine monk, taking the name Brother Marinus.

He stayed there until his death in October 2001, serving as a gift-shop worker, dishwasher and bell ringer. After a canonization cause was opened on his behalf in 2019, 99 percent of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted to confer sainthood upon him.

Their gratitude was shared by the son of two of the refugees he rescued: Moon Jae-in, who following his birth on Geoje in 1953 would go on to become president of South Korea from 2017 until 2022. During his first year in office, he attended a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va., and imparted a memory on behalf of his then-90-year-old mother.

“On the 24th of December [1950], halfway through the voyage, American soldiers handed out a candy droplet to each refugee on board as Christmas presents,” the president recounted. “Although it was but one droplet, I will always be grateful to the U.S. service members with such caring hearts for giving Christmas presents to so many refugees in the middle of a devastating war.”

By George Bass

George Bass is a feature writer based in Britain who has contributed to the Guardian, the New York Times, the New Scientist and the Financial Times. Twitter

2. U.S., Asian Allies Quicken Response to North Korean Missiles

We are living the Nietzsche philosophy - that which does not kill me makes me stronger. With each provocation the US alliances and trilateral cooperation gets stronger and stronger.

I know it is counterintuitive but Kim Jong Un's strategy is failing in one major line of effort - to split US alliances. His political warfare strategy to subvert the ROK/US alliance is not working. The key condition Kim Jong Un needs for ultimate success is to drive the US troops off the peninsula. He is not going to be successful anytime soon.

U.S., Asian Allies Quicken Response to North Korean Missiles

Sharing tracking information in real time will improve chances of interception in the event of an attack

https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/u-s-asian-allies-quicken-response-to-north-korean-missiles-c076faec?mod=hp_lead_pos5

By Dasl Yoon

Updated Dec. 25, 2023 12:02 am ET

U.S., South Korean and Japanese military aircraft participate in a joint drill over South Korea. PHOTO: SOUTH KOREAN DEFENSE MINISTRY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEOUL—In October 2021, South Korea said it had detected a ballistic missile fired from a North Korean submarine. Japan initially said it was two missiles.

The U.S. and its Asian allies have for years collected lots of information on North Korean weapons tests, but the data has still offered only a partial and sometimes imperfect picture of what has been happening in real time. In the 2021 test, it turned out to be just one missile—Japan later corrected its initial statement.

Now the U.S., South Korea and Japan are trying to close the information gaps. The three countries began sharing the missile-tracking data they gather in real time last week. Previously, Japan and South Korea shared their missile data with the U.S., but the two countries shared only partial data with each other.

The new arrangement was in part symbolic, capping a year in which South Korea and Japan have made major strides toward improving their historically tense relations. The South Korean and Japanese leaders held their first in-person summit in over a decade in March, agreeing to deepen military and economic ties and work toward setting aside longstanding disputes. In August, they met with President Biden at a summit at Camp David.

The data sharing could also help the U.S. and its allies respond more quickly to a North Korean missile launch by giving them a more comprehensive picture in real time. That could potentially buy minutes to analyze the data and improve the chances of intercepting a missile in the case of an attack, said Tianran Xu, an analyst for the Open Nuclear Network, a research group based in Vienna.

“In wartime, every second counts,” Xu said.

People in Seoul watch a TV report about a North Korean missile launch earlier this month. PHOTO: YONHAP NEWS/ZUMA PRESS

The information sharing is also intended to be a deterrent to North Korea, which halted its engagement in talks with Washington and instead focused on making rapid improvements in its weapons technology. Pyongyang denounced the plan as an “extremely dangerous military act” aimed at laying the groundwork for an invasion of North Korea.

While the sharing of real-time information is limited to North Korean missiles, the closer cooperation between the U.S. and its allies is also aimed at pressuring China.

China has been wary of the U.S. strengthening regional alliances and has accused the U.S., South Korea and Japan of stoking tensions in the region. In August, following the summit at Camp David, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said “attempts to form various exclusive groups and cliques and to bring bloc confrontation into the Asia-Pacific region” would backfire.

A U.S. military helicopter flies over Terminal High Altitude Area Defense launch vehicles in Seongju, South Korea. PHOTO: YONHAP/ZUMA PRESS

A U.S. missile-defense system installed in South Korea and expected to be fully operational next year has angered Beijing and led to economic retaliation against Seoul. The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense is designed to shoot down North Korean missiles, but the system’s radar is capable of reaching into China.

The information-sharing system has the potential to expand to monitor China, something the U.S. has in mind, said Bang Jong-kwan, a former South Korean army major general. In the event of a security crisis in the region, the U.S. would benefit from additional monitoring of China’s growing long-range missile arsenal and hypersonic missiles, he said.

“The radars may not be pointed in China’s direction now, but the trilateral coordination itself has a deterrent effect,” Bang said.

The U.S., South Korea and Japan have satellites, land-based radar, naval vessels and reconnaissance aircraft that can detect and track North Korean missiles, from the launches through their flights. Each country helps provide different pieces of the puzzle.

Within seconds of North Korea firing a missile, U.S. satellites using infrared sensors detect heat from the missile’s engine and the information is automatically shared with allies. South Korea’s land-based radars, which provide more coverage due to proximity to the North, are better equipped to track the ascent of the missile, while Japanese destroyers equipped with radars in their U.S.-built Aegis Combat Systems can better track the descent into the waters between Korea and Japan, which is usually where North Korean missiles fall.

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When Japan and South Korea shared the data through the U.S. as an intermediary, there was a lag in analyzing the other side’s data. Now the missile radar systems are linked to a common platform at the U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii. The information gathered at the hub will be accessible by all three countries in real time.

“It is very significant because it takes just about 10 minutes for a missile from North Korea to reach Japan,” said Narushige Michishita, a professor and regional security expert at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.

A warning message in Japan telling residents of Okinawa to take cover indoors after a missile was launched from North Korea last month. PHOTO: ISSEI KATO/REUTERS

In April, Japan issued a false missile warning alert that triggered sirens and urged more than five million people on the northern island of Hokkaido to seek shelter from a suspected North Korean ballistic missile. Officials switched off the alarm after gaining updated information about the missile’s trajectory.

“With all the data out there, we learn piece by piece what the North Koreans are up to,” said Chun In-bum, a former special forces commander in the South Korean army. “If we get the same data at the same time, it means accurate early warning and better analysis.”

Early detection gives authorities more time to decide how to react to a surprise enemy attack, and the shared information system will allow Washington and its allies to determine which asset is best positioned to intercept more quickly, military analysts say. One challenge will be that North Korea has been building more maneuverable missiles capable of evading defenses.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in a striped tie, shakes hands with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. PHOTO: KYODONEWS/ZUMA PRESS

The system will also require political will to keep it in place. The improved ties this year are partly due to the efforts of the three leaders involved. Biden has sought to strengthen cooperation with South Korea and Japan to counter China and North Korea. The North’s rapid weapons advances have stirred debate in South Korea over whether the country can continue to rely on the U.S.’s extended deterrence.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has made it a priority to mend ties with Japan. The relationship between the two countries has long been plagued by historical disputes stemming from Japan’s 1910-45 colonization of Korea. Disputes between the two countries have at times proved disruptive to military ties. In 2019, South Korea threatened to withdraw from an agreement to share military intelligence with Japan.

There is always the risk of disputes between South Korea and Japan due to historical grievances reversing military agreements, said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

“Under the current leaders, it will be difficult for one country to break away from the information sharing,” Park said. “But the U.S., Japan and South Korea will have to continue to see it as an advantage for it to last.”

Alastair Gale and Chieko Tsuneoka contributed to this article.

