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Quotes of the Day:
“The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure.”
- Albert Einstein
“The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.”
- Wilhelm Friedrich Nietzsche
“The mutual understanding of the peoples of the world, essential to the maintenance of peace, requires the interchange of knowledge and of information among them. This interchange of knowledge and information demands, first, the restoration of the channels, educational, cultural, and scientific, through which such interchange of knowledge and of information takes place end, second, the promotion of the circulation of information and knowledge by international action through an international agency created for that purpose.”
- Rough notes of draft of preliminary matter for enabling legislation, Charles Thomson, January 9, 1945
- Per Matt Armstrong: This was & remains a central tenet of our int'l info programs, including @VOANews etc, and relates to many, if not arguably most, of the "public diplomacy" programs across the State Dept, aid agencies, & US NGOs. The freedoms to speak & listen are two sides of the same coin.
1. Defense minister visits key U.S. base to underline 'solid' S. Korea-U.S. alliance
2. North Korea Offers 100,000 Troops to Help Russia Fight Ukraine: Report
3. N. Korea's security agents shake down remittance brokers for money in border region
4. Korea Needs to Organize Immigration as Population Declines
5. Ministry of State Security fishing boats on secret operation seized by military vessels
6. Korea to Join Early Meeting of U.S.-Led Chip Alliance
7. COVID Spreads Faster in Peak Holiday Season
8. China conducts live-fire drills in Yellow Sea after Taiwan Strait
9. N. Korea to hold Supreme People's Assembly meeting on Sept. 7: KCNA
10. The first ever western movie to show on North Korean TV isn’t what you’d think
11. ‘Crossings’ Follows A Walk For Peace As It Crosses The Korean Divide
12. Yoon vows to go back to basics amid low approval ratings
13. 'Chip 4,' Thaad likely to be discussed by Korea, China's top envoys
1. Defense minister visits key U.S. base to underline 'solid' S. Korea-U.S. alliance
The ROK/US CFC is the foundation of security on the Korean peninsula and the linchpin in Northeast Asia.
Again, Yonhap (and all Korean press) should be referring to General LaCamera as the Commander of the ROK/US Combined Forces Command and not as the subunified command of INDOPACOM, UNited States Forces Korea. the ROK/US CFC reports to the Military Committee and is "co-owned" by the ROK. USFK reports to the COmmander of INDOPACOM.
The ROK/US CFC is Korea's command. USFK is a US command.
(2nd LD) Defense minister visits key U.S. base to underline 'solid' S. Korea-U.S. alliance | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · August 8, 2022
(ATTN: UPDATES with USFK press release in paras 6-7)
By Song Sang-ho
SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup visited a key U.S. military base south of Seoul on Monday to highlight the "solid" South Korea-U.S. alliance and the need for thorough preparations for the upcoming allied drills, Lee's ministry said.
It marked his first visit to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of the capital, since taking office in May. The trip came as the allies are gearing up to conduct the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise slated for Aug. 22-Sept. 1.
On the UFS, Lee called on troops to "focus all your capabilities" on further developing a comprehensive combined training system through pan-government crisis management drills and other contingency procedures, according to the ministry.
He also gave words of encouragement to South Korean and U.S. troops there, touting them as "working on the front line of combined defense under the 'fight tonight' spirit."
Lee and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera agreed to work closely together to ensure the UFS will proceed "fruitfully" while concurring on the importance of field training, the ministry said.
In a separate press release, the USFK said that Lee and LaCamera agreed to strengthen interoperability of allied practices and capabilities by conducting peninsula theater-level combined training aimed at increasing readiness.
"The two sides shared the view that building, maintaining and enhancing relationships at all echelons was important to future efforts," it said in a press release.
Camp Humphreys is home to the headquarters of the USFK and the U.S.-led U.N. Command. The headquarters of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command is set to relocate to the base later this year. LaCamera leads the three commands.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · August 8, 2022
2. North Korea Offers 100,000 Troops to Help Russia Fight Ukraine: Report
A lot of circular reporting. One person commenting on a report in the British press said this is typical UK "yellow journalism." But I have been asked if this is a possibility. Another commenter speculated this would not happen because north Korean soldiers would defect and that Kim would never let his soldiers out of the country.
We have heard reporting on this though initial reports have described construction workers for support to rebuilding in Russian occupied areas. When I was in Korea last month I spoke with an analyst who assesses that north Korean combat troops (assumed primarily nKPA SOF) will be sent to Russia to fight in Putin's War. He has sources inside north Korea.
This bears watching. If they do engage in combat operations against Ukraine it will not stay secret for long. The question is how do we address this? There certainly will be information and influence opportunities here at the very least. Especially when the Ukrainian forces do some damage to their units.
There are nKPA soldiers in many places, especially Africa and the Middle East. Many "construction workers" are actually soldiers. nKPA soldiers (and a lot of technical support for the past nuclear power plant that thankfully the Israelis destroyed in 2007) have been in Syria. While we think of north Korea as one of the largest weapons proliferators to conflict zones (from small arms to SCUDs) they also send advisors and conduct training.
