Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners


Quotes of the Day:


"Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big."
- Theodore Roosevelt

"The measure of a man is what he does with power."
- Plato

"The first generation of the young people of our revolution took up arms following Comrade Kim Il Sung and fought the bloody anti-Japanese struggle, thus achieving the historic cause of national liberation."
- Kim Jong-un






1. North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile After U.S. Summit With South Korea, Japan4`

2. North Korea warns US of 'fiercer' military action, tests short-range missile

3. Sohae Satellite Launching Station: Work Begins on the Vertical Engine Test Stand

4.  (Yonhap Interview) Denuclearizing N. Korea is 'not unattainable,' dialogue efforts should go on: minister

5.  China has vested interest in stopping N. Korean nuclear test: state dept.

6. Yoon and Saudi crown prince agree on economic cooperation

7. Yoon balanced Xi, Biden, Kishida on Southeast Asia trip

8. Korea, Saudi Arabia sign business deals worth $74 billion

9. Pompeo underlines China's role behind North Korea's nuclear program

10. Senior U.S. defense official visits S. Korea for briefing on U.S. strategic reviews

11. UN Third Committee passes N. Korea human rights resolutions for 18th consecutive year

12. North Korea stole $620m of crypto in March to fund missiles: NK special envoy

13. S. Korea, US discuss NK cyber threats

14. In the Koreas, why the denials about artillery for the Russo-Ukrainian war?

15. Leaders quietly work to ramp up pressure on N. Korea at G-20

16. South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy pivots toward US

17. Allies' talk seen as worsening DPRK strains

18. N. Korea unveils new stamp marking recent IRBM launch over Japan





1. North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile After U.S. Summit With South Korea, Japan


The regime (along with the (PRC) is very afraid of trilateral cooperation. And o f course his strategy of political warfare which includes trying to drive a wedge in alliances is continuing to fail and the greater trilateral cooperation the greater exposure of failure of his strategy. 


North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile After U.S. Summit With South Korea, Japan

The short-range missile fired off the North’s east coast before landing in waters between peninsula and Japan


By Dasl YoonFollow

Nov. 16, 2022 11:27 pm ET

SEOUL—North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast Thursday, just hours after threatening a fiercer military response to the U.S. bolstering its security presence in the region with its allies South Korea and Japan.

The short-range ballistic missile was fired at 10:48 a.m. local time from the North’s eastern coastal city of Wonsan, Seoul’s military said. The missile hit an estimated altitude of roughly 29 miles, traveling about 149 miles before splashing into waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

In a Thursday statement, North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui warned that the recent summit between the U.S., South Korea and Japan to bolster extended deterrence and counteraction against North Korea will bring the situation on the Korean Peninsula to an “unpredictable phase.”

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On Sunday, President Biden met with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts in Cambodia, where the three leaders condemned North Korea’s recent missile tests. Mr. Biden vowed to defend Washington’s allies with a full range of capabilities including nuclear arms.

The Kim regime has conducted more than 30 missile tests in 2022, the most it has launched in a single year. Ms. Choe defended the recent missile tests as “legitimate and just military counteractions” incited by joint military exercises between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo and threatened a more “serious, realistic and inevitable threat” to the U.S. and its vassal forces. The allies have said their exercises are defensive in nature.

Pyongyang’s provocations have drawn international blowback and prompted increased drills by Washington and its allies, which North Korea views as pretext to engage in further provocations. North Korea unleashed its biggest barrage of tests in years, including an intercontinental ballistic missile and a ballistic missile that flew south of the disputed maritime border, triggering an air-raid warning in South Korea.


The U.S. and South Korea expanded military exercises and resumed trilateral training with Japan in response to North Korea’s expanding nuclear and missile threat. The U.S. Air Force deployed B-1B strategic bombers in the joint drills this year for the first time since 2017.

Washington and Seoul officials have warned Pyongyang stands fully prepared to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have planned a coordinated response if Pyongyang carries out its seventh nuclear test.

In a joint statement following the trilateral summit on Sunday, the leaders of the U.S., South Korea and Japan said a nuclear test will be met with a “strong and resolute response” and agreed to work together to close gaps in the international sanctions regime. The three leaders also agreed to share North Korean missile warning data in real time to improve the ability to detect and assess the threat posed by the missiles.

During his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, Mr. Biden said Beijing had an obligation to attempt to talk North Korea out of resuming nuclear testing. Mr. Biden said Washington’s response to a nuclear test “may be more up in the face of China.”

The Biden administration has offered to meet North Korea without preconditions, but the Kim regime has ignored the outreach. The two sides haven’t held formal nuclear talks in more than three years.

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




2. North Korea warns US of 'fiercer' military action, tests short-range missile



We must not overreact. Again, this is another indication that the regime's strategy is failing. Kim most likely thought his blackmail diplomacy would be successful this time because the US is facing so many challenges around the world and he likely believed we would want an "easy" foreign policy win by making concessions to restart negotiations. But we continue to successfully deter war and an attack on the South. We cannot deter these missile tests and provocations. Our sustained bilateral and trilateral exercises and routine deployment of strategic assets demonstrate the strength of the alliances. We have not "blinked" and given into his blackmail diplomacy. To do so would show weakness and that is what Kim will exploit and in the end showing weakness is more likely to increase the chances of actual direct conflict and a return to hostilities.But Kim also fears strength and the strength of trilateral cooperation deters him from conducting an actual attack our allies.


Keep calm and... sustain readiness.


North Korea warns US of 'fiercer' military action, tests short-range missile | CNN

CNN · by Yoonjung Seo,Gawon Bae,Kathleen Magramo · November 17, 2022


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- Source: CNN



Seoul, South Korea CNN —

North Korea tested a ballistic missile on Thursday as it warned the United States of a “fiercer military counteraction” to Washington’s bolstered defense ties with South Korea and Japan amid rising regional tensions.

In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said the US’ strengthening of extended deterrence to allies in the region “is gambling for which it will certainly regret.”

The greater the US defense presence in the region, “the fiercer (North Korean) military counteraction will be, in direct proportion to it,” Choe said.

“The US will be well aware that it is gambling, for which it will certainly regret,” Choe said, adding that recent large-scale joint military drills between the US and its allies had “failed to contain” North Korea’s counteraction.

The KCNA statement said the warning was in response to trilateral talks between the US, South Korea, and Japan on Sunday during the ASEAN summit. At the meeting, US President Joe Biden reaffirmed a commitment to reinforce extended deterrence and defend South Korea and Japan with a “full range of capabilities,” including nuclear weapons.

Joint drills and missile test

Tensions in the Korean Peninsula have steadily risen this year, with South Korea and the US responding to Pyongyang’s missile tests by stepping up joint drills and military exercises, as well as their own missile tests.

On Thursday, South Korea and the US conducted a missile defense drill, through which the two countries reaffirmed their firm joint defense posture, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry.


This picture taken on October 19, 2021 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on October 20, 2021 shows test fire of a new type submarine-launched ballistic missile in an undisclosed location in North Korea. (Photo by various sources / AFP) / South Korea OUT / ---EDITORS NOTE--- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE --- / (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

KCNA/AFP/Getty Images

video

Explained: How much damage can North Korea's weapons do?

Later Thursday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile from the Wonsan area of Kangwon province at about 10:48 a.m. local time.

It said the missile, which landed in waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, had a flight range of about 240 kilometers (149 miles), reached an altitude of about 47 kilometers (29 miles), and hit a top speed of about Mach 4 – indicating it traveled four-times the speed of sound, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The South Korean military has strengthened its surveillance and is closely cooperating with the United States, the Joint Chiefs added.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said no missiles fell into Japanese territory or its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), according to a statement Thursday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Tokyo continues “to collect and analyze necessary information and closely monitor North Korean military trends in close cooperation with the United States and South Korea.”

This marks the 33rd day this year that North Korea has carried out a missile test, according to a CNN count. The tally includes both ballistic and cruise missiles. By contrast, it conducted only four tests in 2020, and eight in 2021.

The US and international observers have been warning for months that North Korea appears to be preparing for an underground nuclear test, with satellite imagery showing activity at the nuclear test site. Such a test would be the hermit nation’s first in five years.

CNN’s Emiko Jozuka, Kevin Liptak and Brad Lendon contributed reporting.

