FDR:

December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

Quotes of the Day:

Insurrection by means of guerrilla bands is the true method of warfare for all nations desirous of emancipating themselves from a foreign yoke. It is invincible, indestructible."

- Giuseppe Mazzini

"In such a society as ours the only possible chance for change, for mobility, for political, economic, and moral flow lies in the tactics of guerrilla warfare, in the use of fictions, of language."

- Kathy Acker

"I think that the singular evil of our time is prejudice. It is from this evil that all other evils grow and multiply. In almost everything I've written there is a thread of this: A man's seemingly palpable need to dislike someone other than himself."

- Rod Serling, LA Times 1967 

1.  U.S., Australia urge N. Korea to engage in dialogue, address human rights issues

2. Joint Statement on Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) 2022

3. Secretary Antony J. Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles at a Joint Press Availability

4. Yoon says S. Korea must perfectly overwhelm N. Korea in conventional military strength

5. N.Korea Is Officially the Enemy Again

6. Former N. Korean diplomat working at S. Korea's state-run think tank: lawmaker

7. Keeping Calm in the Face of North Korean Provocations

8. Koreans' Life Expectancy Keeps Rising

9.  N. Korea to hold parliamentary meeting on Jan. 17: KCNA

10. S. Korea to hold policy meeting on N. Korea's human rights this week

​11. ​Some in N. Korea believe that a seventh nuclear test “is not urgent”

12. Dozens arrested in narcotics crackdown in Hoeryong

​13. ​Defense White Paper explicitly states N. Korea is an enemy

​14. ​ [Column] The symbolism of Kim’s daughter

15. NK's strong interest in climate change offers opportunity for cooperation

​16. ​IAEA chief to visit South Korea next week to discuss North Korean nuclear, other issues

​17. ​Fingers crossed for unification of two Koreas

18. [INTERVIEW] 'If youth get excited about unification, things will happen very quickly'

1.  U.S., Australia urge N. Korea to engage in dialogue, address human rights issues

Human rights upfront. Every time we talk about nuclear weapons and missiles and threats we need to talk about human rights as we have done in the joint statement.

U.S., Australia urge N. Korea to engage in dialogue, address human rights issues | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · December 7, 2022

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats and defense chiefs of the United States and Australia urged North Korea on Tuesday to engage in dialogue to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, while expressing concerns over severe human rights violations in the reclusive state.

They also agreed to fully implement United Nations Security Council resolutions on North Korea to this end in an annual two-plus-two meeting, known as the Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations.

"The principals reaffirmed their commitment to achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to addressing the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs," a joint statement of the meeting released by the state department said, referring to North Korea by its official name.

The meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Australian counterparts -- Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles -- was held in Washington.

"Acknowledging their shared belief that diplomacy is essential to denuclearization and the establishment of a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, the principals called on the DPRK to engage in sustained dialogue and cease its destabilizing behavior," said the statement.

North Korea fired a new record of 63 ballistic missiles this year, far outnumbering the previous annual record of 25.

U.S. officials said Pyongyang may also conduct a nuclear test at any time, which, if conducted, would mark its seventh nuclear test. North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test in September 2017.

The U.S. and Australian officials stressed the need to fully implement U.N. sanctions on North Korea.

"They committed to continued bilateral and multilateral coordination and reaffirmed the need for the international community to fully implement all relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions related to the DPRK," the joint statement said.

The four also expressed concerns over what they called "severe" human rights violations in the North.

"They noted with grave concern continuing reports of severe violations of human rights in the DPRK," it said.

The U.S. last week designated North Korea as a state violator of religious freedom for the 21st consecutive year.

bdk@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · December 7, 2022

2. Joint Statement on Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) 2022

A lot of hard work by action officers behind this statement.​

For Korea:

The principals reaffirmed their commitment to achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to addressing the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which pose a grave threat not only to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula but also the Indo-Pacific region and the world. In this context, Australia welcomed the Phnom Penh Statement on the U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea Trilateral Partnership for the Indo-Pacific. They committed to continued bilateral and multilateral coordination and reaffirmed the need for the international community to fully implement all relevant UN Security Council resolutions related to the DPRK. Acknowledging their shared belief that diplomacy is essential to denuclearization and the establishment of a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, the principals called on the DPRK to engage in sustained dialogue and cease its destabilizing behavior. They noted with grave concern continuing reports of severe violations of human rights in the DPRK.

Joint Statement on Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) 2022 - United States Department of State

state.gov · by Office of the Spokesperson

The Governments of the United States of America and Australia released the following statement on the occasion of the 32nd annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN).

Begin Text:

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosted Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles on December 6 in Washington, D.C. to advance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and globally. Building on the November 2022 meeting between President Biden and Prime Minister Albanese, the Secretaries and Ministers (principals) noted that the U.S.-Australia Alliance and partnership have never been stronger, or more vital to regional peace and prosperity. The principals committed to advancing a stable, rules-based international order where differences are resolved peacefully and without coercion, and where states cooperate transparently to address shared challenges. They further committed to deepening their cooperation to strengthen and reform the multilateral system and galvanize collective action to address the climate crisis; protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy, and gender equity and equality; and advance the rules of the road for technology, cyberspace, trade, and commerce. The principals also decided to evolve their defense and security cooperation to ensure they are equipped to deter aggression, counter coercion, and make space for sovereign decision making.

Indo-Pacific Cooperation

The principals committed to deepening cooperation, bilaterally and with regional partners and institutions, to ensure an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, stable, peaceful, prosperous, and respectful of sovereignty. The principals affirmed that regional growth and stability are underpinned by international law, which serves the interests of all nations. They committed to strengthen their engagement with Indo-Pacific countries to promote economic development, climate change cooperation, security, connectivity, good governance, disaster management, health, and resiliency consistent with regional and national priorities. The principals further committed to establishing a regular meeting between the Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator to support closer development cooperation throughout the Indo-Pacific region and globally.

The four principals emphasized the importance of all states being able to exercise rights and freedoms consistent with international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), including freedom of navigation and overflight. They reiterated their strong opposition to destabilizing actions in the South China Sea, such as the militarization of disputed features and dangerous encounters at sea and in the air. They also expressed concern about other actions by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), including it asserting excessive maritime claims that are inconsistent with international law. They resolved to work with partners to support regional maritime security and uphold international law.

The principals reiterated Taiwan’s role as a leading democracy in the Indo-Pacific region, an important regional economy, and a key contributor to critical supply chains. They also reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and shared opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo. They further committed to working together to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations and enhancing economic, social, and people-to-people ties with Taiwan, and affirmed that they would continue working with Taiwan to enhance development coordination in the Pacific.

The four principals emphasized the importance of all countries managing strategic competition responsibly and committed to work together to ensure competition does not escalate into conflict. The United States and Australia look to the PRC to do the same and plan to engage Beijing on risk reduction and transparency measures. The principals encouraged the PRC to take steps to promote stability and transparency in the area of nuclear weapons. They also affirmed the importance of cooperation with the PRC on issues of shared interest, including climate change, pandemic threats, non-proliferation, countering illicit and illegal narcotics, the global food crisis, and macroeconomic issues. The principals committed to enhancing deterrence and resilience through coordinated efforts to offer Indo-Pacific nations support to resist subversion and coercion of any kind.

The principals redoubled their commitment to cooperation with the Pacific Islands in support of the objectives of the Pacific Islands Forum 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, guided by Pacific priorities of climate change, resilient infrastructure, maritime security, and with support for Pacific regional institutions that have served the region well over many years. The principals affirmed their commitment to encourage their partners to increase engagement in support of Pacific priorities. This includes by further developing the recently established Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP) initiative, which is led and guided by the Pacific Islands through close consultations on its priorities and initiatives, including through the Pacific Islands Forum. Australia and the United States are contributing funding to an initiative to bolster the Pacific Islands’ ability to prepare for and respond to devastating disasters, in support of goals outlined at the first Pacific Disaster Risk Reduction Ministers meeting in September 2022.

The principals committed to strengthening coordination to deliver on Pacific priorities, including through our diplomatic missions. With the recent reopening of borders in the Pacific Islands, the principals discussed supporting the entry or re-entry of U.S. Peace Corps volunteers into the Pacific and a proposal to expand cooperation between the Peace Corps and the Australian Volunteers Program.

The principals welcomed the offer from the United States Coast Guard, developed in consultation with the Pacific Island countries that participate in the Pacific Maritime Security Program, to provide training that will enhance the benefits the Pacific Islands derive from the Australian-gifted Guardian-class Patrol Boat fleet. They also welcomed the recent discussion on making additional U.S. assets available to Pacific Island countries for maritime surveillance, reinforcing their capacity to protect their vast maritime domains. The principals also committed to further collaboration with Japan, India, and regional partners on the Quad-supported Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness.

The principals welcomed the inclusion of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, and His Majesty’s Armed Forces of Tonga in future exercises, including in Exercise TALISMAN SABRE 2023 as part of the Australian Defence Force contingent. They expressed their desire to continue to enhance interoperability with the militaries of the Pacific, through support for and participation in regional exercises. They also decided to work together to do more to dispose of unexploded ordnance in the Pacific.

The principals noted that Southeast Asia was critical to regional stability and reaffirmed their commitment to ASEAN centrality and ASEAN-led regional architecture. They underscored the role of the East Asia Summit as the region’s premier, leaders-led forum for addressing strategic challenges and expressed their ongoing support for the practical implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. Australia welcomed the ASEAN-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The principals expressed support for Indonesia’s priorities as next year’s ASEAN chair. They also welcomed recent progress towards Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN.

The principals committed to work with Southeast Asian partners to support their economic, climate, energy infrastructure, and security cooperation priorities. They reiterated their support for ASEAN-led efforts to respond to the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, and their deep concern at the deteriorating situation in the country. They urged the Myanmar military regime to implement its commitments under the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus, to refrain from violence, release all those unjustly detained, and to allow unimpeded humanitarian access. They committed to expanding their partnership to deliver for the Mekong sub-region through an additional AUD $1.2 million (USD $0.8 million) in funding to the Mekong Safeguards Program.

The principals welcomed deepening engagement through the Quad to respond to the region’s needs. They looked forward to the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit in Australia to advance the Quad’s positive and practical agenda.

The principals discussed the devastating impact of COVID-19 with special regard to the Indo-Pacific region, and plan to increase collaboration to strengthen resilience to prepare for future pandemics by working to prevent, detect, and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases. They recommitted to joint efforts to expand access to safe and effective vaccines; support pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, including through the Quad, global health funds, and the newly established Pandemic Fund at the World Bank; and to work with other Indo-Pacific countries to promote public health best practices. They also committed to a new program of cooperative support to UN and regional organizations working in the Indo-Pacific to strengthen national and regional health security with a particular emphasis on the intersection between animal and human health. The principals affirmed their commitment to multilateral and international efforts to end the pandemic, and to strengthen the World Health Organization and the global health architecture. The principals reaffirmed the importance of research and technical collaboration in providing equitable access to healthcare, particularly in remote communities.

The principals also committed to ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ voices are heard at the international level, and that we protect, learn from, and embed their knowledge and experience to deal with global challenges. The United States and Australia are also highlighting the role of Indigenous Peoples in our societies through projects to connect indigenous business stakeholders, including the exchange of best practices and development of cross-Pacific networks.