Regarding soldier defection. One deterrent is what will happen to the families if they do. Also the nKPA's C2 concept is control and command - control being the priority and every military unit has three "chains of control:" The traditional military chain, general to private, the political chain, like all comnuist militaries, and the third is a security officer chain of control. You have the watchers watching the watchers. The structure of the entire north Korean society, social classification system, to include the military is designed to prevent collective action and resistance. I do not think there will be many defections by soldiers in Ukraine unless we initiate an aggressive influence campaign to do so (perhaps using some of the few soldiers who have defected over the years).
Soem have assessed correctly that the nKPA may not be ready for the type of combat operations in Putin's War. The important point is that I think Putin needs manpower and Kim needs money. We should keep in mind that north Korea has a lot of "slave" laborers working in the Russian Far East (logging oeprations) to make money for the regime. (as a side note the UN has sanctioned north Korea for its overseas slave labor and called on countries hosting them to return them to north Korea). I agree that the nKPA is not that well trained (they could help with agriculture - according to my friends who are former nKPA soldiers they usually work in the fields in the morning after and before their ideological training which they conduct more of than tactical training). Of course some might argue this is a way to gain valuable combat experience.
North Korea Offers 100,000 Troops to Help Russia Fight Ukraine: Report
19fortyfive.com · by Jack Buckby · August 6, 2022
North Korea Offers 100,000 Troops to Russia – The isolationist, communist state of North Korea continues its efforts to forge closer ties to Russia, with Russian state television this week revealing how dictator Kim Jong Un has offered the Kremlin as many as 100,000 “volunteers” to assist with the Russian President’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Speaking on Russia’s Channel One, talk show host Igor Korotchenko described reports of North Korean soldiers volunteering to “take part in the conflict.”
The Russian television personality also praised the North Korean military’s “wealth of experience with counter-battery warfare,” which is relevant to the Russian military in the wake of the White House’s decision to donate more than a dozen long-range HIMARS rocket systems.
“If North Korea expresses a desire to meet its international duty to fight against Ukrainian fascism, we should let them,” Korotchenko continued.
On July 13, North Korea aligned itself with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s February decree that recognized the independence of the two self-styled “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. North Korea’s Central News Agency, KCNA, confirmed on July 14 that foreign minister Choe Son Hui sent letters to counterparts in Donetsk and Luhansk recognizing their independence from Ukraine.
North Korea became the third country to recognize the independence of the two separatist regions in Ukraine.
As Russia’s economy struggles under the weight of unprecedented sanctions from the West, ties between the two countries are expected to grow stronger. In July, Russian ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, revealed plans to use North Korean builders to help rebuild infrastructure in Donetsk should Russia ultimately win the war.
Responding to the news, White House National Security Council communications coordinator John Kirby said it reflected just how badly economic sanctions had hurt Russia.
“It just shows the degree to which Putin remains isolated,” Kirby said. “Now he’s got to turn to North Korea.”
Russia Needs the Help
While the Kremlin has not yet confirmed whether or not North Korea will be providing these volunteers, it is no doubt a welcome offer. Last month, Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan told CNN how U.S. legislators had been briefed on Russia’s huge personnel losses in Ukraine. The lawmaker said that as many as 75,000 Russian soldiers have been injured or killed on the battlefield.
“We were briefed that over 75,000 Russians have either been killed or wounded, which is huge. You’ve got incredible amounts of investment in their land forces, over 80% of their land forces are bogged down, and they’re tired,” Slotkin said.
CIA Director William Burns also estimated in July that around 15,000 Russian troops had been killed so far, and an additional 45,000 wounded.
With Ukrainian forces pushing back Russian forces in eastern and southern Ukraine, and more than 50 Russian ammunition depots destroyed by U.S.-supplied HIMARS in recent weeks, Russia is no doubt seriously considering North Korea’s offer.
What Do the Experts think? Would North Korea Really Send Troops to Ukriane?
“I would argue that, yet, North Korea would send troops to Russia’s aid if requested, although 100,000 seems a bit of a stretch,” argued Harry J. Kazianis, a North Korea expert and now President of the bipartisan Rogue States Project. “Pyongyang would surely be rewarded nicely for its efforts and would give Kim’s forces to be tested in battle against a determined for while getting a look at what U.S. weapons can do on the battlefield. For Kim, it seems like a win-win.”
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
This piece has been updated to include expert comments.
19fortyfive.com · by Jack Buckby · August 6, 2022
3. N. Korea's security agents shake down remittance brokers for money in border region
The Korean people in the north are "trapped in a 'vicious cycle of deprivation, corruption, repression' and endemic bribery" according to the UN Commission of Inquiry in 2014.
N. Korea's security agents shake down remittance brokers for money in border region - Daily NK
A source recently told Daily NK about two specific cases of security officials squeezing brokers for cash
By Lee Chae Un - 2022.08.08 2:01pm
dailynk.com · by Lee Chae Un · August 8, 2022
FILE PHOTO: A view of Yanggang Province from the Chinese side of the China-North Korea border. (Daily NK)
Some members of North Korea’s Ministry of State Security have recently focused a great deal of energy on taking money from “brokers” who facilitate remittances from abroad.