CNN · by Yoonjung Seo,Gawon Bae,Kathleen Magramo · November 17, 2022

3. Sohae Satellite Launching Station: Work Begins on the Vertical Engine Test Stand


imagery at the link. https://www.38north.org/2022/11/sohae-satellite-launching-station-work-begins-on-the-vertical-engine-test-stand/



Sohae Satellite Launching Station: Work Begins on the Vertical Engine Test Stand


https://www.38north.org/2022/11/sohae-satellite-launching-station-work-begins-on-the-vertical-engine-test-stand/


Recent commercial satellite imagery of North Korea’s Sohae Satellite Launching Station indicates that major construction has started on the vertical engine test stand (VETS)—the country’s largest liquid-fuel engine test stand. Efforts to enhance and expand the complex have been underway for approximately eight months already, as previously directed by Kim Jong Un.[1] This has included an overhaul of the rocket launch pad, the building of a new tunnel connecting the complex to support facilities to the east, the razing of the former launch control building in the VIP housing area and construction of a new facility there, the addition of a new rail depot just north of the Sohae complex, and new roadways both inside and outside of the complex. However, until now, the VETS had remained relatively unchanged. With this development, work is now well underway at all the major facilities within the complex.

Vertical Engine Test Stand (VETS) Activity

As of October 24, only minor activity had taken place at the VETS, despite major construction at other key facilities throughout the Sohae complex. This included building a new access road to the test platform area and removing all support vehicles associated with past tests from the test stand apron.

By November 13, significant activity on the test stand itself was underway. Specifically, the rail-mounted environmental shelter, used for both protection of the engines (when loaded) from the elements and to deny observation of test preparations, had been pulled away from the test stand and positioned back on the apron. Several vehicles are now on the apron as well, along with building materials.

Figure 1. Activity at the VETS observed between October 24 and November 13. Previous

 Expand


Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.


Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.


Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.


Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.


Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

Next

Additional construction has started immediately southeast of the VETS. The purpose of this new structure is unclear, but based on its size and location, it may be a blockhouse from which to control and monitor an engine test.

Figure 2. New building under construction southeast of the VETS.

Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

Several trucks are also now parked at the support area north of the security checkpoint for the VETS. Vehicles are rarely observed in this area. Those currently present are likely associated with construction activity at the VETS.

Figure 3. Vehicles parked at support area north of VETS security checkpoint on November 13, 2022.

Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

The last confirmed usage of the VETS was in December 2019. Imagery from earlier this year appeared to show vegetation cleared from below the exhaust bucket—usually a tell-tale sign of engine testing—but no test was confirmed. Given recent developments, that activity was more likely related to early preparations for construction.

Other Site Activity[2]

Construction continues on a new building in the VIP housing area whose foundation was first noted in mid-October. Since then, the footprint for the structure has doubled in size. The building is located immediately west of the now-razed, former launch control building.

Figure 4. New building footprint expanded in VIP housing area.



Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

Construction at the entrances to the new tunnel connecting the VIP housing area to the housing and support area along the coast continues and is especially noticeable at the west end.

Figure 5. Activity observed at new tunnel entrances. revious

 Expand


Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com


Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com


Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com


Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com


Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com

Next

At the newly constructed rail depot north of the main security entrance to the Sohae complex, the center roof section of the warehouse on the platform, which was missing in October, is now repaired. 

Figure 6. Roof section at road depot repaired.



Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

  1. [1]
  2. “Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Inspects Sohae Satellite Launching Ground,” Rodong Sinmun, March 11, 2022.
  3. [2]
  4. Imagery from November 13 was only partial coverage of the Sohae complex. Key areas such as the launch pad, the horizontal assembly building and NADA buildings were not captured.


4.  (Yonhap Interview) Denuclearizing N. Korea is 'not unattainable,' dialogue efforts should go on: minister


Minister Kwon, you are the key to denuclearization:


The only way we are going to see an end to the nuclear program and military threats as well as the human rights abuses and crimes against humanity being committed against the Korean people living in the north by the mafia-like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime is through achievement of unification and the establishment of a free and unified Korea that is secure and stable, non-nuclear, economically vibrant, and unified under a liberal constitutional form of government based on individual liberty, rule of law, and human rights as determined by the Korean people. A free and unified Korea or in short, a United Republic of Korea (UROK).


(LEAD) (Yonhap Interview) Denuclearizing N. Korea is 'not unattainable,' dialogue efforts should go on: minister | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · November 17, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more details)

By Kim Soo-yeon and Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification minister emphasized the need to continue efforts to coax North Korea into abandoning its nuclear weapons, a goal which is "not unattainable."

In a joint interview with Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV on Wednesday, Kwon Young-se described sanctions, pressure and extended deterrence as means to bring Pyongyang to denuclearization talks.

"We don't need to regard the goal of North Korea's denuclearization as having run its course, even though the North legalized the use of nuclear force or stated its resolve to seek a nuclear arsenal," Kwon said. "The goal of denuclearizing North Korea is not unattainable."

He added, "We need to make efforts for North Korea's denuclearization through extended deterrence, sanctions and pressure. These cannot denuclearize the North per se, but they are a means to bring the North to the denuclearization (dialogue) table."


Extended deterrence means the United States' commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear options, to defend its allies.

Refusing to talk with South Korea and the U.S. for years, the North has ramped up its missile tests at an unprecedented pace this year amid speculation that it may soon conduct what would be the seventh nuclear test.

Kwon said, however, the Kim Jong-un regime appears to have completed its preparations for a nuclear experiment but it may not be imminent.

For now, he said, there might be "no urgent demand" for the North to conduct a nuclear test, adding it remains to be seen whether China's National People's Congress set for March 2023 could be affecting the North's decision to go ahead with the test.

Especially, he added, the North seems to have already achieved "political effects" to some extent through the legalization of nuclear weapons use in September.

Kwon reaffirmed South Korea is not considering pushing for its own nuclear armament or reintroducing U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to the peninsula.

"But if inter-Korean relations continue to get worse and tensions keep rising, (the government) cannot ignore (such a call) indefinitely in case public opinions tilt toward (supporting) the South's nuclear armament in a broad meaning such as our nuclear armament, nuclear sharing or the deployment of (American) tactical nuclear weapons," he said.

South Korea has been free of nuclear weapons since the U.S. withdrew tactical nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula in the early 1990s under a disarmament deal with the Soviet Union.

Regarding the North's violation of the inter-Korean agreement signed in Sept. 19, 2018, to reduce border tensions, the minister raised the need to press and persuade the North to honor it. The minister, a longtime politician, pointed out that his government will have to take public opinions at home into account as well.

"The government is deeply thinking about the possibility that public opinions could grow in a way that we cannot accept the 2018 inter-Korean accord if the North raises tensions," he said.

Despite heightened tensions, the unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs remains "open" to providing humanitarian assistance to the North, ranging from cooperation for the COVID-19 pandemic to food aid, Kwon said.

"North Korea appears to deny access by international organizations and non-government agencies due to the pandemic. If situations change, we are open to providing humanitarian aid directly or through cooperation with international organizations," he said.

The minister said the South will proactively support efforts to resume inter-Korean sports exchange on the occasion of international sports events, including the Asian weightlifting competition to be held in May next year in Jinju, 284 kilometers south of Seoul.


Kwon said the government is working on details of political and military measures that can be taken in response to North Korea's denuclearization steps under its "audacious" plan.

In August, President Yoon Suk-yeol publicly proposed an "audacious" initiative to North Korea, promising to offer economic incentives in return for Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearization. The North has rejected the proposal as "absurd," vowing not to trade its nuclear arsenal for economic aid.

As examples of the government's political and military steps to be considered, Kwon cited the South's support of the North's eventual establishment of diplomatic ties with the U.S. and efforts to create a peace regime.

In his message to the North's leader, the minister, who served as Seoul's ambassador to Beijing, said provocations will only deepen its isolation and aggravate the suffering of North Koreans.

"I'd like to tell (the North) to start dialogue and say it can accelerate the prosperity of the North if it cooperates with us," he said.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · November 17, 2022


5. China has vested interest in stopping N. Korean nuclear test: state dept.


China has a vested interest in preventing war, instability, and regime collapse on the Korean peninsula. But I do not think it views north Korean nuclear weapons in the same way that the ROK and US do. We cannot expect it to help solve ROK and US security problems.


China has vested interest in stopping N. Korean nuclear test: state dept. | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · November 17, 2022

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- China has an obligation as well as an interest in preventing a potential nuclear test by North Korea, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday, amid speculation that Pyongyang may conduct a nuclear test at any time.

Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesman for the department, also reiterated that the U.S. remains willing to engage in direct conversation with North Korea.