The principals expressed serious concerns about severe human rights violations in Xinjiang, the human rights situation in Tibet, and the systematic erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy, democratic institutions, and processes undermining the commitments made by the PRC before the handover. The principals strongly condemned the ruthless suppression of peaceful protests by Iranian authorities, and remain committed to standing with the Iranian people, especially women, as they demonstrate extraordinary courage in standing up for their rights. They also discussed ways to continue advancing gender equality and human rights, including the rights of all women and girls, in the international rules-based system and through initiatives in the Indo-Pacific region, including through convening a bilateral Strategic Dialogue on Gender Equality.

The principals reaffirmed their commitment to achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to addressing the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which pose a grave threat not only to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula but also the Indo-Pacific region and the world. In this context, Australia welcomed the Phnom Penh Statement on the U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea Trilateral Partnership for the Indo-Pacific. They committed to continued bilateral and multilateral coordination and reaffirmed the need for the international community to fully implement all relevant UN Security Council resolutions related to the DPRK. Acknowledging their shared belief that diplomacy is essential to denuclearization and the establishment of a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, the principals called on the DPRK to engage in sustained dialogue and cease its destabilizing behavior. They noted with grave concern continuing reports of severe violations of human rights in the DPRK.

Climate, Clean Energy, and Environment

The principals emphasized the need for urgent action on climate change and the importance of a clean energy transition, committing to pursue these as a new pillar of the U.S.-Australia Alliance. This partnership builds on Australia’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and its legislated target to reduce emissions by 43 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and the United States’ NDC and its target to reduce emissions by 50 to 52 per cent below 2005 levels in 2030. It also builds on the landmark climate action and investment by the United States, including under the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and on the Australian Government’s Powering Australia Plan. Principals committed to work together across the whole of their respective governments to strengthen investment in climate mitigation, including renewable energy and associated infrastructure, clean transportation, nature-based solutions, and climate resilient infrastructure, in line with efforts under the bilateral Net-Zero Technology Acceleration Partnership, the Clean Energy Demand Initiative, and the U.S.-Australia Energy Security Dialogue.

The principals pledged to drive stronger global action to address the climate crisis and to strengthen efforts throughout this critical decade to keep a limit of 1.5 degrees temperature rise within reach. The principals also committed to continue coordination on building greater climate preparedness and resilience, especially in consideration of those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including women, girls, Indigenous Peoples and First Nations, and people with a disability. Building on Australia’s support for the Global Methane Pledge, both nations committed to work towards significant reductions in methane, particularly in the energy and waste sectors. Australia and the United States also decided to cooperate and share experiences to support reducing public sector emissions globally, building on the Net-Zero Government Initiative the United States launched at COP27 and Australia’s commitment for the Australian Public Service to achieve net-zero by 2030.

The principals decided to strengthen coordination to support climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience efforts in response to the needs of partners in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including to support information and expertise sharing on climate finance and clean energy investment. They intend to continue working together and with Indo-Pacific partners to deliver meaningful climate outcomes in alignment with existing regional architecture, including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), ASEAN, the Pacific Islands Forum, Partners in the Blue Pacific, and the Quad.

The principals committed to taking greater action to support global protection and conservation of land and oceans, including to address the critical issue of biodiversity loss. The United States and Australia have committed to the global ambition of conserving 30 percent of our land and oceans and the successful development of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, complemented by Australia’s recent endorsement of the U.S.-led Ocean Conservation Pledge. Both countries support avenues to invigorate existing ocean related partnerships, such as the International Partnership for Blue Carbon, and intend to work closely together on issues that impact the ocean’s health. Australia and the United States intend to continue to support global efforts to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, including through the Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership. Both countries recognize the growing problem of plastic pollution and intend to actively support the development of an ambitious global response to end plastic pollution by 2040.

Acknowledging the national security challenge posed by climate change, the principals committed to strengthen information sharing and exchange best practices between both Departments of Defense to accelerate progress towards climate resiliency objectives. This includes exploring the inclusion of updated climate verbiage in a review of the 2005 Joint Statement of Environmental and Heritage Principles for Combined Activities. The principals also committed to explore establishing a new senior officials working group to share assessments and advice on the national and regional security risks posed by climate change.

Prosperity, Innovation, and Resilient Supply Chains

The principals welcomed the upcoming negotiations of IPEF and its vision for a free and open, connected, prosperous, resilient, inclusive, and secure Indo-Pacific region. Together with 12 other IPEF partners, the United States and Australia plan to address economic challenges and opportunities, including through commitments related to trade, supply chains, clean energy, and tax and anti-corruption. The principals are committed to ensuring that IPEF delivers for everyone, especially workers, consumers, and under-represented groups such as Indigenous Peoples and women. The United States appreciates Australia’s hosting of the first in-person IPEF negotiating round in Brisbane from December 10-15.

The principals highlighted the United States’ and Australia’s shared commitment to supporting security across the information and communications technology (ICT) ecosystem as a critical foundation for expanding connectivity and bridging digital divides. They identified additional areas for collaboration and financing opportunities to support trusted ICT infrastructure, including promoting supplier diversity and innovation to build more resilient supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region and globally. They also discussed how additional public-private partnerships on topics such as 5G/Open RAN, standards, and supply chains could augment our work to support critical and emerging technology among Quad governments.

The principals welcomed and acknowledged the role of APEC, the premier economic forum in the region, in improving the region’s resilience to future economic shocks; promoting a free, fair, and open trade and investment environment; strengthening supply chains; addressing health-related threats; and advancing inclusive, sustainable growth, including during the United States’ APEC 2023 host year.

The United States and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to supporting quality, transparent infrastructure development that addresses the needs of Indo-Pacific partners and generates local employment opportunities. They welcomed the renewal of the Trilateral Infrastructure Partnership (TIP) MOU with Japan, which brings together key agencies to deliver quality and sustainable infrastructure projects across the Indo-Pacific region. TIP partners completed a joint mission to Vietnam in October 2022, and have another mission planned to Indonesia in early 2023. The principals also noted the role that the Blue Dot Network could play in promoting quality infrastructure projects across the region and supporting infrastructure investment in low- and middle-income countries. The United States and Australia are also partnering with Japan to support digital projects that improve access to digital services in the Pacific. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation will, subject to final approvals, provide $50 million each in credit guarantees for Export Finance Australia’s financing package, which was provided to support Telstra’s acquisition of Digicel Pacific’s telecom assets in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific, that will assist network upgrades to improve security and performance.

The principals emphasized the importance of diverse, resilient, and sustainable supplies of critical minerals throughout the energy transition value chain and to our economic and national security. Both countries are committed to working bilaterally and with like-minded countries through forums such as the Minerals Security Partnership, Energy Resource Governance Initiative, Conference on Critical Materials and Minerals, and International Energy Agency to identify and develop critical minerals extraction, processing, and manufacturing opportunities to secure supply chains essential to clean energy, electric vehicles, semiconductors, aerospace, and defense, among other sectors. Both countries plan to work with industry and international partners to promote high environmental, social, and governance standards for critical minerals production and processing.

Defense and Security

The principals decided to formalize the Enhanced Force Posture Cooperation announced in 2021 as ‘Force Posture Initiatives’ under the Force Posture Agreement. In doing so, these areas of cooperation—Enhanced Land Cooperation, Enhanced Maritime Cooperation, and the Combined Logistics, Sustainment, and Maintenance Enterprise—will sit alongside the existing initiatives that were announced in 2011. They affirmed that Australia and the United States would continue the rotational presence of U.S. capabilities in Australia, across air, land, and maritime domains. This would include U.S. Bomber Task Force rotations, fighters, and future rotations of U.S. Navy and U.S. Army capabilities. The principals decided to identify priority locations in Australia to support enhanced U.S. force posture with associated infrastructure, including runway improvements, parking aprons, fuel infrastructure, explosive ordnance storage infrastructure, and facilities to support the workforce.

Recognizing logistics cooperation is a key line of effort for force posture cooperation, the principals decided to preposition stores, munitions, and fuel in support of U.S. capabilities in Australia and to demonstrate logistics interoperability through joint exercises. To support Enhanced Air Cooperation, Australia and the United States committed to co-develop agile logistics at nominated airfields—including at bare bases in northern Australia—to support more responsive and resilient rotations of U.S. aircraft. Further, to strengthen U.S. land presence, the principals decided to expand locations for U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps forces, to enable exercises, activities, and further opportunities for regional engagement, including in the context of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief support to the region.

Consistent with the recent Australia, Japan, and United States Trilateral Defense Ministers’ Meeting commitment to advance concrete and practical security initiatives, the principals decided to enhance trilateral defense cooperation activities and invite Japan to increase its participation in Force Posture Initiatives in Australia.

The principals commended the significant progress AUKUS partners have made on developing the optimal pathway for Australia to acquire a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability at the earliest date possible. They confirmed that the AUKUS partners are on track to announce a pathway forward by early 2023. They reaffirmed AUKUS partners’ commitment to setting the highest possible non-proliferation standards and to continue working transparently with the International Atomic Energy Agency towards an approach that will strengthen the non-proliferation regime. They further lauded AUKUS efforts on the trilateral development of advanced capabilities for deterrence and operational effectiveness.

The principals condemned in the strongest possible terms Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine. They once again called on Russia to immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw its forces from within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine. They noted that Russia’s nuclear threats are a serious and unacceptable menace to the peace and security of the entire international community, and that the use of nuclear weapons would be met with resolute responses by the international community.

The principals committed to continued support for Ukraine’s rightful resistance to Russia’s naked aggression, and to hold individuals, entities, and nations that facilitate Moscow’s war on Ukraine to account for the extreme suffering they have helped unleash on the Ukrainian people. They recognized that Russia’s war is affecting food security, energy, agriculture, and fertilizer imports by countries globally, hampering regional economic recovery from the pandemic. They called on Russia to continue participating in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which reduces the prices of essential grains, cereals, and oil.

They also committed to enhance cooperation to prevent proliferation of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, and to defend the global multilateral non-proliferation architecture, including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as the cornerstone of the global non-proliferation and disarmament regime.

Securing our Technological Edge

The principals emphasized that robust industry and technological innovation are fundamental to promoting positive social and economic outcomes. They highlighted how our bilateral partnership in critical and emerging technologies helps to provide a model for the entire Indo-Pacific region. This includes joint capacity building and outreach to Southeast Asia and other Indo-Pacific partners on responsible deployment of new technologies like artificial intelligence and facial recognition.

The United States also reaffirmed its support for Australia’s Guided Weapon and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, given the criticality of resilient supply chains. The principals committed to locally maintain, repair, and overhaul more priority munitions in Australia to improve existing stock holdings through GWEO.

The principals welcomed the robust technology and capability collaboration being undertaken across the Alliance and noted the criticality of combining strengths to effectively respond to the tougher strategic environment. The principals committed to strengthening efforts to better streamline and facilitate technology transfer and information sharing, including under the Australia-United States Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty. They also committed to work closely on future E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft cooperation, including through the training of United States Air Force personnel by the Royal Australian Air Force in Australia.

The principals decided to enhance space cooperation and space domain awareness and strengthen assured access to space through future bilateral space arrangements. They also acknowledged an important milestone in bilateral space collaboration, with the U.S.-built Space Surveillance Telescope, recently marking initial operating capability in Western Australia in September 2022.

Australia looks forward to hosting the next AUSMIN in 2023.

End Text

state.gov · by Office of the Spokesperson

3. Secretary Antony J. Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles at a Joint Press Availability

​Of course the remarks cannot ​cover all the issues. I would have given the ministers an A+ if one of them had mentioned north Korean human rights to reinforce the human rights up front approach. But I am still pleased that human rights were mentioned in the joint statement. 

