Quotes of the Day:
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
- H. L. Mencken
"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."
- Viktor E. Frankl
"It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men."
- Samuel Adams
1. N. Korea may be considering engaging with S. Korea, US: Biegun
2. Seoul, Washington almost ready for humanitarian aid to Pyongyang: nuclear envoy
3. Counter-terrorism experts eye Korea's border control practices
4. S. Korea's nuclear envoy pins hope on end-of-war declaration to resume talks with North
5. Unification minister reiterates resolve to revive peace efforts with N. Korea
6. ‘Another Example of Propaganda’: Chinese War Blockbuster Fuels Anger in South Korea
7. Kim Jong Un loses 5kg in just two months
8. South Korea Reconsiders a Rite of Manhood: the Draft
9. North Korea's 'Business as Usual' Missile Provocations
10. Pence calls on Biden to show ‘strength’ on North Korea and China
1. N. Korea may be considering engaging with S. Korea, US: Biegun
Yesterday I forwarded the Yonhap article that this is derived from. However, Yonhap (the semi-official news service of the ROK government) left out the following anecdote from Mr. Biegun that is probably one of the most important ones that we need to read, understand, and heed. Thanks to the former NIO Markus Garlauskus for flagging the difference in the two articles (which may have had the original anecdote in it at Yonhap but seemed to be later edited out).
Excerpt:
He underlined the importance of finding the right mix of incentives for a country such as North Korea, noting he and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during their trip to Pyongyang prior to the 2019 Hanoi summit, had asked the North Korean leader if he would consider North Korea's membership in the World Bank as part of an economic incentive for denuclearization.
"I will never forget the answer. After all the hours of study and planning that we had put in place in order to queue up this initiative, Chairman Kim looked at Secretary Pompeo and said, 'What's the World Bank?' And that sent us the message that we had a lot a lot of work to do here," said Biegun.
"I'm afraid this concept of a brighter economic future was a bait that was much more attractive to us at the end of the day than it was to a dynastic totalitarian dictatorship."
This illustrates two key points. First, it is incredible that Kim Jong-un did not know what the World Bank was. Surely Mr Biegun and his team laid the ground for this proposal with KJU's "negotiators." What is just as incredible as Kim not knowing what the World Bank was is that his subordinates do not appear to have briefed him on the proposal so that he was caught unaware of the World Bank (and of course maybe his subordinates assumed he know what the World Bank was or that if he did not know they could not give the appears that they knew he did not know as through would undermine the perception of his omniscience.
The second point is that we view all the concessions we want to offer through our eyes and what we might think is logically good for Kim and north Korea.
The last administration's mantra was if Kim makes the right strategic decision (give up nuclear weapons) north Korea and Kim can have a brighter future. Of course we described that brighter future in terms of economic engagement visualized as hotel complexes in Wonsan shown on an iPad video. But what we failed to understand was that the right strategic decision and the brighter future for north Korea (and we assumed the Korean people too) were both threats to Kim Jong-un's rule and the survival of the regime. Of course Kim cannot make the right strategic decision because he likely believes giving up his nuclear weapons will undermine the power of the regime and give up a tool that is critical for deterrence, blackmail diplomacy, political warfare, and warfighting. The Treasured Sword is just too valuable and important for him to sacrifice and especially to sacrifice for the dangerous brighter future.
The second part of our equation, the brighter future was also likely perceived as a threat to the regime by Kim. The brighter future means economic engagement, investment, and development. This means opening to the outside world. With that comes information. And we fail to understand that outside information is an existential threat to the regime (this is why Kim Yo-jong speaks with the rhetoric she does and had the South Korean liaison building in Kaesong destroyed to extort the South into passing the anti-information law). I am always reminded of Dr. Jung Pak's (now the DASS for East Asia, and formerly of Brookings, and the CIA) critical question: "Who does Kim Jong-un fear the most: The US or the Korean people in the north?" The answer is the Korean people living in the north and I would add when they are armed with information. We know how much he fears the Korean people based on the entire system that has been developed by Kim Il-sung to control (and repress and oppress) a population of 25 million.
So what may seem logical and good to us may not be viewed the same way by KimJong-un. We must re-examine our assumptions (continually) about Kim and north Korea and we must try to understand the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime.
Lastly, I think we should keep in mind that if Kim is contemplating engaging it is likely for two reasons. One could be desperate because he assesses the pressure is too great and that he cannot solve the problems without outside help (which he can never admit). The second could be that he assesses that engaging will bring him an advantage and that his political warfare strategy and blackmail diplomacy is working. We need to consider these two reasons as we move forward.
N. Korea may be considering engaging with S. Korea, US: Biegun
N. Korea may be considering engaging with S. Korea, US: Biegun
Published : Oct 16, 2021 - 10:23
Updated : Oct 16, 2021 - 10:29
Stephen Biegun, former deputy secretary of state and special representative for North Korea, seen speaking during a webinar cohosted by George Washington University`s Institute for Korean Studies and the Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management on Oct. 15, 2021 in this captured image. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
North Korea may be considering engaging with South Korea and the rest of the world, former Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said Friday.
Biegun noted the North may be trying to influence the outcome of South Korea's upcoming presidential election, but insisted having a direct communication channel with the reclusive state was more important to South Korea, as well as the United States, than having such consequences.
"We've seen a sequence of events that many analysts have interpreted as increasingly provocative behavior by North Korea," the former deputy secretary said during a webinar cohosted by George Washington University's Institute for Korean Studies and the Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management, a state-run institute based in Sejong, South Korea.
"But I will say that there's a school of thought and I'm inclined to believe it that ... the fact that North Korea is beginning to send external messaging suggests to me that North Korea is at least contemplating the terms under which it will reengage with the rest of the world," added Biegun, who also served as US special representative for North Korea.
North Korea reopened direct communication channels with South Korea earlier this month, after a 55-day suspension during which it conducted at least four missile tests, including the test launch of what it claims to be a new hypersonic missile.
"It's very likely that just as the North Korean government was fixated on the US presidential election from mid-2019 until November 3 of 2020, it seems likely that the North Korean regime is also now fixated on the South Korean elections coming up in the spring of next year, which could lead to a change in government from the progressives to the conservative politicians," said Biegun, referring to South Korea's presidential election slated for March 9, 2022.