The remarks come after U.S. President Joe Biden held his first face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia earlier this week.


"In the bilateral meeting that President Biden had with President Xi, he raised concerns about the DPRK's provocative behavior and noted that all members of the international community, including the PRC, have a vested interest in encouraging the DPRK to act responsibly," Patel told a press briefing, referring to North Korea and China by their official names, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China.

"And the PRC has a responsibility to make clear to the DPRK that Pyongyang should not engage in unlawful and destabilizing nuclear or ballistic missile tests," he added.

Biden earlier said he told Xi that the U.S. will be required to take "more defensive actions" in the Indo-Pacific region should North Korea conduct what will be its seventh nuclear test, and that such actions will be "up in the face of China" even though they will be directed at North Korea and not China.

U.S. officials, including State Department Press Secretary Ned Price, have said the North may conduct a nuclear test "at any time."

Pyongyang conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017.

"Our belief continues to be that we must limit the DPRK's ability to advance its unlawful ballistic missiles program and its weapons of mass destruction program," said Patel.

"And we remain prepared to be engaged in sustained dialogue and serious diplomacy towards making that progress whether that be with the PRC or other partners in the region, like our partners in the Republic of Korea and Japan who also we've been engaging quite closely on this," he added, referring to South Korea by its official name.

bdk@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · November 17, 2022


6. Yoon and Saudi crown prince agree on economic cooperation





Thursday

November 17, 2022

 dictionary + A - A 

Yoon and Saudi crown prince agree on economic cooperation

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/17/national/politics/Korea-Saudia-Arabia-summit/20221117184415158.html


Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, right and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud shake hands before their bilateral summit at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, in central Seoul Thursday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

 

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud agreed to strengthen defense, energy and infrastructure cooperation and work towards a "future-oriented strategic partnership" on Thursday. 

 

"Saudi Arabia is Korea's largest trading partner in the Middle East, and a key partner for economic and energy security as well as in overseas construction," Yoon said during the in their first bilateral summit in Seoul, according to the presidential office. 

 

The crown prince kicked off a one-day official visit to Seoul early Thursday. It is his first trip to the country in over three years. 


 

At the presidential residence in Hannam-dong on Thursday, Yoon and Prince Mohammed held talks accompanied by their aides, followed by one-on-one talks and a luncheon. The meeting lasted around two and a half hours. 

 

Korea and Saudi Arabia mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year.

 

The leaders agreed to develop relations to a "future-oriented strategic partnership" and establish a "strategic partnership committee" to help the leaders oversee the development of relations. 

 

"Now is the time to take the relationship between our two countries to a new level," Yoon said, expressing support for Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 policy, aimed at reducing the nation's dependence on oil and diversifying into new sectors.

  

Yoon said he is looking forward to expanding cooperation in terms of defense sales, the development of future energy sources, such as hydrogen, and investment into new growth industries, his office said.

 

He also said Korea wants to take part in Saudi's mega-projects, such as NEOM, a futuristic megacity. 

 

Korean companies have been keen on winning construction deals with Saudi Arabia as it seeks for partners for NEOM, the crown prince's $500 billion urban project first proposed in 2017 to build a sustainable smart city in its northwestern province of Tabuk along the Red Sea.

 

Noting that Korean companies made great contributions to the development of Saudi infrastructure, accumulating trust in the process, Prince Mohammed said he would like to enhance cooperation between the two countries specifically in the fields of energy, defense and infrastructure, according to the presidential office.

 

The crown prince said he would like to cooperate with Korea in development of hydrogen energy, carbon capture technology, nuclear power plant management and small modular reactors (SMR).

 

In the defense sector, the prince said he hoped for cooperation in both "hardware and software" to help strengthen Saudi Arabia's defense capabilities, according to Yoon's office.

 

The prince asked for the "active participation" of Korean businesses, including small and medium-sized companies, to help realize his Vision 2030. 

 

Prince Mohammed expressed support for Seoul's efforts to contain Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threats and showed support for Yoon's "audacious initiative" to help North Korea's economy, provided it takes steps toward denuclearization. 

 

The leaders also "strongly condemned" North Korea's recent provocations and agreed to "respond sternly" as responsible members of the G20 and the international community if North Korea conducts a seventh nuclear test.

 

The two sides agreed to boost cultural exchanges and tourism and said the Korea-Saudi Vision 2030 Committee will manage the various areas of cooperation across sectors. 

 

After months of renovations, Yoon moved into the new presidential residence just 10 days ago, on Nov. 7, and the crown prince is the first official guest, the presidential office said. 

 

"Saudi Arabia is a very important cooperative partner country in terms of Korea's economy and security, and the venue for the meeting was decided as official residence reflecting the wishes of the president and the first lady to treat their foreign guests with special respect," said Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential secretary for press affairs.

 

The crown prince last visited Seoul in June 2019 and met with then President Moon Jae-in and South Korean business executives. That visit had been the first by a Saudi crown prince since 1998.

 

In September, Prince Mohammed, who was already serving as de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, was named prime minister, a post traditionally held by the king. He previously served as Saudi's defense minister and deputy prime minister. 

 

Prince Mohammed arrived at the Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, in the early hours Thursday morning and was welcomed by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

 

He was accompanied by a number of officials, including Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi's energy minister, and Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, the interior minister. 

 

During the visit, Prince Mohammed also met with a number of business leaders. They were: SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, Doosan Chairman Park Jeong-won, Daelim Group Chairman Lee Hae-wook, CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun and HD Hyundai CEO Chung Ki-sun.

 

A slew of memorandums of understanding were signed. 

 

Both Busan and Saudi Arabia's Riyadh are seeking to host the World Expo 2030. 

 

Yoon and the crown prince briefly exchanges greetings at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia on Tuesday. 

 

"Welcome HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman! Pleased to have had a milestone discussion today," Yoon wrote in a Tweet Thursday afterwards. 'Let's keep working together to build a new future-oriented strategic partnership!"


BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]


7. Yoon balanced Xi, Biden, Kishida on Southeast Asia trip


Wednesday

November 16, 2022

 dictionary + A - A 

Yoon balanced Xi, Biden, Kishida on Southeast Asia trip

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/16/national/diplomacy/Korea-Yoon-Sukyeol-United-States/20221116185245106.html


President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, and first lady Kim Keon-hee disembark from the presidential jet at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, early Wednesday after concluding a six-day trip to Cambodia and Indonesia. [YONHAP]

 

President Yoon Suk-yeol wrapped up a Southeast Asian trip Wednesday that featured summits with the leaders of the United States, Japan and China. 

 

During a six-day trip to Cambodia and Indonesia to attend a series of Asean and G20 meetings, Yoon focused on strengthening trilateral security and economic cooperation with the United States and Japan. 

 

Yoon also signaled Seoul's intent not to exclude Beijing in the process of strengthening its alliance with Washington in his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 


 

On the trip, Yoon revealed Korea's version of an Indo-Pacific strategy for "freedom, peace and prosperity." He also laid out his "Korea-Asean solidarity initiative" for cooperation with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations. 

 

"This trip marked an important milestone in our diplomacy," said National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han in a press briefing at the Yongsan presidential office Wednesday. 

 

"Establishing our Indo-Pacific strategy means a great shift in our diplomacy. Our diplomatic horizon, which has been confined to the Korean Peninsula, is drastically expanding to the Indo-Pacific region, which accounts for about 60 percent of the world economy."

 

He added opportunities for Korea "will be diversified and broadened, and the predictability of our foreign policy will also increase." 

 

On Tuesday, Yoon held a 25-minute bilateral summit in Bali with Xi, the first such meeting between the South Korean and Chinese presidents in nearly three years. 

 

While the two leaders agreed to advance bilateral cooperation, their remarks suggested differences in perspectives on security issues and U.S.-led efforts to decouple from the Chinese market by finding alternative supply chains.

 

During the talks, Yoon asked China to "play a more active and constructive role" in ending North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, especially as one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council. 

 

Xi was said to have responded that Seoul and Beijing have a "common interest" in safeguarding peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to Yoon's presidential office.

 

Xi said he will "actively support" Yoon's "audacious initiative," to help North Korea economically if it denuclearizes, with the caveat that North Korea had to be "responsive." 

 

In August, Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, rejected that initiative flatly. 

 

Seoul officials pointed that there is room for Pyongyang to come around, and said Xi's remarks leave an opportunity for Beijing to play a role.  

 

However, Chinese state media did not report any of Xi's remarks about North Korea, which could mean that Beijing doesn't plan to change the current status quo or encourage Pyongyang to return to denuclearization negotiations. 