Write to Dasl Yoon at dasl.yoon@wsj.com

3. N. Korea set to convene plenary meeting of ruling party this week

Excerpts:

Experts said Kim is widely expected to use the upcoming meeting to deliver a hostile message against the U.S. and South Korea and lay out a set of measures to bolster its military capabilities, including a detailed plan to launch additional military spy satellites.

North Korea has vowed to strengthen solidarity with countries standing against the U.S. and is seeking to bolster its ties with China, the North's main economic benefactor, and Russia amid strengthening security cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.

In particular, North Korea has been bolstering its military cooperation with Russia this year following the summit between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September.

N. Korea set to convene plenary meeting of ruling party this week | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · December 25, 2023

SEOUL, Dec. 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is set to hold a key party meeting this week amid expectations that its leader Kim Jong-un will likely reaffirm a hard-line stance against the United States and unveil plans to strengthen its military capabilities.

The North's state media earlier reported the country will convene the ninth plenary meeting of the eighth central committee of the ruling Workers' Party late in December to review this year's state policies and set policy goals for next year. It did not elaborate on when the meeting would be held.

In recent years, the North's leader has used a year-end party plenary meeting as a venue to deliver his major speech to replace his annual New Year's Day address.

Experts said Kim is widely expected to use the upcoming meeting to deliver a hostile message against the U.S. and South Korea and lay out a set of measures to bolster its military capabilities, including a detailed plan to launch additional military spy satellites.

North Korea has vowed to strengthen solidarity with countries standing against the U.S. and is seeking to bolster its ties with China, the North's main economic benefactor, and Russia amid strengthening security cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.

In particular, North Korea has been bolstering its military cooperation with Russia this year following the summit between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September.

The U.S. and South Korea suspected that Pyongyang has supplied artillery and munitions to Moscow for use in Russia's war in Ukraine. In return, North Korea might have received technical assistance from Russia for its launch of a military spy satellite.

Last month, North Korea put a military spy satellite into orbit after two failed attempts in May and August. North Korea said it will launch more of such satellites in a short span of time and decide on a spy satellite launch plan for 2024 at the upcoming key party meeting.

Last year, North Korea laid out 12 major economic goals for this year, placing top priority on boosting grain production amid the country's food shortages.

This image, captured from footage of North Korea's Korea Central Television on Dec. 2, 2023, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un (C) presiding over a politburo meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · December 25, 2023

4. South Korea Is Slowly Becoming a Submarine Superpower

Excerpts:

In November, Admiral Kim Myung-soo, the nominee for the ROK Joint Chief of Staff claimed that South Korea needs to have nuclear submarine capabilities despite the ROK-U.S. nuclear agreement remains a political challenge to overcome. However, recent movements have shown that two major parties of Korea are calling for the revision of the agreement as to obtain nuclear submarine capabilities, NavalNews.com first reported.

"While those capabilities are needed, there are clear limitations as to what South Korea can do due to the current ROK-U.S. nuclear agreement restricts the use of nuclear materials in military use," Kim said.

As NavalNews also noted, it remains a question for South Korea to find a long-term nuclear fuel supplier for its potential K-SSN fleet. However, an SSN fleet could be the best way to monitor and more importantly, deter North Korea's suspicious submarine activities than deploying Korea's nuclear submarines.

South Korea Is Slowly Becoming a Submarine Superpower

The Republic of Korea Navy (ROK Navy), or South Korea, continues to increase its submarine capabilities – a significant shift after years of having largely only midget subs.

The National Interest · by Peter Suciu · December 25, 2023

South Korea Looks to Increase its Submarine Force - The Republic of Korea Navy (ROK Navy), or South Korea, continues to increase its submarine capabilities – a significant shift after years of having largely only midget subs.

The Korean Attack Submarine program has been an ongoing effort that began in the 1990s to deter hostile submarines and surface ships; protect friendly naval bases and seashore communications; and carry out reconnaissance missions.

The KSS program called for a total of 27 diesel-electric attack submarines.

Beginning in the early 1990s, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) acquired nine 1,200-ton Jang Bogo-class submarines in the first phase of the program, KSS-I, while in the second phase, the ROK Navy acquired an additional nine 1,800-ton Type 214 submarines equipped with Air-independent propulsion (AIP). Those Sohn Wonyil-class boats are capable of launching cruise missiles.

South Korea's: The KSS-III Submarines

As part of the third phase, KSS-III, Seoul has built the first two of the planned nine boats of the Dosan Ahn Changho – and these are capable of firing submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM).

The KSS-III boats are significantly larger than South Korea's previous generation of German-designed KSS-II/Type 214 submarines. However, like the older KSS-II, the KSS-III class is powered by diesel-electric with supplemental AIP capabilities using fuel cell technology, which provides top speeds of 20 knots and extended underwater operations lasting as long as 20 days.

According to the U.S. Naval Institute, the Dosan Ahn Changho class is fitted with an innovative vertical launch system (VLS) above the sail. The VLS can carry six conventionally armed SLBMs for land attack. Reportedly named the Hyunmoo 4-4, the non-nuclear SLBMs have a range of 270 nautical miles and were successfully test-launched from the Dosan Ahn Changho in September 2021. The KSS-III submarines can reportedly carry advanced sensors and weapons, including bow, flank, and towed-array sonars and six 21-inch bow tubes for heavyweight torpedoes, such as the new Tiger Shark.

Contract Awarded For a Stealth Submarine

This month, Hanwha Ocean announced Wednesday the shipbuilding giant has signed a contract with the government agency Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement to develop a more capable "stealth submarine.

According to a report from UPI, the latest focus will be on developing a new degaussing device designed to cut down on the magnetic field generated by submarines so they can better avoid detection. The South Korean company is the only firm in the country to boast a full range of submarines, with its midsize vessels in commission under Korea's and Indonesia's navies.

"With the submarines being hidden under water, there has been less of an interest in their stealth technology than, for say, fighter jets. We feel, hence, that there is actually a big room for growth," a Hanwha Ocean official told UPI News Korea. "Our aim is to develop submarines equipped with the world's best stealth technology, an effort that will help us improve our leadership in the global maritime defense market, including the United States and Europe."

Hanwha Ocean was also awarded a 1.1 trillion won (US$845 million) contract to build a 3,600-ton submarine for the ROK Navy. The construction of the submarine is expected to be completed by 2029, with the deployment to the South Korean Navy expected in 2031 following two years of testing.

Going Nuclear?

In November, Admiral Kim Myung-soo, the nominee for the ROK Joint Chief of Staff claimed that South Korea needs to have nuclear submarine capabilities despite the ROK-U.S. nuclear agreement remains a political challenge to overcome. However, recent movements have shown that two major parties of Korea are calling for the revision of the agreement as to obtain nuclear submarine capabilities, NavalNews.com first reported.

"While those capabilities are needed, there are clear limitations as to what South Korea can do due to the current ROK-U.S. nuclear agreement restricts the use of nuclear materials in military use," Kim said.

As NavalNews also noted, it remains a question for South Korea to find a long-term nuclear fuel supplier for its potential K-SSN fleet. However, an SSN fleet could be the best way to monitor and more importantly, deter North Korea's suspicious submarine activities than deploying Korea's nuclear submarines.