"From my point of view, the most important thing is, in fact, a communications link. So I very much welcome the fact that South Korea and North Korea are directly speaking again. And I hope the case will be soon, if it's not already, that the United States will be able to find a way to open and then sustain communications with North Korea for its part," he added.
Pyongyang has ignored repeated overtures from the Joe Biden administration that it is willing to meet with North Korea "anytime, anywhere without preconditions."
Biegun, who played a key role in setting up the second US-North Korea summit between former President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi in February 2019, said the North hated such "open-ended" proposals.
"My experience is the North Koreans hate that kind of open-ended suggestion," he said. "What we need to do is quietly work through a series of steps that both sides could take, including, potentially, an end of war declaration. That could be part of a package."
South Korean President Moon Jae-in proposed declaring a formal end to the Korean War at the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month, saying it could help kickstart stalled denuclearization negotiations with the North.
Biegun agreed, but said declaring the war's end alone may not be enough.
"The end of war declaration shouldn't be exaggerated," he said, pointing to concerns that it may weaken the US-South Korea alliance. "It's not legally binding. It's a political statement. But were it part of a sequence of steps or combination of actions that each side could take to begin to build momentum, I think would play a very important role."
"But I do want to caveat that where I am worried a little bit ... that my view is that the North Koreans will not be enticed or induced to coming to the table, simply by throwing concessions," added Biegun.
He underlined the importance of finding the right mix of incentives for a country such as North Korea, noting he and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during their trip to Pyongyang prior to the 2019 Hanoi summit, had asked the North Korean leader if he would consider North Korea's membership in the World Bank as part of an economic incentive for denuclearization.
"I will never forget the answer. After all the hours of study and planning that we had put in place in order to queue up this initiative, Chairman Kim looked at Secretary Pompeo and said, 'What's the World Bank?' And that sent us the message that we had a lot a lot of work to do here," said Biegun.
"I'm afraid this concept of a brighter economic future was a bait that was much more attractive to us at the end of the day than it was to a dynastic totalitarian dictatorship."
When asked if North Korea would actually give up its nuclear capability, the former US diplomat said the goal of US diplomacy toward the North was to change what was once inconceivable into what is conceivable over time.
"If we could eliminate the hostility that exists on the Korean peninsula, if we began to incentivize an economic relationship with North Korea, if we could begin to broaden the aperture of North Korea's engagement with the rest of the world, our hope was that we could also begin to make progress on things that today seemed inconceivable such as complete denuclearization," he said. (Yonhap)
2. Seoul, Washington almost ready for humanitarian aid to Pyongyang: nuclear envoy
But is Kim ready? Will he allow it? Again the paradox is that Seoul and Washington are more concerned with the welfare of the Korean people than Kim Jong-un.
But we should be under no illusion. Providing HA will not bring Kim to the negotiating table. We must provide HA because it is the right thing to do but we cannot attach politics to it and we can expect to have an effect that is contrary to the nature of Kim Jong-un and the Kim family regime.
Seoul, Washington almost ready for humanitarian aid to Pyongyang: nuclear envoy
Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, speaks with reporters upon his arrival at the Washington Dulles International Airport on Saturday. (Yonhap)
South Korea and the US are almost ready in their preparation to provide humanitarian assistance to North Korea, Seoul’s top nuclear envoy said Saturday, amid the allies’ efforts to revive stalled diplomacy with the recalcitrant regime.
Noh Kyu-duk, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the remark upon arriving in Washington for talks with his US and Japanese counterparts on ways to bring the reclusive Pyongyang back to the table for the stalled negotiations.
Noh is scheduled to meet with Sung Kim, the US special representative for North Korea, on Monday, before they will be joined by their Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, for a trilateral session the following day. Noh and Funakoshi are also slated to hold separate bilateral talks Tuesday. The three held their last in-person talks in September in Tokyo.
Noh said that South Korea and the US have been discussing “various and creative” ways to bring the North back to dialogue. “The preparation for South Korea and the US to jointly cooperate in providing humanitarian aid to North Korea is near completion,” Noh told reporters at Dulles International Airport.
In recent months, South Korea and the US have sought to provide humanitarian assistance to the North, with the US saying it supports aid to the reclusive nation regardless of progress in nuclear diplomacy.
Noh also added that a formal declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War could also set a course for restarting the stalled talks with Pyongyang.
“I expect to hold more in-depth talks at the working level on various issues, including the end-of-war declaration,” he said. “(The declaration) is meaningful as a way into the talks for the complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
The two Koreas are technically still at war, as the Korean War finished not in a peace treaty, but with an armistice agreement signed by the US-led United Nations Command, China and North Korea.
In recent weeks, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been pushing for an end-of-war declaration -- which he has supported throughout his presidency -- arguing that such a declaration could encourage Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arsenal.
With just seven months left in Moon’s single, five-year term, the Moon government has been engaged in a last-ditch attempt to put the peace process back on track, even as Pyongyang upped the ante with missile launches.
The intelligence chiefs of South Korea, the US and Japan are also set to meet in Seoul this week for closed-door talks on North Korea.
Just last week, the top security advisers of South Korea and the US held talks in Washington, during which Suh Hoon explained South Korea’s proposal for the end-of-war declaration to Jake Sullivan.
A Cheong Wa Dae official said the US now has a deeper understanding of South Korea’s stance on the issue, and the two governments agreed to continue related discussions.
Noh’s Washington trip comes immediately after he held talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov in Moscow. During their talks Noh asked for Moscow’s cooperation in persuading Pyongyang to return to dialogue.
Denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington have been stalled since the collapse of the Hanoi summit in 2019, when former US President Donald Trump rejected Kim Jong-un’s offer of denuclearization in exchange for sanctions relief. Since then, inter-Korean engagement has also remained largely at a standstill.
3. Counter-terrorism experts eye Korea's border control practices
When I first saw the headline I immediately thought of north Korea - nobody controls a border better than north Korea! But this is about how the ROK has coped with border controls during COVID and what lessons can be learned from it.