Secretary Antony J. Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles at a Joint Press Availability - United States Department of State

state.gov · by Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon, everyone. Secretary Austin and I were very happy to welcome our Australian friends – Foreign Minster Wong, Defense Minister Marles – for our first AUSMIN under Prime Minister Albanese’s government. It’s just wonderful to have you both in Washington. Penny and I have had the chance to meet multiple times pretty much around the world, but it’s a special pleasure to have her at the State Department for the first time. So, so good to be with you.

More than seven decades ago the ANZUS Treaty kicked off our shared work to strengthen the fabric of peace in the Pacific. Our discussions today show that that work continues in earnest not only for the benefit of Australians and Americans and others in the Indo-Pacific, but for people around the world. This is our 32nd consultation overall. That such a meeting has persisted for so long shows the enduring importance of the Australian-American alliance. It transcends parties. It has long enjoyed strong bipartisan support in the United States. It covers the breadth and depth of issues facing our people and it reflects a relationship that will only continue to grow deeper.

Take our work on the climate crisis, which reflects an existential threat to the survival of our people and people everywhere and one that demands a truly global response. Early this fall, Australia joined our Clean Energy Demand Initiative, which brings together companies and countries to power the clean energy transition. Already nine American companies have committed to investing at least $2.2 billion to help upgrade Australia’s clean energy infrastructure. Or take Partners in the Blue Pacific, a new initiative that seeks to work with Pacific Island countries toward our shared vision of a resilient, inclusive, and prosperous Pacific.

One of the ways we’re doing that together is through an initiative focused on preplacing humanitarian supplies in secure locations across the region so the Pacific Islands can better prepare and respond to any disaster.

Today, we discussed our joint efforts to counter President Putin’s brutal war on Ukraine and to support Ukraine’s energy sector against Russian attacks. We’re grateful for Australia’s efforts to impose sanctions coordinated with ours – as well as our shared work through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, through which we’re coordinating our aid efforts.

Australia has also shown extraordinary generosity in supporting Ukraine as it defends its territory, contributing more than $440 million in military and humanitarian assistance.

We’re also working together through longstanding multilateral organizations, notably ASEAN. Both our countries are committed to its centrality, and we’re standing up and revitalizing other bodies to draw on complementary strengths and those of our allies and partners.

In the Quad, along with India and Japan, we’re advancing a shared vision of an open and free Indo-Pacific region. A key part of that is making sure that goods and ideas can flow freely throughout the region. Just last week at the Quad Technology Business and Investment Forum in Sydney, leaders from the private sector, academia from across our countries discussed new ways to collaborate on supporting emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and biotech and ensuring that they uphold our democratic values.

In May, together with 13 other like-minded partners representing more than 40 percent of global GDP, we launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, an affirmative economic vision for a region that is free and open, secure and resilient. IPEF will help our countries advance a number of priorities like combatting corruption, promoting high-standard trade provisions for labor rights and the digital economy, hastening the clean energy transition, preparing for and responding to supply chain disruptions. We’ll see this collaboration in action next week when the IPEF partners meet in Brisbane to discuss each of these priorities.

Today, we discussed as well how we can continue to advance AUKUS, a vital security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Our three countries have made significant strides toward Australia obtaining nuclear-powered submarines while adhering to the highest nonproliferation standards. We’re committed to delivering on that promise at the earliest possible time.

We’re also deepening our collaboration on a number of other key areas, including cyber, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and undersea capabilities that will help us secure our technological edge and our security going forward. We’re increasingly weaving together our alliances in Europe and Asia, in the Atlantic, and across the Pacific because the challenges and threats that those alliances face are increasingly interconnected, and we’re more effective when we stand and work together.

We also discussed our efforts to address challenges posed by the PRC to the international rules-based order, including attempts to disrupt the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, efforts to unilaterally change the status quo and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and attempts to intimidate other countries through economic coercion. Australia is no stranger to such efforts, and we reaffirmed that we would stand with them against these pressure tactics.

We also agreed on the need to responsibly manage the relationship with China to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict and to find areas of cooperation – such as on climate, on global health – that would help both our own people as well as people around the world.

Across the breadth and depth of our relationship, one of the most exciting parts to me is the thriving scientific partnership with researchers and scientists working together developing leading technologies. Earlier this year, I had the chance to visit the University of Melbourne’s biomedical project. We’ve got American companies like Illumina and IBM conducting genomics research and accelerating progress on quantum computing. When I arrived, Moderna had recently announced that they would be opening an mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Melbourne, the first such facility of theirs in the Southern Hemisphere.

These are the cutting-edge issues that will help define the 21st century. Our collaboration between Australia and the United States is helping to lead the way. Throughout our history, that’s what the Australia-U.S. relationship has always: evolve, grow, and ultimately deliver for our people; and make their lives a little bit more safe, a little bit more secure, a little bit more prosperous. Today’s AUSMIN was another step towards building that brighter future for all of our people. It’s wonderful, again, to have you both here, and we’re so grateful for the work that we did today.

Penny, over to you.

FOREIGN MINISTER WONG: Thank you very much, Tony, and can I say how much the Deputy Prime Minister and I are pleased to be here. And we thank the U.S. and Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin for hosting today’s meeting, and also for the constructive and insightful round of talks we have just held. The U.S. is Australia’s vital security ally. It’s our closest global partner. And as Secretary Blinken said, there is an enduring commitment from Australia to the alliance.

AUSMIN is obviously the primary forum for us as an alliance to share our perspectives, to make progress on shared interests; and I think what we are doing, as you will see when the communique or statement is issued, is deepening the cooperation between our two countries to make progress on those interests. We are committed to working together to meet and address shared challenges including climate change. And I think one of the overriding sense – senses I have out of the discussion today is a shared resolve to enhance our relationship to meet the growing strategic challenges of our time.

What we want is a region that is stable, prosperous, and respectful of sovereignty. And as we have made clear many times, U.S. engagement in the Indo‑Pacific makes an indispensable contribution to such a region. 2022 has been a big year, and I want to commend the administration for its significant investments in the Indo‑Pacific. And alongside that, I think you see complementary work done by our government and the actions we’ve taken to increase engagement with the region.

There are three areas where our collaboration, I think, has a different approach and enhanced emphasis. The first is climate. Obviously, the new Australian Government is committed to ambitious domestic action on climate and to being an ambitious and constructive international player on this issue. And you will see in the work that we’re doing reflected the president and prime minister’s commitment to pursue action on climate change and clean energy as a new pillar of the alliance.

Second, obviously, ASEAN, and I echo Secretary Blinken’s words. We welcome ASEAN-U.S. comprehensive strategic partnership. We are committed to expanding that partnership, including in practical ways through Mekong region, Mekong Safeguards Program.

And thirdly the Pacific, where we have been very active since we have been elected. And we welcome the work – we’re working with the U.S. on initiatives such as the Partners in the Blue Pacific Initiative – which I think was the last time we might have seen each other, Tony – to the funding for an increased disaster risk reduction, including through prepositioning of responses to humanitarian disasters, and the offer from the U.S. Coast Guard to participate in the Maritime Security Program – maritime security being such an important part of the Pacific’s interests.

We welcome the discussion. We welcome the friendship, and we welcome the work we are doing together to meet the challenges of these times. So, thank you again for hosting us, and we look forward to hosting you at the next AUSMIN in 2023.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Lloyd.

SECRETARY AUSTIN: Thanks. Good afternoon, everyone. Deputy Prime Minister Marles and Minister Wong, thank you for traveling to Washington to join us today. It has been a real pleasure hosting you here along with my good friend and colleague, Secretary Blinken.

Now, we call the relationship between the United States and Australia the unbreakable alliance and for good reason: Australia and the United States have stood shoulder to shoulder in every major conflict for more than a century. The bond between our democracies and our peoples have been forged by shared sacrifice, shared values, and shared history. And as we look to the future, those bonds are stronger than they’ve ever been.

That was clear throughout the outstanding discussions that we had today. We covered a lot of ground. We spoke about the complex and changing security environment that we face. We discussed our strong strategic alignment. And we committed ourselves to concrete steps to deepen our cooperation in both diplomacy and defense.

The United States and Australia share a vision of a region where countries can determine their own futures, and they should be able to seek security, prosperity free from – and prosperity free from coercion and intimidation. Unfortunately, that vision is being challenged today. China’s dangerous and coercive actions throughout the Indo-Pacific, including around Taiwan, and toward the Pacific Island countries and in the East and South China Seas threaten regional peace and stability.

And meanwhile, Russia’s cruel and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is also an attack on the rules-based international order that makes countries everywhere more secure.

In the face of these challenges, the United States and Australia stand united and determined to be a force for stability and to work with likeminded partners for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Today, we agreed to deepen our defense cooperation in several important ways, including enhancing our force posture cooperation. And based upon today’s talks, we will increase rotational presence of U.S. forces in Australia. That includes rotations of bomber task forces, fighters, and future rotations of U.S. Navy and U.S. Army capabilities.

We’ll also expand our logistics and sustainment cooperation, and that will deepen our interoperability and create more agile and resilient capabilities. We’ll also continue to find ways to further integrate our defense industrial bases in the years ahead. And we agreed to enhance trilateral defense cooperation and to invite Japan to integrate into our force posture initiatives in Australia. These efforts just don’t demonstrate the closeness of our alliance; they also show the work that we’re doing together to deliver tangible results toward our common vision. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, and I’m excited about we’ll get done together in the near future.

So let me close by saying that I know that our bond, our mateship, will serve as a bedrock of peace and security for many years to come. And so, Deputy Prime Minister Marles and Minister Wong, thank you again for our discussion today and thank you for all that you do for our enduring alliance. Thanks.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER MARLES: Well, thank you, Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin. Let me start by saying the pleasure that both the foreign minister and I have felt being in today’s discussions; and thank Lloyd and Tony for the hospitable way in which they have been – we’ve been hosted, the generosity of spirit which has underpinned the discussions that we’ve had today, and the familial spirit which has underpinned those discussions. I think on a number of occasions as we spoke today there were – we reiterated the idea that this was a conversation amongst family, and it definitely underpinned the character and the frankness of those conversations.

Australia’s most important relationship is its alliance with the United States. It is central to our worldview. It is completely central to our national security. It is, lasting now for more than 70 years, one of the oldest alliances which exists in the world today. And the history of that, the weight of that, has been a basis upon which we have conducted our conversations today.

There is a huge sense of alignment that we feel between the Biden administration and the Albanese government in the trajectory of the alliance. And there is an enormous sense of gratitude and pleasure that we have in the way in which America is engaging in the Indo-Pacific, its presence – not just in terms of attendance at the various gatherings in the Indo-Pacific, but what America is bringing to those tables. It is as good as we have seen in a very, very long time.

And for us, that represents an opportunity – an opportunity that has underpinned the discussions that we’ve had today to be ambitious in the way in which we can work together to promote the alliance and to promote both of our national interests in the world. But it’s really important that we take that opportunity right now, because as Secretary Austin has just described, we face a world in which the strategic environment is as complex and precarious, really, as any point since the end of the Second World War.

We see the pressure that the global rules-based order is being placed under with Russia’s appalling, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, but we see a pressure being placed on the global rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific as well. So, we have all felt the responsibility of taking the opportunity at this moment, but the need to take it because of the significance of the time.