A source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK last Thursday that officials with the ministry have recently grown rather frantic in busting remittance brokers in the China-North Korea border area.
“Having lost their sources of income due to the closure of the border, security agents are cracking down on remittance brokers to make money,” he claimed.
According to the source, the Ministry of State Security busted a broker operating in Hyesan late last month.
The broker — a man in his 40 identified by a fake last name, Pak — was nabbed by an agent while on his way to Komsan-ri to deliver money to the family of a defector.
Pak was carrying RMB 20,000 (around USD 2,957) in cash at the time of the bust. The broker asked the security agent to let him go “this one time.” Pretending not to want the money at first, the agent then proposed they “split the sum 50-50.”
Ultimately, Pak gave the agent half of the cash — RMB 10,000 — and was set free.
The agent told the broker that he should find him when he moves money because “you won’t get caught if the Ministry of State Security is watching your back,” the source said.
This episode provides a glimpse of how security agents are using their official duties to fill their pockets.
The source said that a similar incident happened in Hyesan as well. A broker in his 40s — again identified by the fake family name of Kim — was busted while on his way to deliver money to the family of a defector in Masan-dong.
The source said the agent released Kim after taking 40% of the cash he was carrying. Before leaving, the agent suggested that Kim find him “at any time” if problems arise in the future.
Even at the country’s feared Ministry of State Security, agents in investigative departments might receive tons of bribes, but ordinary agents lead lives little better than those of the public at large, the source said.
“To put food on the table, some agents are engaging in pathetic behavior like seeking out the head of the neighborhood watch unit or better-off families in their jurisdictions [to squeeze them for money],” he said.
“It seems security agents who used to live high on the perch while watching the backs of smugglers are having a tough time getting by as the borders remain closed,” the source continued, adding, “Security agents are the frontline in terms of protecting the leadership, so would they be shaking down remittance brokers if things weren’t that bad?”
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com · by Lee Chae Un · August 8, 2022
4. Korea Needs to Organize Immigration as Population Declines
Immigration has long been one of America's superpowers. Maybe it can be for Korea as well. (Though a free and unified Korea would also help demographics!)
Korea Needs to Organize Immigration as Population Declines
english.chosun.com
August 04, 2022 13:41
The number of foreign residents in Korea has climbed above 2 million again for the first time in 15 months after falling sharply in the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Korea Immigration Service, their number peaked at 2.52 million in 2019 but plunged in 2021, only to rise again to 2.01 million in May this year. In the past, most foreigners living here worked in factories and farms, but recently there has been an increase in programmers and other highly skilled workers in research and development for start-ups. This is a positive development.
Korea's population is declining. It fell for the first time by 0.2 percent to 51.74 million last November, after the number of deaths began outpacing births and the pandemic triggered a decline in foreign residents. This makes it necessary for Korea to prepare for a decline in available workers. The working-age population aged 15 to 64 shrank by 340,000 over the past year.
At a time when there seem to be no solutions to the low birthrate, Korea has no choice but to expand immigration. That does not mean it can afford to let everyone in, but it must devise a strategy of choosing what kinds of people are needed in different sectors of the economy and how they can assimilate into society. It is high time to establish a dedicated organization handling the task.
At present, the Justice Ministry handles immigration, but the Ministry of Employment and Labor oversees policies on foreign workers and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family handles marriage migrants and multicultural family matters. The Justice Ministry is working to create a separate immigration agency it will oversee, but this is a matter that requires a broad consensus on the national level and goes to the heart of the country's future.
Read this article in Korean
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
english.chosun.com
5. Ministry of State Security fishing boats on secret operation seized by military vessels
Interagency conflict in North Korea? Was this just business as usual - a blind eye turned to illegal fishing? The use of an all high school age crew who are relatives is interesting. Although not mentioned in the article, could this have been some kind of organized attempt to escape?
Ministry of State Security fishing boats on secret operation seized by military vessels - Daily NK
The captains of the security agency's vessels took their boats to sea with crews made up of high school-aged relatives
By Jeong Tae Joo - 2022.08.08 6:00pm
dailynk.com · by Jeong Tae Joo · August 8, 2022
FILE PHOTO: A North Korean patrol boat near Sinuiju can be seen circled in red. (Daily NK)
Two fishing boats attached to the North Pyongan Province branch of the Ministry of State Security were recently seized by North Korean military patrol boats after they illegally left port in violation of COVID-19 quarantine regulations.
The matter has been handed to the State Emergency Anti-epidemic Command, which is investigating the case.
According to a Daily NK source in North Pyongan Province last Thursday, two fishing boats attached to the North Pyongan Province branch of the Ministry of State Security illegally departed port in the early morning hours of July 26, reportedly with the permission of cadres connected to the local Ministry of State Security.
The two boats had been assembled near Hadan-ri, Sinuiju, and Cholsan County.
The provincial branch of the Ministry of State Security has long secretly permitted its fishing boats to illegally set sail around holiday time to secure seafood for holiday provisions. This time, the ministry permitted the two boats to secretly leave harbor ahead of the July 27 “Victory Day” holiday marking the armistice that ended the Korean War.