Sunday
October 17, 2021
Counter-terrorism experts eye Korea's border control practices
Jehangir Khan, director of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (Unoct), speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Seoul on Friday. [ESTHER CHUNG]
Korea kept an open and secure border throughout the pandemic, a feat that was not easy for many other countries to pull off, and it’s something counter-terrorism experts are eyeing worldwide, said Jehangir Khan, director of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (Unoct) during his visit to Seoul on Friday.
“The Republic of Korea managed to keep its borders open during the Covid-19 crisis, whilst many countries closed their borders,” said Khan on Friday, speaking with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Seoul. “It even had to absorb additional maritime traffic from other ports that closed in the region due to the pandemic [and] demonstrated how under these challenging circumstances [it could still] maintain effective border controls.”
Khan and his team from the Unoct discussed Korea’s best practices on border security, which include the nation’s airport and seaport systems, with their counterparts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headed by Chang Wook-jin, director general of international relations at the ministry on Friday.
“It is necessary to take tailored measures [...] taking difficult situations posed to each country with consideration,” Chang said while opening the meeting with Khan, which was joined virtually by Brian Finlay, president and CEO of the Stimson Center and Damien Thuriaux, head of Immigration and Border Management Division the IOM.
“Each UN member state has [sustained] various repercussions and damages in coping with the pandemic,” Chang said. “Under these circumstances, UN members require an excellent reference to show them how to operate border security management effectively. For this I sincerely hope that our government’s tactics could be used and utilized as a good reference.”
Khan’s visit to Seoul from Tuesday to Friday, the first from the director of the Unoct, was highlighted by meetings with his counterparts and officials at the National Counter-Terrorism Center, Korea Immigration Service, Korea National Police Agency and Korea Coast Guard, as well as authorities of Incheon International Airport.
The Unoct makes recommendations to the UN secretary general and the UN body on how best to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and how best to prevent and combat terrorism, whilst ensuring that all measures “respect human rights for all.”
Korea’s practices on port control and border security are to be shared among experts at the Unoct, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and World Customs Organization in their meetings this week.
To hear more about the UN’s latest assessments on counter-terrorism efforts of Korea, as well as recent developments on the collective efforts against terrorism, and emerging threats on global security in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic in this era, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Director Khan in Seoul. The following are edited excerpts of the interview.
질의 :
We understand this is your first trip since the onset of the pandemic. Which of Korea’s practices on counterterrorism are being especially noted by the UN?
응답 :
The Republic of Korea (ROK) managed to keep its borders open during the Covid-19 crisis, whilst many countries closed their borders [...] and this is extremely important to maintain effective border security, because in many other countries, the closure of borders led to the abandonment of border posts and a compromise, potentially, of their security.
[Korea’s example shows] how member states in a crisis situation like Covid need to effectively respond, on the one hand maintaining effective border controls but at the same time, be able to respond to a serious crisis like Covid. These are best practices that will be of great value to many countries around the world, on how to develop effective border strategies, particularly in regards to effective counter-terrorism measures.
질의 :
South Korea shares a border with the North, whose cyber terror activities continue to pose a threat. What are your recommendations for South Korea in countering terrorism waged in cyber space?
응답 :
We have a global program to strengthen the cyber security capacities of the different member states of the United Nations, and I am pleased to report that cyber security is a high priority of the Republic of Korea and it is best reflected that just during the course of my visit here, the ROK announced that it is going to contribute $100,000 to our global cyber security program. This demonstrates the high priority that the ROK gives to strengthening global cooperation on a very major and dynamic threat — the cyber security threat.
질의 :
Has the UN detected a particular change in terrorism groups’ strategies since the onset of the pandemic?
응답 :
The fact is that terrorists have not gone to sleep during the pandemic [and] are looking to exploit new opportunities as a result of the crisis. Just as the rest of the world has gone virtual, terrorist groups are looking to see how they can have an impact in the virtual sphere.
We have also seen how a virus like Covid can paralyze the world. We have to remain vigilant for threats of biological, chemical and even nuclear terrorism down the road. Our office on counterterrorism is coordinating the work of 43 UN and non-UN agencies to develop comprehensive multilateral international support in addressing some of these evolving threats – particularly in the post-Covid-19 time.
질의 :
Lone-wolf attacks have made headlines lately, including attacks in Norway and New Zealand. It is very difficult to predict an individual’s motive or when he or she will act with intentions to inflict terror on society. What kinds of solutions does the Unoct propose to prevent these acts of terrorism by individuals?
응답 :
We have to go beyond countering terrorism [...] to address the underlying conditions that drive individuals to be radicalized. There are major efforts [at the UN] on developing effective counter narratives. Terrorist groups are targeting young people — most terrorists are under the age of 30 — as they are particularly susceptible to narratives. Sometimes these people are mentally disturbed, sometimes these are people who are looking for some sort of recognition. But nothing can justify any kind of terrorist attacks.
But ultimately, the battle on terrorism can only be one in the hearts and minds of individuals. That is why we are also working with organizations such as Unesco to really engage with the youth as a positive asset [...] so that they can feel they can fully participate [...] and are fully involved in the lives of their societies, communities and nations.
질의 :
This year was the 20th year since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States. How do you assess the past 20 years of counter-terrorism efforts worldwide?
응답 :
The world has moved in a concerted way [...] in building very strong international cooperation and multilateral partnerships [to combat terrorism]. Because terrorism is an increasingly transnational threat, no one country can protect itself, it requires a robust multilateralism of cooperation. The UN has been in the lead, and this visit to Korea has demonstrated that Korea is making important contributions to strengthening the multilateral cooperation to defeat terrorism worldwide.
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
4. S. Korea's nuclear envoy pins hope on end-of-war declaration to resume talks with North
Hope is not a course of action.
Kim will likely only engage in an end of war declaration effort if he sees a political warfare advantage or if there is an end ot the US policy - (end of alliance, withdrawal of US troops and an end to extended deterrence and the nuclear umbrella over the ROK and Japan).
And most importantly, we must ask how an end of war declaration will ensure the security of the ROK with no conventional force arms reductions from north Korea and the offensive posture of the 4th largest army in the world?