Author Experience and Expertise

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The National Interest · by Peter Suciu · December 25, 2023

5. Ep. 42 Yungho Kim: Yoon Government’s North Korea Policy after Camp David - “Free and Peaceful, Unified Korea”

25 minute English interview with Minister Kim Yungho with the East Asia Institute. He covers all the key issues of the Yoon administration policies from human rights to denuclearization to unification.

https://www.globalnk.org/interview/view?cd=INT000044

Ep. 42 Yungho Kim: Yoon Government’s North Korea Policy after Camp David - “Free and Peaceful, Unified Korea”

globalnk.org · by Professor of Korean Unification, Diplomacy and Security at Korea University

Interview | December 13, 2023

Yungho Kim

Minister of Unification, ROK

Yungho Kim, the Minister of Unification, elaborates on the ROK’s vision of a “free and peaceful, unified Korea.” He emphasizes that the Trilateral Camp David Summit in August 2023 marked a significant milestone for the ROK’s North Korea policy, reaffirming the “values-based” approach that prioritizes freedom, democracy, and human rights. Acknowledging that the ROK’s vision cannot be realized without securing human rights and freedom of the North Korean residents, the Ministry strives to raise global awareness on the issue, promote constructive roles from China and Russia, coordinate with international organizations like the UN, and depoliticize the provision of humanitarian aid. Assessing his first 100 days in office as a period of internal restructuring to conduct effective unification diplomacy, Minister Kim reiterates the Ministry’s commitment to achieve North Korea’s complete denuclearization, human rights improvement, greater international consensus towards the ROK’s vision of free and peaceful, unified Korea, and defector settlement support.

■ Yungho Kim_is the Minister of Unification of the Republic of Korea.

■ Typeset by: Jisoo Park, Research Associate

For inquiries: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 208) | jspark@eai.or.kr

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Inter-Korean Relations and Unification

Address : 1, Sajik-ro 7 gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03028, Republic of Korea

Company Registration Number : 104-82-07922 TEL : 82-2-2277-1683 FAX : 82-2-2277-1684

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Sung-wook Nam
Professor of Korean Unification, Diplomacy and Security at Korea University

globalnk.org · by Professor of Korean Unification, Diplomacy and Security at Korea University

Note that most all problems in north Korea can be attributed to the deliberate policy decisions of tKim Jong Un.

＜Investigation Inside N. Korea＞ How is the country’s fishing industry doing? (1)　COVID and shrinking fishing grounds major problems…Kim regime’s restrictions on fishing lead some fishermen to financial collapse

asiapress.org

A large North Korean fishing vessel discovered near Japan’s EEZ. A slogan can be seen on the boat that says: “Let’s defend to the death the Party Central Committee, which is led by the Great Comrade Kim Jong-un.” Party officials also ride on fishing ships to keep everyone in line ideologically. Taken in 2019 by the Ogi Fishing Cooperative in Ishikawa Prefecture.

North Korea’s economy has begun to regain some of its footing following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country’s fishing industry, which had been severely restricted for around three years over concerns that fishermen would import the virus, is also undergoing changes. What kind of situation is the industry facing now? From late November to early December, ASIAPRESS conducted a survey of the North Korean fishing industry using reporting partners inside the country. The results of the survey show that the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kim Jong-un regime’s various controls and restrictions, the skyrocketing of fuel prices, and the considerable shrinking of available fishing grounds, have led to the industry’s decline. The results of the survey will be explored over three installments. (KANG Ji-won / ISHIMARU Jiro)

◆ What was surveyed?

The survey involved reporting partners in North Hamgyung and Yanggang provinces exploring three areas: 1) the fishing situation in the East Sea region; 2) the state of transport and distribution of seafood; and 3) the cost of various seafood in markets. The reporting partners were unable to visit areas with seaports due to severe restrictions on their movement; however, they made domestic phone calls to people working in the fishing and seafood industries and met with local businesspeople involved in seafood sales. The survey was able to garner information about the situations in Chongjin, Kimchaek, Myongchon County, and Hamhung (South Hamgyung Province). The survey couldn’t gather information about the situation on the West Sea, unfortunately.

◆ How is the North Korean fishing industry structured?

North Korea’s fishing industry these days can be divided into four parts: 1) fishing collective unions; 2) state-run seafood companies; 3) seafood companies run by the military and trading companies; and 4) privately run fishing operations.

Fishing collective unions began with the collectivization of fishermen on the coasts. Fishermen who are part of these unions generally operate on small fishing boats.

State-run fishing companies generally use mid-sized to large-sized fishing boats to fish in areas far out at sea. Employees of these companies receive rations and salaries.

Companies run by the military and trading entities are focused on earning foreign currency and catching various kinds of seafood used in side dishes. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, these companies generally exported their products to China to earn money. Moreover, some companies were ordered by the government to provide food for side dishes at orphanages and elderly care facilities. The “January 18 Seafood Company,” which is run by the military, is one example of this, and its achievements are heavily promoted in state-run media outlets.

Finally, while privately-run businesses in their purest form do not exist in North Korea, people indebted to members of the wealthy entrepreneurial class (donju) build and operate small wooden fishing boats, which they register under the names of military and government agencies. The 2000s saw the rise of these kinds of businesspeople. Small wooden fishing boats that operated close to Japan’s EEZ are a good example of this. Boat operators acquire their own fishing equipment, engines, and fuel, and even the crew of the ships go out to sea on individual contracts. Agencies that lend their names to these private operators get 30-40% of the profits the fishermen make.

A North Korean wooden ship near Japan’s EEZ in late July 2018 (Japanese Coast Guard)

◆ The severe decline in fishing activities

Over the past three years since the start of the pandemic in January 2020, there is no doubt that North Korea’s fishing industry has faced great challenges. The biggest reason for this is that the North Korean authorities strictly restricted fishing boats from leaving port as part of efforts to prevent the virus from entering the country.

The health of North Korea’s fishing industry can partially be understood through data showing the number of “expulsion warnings” the Japanese coast guard has given to foreign ships entering the Yamato Bank fishing grounds, an area near Japan’s EEZ that is a key harvesting area for squid.

According to statistics from Japan’s coast guard, the number of warnings given to North Korean ships in 2019 was 4,007, while another 1,115 warnings were handed down to Chinese boats. However, in 2020, after the start of the pandemic, only one warning of the 4,393 handed out was given to a North Korean vessel. The rest were given to Chinese ships.

In 2021, the number of warnings given to North Korean ships fell to zero, but then in 2022, the number rose to 19 and, as of October 31, 2023, 24 warnings have been given out to North Korean ships (Over that same period, the number of warnings given to Chinese ships also fell drastically). The biggest reason for this fall in warnings was due to the North Korean government preventing ships from leaving port to fish. Another reason is likely the dramatic fall in squid available to fish in the Yamato Bank fishing grounds.

The Kim Jong-un regime shut down most of the trade flowing over the country’s borders immediately following the outbreak of COVID-19, which made it impossible for exports (in reality, smuggling) to continue. Moreover, the seafood restaurants that survived off Chinese tourists in Rason and other areas on the downstream of the Tumen River shut down completely when customers failed to show up anymore.

As this shows, even if fish are caught, they can’t be sold to many restaurants. The drastic fall in demand for seafood appears to have accelerated the decline in the fishing industry.

◆ Fishing industry still faces challenges even after COVID restrictions have eased

A seafood business owner in the East Sea coast told one of the reporting partners: “These days, pretty much the only ships operating are mid-sized to large-sized vessels owned by seafood companies and the seafood enterprises operated by government agencies. The smaller vessels operated by fishing collective unions and private businesspeople face so many challenges that they can’t go to sea.”

Private businesspeople operating small vessels have to undergo complicated and increasingly strict procedures to get their vessels out of port. For example, both fishing boat captains and their crew must be approved by the neighborhood watch units in their places of residence, the police, and the secret police. Military border patrol officials operate sentry posts at the entrances of ports, where boats are docked, which means that fishing boat crew may not be able to even board their vessels if they can’t get their documents approved.

The drastic fall in rich fishing grounds near coastal areas is also a major factor in the decline of North Korea’s fishing industry.