Today, we have taken real steps forward, as Secretary Austin said, in greater defense force posture cooperation between our two countries; which will see an increased level of activity between our two countries across all domains, which is – will be really important. We’re also looking at increased force posture cooperation in enhancing the capacity of facilities in Australia.

As Secretary Austin also pointed out, it’s really important that we are doing this from the point of view of providing balance within our region and involving other countries within our region. And we look forward to being able to have more engagement with Japan in terms of that force posture cooperation.

Later this week, the foreign minister and I will be in Tokyo conducting our 2+2 meeting with Japan. And it is a great outcome of today’s meeting that we can go to Japan at the end of this week with an invitation for Japan to be participating in more exercises with Australia and the United States.

Today, we have also taken steps to create a more seamless defense industrial base between our two countries. We need to be working closer together to enhance our military capability and to develop new technologies. But for all of that to happen, it’s really important that we do everything we can to break down barriers which exist in regulation between our two countries. And we couldn’t be more pleased in the sense of shared commitment that there has been on the part of both the U.S. and ourselves, in relation to making real steps forward in terms of breaking down those barriers to create that seamless defense industry environment.

And finally, the most important capability that Australia is seeking to pursue right now is of course a nuclear-powered submarine capability. We are very mindful of the significance of the United States, working with the United Kingdom through the AUKUS framework, in providing Australia with that capability. That is a huge step that America is taking. It will transform Australia’s strategic posture. It will increase our capability dramatically. And we are deeply grateful for the work that we’ve been able to do with the United States in developing that. And tomorrow, with Ben Wallace, our counterpart from the United Kingdom, Secretary Austin and I will be meeting with him in the first AUKUS defense ministers meeting.

All of this speaks to the ambitious agenda that I’ve described. There is, I think, an energy in the way in which we have gone about the discussions today, which has been really free-flowing – a sense of a genuine discussion between two countries which could not be closer. And we’re excited by that, and we very much look forward to hosting AUSMIN next year in Australia.

MR PRICE: We will now turn to questions. We will start with Nancy Youssef of The Wall Street Journal.

QUESTION: Thank you. Secretary Austin, is there any hard data that supports or refutes Representative McCarthy’s claim that the vaccine mandate is hurting readiness? And Secretary Blinken, as you know, there were drone strikes over the weekend on Russian bases. Putting aside who was behind those specific attacks, do you personally think the Ukrainians are morally justified in carrying out strikes inside Russian territory? Thank you.

SECRETARY AUSTIN: In terms of – thanks, Nancy – in terms of Mr. McCarthy’s statement, I would refer you back to him for his data, but – that he’s using. I’ve not seen any hard data that directly links the COVID mandate to an effect on our recruiting.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: And Nancy, with regard to Ukraine and Russia: first, of course, we’ve seen the reports of those strikes. I don’t have any more detailed information than that. To put it in context, what’s happening every single day and every single night in Ukraine is strike upon strike coming from Russia and now trying to take out the civilian infrastructure that is allowing people to have heat, to have water, to have electricity – what we’ve called weaponizing winter. That is the daily and nightly reality in Ukraine.

We have neither encouraged nor enabled the Ukrainians to strike inside of Russia. But the important thing is to understand what Ukrainians are living through every day with the ongoing Russian aggression against their country and our determination to make sure that they have in their hands, along with many other partners around the world, the equipment that they need to defend themselves, to defend their territory, to defend their freedom.

MR PRICE: Matt Cranston, Australia Financial Review.

QUESTION: Secretary Austin and Secretary Blinken, if I can address you two first. Almost to the day last year we were told in this same room that there would be increased rotations of U.S. personnel, of fighters, bombers, navy, to Australia. And really, there hasn’t been a significant increase in that time. Could you please provide some quantification of what you’ve agreed on today? And do you get a feeling or do you have any anticipation of what – the message that might send to China?

SECRETARY AUSTIN: Yeah, so what we’ve agreed to do is to increase rotations of our air, land, and sea forces to – and these are rotational forces, obviously – to Australia, to – and that helps, obviously, with our interoperability, and the presence in a theater will certainly help. The details of those rotations will be worked out by our staffs and announced later; we don’t have specifics to announce to you today, but we do have a commitment between our two countries to in fact do what we just described.

MR PRICE: Kylie Atwood, CNN.

QUESTION: Thanks. Okay, I’ve got a few questions.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Multi-part, multi-person.

QUESTION: That’s right. And you’re the principal here, so you’ll get two.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Oh boy. Thank you, Kylie.

QUESTION: According to a poll out this morning, Secretary Blinken, there appears to be a softening in support for – from the American public for continued support for the Ukraine war without any end state in mind. So how does the American public opinion impact the administration’s Ukraine policy? And this is of course just one poll that we’re looking at, but if American public opinion turns against continued support for Ukraine in a widespread way, will the administration pull back?

And then my second question is Taiwan and Ukraine-related, given I expect Taiwan was a major topic of discussion today. Senator Hawley wrote you a letter today arguing that Taiwan is more important for U.S. national interests than Ukraine, and arms transferred to Ukraine are impeding the U.S. ability to supply Taiwan with the weapons it needs. How do you respond?

I’ll go through all the questions and then you can answer, I guess.

Secretary Austin, building on Nancy’s question, is the United States proactively working to prevent Ukraine from gaining access or developing its own long-range weapons, including drones that could be used to hit inside Russia to deeper military targets?

And then, Foreign Minister Wong, what would be your message to the incoming Republican congressional leadership on the House side if they consider a trip to Taiwan, given what we saw happen with China’s military response to Speaker Pelosi’s visit in August? Do you think that would be a good idea, or would it make the situation in the region more dangerous?

And deputy prime minister, last question. You spoke about enhanced discussions on military capabilities, and I wonder if you’ve received any assurances today from the Biden administration that they will push forward in terms of greenlighting additional military supply chains in Australia for weaponry that’s made by U.S. companies.

Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Kylie, thank you. Let me start. With regard to the poll you cited, I haven’t seen it, so I can’t speak to it specifically. But I can say this: First, we don’t do policy by polls. We do policy based on the interests of the United States, and the interests of the United States are clearly in supporting and helping Ukraine defend itself against this aggression from Russia.

First and foremost, I think Americans across the board care about a situation in which one nation is trying to bully another and to do terrible damage to the country, to its to its people that we’re seeing. But beyond that, I think there’s an understanding that what’s at stake in Ukraine are vitally important principles that go to peace and security around the world – the notion that one nation can’t simply try to redraw the borders of another by force, subjugate it to its will by force.

And I think Americans know and understand that if we let something like that go with impunity, then we’re likely to see a Pandora’s box open where aggressors around the world will get a message that they are free to proceed and do exactly the same thing. And that’s a world that will be much more difficult, much more challenging for America, for its interests, as well as its values.

Of course – and President Biden has said this many times – no foreign policy can be effectively sustained without the informed consent of the American people. So, it’s always important for us to make sure that we’re communicating and that we’re hearing from Americans. And of course, we do that as well with our engagements with their representatives, the members of Congress. But the hallmark to date of our efforts in support of Ukraine have been very strong bipartisan support. I don’t see signs of that ending.

With regard to Taiwan, look, I can’t speak to weapons systems, et cetera. But I think in fact it’s exactly the opposite, in the sense that China is watching very carefully what’s happening in Ukraine – watching very carefully the response of the United States and countries around the world to the Russian aggression. And what they’ve seen are countries coming together in extraordinary ways to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself, to put tremendous pressure on Russia to end its aggression, and as well to make sure that, in the case of NATO, we’re strengthening our own capacity to defend ourselves in case that aggression were to spread. And I think that has to have an impact on China’s thinking about the future and about what it may be looking at in terms of Taiwan.

We have a strong stake in preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. This has been the status quo for decades; we’re determined to preserve it. It’s one of the issues of course that came up in the important discussions that President Biden had with President Xi a few weeks ago. But the Secretary of Defense is certainly welcome to address the specific question of weapons systems.

SECRETARY AUSTIN: So, your question was: Is the U.S. working to prevent Ukraine from developing its own long-range strike capability? The short answer is no, we’re absolutely not doing that. As you’ve seen, we’ve spent well over $19 billion in providing security assistance to Ukraine. We have, in addition to that, engaged allies and partners routinely to get them to provide assistance as well, security assistance as well.

As you know, we stood up to Ukraine Defense Contact Group. That group meets every month. And when I meet with the – with our colleagues there, I am encouraged by the level of commitment and by their resolve. So, they – and we met as recent as last month, and their resolve was really impressive, and so we’ll work to sustain that.

But the answer to your question is no, we are not working to prevent Ukraine from developing their own capability.

FOREIGN MINISTER WONG: First on Taiwan, then if you’ll forgive me, I might add something on Ukraine. In relation to Taiwan, I echo Secretary Blinken’s comments, which is we have a – we, collectively, have a strong stake in preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. And Australia has made its view clear about the importance of not – there being no unilateral change to the status quo. I won’t comment on what your Congress does; I can comment on what Australians do. And we value our longstanding, unofficial relationship with Taiwan, reflected in – underpinned by cultural, economic, and people-to-people ties, and that’s how we’ll continue to engage, in a manner that is consistent with a longstanding and bipartisan “one China” policy.

May – if I may, be so bold as to respond from Australia’s perspective on Ukraine, and as someone who is – we are ministers of a middle power, and we operate in a region where this comes up. And the point I make, whether I’m in ASEAN forums or the East Asia Summit, or in bilateral meetings, or in the Pacific is that, actually, Ukraine matters to everybody. Because the peace that has endured since the conclusion of the – of World War II, and the settlement that nations came to, has been underpinned by a commitment to various rules and principles, including in the UN Charter. And if there is no – if there is not sufficient response to Russia abrogating that charter, we are all less secure. That is what underpins Australia’s position, bipartisan position on Ukraine, and why we commend the administration and the American people for your leadership on Ukraine.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER MARLES: Yeah, and if I might just add, we see on Ukraine the need for the world to stand with Ukraine, for as long as it takes, in order to put Ukraine in a position where it can see the end of this conflict on its own terms. It’s fundamentally important that we do that. And from an Australian perspective, we are completely committed to standing with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

In respect of your question to me, we are really encouraged by the conversations that we’ve had today around working hard to remove barriers to create a seamless defense industrial base between our two countries. It’s really important. It’s really important for a couple of reasons. I think the U.S. sees that our defense industry does produce technologies which are very useful for the collective use of all of us. And it’s important that they are developed. And a much closer defense industrial base between our two countries empowers or leverages the United States power to help see those technologies be developed much faster.

I think there is also a sense that, from an American point of view, that we need to be utilizing the full benefit and – that the Australian defense industrial base can provide, and that means seeing a significant uplift to the Australian defense industrial base. And that goes across the board in terms of all the capabilities that are worked on within Australian defense industry.

And that really gets to the nub of where we’re at right now. In the past, these questions might have been seen through a prism of defense industry from various countries, competing with each other. Given the strategic circumstances that the world finds itself in now, we’re beyond that. We’re at a point now where we need to be building as much cooperation as possible. There’s a term in this country of “friendshoring” which we really like, which speaks to the idea of how important it is that we get past old notions of competing in respect of defense industry, but that we are really working together and that if we do see an uplift in Australian defense industry, that makes a contribution to the capability of our collective effort, and that’s really been the kind of idea which has underpinned the conversations that we’ve had today.

MR PRICE: We’ll take a final question from Annelise Nielson of Sky News.