S. Korea's nuclear envoy pins hope on end-of-war declaration to resume talks with North | Yonhap News Agency
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's chief nuclear envoy said Saturday that a formal declaration of an end to the 1950-53 Korean War could pave the way for resuming the stalled denuclearization talks with North Korea.
Noh Kyu-duk made the remark ahead of his meetings with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts in Washington later this week to explore ways to bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.
The upcoming talks will likely touch on President Moon Jae-in's recent proposal to declare a formal end to the Korean War, which Noh has said is the most effective among confidence-building measures with North Korea.
"I expect more in-depth discussions on various issues at the working level, including the end-of-war declaration," Noh said during a meeting with reporters upon his arrival at the Dulles international airport. "(The declaration) is meaningful as a gateway to talks for the complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula."
South and North Korea technically remain at war as the Korean War ended only with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Noh and the U.S. special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, are scheduled to meet bilaterally on Monday before holding a trilateral meeting with their Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, the following day. Noh plans to hold a separate bilateral meeting with Funakoshi on Tuesday, according to Seoul officials.
The three held their last in-person talks in September in Tokyo.
Noh said he expects to have a "constructive" discussions with Kim to come up with inducements for dialogue with the North, saying Seoul and Washington have been jointly preparing humanitarian aid for the North and it is nearly ready.
"(The two sides) have been discussing various, creative ways (to bring the North to the talks)," Noh said.
Nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have remained stalled since the Hanoi summit in 2019 between then U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that ended without a deal.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
5. Unification minister reiterates resolve to revive peace efforts with N. Korea
The effort between now and May 2022 is to cement Moon's legacy as the peace president.
Unification minister reiterates resolve to revive peace efforts with N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
CHUNCHEON, South Korea, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Lee In-young on Saturday reiterated South Korea's resolve to revive peace efforts with the North, pinning hopes on the recent reactivation of communication lines between the two Koreas.
Speaking during a forum in the eastern city of Chuncheon, Lee said that the Beijing Winter Olympics slated for February next year may offer an opportunity to restore inter-Korean relations.
"(The government) will focus its efforts to resume the Korean Peninsula peace process and make preparations to that end," Lee said during the forum co-hosted by his ministry and the Gangwon Provincial Office.
The minister added, "We hope that through the Beijing Winter Olympics, we can work to find opportunities for the restoration of inter-Korean relations and a 'new leap forward for peace'."
Seoul has been seeking to use the Olympics to reengage with Pyongyang, though the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided last month to suspend the North from the Beijing Games due to its refusal to join this year's Tokyo Olympics over COVID-19 concerns.
Despite the suspension, the IOC has said that the participation of individual North Korean athletes in the Beijing Olympics will be decided appropriately in the future, should they qualify for the games.
To salvage its peace drive, Seoul has been exploring ways to persuade Pyongyang to return to dialogue, including the provision of humanitarian support and other incentives.
The restoration of inter-Korean communication lines after nearly two months of suspension has raised hopes for a cross-border thaw, though tensions still linger due to a series of North Korean missile launches last month.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
6. ‘Another Example of Propaganda’: Chinese War Blockbuster Fuels Anger in South Korea
I wonder how the Chinese thought this would be received in South Korea? Did they think it would generate anti-American sentiment and influence people in a positive way toward China?
‘Another Example of Propaganda’: Chinese War Blockbuster Fuels Anger in South Korea
'The Battle at Lake Changjin' is set to be the highest grossing film of the year. The film tells the tale of one of the bloodiest encounters of the 1950-53 Korean War – from the Chinese perspective.
Across China, war epic The Battle at Lake Changjin is filling cinemas and shattering box office records. The film, set on the Korean Peninsula during the bloody 1950-53 Korean War, is on course to be the world’s highest grossing movie of 2021.
But the movie has been met with fierce criticism in South Korea, raising the possibility that it may not even find a local distributor.
To many South Koreans, the film is another propaganda piece filled with historical inaccuracies and bankrolled by the Chinese government to incite deeper patriotic feelings among the country’s younger generation.
Some critics point out that the movie has been released to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.
Others are angry that the Chinese people are being told the nation’s “heroic” volunteers brought peace to the peninsula through their self-sacrifice, and insist Beijing is trying to rewrite history.
“China is very powerful economically and they are becoming more aggressive toward their neighbors, and it appears they think that power gives them the right to alter history,” said Han Ye-jung, a lawyer in the Seoul office of an international legal firm.
“I think that [South] Korean people are angry and disappointed about this,” she told DW.
‘Another example of propaganda’
Han said she’s not surprised about the latest movie, highlighting that another Chinese-made Korean War movie, The Sacrifice, was due to be released in South Korea in September. Instead, the movie was met with such fierce opposition from veterans and politicians that the local distributor canceled its release.
In a statement, the Korean War Veterans Association described the release of The Sacrifice as “an act of contempt against war veterans and patriots who participated in the Korean War.”
“It is an anti-national act that goes against the system of liberal democracy to show to our young people today a propaganda film describing Chinese soldiers as heroes when they were actually part of a war that infiltrated our country,” the association said.
The movie depicts China holding off US troops against all odds in one of the pivotal battles of the Korean War. That the fighting broke out when North Korean troops invaded the South is rarely explained in China’s accounts.
North Korea started the three-year conflict by invading the South, then Beijing came to Pyongyang’s assistance after UN forces had pushed the North Korean military virtually to the Chinese border, Han said.
“If China had not helped the North and attacked the South, then the war would have been over much earlier and hundreds of thousands of people would not have died,” she said. “Instead, the fighting went on until 1953, the damage to the South was terrible and we still live on a divided peninsula.
“That is the reality of the Chinese attack on Korea, not what they are portraying in this movie,” she said.
What happened at Lake Changjin?
The film tells the tale, from the Chinese perspective, of one of the bloodiest encounters of the entire conflict.
In December 1950, six months after the initial North Korean attack had forced the South’s troops back to the ever-shrinking perimeter around the southern city of Busan, the UN — led primarily by the US military — had advanced beyond the prewar border and was approaching the Chinese frontier.
