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Quotes of the Day:
“Any man can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in his error.”
- Cicero
“We have fought this war and won it. Now let us not be sanctimonious; nor hypocritical; nor vengeful; nor stupid.
Let us make our enemies incapable of ever making war again, let us re-educate them, let us learn to live in peace and justice
with all countries and all peoples in this world. To do this we must educate and re-educate. But first we must educate ourselves.”
-Ernest Heimingway
“The wise man doesn’t give the right answers, he poses the right questions.”
- Claude Levi-Strauss
1. Parade Training in Full Swing (north Korea)
2. US needs Korea's chip prowess to contain rising China
3. 'I went through hell to escape here. I pinch myself at how blessed Britain is'
4. 55 years after sending a hit squad on a deadly raid in Seoul, North Korea has found new ways to threaten South Korea
5. INTERVIEW: ‘The loneliest time is New Year’s Day and other major holidays’ (Korea)
6. N. Korean man arrested after complaining about “volunteering” under duress
7. Yanggang Province cracks down on professors demanding money and gifts from students
8. Kim Jong Un hands down gifts to people involved in speedy production of weapons and agricultural equipment
9. North Korean drone incursion rattles nerves in Seoul over air defences
10. Is South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy Enough To Gain Leverage In The Region? – Analysis
11. S. Korean Marines conduct cold-weather drills to sharpen combat readiness
12. NATO chief to visit S. Korea next week
1. Parade Training in Full Swing (north Korea)
"I love a parade" (again, said no nKPA soldier ever)
Parade Training in Full Swing
https://www.38north.org/2023/01/parade-training-in-full-swing/
Commercial satellite imagery from January 21 reveals extensive parade preparations are underway, as a few state holidays draw near. This includes drills and rehearsals both in Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang and at the Mirim Parade Training Ground.
Kim Il Sung Square
At the square, hundreds of marchers are observed practicing formations on the plaza nearest the grandstands located to the west. A separate formation of personnel is marching down the parade route, practicing a pass by the VIP viewing stand.
At the four corners of the plaza, four canvas partitions have been erected, and two additional partitions have been placed on the opposite side of the parade route, one on either side of the viewing stand area. These are temporary structures, probably erected to provide a degree of privacy to parade planners or host other activities as the practice for the forthcoming event.
Figure 1. Formations being practiced in Kim Il Sung Square.
Satellite image © 2023 Maxar Technologies. All rights reserved. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
Mirim Parade Grounds
Parade training continues at the Mirim Parade Training Grounds, a facility purposely constructed for military personnel to practice routines ahead of major parades. The grounds provide a replica of the Kim Il Sung Square, including Kim Jong Un’s viewing stand. Other features include the April 25th Hotel, used to house senior personnel during the training period—which can last weeks to months—as well as a secure vehicle storage facility, designed to house specialized heavy military equipment. Built in 2020, this storage facility helps conceal what kinds and how much heavy equipment will be featured in forthcoming parades. Last year, two additional hotels were erected in the northeast corner of the training ground. It is unclear whether they are operational, since approximately 30 large tents, presumably to house troops, have been erected in the inner courtyard of each hotel.
In the north-central part of the complex, there are two fields which serve as parking lots for troop trucks and buses used to transport the soldiers and personnel to the grounds. Currently, there are over 700 troop trucks present, meaning there are several thousand troops on site. These trucks first started arriving around December 6, 2022, and parade training had begun by December 9.
On imagery from January 21, 2023, thousands of troops have been organized into parade formations, although several groupings appear to be either dispersing or assembling, the former likely being the case.
Figure 2. Troops training in formation.
Satellite image © 2022 Maxar Technologies. All rights reserved. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
Figure 3. Closeup of formations.
Satellite image © 2022 Maxar Technologies. All rights reserved. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
On the practice routes around the complex, a mix of vehicle and personnel formations can be seen moving about. This includes a mounted cavalry unit—the horses distinguishable by their shadows on the ground.
Figure 4. Closeup of mounted calvary unit.
Satellite image © 2023 Maxar Technologies. All rights reserved. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
While no specialized vehicles are observed in the secure vehicle storage area, vehicle tire tracks abound, and a probable mobile crane can be seen the southeast entrance. Nearby is a covered object measuring 27 meters by 6 meters. In addition, four containers are located on a grassy area in the northwest part of the secure area, and another six are located in the northeast corner. While their content is unknown, these crates vary in length, some of which are large enough to house a cruise missile. At the northwest entrance, a curved, partially covered shelter, measuring approximately 21 meters in length has been added; its purpose is unclear.
Figure 5. Vehicle tracks and temporary structures observed at the heavy military equipment storage facility.
Satellite image © 2022 Maxar Technologies. All rights reserved. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
The activities seen at Kim Il Sung Square and at Mirim will likely continue up until the day of the official parade, which could be held on February 16, Kim Jong Il’s birthday or “Day of the Shining Star.”
2. US needs Korea's chip prowess to contain rising China
US needs Korea's chip prowess to contain rising China
The Korea Times · January 23, 2023
Experts urge US gov't to mend IRA to offer Korean firms more benefits
By Baek Byung-yeul
South Korea should deepen its security alliance with the United States by intensifying economic cooperation, as Washington seeks to expand its economic supremacy over China by heightening investments in its manufacturing industry, according to scholars and analysts from Korea and the U.S.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance since the two nations signed the Mutual Defense Treaty on Oct. 1, 1953.
Over the past seven decades, the U.S. has shielded South Korea from North Korea, which has helped the South achieve extraordinary growth in many sectors, ranging from heavy industries including carmaking, steel and shipbuilding to high-tech and emerging industries such as semiconductors and electric vehicle (EV) batteries, the experts said.
They added the remarkable growth of South Korea's industries is also of great help to the U.S. as it tries to stand stronger against China.
Over the past few years, Washington has launched countermeasures against Beijing such as imposing sanctions on Chinese tech firm Huawei, crafting the CHIPS and Science Act to encourage chip-making businesses to reshore their facilities and passing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to contain the Chinese-dominated EV battery industry.
However, the power struggle between the world's top two economies also inflicted unintended consequences on South Korean companies that have a high proportion of semiconductor and battery businesses in China.
Kim Dae-jong, a professor of business administration at Sejong University, said the South Korean government and companies should try to deepen cooperation with the U.S. and reduce their high dependence on China. "Ensuring national security is a value that should be considered a top priority in running a country," he said.
"Our economy is heavily dependent on international trade and the Chinese market, including Hong Kong, account for nearly 30 percent of the nation's total trade in 2022. Given that China accounts for around 13 percent of the world economy, this can be interpreted that we are overly dependent on China at two or three times the average."
He added, "Whether you agree or not, the U.S. has contributed the largest part of South Korea's economic development. South Korea's defense budget amounts to around 2 percent of GDP while North Korea spends about 26 percent of its GDP as of 2022. With the U.S. sharing a significant portion of our defense, we have been able to devote more resources to economic development instead of defense."
American experts also agreed that South Korea's importance is increasing in terms of containing China's rise, as South Korea has shown dominance in core businesses of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as memory chips.
South Korea's growing influence in high-tech industries suggests that its U.S. relationship has evolved to the extent that Seoul is now one of its critical partners in terms of maintaining its economic supremacy over China.