QUESTION: Thank you. I also have a few parts to the questions, if you’ll bear with me. Secretary Austin, Australia is facing a capabilities gap with the nuclear submarines not likely to come online before the 2030s. Is there any appetite to be selling specifically the B-21 bombers to Australia in any kind of close timeframe? And, also, should we be reading at all into Japanese engagement? Will that mean that they’re going to be involved with AUKUS at all?

Secretary Blinken, you’ve stated on quite a few occasions that America won’t leave Australia alone on the field when dealing with China. In particular, we’ve had a bit of a thaw in diplomatic relations, but we’re still facing some pretty severe economic coercion. What’s the U.S. doing in practical terms to help Australia with the economic coercion with China? And specifically, why is the U.S. blocking an appellate court at the World Trade Organization that would be able to adjudicate issues like that we’ve seen with Bali and wine?

Minister Wong, there is a room at the new Australian embassy that will be named after the first female ambassador to the United States. We’ve never had a female ambassador to the United States before. You’ve been an advocate for women in leadership, particularly in foreign policy. Will you be the one who appoints our first female ambassador to the United States?

And Minister Marles, will all the AUKUS submarines be built in Australia? Thank you.

SECRETARY AUSTIN: So, on your first question, regarding potential capability gaps, we set out on this project 14 months ago. We dedicated 18 months to – for a period of consultation, and during that period our goal is to design the optimal pathway for Australia to get a nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarine as quickly as possible. We recognize where Australia is and how – when its capability begins to diminish, and, of course, we will address all of that in that pathway that we create. And so, we will not allow Australia to have a capability gap going forward.

Regarding the B-21, we did not discuss the sale of a B-21 to Australia. I’d like to get the first B-21 tested and fully outfitted, before we have those kind of discussions. And as you know, we have a ways to go before we do that. But since you asked about that platform, it is a very, very capable platform, and I think it will provide tremendous capability to our joint and combined efforts.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Let me just start by correcting, if I may, your question. I did not say we will not leave Australia alone on the field, I said we will not leave Australia alone on the pitch. (Laughter.) Just wanted to set that straight at the outset.

FOREIGN MINISTER WONG: She Australian-ized it. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY BLINKEN: And, of course, we’re not. First, when it comes to Chinese economic coercion, Australia has done an extraordinary job of standing up to that coercion and coming out in a better and stronger place. I think in a general sense as well as in a specific sense, we’re of course part of that. We’re Australia’s most important economic partner. Our trade and investment contributes about seven percent of Australia’s annual economy and, obviously, thousands and thousands of jobs in both countries, in both directions. Our – this trade and investment relationship is one of the most powerful foundations that we both have, and I think it contributes to Australian resilience when it comes to any kind of economic coercion.

At the same time – and you’ve heard us talk a little bit about this today, but we’re working on this every day – we are all building different kinds of resilience against coercion, including, for example, by working on diversifying supply chains; friendshoring, as Richard said; and making sure that it is difficult for any country to use what economic leverage it has against either of us. So that’s part and parcel of the work that we’re doing every day.

With regard to the WTO case, I’m afraid I’m just not familiar with it, but I’m happy to come back to you on it. Thanks.

FOREIGN MINISTER WONG: It was a good try, but no, I’m not going to announce anything like that here. But I would say two things. One is we will appoint somebody who is a – is the right person for the job, whether it’s in relation to this post or any other. Your broader point about the representation of women – I think you have seen, and you will see whilst I have the opportunity to hold this office more women appointed into senior positions.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER MARLES: So, let me on – I think on the B-21 you didn’t ask me that question, but I think we’ve got to give America a little bit of a break on that in that Lloyd has literally just unveiled it earlier this week. That said, it is a very cool-looking aircraft, and – but I think it – I mean, what it does actually for me is give a sense of confidence about American preeminence in military technology and in aviation technology. So, I think the announcement that we’ve actually seen from America in relation to the B-21 is a really exciting announcement.

In answer to the question that you asked me, in some ways it goes to what – my earlier answer about the importance of uplifting the Australian defense industrial base for its contribution to the combined effort. I mean, we are going to need to develop a capability in Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines, and we’re going to need – and that will be in our lane. And we’re going to need to do that as quickly as we possibly can. It is a massive endeavor.

Yesterday, I was at Electric Boat in Rhode Island and saw just something of the size of the endeavor involved in building nuclear-powered submarines. Of course, Australia has built submarines in the past; indeed, in Adelaide with the Collins class. But it – for, if you like, the combined effect across the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia, it’s going to be really important that that capacity is developed in Australia, and I’ve made that clear.

Secretary Austin pointed – answered your question around capability gap about saying that the U.S. wouldn’t allow that to occur for Australia. We really appreciate those comments. I mean, what has been underpinning the conversation that we have been having in – under the AUKUS framework is to look at, if there are capability gaps, how we make sure we plug them so in effect there are none. And all of that will form part of the announcements that we make next year, early in the first part of next year, in respect of the optimal pathway in relation to our subs. And we are really confident that the work that has been undertaken, which has been extensive, is on track and we’ll be in a position to make those announcements. And obviously tomorrow’s AUKUS defense ministers meeting is a really important step along that path.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER WONG: Thank you.

MR PRICE: Thank you, Your Excellencies.

state.gov · by Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

4. Yoon says S. Korea must perfectly overwhelm N. Korea in conventional military strength

Deterrence and defense is job one.

(LEAD) Yoon says S. Korea must perfectly overwhelm N. Korea in conventional military strength | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · December 7, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES with Yoon's remarks; CHANGES headline)

By Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday that South Korea must "perfectly overwhelm" North Korea in conventional military strength even though the North may be armed with nuclear weapons, his office said.

Yoon made the remark while meeting with 18 new lieutenants general at the presidential office following a ceremony marking their promotions.

"President Yoon Suk-yeol said our national security is in a graver situation than ever, and that without thorough security and confidence in it, there can be no livelihood or economy," deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung said during a press briefing.

Yoon stressed the need to remove security risks in order for South Korea to grow and take a step further, saying, "North Korea has nuclear weapons, but in conventional military strength, we must perfectly overwhelm the North," according to Lee.

The president also urged the newly promoted military officials to "trust in the overwhelming nuclear power of our ally nation and have confidence that we can respond to any situation," the spokesperson said.

The 18 new lieutenants general included new Marine Corps Commandant Kim Gye-hwan.

During the ceremony, Yoon conferred ribbons marked with their names, positions, ranks and the president's name.

Yoon tied the ribbons to their "samjeonggeom" swords, which they received upon being promoted to brigadiers general and which signify national defense, unification and prosperity.

"President Yoon personally encouraged those who will now carry out the vital duty of leading our military and urged them to maintain a seamless defense readiness posture," his office said.

"He also said our security faces a grave situation due to North Korea's unprecedented nuclear threats and missile provocations, and ordered a firm response in the event North Korea carries out a provocation through practical training," it added.

Yoon also expressed his gratitude for the sacrifices and dedication of the nation's troops and expressed his infinite confidence in the armed forces.

hague@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · December 7, 2022

5. N.Korea Is Officially the Enemy Again

​We should be seeing something from the north's Propaganda and Agitation Department and possibly a provocation by the nKPA to put an exclamation point on this. (Kim is saying, "I'll show you what an enemy is.")

But on a serious note, the ROK and US likely now have their assumptions about the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime.

N.Korea Is Officially the Enemy Again

english.chosun.com

December 07, 2022 09:34

The first biennial defense white paper of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration will refer to North Korea as the "enemy" again for the first time since 2016.

"We will make it clear in the white paper to be published next month that the North Korean regime, which continues nuclear weapons development and military threats, is South Korea's enemy," a Defense Ministry official told the Chonsun Ilbo on Tuesday. "We're checking for the last time if there is any more appropriate expression."

The previous government of President Moon Jae-in, in an attempt at appeasement, stopped identifying North Korea in the white paper in 2018. Instead, it used the phrase "any force that threatens and infringes South Korea's sovereignty, territory, people and property."

The question regularly makes headlines even though it might be regarded as purely semantic, and tempers run high on both sides of the argument. A Unification Ministry official said, "Even if we use the expression 'enemy,' we aren't ruling out inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation."

Meanwhile, the North continued to lob artillery shells into a maritime buffer zone in the East Sea for a second day running. It fired some 100 artillery rounds into the sea from Kosong, Kangwon Province, according to the South Korean military.

In a statement, North Korea said it was responding to South Korea's joint artillery drills with the U.S. early this week.

But those drills were conducted in inland areas in line with the cross-border agreement. "The North is violating the 2018 military agreement by complaining about routine drills which were never a bone of contention before," a military officer here said. "Maybe it is trying to build a justification for a higher-level provocation like a fresh nuclear test."

No Comeback for 'Main Enemy' to Describe N.Korea

N.Korea Upset at Becoming South's 'Main Enemy' Again

Defense White Paper Defines N.Korean Regime as Enemy

Defense White Paper to Call N.Korea 'Substantial Threat'

• Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com

english.chosun.com

6. Former N. Korean diplomat working at S. Korea's state-run think tank: lawmaker

No surprise here. A usual landing spot for high ranking escapees (defectors (and in this case defector is appropriate for a high ranking official).

Former N. Korean diplomat working at S. Korea's state-run think tank: lawmaker | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · December 7, 2022

By Kim Soo-yeon

SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Yonhap) -- Jo Song-gil, a former North Korean acting ambassador to Italy, works as a researcher at a state-run think tank in South Korea, having defected here a few years ago, according to a ruling party lawmaker.

Jo recently assumed a post at the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS) operated by the South's National Intelligence Service, Rep. Tae Yong-ho of the ruling People Power Party told Yonhap News Agency earlier this week.

"He joined the INSS probably in October," he said. Tae defected to the South in 2016 while serving as a minister at the North's embassy in London and was elected as a lawmaker in 2020.

Jo entered the South after disappearing with his wife in late 2018, when he was charge d'affaires at the North Korean Embassy in Rome.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · December 7, 2022

7. Keeping Calm in the Face of North Korean Provocations

A good range of views here (including mine). But I have to state that making concessions and trying to appease Kim Jong Un will backfire as Kim will deem his strategy a success and double down. He will not come to the negotiating table to negotiate as a responsible member of the international community.  He will continue his political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies while developing the military capabilities to eventually achieve his objective to dominate the peninsula. 

Keeping Calm in the Face of North Korean Provocations - Korea Economic Institute of America

keia.org · · December 6, 2022

The Peninsula

Keeping Calm in the Face of North Korean Provocations

Published December 6, 2022

Author: Terrence Matsuo

Category: North Korea

Of the approximately 70 missiles tested by Pyongyang this year, Chairman Kim Jong Un celebrated the November 18 test of the Hwasong 17 intercontinental ballistic missile as the “completion of the world’s strongest strategic weapon.” In remarks carried by the Rodong Sinmun on November 27, he also said that the test underlined “our daily-growing military supremacy and powerfully demonstrated to the whole world the great might of our nuclear war deterrent.” Experts say that this year’s flurry of provocations raise questions about how South Korea and the U.S. can work to defend against North Korea’s growing military capabilities.

As indicated by Chairman Kim’s comments, advancing North Korea’s military is an important reason for this year’s missile provocations. “Military improvement is always the foundation for testing,” said Col. David Maxwell, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. “You have to test to advance your capabilities.” In the case of the Hwasong 17, which is believed to carry three or four warheads, the aforementioned successful launch also demonstrates Pyongyang’s ability to domestically manufacture the missile’s launch unit. Chairman Kim is “trying to create the conditions where there’s weakness in the alliance, so that ultimately the alliance splits, and he can dominate South Korea,” said Col. Maxwell.