The captains of the vessels — believing they could not take on many crew members because they needed to operate under the radar — took their boats to sea crewed by high school-aged relatives.
However, the two vessels were soon discovered by coastal patrol boats of the North Korean navy.
Believing the vessels to be Chinese fishing boats using the cover of darkness to illegally operate in North Korean waters, the patrol boats issued warnings by loudspeaker and made their approach.
When they discovered the boats were in fact North Korean, the patrol boats immediately seized and detained them.
The high school students who were aboard were sent home, while the captains and remaining crew were handed over to the military’s security department.
Circumventing the provincial quarantine authorities, the military’s security department used its own internal reporting network to directly notify to the State Emergency Anti-epidemic Command in Pyongyang that the boats had illegally left port and were carrying minors.
With the infraction taking place amid the implementation of North Korea’s “maximum emergency epidemic prevention system” – which calls for bolstered patrols along the DMZ and national borders and in the nation’s seas and skies – the authorities took the matter quite seriously for allegedly “sowing chaos in quarantine efforts and poor discipline in maritime supervision.”
The State Emergency Anti-epidemic Command immediately headed to the scene to begin efforts to investigate everyone involved in the incident, the source said.
The State Emergency Anti-epidemic Command reportedly presented Yellow Sea maritime supervision agencies with plans to strongly punish those who turned a blnd eye to illegal activity of this sort during the “spring” fishing season of April to July. It also called for an increase in the number of signatures needed to leave port for the sea from 13 to 17 for the “autumn” fishing season of August to October.
The authorities also issued a special warning that boats caught with students onboard as seasonal labor for the autumn fishing season would be confiscated. Anyone caught in such a scheme would be barred from entering the sea for a year or — in serious cases — subjected to criminal punishments, the source said.
The source said that the State Emergency Anti-epidemic Command also believes the North Pyongan Province branch of the Ministry of State Security to be “a unit sowing chaos in quarantine efforts and poor discipline in maritime supervision.” As a result, it has decided to report its compiled investigation findings directly to the organizational department of the Ministry of State Security’s headquarters in Pyongyang.
Many North Koreans now worry that the matter will encourage the authorities to intensify their oversight of maritime activities, the source claimed.
“People working in the fisheries sector are anxious that once Pyongyang ascertains what happened here, maritime oversight regulations will be intensified in not only the Yellow Sea, but in all the nation’s seas,” he said.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com · by Jeong Tae Joo · August 8, 2022
6. Korea to Join Early Meeting of U.S.-Led Chip Alliance
Korea to Join Early Meeting of U.S.-Led Chip Alliance
english.chosun.com
August 08, 2022 13:37
Korean officials will attend a preliminary meeting of the U.S.-led Chip 4 alliance, a semiconductor coalition that also includes Japan and Taiwan to reduce global dependence on China.
But Seoul wants to scupper a clause in the draft rules that would ban exports to China. A presidential office source said Sunday, "We expect to continue to fine-tune the agenda and our level of participation in the preliminary meeting next month."
Chip 4 is the brainchild of U.S. President Joe Biden, who proposed the alliance in March to protect semiconductor supply chains from Chinese caprice.
But Korea is in a bind since China accounted for around 39 percent of its semiconductor exports worth US$50.2 billion last year, taking up over 30 percent of Samsung and SK Hynix's total exports. Yet at the same time the Korean government wants a full role in the Chip 4 alliance so that its position can be reflected when making the rules.
"Taking part in the Chip 4 alliance helps the future of our semiconductor industry too," the government source said. "It is also beneficial to our national interests to cooperate with other semiconductor manufacturing countries and technology holders to maintain our lead and market dominance. But we want to suggest the pact should not exclude or regulate a particular party."
It remains to be seen how the balancing act will pan out.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
english.chosun.com
7. COVID Spreads Faster in Peak Holiday Season
I am heading back into the pandemic in Korea on Wednesday this week to celebrate Korean Liberation Day on August 15th and pursue a free and unified Korea.
COVID Spreads Faster in Peak Holiday Season
english.chosun.com
August 08, 2022 13:47
COVID-19 is spreading faster again in the peak summer holiday season as vacationers pack beaches and resorts without wearing masks.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, daily new cases rose above 100,000 for six days running until Sunday. The weekly increase rate grew from the 10-20 percent range to 40 percent again.
Major holiday spots like beaches and water parks are particularly vulnerable. There is no mask mandate for outdoor amusement parks or beaches, but operators are asking visitors to be responsible.
The mask mandate is still in effect in restrooms and locker rooms and outdoor performance venues with a capacity of more than 50 seats but it is widely flaunted.
Haeundae Beach in Busan is crowded with vacationers on Sunday. /News1
People in their 20s and 30s now make up the biggest group of new cases. In July, about 260,000 people in their 20s were infected, accounting for the largest percentage of all 1.41 million new cases, followed by about 220,000 30-somethings. Together they took up 33.6 percent of new cases.