The U.S. especially recognized the importance of having manufacturing capability within its territory ― or at least within the ranks of its trusted allies ― after experiencing the COVID-19-led global supply disruptions that hampered its pivotal industries such as the automotive sector.
"Given the major global shifts underway in energy and tech supply chains, the U.S. and South Korea have many ways to cooperate on these issues," Chris Miller, an associate professor of International History at Tuffs University and author of the book "Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology," told The Korea Times. "Semiconductors are a major area of focus, with South Korean firms investing in the U.S. and American firms seeing South Korean companies as valuable suppliers that are less reliant on China-Taiwan risk. I expect more joint trade and investment in chip-related technology over the coming years."
Jim Handy, general director at Silicon Valley-based semiconductor market research company Objective Analysis, also said South Korea's tech industry, especially the chip business, has played and will continue to play a pivotal role in Washington's operations to contain Beijing.
"What is most important to the U.S. government is that South Korean semiconductor manufacturers must not be defeated by new Chinese competitors. South Korean manufacturers are in an incredibly powerful position, and the U.S. doesn't want for that power to move to China, especially since there are several important differences of opinion between the U.S. and China on intellectual property, government's role in industry, China's relationship with Taiwan and other broader issues like the South China Sea and human rights," Handy said.
From left, Sejong University professor of business administration Kim Dae-jong, Objective Analysis General Director Jim Handy, American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Derek Scissors, Tuffs University associate professor of international history Chris Miller and Brookings senior fellow Sarah Kreps.
IRA needs to be amended in favor of Korean companies
In order to contain China's growing influence on the global economy, the U.S. has actively been urging global firms to invest more on its soil.
Among Korean companies, Samsung Electronics is executing its long-term plan to build 11 chip-making factories by investing around 250 trillion won ($203 billion) in Texas over the next 20 years.
Hyundai Motor Group also broke ground for its EV plant in Georgia last October. Investing $5.54 billion, the automotive giant will produce EVs for American consumers and hire American workers as part of its efforts to meet U.S. President Joe Biden's plan to revitalize American manufacturing. Three South Korean EV battery makers ― LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On ― are also operating battery manufacturing plants or planning to add new ones to meet the fast-growing popularity of EVs in the U.S.
While South Korean companies are increasing their investment in the U.S., experts said the IRA was promoted too hastily and caused negative effects for Korean car and battery makers.
The new law offer a government tax incentive of up to $7,500 to new EV buyers, but only for cars assembled in North America. The law severely affects Hyundai as its EVs are currently manufactured in South Korea. The IRA also requires EVs qualifying for the tax credit to use critical battery materials sourced from the U.S. or countries that have free trade agreements with the U.S., and for the battery components to be manufactured or assembled in North America.
They added the law needs to be amended promptly so that Korean companies that are trying to meet the Biden administration's demands can have more time to minimize the impact.
"In terms of energy and batteries, the U.S. Congress made a mistake in the way the IRA was written, but the Biden administration is looking to change the IRA implementation so that it doesn't unfairly exclude companies from South Korea, Europe and other countries. I expect substantial increases in cooperation in the energy and battery sphere over the coming years," Miller said.
Getty Images
On the other hand, allies like South Korea should be assured that they are sharing the same goal with the U.S., which is reducing China's influence over global trade.
"At the most general level, the U.S. should make clear that its goal is not to cut off friends such as the ROK. However, the U.S. does have a goal of reducing dependence on China and expects friends to accept that goal. Right now, important aspects of the green energy industry are dominated by China and actions must be taken to correct that. The U.S. should make changes in the Inflation Reduction Act to avoid harming South Korean companies, as long as they don't also help China maintain its position," Derek Scissors, senior fellow at American Enterprise Institute, told The Korea Times.
Sarah Kreps, senior fellow of Brookings Institution and director of the Cornell Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University, also told the newspaper, "The United States has unfortunately taken some measures that seem to signal a strategy of 'America first,' sometimes in ways that have a second-order effect of undermining the allies that the U.S. needs to stand stronger against China."
She pointed out that the Chips Plus Act provides billions of dollars in subsidies to reshore semiconductor manufacturers, which have become more concentrated in places like Taiwan and South Korea in recent years. She also stressed that the by offering tax rebates only for electric vehicles manufactured in North America, the IRA excludes those made in Europe, Japan and South Korea.
"Both of these are essentially backdoor forms of protectionism," she said. "It turned out that manufacturing chips or EVs in the U.S. was not terribly cost-effective. Policies that incentivize bringing those industries back to American shores will have the effect of increasing prices at a time when we're already facing higher levels of inflation. Those policies also ignore the importance of having strong allies whether in terms of trade or confronting hostile countries in the region."
The Korea Times · January 23, 2023
3. 'I went through hell to escape here. I pinch myself at how blessed Britain is'
When we read stories from escapees we should remember how blessed we are to live in freedom. And we should think about those Koreans inthe north who are still suffering.
'I went through hell to escape here. I pinch myself at how blessed Britain is'
Timothy Cho, 34, fled from North Korea as a teenager and made a new life for himself in Denton
Manchester Evening News · by Damon Wilkinson · January 22, 2023
Sat sipping a coffee in a Morrisons cafe in Denton, Timothy Cho smiles as he lists the things he loves about his adopted home. Fish and chips, football, history, a full English breakfast, a pint in Wetherspoons, he says reeling them off one by one.
But there's one thing about the UK he values above all else, freedom. Timothy, was just 17 when he fled the world's most oppressive regime, risking his life to cross the border from North Korea into China.
With a high school history teacher for a father and a maths teacher for a mother, Timothy, 34, had a relatively comfortable upbringing. The family lived in a third storey apartment in a small coal-mining town in North Hymgyong, the northernmost province of the notorious 'Hermit Kingdom'.
But from a young age Timothy says he was aware of the regime's cruelty. At primary school he remembers his class visiting a friend who had been taken ill.
When they arrived at his house Timothy says they discovered the family had been poisoned by the grass they'd been eating to ward off starvation. It was a hardship Timothy would himself soon face.
When he was just nine-years-old his parents fled the country, abandoning their son. He went to live with his grandmother, but with a famine that would go on to kill up to 3.5m people sweeping through the country, Timothy says there wasn't enough food to go round.
A rally at May Day stadium in the North Korean capital Pyongyang earlier this month (Image: AP)
He became one of the thousands of homeless children in North Korea. And, as the son of defectors, he was also branded a member of the 'hostile class', due to North Korea's system of 'kin punishment', where the family members share responsibility for a relative's crime.
It meant he faced widespread persecution and was prevented from going to school. . Sleeping in train stations, he would spend his days begging or stealing food, selling whatever he could get his hands on to restaurants in exchange for leftovers.
"It was a hard time. Many times I woke up and the child next to me had died in the night," said Timothy. Every male in North Korea must do ten years national service.
Joining the army became Timothy's last hope of leading what he describes as a 'normal' life. But when, aged 17, he went to the military office, he was turned away because his father had 'betrayed' the country.
Timothy meeting Korean War veteran Stanley Brand (Image: Timothy Cho)
There and then Timothy's mind was made up. He decided to flee the country. Under the cover of darkness he joined a group of other defectors and waded across the river into China.