The provocations also demonstrate how North Korea has transformed the strategic role of its military capabilities. Jenny Town, director of the 38 North Program at the Stimson Center, says that historically, Pyongyang has framed its military activities as being negotiable for the end of the American and South Korean hostile policy against it. “In the most recent statements, that conditionality has been dropped,” she said. “Those statements are much more forward and much more direct about simply that the nuclear program is non-negotiable.” Publishing pictures of Chairman Kim and his daughter attending the November 18 test is more evidence of how inflexible North Korea has become. “That just really reiterates this notion that they see this as a long-term investment, and that this isn’t something they’re trying to negotiate away anytime soon,” said Director Town.

North Korea’s provocations are not limited to just missile tests. On November 02, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North fired a series of surface to air missiles and short range ballistic missiles, one of which crossed the unofficial maritime border between the Koreas, and triggered an air raid alarm on Ulleung Island. In response, South Korea dispatched F-15K and KF-16 fighters that launched three air-to-surface missiles that landed north of the Northern Limit Line. Two days later, Reuters reported South Korea scrambled 80 planes, including F-35A stealth fighters, in response to 180 North Korean planes detected in north of the Military Demarcation Line. These actions all took place against the backdrop of the U.S.-ROK Vigilant Storm military exercises, which Pyongyang denounced. Experts say that as the U.S. and South Korea maintain their close cooperation, the possibility of future provocations remains likely. “North Korea’s diversifying suite of missile technologies, and brimming tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul, would make it more conducive for Kim to conduct provocations against Seoul,” said Soo Kim, a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. She added that in addition to another nuclear test, “a conventional military provocation targeting South Korea would be a highly attractive option for Pyongyang as it seeks to enhance its nuclear status.”

These continued provocations raise questions about the future of the Yoon administration’s “audacious initiative” towards North Korea. Since the collapse of the Hanoi Summit in 2019, North Korea has retreated from its previous openness to dialogue with South Korea and the U.S. “That willingness to negotiate about its nuclear weapons program – any part of it – right now is over.,” said Director Town. “Whether or not we can get back to that is a big question, especially when the region is really engaged in an arms race.” Given this environment, “I feel like we need to update the baseline…of what we actually expect from North Korea,” said Minseon Ku, a PhD candidate at The Ohio State University. She says the American and South Korean resistance to sanctions relief should be reevaluated. “The ball is in South Korea and the U.S.’ court,” said Ms. Ku. “That means having to compromise on a lot of things, which the U.S. has been unwilling to do, and some of the conservatives in South Korea as well.”

Other experts are skeptical of changing course on maintaining the current trajectory of the allied position on North Korea. “When some advocate that we should offer yet more concessions, despite the failure of all previous concessions to alter North Korean behavior, that leads to advocacy for actions which I don’t think are in the best interest of the U.S. and South Korea,” said Mr. Klingner. He noted that the previous Moon administration repeatedly tried to entice North Korea in diplomacy with economic and diplomatic offers, with little to show for it. While the scale and scope of North Koreans have risen in recent months, Col. Maxwell, says Chairman Kim remains focused on the same objectives as his father and grandfather before him. These are sanctions relief, strengthened military capabilities, and finally unification of the Korean Peninsula under the Pyongyang regime. “Although everybody is rightly concerned about all these missile tests, and these provocations that are taking place,” said Col. Maxwell, “what we need to remember is, we are deterring war; we are deterring nuclear attack.”

Despite these differences of opinion, there is one recalibration that could be taken in North Korea policy. Given North Korean obstinacy on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, Director Town says the U.S. and South Korea should be more precise in what topics they want to discuss. “Saying that we want to meet anytime, anywhere is meaningless,” she said. “If we want to talk about tension reduction, [then] we need to be proposing talks about tension reduction.” Mr. Klingner says the desire to avoid inadvertent military mistakes encouraged tension reduction talks with the Soviet Union, focusing on transparency through limits on the scope of military exercises. “If we had dialogue to discuss tension reduction measures…that would be good to reduce the risk of inadvertent escalation or miscalculation,” he said. “But with North Korea refusing dialogue, that’s difficult.”

Experts say the U.S. and South Korea should remain levelheaded in the face of future provocations from North Korea. Given the long-term nature of the threat by Pyongyang, Ms. Kim says the alliance should focus its energies on broader goals. “To create challenges for Kim’s weapons pursuits and strategic goals, Seoul may want to seek a similarly longer-term approach,” she said. “This may entail taking a step back from the more reactive approaches, and focusing more on the enduring aspects of its interaction with the North Korea.” Ms. Ku warns that even if North Korea takes more inflammatory actions, the alliance should resist the temptation to escalate the situation. “The problem with escalation is that it can always go wrong,” she said. “There is a non-zero chance that something could go very wrong.”

Terrence Matsuo is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Korea Economic Institute of America. The views expressed here are the author’s alone.

Photo from Uri Tour’s photostream on flickr Creative Commons.

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8. Koreans' Life Expectancy Keeps Rising

​But the birth rate continues to decline.​

Koreans' Life Expectancy Keeps Rising

english.chosun.com

December 07, 2022 13:26

Some 3.4 percent of Koreans born last year can expect to live to 100 as healthcare and living conditions improve. That is up 34 times from 1970, when the figure was a mere 0.1 percent.

According to Statistics Korea on Tuesday, 8,859 out of 260,562 babies born last year will live past 100. At present, there are 7,743 centenarians in the country.

One in three people born last year will live into their 90s and 72.5 percent into their 80s.

But the figure will be much higher for girls than boys with an estimated 5.5 percent vs. 1.4 percent.

That would bring the average life span of babies born last year to 83.6, compared to 80.6 for children born in 2011.

In 1970, Koreans born that year had an average life expectancy of just 62.3, though that was calculated at the time and does not take changed circumstances into account now that they are in their early 50s.

Korea to Have World's Longest Life Expectancy in 50 Years' Time

Korea's Life Expectancy Rises to 83.5 Years

Korea Ranks 2nd in World Life Expectancy

Korea Has Nearly 4,000 Centenarians

Over 3,000 Centenarians as Korea Ages Fast

People Healthy in their 70s 'More Likely to Live to 100'

• Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com

english.chosun.com

9.  N. Korea to hold parliamentary meeting on Jan. 17: KCNA

​An agenda item:

a law on the protection of Pyongyang dialect

(LEAD) N. Korea to hold parliamentary meeting on Jan. 17: KCNA | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · December 7, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more details; MODIFIES headline; CHANGES photo; ADDS byline)

By Kim Soo-yeon

SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea plans to convene a meeting of its rubber-stamp parliament in Pyongyang in January to discuss next year's tasks and budget issues, according to its state media Wednesday.

The standing committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) held a meeting Tuesday and decided to hold the 8th session of the 14th SPA on Jan. 17, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The session is mainly intended to discuss issues related to tasks for 2023, state budget issues and organizational matters, it added.

Other agenda items include the issue of adopting a law on the protection of Pyongyang dialect and matters over the work of the central prosecution office. The discussion of such issues appears aimed at tightening state control over the inflows of outside culture and information.

The SPA is the highest organ of state power under the North's constitution, but it actually rubber-stamps decisions by the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).

North Korea also plans to hold a key party meeting late this month to review this year's achievements and discuss policy projects for next year, decisions of which and related budgets are expected to be approved in the SPA meeting in January.

The North's legislature used to hold a plenary session in April to discuss issues of state budget and cabinet reshuffle. In recent years, however, it convened such meetings twice per year, including those held in February and September this year.

At the September SPA session, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un publicly announced the legalization of nuclear weapons, as the SPA approved a new law that allows for a preemptive nuclear strike.

Tuesday's SPA committee meeting was presided over by committee chairman Choe Ryong-hae without Kim Jong-un's attendance.

Among issues discussed was the adoption of a law on public catering, a move designed to meet people's demand for food and develop culinary skills, the KCNA said.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · December 7, 2022​

10. S. Korea to hold policy meeting on N. Korea's human rights this week

​Good.

S. Korea to hold policy meeting on N. Korea's human rights this week | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · December 5, 2022

SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to hold an interagency government meeting on its policy on North Korea's human rights situation this week in an effort to improve the North's rights conditions, according to the unification ministry Monday.

The meeting, to be presided over by Vice Unification Minister Kim Ki-woong, will be held Friday to discuss ways to establish the government's basic plan to promote the North's rights records, the ministry said.

The gathering, the second of its kind this year, will involve senior officials from the unification, foreign and justice ministries, the ministry's spokesperson Cho Joong-hoon said at a regular press briefing.

South Korea resumed its policy meeting on Pyongyang's human rights in August for the first time in more than two years, as the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has taken a proactive stance in dealing with the North's rights issues.

South Korea co-sponsored a U.N. draft resolution condemning North Korea's human rights conditions this year, in a shift from a low-key approach for four years under the preceding liberal Moon Jae-in government.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · December 5, 2022​

11. Some in N. Korea believe that a seventh nuclear test “is not urgent”

Hmm...We need to be wary of these tyoes of reports.  So the logic is they have sufficiently powerful engines so they do not need to test a new miniaturized nuclear weapon because they have engines powerful enough to launch a nuclear armed missile using the current warheads. What is the message here? What is the intern of the regime? (other than its long term objective to dominate the regime). Is it to lull us into a sense of complacency if we do not think they are going to conduct an imminent test? Is this a deterrence message, trying to make the case that it already has the capability to deliber a nuclear warhad to the US homeland? 

Some in N. Korea believe that a seventh nuclear test “is not urgent”

Military scientists think they have finally developed engines with enough power to deliver one of North Korea’s current batch of nuclear warheads to the US mainland

By Seulkee Jang - 2022.12.07 10:00am

dailynk.com

The nuclear facility in Yongbyon County, South Pyongan Province. (Yonhap)

Though North Korea made no direct mention of the fifth anniversary of its declared “completion” of its nuclear force on Monday, inside North Korea, there is widespread celebration of the level of development of the country’s nuclear delivery systems, especially the recently launched Hwasong-17 ICBM.

A high-ranking source inside North Korea said last Wednesday that the authorities believe the development and testing of powerful new rocket engines was so successful that a seventh nuclear test to miniaturize nuclear warheads is no longer so urgent.

According to the source, the Academy of National Defense Science and the Central Committee’s Defense Industry Department believe they improved the power of the country’s ICBM engines and acquired reentry technology through the Hwasong-17 test.

The Academy of National Defense Science and Defense Industry Department think they have finally developed engines with enough power to deliver one of North Korea’s current batch of nuclear warheads to the US mainland.

When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — accompanied by his wife Ri Sol Ju and daughter Kim Ju Ae — observed the test launch of the Hwasong-17 on Nov. 18, the Rodong Sinmun and other North Korean media outlets announced that the missile “traveled up to a maximum altitude of 6, 040.9 km and flew a distance of 999.2 km for 4,135s.”

This could mean that if fired at a normal angle, the missile could fly over 15,000 kilometers, putting the entire US in its target range.

Some North Koreans also believe that a missile with six of the new engines attached could carry a payload of several nuclear warheads even without miniaturizing them.

North Korea must carry out a seventh nuclear test to create miniaturized nuclear warheads of around 100 kilograms to put atop the Hwasong-19, a multiple warhead missile.