Many people are reluctant to test for the virus despite symptoms or simply lead a normal life without self-isolating at home even when they test positive. These "hidden" cases could lead to an uncontrollable spread.
"I've kept meeting friends because I have no symptoms, except an occasional cough," one 26-year-old office worker said. "I can't understand why patients should self-isolate at home at a time when the cumulative infections have already surpassed 20 million."
Chun Eun-mi at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital said, "Many could test positive late this month after they return from holiday."
People wait to get tested for coronavirus in Seoul on Monday. /Newsis
Some forecast daily new cases could begin taking a downward turn this month, but warn that numbers of critically ill patients and deaths could also increase. They stress the need to brace for another surge in infections.
Jung Jae-hun at Gachon University's Gil Medical Center said, "A new surge could occur in November due to the potential emergence of a new variant since they now surface every three to six months in major countries."
On Monday morning, the tally of new coronavirus infections stood at 55,292.
8. China conducts live-fire drills in Yellow Sea after Taiwan Strait
West Sea.
Limiting President Yoon to a phone call with the Speaker of the House did ont satisfy China.
China conducts live-fire drills in Yellow Sea after Taiwan Strait
donga.com
Posted August. 08, 2022 07:55,
Updated August. 08, 2022 07:55
China conducts live-fire drills in Yellow Sea after Taiwan Strait. August. 08, 2022 07:55. by Ki-Yong Kim kky@donga.com.
China conducted live-fire artillery drills in the Yellow Sea after carrying out military drills surrounding Taiwan.
Pundits says Beijing’s military responses are now targeting South Korea and the U.S.
The Chinese naval bureau said Saturday, “China will conduct live-fire artillery drills around the Shandong Peninsula between August 6 and 15, and certain waters in the Bay of Bohai in the north of the Liaodong Peninsula between August 8 and September 8. We ban entry of vessels into the training sites during these periods.” The training sites are found to include areas near Lianyungang City in Jiangsu Province, and waters near Dalian City in the Bay of Bohai. The schedule for China’s drills coincides with South Korea-U.S. joint military drills that will start on August 22 and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin’s first visit to China on Monday. Lianyungang City where live-fire artillery drills will be conducted is only three-hour drive from Qingdao where Minister Park will visit. Park is scheduled to hold a meeting with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday.
Military standoff between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan is spreading to other Asian regions that are involved in territorial dispute with China.
Quoting a ranking Indian official, CNN reported Saturday that the U.S. and India will conduct a joint military drill in mid-October in Auri in the province of Uttarakhand, an Indian border region with China. China and India had military skirmishes in the Himalayan border region in 2020, which left more than 20 Indian soldiers killed, as the two countries continue to be involved in territorial dispute.
China said it would complete its exercise surrounding Taiwan on Sunday, but Beijing said on Sunday noon that it would conduct live-fire joint drills in waters around and skies over Taiwan. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said the Chinese military conducted a mock invasion drill against Taiwan by mobilizing its military aircraft and warships. “Chinese warships and unmanned aerial vehicles conducted mock attack drills against U.S. and Japanese warships, while moving from eastern coast of Taiwan to waters near the Japanese archipelago,” Reuters reported on Saturday.
한국어
donga.com
9. N. Korea to hold Supreme People's Assembly meeting on Sept. 7: KCNA
"Landscaping?"
Excerpt:
The upcoming session is to discuss the issue of "adopting the law on the socialist rural development and the law on landscaping and the organizational matter," it added.
(LEAD) N. Korea to hold Supreme People's Assembly meeting on Sept. 7: KCNA | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · August 8, 2022
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more details; MODIFIES headline; ADDS photo, byline)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea will convene a key parliamentary meeting in Pyongyang next month to discuss organizational and other pending issues, its state media said Monday.
The standing committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), the North's rubber-stamp parliament, held a plenary meeting the previous day and decided to open the 7th Session of the 14th SPA on Sept. 7, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The upcoming session is to discuss the issue of "adopting the law on the socialist rural development and the law on landscaping and the organizational matter," it added.
The SPA is the highest organ of power under the North's constitution, but it rubber-stamps decisions by the ruling party. It usually holds a plenary session in March or April to deal mainly with the budget and cabinet reshuffles.
Last year, the North held SPA sessions in January and September.
Sunday's plenary session was presided over by Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the standing committee, without leader Kim Jong-un's attendance.
Attendees decided on convening the parliamentary meeting with unanimous approval and had discussions on other issues, including adopting the law on medicines and revising the law on aerospace development, according to the KCNA.
"Revised and supplemented in the law on aerospace development in a detailed way were the basic principle of aerospace development and the norms related to the procedure and method of implementation so as to further legalize the activities of aerospace development," it said.
The North will also hold a national meeting "early in August" to review the country's emergency anti-epidemic measures, the KCNA said in a separate report.
The meeting, expected to take place before Aug. 15, draws attention to whether the North will announce an end to the coronavirus crisis or unveil changes to the antivirus regulations as its new suspected COVID-19 cases have remained at zero since July 29.