They made their way to a small market town near the border. It was Timothy's first taste of freedom. And, even in communist China, the contrast with his own upbringing shocked him.
"I had been living in a cage. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I thought 'Why didn't I escape earlier?'
"I saw people wearing nice clothes, eating nice food. I felt like I was going to fall on the floor."
Sadly that freedom didn't last long. Timothy joined up with a group of around 17 other North Koreans who planned to cross into Mongolia, where they hoped to claim asylum.
Timothy stood as a Conservative candidate for the 2021 Tameside council election
People traffickers transported to them to what they claimed was the border. In fact they were miles away and in the confusion they were picked up by Chinese soldiers and imprisoned.
Timothy was placed in a detention camp, sharing a cell with 50 other inmates. Conditions were so cramped the prisoners slept sitting up, leaning on each other's backs.
One morning Timothy woke up to find the man he was sleeping on had died in the night. Guards dragged him out of the cell like a 'dead animal'.
On his return to North Korea Timothy was placed in a detention camp and was subjected to a brutal regime of torture for which he still bears the scars. The memories of this time continue to haunt him. "When I first came to the UK I didn't want to talk about anything that happened in North Korea," he said.
"I completely wanted to forget about it. That trauma and flashbacks and nightmares keep coming back to me, almost on a daily basis.
"I would often wake up about 3am or 4am. I didn't realise where I was, so I would go outside the flat and see the street signs written in English and I was able to go back to sleep."
Timothy meeting Prince Charles in December 2021 (Image: Timothy Cho)
After three weeks the badly injured teenager was placed in the care of his grandmother, but was told the police would return for him when he recovered.
He felt he had no choice but to flee once more. Again he crossed the river, this time making it as far as Shanghai, where alongside eight other North Koreans he attempted to seek refuge in an American international school.
They were turned over to the Chinese authorities, and once again Timothy was imprisoned. But, having sought help from the Americans, North Korea's sworn enemies, this time he knew he faced execution on his return.
But, in a remarkable twist of fate, a student at the school emailed a newspaper about the incident. The story was picked up by international media, including CNN. Human rights groups and religious organisations took up the cause and began protesting outside Chinese embassies.
Under the glare of publicity the Chinese authorities backed down and decided to deport the defectors to the Philippines. There Timothy says he was given a choice which country he wished to seek asylum in.
The vast majority of defectors settle in South Korea, but Timothy says he felt like that was too close to home to allow him to escape the trauma he endured. Instead he chose the UK, arriving here in 2008.
Timothy volunteers at a food bank at St Mary's Church in Haughton Green every Friday night (Image: Timothy Cho)
The exact number of North Koreans in the UK is hard to ascertain. Estimates range from around 400 to 800, the large majority of whom live in the Korean community of New Malden in London.
But when Timothy arrived he was given accommodation in Bolton in a flat close to the town centre. It was a bit of a culture shock, to say the least.
Unable to speak English, Timothy, having found Christianity while in prison in China, joined a local church where he began volunteering at the soup kitchen.
"When I would serve a cup of coffee I would ask for a new English word in exchange," he said. "I learnt hundreds of words that way."
He worked in a restaurant, delivered takeaway leaflets and bolstered his English by reading the sports pages of the M.E.N. Soon he enrolled at college, where he studied for a English GCSE.
Eventually he earned a place at Salford university, where he initially studied for a degree in dentistry, before switching courses to study politics. Now a British citizen living in Denton in Tameside, Timothy is a married father-of-one, with a second child on the way any day now.
Timothy at the UN Geneva Summit on human rights in April 2022
He works with the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea and, as a freelance speaker, gives talks on human rights across Europe. In his spare time he reads history, watches football and volunteers at the food bank at St Mary's church in Haughton Green every Friday night.
It's a life he could barely have comprehended as a young boy growing up in North Hymgyong.
"It makes me feel sometimes really unreal," he says. "I have to pinch myself often to make sure I am not dreaming of the life I have today.
"It's not because I have a lot of money, I am a working man, a husband a father, it is because this a life I was not born to, or what I could even think of. That makes me feel really excited."
Timothy also stood as a Conservative party candidate in last year's local elections, just missing out on becoming the first North Korean to be elected in the UK. He says his interest in politics stems from bitter experience of being denied the democratic freedoms we take for granted.
"What is democracy?," he said. "In North Korea people cannot make a choice, cannot express themselves freely or even think freely really. At the election you have to put a ballot paper in the box, there is no ballot paper, no candidates and there is someone watching over you.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea (Image: Lee Jin-man/AP/REX/Shutterstock)
"I believe in the UK we still have a true democratic system. What it means on a daily basis, is that a citizen has the freedom of choice to express themselves, freedom of belief.
"But freedom comes with responsibility. It's a responsibility to make choices."
And while Timothy says the UK and the world may be going through 'dark times' at the moment, he believes that freedom means we have 'resilience' to come through it.
"I believe this small island is a blessed island," he said. "I still see when I go to the food bank the compassionate heart, how people are willing to give the time for others. It's not a country's weapons that make it strong, it's people's hearts.
"That heart is the strong foundation of this country."
And, despite the horror he has witnessed, Timothy says he remains hopeful for a better future.
"I am an optimistic person," he said." Because of what I have gone through, the most darkest life, from that darkness to what I have today, I am now a father, a husband, I have a house, a job, I have a life of expectations, something that I couldn't have before.
"Determination, hard work - that's how we have arrived here today. But that story must continue on.
"We must have a better system, we must have better society, for the future, for our children. It means we can't sit here doing nothing, we must work towards that. That is part of my optimism.
"When you look at the situation in Korea it doesn't seem like there is any hope at the moment, but when hope is not lost it means the story is still here. Someone, either myself or the other escapees around the world, we have to continue to illuminate the situation there."
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Manchester Evening News · by Damon Wilkinson · January 22, 2023
4. 55 years after sending a hit squad on a deadly raid in Seoul, North Korea has found new ways to threaten South Korea
While the operational concepts and tactics, techniques, and procedures evolve, the nature, strategy, and objectives of the Kim family regime remain fixed.
55 years after sending a hit squad on a deadly raid in Seoul, North Korea has found new ways to threaten South Korea
Business Insider · by Benjamin Brimelow
A South Korean soldier stands guard on the border with North Korea in February 1968.
Bettmann/Getty Images
- In January 1968, North Korean commandos slipped across the border into South Korea.
- They were headed to Seoul on a secret and daring mission to kill South Korea's president.
- A half-century later, Pyongyang is finding new ways to threaten South Korea's leaders.
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Just before midnight on January 17, 1968, 31 North Korean special forces soldiers cut through a wire fence along the demilitarized zone and infiltrated South Korea without detection.
The commandos, part of a specially trained force called Unit 124, had one objective: kill South Korean President Park Chung-hee.
Their plan was to covertly make their way to the presidential residence, a 62-acre compound known as the Blue House in Seoul's Jongno district.
Once there, they would bypass the outer checkpoints and then conduct an all-out assault on the main building. A little more than 300 yards from their target, however, everything fell apart.
At a boiling point
US troops patrol along a 15-mile fence, built to prevent North Korean infiltrations, at the DMZ in January 1968.