Some 30,000 US troops had advanced to Lake Changjin — known in the West as Chosin Reservoir — when they were suddenly confronted by eight divisions, or 150,000 fresh Chinese troops.
The US managed to extricate the bulk of their troops by road to the port of Hungnam, from where they were evacuated.
Nearly 18,000 US troops were killed, captured, wounded or listed as missing. On the Chinese side, there were more than 48,000 deaths. Many also lost their lives due to the terrible weather conditions.
‘Whitewashing of the truth’
Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times has claimed the film has “pushed the patriotic sentiment of people across the country to a peak amid the tense China-US competition.”
It also reported that “many residents” in Shenyang in China’s northeastern Liaoning province “spontaneously came to mourn the heroes by laying flowers” on the graves of men killed in the conflict.
The Global Times cited a retired military officer as saying that he went to watch the film on the day of release, and that he would “dash forward like the old generation,” “if the order is given.”
Rah Jong-yil, a former South Korean diplomat who was 10 years old when the war broke out, has slammed the film as propaganda “nonsense.”
“But it is troubling,” Rah said. “The Chinese say they were fighting for North Korea and resist US aggression, but Beijing was acting in its own interests at the time and did not want to see Korea unified and supported by the US on their border.
“They want to change the narrative of what happened before and during the war, which is dangerous as Chinese people have no way of knowing that it is propaganda,” said Rah, who has vivid memories of battles raging close to the village from where he had been evacuated for safety.
“We Koreans know that we were attacked and invaded by the North Koreans and then the Chinese,” he said. “This is just whitewashing of the truth. But who can stop the Chinese government telling their people these things?”
7. Kim Jong Un loses 5kg in just two months
Weight Watchers or Noom? What is Kim's secret?
Kim Jong Un loses 5kg in just two months
Posted October. 14, 2021 07:23,
Updated October. 14, 2021 07:23
Kim Jong Un loses 5kg in just two months. October. 14, 2021 07:23. by Jin-Woo Shin niceshin@donga.com.
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly lost more than 5 kilograms for the past two months.
An unnamed government source said on Wednesday that Kim Jong Un has lost more weight since July when the South Korean National Intelligence Service first reported Kim’s weight loss of 10 kilograms or more. Kim, who was presumed to have weighed about 140 kilograms in the beginning of this year, is now estimated to have lost 20 kilograms since then. Kim, in his middle 30s with a height of 170 centimeters, is extremely obese, and rumors about the young leader’s health condition have continuously emerged, including Kim allegedly suffering from adult diseases that are usually experienced in those in middle and late adulthood.
The same source, however, repudiated the rumor raised by some media outlets that it was a stand-in actor, rather than Kim Jong Un himself, who appeared at the military parade held on Sept. 9, the day of the foundation of North Korea, citing Kim’s sudden weight loss, by stating there is no evidence that a stand-in actor appeared instead of Kim.
The number of days Kim spent in the countryside increased compared to the previous year. The unnamed government source confirmed that the North Korean leader has stayed longer in the rural areas, although it is unsure whether it is to control and prevent the COVID-19 pandemic or to study public sentiment. “One possibility is to lose weight as a way to maintain health,” said the government official.
8. South Korea Reconsiders a Rite of Manhood: the Draft
South Korea Reconsiders a Rite of Manhood: the Draft
Military conscription has become less popular. The rules have loosened. But experts still worry about the threat from the North.
Kim Hyeongsu served in the South Korean military but refused to go back into duty as a reservist. “It was painful to live in such a violent organizational culture that I had no intention of adapting to,” he said.Credit...Woohae Cho for The New York Times
By
Oct. 17, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET
SEOUL — Kim Hyeongsu performed poorly on his rifle qualification test for the South Korean Army, to the point where he was berated for squandering the government’s bullets. An officer ordered him to do a plank while yelling repeatedly, “I am a tax waster!”
In basic training in 2011, Mr. Kim said, other military trainees squirted hand sanitizer on one another’s faces and genitals. Demoralized, one fled and was recaptured in hours.
Mr. Kim completed his service in 2013. But when he, like practically all South Korean men, was called back to duty as a reservist in 2014, he refused — and joined the growing number of people in the country who are questioning its legacy of mandatory military service.
“I had enlisted because I wasn’t confident I could spend the rest of my life as an ex-convict,” for refusing to serve, said Mr. Kim, 32, a peace activist and conscientious objector. “But it was painful to live in such a violent organizational culture that I had no intention of adapting to.”
South Korea, a country still technically at war with the North, is rethinking the draft. A rite of passage for millions of young men since the Korean War, the country’s military conscription policies are gradually getting chipped away.
Lawmakers are carving out more exemptions. Some conscientious objectors can avoid criminal records. Some leaders want to include women to make up for a shortfall in the ranks, while others want to do away with the draft altogether.
“There’s a growing sense of the price we pay for running the conscription system,” said Kang Inhwa, a research professor of history at Seoul National University.
Conscription has long been seen as a bulwark against threats from North Korea, which, in numbers at least, has a robust military. In addition to its nuclear weapons, the North has 1.88 million troops, with 1.28 million active and 600,000 in the reserves, and it likes to show off their toughness. A military buildup in China has added to pressure on Seoul to strengthen its military.
An antiwar demonstration earlier this month in Seoul. South Korea’s military is one of the largest in the world, with about 550,000 active troops and another 2.75 million in the reserves.Credit...Woohae Cho for The New York Times
South Korea is one of the few industrialized countries that still drafts its young people. Less than a third of the world’s countries actively draft their people into the military, according to a Pew Research analysis from 2019. Taiwan phased out mandatory conscription in 2018. In the United States, the military draft is authorized but not currently implemented.
South Korea has stepped up its pace as other places step back, because its rapidly declining birthrate has led to a deficit of conscripts. Its military is one of the largest in the world with about 3.3 million troops, with 555,000 active and 2.75 million in the reserves. To cope, it has expanded the proportion of young men it conscripts, from about 50 percent in the 1980s to more than 90 percent today, by loosening eligibility requirements.