Pyongyang disclosed its first COVID-19 case on May 12 after having claimed to be coronavirus-free for over two years and immediately declared a "maximum emergency" virus control system. The North's daily fever tally peaked at over 392,920 on May 15.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · August 8, 2022
10. The first ever western movie to show on North Korean TV isn’t what you’d think
An Interesting historical tidbit from Far Out magazine. Not morally a magazine I read but this article popped up in one of my news feeds.
The first ever western movie to show on North Korean TV isn’t what you’d think
faroutmagazine.co.uk · by Calum Russell · August 7, 2022
What do the movies Friday the 13th, Godzilla and Rambo each have in common? Strangely, they were all favourites of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, with the infamous political icon being something of a movie buff throughout his life. A lover of Hollywood, Jong Il had a particular love for James Bond, that was until Die Another Day destroyed his passion by depicting a North Korean leader as the villain.
Although not popular knowledge, North Korea does have a film industry, even if it doesn’t churn out world-beating blockbusters, with most of production being dedicated to producing propaganda movies. Supervised by the Workers’ Party of Korea, these films explore the military might and public resolve of the country with non-propaganda films reserved for a truly special occasion.
Many of these films are aired on national television, with people of the country treated to a slice of 90-minute propaganda from the comfort of their own armchairs. As for movies from the western world, these are strictly forbidden. That is aside from one unlikely British cult classic.
Bizarrely, in what might be one of the greatest movie trivia facts of all time, the first movie to ever air on North Korean television was the empowering football film, Bend it Like Beckham.
Marking the tenth anniversary of North Korean relations with the United Kingdom, Kim Jong Il authorised an edited version of the 2002 movie to be broadcast on state television on Boxing Day 2010. Speaking at the time, the British Ambassador to South Korea, Martin Uden stated that the unlikely independent movie starring Kiera Knightley and Parminder Nagra was the “first ever Western-made film to air on television” in North Korea.
The broadcast made partial sense, but then again no sense at all. The people of North Korea are ardent fans of football, so the harmless British comedy would make for perfect viewing. But then, at the very same time, the film also discusses several taboo topics such as interracial relationships, homosexuality and religion, much of which was presumably cut from the television broadcast.
Half a coming-of-age London-based romance tale and half a compelling social commentary, Bend it Like Beckham tells the story of a young Punjabi girl named Jesminder (Parminder Nagra) and her friend Jules (Keira Knightley) who wish to play professional football despite their parent’s wishes. Speaking to young girls growing up in the heart of London, the film provided the early inspiration for so many women and British Asians who saw their experience of playing the game being accurately reflected on the big screen for the very first time.
Check out the trailer for Bend it Like Beckham, below, and keep in mind that it was the first movie to ever be shown on broadcast television in North Korea. Brilliantly bizarre.
Most popular
faroutmagazine.co.uk · by Calum Russell · August 7, 2022
11. ‘Crossings’ Follows A Walk For Peace As It Crosses The Korean Divide
Some of these naive people should have their ties with north Korea examined and at least should be made to register as foreign agents as they are doing their best to cary the Kim family regime's water so they may be a little more than "useful idiots" as the communist saying goes. They have direct contact with members of the United Front Department and many of their statements are talking points in support of the regime's propaganda messages.
‘Crossings’ Follows A Walk For Peace As It Crosses The Korean Divide
Forbes · by Joan MacDonald · August 7, 2022
The delegation crossed the DMZ to promote peace and reunification.
AAIFF
When Korean American activist Christine Ahn asked Deann Borshay Liem to join women peacemakers as they crossed the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea, Liem did not hesitate. The award-winning documentary filmmaker not only accompanied the group on their potentially dangerous journey, but captured the experience in her film Crossings.
“Christine contacted me and said, do you want to come on this delegation for peace and the reunification of Korea,” said Liem. “It pulled at my heartstrings. I immediately said, yes.”
Liem was born in South Korea and adopted by an American family. Years later she learned that the adoption story she knew wasn’t true. She was not a war orphan. Her family had not died in the Korean War. Liem’s earlier films—First Person Plural, In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee and Memory of Forgotten War—document her reunion with her birth family and attempts to understand the legacy of the Korean War.
“Through this experience of reconciling the loss of my original family in Korea, the eventual reunion, and working on a variety of different film projects,” said Liem. “I really came to see the division of families through international adoption echoing this broader landscape of division between families in the north and south.”
The women’s peace delegation she joined included activist Gloria Steinem, Nobel Peace Laureates Leymah Gbowee and Mairead Maguire, former Army Colonel Ann Wright, Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin and filmmaker Abigail Disney. Many of the delegates had worked on peace efforts in their own lands and hoped that a delegation of women might offer a new perspective. According to Liem, studies have shown that when women get involved in the peace process, peace agreements tend to last longer.
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“They had experience working on issues in their own country,” said Liem. “Working on issues of ideological divisions, religious differences, ethnic division, racial division, all kinds of conflicts. I felt that if women from all these different countries could come together and contribute to bridge building and collective action, focusing their efforts on Korea, that it could bring fresh energy and a new perspective to this seemingly intractable conflict on the Korean peninsula.”