One reporting partner heard from fishermen that “China uses trolling ships to catch all of even the smallest types of fish, so there’s no more catch left in areas near the coasts. Fishing boats must venture far into the sea, but small wooden boats are severely restricted from leaving port because of so many incidents at sea in the past.”

The North Korean government has long sold rights to fish in its own EEZ to Chinese ships as a way to earn foreign currency. This is a violation of economic sanctions placed on the country by the UN Security Council. Now, North Korea’s fishing grounds close to shore have become depleted due to the government’s narrow focus on obtaining profits.

Accidents at sea refer to frequent discoveries of the wreckage of North Korean fishing boats on Japanese coasts from 2016 to 2018. This issue was even reported in the international media because so many horrible-looking corpses were found on the ships. Kim Jong-un, who lost face from the incidents, handed down an order in late 2018 to stop small ships from venturing far out to sea. The restrictions in place to prevent small ships from leaving ports are also aimed at preventing people from defecting the country through sea-based routes.

There are many people operating private fishing businesses whose operations have completely collapsed. “Many of the captains who enjoyed good earnings in the past have become so poor due to debt they are one step away from wandering around homeless. Fishermen who can’t go out to sea survive off the fish they catch through fishing on land and underwater; however, it’s hard for them to earn much that way,” the reporting partner said.

◆ Triple whammy: Lack of fishing equipment, no funds to repair ships, and skyrocketing fuel prices

The skyrocketing of international prices for oil has made things challenging for even seafood companies operating under government agencies.

“The government agencies don’t provide the companies with fuel, so they have no choice but to sell their catches to cover fuel costs. A lot of the time, there’s little business sense in them going far out to sea.”

Most North Korean mid-sized and large-sized vessels are extremely dilapidated as they were purchased second-hand from China and other foreign countries. There are no funds available to service them or purchase parts, and few of them can go out to sea because they require repairs.

Moreover, seafood companies under government agencies must fulfill quotas of seafood used for side dishes provided to the military, orphanages, and other facilities. (to be continued in the next installment)

A map of North Korea (ASIAPRESS)

asiapress.org

7. Kim Jong UN bans Christmas, but activists send gifts of Bibles, food and messages of hope

Dr. Scholte means the "royal we" - all of us - NGOs, civil societies, and governments who seek a better future for the Korean peninsula and East Asia.

Excerpt:

"We should be doing everything we can to get information into North Korea by land, by sea and by air," says Suzanne Scholte, chair of the Washington, D.C.-based North Korean Freedom Coalition which sponsored the messages. The operation is part of the group's "Operation Truth," which Scholte says, "is modeled after the Berlin Airlift, to get critical help to the starving people of North Korea."

Kim Jong UN bans Christmas, but activists send gifts of Bibles, food and messages of hope

North Korean Freedom Coalition challenges 'godless' dictator with teachings from Jesus

By Eric Shawn Fox News

Published December 24, 2023 8:00am EST

foxnews.com · by Eric Shawn Fox News

Video

North Korea launches ICBM that could reach any part of US: state TV

North Korean state TV published footage of the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile Monday. (KRT)

Christmas is banned in North Korea, but that is not stopping a group of activists from sending messages of hope, faith and freedom to the people suffering under the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un.

Flash drives celebrating the holiday, and including Bible readings, were launched into the Yellow Sea in bottles so that the currents will carry them to the shores of the North Korean peninsula.

"We should be doing everything we can to get information into North Korea by land, by sea and by air," says Suzanne Scholte, chair of the Washington, D.C.-based North Korean Freedom Coalition which sponsored the messages. The operation is part of the group's "Operation Truth," which Scholte says, "is modeled after the Berlin Airlift, to get critical help to the starving people of North Korea."

The group has conducted 17 launches of the bottles. Each bottle also contains enough rice to feed a family of four for a week, as well as a Bible on a flash drive and a U.S. $1 bill. Among those launching the messages were nine North Korean escapees who want to bring freedom to their homeland.

NORTH KOREA REPORTEDLY PERSECUTES CHRISTIANS MORE THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY AROUND THE WORLD: STUDY

The Washington, D.C.-based North Korean Freedom Coalition group has conducted 17 launches of bottles. Each one contains enough rice to feed a family of four for a week, as well as a Bible on a flash drive and a U.S. $1 bill. (Handout)

Scholte's Christmas message that is included in the bottles says in part, "Christmas, which is celebrated all over the world on December 25th, marks the day when Jesus was born...Many of your ancestors also believed in Jesus. IN fact, in 1907, in Pyongyang, there were so many Christians who believed in Jesus that Pyongyang became known as a Holy City. But when Kim II Sung came to power, he wanted North Koreans to worship him as a god, and not the one true God. So, he killed many Christian leaders, sent others to political prison camps, or banished them. He did all he could to kill the followers of Jesus Christ..."

The flash drives also contain North Korean music, changing the lyrics from worshiping Kim Jong Un to worshiping God. They also play K-Pop songs, the Books of Matthew and Mark, as well as recorded messages from several members of Congress touting freedom for the North Korean people. Among those who recorded messages were Senators Jim Risch and Tim Kaine, as well as Congressmen Michael McCaul and Gregory Meeks.

Video

MAN WHO FLED NORTH KOREA FOR AMERICA RETURNS TO FEED STARVING CITIZENS: 'GOD CALLED ME'

Flash drives celebrating the holiday, including Bible readings, were launched into the Yellow Sea in bottles so that the currents could carry them to the shores of the North Korean peninsula. (Handout)

The North Korean Freedom Coalition started the outreach in 2022. It also has sent 600 shortwave radios with ear buds into the kingdom. During the summer, they started a program for Americans to order items that could be delivered to North Korea.

Scholte said that an increasing number of North Koreans are learning about the outside world because of the efforts of her group.

"We must communicate to the people in power in Pyongyang that they have friends and allies in Korea and America, who have only one desire for them: to share with the benefits of a free people, to give them a life of home instead of despair," she said.

"Those in leadership positions in the DPRK regime wake up in the morning with only two choices in their lives: being slaves devoted to Kim Jong Un or death and their families' deaths. That is why so many began escaping -not just for food, but for freedom, for a better life."

KIM JONG UN WEEPS AS HE CALLS ON NORTH KOREAN WOMEN TO HAVE MORE CHILDREN TO STEM BIRTH RATE DECLINE

Suzanne Scholte's Christmas message that is included in the bottles says in part, "Christmas, which is celebrated all over the world on December 25th, marks the day when Jesus was born...Many of your ancestors also believed in Jesus." (iStock)

Scholte's group and the Defense Forum Foundation also help operate Free North Korea Radio, a station that broadcasts news and information into North Korea. Its director, Kim Song Min, escaped in 1997, and despite attempts by the dictatorship to jam its programming, the station has broadcast on shortwave and on the internet.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the Americans for standing with us to help us reach the people of North Korea with the truth about America and South Korea," he said.

"North Koreans are brainwashed from childhood to hate Americans as their enemy and believe that America occupies South Korea, making them live in misery while North Korea prospers as a paradise under the Kim dictatorship."

'CHRISTMAS SERMON' BY AUTHOR C.S. LEWIS WARNED OF A WORLD THAT NO LONGER KNEW RIGHT FROM WRONG

Christmas is banned in North Korea under the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

There is another message that the activists are delivering to the North Korean people, one bottle at a time.

Scholte said that message is what Americans cherish. "The benefits of a free people, a life of hope instead of despair."

Another message that activists are delivering to North Koreans are what Americans cherish, "the benefits of a free people, a life of hope instead of despair." (iStock)

Fox News' Emily Robertson contributed to this report.