 

The two leaders also did not see eye-to-eye on the global supply chain issue. 

 

Xi's call for "true multilateralism" in opening remarks appeared to be a jab at the U.S.-led initiative to build a global supply chain network with only its allies. 

 

The two sides need to deepen cooperation in "high-tech manufacturing, big data and green economy" and "uphold the international free trade system, keep the global industrial and supply chains secure, stable and unclogged, and oppose politicizing economic cooperation or overstretching the concept of security on such cooperation," Xi was quoted as saying by China's Global Times.

 

This seemed to be a message that Seoul should not participate in U.S.-led groupings such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and the so-called Chip 4 alliance, a semiconductor supply chain consultative body that includes South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

 

The last summit between the South Korean and Chinese leaders was on Dec. 23, 2019, when President Moon Jae-in held bilateral talks with Xi in Beijing. 

 

"Dialogue between South Korea and China is essential in overcoming the challenges facing us, such as the pandemic, global economic downturn and climate change," Yoon said in a statement shared on Facebook late Tuesday before returning to Seoul. "China's role is very important to promote freedom, peace and prosperity in East Asia and the international community."

 

Xi was also invited to visit to Seoul — which he said he would when the Covid-19 situation stabilizes. 

 

Such efforts reflect Seoul's efforts to manage the so-called "China risk" factor amid growing Sino-U.S. competition and the Yoon administration's efforts to strengthen its bilateral alliance with Washington. 

 

Despite Xi's lukewarm response on dealing with Pyongyang, some analysts view Yoon and Xi's summit in itself as a message to North Korea. 

 

"It's a bit difficult to agree that our government's diplomacy is skewed toward the United States," a senior presidential official told reporters Wednesday when asked about the Yoon administration's apparent tilt toward Washington and Tokyo. 

 

"There's plenty of room to globally contribute together with China," said the official. "We will actively seek areas in which we can contribute to the expansion of the common good by joining forces with China."

 

On the sidelines of Asean meetings in Phnom Penh Sunday, Yoon, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a three-way summit and released a statement on "trilateral partnership for the Indo-Pacific," which covered both security and economic cooperation. 

 

The three leaders "strongly condemned" North Korea's ballistic missile launches and said that a seventh nuclear test "would be met with a strong and resolute response from the international community." 

 

The leaders agreed to share intelligence on North Korea "in real time" to improve their abilities to detect and assess missile threats, and Biden reaffirmed a U.S. commitment to extended deterrence to its East Asian allies.

 

The three leaders said their "basic positions on Taiwan remain unchanged" and stressed the "importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

 

The three countries also agreed to "stand together to promote and protect our technology leadership, for the benefit of the region and the world" to "ensure secure and resilient supply chains." 

 

They agreed to cooperate closely on the U.S.-led IPEF aimed at "promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth" and work together toward "implementing their various Indo-Pacific Strategies."

 

Beijing has been wary of stronger security cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo as it could lead to a trilateral military alliance and the strengthening of an American missile defense network. 

 

Before the trilateral talks on Sunday, Yoon and Biden held their second bilateral summit, which lasted 50 minutes, an opportunity for Yoon to raise concerns about the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

 

Biden was said to have replied that Korean companies in the automobile and electric battery sectors greatly contribute to the U.S. economy and that the implementation of the act will take into consideration these factors. 

 

However, the two sides didn't immediately come up with a more tangible way of alleviating Korean companies' worries. 

 

Later Sunday, Yoon and Kishida held a 45-minute summit and agreed to try to reach a swift solution to pending issues. The two last held briefer "informal" bilateral talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September. 

 

Seoul and Tokyo have struggled to overcome the issue of compensation for Korean wartime forced laborers. 

 

Japan imposed export restrictions on Korea in the summer of 2019, seen as retaliation to Korea's Supreme Court's rulings in 2018 ordering Japanese companies to individually compensate the forced labor victims during World War II. 

 

"Although there was no discussion about a specific solution to the forced labor issue, both leaders confirmed that intensive discussions are underway and that they were well-informed about the progress of the discussions," said the senior presidential official. 

 

The official said that the gap in perspectives has "narrowed a lot" and "there was an atmosphere to try to resolve the issue speedily."  

 

This official pointed out that the forced labor issue is also linked to the export restrictions and the normalizing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (Gsomia) bilateral intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo. 

 

During a three-day visit to Phnom Penh from Friday to Sunday, Yoon took part in the Korean-Asean summit, Asean plus three summit involving Korea, Japan and China and the East Asia Summit, a regional security forum.

 

In Bali, Yoon met with Korean businesspeople in Indonesia, took part in the B20 summit with political and business leaders from the G20 countries and attended a Korea-Indonesia business roundtable on Monday. 

 

On Tuesday, Yoon gave speeches at a session on food and energy security and another one on global health at the G20 summit.

 

Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee arrived in Korea on Air Force One early Wednesday morning. 

 

The trip was not without controversy, as MBC reporters were barred from traveling on the presidential jet ahead of the Southeast Asia trip for "distorted" reporting. The presidential press corps issued a joint statement expressing their "regret" and several other journalists partook in a boycott and opted to fly to Cambodia on commercial flights. Members of the press corps also were unable to cover the major summits, which the presidential office said was according to agreements with the other countries.  

 

Yoon's diplomatic outreach continues this week with a bilateral summit with the Netherlands on Thursday and Spain on Friday.  


BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr




8. Korea, Saudi Arabia sign business deals worth $74 billion



Korea, Saudi Arabia sign business deals worth $74 billion

The Korea Times · by 2022-11-17 21:23 | Companies · November 17, 2022

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang, front row center, and Saudi Arabia's Investment Minister Khalid A. Al-Falih, right, attend the Korea-Saudi Investment Forum at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap


S-Oil to invest $7 bil. to build massive petrochemical plants in Ulsan


By Lee Kyung-min

Korea and Saudi Arabia have made deals worth up to 100 trillion won ($74 billion) for joint economic cooperation in major industries, including manufacturing, smart technology, bio and healthcare, city planning, infrastructure building, energy, agriculture, environment and gaming, the industry ministry said Thursday.


Central to the joint economic ties lies the five-stage construction project worth $500 billion (662 trillion won) for Neom, the new smart city being built in Tabuk Province. The green city construction project is spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the prime minister of Saudi Arabia, for the transition to a sustainable, eco-friendly future away from the present fossil fuel-reliant economy.


The crown prince was in Korea, Thursday, to foster bilateral cooperation. About 200 local industry leaders and 60 Saudi trade, investment authorities and business executives attended a Korea-Saudi investment forum organized by the ministry. They signed 26 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) during the seven-hour event.


From left are Lotte Engineering & Construction CEO Ha Suk-joo, S-OIL CEO Hussain A. Al-Qahtani, Hyundai Engineering & Construction CEO Yoon Young-joon and Hyundai Engineering CEO Hong Hyeon-sung. They hold copies of a signed memorandum of understanding to foster the Shaheen Project in Ulsan, at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap


S-Oil


S-Oil, a Seoul-headquartered petroleum refiner, of which 63.4 percent is held by an affiliate of Saudi Aramco, a Saudi Arabian state-run oil firm, said Thursday that it plans to invest $7 billion into a petrochemical project in Ulsan, a southeast port city. This is the largest foreign investment in Korea.


The Shaheen Project will feature one of the world's largest refinery-integrated petrochemical steam crackers, providing a stable building block for the petrochemical industry in Korea and around the world. It follows a $4 billion phase-one petrochemical expansion project completed in 2018.


The new project will lead to an annual production of about 3.2 million tons of petrochemicals, as enabled by the steam cracker featuring Aramco's cutting-edge TC2C thermal crude-to-chemicals technology. The equipment will produce high-value petrochemicals, feedstock for plastics and other synthetic materials. Construction will begin in 2023 and take about three years.


The project will be advanced by engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts signed between S-Oil and three local construction affiliates of Hyundai and Lotte, the ministry said.


"The Shaheen Project is the single largest foreign investment in Korea to date," Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang said during the forum held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in Seoul.


"The project is an exemplary case whereby petro energy can be elevated to a low-carbon, sustainable source of power to the mutual benefit of Korea and Saudi Arabia, thereby advancing constructive bilateral cooperation in green energy."


Green hydrogen plant


Another case in point is an MOU signed between Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia with about $620 billion in assets under management, and a local public-private energy consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) to build a green hydrogen and ammonia plant in Neom.