Bettmann/Getty Images
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula were approaching a boiling point by January 1968. While the US and South Korean militaries were increasingly focused on the Vietnam War, North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung seemed dead-set on reminding the world that the Korean War had not officially ended.
Violent incidents along the DMZ increased from 42 in 1966 to 360 in 1967 — including at least 100 firefights that killed 63 US and South Korean servicemen and wounded 190 more. (That year, the US military classified Korea as a hostile fire zone, making US troops there eligible for combat medals.)
Infiltrations into South Korea, both across the DMZ and by sea, by North Korean agents and commandos were also increasing. Their primary objective seemed to be setting up guerrilla camps in South Korea's remote highlands.
The infiltrations were largely unsuccessful. Up to 15,000 South Korean police and military personnel were involved in detecting and hunting down the infiltration teams.
Members of a South Korean Army anti-infiltration force train near the border in March 1968.
Bettmann/Getty Images
By fall 1967, South Korean security forces reported killing 130 infiltrators and capturing 43 more, taking more than 130 casualties of their own in the process.
Around that time, the commandos of Unit 124 — elite troops who had been handpicked by the North Korean military's top brass — were finishing their training in North Korea.
They were trained in infiltration, navigation, hand-to-hand combat, and guerrilla warfare. Their preparations were grueling and dangerous.
They were sent on runs for dozens of miles while carrying as much as 60 pounds of gear in freezing temperatures at high altitudes. Some candidates lost toes or whole feet to frostbite. One member of the unit has said they were trained to dig into graves and hide among the bodies for concealment and that their training was so intense they sometimes shot and stabbed each other.
In the lead-up to the mission, members of Unit 124 practiced assaulting a full-size mock-up of the Blue Palace.
The raid
South Korea's Blue House in March 2017.
Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
Each of the 31 commandos carried a submachine gun, a pistol, 320 rounds of ammunition, 14 grenades, and a knife. They wore South Korean military uniforms and carried civilian clothes to blend in if they couldn't avoid crowds.
They traveled at night and slept during the day, covering as much as 7 miles every hour when on the move. Two days into their trek through the mountains, they were discovered by four brothers who were out cutting wood.
Unable to deceive the brothers, the commandos took them captive. They had orders to kill any witnesses, but digging graves in the frozen ground would have been almost impossible. Ultimately, the majority of the unit voted to let them go.
The brothers were given a lecture on the benefits of Communism, promised that their liberation was at hand, and forced to pledge not to inform the authorities.
A market in Seoul on January 29, 1968.
AP Photo/Kim Chon-Kil
Unfortunately for the commandos, the brothers immediately told the authorities and the entire country was put on alert. Thousands of South Korean soldiers and police mobilized to locate the infiltrators.
Despite the alarm and several more close calls, the commandos remained undetected and reached the Segeomjeong–Jahamun checkpoint, just over 300 yards from the Blue House, shortly before 10:00 p.m. on January 21.
Wearing their South Korean uniforms, they approached the checkpoint in a double-file line. They were stopped by three policemen who, aware that there were infiltrators in the area, were suspicious.
The police demanded to know what the men had under their coats, which would have revealed that they were carrying Soviet-made weapons unlike those used by the South Koreans or Americans. The commandos instead opened fire, starting a massive shootout.
South Korean police question a captured North Korean army officer in Seoul on January 22, 1968.
AP Photo
South Korean soldiers soon arrived in huge numbers along with a tank that the commandos had no weapons to take out. In the chaos, the commandos attacked a passing bus carrying civilians, believing they were arriving soldiers, killing multiple passengers.
Having taken casualties of their own and realizing that their mission was hopeless, the commanding officer ordered the commandos to disengage, scatter, and make for North Korea.
Seoul launched an all-out manhunt. By January 29, all but two of the commandos had been killed or had committed suicide. The South Koreans managed to capture one commando, Kim Shin-jo, while the other, Pak Jae Gyong, escaped to North Korea.
Legacy
The casket of US Army Sgt. Paul Martin, killed while trying to stop North Korean commandos attempting to recross the border, in Seoul on January 29, 1968.
AP Photo
During the raid and ensuing manhunt, 68 South Koreans and three American soldiers were killed.
After cooperating with South Korean authorities, Kim Shin-jo was released in 1970 and received South Korean citizenship, which led North Korean officials to execute his parents and siblings. He is still alive today. Pak Jae Gyong, meanwhile, became a four-star general in the North Korean military.
North Korea never acknowledged its involvement in the raid, insisting it was organized by South Koreans, but even North Korea's communist allies had no illusions about Pyongyang's role.
South Korea attempted to organize its own commando squad to kill Kim Il Sung, but the effort backfired and the commandos rose up against their handlers.
North Korean Army special operators train at a replica of the Blue House in December 2016.
KCNA via REUTERS
The raid was quickly overshadowed by North Korea's seizure of the US spy ship USS Pueblo on January 23, 1968. The ship is still on display in Pyongyang. At the end of January, American attention shifted to Vietnam, where North Vietnamese forces had launched the massive Tet Offensive, which would change American views of the war.
North Korea no longer sends death squads across the DMZ — though it has practiced raids on a replica of the Blue House — but it continues to menace South Korea's leaders.
In 2015, Pyongyang warned that it could turn South Korea into "a sea of fire" if Seoul did not stop activists from sending balloons carrying leaflets into the North.
In December, a North Korean drone flew into a no-fly zone around South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's office in Seoul. It was one of five North Korean drones that flew into South Korea, the first to do so in five years.
The drones spent five hours over the South before returning home — an incursion that comes amid a record number of North Korean missile tests meant to show off the growing reach of its expanding arsenal.
Business Insider · by Benjamin Brimelow
5. INTERVIEW: ‘The loneliest time is New Year’s Day and other major holidays’ (Korea)
The division of Korea and the separation of Korean families now is the responsibility of the Kim family regime.
INTERVIEW: ‘The loneliest time is New Year’s Day and other major holidays’
rfa.org
Three women who escaped North Korea to live in the South discuss feelings of sadness during the holidays.
By Soram Cheon for RFA Korean
2023.01.22
North Korean refugees and their family members bow to respect for their ancestors as they visit the Imjingak Pavilion near the border with North Korea, to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022.
As Lunar New Year approaches in South Korea, and people travel to spend the holiday with their extended families, the nation’s trains run over-capacity and entire highways slow to bumper-to-bumper traffic. Rural hamlets see a surge in population, and the capital of Seoul turns into a ghost town.
The annual pilgrimage to the hometown can be a difficult journey, but honoring ancestors with heaps of delicious food for the jesa ceremony, feasting on it afterwards with the whole family, and having three days off from work makes all the hassle worthwhile for most South Koreans.
But there are some in South Korea who cannot make their way back home no matter how much they miss their families. Over the years more than 33,000 people who fled poverty and oppression in North Korea have come to live in the South.
Though most would say they are glad to have left their oppressive homeland, many still long for home when the holiday season rolls around.
Radio Free Asia’s Korean Service interviewed Sohn Myeong-hee, Kim Dan-geum, and a third escapee identified by the pseudonym Park Ji-yeon. They discussed the differences in how the holiday is celebrated in North and South, their longing to be back with their families, and feelings of loneliness during one of the most important holidays in Korean culture.