Although an armistice was signed in 1953, there has never been a peace treaty to end the Korean War. Tensions between North and South Korea periodically threaten to ignite into full-scale conflict and many Korean families remain separated from loved ones. Liem wanted to create a film challenging the notion that the Korean War was a distinct three-year police action, that it’s over, and everyone should just move on.
“Even though three million Koreans died, the Korean War continues to be referred to in this country as the ‘forgotten war.’ It is clearly not forgotten. It’s shocking to me that the term would be applied to a war in which so many people lost their lives.”
The delegation and film crew met in Beijing, then traveled to North Korea, where they interacted with North Korean women working for peace and reunification. The delegation defied a daunting amount of bureaucracy to cross the DMZ and reach South Korea, where they interacted with South Korean women peace activists and supporters, but also faced protests.
That access would be limited in North Korea was a given, but the delegation also encountered problems in the South, where some accused them of promoting North Korea, an act which could result in deportation. The women originally planned to cross the border at Panmunjom, but for security reasons had to relocate and were only permitted to walk part of the way.
Liem also faced challenges in fundraising, which slowed post-production. “Making a film about North Korea is really challenging in many ways,” she said. “North Korea is one of the most vilified nations in the world and our presumed enemy, since the war never ended. Making a film about a group of women trying to promote dialogue and diplomacy with the ‘enemy’ presented a number of challenges, including fundraising.”
Liem remains convinced that educating the public will help to resolve the conflict and that U.S. involvement is key.
“People don’t know that the war never really ended and that really goes to the heart of the current tensions between the U.S. and North Korea,” said Liem. “It’s not just a North Korea/South Korea problem. The future of this intractable conflict is contingent on the diplomacy of the U.S. and North Korea. More education can help create the conditions for peace to happen.”
Crossings is an inspiring film about activism—in which a group of women set out to accomplish a seemingly impossible mission and, despite serious obstacles and setbacks, succeed in making an important statement.
“We are hoping by next year, which is the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, that the film will be broadcast to a national audience, said Liem. “And we will be able to bring focus on these issues at that time.”
Crossings is currently making the festival circuit, appearing at the Asian American International Film Festival, and will be screened by various organizations, including Veterans for Peace and Korea Peace Now!
Liem has long used media to affect positive change. As a filmmaker and former executive director (1993 to 1996) for the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), she has worked diligently to share the stories of underrepresented communities. “Our organization’s whole mission was to try to increase the diversity of public television, to bring the voices of Asian, African, Latino, Native American, and Pacific Islanders, to amplify their voices and to bring more programming by and about those communities.”
For Liem, one of the rewards of making Crossings is seeing the bonds that women delegates forged during their mission. She’s also heartened by the ongoing efforts of Women Cross DMZ, the organization founded by Ahn, as they continue to mobilize women for peace in Korea.
“If Americans could really get behind this cause for peace,” said Liem. “We can make a difference. Every one of us can make a difference.”
Forbes · by Joan MacDonald · August 7, 2022
12. Yoon vows to go back to basics amid low approval ratings
Korean politics is hard. Only 3 months since inauguration and the President's approval ratings which I would guess are among the worst in Korean history.
Yoon vows to go back to basics amid low approval ratings
The Korea Times · August 8, 2022
President Yoon Suk-yeol answers reporters' questions as he arrives at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday. It was Yoon's first Q&A session with reporters in 13 days. Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo
President Yoon Suk-yeol said he would go back to basics when he returned to work on Monday after a week-long vacation, in an apparent effort to regain public trust in his administration.
"As I looked back at what happened in the past, I came to be grateful to the people who have helped me come this far, with both harsh criticism and heartfelt encouragement," Yoon said while answering reporters' questions upon his arrival at the presidential office.
"During my vacation, I reached the conclusion that as president, I need to be humble, and try to figure out what the public wants and listen carefully to what they say," he said.
Yoon took reporters' questions after a two-week hiatus. After slamming police officers' protests against the government's plan to set up a police bureau under the interior ministry on July 26, Yoon did not take reporters' questions that week and then went on a weeklong vacation all last week.
His comments came as his approval ratings have been on a downward spiral. And while Yoon was on vacation, his approval ratings fell to the abysmal 20-percent range.
According to a Realmeter weekly poll released on Monday, Yoon's job approval rating stood at 29.3 percent, down 3.8 percentage points from a week earlier. The poll surveyed 2,528 adults from Aug. 1 to 5.
A separate poll by Korea Society Opinion Institute, which was also released on Monday, showed that only 27.5 percent showed a positive response to Yoon's work, down 1.4 percentage points from a week earlier. This poll surveyed 1,002 adults from Aug. 5 to 6. Further details of the surveys are available at the websites of the polling agencies and the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
The ratings appear to reflect public concern over the economy, as inflation is currently at a 24-year high, criticism over his decision not to meet U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during her visit to Seoul, and the widespread backlash against his administration's proposal to lower the school entry age for children ― all in the midst of another major COVID-19 surge.
Against this backdrop, calls were growing among both the ruling and opposition blocs that Yoon should consider replacing some of his aides or Cabinet members to improve public perception of his administration.