Follow Eric Shawn on Twitter: @EricShawnTV

foxnews.com · by Eric Shawn Fox News

8. North Korea expected to renew efforts to promote tourism next year

Is this really the answer for the regime? Tourism?

Excerpts:

With little progress on the economy, North Korea will likely highlight the achievements of its military at the party’s meeting, according to Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.

“The policy direction of the regime has been practically the same since its failure in making a deal with the United States at their Hanoi summit in 2019. These include the development of nuclear capabilities, a hardline stance against South Korea and the U.S. as well as efforts to protect its ideology,” he said.

“North Korea’s biggest worry is its weak performance in the economy. I think this is why it has placed more focus on developing military hardware such as a solid-fuel ballistic missile and a spy satellite through the end of the year to promote them as Kim Jong-un’s accomplishments in 2023.”

Experts said Kim and other leaders could also mention some of their military plans for next year, such as the launch of its second ― and possibly more ― reconnaissance satellite and the expansion of what it claims are tactical nuclear attack submarines.

North Korea expected to renew efforts to promote tourism next year

The Korea Times · December 25, 2023

Sinuiju, a North Korean border city, is seen from China's Dandong across Amnok River spanned by the China–North Korea Friendship Bridge, is seen in this file photo taken Jan. 11, 2022. Experts said on Monday that there would likely be no surprises at the North's upcoming year-end party meeting other than the policy emphasis on renewing efforts to boost tourism after years of pandemic isolation. Yonhap

No surprises expected at year-end party meeting except emphasis on travel industry

By Jung Min-ho

North Korea is set to hold a major party meeting this week, one year after the previous one in which Kim Jong-un, its leader, called for an “exponential increase” in the size of its nuclear arsenal against its adversaries.

The upcoming year-end meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party is expected to promote similar messages, with a focus on strengthening its military and defending its supposed ideological superiority and purity.

If there is anything different this year, it would be a policy emphasis on fostering its tourism industry, according to experts, Monday.

“North Korea had already focused on promoting its tourism industry before the coronavirus pandemic forced it to stop it all,” Kang Chae-yeon, a North Korean refugee-turned-scholar at the National Institute for Unification Education, told The Korea Times. “Next year, efforts to attract foreign visitors will be back on track.”

In a sign of gearing up for such efforts, North Korea adopted a new law in August to “vitalize and expand” its tourism industry, according to its state media.

Under the young leader, North Korea stepped up efforts to develop tourist sites, promoting “world-class” vacation properties across the country, including Samjiyon, a city situated near Mount Paektu, and Wonsan, a port city situated on the East Sea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a construction project in Samjiyon, a city situated near Mountain Paektu, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in this file photo released in January 2021 by the North's state media. Yonhap

Transforming Samjiyon from a sleepy town into a modern resort complex with luxury hotels and ski slopes was one of the pet projects pushed under Kim. In his New Year address in 2019, he vowed to develop the city as “an ideal socialist village.”

“From Dandong (a Chinese border city), you can see many new buildings in Sinuiju (a North Korean city) for attracting and accommodating foreign tourists. Next year, North Korea is expected to accelerate efforts to attract travelers, mostly from China and Russia, as part of its economic development plan,” said Cheong Seong-chang, an expert on North Korea at the Sejong Institute, a think tank.

Money spent by tourists is one of the few possible sources of hard currency for North Korea. Tourism has been excluded from the sanctions imposed by the United Nations and individual countries. Those sanctions specifically target “the transfer of bulk cash,” but not small sums of tourists’ money.

With little progress on the economy, North Korea will likely highlight the achievements of its military at the party’s meeting, according to Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.

“The policy direction of the regime has been practically the same since its failure in making a deal with the United States at their Hanoi summit in 2019. These include the development of nuclear capabilities, a hardline stance against South Korea and the U.S. as well as efforts to protect its ideology,” he said.

“North Korea’s biggest worry is its weak performance in the economy. I think this is why it has placed more focus on developing military hardware such as a solid-fuel ballistic missile and a spy satellite through the end of the year to promote them as Kim Jong-un’s accomplishments in 2023.”

Experts said Kim and other leaders could also mention some of their military plans for next year, such as the launch of its second ― and possibly more ― reconnaissance satellite and the expansion of what it claims are tactical nuclear attack submarines.

The Korea Times · December 25, 2023

9. Number of Koreans studying in China dwindles 78% from 6 years ago

Number of Koreans studying in China dwindles 78% from 6 years ago

The Korea Times · December 25, 2023

Signs of a cram school in Seoul that promotes education services for college entrances and preparations for overseas studying are seen in this June 17, 2022 file photo. Korea Times photo by Hong Inkee

The number of Koreans studying in China shrank 78 percent this year from six years earlier, data showed Monday, amid China's stringent COVID-19 border shutdown and the slowing growth of the world's second-largest economy.

The number of Koreans who were studying in Chinese colleges, graduate schools and foreign language institutes came to 15,857 as of April 1, down 6.5 percent from the previous year, according to data from Seoul's education ministry.

The tally marked a 78.3 percent fall from 2017, when the number of such Koreans reached a record 73,240.

The number of Koreans studying in China has been on the decline since 2018 after topping the 70,000 mark for the first time in 2017, the data showed.

This year, the proportion of Koreans students in China accounted for 12.9 percent of the total Koreans studying overseas, down 0.7 percentage point from a year ago. This also marked the lowest since 2004, when the proportion of Koreans students in China was 12.6 percent.

The steady fall appears to be attributable to China's economic slowdown and the impact of its strong quarantine measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, experts said. They added the worsening public sentiment toward China also made Korean students reluctant to choose China as a country for overseas studying. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · December 25, 2023

10. North Korea's economy contracts for third straight year

Nothing from nothing leaves nothing.

Sunday

December 24, 2023

dictionary + A - A

Published: 24 Dec. 2023, 07:00

North Korea's economy contracts for third straight year

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-12-24/national/northKorea/North-Koreas-economy-contracts-for-third-straight-year/1942619

North Korea commemorates the 78th anniversary of the establishment of its ruling communist party on Oct. 10, as seen in this photo released by the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency. [YONHAP]

North Korea’s economy shrank for the third consecutive year while the country’s population reached 25.7 million, around half of South Korea’s 51.67 million.

The North’s GDP dropped 0.2 percent on-year in 2022, according to Statistics Korea’s report on key North Korean economic indicators published Wednesday.

Kim Jong-un sheds tears for mothers as North combats falling birthrate

North Korea's economy contracted by 4.5 percent in 2020 due to Covid-19 and 0.1 percent in 2021.

Production dropped by 4.6 percent in the manufacturing sector, 1.3 percent in the mining industry and 2.1 percent in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries.

The country’s nominal GDP was 36.2 trillion won ($27.9 billion) last year, which amounts to one-sixtieth of South Korea’s GDP of 2161.8 trillion won.

Its nominal gross national income (GNI) was 36.7 trillion won. The GNI per capita was 1.43 million won, an increase of 0.5 percent on-year. The per capita GNI gap with South Korea increased, with the average South Korean earning 42.5 million won, 29.7 times more than their northern neighbors.

North Korea’s population increased by 90,000 people over a year to reach 25.7 million last year. Life expectancies were 71.9 for men and 78.3 for women, shorter by 8 and 7.3 years compared to their South Korean counterparts.

Despite the population increase, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shed tears during the National Meeting of Mothers on Dec. 3, signifying the nation’s declining birthrate. Experts say the North’s fertility numbers do not bode well, given the size and makeup of its economy.

Approximately 185 out of 10,000 North Koreans were college students, around one-third of South Korea's rate.