RFA: North Korea did not officially observe Lunar New Year as a holiday until 1989, so how important is the holiday in the North?
Sohn: Previously, Jan. 1 was considered more important, but now the Lunar New Year is very appreciated. We don’t have to work for two or three days.
RFA: What do you feel is different between how you celebrated the Lunar New Year in the North, and what you see in the South?
Park: In North Korea, all the food is prepared on the day before to prepare for the jesa. Our mothers cook food until midnight or one o’clock in the morning the day before the holiday. So there is more of a holiday feeling in that kind of atmosphere. I think it is very different from South Korea.
National flag-hoisting ceremony is held at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Cha Song Ho)
RFA: So what is the typical North Korean Lunar New Year like?
Kim: We gather from the day before and watch the midnight bell ringing on TV to celebrate the New Year. … In North Korea, there are areas where electricity is reliably supplied and there are areas that are not. But electricity is provided to everyone for the New Year, and it is called the ‘holiday supply.’
RFA: Food in North Korea is in short supply, so if people are struggling to eat most of the time, what is the holiday food like?
Park: [On the holiday] we can usually eat things we wouldn't normally eat. I eat a lot of meat or seafood because I don’t get to eat them every day.
Sohn: We usually don’t get to eat seafood and meat. So, on holidays, we sell about 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of rice or corn to buy delicacies. We collect what we farmed for the year and eat it on New Year's Day. If you don't have rice on New Year's Day, you buy rice to eat. Some don't have to buy meat because they do livestock farming in rural areas, but they buy a lot of seafood. The most precious foods [where I was] in North Korea were pollack, mackerel, and flounder. We eat these during the holidays.
North Korean refugees and their family members bow to respect for their ancestors as they visit the Imjingak Pavilion near the border with North Korea, to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
RFA: Can you remember any specific Lunar New Year moments from the past that stick with you even now?
Kim: We always prepared for the holiday on the day before. I went to the marketplace and then my sisters and I would cook together. I have two sisters. We always got together to cook. We saw each other often throughout the year, but I really enjoyed the time we spent together and ate together on holidays. I think the time when we were making food is the most memorable.
RFA: After settling in South Korea, what feelings do you have when the Lunar New Year approaches?
Sohn: When we come here, we have no parents or siblings. The loneliest time is New Year’s Day or other major holidays. … I miss [my family]. Honestly, it doesn’t make sense to say I don’t miss them. I miss them, but I can’t put my hopes on them. Because I can’t go back to see them. I always miss them.
Park: “I sometimes imagine what my parents will be doing on New Year's Day and how they are doing these days. I know they are probably heading to grandma’s house after their meal. I can imagine their day because I was part of it, and I have the memories. At the time, I didn't realize it because I had been doing it every day, but there are times I miss it. When the Lunar New Year comes, I think about it a lot, wondering what food they will be eating on New Year's Day, and I worry if they have enough food to eat.
Kim: Every year during the Lunar New Year holiday, I feel the saddest, because my brothers, father, and mother in my hometown have all passed away. I think of my family the most during Chuseok [autumn harvest] and Lunar New Year holidays. They say that living in North Korea is difficult right now, so I wonder how people spend the holidays there. I think of my siblings a lot.
Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
rfa.org
6. N. Korean man arrested after complaining about “volunteering” under duress
Our euphemism is "volun-told." But the penalty for complaining is much harsher in the north.
N. Korean man arrested after complaining about “volunteering” under duress
The man’s entire family disappeared not long after he was arrested, too
By Jong So Yong - 2023.01.20 6:00pm
dailynk.com
FILE PHOTO: A rural area of South Pyongan Province (Daily NK)
A man was recently arrested after he continued complaining about “volunteering” under duress to relocate from the capital Pyongyang to Kwail County, South Hwanghae Province, Daily NK has learned.
A source in South Hwanghae Province told Daily NK on Wednesday that a resident of Kwail County who moved there from Pyongyang after being “caught up in petition to live in provincial areas” was arrested by the local branch of the Ministry of State Security on Jan. 7.
The man, who is in his 40s, worked as a painter at Mansudae Art Studio but came to Kwail County with his family in October after he was netted into petitioning to relocate to the provinces, according to the source.
He had been working at the restoration office of the propaganda department of Kwail County’s party committee. The office employs experts who restore local mosaic murals, statues, paintings and works of party propaganda.
The source said the man — a native of a provincial region — had been attached to Pyongyang’s Mansudae Art Studio after graduating university because he was talented.
“However, when the authorities decided on a policy to promote petitions [volunteering] to live in the provinces, he ended up applying because he was being pressured by a party organization and had no choice,” he said. “He was caught up because the policy was to make people who lived in provincial areas petition first.”
Above all else, he was forced to make a petition because he had to write a self-criticism letter and was given probational punishment for “misspeaking” while he was abroad selling paintings for foreign currency.
However, he began complaining about his relocation soon after coming to Kwail County. “How am I going to live in a provincial area?” he would ask. “I resent how I was forced to petition to live in the provinces and sent to a rural community, even though I did nothing wrong.”
He continued to grumble, asking why he had to come to the provinces and complaining about how “people with no power or anyone to watch their backs get driven to the provinces.”
People around him took displeasure with this, and ultimately, so did the authorities.
“A party organization he was affiliated with had been paying attention to what he was saying,” said the source. “And when he kept complaining, the organization learned of his problematic statements through the entire staff of the restoration office. It wrote a report about it, got each of the staff members to sign it, and then sent it to the county party committee.
“The county party committee concluded that somebody who habitually harbors complaints and dismisses provincial areas as unlivable places of exile isn’t fit to work in a holy place restoring the Workers’ Party’s works of propaganda, and that he could bring ideological changes to ideological pure-hearted provincial people,” the source continued, adding, “So it told the Ministry of State Security to arrest him.”
The man’s entire family disappeared not long after the man was arrested.
The source said local people believe this was the Ministry of State Security’s doing and say the family was likely exiled deep into the mountains.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com
7. Yanggang Province cracks down on professors demanding money and gifts from students
Hmmm... do the students really venerate their professors or tis this quid pro quo to ensure graduation? And is the investigation being conducted because the party is not getting its required cut?
Yanggang Province cracks down on professors demanding money and gifts from students
Party officials found that soon-to-be graduates are gathering money to buy TVs and refrigerators for their head professors ahead of their March graduation
By Jong So Yong - 2023.01.20 3:00pm
dailynk.com
FILE PHOTO: A view of Yanggang Province from the Chinese side of the China-North Korea border. (Daily NK)
Yanggang Province authorities have begun looking into the practice of professors giving their students so-called “non-tax burdens,” Daily NK has learned.
A source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Tuesday that the province’s party committee launched a fact-finding mission on Jan. 5 after learning that local university professors forced “non-tax burdens” on their students at the start of the new year.
According to the source, the provincial party committee called the practice of professors forcing “non-tax burdens” on their students “non-socialist behavior that makes a mess of the sacred teacher’s platform” and launched efforts to learn about the practice that has reportedly plagued campuses from the start of the new year.
In fact, provincial party officials have reportedly been visiting local universities and calling in university department cell secretaries, class presidents and ordinary university students to the university party committee office for one-on-one discussions.