Among them are Korea National Oil Corp. and Korea Southern Power Corp. ― two of KEPCO's state-run peers ― as well as steelmaker POSCO and Samsung C&T, the construction and engineering affiliate of Samsung Group.


The agreement is for a total of $6.5 billion to build a 396,694-square-meter plant near Yanbu, a western port city on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, by 2029, and operate it for 20 years thereafter.


The Samsung affiliate signed a separate MOU with PIF to advance cooperation in the modular business.


26 MOUs


Hyundai Rotem ― a railway vehicle, defense products and plant equipment manufacturing affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group ― signed an MOU with Saudi Arabia's investment ministry to build a train line in Neom.

The Hyundai affiliate is among five local private market players that signed MOUs with the ministry, alongside Lotte Group's chemical material manufacturing affiliate Lotte Fine Chemical, petrochemical firm DL Chemical, bio firm GL Rapha and Shiftup, a game designer and developer.


Saudi Arabia's Alfanar Construction signed an MOU with Daewoo E&C for cooperation in oil, gas and petrochemicals. It will strengthen cooperation with Hyosung Heavy Industries, the manufacturing affiliate of Hyosung Group, to establish a gas-insulated switchgear manufacturer. The Saudi firm also signed an MOU with Doosan Enerbility, the energy affiliate of Doosan Group, to build a metal casting and forging plant.


Kolon Global, the construction and engineering affiliate of Kolon Group, will partner with Faidh International Food, Saudi Arabia's food manufacturing and trading firm, to construct a smart farm.


Vision 2030 Committee


The ministry said the government will mobilize its utmost efforts to facilitate the joint projects whereby Korea's top-notch construction technologies and 3D modular capabilities can be used for the construction of Neom and further to Qiddiya, an entertainment megaproject launched in 2019 in Riyadh and the Red Sea.


"The Korea-Saudi cooperation has expanded to include smart city planning, smart farms, education, healthcare, culture and other services sectors, in addition to the strong current ties underpinned by high-tech manufacturing and energy cooperation. Korea expects a more fruitful outcome from the Korea-Saudi Vision 2030 Committee established in 2017," Lee said.




The Korea Times · by 2022-11-17 21:23 | Companies · November 17, 2022



9. Pompeo underlines China's role behind North Korea's nuclear program



China has been complicit in so many ways from nuclear development to sanctions evasion to diplomatic support at the un>


Pompeo underlines China's role behind North Korea's nuclear program

The Korea Times · November 17, 2022

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listens to Ahn Ho-young, former South Korean ambassador to Washington, in a recorded video during the KOR-ASIA Forum 2022 at the Shilla Seoul, a hotel in central Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho


Former US secretary of state open to Seoul's development of nuclear arsenal


By Jung Min-ho

The Chinese government under President Xi Jinping deserves to be blamed for "permitting" North Korea to develop nuclear weapons in the first place and undermining international efforts to resolve the issue with sanctions, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday.


Pompeo, who served in the post between April 2018 and January 2021, visited Pyongyang at least four times when the Trump administration was seeking to find a diplomatic solution to the regime's nuclear weapons program.


In an online debate at the KOR-ASIA Forum 2022, hosted by Hankook Ilbo in collaboration with its sister newspaper, The Korea Times, Pompeo said he thinks the North has been able to build its nuclear and missile system mainly because China "permitted it to be there" and its continued support must stop ― or be stopped by a joint international effort.


"When we were negotiating with Chairman Kim, he would always go meet Xi Jinping both before and after our meetings," Pompeo said in a recorded discussion with Ahn Ho-young, former South Korean ambassador to Washington, during the event under the theme, "Korea in the era of U.S.-China strategic competition." "We often talk about China and North Korea as separate problem sets. But, in fact, my experience teaches, I think, that they are deeply connected."


He said he still believes Pyongyang could change course on the issue, but only if Beijing gets serious about participating in international sanctions on its nuclear threats.


"They (China) continue to provide resources and tools. They don't enforce the sanctions on energy, traveling in and out of (North) Korea. That creates a real risk in the region," he said. "The Biden administration, along with the South Korean government, needs to make clear to the Chinese Communist Party that (its) continued work is unacceptable and begin to impose a real cost on the Chinese Communist Party to get them to bring Chairman Kim to heel."


North Korea has conducted weapons tests at an unprecedented pace this year, firing dozens of ballistic missiles. Intelligence reports show that the North is now ready for its first nuclear weapons test since 2017. Yet China, along with Russia, has used its veto power at the United Nations Security Council to thwart any attempts for additional sanctions on it.


As a result of the growing security threats and the faltering international unity against them, an increasing number of politicians and scholars say South Korea also needs to develop its own nuclear arsenal. Pompeo said he is open to that possibility.


"But (if they make that decision), I hope that they do so in the context of a sound American partnership that they can come to trust and rely on," he said.

His answer to the question once unthinkable by most U.S. politicians suggests a shift in attitude at least among members of the Republican Party, which in recent years has focused on addressing domestic issues that directly matter to voters.


Lee Kwan-sup, senior presidential secretary for policy and planning, reads the message on behalf of President Yoon Suk-yeol during the KOR-ASIA Forum 2022 at the Shilla Seoul, a hotel in central Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki


Pompeo said there will be little change in U.S. foreign policy after the midterm elections through which the Republican Party took back control of the House, given that the White House is in charge of it and expected to stay on course. But he believes the U.S.-China rivalry will continue to inte

nsify.

"It is my firm belief that the Chinese Communist Party has been at war with the West for 40 years. This is not a confrontation that the United States is bringing. This is a confrontation that Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party (are bringing)," Pompeo said.


He called the Chinese government "the greatest threat" to the rule-based international order, urging South Korea and all the other free democratic nations to join the endeavor to maintain that order and saying that China is trying to create its own China-centered world.


This message echoes the view of President Yoon Suk-yeol, who vowed to protect three universal values ― freedom, human rights and rule of law ― with other partner countries via his congratulatory message for the forum. Lee Kwan-sup, his senior secretary for policy and planning, read the message on behalf of Yoon, who was unable to attend the event because of diplomatic affairs.


From left, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, Seung Myung-ho, second from right, chairman of The Korea Times and the Hankook Ilbo, and Rep. Chung Jin-suk, interim leader of the ruling People Power Party, pose during the KOR-ASIA Forum 2022 at the Shilla Seoul, a hotel in central Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki


After the midterm elections and the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, in which Xi secured a historic and controversial third term as its leader, the world today is at a critical point, said National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo.


"Our choices are more important than ever before," he said. "If the executive branch is in a position where it should focus more on strengthening alliances, the legislative branch needs to fill the diplomatic void … We should find our optimal path and the Assembly has a heavy responsibility of being a diplomatic bridge," he said.


Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, said good leadership is essential to strike the right diplomatic balance.


"Instead of being cornered to take sides (between the two great powers), we should be able to create a favorable environment where we don't have to be swayed," he said. "That's the way we can prosper … Perhaps we can turn this crisis into an opportunity."



The Korea Times · November 17, 2022


10. Senior U.S. defense official visits S. Korea for briefing on U.S. strategic reviews





Senior U.S. defense official visits S. Korea for briefing on U.S. strategic reviews

The Korea Times · November 17, 2022

Richard Johnson is U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy. Courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense


A senior U.S. defense official visited Seoul's defense ministry Thursday to brief on its recently released key strategic documents that contain a warning to Pyongyang against a nuclear attack, officials here said Thursday.


Richard Johnson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy, met with Ha Dae-bong, director-general of the defense policy bureau, and other officials to explain this year's Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) and Missile Defense Review published last month, according to the ministry.


During the meeting, the U.S. side reaffirmed Washington will continue to provide extended deterrence for South Korea and utilize a full range of its available military capabilities, including nuclear, conventional, missile defense and other advanced non-nuclear ones, it added.


Extended deterrence refers to Washington's readiness to provide Seoul with all necessary options to deter aggression or provocation by North Korea.


The two sides also discussed ways to strengthen extended deterrence capabilities against Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threats, according to the ministry.


This year's NPR outlined that any nuclear attack by North Korea against the U.S. or its allies and partners will result in the end of its regime.


The ministry said U.S. officials gathered opinions from Seoul during the drafting process of the strategic reviews and visited the country in July prior to their release. (Yonhap)



The Korea Times · November 17, 2022




11.  UN Third Committee passes N. Korea human rights resolutions for 18th consecutive year


Let's begin an alliance human rights upfront approach.