Average daily calorie intake dropped 2.4 percent on-year to 1,982 kilocalories for North Koreans. South Koreans consumed 1.6 times that amount, at 3,156 kilocalories per person. The North Koreans’ average daily intake has trended downward after reaching a peak in 2004, with 2,206 kilocalories.

North Koreans consumed 55.1 grams of protein and 31.2 grams daily, not even half of their southern counterpart’s average daily intake of 113.3 grams of protein and 123.6 grams of fat.

North Korea’s agricultural production dropped 4.0 percent on-year to 4.5 million tons. Rice production fell 3.8 percent to 2.07 million tons, just 55.1 percent of South Korea’s rice production.

North Korea’s total value of trade in goods jumped 122.4 percent on-year to $1.59 billion. South Korea’s trade value was 892.2 times larger, at $1.4 trillion.

North Korea’s exports and imports increased by 93.9 percent and 126.1 percent to $160 million and $1.43 billion, respectively. China was the country's largest trading partner, accounting for 96.7 percent of total trade.

BY JEONG HYE-JEONG, KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]

11. Reincarnated ROKS Cheonan frigate heads to the front lines

Monday

December 25, 2023

dictionary + A - A

Published: 25 Dec. 2023, 17:07

Updated: 25 Dec. 2023, 17:57

Reincarnated ROKS Cheonan frigate heads to the front lines

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-12-25/national/defense/Reincarnated-ROK-Cheonan-frigate-heads-to-the-front-lines/1943797

The new Cheonan frigate arrives the port of the South Korean Navy’s 2nd Fleet on Saturday. [YONHAP]

A reincarnated ROKS Cheonan has embarked on a mission at the Northern Limit Line, the South Korean Navy said Saturday.

The new frigate is named after the ROKS Cheonan corvette, which sank in the Yellow Sea after a North Korean torpedo attack in March 2010, killing 46 sailors.

It was delivered to the Navy in May, after which it underwent a seven-month trial that tested its operational performance and combat capabilities. It's been assigned to the 2nd Fleet, which has a military presence in the Yellow Sea.

“Under the premise of simultaneous and complex attacks by enemy forces, the frigate carried out combat and warfare missions around the clock during its comprehensive combat training,” an official from the Navy said.

“The training on Tuesday and Wednesday was the final assessment stage before official deployment.”

Sailors tie the mooring rope of the new Cheonan frigate after the warship's arrival at the port of the 2nd fleet on Saturday. [REPUBLIC OF KOREA NAVY, NEWS1]

But the new ROKS Cheonan brings a larger scale and more advanced features to the military front than its predecessor did.

The new frigate is a 2,800-ton class warship, while the sunken ROKS Cheonan weighed less than 2,000 tons. It's 122 meters (400 feet) long and can reach 55 kilometers (34 miles) per hour while carrying a military helicopter.

Its long-range strike capability has also improved. The torpedoed corvette was equipped with harpoon missiles and could only counter enemy warships. The new frigate, however, boasts short-range surface-to-air missiles and tactical surface launch missiles using Korean Vertical Launching System, and can strike on-ground facilities and air forces as well.

Han Kyu-cheol, captain of the frigate and sailors make declarations about their deployment to Kim Kyung-cheol, commodore of the 2nd Fleet on Saturday. [YONHAP]

Underwater combat capabilities have also improved.

The new frigate can detect other submarines from a long distance with its Towed Array Sonar System.

It also includes an upgraded protection system that can trigger decoys to confuse enemy torpedoes and can launch an anti-submarine missile called "Red Shark."

The South Korean Navy also began proactively installing hybrid engines, including both gas turbines and electric motors, in its warships after the original ROKS Cheonan's sinking.

The hybrid engine reduces noise, making the warship more suitable for clandestine anti-submarine operations.

Inside the new Cheonan frigate, there is a memorial space dedicated to the 46 soldiers who died as a result of North Korea's attack on its torpedoed predecessor. [REPUBLIC OF KOREA NAVY, YONHAP]

Sailors, on Saturday, paid their respects in front of a memorial stone for 46 fallen sailors and made firm promises to protect the Yellow Sea.

“Sailors boarding the Cheonan frigate arrived at the 2nd Fleet remembering the sacrifices of 46 soldiers and their patriotic spirit,” said Commander Han Kyu-cheol, captain of the frigate.

“With prepared readiness and actual battle-like training, our forces will vigorously and promptly retaliate to the enemy’s provocations in the Yellow Sea,” he added.

“I will protect the honor of my fellow soldiers and fight against any attacks launched by the enemy, remembering the moments from 13 years ago when I firmly decided to protect the Yellow Sea," Chief Petty Officer Ryu Ji-wook said.

Ryu, a surviving sailor from the fallen Cheonan, will serve once again on the new vessel.

The construction of the frigate began in June 2020. It was put into the water in November 2021.

The Navy commissioned the new Cheonan frigate in May.

BY LEE KEUN-PYUNG, LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]

12. Grant our Korean War records Unesco Heritage

Monday

December 25, 2023

dictionary + A - A

Published: 25 Dec. 2023, 20:02

Grant our Korean War records Unesco Heritage

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-12-25/opinion/columns/Grant-our-Korean-War-records-Unesco-Heritage/1943944

Lee Seong-choon

The author is a former president of the Institute for Military History under the Ministry of National Defense.

I once talked about the 1950-53 Korean War with a North Korean defector who had been an elementary school teacher back home. North Korea, he told me, teaches that the United States and South Korea started the war by invading the North and that the conflict ended in the North’s triumph. North Korea celebrates the Armistice on July 27, 1953 as the Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War.

He worried that North Koreans would have a hard time accepting the real story behind the war after unification and asked what could be done. In my opinion, the most reasonable way to address the dilemma would be to show the North Koreans historic texts providing clear evidence of the North’s invasion. It will require close attention to correct North Korea’s distortion of history by glorifying the war as a battle against external forces to protect and liberate their fatherland.

Actually, the war began when North Korean tanks rolled into the South at dawn on June 25, 1950. The United Nations immediately called on member states to provide military assistance to South Korea based on Article One of the UN Charter, which stipulates “effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to international peace and security.”

The first international unified command — established and activated since the founding of the international body on Oct. 24, 1945 — included military personnel from 16 countries, medical personnel from six countries and logistics supplies from 39 countries. The forces fought with their blood and life on the line to defend the peace of the Korean Peninsula under the UN flag.

The allied forces’ engagement in the Korean War carried historic significance as the first international effort to ensure world security and stabilize international order under the UN. The UN flag has remained intact at the frontline guard posts for 73 years, a testament to the spirit of collective security.

I propose that the Seoul government apply with the Unesco to recognize the historic documents and records of the Korean War as its documentary heritage. Eighteen Korean historic records — including the Hunminjeongum, the Korean alphabet, and Nanjung Ilgi, a war diary written by Korean naval hero Admiral Yi Sun-sin during the Japanese invasion of 1592 — are currently on the Memory of the World Register aimed at preserving the documentary heritage of humanity. Korean holdings are the fifth largest among UN members, and I believe the Korean War documents are equally worthy of being added to the list.

When the history of the Korean War goes on the documentary heritage list, it will well serve the UN’s goal of contributing to world peace. The momentum can shed fresh light on the so-called Forgotten War and remind the rest of the world that international collective security is still active.

The accreditation also can help lessen potential confusion after the two Koreas become one. North Koreans brainwashed about the South’s invasion will be awoken to the truth.

The Ministry of National Defense, the armed forces across the branches of ground, sea and air and the marine corps must register their war records and invite the countries who sent their combat troops and others who provided medical and logistical supplies to South Korea to submit their files as well. Ideally, Russia and China should share their own documents for the best possible synergy.