The source said the officials are investigating how much money students raised for their head professors for the new year, how much they raised for their subject professors, whether cell secretaries or class presidents pressured students to raise money, and how other classes were raising money.
Party officials are also investigating whether students raised money for their professors every month last year as well, receiving anonymous written testimony because students are hesitant to speak.
The provincial party committee also learned that students in graduating classes are gathering money to buy high-priced gifts such as TVs and refrigerators to their head professor ahead of their March graduation, reportedly warning that it would expose such behavior.
Students may share a meal with their professors and present them with a bouquet of flowers as a symbol of gratitude, but last year, class presidents at Kim Jong Suk University of Education made rolls of cash from KPW 5,000 bills in imitation of “the enemy’s reactionary culture” (i.e., like they do in South Korea), and the authorities are warning that they will take serious political issue with a repeat of that behavior this year.
In particular, the source said the party committee is strongly warning that it can no longer overlook the recent practice of students performing the so-called “bottom dance” while handing over greenhouse-grown red and green bell peppers, calling the peppers “symbols of wealth.”
The source said the party committee believes cell secretaries and class presidents who are agitating to raise money for professors are also a problem and are “threatening to even expel them from school in serious cases.”
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com
8. Kim Jong Un hands down gifts to people involved in speedy production of weapons and agricultural equipment
The Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State is also a national armory.
Excerpts:
In his speech at the MRL presentation ceremony, Kim remarked that “[we] have produced as many as 5,000 agricultural machines that now operate in the fields of our collective farms. This strong support for the agricultural front is encouraging.”
Through these comments, Kim may have been trying to emphasize that munitions factories do not just make weapons, but also support the economic sector by mass-producing agricultural equipment.
However, contrary to the intentions of the authorities, some in North Korea are responding critically to Kim’s remarks.
One of Daily NK’s sources in the country remarked, “[Kim’s] saying that in all 13 provinces, direct-controlled cities, and special cities, nine out of 10 factories are munitions factories,” meaning that “the entire country is just one big armory.”
...
“[The military’s] plan was to finish developing and deploy the delivery system first, so now it needs to develop miniature, tactical nukes,” Daily NK’s source said, adding, “Now [the military] will be focused on developing these weapons.”
Kim Jong Un hands down gifts to people involved in speedy production of weapons and agricultural equipment
Now that the delivery system for tactical nuclear weapons is finished, the military will focus on developing the weapons themselves, a source told Daily NK
dailynk.com
A North Korean ballistic missile on display during the country's Victory Day parade in 2013. (Wikimedia Commons)
Following a ceremony to present super-large caliber multiple rocket launchers (MRL) on Dec. 31, members of North Korea’s munitions sector and researchers at the Academy of Defense Sciences were given commendations and packages of food and daily necessities.
According to a source in the country on Jan. 10, the gifts were an expression of the great satisfaction felt by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the directives issued by the Central Military Commission last June were carried out so quickly. The packages included food items such as sweets, alcohol, and oil and goods such as shoes, sneakers, and various textiles.
Officials and managers who hold key positions in weapons production and development were also awarded citations and medals.
According to the source, a large amount of gifts – enough for all key personnel in the munitions industry – were delivered to relevant enterprises and organizations.
At the Third Enlarged Meeting of the Eighth Central Military Commission, held last June, a decision was reached to mass-produce short-range ballistic missiles in order to deploy them into service. The gifts were a commendation from Kim for carrying out these orders in just a few months, the source explained.
In fact, Kim praised the speedy pace of weapons production in a speech at the presentation ceremony for the MRL, saying “even while pressing ahead with existing production to achieve the key objectives of the revolution in defense industry proposed by the Eighth Central Military Commission, the participating enterprises working together achieved an astonishing record by assembling an additional MRL unit, and even two units, every two days.”
KIM PRAISES QUICK PRODUCTION OF AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT
Kim also expressed happiness that munitions factories throughout the country had met targets assigned to them in July to mass-produce tractors and other agricultural machinery, saying “in addition to munitions production, [they have] also carried out production [of equipment needed] for socialist economic construction.”
In his speech at the MRL presentation ceremony, Kim remarked that “[we] have produced as many as 5,000 agricultural machines that now operate in the fields of our collective farms. This strong support for the agricultural front is encouraging.”
Through these comments, Kim may have been trying to emphasize that munitions factories do not just make weapons, but also support the economic sector by mass-producing agricultural equipment.
However, contrary to the intentions of the authorities, some in North Korea are responding critically to Kim’s remarks.
One of Daily NK’s sources in the country remarked, “[Kim’s] saying that in all 13 provinces, direct-controlled cities, and special cities, nine out of 10 factories are munitions factories,” meaning that “the entire country is just one big armory.”
THE NEXT PHASE: DEVELOPING TACTICAL NUKES
According to Daily NK’s sources, North Korea has deployed the thirty 600mm MRL units that were presented on Dec. 31 to the Workers’ Party into frontline artillery regiments in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th Army Corps.
In short, the authorities are implementing the Workers’ Party decision to turn artillery into strategic weaponry through the deployment of short-range ballistic missiles to the front line and integrating these strategic forces into frontline units.
At present, however, North Korea does not appear to have miniaturized, tactical nuclear warheads that can be loaded onto short-range missiles.
Nevertheless, in his Dec. 31 speech at the presentation of the super-large caliber MRL, Kim stated, “The military equipment that our munitions workers have offered to the Workers’ Party and the Revolution puts all of South Korea in range and can even be equipped with tactical nuclear warheads. I envision that its status as a key offensive weapon in our country’s armed forces will allow it to fulfill its unique combat mission to overwhelmingly dominate our enemies.”
“[The military’s] plan was to finish developing and deploy the delivery system first, so now it needs to develop miniature, tactical nukes,” Daily NK’s source said, adding, “Now [the military] will be focused on developing these weapons.”
Translated by Nicholas Seltzer. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com
9. North Korean drone incursion rattles nerves in Seoul over air defences
Excerpts:
“The main threat comes from North Korea’s ballistic and cruise missiles, and the defence systems we require cost a lot of money,” said Yang. “If we can integrate new anti-drone capabilities into our existing missile defence plans, that’s a worthwhile investment. But we mustn’t start playing cat and mouse with the North Koreans.”
Lee added that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had been emboldened by his country’s ability to withstand almost three years of extreme self-imposed isolation during the coronavirus pandemic, and the alleviation of diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang due to mounting tensions between the US on one side and China and Russia on the other.
The result, she said, was a North Korean regime increasingly willing to prey on — and toy with — the anxieties of the South Korean public.
“Until last month, everyone was talking about North Korea’s ballistic missiles, when it intends to conduct its next nuclear test, and its plans to launch a spy satellite. No one was talking about drones,” said Lee.
“They are poking at us from so many different directions, using a wide range of weapons. Now people are asking: what will they send over next?”
North Korean drone incursion rattles nerves in Seoul over air defences
Financial Times · by Christian Davies · January 22, 2023
At 10:25am on December 26, five North Korean surveillance drones crossed the demarcation line into South Korean airspace, exposing the dilemmas posed by Pyongyang’s increasingly diverse and versatile weaponry.