However, with the successful development of the Hwasong-17’s engines, some North Koreans are saying a nuclear test “is no longer urgent.”

Basically, they believe the missile could carry two or more of North Korea’s existing warheads, which weigh 500 to 6000 kilograms.

In particular, the North Korean authorities believe they have even successfully acquired atmospheric reentry technology with the Hwasong-17 accurately landing at its intended destination during the test.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that the missile reached a maximum speed of Mach 22, or 22 times the speed of sound.

Anything over Mach 20 is usually considered good enough for an ICBM, but given that North Korea fired the Hwasong-17 at a high angle rather than a normal one in the latest test, some experts say the country has yet to prove its reentry technology.

Inside North Korea, however, people believe they have not only acquired reentry technology, but that they have improved their precision guidance technology to very high degree, too, improving their accuracy to 500 to 700 meters.

Kim reportedly gave the developers at the Academy of National Defense Science and Defense Industry Department some hearty congratulations, too.

North Korea promoted the military figures who contributed to the development and launch of the Hwasong-17, and awarded the transporter erector launcher (TEL) a medal and the title of hero, an extraordinary honor for a non-human.

When asked about the seventh nuclear test, the source told Daily NK that North Korea will “proceed according to the timetable, regardless of the success of engine tests or the launch of the Hwasong-17.”

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

Read in Korean

dailynk.com

12. Dozens arrested in narcotics crackdown in Hoeryong

Dozens arrested in narcotics crackdown in Hoeryong

The authorities believe that drugs “paralyze the socialist lifestyle and ideological spirit," a source told Daily NK

dailynk.com

FILE PHOTO: A photograph of opium manufactured in Yanggang Province. (Daily NK)

Dozens of people have been arrested since the start of November amid an intensified crackdown on the use of opium and other narcotics in the city of Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province, Daily NK has learned.

Unable to eradicate drug crime despite tougher punishments, the authorities appear to have turned toward action instead.

According to a Daily NK source in North Hamgyong Province on Wednesday, the special crackdown and sweeping arrests are being led by Unified Command 82, the organization tasked with curbing “non-socialist and anti-socialist behavior.”

The authorities believe that drugs “paralyze the socialist lifestyle and ideological spirit.”

Unified Command 82 laid some intricate groundwork in the course of the crackdown, encouraging locals to snitch. At the start of November, it reportedly ordered Hoeryong’s party organizations, worker groups, city districts and neighborhood watch units to compose and send lists of members and residents who have used opium or other narcotics.

It also threatened to punish said groups “for the same charges as the criminals” if they failed to report known drug users, warning them that hiding knowledge of drug offenders represents “a direct challenge to Workers’ Party policy.”

The source said party organizations and worker groups in downtown Hoeryong have had little choice but to respond by coaxing members and local residents to write down if they have used narcotics in the past to treat illnesses or for other reasons, or if they have witnessed others doing so.

So far, 23 people have been arrested in Hoeryong alone. Most were busted through investigations of — or tips from — local residents. Of the 23, 18 were charged with using opium or other narcotics, while the other five were charged with distribution and sales.

The source said many more local residents are being questioned on related charges, so the number of people who face criminal punishments will likely grow.

As for the severity of the punishments, that remains unknown. However, since Article 208 (drug smuggling and sales) and Article 206 (illegal opium cultivation and drug manufacturing) of North Korea’s criminal code set the maximum penalty at death, violators could face serious punishments.

Meanwhile, some local residents reportedly expressed unhappiness with how cadres were excluded from the special crackdown.

“Most of the people arrested so far have been ordinary residents, while cadres seemed to have been left out this time, too,” said the source. “[The authorities] are displaying woeful behavior by menacing only ordinary people without power.”

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

Read in Korean

dailynk.com

13. Defense White Paper explicitly states N. Korea is an enemy

​Good work MND. We must deal with north Korea. as it really is and not as we would wish it to be.

Defense White Paper explicitly states N. Korea is an enemy

donga.com

Posted December. 07, 2022 07:52,

Updated December. 07, 2022 07:52

Defense White Paper explicitly states N. Korea is an enemy. December. 07, 2022 07:52. by Kyu-Jin Shin, Na-Ri Shin newjin@donga.com,journari@donga.com.

The 2022 Defense White Paper slated to be published in January is reported to have defined North Korea as an “enemy.” It will be the first time since 2016 that the Defense White Paper deems the North Korean military as the enemy of the state.

According to a person familiar with the matter in the Defense Ministry, the draft version of the 2022 Defense White Paper included an expression‎ referring to the North Korean regime and its military as “our enemy.” Earlier, the Presidential Transition Committee announced that it would explicitly state the North Korean regime and its military as an enemy in the Defense White Paper as one of its 110 key tasks.

In May, in the wake of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s inauguration, the Army distributed moral education materials stating that provocations of North Korea are posing a threat to [the Republic of Korea]’s national security and the North Korean regime and its military are our enemy so long as this security threat continues. An army official said that the moral education of soldiers has been carried out using the changed expressions to establish a clear view of the enemy.

The expression‎ that the North Korean regime and its military are an enemy was first used in the 2010 Defense White Paper under the former Lee Myung-bak administration and disappeared under the 2018 Defense White Paper under the former Moon Jae-in administration and was substituted with the following, “[The Republic of Korea Army] considers any force that threatens and violates the nation’s sovereignty, territory, people, and property as our enemy,” out of concern for a strained relationship between the two Koreas. An official from the Unification Ministry said that even though the Defense White Paper describes North Korea as an enemy, as necessitated by the nature of the duty of the military, that does not necessarily mean that South Korea refuses to have a dialogue and cooperate with North Korea.

However, the military will not use the expression‎ “North Korea is the main enemy.” This expression‎ was first used in the 1995 Defense White Paper in the wake of the 1994 South-North exchange of special envoys, where the North Korean representative threatened to turn Seoul into “a sea of fire” and remained until 2000. “We are considering various options, but given that the expression‎ ‘main enemy’ may evolve into political controversy, it is hardly likely that this expression‎ will be used,” said an official in the military familiar with the matter.

한국어

donga.com​

14. [Column] The symbolism of Kim’s daughter

Wednesday

December 7, 2022

 dictionary + A - A 

[Column] The symbolism of Kim’s daughter

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/12/07/opinion/columns/Kim-Jongun-North-Korea-daughter/20221207200834176.html

Kim Byung-yeon

The author is a professor of economics and head of the Institute for Future Strategy at Seoul National University.

When North Korea test-fired its most-advanced ICBM, the Hwasong-17, on Nov. 18, Kim Jong-un brought one of his daughters to the launch site. That drew a global attention. In a meeting in 2018 with Mike Pompeo, U.S. CIA director at the time, Kim said, “I don’t want my children to live under the weight of nuclear weapons for the rest of their life.” Any parents would not. But after four years, Kim invited a daughter to the test site of an ICBM capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Why such an about-turn? What message did the North Korean leader try to deliver to whom?

Power to sustain dictatorship comes from people’s support. The famous quote from Chairman Mao — “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun” — could be right in the short term. But you cannot rule the people with a gun forever. Even a dictator must earn the hearts of his people particularly when their support precipitously falls due to economic hardship.

North Korea’s mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim Jong-un guided the launch of an ICBM after bringing his daughter to the site on Nov. 18. [NEWS1]

Average income in the North is believed to have declined nearly 40 percent compared to 2016 after their major income sources — market activities, earning hard currencies by sending laborers overseas, and smuggling along the northern border — were all blocked by international sanctions and the pandemic. The median income of a four-member household, which stood at $40 in 2016, has dropped below $30. In the meantime, prices of rice and corn — staples for North Koreans — soared by 20 to 50 percent over the past six years. If their economic conditions worsen further, they disgruntlement about the leader’s focus on developing nuclear weapons will deepen. Kim Jong-un had to quell dissatisfaction.

The appearance of his daughter, a symbol of the future generation, at the test site is apparently linked to the need to persuade his people. Kim certainly wanted to send the message that they must endure current economic pains for their children. Her appearance was a highly-calculated political — and emotional — show to persuade North Koreans to accept nuclear weapons to safeguard their children from external threats. At the same time, Kim wanted to demonstrate a determination to protect the safety of future generations, as he is also a father of children just like ordinary people.

The daughter’s appearance at the test site testifies to the irrevocability of his nuclear weapons program in the same context as the legislation of nuclear armaments in September. If the legislation is Kim’s official declaration of a policy not to accept denuclearization in any future negotiations with the U.S., the appearance of the daughter is his personal manifestation of a determination to protect his family — and the rest of his people. Kim would want Uncle Sam to come up with a proposal for nuclear reduction talks, not denuclearization talks.

The daughter’s surprising debut shows how desperate the North Korean leader is. It was a sign that Kim Jong-un faces a tough situation, as he had to draw his daughter to his political show aimed at propagandizing the value of nukes. Kim has not found any solutions to resolve an economic crisis. If he lifts a ban on smuggling and encourages market activities, it could help his people to some degree. But Kim will gradually lose control of their lives. As he already stressed the need for self-reliance in an uphill battle against sanctions, he can hardly receive humanitarian aid from South Korea, either. To resuscitate the moribund economy, the North’s economic relations with China must return to pre-pandemic levels, but the North Korean leader has to wait for Beijing to fully lift its regulations for Covid-19. Kim must be worried about how long the North Korean economy can withstand all uncertainties. He can control people’s complaints for now, but no one knows when they explode.

Another worry comes from the precariousness of the Xi Jinping regime. China’s rigid economic operation and zero-Covid policy hamper growth and job creation. If Xi’s chant for “common wealth” should succeed, he could deserve a Nobel prize. But the probability is nearly zero. Moreover, the ongoing Sino-U.S. conflict only hurts the Chinese economy. If China becomes unstable, it cannot afford to help North Korea. Worse, Beijing could be tempted to use North Korea as a card to improve its relations with Washington. Such vulnerabilities of North Korea made Kim Jong-un bring one of his three daughters to the missile test site last month.

Nuclear weapons cannot be the future of North Korea. Instead, they will destroy the country, as they are merciless weapons that can deprive its young generation of an opportunity to join the international society to achieve their dreams. Kim used his daughter as a means for political propaganda for his own people still struggling to survive. Would he bring all his children to a political show next time? What would be the next then?

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

15. NK's strong interest in climate change offers opportunity for cooperation

I assess the north's interest in this is that it senses it can dupe the international community into providing resources.\

 And since rich countries, including South Korea, prioritize this, the regime may believe it can manipulate the international community for its own benefit.

NK's strong interest in climate change offers opportunity for cooperation

The Korea Times · December 7, 2022

Yeo Min-ju, a professor of atmospheric science at Yonsei University, speaks during a forum hosted by the Ministry of Unification on "green detente" at the Royal Hotel in central Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho

By Jung Min-ho

Under the national principle of Juche, or self-reliance, North Korea shows almost no interest in working with other countries for a common cause. Yet North Korea sent a representative to last month's 27th U.N. climate change conference, known as COP27, in Egypt. The North also sent a representative to COP26 in Scotland a year ago.

Moreover, North Korea reported its first Voluntary National Review to the U.N. agency in 2021 for the 2030 sustainable growth agenda, acknowledging "climate-related" natural disasters and vowing to step up efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.

All this suggests Pyongyang's strong interest in climate change and presents an opportunity for inter-Korean cooperation in the area, according to experts Wednesday.