It would be even better if Seoul republished a well-coordinated white paper based on the registered files. The work would likely take around 20 years from preparation to publication. I hope the chronicle could be published in 2050, timed with the centennial turn of the Korean War’s outbreak, in a form beyond the current combative narrative so that it could encompass the war’s ramifications on the politics, economy, society and culture of this country.

North Korea promulgated its own narrative of the Fatherland Liberation War across the world in 1959 — eight years faster than South Korea’s narrative, which was released in 1967. We must pursue world documentary heritage recognition for Korean War history as soon as possible to set the record straight.

Unesco opened its first International Center for Documentary Heritage in Cheongju, North Chungcheong on Nov. 1. We must seize the opportunity to place our perspective of the war on the Unesco World Heritage list. If our Korean War history goes on the documentary heritage register and a white paper on the devastating war can be republished, we will establish a firm foundation for the next generation to remember the painful lessons of the brutal war.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

13. Foreign workers in S. Korea reach all-time high of 1 million

But can and will Korea change its immigration policies to help with its demographic problems?

Foreign workers in S. Korea reach all-time high of 1 million

koreaherald.com · by Shim Woo-hyun · December 25, 2023

But most foreign nationals still work for small firms, with very few getting into large companies

By Shim Woo-hyun

Published : Dec. 25, 2023 - 16:49

People walk on the main street in the Myeong-dong area, Seoul, Dec. 17. (Yonhap)

The number of foreign nationals working in South Korea reached an all-time high of nearly 1 million in 2023, though most of them were working at smaller companies, according to government data, Monday.

According to the data compiled by Statistics Korea, the number of people with foreign nationalities who have jobs here reached 923,000 as of May this year, jumping 10 percent on-year to hit a record high.

By nationality, ethnic Koreans with Chinese nationality constituted the largest number at 35.3 percent, followed by the Vietnamese with 11.3 percent and other Chinese with 4.9 percent.

The data also showed that most foreign workers have jobs at small companies, while few get into large companies.

Of all foreign workers in South Korea, 78.8 percent worked at companies with fewer than 50 employees, whereas 18.1 percent held jobs at companies with 50-299 employees. The percent of workers of foreign nationality who had jobs at large companies -- defined as those with more than 300 employees -- came to only 3 percent.

This overall picture has not changed much the past decade. The percentage of people of foreign nationality working at large companies here has remained very low and in fact declined, while those working at smaller firms has accounted for the vast majority since 2012, when the national statistics agency first started to compile the data.

In 2012, the proportion of foreign workers who worked at companies with more than 300 employees came to 3.4 percent of the then-total, 698,000. The percentage of foreign employees working at smaller companies with less than 50 employees reached 79.1 percent of the total, while those working at companies with 50-299 employees was 17.5 percent.

In terms of income, some improvements have been made this year. "The percentage of foreign workers who make monthly income over 3 million won ($2312) has increased to 35.8 percent this year from 30.1 percent last year," an official from Statistics Korea said.

The data added that 50.6 percent of foreign workers earned a monthly salary between 2 million won and 3 million won in 2023.

For comparison, the average monthly salary for a Korean national between January and June this year was 3.4 million won, according to data from the Labor Ministry.

The proportion of foreign workers enrolled in employment insurance -- offered to protect against job loss -- has been on the upward trend, reaching 63.5 percent in 2023, up from 55.8 percent in 2021, 54.3 percent in 2020 and 32.5 percent in 2017.

“Public acceptance of foreign workers has continued to increase in recent years,” Statistics Korea’s report also stated, based on a survey in which Korean nationals were asked their thoughts on working with people of foreign nationality.

koreaherald.com · by Shim Woo-hyun · December 25, 2023

14. Did North Korea play a role in Hamas terrorism?

Good to see others paying attention to this issue though it would be no surprise if you just follow Dr Bruce Bechtol's decades of research.

But Michael Rubin makes a key point here:

Excerpt:

Too often, attention to North Korea’s role and responsibility is lacking. Geographic divisions within the State Department, Pentagon, and CIA contribute to analytical blindness, as do frequent rotations. Institutional memory lacks.

Did North Korea play a role in Hamas terrorism?

by Michael Rubin December 18, 2023 10:06 AM

Washington Examiner · December 18, 2023

Hamas may have perpetrated the Oct. 7 mass rape of and pogrom against Israeli Jews, but it did not act alone. Most of its enablers are well known: Iran helps train and arm the group. Qatar finances it. Turkey provides explosives and passports to facilitate operative movement, and its intelligence services protect Hamas terrorists abroad. Malaysia was reportedly a venue for Hamas paragliders to train and now offers safe haven to Hamas fugitives. The European Union and perhaps even the U.S. Agency for International Development allow Hamas to divert donations.

Too often, attention to North Korea’s role and responsibility is lacking. Geographic divisions within the State Department, Pentagon, and CIA contribute to analytical blindness, as do frequent rotations. Institutional memory lacks.

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The notion that extremists would stand aloof from anti-Israel terrorism is naive. Long before intersectionality demanded blind solidarity between self-described oppressed groups on university campuses, terrorists practiced intersectionality on the global stage. This is why, just over 50 years ago, the Japanese Red Army attacked tourists at Ben Gurion Airport, killing more than two dozen and wounding 80.

In 2006, Hezbollah crossed Lebanon’s United Nations-demarcated border to kidnap Israeli soldiers. The crisis quickly escalated into a 34-day war during which Israeli special forces and airstrikes sought to neutralize Hezbollah missiles stored in underground tunnels. They were only partly successful. While Israeli intelligence located many tunnels using satellite imagery, only when hostilities began did they discover many were decoys: North Korean engineers had secretly built tunnels undetected by overhead surveillance in which Hezbollah could store its long-range missiles while leaving false entrances replete with piles of dirt and bulldozers to divert action.

That North Korea would work with Hezbollah should not surprise. Hezbollah is an Iranian proxy. Tehran and Pyongyang have coordinated closely on both ballistic missiles and nuclear technology. Any North Korean assistance to Hezbollah would simply be an extension of its alliance with Iran.

It was this activity that made Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s 2008 decision to delist North Korea from its State Sponsor of Terrorism designation so controversial. Rice wanted to reset the Bush administration’s foreign policy legacy by shifting attention away from its Middle Eastern failures. Reality is not so easily spun, however. North Korea subsequently regained its terrorist sponsorship, and deservedly so.

When Hamas rampaged through parts of southern Israel on Oct. 7, it reportedly did so with North Korean weapons. Israel subsequently discovered a nearly 300-mile tunnel network, far more extensive than it had previously realized. The question then becomes whether Hamas dug its elaborate tunnels itself or if it had North Korean engineering. Likewise, the origin of the North Korean weaponry is unclear. In 2016, the U.S. Navy intercepted a North Korean ship carrying tons of weaponry purchased covertly by the Egyptian government. Loose Libyan weaponry also includes guns and ammunition of North Korean origin.

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When Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi flooded Hamas tunnels with sewage, he kept at least two untouched. Certainly, Egypt holds Hamas with disdain, but by limiting tunnels, it could also control and tax Hamas trade rather than eliminate it. Simultaneously, there are more direct means to supply Hamas illicitly. Prior to the 2007 Hamas coup, the Palestinian Authority arranged for Iranian frigates to dump weaponry overboard in sealed containers that Palestinian fishermen would then recover. North Korean or, more likely, Iranian frigates transporting North Korean weaponry might have done the same.

Two decades ago, pundits pilloried President George W. Bush when he spoke of an “Axis of Evil.” Then, as now, they substituted condescension, volume, and ignorance for consideration of fact. Terrorists are intersectional. It is time to investigate any North Korean component of Hamas terrorism.