As conscriptions have risen, however, public attitudes have cooled. In a survey conducted in May by Gallup Korea, 42 percent of South Korean adults said they supported maintaining the current conscription system — a 6 percentage point decrease from 2016.
A few years before that, in 2014, a majority — nearly 56 percent — of those polled by Monoresearch said the conscription system should be maintained.
Critics of South Korea’s conscription system have said that it has helped cultivate an institution riddled with abuse and discrimination and that it has kept men in their prime from the labor force.
Earlier this year, a Netflix show critical of conscription became an unexpected hit in South Korea. Called “D.P.,” for deserter pursuit, it followed a fictional private assigned to capture deserters, whose stories portrayed the emotional toll of conscription.
Though the military has said that it would stop dispatching its personnel to capture deserters starting next year, the show resonated with many viewers and even prompted some politicians to weigh in.
A scene from “D.P.,” a Netflix show that was a surprise hit in South Korea. It followed a fictional private assigned to capture military deserters.Credit...Netflix Via Reuters
Hong Jun-pyo, a candidate in next year’s presidential election and a lawmaker in the opposition People Power Party, said on Facebook that he had watched the show and was in favor of shifting the military to an all-volunteer force.
“What ‘D.P.’ showed was an emblematic picture of why the conscription system has to change,” said Kwon In-sook, a lawmaker in the governing Democratic Party, who added that she supported a transition to an all-volunteer military. “It showed how military culture sometimes completely departs from our basic sensibilities.”
Hundreds of fans on social media said that the abuse it portrayed resonated with their own painful experiences in the military. One viewer said that he was beaten in his chin, cheeks and head and was subjected to abusive language as a private. At one point, he said, things got so bad that he wanted to die.
A tougher conscription stance still has its supporters. South Korean men who live abroad and haven’t served in the military are eligible, until they turn 36, to be drafted once they return home. One bill in the National Assembly would change that cutoff date to when they turn 45. They would be liable for up to three years of imprisonment if they refuse to serve.
Still, South Korean officials have been carving out exemptions even while conscription rates have risen. The government has reduced the length of service, which varies by branch, by several months; paved a path for conscientious objectors to perform alternative service in a civilian setting; and postponed military service for top K-pop stars until they turn 30.
The draft has long been sustained by the view that all men must serve in the military. Draft dodgers often are stigmatized and alienated from their families and friends. Mr. Kim, the conscientious objector, said he has still not told his parents.
Myungjin Moon, 37, refused to serve in 2010 because he objected to military intervention in Iraq, where South Korea sent troops as part of the U.S.-led coalition. He was jailed starting in 2011 for 15 months. He said his parents once told him he “made the wrong friends and became a commie.”
Myungjin Moon spent 15 months in jail for refusing to serve in the military.Credit...Woohae Cho for The New York Times
Those who avoid the draft can face tough punishment. Mr. Kim was sentenced to six months in prison, one year of probation and 400 hours of community service, in addition to fines totaling about $677. If he completes his community service while on probation, he said, he will not need to spend time in prison. He also is facing an ongoing trial for another charge from 2016, which may result in additional fines.
An average of 600 to 800 people each year object to military service, according to the government. The vast majority are Jehovah’s Witnesses, but a few, like Mr. Kim and Mr. Moon, object on political or personal grounds. Last year, the authorities began allowing some conscientious objectors to perform public service while in confinement and avoid getting criminal charges on their record.
Despite growing public discomfort with conscription, South Korea hasn’t arrived at a consensus on whether to change it or do away with it altogether. Gallup Korea found that 43 percent of South Koreans supported shifting to an all-volunteer military, an 8 percentage point increase from 2016.
Ha Tae-keung, a lawmaker with the People Power Party, has suggested drafting women, a proposal that 46 percent of adults support, compared to 47 percent who don’t, according to Gallup Korea.
“If men and women are drafted together, the military may be formed with people more suitable for it,” Mr. Ha said.
Even defenders of conscription say the military must take steps to make service more appealing.
The number of men in the 20s is expected to halve by 2040, said Ahn Seok Ki, a researcher in the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. That means the military may not be able to field the number of people it needs unless it incentivizes recruits to stay for longer stints and gets more volunteers to join.
“The conscription system should be maintained,” he said. “It is impractical to switch to an all-volunteer system. But it is possible to reduce the number of conscripts and increase the number of volunteers.”
“To do so,” he added, “a lot of changes have to be made to make the military more suitable for the younger generation.”
Shooting a scene for “D.P.” The show has prompted some politicians to question whether South Korea should transition to an all-volunteer military.Credit...Netflix Via Reuters
9. North Korea's 'Business as Usual' Missile Provocations
Important analysis here:
Pyongyang's goading seems to have struck a chord among some officials in Seoul. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong in his pull-aside talks October 5 with Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the need for an end-of-war declaration as a “confidence-building measure” to engage the Kim regime. Chung on a separate occasion said that the time is ripe to consider easing sanctions on North Korea for the sake of engagement—despite the regime's ongoing nuclear development and missile testing. In a similar vein, Seoul's Unification Minister Lee In-young vowed to push for inter-Korean talks before the end of this year.
In other words, North Korea's saber-rattling could help it smoke out valuable information from the Biden administration, and it's not creating any setbacks with Seoul. So “business as usual” might be currently working for the regime.
This leads to a couple of takeaways. First, it underscores the consistency in Pyongyang's strategy and ultimate goals vis-à-vis the United States and South Korea. The regime likely sees its weapons capabilities as an effective deterrent against hypothetical U.S. attacks and a reliable tool to intimidate its regional neighbors.
At the same time, it's possible that North Korea's behavior has remained unchanged because it has not been commensurately and judiciously challenged by the United States, South Korea, or the international community. Unless Pyongyang perceives it will incur greater costs for its aggressions, it will likely continue to rely on nuclear weapons and missile development as its way of communicating with the outside world.
The North Korea problem may necessitate effective punitive measures such as sanctions, diplomatic rebuke, and a calling out of Kim Jong-un's defiant human rights violations. But it also may require consistency and keen awareness of the second- and third-order implications of U.S. policy choices. Progress would likely require greater bilateral and regional cooperation on related issues, such as North Korea's reliance on cyberattacks, illegal ship-to-ship transfers and other illicit revenue streams, and humanitarian challenges.