UN Third Committee passes N. Korea human rights resolutions for 18th consecutive year

The Korea Times · November 17, 2022

Tomas Ojea Quintana, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, speaks to media during a press conference after he presented his report to the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, March 21. EPA-Yonhap


The Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution condemning North Korea for systematic human rights violations.


It marks the 18th consecutive year the committee passed a resolution calling for efforts to improve human rights conditions in the reclusive state. The resolution marks the first of its kind in four years to be sponsored by South Korea.


The resolution was adopted by an unanimous consensus without a vote.


It will be put to a vote by the U.N. General Assembly next month.


The resolution, led by European Union countries, expresses concern over illegal detention, torture and execution of foreign nationals in North Korea, while also calling on Pyongyang to release all related information to the family and countries of victims.


The demand for the release of information from Pyongyang apparently comes from Seoul, whose fisheries official was shot and killed by the North Korean coast guard in 2020 while allegedly attempting to defect to the North.


The South Korean foreign ministry earlier said it had actively taken part in drafting this year's resolution.


The resolution also condemns North Korea for its continued missile tests, saying the country converts its resources to its illicit weapons programs from its people.

Pyongyang fired a record number of ballistic missiles this year, launching more than 40 missiles since September 25.


North Korean Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Song said North Korea flatly rejects the resolution passed by the committee, calling it a political scheme aimed at tarnishing the North's image. (Yonhap)



The Korea Times · November 17, 2022


12. North Korea stole $620m of crypto in March to fund missiles: NK special envoy





North Korea stole $620m of crypto in March to fund missiles: NK special envoy

koreaherald.com · by Jo He-rim · November 17, 2022

North Korea stole $620 million in cryptocurrency from hacking a game company in March, which was likely used to fund the launching of dozens of ballistic missiles it fired in the first half of this year, Seoul’s special envoy for North Korea said Thursday.

Speaking at a symposium on North Korea’s cyber threats jointly held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US State Department for the first time, Kim Gunn, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, said Pyongyang is likely to have spent about $400 million to $650 million to launch 31 ballistic missiles in the first half of this year.

The special envoy suggest the fund Pyongyang stole from one of its latest and the biggest cyber scam case this year would likely have contributed to the missile launches. The North Korean regime is suspected of having stolen more than $620 million in cryptocurrency from online video game Axie Infinity in March.

Through Thursday, North Korea had fired an unprecedented number of ballistic missiles at more than 65, with the latest coming the same day.

In the symposium, Jung Pak, US deputy special representative for North Korea, explained how cryptocurrency exchanges and blockchain companies provide Pyongyang with "a lucrative arena" to engage in malicious cyber activity -- not only to bypass the international financial system and evade United Nations sanctions, but also to fund its growing weapons program.

“The DPRK is one of just a few countries in the world and definitely the most egregious that is actively stealing money from other countries, their companies and their people,” Pak said, referring to North Korea's official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

She also raised concerns that Pyongyang targets developing countries precisely as they have not yet developed robust cyberdefenses.

About the North’s cryptocurrency heist in March, which she said is the largest on record, the regime would likely have used the fund to procure materials for its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, she said.

“The United States has taken steps to curtail the DPRK malicious cyber activities and thereby impede its weapons development. … We have imposed sanctions on DPRK cyber actors and those facilitating their malicious activities, and have worked to build our partners capacity to defend against this threat,” Pak said.

“It is vital for governments, network defenders and the public to stay vigilant and to work together to mitigate the cyber threat posed by the DPRK.”

Director General for North Korean Nuclear Affairs Lee Tae-woo of South Korea's Foreign Ministry said North Korea appears to have collected about $1 billion of cryptocurrency from January to July, citing a report released this year.

“North Korea’s illegal cyber activities should not be taken simply as a financial crime. North Korea’s foreign currency is used directly to develop nuclear missiles,” Lee said.

“So the measures to handle North Korea’s cyber threats means more than just preventing financial damage, it is for the peace and stability of the international society.”

The day before, South Korea and the US held a second working group meeting on North Korean cyber threats in Seoul, where they agreed to strengthen cooperation, with Lee Tae-woo and Jung Pak leading the respective delegations.

North Korea has been observed increasing number of hacking cases around the world.

In 2014, hackers Thought to be connected to the North Korean government broke into Sony Pictures Entertainment to steal confidential documents and reveal them online. In 2017, 48 entities in Britain, mainly hospitals, were affected by ransomware cyberattacks in which criminals behind the assault were observed to have raised just some $20,000, though causing losses and costs estimated at well over $100 million.

In Thursday's symposium, some 200 attended the symposium, which brought government officials from 16 countries and others from the private sector, including cryptocurrency experts and blockchain firms, according to Seoul's Foreign Ministry.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)

koreaherald.com · by Jo He-rim · November 17, 2022



13. S. Korea, US discuss NK cyber threats




S. Korea, US discuss NK cyber threats

koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · November 16, 2022

By Yonhap

Published : Nov 16, 2022 - 21:44 Updated : Nov 16, 2022 - 21:44

South Korea's deputy nuclear envoy Lee Tae-woo (R) and his U.S. counterpart, Jung Pak, pose for a photo during their meeting in Seoul on Nov. 16, 2022, in this photo released by the South Korean foreign ministry.(Yonhap)

South Korea and the United States on Wednesday agreed to continue coordination to cope with North Korean activities in the cyber realm, the foreign ministry said.

Lee Tae-woo, the director-general for North Korean nuclear affairs, met his US counterpart, Jung Pak, along with around 60 diplomatic, security and intelligence officials from both countries, the ministry said.

During the meeting, which marked the second of its kind since August, the two countries shared updates on the situation in which North Korean information technology experts dispatched overseas earn foreign currency, with the funds being used for the reclusive regime's nuclear and missile projects.

South Korea and the US also exchanged specific cases and methods of North Korea's illegal activities online, including extortion of cryptocurrencies, and shared ideas on ways to effectively cope with the situation.

The two countries exchanged opinions on how to deal with facilitators who support North Korea's money laundering as well, the ministry said.

South Korea and the US agreed to continue related discussions by holding another meeting at an "appropriate time," it added. (Yonhap)



14. In the Koreas, why the denials about artillery for the Russo-Ukrainian war?



Excerpts:


Thus, the denial of any such plan comes not from Washington but from Seoul. A South Korean defense spokesman has confirmed the South, a major arms exporter to a wide range of countries, is in “ongoing consultation between U.S. and ROK companies” about sales but insists they’re just “to supplement the lack of 155mm artillery ammunition in the U.S.,” not for the Americans to re-export to Ukraine.
The South Koreans, of course, can cover themselves by claiming what the Americans choose to do with the shells is up to them, and the Americans didn’t say why they needed them so badly.
So far, the Americans have not let their South Korean ally off the hook with a statement that the shells would be exclusively for American, not Ukrainian, forces. If the Pentagon were to ship the same type of shells to Ukraine, how would the South Koreans know where they were made?
A critical issue is whether the shells would go to Ukraine via the U.S. or be shipped directly from South Korea to Ukraine. The interplay of confirmation and denial suggests the South Koreans would have to ship them to the U.S., whence they would be on their way to Ukraine.
The need to transit the U.S. would be quite an inconvenience, however, so why not secretly ship them directly to Ukraine, or maybe to a west European port for transit to Ukraine? Just to make the cover story complete, would it be necessary to transfer them from Korean to American or European cargo containers? Actually, to avoid that nuisance, they might go into American containers at Korean ports, probably Busan, for loading onto South Korean ships.


The denial shows South Korean sensitivities about being considered a participant in a war that’s far removed, geographically if not politically and diplomatically, from its own direct concerns. Seoul, which had been slow to express its support for Ukraine against the Russians, would like to remain on decent terms with Moscow in order to counter Russian support for North Korea and maintain the South’s dealings with Russia, to which it exports manufactured products while importing natural gas.
To the South, any intimation that it’s playing an active role in the war against the Russians is obviously deeply embarrassing. 



In the Koreas, why the denials about artillery for the Russo-Ukrainian war?

BY DONALD KIRK, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR - 11/15/22 7:30 AM ET


https://thehill.com/opinion/international/3735095-in-the-koreas-why-the-denials-about-artillery-for-the-russo-ukrainian-war/




They both may be lying, but North and South Korea agree on one point when it comes to the war in Ukraine: Neither wants to be revealed publicly as exporting artillery shells for either side — the North Koreans to the Russians, and the South Koreans to the Ukrainians via their American ally.