Michael Rubin is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. He is director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Washington Examiner · December 18, 2023

15. Why China is keeping its distance as Russia and North Korea cosy up

Perhaps China wants to allow Russia and north Korea to create dilemmas for the US and the international community while it can appear to keep its hands clean in some areas..

China Diplomacy

Why China is keeping its distance as Russia and North Korea cosy up

Beijing, a close partner of Moscow and Pyongyang, is staying quiet about the growing alignment between its two neighbours
Observers say China is cautious about joining trilateral axis that could trigger ‘new cold war’ as it positions itself as regional ‘stabiliser’
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3246165/why-china-keeping-its-distance-russia-and-north-korea-cosy?utm_source=pocket_saves

Kawala Xie

+ FOLLOWPublished: 6:00am, 25 Dec, 2023

At last month’s meeting between the foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea – their first in four years – Beijing pledged to be Northeast Asia’s “stabiliser” while opposing bloc-based cooperation, as the launch of North Korea’s spy satellite loomed.

The satellite, allegedly capable of spying on the White House and US naval bases, was the first to successfully enter orbit following previous failed attempts. This prompted South Korean intelligence to speculate that North Korea had received key technical support from Russia in return for delivery of weapons to support the war in Ukraine. Both Russia and North Korea have denied any arms deal.

The matter was widely speculated to have been discussed at a rare meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in September.

Satellite imagery suggests North Korea is supplying Russia with weapons through Rason port

Engagement between the two nations has grown amid international isolation.

Advertisement | All is calm.

Xi Jinping tells North Korea’s Kim he can make ‘greater contribution’ to ties

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At the closely watched summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden last month, the two leaders agreed to manage heightening tensions between the two superpowers. However, there were no breakthroughs on major points of contention such as the growing military competition in the Indo-Pacific.

The US and its treaty allies Japan and South Korea have increased military coordination to tackle what they call an “increasingly assertive” China in the Indo-Pacific. Beijing’s relations with its two East Asian neighbours have also been strained in recent years.

But the China-Japan-South Korea foreign ministers’ meeting last month offered a fresh opportunity to repair ties, with an aim to refocus on economic cooperation.

Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University, said that given the recent signs of improving ties with the US, Japan and South Korea, China was unlikely to engage in trilateral activities with Russia and North Korea that would escalate tensions again, such as a joint military drill.

“The situation on the [Korean] peninsula is still very dangerous,” Shi said. “China does not think it needs to get closer with a close-enough North Korea, which is one of the sources of high tension on the peninsula.”

North Korea reportedly photographs White House and Pentagon with spy satellite

Yongwook Ryu, a China and Korea affairs specialist at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said China was reluctant to participate in a three-way military drill because it was concerned that doing so would amount to a “new cold war” – something China has accused the United States of conducting.

Chinese and US envoys to the UN Security Council traded blame on Tuesday when they met to discuss North Korea’s recent military activities, including an intercontinental ballistic missile launch last week. North Korea’s fifth ICBM launch this year, the highest annual number ever, followed US plans to include nuclear operation exercises in joint military drills with South Korea, and the reported arrival of a US nuclear submarine at a South Korean port.

US representative Robert Wood demanded that China and Russia join the rest of the council to “act” on Pyongyang, while China’s Geng Shuang, in a veiled swipe at the US, blamed “a certain country” for escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula by offering “extended deterrents” and strengthening regional military alliances.

North Korea to keep ‘raising the stakes’ with more ICBM tests expected

Beijing has been reluctant to condemn North Korea’s military developments and opposes new Security Council sanctions, saying it would not solve the problem. It has instead called for Pyongyang’s legitimate security concerns to be addressed and a “dual suspension” approach to achieve denuclearisation – requiring North Korea to freeze its missile and nuclear programme and the South Korea and the US to halt joint military exercises.

North Korea and the US held a few rounds of nuclear talks while former US president Donald Trump was in office, but those ended in stalemates after the two countries failed to agree on a common approach to denuclearisation. Pyongyang has since ramped up missile launches and threatened a seventh nuclear test, with the US and South Korea expanding their large-scale military drills in response.

US presses China on North Korea’s weapons supplies to Russia

30 Oct 2023

Observers have said Beijing might prefer to maintain the status quo on the peninsula out of fears that pressuring North Korea too hard could make it an enemy.

Ryu noted that given the intensifying US-China rivalry, it was in Beijing’s interests for Washington to be tied up in North Korean military threats.

“While Beijing does not deliberately incite instability and conflict on the Korean peninsula, instability on the peninsula – falling short of actual military conflict – would serve Beijing’s interests by diverting the attention and resources of the US and its key allies such as Japan,” he said.

“How much Beijing prioritises the Korean peninsula over other issues such as its rivalry with the US and Taiwan is questionable. Hence it is doubtful if and to what extent Beijing will actually play a constructive role in constraining the North’s provocative behaviour,” Ryu said, adding there was also no guarantee Pyongyang would heed Beijing’s advice or suggestions.

The international community has repeatedly urged China to help to stop North Korea’s military aggression, but Beijing has often hinted that it does not have the required influence over Pyongyang.

“Good relations between China and North Korea and China’s influence on North Korea are two different concepts,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in September when asked about Seoul’s request for Beijing to do more to rein in Pyongyang.

In an interview with The Telegraph last month, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said China had an important role to play in regional stability, and he believed China’s alignment with North Korea and Russia would not serve its interests.

China, Japan, South Korea’s top diplomats agree to revive leadership summit

26 Nov 2023

Daniel Russel, who served as US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs under former president Barack Obama, said Beijing’s “standoffishness” towards the closer alignment between Russia and North Korea was because it did not want to be held accountable for the “misbehaviour of a partner nation”.

“Beijing does not want to pay a price or be held responsible for provocative behaviour by North Korea that China has no control over,” said Russel, who is now vice-president of the Asia Society Policy Institute.

“Beijing offers rhetorical and other forms of support to Russia and North Korea where it essentially costs China nothing, but balks at overt support for their behaviour when it risks retaliation or international condemnation,” Russel said, citing as an example China’s denial of having provided arms for Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Russel added that China might also be wary of Russia and North Korea’s growing alignment because it could weaken Beijing’s leverage over Pyongyang.

“North Korean leaders have long tried to play one major power off against another, and Kim’s opportunistic embrace of Vladimir Putin is the latest example. Kim is attempting to gain leverage over Beijing – or weaken Beijing’s leverage over him – by showing that he has options other than China,” he said.

Kim told Putin that relations with Russia were the “very first priority” for his country when the pair met in September, prompting speculation about whether Pyongyang had pivoted from Beijing to Moscow.

But he appeared to want to assure Xi that North Korea’s relations with China were “as close as usual”, as he wrote in a letter to the Chinese leader a week after his meeting with Putin.

Deputy foreign minister Pak, the first and most senior North Korean official to visit China after the Covid-19 pandemic, vowed during his trip last week to deepen ties to “safeguard common interests”. His visit prompted speculation of paving the way for in-person talks next year between Xi and Kim, who have not met since 2019.

Yun Sun, director of the China Programme at the Washington-based Stimson Centre think tank, doubted that there had been a priority shift in North Korea’s policy.

“China is the single largest supporter of the North Korean economy through aid and trade. It also carries much more influence than Russia does regionally and globally today,” she said.

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Kawala Xie

Kawala joined the Post in 2022 and has worked in both news and tech after graduating from Columbia Journalism School. Previously based in the US and Australia, she has worked for multiple international news outlets including Al Jazeera, SBS Australia and Shenzhen Television. She specialises in Asia affairs, breaking news reporting and video production.

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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