Four of the unmanned aerial vehicles flew towards Ganghwa Island on South Korea’s west coast. The fifth made its way into airspace over Seoul, the capital. The South Korean military scrambled helicopters and jets to shoot them down but failed to do so — a presidential official who witnessed the armed forces’ efforts told reporters that it had been “like trying to catch a fly with cannonballs”.
Seoul later confirmed that one drone had breached a special no-fly zone surrounding the South Korean president’s office and the headquarters of the country’s joint chiefs of staff.
The incident sparked a political uproar, prompting recriminations over the military’s breakdown and the government’s reluctance to admit that one of the UAVs had come so close to the nerve centre of South Korea’s national security establishment.
It also illustrated what analysts described as North Korea’s “psychological campaign” against its southern neighbour. Pyongyang has married displays of awesome firepower with subtler provocations designed to let the South Koreans know that they, too, are being monitored by their old adversary.
“From a North Korean perspective, the drone incursion was highly successful,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a North Korea expert and senior analyst at the Open Nuclear Network in Vienna.
“They were able to test South Korea’s military readiness, they were able to see how the South Koreans would respond and they provoked considerable anxiety and division.”
Thaad missile defence launchers in South Korea. A North Korean drone took photos of the US-made system in 2017 © Kim Jun-beom/Yonhap /AP
North Korea’s military drone programme is understood to date back to the late 1980s, when the regime first imported UAVs from China. Pyongyang has since been developing surveillance and attack drones, in part by reverse engineering Russian and US aircraft imported from the Middle East.
The last time North Korean drones were known to have breached South Korean airspace was in 2017 when a UAV carrying a Sony camera took photos of the US-made Thaad missile defence system before running out of fuel and crashing.
North Korean drones have previously been caught photographing military installations and the previous residence of the South Korean president.
Yang Uk, a weapons expert at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, said that the mission in December, which included one 2-metre-long surveillance drone and four 4-metre decoy drones, demonstrated only modest progress in North Korea’s UAV programme.
“The drones themselves did not pose a military threat,” said Yang. “This was a psychological operation, North Korea engaging in cognitive warfare to say to the South Koreans: ‘We can invade you any time, and your government is not going to respond properly.’”
He added that it was hard to blame the South Korean armed forces. “UAVs that small are extremely hard to spot — no military in the world could have safely shot down such a drone over a built-up area.”
South Korean soldiers take part in an anti-drone drill in December. The country’s armed forces failed to shoot down five North Korean drones that entered South Korea’s airspace last month © South Korean Defense Ministry/Getty Images
But he acknowledged that the military had failed to communicate details of the incursion to the political leadership, prompting a furious response from conservative president Yoon Suk-yeol, who blamed his leftwing predecessor Moon Jae-in for failing to invest in “military readiness”.
Speaking a few days later, Yoon warned Pyongyang of “severe consequences” while ordering his officials to “punish and retaliate in the event of any North Korean provocations”.
“Whatever nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction they have, we have to send out a clear message,” Yoon said, according to South Korean state news agency Yonhap. “We must not be afraid or hesitant.”
Some analysts have expressed concerns about Yoon’s hardline stance, which echoes South Korea’s “punishment and retaliation” doctrine. The policy promises a response up to three times as severe as any North Korean attack.
“Any response to a military provocation should be proportionate and not spelt out in advance,” said Sheen Seong-ho, a professor of international security at Seoul National University.
Yang said it was important for South Korean leaders to maintain a sense of proportion and not allow the drones to distract from needed investment in defences against North Korea’s much more potent nuclear and missile programmes.
“The main threat comes from North Korea’s ballistic and cruise missiles, and the defence systems we require cost a lot of money,” said Yang. “If we can integrate new anti-drone capabilities into our existing missile defence plans, that’s a worthwhile investment. But we mustn’t start playing cat and mouse with the North Koreans.”
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Lee added that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had been emboldened by his country’s ability to withstand almost three years of extreme self-imposed isolation during the coronavirus pandemic, and the alleviation of diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang due to mounting tensions between the US on one side and China and Russia on the other.
The result, she said, was a North Korean regime increasingly willing to prey on — and toy with — the anxieties of the South Korean public.
“Until last month, everyone was talking about North Korea’s ballistic missiles, when it intends to conduct its next nuclear test, and its plans to launch a spy satellite. No one was talking about drones,” said Lee.
“They are poking at us from so many different directions, using a wide range of weapons. Now people are asking: what will they send over next?”
Financial Times · by Christian Davies · January 22, 2023
10. Is South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy Enough To Gain Leverage In The Region? – Analysis
Excerpts:
The Yoon administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy will also shape the future course of South Korea’s emerging grand strategy of becoming an important global force. Meanwhile, the strategy not only reaffirms the joint commitment of the US, Japan, and ROK for a free and open Indo-Pacific but also details South Korea’s aspirations for world affairs as an active middle power. Nonetheless, the more US-China relation will strain, South Korea’s policies will face a dilemma and might be forced to make difficult decisions.
This strategy is a good step forward by Seoul, but it needs constant revisions as the US-China rivalry or other geopolitical incidents unfold in the future. To mitigate the rivalry and threats spinning out, Seoul needs to work together with like-minded countries, as a peaceful and nuclear-free Korean peninsula would not be feasible without the right Indo-Pacific strategy.
Is South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy Enough To Gain Leverage In The Region? – Analysis
eurasiareview.com · by Observer Research Foundation · January 22, 2023
By Abhishek Kumar Singh
Since the Korean War (1950-53) ended, South Korea primarily relied on the United States (US), whereas its foreign policy largely remained focused on North Korea and its nuclear threat. However, despite being the world’s tenth-largest economy in the world, South Korea has received criticism for being a watcher of global politics and not being an active player.
There was a need for a stronger diplomatic framework, especially for the Indo-Pacific region. Thus, South Korea launched its first comprehensive regional strategy, the Indo-Pacific strategy. The strategy is being touted as an attempt at making the country a sincere middle power by reinforcing its security alliance with the US, diversifying security partnerships, and advocating a free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. However, is this watershed strategy enough for South Korea to gain leverage in the region?
Yoon doctrine: Indo-Pacific strategy
The Indo-Pacific strategy has been closely linked with the US and its strategic partners like Japan, Australia, and India, also known as Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or QUAD. South Korea, however, has always been reluctant in framing an active Indo-Pacific strategy. This changed under the Yoon-Seok Yul administration as South Korea unveiled its “Strategy for a Free, Peaceful and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region.”
According to the President’s office, it is South Korea’s first comprehensive regional strategy and encapsulates the country’s commitment to broadening its diplomatic space and increasing its role and contributions to the region in line with its enhanced status and expectations from the international community. Seoul will pursue nine core lines of effort to fulfill its vision for a free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region under the three cooperation principles of inclusiveness, trust, and reciprocity.
Currently, Seoul struggles to balance between alliance and autonomy and has never fully navigated its foreign policy without the US presence. Whereas, Beijing is the largest trading partner of Seoul along with a major stakeholder in North Korean denuclearisation. Amid intensifying US-China rivalry in the region, this strategic document portrays the same balancing act between its security and economic partner, the US, and China.