At stake is the whole question of their involvement in a war that means nothing to either of them but is all-important to their vital friends and allies. The United States is bound in a longstanding treaty alliance with South Korea, and Russia is completely on North Korea’s side as an old-time Korean War ally. Russia has blocked United Nations Security Council resolutions condemning North Korea for recent missile tests, in return for which North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has loudly supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Actually going a critical step further and arming either side is quite another matter.

South Korea’s defense ministry says its “policy stance” remains “unchanged” — that the “ROK [Republic of Korea] will not provide lethal weapons to Ukraine.” The South issued that denial after the Wall Street Journal reported a scheme under which South Korea would ship artillery shells to the Americans, who would then pass them on to their Ukrainian friends. 

North Korea is equally emphatic in its denial of a Pentagon report that the North was providing artillery shells much needed for Russian forces, reportedly in short supply. “We once again make clear that we have never had ‘arms dealings’ with Russia and that we have no plan to do so in the future,” said the North’s defense ministry in a report carried in English by Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency. 

The ministry denounced the American claim, first made by National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, as another “hostile attempt to tarnish the image of the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] in the international arena by invoking the illegal ‘sanctions resolution’ of the U.N. Security Council.” 

Russia was, if anything, more emphatic. The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, slammed the claim as “fake news” in an all-encompassing denial: “Everything said by American representatives is a lie from the beginning to the end.” 

The responses from both Koreas suggest that neither wants to be identified directly in a proxy conflict, despite their support of their alliance partners. North Korea’s Kim has backed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and South Korea, not so enthusiastically, has sided with its American ally’s anxiety to defend Ukraine. 

North Korean denials, of course, are never to be taken at face value. North Korea has had plenty of practice test-firing its artillery shells for accuracy, range and explosive capacity in war games that Kim ordered in defiance of exercises by American and South Korean forces. He also has ordered multiple missile tests and is believed to be considering a seventh nuclear test — his first since 2017. 

There’s no doubt, moreover, that the North — mired in poverty and hunger while investing in nukes and missiles — is desperate for funds, some of which it gets by counterfeiting American $100 bills, selling narcotics and, over the years, exporting arms, including cruise missiles, to Iran and Syria. Considering that record, the North might be expected to welcome any opportunity for shipping shells and other war materiel to Russia.

Against this background, the Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, is sticking to the original claim, saying simply, “The information we have is that the DPRK is covertly supplying Russia with a significant number of artillery shells.” 

Regarding South Korean arms sales to Ukraine via the Pentagon, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korea’s defense minister, Lee Jong-sup, reportedly have “agreed in principle” to the deal. U.S. defense officials have acknowledged the Koreans are providing maybe 100,000 shells for Ukrainian forces. 

Thus, the denial of any such plan comes not from Washington but from Seoul. A South Korean defense spokesman has confirmed the South, a major arms exporter to a wide range of countries, is in “ongoing consultation between U.S. and ROK companies” about sales but insists they’re just “to supplement the lack of 155mm artillery ammunition in the U.S.,” not for the Americans to re-export to Ukraine.

The South Koreans, of course, can cover themselves by claiming what the Americans choose to do with the shells is up to them, and the Americans didn’t say why they needed them so badly.

So far, the Americans have not let their South Korean ally off the hook with a statement that the shells would be exclusively for American, not Ukrainian, forces. If the Pentagon were to ship the same type of shells to Ukraine, how would the South Koreans know where they were made?

A critical issue is whether the shells would go to Ukraine via the U.S. or be shipped directly from South Korea to Ukraine. The interplay of confirmation and denial suggests the South Koreans would have to ship them to the U.S., whence they would be on their way to Ukraine.

The need to transit the U.S. would be quite an inconvenience, however, so why not secretly ship them directly to Ukraine, or maybe to a west European port for transit to Ukraine? Just to make the cover story complete, would it be necessary to transfer them from Korean to American or European cargo containers? Actually, to avoid that nuisance, they might go into American containers at Korean ports, probably Busan, for loading onto South Korean ships.


The denial shows South Korean sensitivities about being considered a participant in a war that’s far removed, geographically if not politically and diplomatically, from its own direct concerns. Seoul, which had been slow to express its support for Ukraine against the Russians, would like to remain on decent terms with Moscow in order to counter Russian support for North Korea and maintain the South’s dealings with Russia, to which it exports manufactured products while importing natural gas.

To the South, any intimation that it’s playing an active role in the war against the Russians is obviously deeply embarrassing. 


Donald Kirk has been a journalist for more than 60 years, focusing much of his career on conflict in Asia and the Middle East, including as a correspondent for the Washington Star and Chicago Tribune. He currently is a freelance correspondent covering North and South Korea. He is the author of several books about Asian affairs.



15. Leaders quietly work to ramp up pressure on N. Korea at G-20


Leaders quietly work to ramp up pressure on N. Korea at G-20

AP · by FOSTER KLUG and KIM TONG-HYUNG · November 16, 2022

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — With all the big issues dominating this week’s meeting of leaders of the world’s biggest economies — war, famine, poverty, to name just a few — there’s been little public discussion of North Korea and its pursuit of nuclear-armed missiles.

That’s been the pattern for much of this year, despite North Korea testing dozens of missiles, including short-range weapons that are likely nuclear-capable and intercontinental ballistic missiles that could target the U.S. mainland.

The United States and its two top Asian allies, however, have been working quietly on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meetings in Bali, Indonesia, to raise the issue of North Korea’s growing aggressiveness and build a broader coalition of like-minded states to help maintain international pressure on the country.

North Korea has struggled to win attention from world leaders consumed with Russia’s war in Ukraine, plunging economies, an increasingly tense competition between the United States and China, climate change and tensions in the Middle East — and those issues have all taken up much of the bandwidth during the G-20.

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are trying to change that, urging action in their private talks with other leaders this week. Both held intensive discussions on North Korea in a three-way meeting with President Joe Biden ahead of the G-20.

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Worries over North Korea were also mentioned in high-profile talks between Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Bali, according to the U.S. president. And Yoon asked China to play a more active, constructive role in curbing the nuclear threat from North Korea when he met Xi on Tuesday.

South Korean officials say North Korea may in coming weeks detonate its first nuclear test device since 2017. It would be aimed at forcing the United States and others to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power, which could allow it to negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength.

The United States has also accused North Korea of supplying ammunition to replenish depleted Russian stockpiles in Ukraine. North Korea has denied those claims.

After Biden met with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, the leaders set the right tone about the strength of their partnership in the face of the North Korean weapons tests, said Sung-Yoon Lee, a North Korea expert at Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

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But, he said, it leaves the allies open for more North Korean provocations, with the North “prone to using rhetorical criticism or defensive military drills by its adversaries as a pretext for escalating.”

Kishida, the Japanese leader, discussed North Korea in his bilateral talks in Bali, including with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday, with whom he shared “serious concern over North Korea’s nuclear and missile problems” and agreed to closely cooperate, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.

The issue will also be crucial for South Korea’s leader as he looks to urge world leaders in Bali to boost international pressure on North Korea.

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Yoon’s diplomacy comes as a divide in the U.N. Security Council deepens over the war in Ukraine; that, in turn, complicates international efforts to sanction and pressure North Korea over its nuclear ambitions.

North Korea has used the distraction created by the war to ramp up its weapons launches. Russia and China, both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, have rejected a U.S.-led proposal to strengthen sanctions on North Korea over its recent missile testing activity.

North Korea’s next nuclear test, which would be its seventh overall since 2006, could be the first one that the Security Council fails to meet with meaningful punitive measures.

The G-20 meeting is an opportunity for Yoon to communicate to world leaders that North Korea’s fast-growing nuclear threat extends well beyond the Korean Peninsula, said Bong Young-shik, an analyst at Seoul’s Yonsei University. That message has become clear to Japan, which saw an intermediate-range missile fly over its territory in September in one of North Korea’s most provocative tests in years.

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South Korea is trying to take on a more assertive role in international affairs, and Yoon vowed to embrace many of Biden’s Asia policies during his presidential campaign.

That, however, could complicate South Korea’s relations with China, its biggest trading partner, as tensions intensify between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan, human rights and industrial supply chains.

In the meantime, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, never shy about using his weapons to display grievances on the world stage — and to agitate his rivals — may resume weapons tests in coming weeks.

“I would think Kim Jong Un has been sharpening his knife for this very moment and would gleefully exploit both Yoon’s and Kishida’s absence from home by, at the very least, firing more missiles into (South Korean) waters,” said Lee, the Tufts professor.