"The Soviet Union's first gas pipeline in Western Europe, which has become an issue recently, was constructed when the Iron Curtain (the line dividing Europe following World War II) was still firm because of the strong interests of both sides," Cho Yong-sung, a professor at the food and resources economics department of Korea University, said during a forum hosted by the Ministry of Unification in Seoul on "green detente." "Given the current impasse, perhaps the South needs to think big … about the possibility of a higher-level cooperation with the North, potentially involving other countries, instead of limiting it to a single project or a sector."

The suggestion comes at a time when Seoul and Washington are trying to bring Pyongyang back to talks amid North Korea's growing missile and nuclear threats.

If there are a handful of issues that would interest both North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Joe Biden, climate change must be high on the list, according to Kim Ho-hong, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy.

Experts at the forum shared the view that natural disasters, which threatened North Korea's food security with unusual frequency in recent years, were probably what forced the leader to pay attention to the issue. In August, North Korea's state media reported the overflow of the Taedong River, which runs through the capital. The second flooding of the river in just two months prompted the authorities to issue a warning and put nearby residents on alert.

Natural disasters, such as floods and drought, result in soil loss, which in turn worsens North Korea's food shortages; a lack of food and energy sources eventually leads to forest damage, which poses a detrimental effect on climate heating as forests soak up greenhouse gases.

"It's a vicious circle," Kang Taek-koo, a researcher at the Korea Environment Institute, said. "I believe North Korea might be open to cooperation on climate change, which South Korea should prepare for in terms of how to approach it."

Although North Korea appears to be serious and genuine about tackling the issue, Kang said the North may also have a political motive to promote itself as a normal state and capitalize on it later.

Seoul and Pyongyang agreed on forestry cooperation during a summit in 2018 that included joint efforts to combat deforestation, research on seedlings and other countermeasures against natural disasters. But little progress has been made amid a stalemate in nuclear talks.

The Korea Times · December 7, 2022

16.  IAEA chief to visit South Korea next week to discuss North Korean nuclear, other issues

IAEA chief to visit South Korea next week to discuss North Korean nuclear, other issues

The Korea Times · December 7, 2022

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks during the Mediterranean Dialogues conference in Rome, Italy, December 2, 2022. Reuters-Yonhap

The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will make a four-day visit to South Korea next week to discuss a range of nuclear issues with ranking government officials, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.

The visit by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi from Tuesday at the invitation of the foreign ministry will include a meeting with Foreign Minister Park Jin, according to ministry officials.

Issues expected to be on the table range from North Korean nuclear development to Japan's plan to discharge radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean in the coming spring.

Park and Grossi previously held a phone call in September, and the foreign minister at that time expressed South Korean people's concerns over Japan's water release plan.

The trip marks Grossi's first visit to South Korea since he took office in December 2019 and the first trip to the country by an IAEA chief since September 2017. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · December 7, 2022

17. Fingers crossed for unification of two Koreas

​I was amazed how many people are interested in a free and unified Korea. There were civil society representatives ​ from Korea and Japan to India and every country in between.

Fingers crossed for unification of two Koreas

The Korea Times · December 7, 2022

Hyun Jin Preston Moon, chairman and founder of Global Peace Foundation, speaks at the Global Peace Festival on Dec. 3 in Clark, Philippines. Newsis

Three-day forum addresses need for peacebuilding on Korean Peninsula

By Lee Yeon-woo

CLARK, PHILIPPINES ― Around 40,000 people, including policymakers, scholars, practitioners, and educators, gathered in the Philippines last week for a three-day forum to promote world peace hosted by the Global Peace Foundation (GPF).

"All people ― beyond any external differences of race, ethnicity, religion, and nationality ― belong to the one human family under God," Hyun Jin Preston Moon, the founder and chairman of the Washington D.C.-based non-profit group GPF, said in a speech to the opening ceremony.

Moon said such beliefs can motivate people to overcome differences and solve the problems that plague the human race.

"A fine example is the Philippines national motto ― 'Maka-Diyos, Maka-tao, Maka-kalikasan at Maka-bangsa' (For the love of God, people, nature and country)," he added.

Moon also introduced the Korean founding ideal of "Hongik Ingan," meaning to live for the greater benefit of all mankind, as one of its examples, and said Korea should, and could become a global model for peace by achieving unification.

Hyun Jin Preston Moon, center, and the officials from the Global Peace Foundation pose with Filipino university students during the Global Peace Festival held last Friday in Clark, Philippines. Newsis

Experts highlighted the importance of Korean unification at the global peace leadership conference, an event that aims to address critical issues including peace and security, media, education and women as leaders.

"What happens on the Korean Peninsula, whether war, regime collapse, or unification, will have global effects," retired Col. David Maxwell said during the event.

"The Korean security situation must concern us all and the international community must provide support to Koreans as they achieve their long-sought goal of a free and unified Korea," he added.

Oh Young-jin, president-publisher of The Korea Times, gives a speech at the Media Track of the Global Peace Leadership Conference, held last Thursday at the Widus Hotel, Philippines. Newsis

Oh Young-jin, president-publisher of The Korea Times, participated in the Media Track and talked about the ongoing danger of polarization. He said that the division of the two Koreas is one of the main obstacles in solving the issue.

"It constrains our imagination and impedes us from bigger achievements … This dream doesn't stop at the unification of the two Koreas. It's a bigger pool rising, reaching out for the common prosperity and global peace."

The grand finale of the three-day event was marked by the Global Peace Festival held on Dec. 3. More than 10,000 Filipino youths gathered to build a network of people who work together toward global peace. Famous K-pop group K.A.R.D and P-pop girl group BINI also gave live performances free of charge.

University students in the Philippines wave a sign saying "Philippines supports 1 Dream 1 Korea 1 World" at the Global Peace Festival last Friday in Clark, Philippines. NewsisAC Garcia, who is in his first year at the University of Makati told 

The Korea Times that he believes all people deserve to have peace in the world.

"That's why I support the unification of Korea. It is a small step to achieve that," Garcia said.

Kyra Angco, 21, said she realized that the problem is not among the people but in the North Korean regime after watching the K-drama "Crash Landing on You." She was holding a sign with the words, "I support One Korea" on it when this reporter asked to interview her.

"I know a lot of friends who support Korean unification as well." The student from the National University of Philippines said K-drama is one factor that draws Filipinos closer to the Korean issue.

"Who would want to go separate ways? As a Filipina, I don't want the Philippines to go separate ways and that would be awful just thinking about it. It's something I don't wish for anytime in this lifetime," Xheann Halley Salib, 19, who majors in marketing management at the University of Makati, said.

The Korea Times · December 7, 2022

18. [INTERVIEW] 'If youth get excited about unification, things will happen very quickly'

[INTERVIEW] 'If youth get excited about unification, things will happen very quickly'

The Korea Times · December 7, 2022

Hyun Jin Preston Moon, the chairman and founder of Global Peace Foundation, speaks during a joint interview with Korean media outlets last Friday in Clark, the Philippines. Newsis

Chairman of Global Peace Foundation explains why unification of 2 Koreas matters to younger Koreans

By Lee Yeon-woo

CLARK, Philippines ― Younger Koreans, particularly those in their 20s and 30s, struggle to find a connection between themselves and the unification of the two Koreas. They were born in the 1980s or afterward when Korea was already rising to become one of Asia's economic powerhouses and their grandparents, who were born before the Korean War and may have left their families behind in the North, have already passed away. Having no immediate family members or relatives who are from the North, younger South Koreans find it hard to take interest in unification.

Hyun Jin Preston Moon, the founder and chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based non-profit group Global Peace Foundation (GPF), challenges this notion, emphasizing that young people are the ones ― not the government, scholars or so-called "experts" ― who should fix their focus on unification.

"I've heard young people call Korea 'Hell Joseon,'" Moon said. "Hell Joseon" is a satirical term that some frustrated young Koreans use to refer to their nation, believing that Korea is a hellish place to live.

"And they have a 10 percent (youth) unemployment rate in their country. If Korea follows the current trajectory, it's only going to get worse. So why is unification not a key issue?" Moon asked during a joint interview with Korean media outlets on the sidelines of the international peace forum in Clark, the Philippines.

"The unemployment rate, especially among young people, is going to get harder. It's going to be harder for you to have even housing and even be able to have a family," Moon continued.

Moon asked young Koreans to think outside the box. "Unification will be the most significant event that will have not only security consequences but geopolitical economic circumstances as well (if it happens)."

At the same time, Moon refuted the idea that South Korea will end up bearing the huge financial burden of North Korea's integration alone and deteriorate its economy. If unification happens, Moon claimed developed nations will be more than willing to take the financial burden.

"North Korea is the number one security issue for the United States. The number one security issue for Japan," he continued. "The U.S. was willing to spend $2.5 trillion in the war against terrorism in the Middle East. The U.S. will spend trillions of dollars in terms of military preparedness to deal with the North Korean nuclear threat."

However, he went on to say that it needs one condition: young people should get excited about unification first.

When Moon first started the unification movement 12 years ago, the first place that he went was all the top think tanks in Washington. The first question analysts there asked Moon was whether South Korean people actually want unification.

"Of course from the analysts' point of view, the easiest way to deal with the North Korean problem is Korean unification … The basic position was, rationally, if the Korean people don't want it, how can we support?"

Bottom-up civic movement based on Korean Dream

Moon has presented his "Korean Dream" peace framework which highlights that real progress will be made toward unification only if it's driven by the people.

In this belief, he also established Action for Korea United (AKU) in 2012, a coalition of 1,000 civic organizations based in Seoul which aims for a fresh grassroots approach to building awareness of the importance of unification, particularly among younger generations.

Historically, relations with North Korea have been led by government negotiations. However, he believes it's wrong to approach the issue that way.

"Koreans, you put way too much faith in your politicians."

All history in terms of major transformation was from the bottom up, he said. "For example, British Indian independence happened through Gandhi and a bottom-up civic movement for national sovereignty. One man brought down the entire British Empire, which controlled India for hundreds of years."

"I'm planning over the next three years to mobilize tens of millions of South Koreans for unification based upon the Korean Dream (with AKU)," he said.

"If I'm building a campfire and I have a fire going, youths are like the gasoline on that campfire. I know how to make things go, I know how to make things work. If young people get excited about unification and are as committed, things will happen very quickly."

Hyun Jin Preston Moon speaks to the crowd gathered at the Global Peace Festival held last Friday in Clark, the Philippines. Courtesy of Global Peace Foundation

Importance of Education Transformation

Citing his background as a history major at Columbia University, Moon also highlighted the importance of young people establishing national identities and characteristics through quality education.

One of the core themes of the Global Peace Festival was on transforming the current education system, an official from the GPF said. Heads of major Philippine universities and three government agencies in charge of education in the Philippines took place at the event.

As the Global Peace Foundation has worked for more than 10 years in the Philippines, "the level of trust we have among the highest levels of government, as well as educators, is incomparable," Moon said.

Moon is the one who adopted the Peace Education to National Service Training Program (NSTP), a program designed to develop young people's physical, moral, spiritual and ethics of service in the Philippines. Students of any baccalaureate degree are required to complete the program before graduation.

Most of the university students participating in the Global Peace Festival said to this reporter they knew the importance of unification by taking the Peace Education seminars.

"I want to show with a developing nation what can happen if you do education," Moon said. "Because each subsequent generation, they bring about the necessary transformations that bring the nation to a whole new level."

The Korea Times · December 7, 2022

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

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com