Moreover, Seoul has refrained from using Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) which the other powers use but has incorporated “elements” of the concept. Simultaneously, this strategy barely mentions China in the document, highlighting Seoul’s accommodating principle. Meanwhile, Yoon also vouched that a unilateral change of the status quo in the region by force will not be tolerated. However, the accommodating pattern is limiting South Korea as a passive participant in the Indo-Pacific and not helping South Korea to be taken as a serious partner; this remains its biggest criticism. Therefore, it needs to take significant steps to gain leverage in the region.
How can South Korea gain leverage in the Indo-Pacific?
South Korea is a key nation in the Indo-Pacific, but to be seen as a serious player in the region, Seoul must overcome perceptions of its strategic ambivalence. This strategy is shaped by the larger strategic environment and the dynamic relationships that exist between a network of different regional actors. However, given the networked nature of Indo-Pacific relations, South Korea’s actions alone will not be enough. Seoul has to partner and work with like-minded nations to foster its strategy to an advanced level. For example, advocacy of the strategy by Tokyo might prompt other nations to accept Seoul as a relevant Indo-Pacific partner because of Japan’s prominence and stature in the region. However, Japan’s consistent disparaging of South Korea can affect ROK’s efforts in the region.
Furthermore, it is an opportunity for South Korea to clarify its direction and position in the region where it has great interest and its standing among other states. Therefore, it will be important for Seoul to build network ties in the region through bilateral and multilateral measures, but to be taken as a serious partner in the Indo-Pacific, Seoul must take significant steps. These are as follows:
Partnership with other Indo-Pacific countries, including the members of the QUAD to propagate freedom of navigation, rule of law, and open Sea lines of communication (SLOC) will prove to be useful. Furthermore, refinement and alignment with other existing initiatives and arrangements, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and ASEAN will bolster Seoul’s global presence. Moreover, to limit or contain Chinese pressure and coercion, Seoul needs to work closely with Chinese adversaries like India, Vietnam, etc. This will eventually help Seoul in diversifying its security, diplomatic, and economic relations with China. Additionally, Seoul should advance its security relationships with other traditional Indo-Pacific countries by strengthening trilateral ROK-US-Japan cooperation. It should also diversify its supply chain to reduce its dependence on China.
As a fully established, economically, technologically advanced democratic country, Seoul has a comparative advantage and expertise over others in Asia. Seoul can use its areas of expertise and can actively participate in regional economic activities, like the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and the CHIP-4, to seek economic benefits and play an advanced regional role. Moreover, Seoul can advance its core strengths of digital trade, emerging technologies, green growth, and climate change in the region. Also, being the tenth largest economy in the world, South Korea can increase its trade Official Development Assistance (ODA), and aid within this region like Japan to mark its presence.
Seeking and extending political support
First, propounding its self-defence against the North Korean threat is extremely necessary for Seoul to project strength in front of the world, even if it has to receive criticism from China. This should include frequent military drills with the US and Japan, deploying relevant weapons, strategic assets or the recent remark of acquiring nuclear weapons.
Moreover, Seoul has to seek political assistance from like-minded nations in the Indo-Pacific for promoting peace on the Korean peninsula along with extending support for the ongoing crisis in the region. Seoul also has to mobilise and extend support for human rights and democracy at home and abroad. Seoul has to raise concerns about human rights violations in North Korea and Uighur Muslims suffering in China if it has to gain the confidence of the Chinese adversaries.
The Yoon administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy will also shape the future course of South Korea’s emerging grand strategy of becoming an important global force. Meanwhile, the strategy not only reaffirms the joint commitment of the US, Japan, and ROK for a free and open Indo-Pacific but also details South Korea’s aspirations for world affairs as an active middle power. Nonetheless, the more US-China relation will strain, South Korea’s policies will face a dilemma and might be forced to make difficult decisions.
This strategy is a good step forward by Seoul, but it needs constant revisions as the US-China rivalry or other geopolitical incidents unfold in the future. To mitigate the rivalry and threats spinning out, Seoul needs to work together with like-minded countries, as a peaceful and nuclear-free Korean peninsula would not be feasible without the right Indo-Pacific strategy.
eurasiareview.com · by Observer Research Foundation · January 22, 2023
11. S. Korean Marines conduct cold-weather drills to sharpen combat readiness
Many 1st Special Forces Group soldiers are very familiar with this training area as we have done a lot of winter warfare training with our SF counterparts there.
S. Korean Marines conduct cold-weather drills to sharpen combat readiness | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · January 23, 2023
By Song Sang-ho
SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- Despite freezing temperatures, shirtless Marines slogged through annual winter drills on an eastern mountainous training site earlier this month, testing their physical limits and cementing their camaraderie to ensure combat readiness, according to the military Monday.
Some 160 members of the Marine Corps reconnaissance unit engaged in the regular weekslong cold-weather training that ran from Jan. 2 to Friday at the snowy military facility in Pyeongchang, 126 kilometers east of Seoul.
The session included high-intensity physical fitness training, the head-carrying of inflatable boats and cadence calls, as well as tactical maneuvering activities using choppers to practice infiltration procedures.
During the grueling drills, soldiers were seen sweating, belying the cold weather of minus 10 C or lower at the facility located 1,407 meters above sea level.
Marines engage in an annual cold-weather training program at a facility in Pyeongchang, 126 kilometers east of Seoul, in this photo released Jan. 23, 2023, by the Marine Corps. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
"We have been engaging in the training to become combat specialists capable of winning in a fight with enemies even at this very moment through this realistic training centering on our battle missions," Lt. Col. Shin Myung-jae was quoted as saying.
A highlight of the training was a tactical operation, under which troops fast-roped from an MUH-1 Marineon helicopter to carry out a covert infiltration mission. The participants also practiced maneuvering on snowy terrain and transporting casualties to safety.
"Despite the adverse conditions, including the effective temperature hovering around minus 20 C, Marines exuded enthusiasm during the training," the Marine Corps said in a press release.
Following the training, the troops in full gear were set to begin a 400-kilometer march, officials said.
The South Korean Marines, along with their U.S. counterparts, have sought to strengthen combined amphibious landing exercises as part of efforts to enhance readiness in the midst of evolving North Korean military threats.
The exercises included the Ssangyong (double dragon) drills, which the allies plan to scale up to a division level from the brigade level.
A Marine fast-ropes from an MUH-1 Marineon helicopter during an annual cold-weather training program at a facility in Pyeongchang, 126 kilometers east of Seoul, in this photo released Jan. 23, 2023, by the Marine Corps. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · January 23, 2023
12. NATO chief to visit S. Korea next week
Strengthening relations between the ROK and NATO.
NATO chief to visit S. Korea next week | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 김승연 · January 23, 2023
SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will visit South Korea early next week on a regional swing that will also take him to Japan, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.
Stoltenberg is scheduled to make a two-day trip to Seoul on Sunday and Jan. 30, during which he will have a series of meetings with top South Korean government officials, including Foreign Minister Park Jin and Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, according to the foreign ministry.
Stoltenberg is also due to visit the Seoul National Cemetery and participate in a forum hosted by a South Korean think tank.
His trip to Seoul comes as the government of President Yoon Suk Yeol has been stepping up cooperation with NATO. Yoon attended a NATO summit in June last year, becoming the first South Korea leader to have taken part in the summit.
Following his Seoul trip, Stoltenberg will fly to Japan for a two-day trip.
Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is shown in this photo taken on Jan. 23, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by 김승연 · January 23, 2023
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
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