“Kim Jong Un may be thinking, ‘Never let an opportunity to create a domestic crisis for my foes go to waste,’” Lee said.

___

Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

AP · by FOSTER KLUG and KIM TONG-HYUNG · November 16, 2022




16. South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy pivots toward US



​We received an overview briefing last week but we were told that the strategy is still in development. They have the broad concepts​ but there is still work to be done.


South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy pivots toward US – DW – 11/16/2022

Julian Ryall

11/16/2022November 16, 2022

Seoul has long walked a tightrope between China, its most important trading partner, and the US, its closest security ally.

DW · by Latest videosLatest audio

After South Korea's long adherence to a policy of "strategic ambiguity" in balancing relations between China and the United States, President Yoon Suk-yeol has made it clear that he believes following Washington's lead on the challenges facing the region is in Seoul's best interest.

During the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Cambodia last weekend, Yoon introduced South Korea's "Indo-Pacific" strategy, which is committed to "principles of freedom, peace and prosperity built on a rules-based order" for the region.

Yoon's strategy echoes that of the US and Japan, which have long warned of the growing threat posed by an increasingly aggressive and expansionist China.

Unveiling Seoul's forward-looking strategy for the region, Yoon emphasized that it is important to ensure the existing state of affairs is not changed "by force."

Over the past decade, China has seized control of dozens of atolls and reefs in the South China Sea and turned them into military bases. There is also deep concern that Beijing may in the future use force to take control of Taiwan.

In a speech in Phnom Penh on Sunday, Yoon used singled out Russia and Myanmar for thinly veiled criticism and said that "changing the status quo by force" needs to be unacceptable.

New security alliance for Indo-Pacific region

South Korea calls out China

He also called out China, albeit obliquely, by saying that the South China Sea should be a sea of "peace and prosperity" and an area in which the freedom of navigation should be guaranteed. He also cautioned against actions that could worsen existing tensions in the region.

"Yoon has moved quite clearly away from the policies of his predecessor in this area and the terminology that he is using is strikingly close to that of the US, although we will have to wait and see what that means in a practical sense," said Dan Pinkston, a professor of international relations at the Seoul campus of Troy University.

"It is definitely a movement taking South Korea towards greater bilateral, trilateral and multilateral security cooperation in the region, with the US, Japan, Australia and other allied nations."

And that is a position that will inevitably "anger" Beijing, he told DW.

However, this does not mean that Yoon will take a more confrontational position towards China, which is South Korea's most important trading partner.

"It is difficult for South Korea as it has been walking this tightrope between its biggest trading partner and the nation that provided support during the Korean War and has been its most important security partner ever since."

"But even if this new strategy is more symbolic than substantial, China is likely to react with anger."

How could China respond?

South Korea has in the past has experienced friction with Beijing after moving closer to the US strategically.

In 2016, South Korea and the US announced that they would deploy a battery of the US Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in the South, to counter the threat posed by North Korean ballistic missiles.

Despite protestations from Seoul that the system was purely designed to intercept threats from the North, Beijing instructed travel agencies to halt all tourist trips to South Korea and Korean musicians were no longer permitted to perform in China.

Should Beijing respond to Yoon aligning his policies more closely with those of the US in the same way, Pinkston warned that Seoul's allies will need to provide more support than they did during the THAAD crisis.

"At the time, there was a feeling in Seoul that the US and other countries were effectively abandoning South Korea and not providing the support it needed to stand up to China," he said.

"If push comes to shove again and China does play hardball, then I would expect to see a reinforcement and acceleration of multilateral security cooperation," he added.

China did not appreciate South Korea hosting a US missile defense system in 2016Image: Choo Sang-chul/Newsis via AP/picture alliance

Kim Sang-woo, a former politician with the left-leaning Congress for New Politics and now a member of the board of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation, said he believes Yoon is leading South Korea along the correct track.

"South Korea has been seen as the weak link in the trilateral security arrangement and Yoon cannot back down as he would be criticized at home and in the alliance with the US and Japan," he told DW.

"There is a divide in South Korea and around half of the population supports Yoon, while the other half are behind the opposition and are in favor of closer ties with China and for connecting with North Korea, but I lean towards Yoon's position," he said.

Kim said that although South Korea relies heavily on China for economic growth, finding alternative markets is important as China's economy encounters problems moving forward.

The nation's economic security is interwoven with its military security, he added, with technology and innovation the keys to future prosperity.

"Technology is critical, the US is the leader and that is why we need to keep good relations with the US," he said.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn


DW · by Latest videosLatest audio



17.  Allies' talk seen as worsening DPRK strains


The CCP propaganda view.


Allies' talk seen as worsening DPRK strains

chinadaily.com.cn · by 孙汝

A US Navy F/A-18 jet sits on the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan as it is anchored at a port in Busan, ROK, Sept 23, 2022. [Photo/Agencies]

Greater reliance on deterrence, drills not answer for peninsula, experts say

Talk of "strengthened deterrence" by the United States and its allies, Japan and the Republic of Korea, against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea may increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula, experts say.

With the apparent belief that denuclearization of the DPRK is not possible, the US, the ROK and Japan are doubling down on greater deterrence and military exercises to promote war-fighting readiness, if deterrence were to fail, said Mason Richey, associate professor of international politics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.

US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol agreed to work together to strengthen deterrence against the DPRK, according to a joint statement issued after a trilateral meeting on Sunday in Phnom Penh on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit.

Biden "reiterated that the US commitment to defend Japan and the ROK is ironclad and backed by the full range of capabilities, including nuclear", the statement said.

"Japan, the ROK, and the United States will coordinate sanctions and work together to close gaps in the international sanctions regime to ensure all relevant sanctions are fully enforced", the statement said.

The joint statement showed stronger coordination and cohesion between the three allies, said Hoo Chiew Ping, senior lecturer in strategic studies and international relations at the National University of Malaysia. However, "The fact that the US, Japan and the ROK are going to strengthen nuclear deterrence …will not help convince the DPRK to denuclearize first," said Hoo.

In terms of coordinated deterrence, Hoo said she expects enhanced missile defense systems among the three countries, among others.

Accusing the DPRK of carrying out ballistic missile launches this year, the three leaders also said they intended to share DPRK missile warning data in real-time.

Provocative words

Bong Young-shik, a research fellow at Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, said the joint statement will "definitely" irritate the DPRK, which was already seriously troubled by the resumed military exercises between the US and the ROK.

Bong said it might mean more pressure on the DPRK if the US intends to pay more attention to the security environment on the Korean Peninsula.

But Bong said both the ROK and Japan are interested only in maintaining nuclear deterrence, not a nuclear attack. "It's a clear difference," he said.

"The joint statement, of course, is a message of deterrence to Pyongyang, but also a message for Beijing," said Richey, as the allies want Beijing to help in "reining in Pyongyang".

The US, Japan and the ROK already warned on Oct 26 that if the DPRK resumes nuclear bomb tests, then that would warrant an "unparalleled" response.

In response to questions related to the warning, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news conference late last month that China hopes the parties concerned will face squarely the root cause and timeline of events of the protracted impasse on the Korean Peninsula and do more to enhance mutual trust and address parties' concerns in a balanced way.

chinadaily.com.cn · by 孙汝



18. N. Korea unveils new stamp marking recent IRBM launch over Japan



For all the philatelists out there. I am sure this stamp will be at the top of your wish list. (note sarcasm)


N. Korea unveils new stamp marking recent IRBM launch over Japan | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · November 16, 2022

SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Wednesday revealed the designs for a new stamp commemorating last month's launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that flew over Japan for the first time in five years.

The stamp, published on the website of the North's Korea Stamp Corp., shows a photo of leader Kim Jong-un guiding military exercises of the Korean People's Army units for operation of tactical nukes from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9, along with images of the IRBM.

The stamp also featured a phrase saying the North's "new-type ground-to-ground IRBM hit the target waters in the Pacific 4,500 kilometers away across the Japan on Oct. 4 in accordance with the decision made by the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea."

Last month, Pyongyang fired an IRBM, presumed to be a Hwasong 12, over Japan amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and growing concerns it could conduct a nuclear test.

The North also released a set of stamps the same day marking the completion of Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm in Hamju County, South Hamgyong Province, last month.

The stamps will be issued on Nov. 25, according to the website.


julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · November 16, 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


V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Personal Email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
Web Site: www.fdd.org
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Subscribe to FDD’s new podcastForeign Podicy
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

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

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

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