North Korea's 'Business as Usual' Missile Provocations
October 14, 2021
Policy Analys
North Korea in recent weeks has revved up its cycle of missile provocations—its go-to method of securing leverage against the United States and South Korea in the on-again off-again nuclear negotiations. On September 11, it launched a long-range cruise missile described as a “strategic weapon of great significance”—implying a nuclear component. Less than a week later, Pyongyang test-fired a short-range ballistic missile from a railcar platform. On September 28, North Korea launched a hypersonic missile, yet another “strategic weapon.” The regime also introduced a “missile fuel ampoule,” a capability that allows missiles to be pre-fueled in the factory then stored in a ready-to-launch state for years. Finally, on September 30, the regime test-fired an anti-aircraft missile and boasted of new technologies, including a twin-rudder control and a double-impulse flight engine.
This represents business as usual from Kim Jong-un. That's not to downplay the gravity of the North Korea conundrum, but to point out that the same factors consistently drive Kim's pursuit of these weapons capabilities.
Self-preservation is high on the list. The Kim regime underscores the defensive nature of its nuclear weapons and missile programs. Most recently, North Korea's permanent representative to the United Nations, Kim Song, proclaimed his country's “righteous right [to] self-defense” to develop, test, and produce new weapons, citing the U.S. and South Korean military alliance, Washington's “hostile policy” toward Pyongyang, and the U.S.-ROK joint military exercises “leveled at the DPRK.”
North Korea has the fourth-largest military in the world. On the Korean Peninsula, the Korean People's Army (KPA) outnumbers the U.S. and South Korean forces combined. And yet the KPA is substantially outclassed in terms of technology and logistics, still operating with inferior, decades-old Chinese and Russian equipment. Its major training exercises and massive parades of weapons and troops serve primarily as propaganda for the domestic population and to signal threats to adversaries. But North Korea's military may be ill-prepared should tensions ever escalate into an armed confrontation.
The regime's investment in nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs is an attempt to offset that capabilities imbalance. By increasing potential costs to the United States and South Korea of escalating tensions, Pyongyang makes it more difficult for the United States to carry out a preemptive strike against the North and enhances the Kim regime's survivability.
The recent spate of weapons tests is also intended to test the U.S. and South Korean governments' resolve. The Biden administration, while indicating it will take a different approach to North Korea than the Trump administration did, has stopped short of issuing any policy specifics. The Kim regime may be trying to provoke the Biden administration to articulate its own “red lines,” which will help Pyongyang determine its next short-term moves.
By increasing potential costs to the U.S. and South Korea of escalating tensions, Pyongyang makes it more difficult for the U.S. to carry out a preemptive strike against the North and enhances the Kim regime's survivability.
The North is also keenly aware that South Korean President Moon Jae-in's term is ending and has used that to its advantage. By dangling the prospect of inter-Korean peace and reconciliation, it has motivated the Moon administration to take a proactive and voluntary role in bridging the Washington-Pyongyang policy divide over the North's nuclear weapons program. For instance, Kim Yo-jong—Kim Jong-un's sister and advisor—lauded Moon's calls for an end-of-war declaration, calling it an “interesting and admirable” idea. Yet, the regime reminded Seoul that certain conditions would need to be fulfilled first, namely fixing Seoul's “double-dealing attitudes,” prejudice, and hostility. The North's restoration of inter-Korean communication lines—55 days after unilaterally suspending the channel in protest of the U.S.-ROK joint military exercises—can be seen as another “carrot” Pyongyang has laid out to entice the Moon administration in its remaining months in office.
Pyongyang's goading seems to have struck a chord among some officials in Seoul. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong in his pull-aside talks October 5 with Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the need for an end-of-war declaration as a “confidence-building measure” to engage the Kim regime. Chung on a separate occasion said that the time is ripe to consider easing sanctions on North Korea for the sake of engagement—despite the regime's ongoing nuclear development and missile testing. In a similar vein, Seoul's Unification Minister Lee In-young vowed to push for inter-Korean talks before the end of this year.
North Korea's saber-rattling could help it smoke out valuable information from the Biden administration, and it's not creating any setbacks with Seoul.
In other words, North Korea's saber-rattling could help it smoke out valuable information from the Biden administration, and it's not creating any setbacks with Seoul. So “business as usual” might be currently working for the regime.
This leads to a couple of takeaways. First, it underscores the consistency in Pyongyang's strategy and ultimate goals vis-à-vis the United States and South Korea. The regime likely sees its weapons capabilities as an effective deterrent against hypothetical U.S. attacks and a reliable tool to intimidate its regional neighbors.
At the same time, it's possible that North Korea's behavior has remained unchanged because it has not been commensurately and judiciously challenged by the United States, South Korea, or the international community. Unless Pyongyang perceives it will incur greater costs for its aggressions, it will likely continue to rely on nuclear weapons and missile development as its way of communicating with the outside world.
The North Korea problem may necessitate effective punitive measures such as sanctions, diplomatic rebuke, and a calling out of Kim Jong-un's defiant human rights violations. But it also may require consistency and keen awareness of the second- and third-order implications of U.S. policy choices. Progress would likely require greater bilateral and regional cooperation on related issues, such as North Korea's reliance on cyberattacks, illegal ship-to-ship transfers and other illicit revenue streams, and humanitarian challenges.
In just a few days, North Korea will be marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korea Workers' Party. It is possible that Pyongyang will use the occasion to demonstrate additional weapons capabilities to its watchful international audience. This practice, of course, will be “business as usual.” The important question is, How will the United States and South Korea choose to respond to another North Korean provocation?
Soo Kim is a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation and an adjunct instructor at American University. Her research interests include the Korean Peninsula, Russia, Indo-Pacific strategy, near-peer competition, decisionmaking, propaganda, and the intelligence community. She served as an analyst in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and also worked at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
This commentary originally appeared on Korea On Point on October 12, 2021. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
10. Pence calls on Biden to show ‘strength’ on North Korea and China
Soem would argue (and do) that the US has not been tough on north Korea since 2018. We have not effectively enforced snations in the previous or current administrations.