"The power comes from the people. I will look over all issues again from their perspective and take measures if necessary," Yoon said when asked if he has any intention to reshuffle his aides or ministers.
President Yoon Suk-yeol enters his office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday, where reporters were waiting to ask him questions after a two-week hiatus. Yonhap
So far, multiple aides at the presidential office have said that Yoon will not likely opt for a shakeup in the office or the Cabinet, citing his style of having deep trust for aides he recruited. After the comments, however, speculation mounted that Yoon may replace aides or ministers to seek a breakthrough in the current low-popularity doldrums.
"While President Yoon was relaxing, the country was even noisier than before," said Park Hong-keun, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).
"The top reason for the negative sentiments towards Yoon's work is the personnel issues. The public is sick and tired of these controversies that keep emerging like the peeling of an onion. I once again demand the president to conduct a sweeping renewal of the presidential office and the Cabinet," he said.
The Korea Times · August 8, 2022
13. 'Chip 4,' Thaad likely to be discussed by Korea, China's top envoys
Minister Park has his work cut out for him.
Monday
August 8, 2022
'Chip 4,' Thaad likely to be discussed by Korea, China's top envoys
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/08/08/national/diplomacy/korea-china-chip-4/20220808175449166.html
Foreign Minister Park Jin, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shake hands after a photo session during the Asean Plus Three foreign ministerial meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Thursday. [YONHAP]
Foreign Minister Park Jin is in China through Wednesday to meet its top envoy, Wang Yi, possibly to discuss the controversial “Chip 4” alliance and the U.S.-led antimissile system in Korea.
Park was scheduled to meet with Wang in Qingdao, Shandong Province, on Tuesday, according to Korea’s Foreign Ministry.
The Foreign Ministry did not elaborate on the agenda of the talks beyond “Korea-China relations, the Korean Peninsula and regional and international issues,” but it’s expected that Wang will bring up issues related to U.S.-China rivalry, which he has a history of doing.
The last time Wang met with Park, which was on the sidelines of a G20 ministerial meeting in Indonesia on July 7, he was quoted by his ministry as discussing “rampant unilateral acts and deluging power politics and bullying,” probably alluding to the NATO summit in Madrid in June and U.S.-led initiatives in the region such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework established in May.
In his most recent trip abroad, to Dhaka on Sunday, Wang didn't ignore U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s highly controversial visit to Taiwan last Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Wang Yi emphasized that the United States' act seriously violated China's sovereignty, crudely interfered in China's internal affairs, and severely violated the basic norms governing international relations,” China’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday of Wang’s meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka.
Park will be meeting with Wang as another issue to ruffle Beijing’s feathers, “Chip 4,” an alliance proposed by Washington to Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo in March, was just accepted by the Korean government.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently informed the United States that Korea will participate in the Chip 4 preliminary meeting,” said an official from the presidential office Sunday.
Beijing has been speaking out against the alliance for months.
“China opposes moves to forcibly push for industrial relocation and decoupling, undermine international trade rules and split the global market,” said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian in responding to a question from the press about the U.S. proposal to Korea on the semiconductor alliance on July 26.
“We hope that the Republic of Korea side will keep in mind its own long-term interests and market principles of fairness and openness, hold an objective and just position, and do more things that are conducive to China-Korea relations and the stability of global industrial and supply chains,” he said.
Another elephant in the room during the talks would be the Terminal High Altitude for Area Defense (Thaad), a U.S.-led antimissile system deployed to Korea in 2017.
Park, who has been an outspoken critic of the previous government's "strategic ambiguity" on issues related to U.S.-China rivalry, butted heads recently with Beijing on its demands on security, including on Thaad.
“It is difficult to accept the call from China that we should keep the Three No’s policy even though the matter is of direct concern to our national security and sovereignty,” said Park in a parliamentary hearing on July 25.
The so-called “Three No’s” policy refers to a pledge made by the Moon Jae-in administration in October 2017 not to make additional deployments of the Thaad anti-missile shield, participate in an American missile defense network or transform the U.S.-Korea-Japan alliance into a military alliance.
Chinese officials responded within the week with comments made during press conferences and also online.
“New officials cannot ignore old accounts,” wrote Liu Xiaoming, China's special representative on Korean Peninsula affairs, on his Twitter account on July 27. “South Korea should continue to act prudently and seek fundamental solutions to major and sensitive issues involving the security of its neighbors.”
Beijing has strongly opposed the deployment of Thaad despite explanations from Seoul that the system was meant to counter missile threats from North Korea, calling it an American scheme to spy on China.
After the deployment in 2017, Beijing levied economic sanctions on Korean exports of entertainment, cancelled advertisements and movie contracts with Korean stars, and banned its own tour groups from going to Korea.
Members of the Yoon Suk-yeol government, including Yoon, have repeatedly called for "normalization" of the operation of Thaad.
The Thaad system, though installed in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang, in 2017, has yet to be used. The military base that hosts the system needs to get a green-light from the Korean government to start using it, which Korea has yet to give, citing environmental concerns.
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
VIDEO "WHEREBY" Link: https://whereby.com/david-maxwell
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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