Pence calls on Biden to show ‘strength’ on North Korea and China
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday said the Biden administration should apply “maximum pressure” on North Korea but keep open the possibility of talks with its leader Kim Jong-un, replicating the approach President Trump used to engage the dictator.
“The truth is that weakness arouses evil,” Mr. Pence told dignitaries from South Korea and Japan at a virtual gathering Saturday. He also stressed that America must firmly stand up for allies across Asia in the face of China‘s growing assault on freedom, democracy and human rights.
The former vice president focused mainly on North Korea during a keynote speech hosted by “Think Tank 2022,” an initiative sponsored by The Washington Times Foundation and the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). This global nongovernmental organization operates in general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Mr. Pence also warned the Biden administration against reverting to so-called “Strategic Patience” on North Korea — a reference to years of waffling by the former Bush and Obama administrations. During their tenures, the Kim regime built up its nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) arsenals.
Mr. Pence credited the Trump administration with making historic progress on North Korea by declaring early on “that the era of strategic patience was over.”
“We brought a maximum pressure campaign from the outset of our administration and we proved that progress toward peace is possible when America is strong,” he said, asserting that in similar fashion to “historic” strides the Trump administration made on another front — the Abraham Accords in the Middle East — the approach on North Korea policy showed that “peace followed strength.”
“Few people imagined that they would see the leaders of the United States and North Korea sitting down to discuss peace,” Mr. Pence said. “But at the historic summit in Singapore, we showed it was possible, and nuclear testing in North Korea stopped.”
The 2018 Singapore and 2019 Hanoi summits ultimately failed to deliver an agreement for North Korea to relinquish its nuclear weapons arsenal, and talks have since stalled. But the Kim regime has held to a moratorium on nuclear and ICBM tests that Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump agreed to at the onset of the summits — even as Pyongyang carried out other, shorter-range missile tests and provocations over the past year.
“The strong stand taken by our administration, followed by the historic dialogue between President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un brought an end to that nuclear testing and to missiles that threaten to begin to resume today, creating destabilization on the peninsula, in the region and the world,” said Mr. Pence.
“With North Korea once again firing missiles, and working to expand its nuclear capabilities, I fervidly hope that the Biden administration displays the same strength of our administration, the strength the world needs, even while continuing to build on the progress we made toward peace,” he said.
North Korea has recently claimed to have successfully tested long-range cruise missiles. And, eye-opening images have purportedly shown the North Korean launch of short-range ballistic missiles from a rail car. The Biden administration has remained largely silent in the face of the provocations, which have rattled U.S. allies South Korea and Japan. Mr. Biden has maintained sanctions against Pyongyang but has not added to them. The administration has also gone forward with U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises, which have triggered threats of escalation from the Kim regime.
Mr. Pence criticized the administration’s security policy on other fronts, most notably concerning the deadly debacle surrounding the recent U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Still, he stressed that America retains its position as a world leader. “Let me assure you, despite the current American administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the American people remain absolutely committed to defending our allies in Asia and around the world,” the former vice president said. “America will always be freedom’s greatest champion, liberty’s greatest protector and the military of the United States will remain the greatest force for good the world has ever known.”
Organizers of “Think Tank 2022” have described it as a virtual think tank focused on solutions to major issues in Northeast Asia. Topics ranging from economics and trade to the role of China and the fate of the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Korea — a stretch of land that some have suggested as an ideal place for a fifth global United Nations office and a world peace park.
UPF co-founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon participated in an event officially launching “Think Tank 2022” in May. Mrs. Moon, the widow of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, is the leader of the Unification movement that grew from the Unification Church the Rev. Moon, a strident anti-communist, founded in 1954 — a year after the war between North and South Korea was frozen by a U.S.-backed armistice. Mrs. Moon and her late husband devoted their lives to the reunification of the Korean Peninsula and to the promotion of world peace. They founded The Washington Times in 1982.
Mr. Pence, who praised the work of Mrs. Moon during Saturday’s event, focused a portion of his remarks on the importance of dedication to faith. He cited the “encouragement of scripture” at one point. “Let us not become weary in doing good,” he said, “for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
In a roughly 30-minute speech, the former vice president also leveled sharp criticism at the communist government in China. He cited what he described as its human rights and trade abuses, the crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong, aggressive military maneuvers in the South China Sea and threats toward the island democracy of Taiwan.
Mr. Pence lamented what he described as Beijing’s general unwillingness to play a constructive and cooperative role with Washington on efforts to get North Korea to relinquish its nuclear weapons built over decades of violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions. China is a permanent member of the council.
“Now more than ever, the free nations of the world must call upon China to respect human rights, democratic principles, the freedom of navigation and do their part to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula,” he said.
Concerning Hong Kong, he highlighted the case of Jimmy Lai, the 73-year-old entrepreneur, activist and pro-democracy newspaper publisher currently jailed as part of Beijing’s increasing crackdown on what had prior to recent years been a flourishing democracy in the semi-autonomous city-state.
“America and our allies must also continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong,” Mr. Pence said.
“Beijing is continuing to seek to bring Hong Kong to heel and make it just like the rest of China,” he said. “The free world must demand justice for Jimmy Lai and all who are suffering for their commitment to democracy.”
About Taiwan, the former vice president said, “America and our allies in the region must also make it clear that we will stand with the people of Taiwan.”
“China is becoming more aggressive towards Taiwan with each passing day and even this week, China issued a new warning to foreign forces after 28 Chinese warplanes violated Taiwan’s air defense zone,” he said.
While Mr. Pence broadly credited the Biden administration with having “renewed our commitment to support Taiwan,” he stressed that “we cannot stand idle in the face of China‘s aggressive military maneuvers, lest Taiwan soon face the same fate as Hong Kong.”
He also said “freedom-loving nations of the world must demand that China come clean about the origins of the coronavirus.”
A ‘brighter future’
“Think Tank 2022” organizers say future events are expected to feature other high-level dignitaries. In May, the initiative’s launch featured David Beasley, the executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, the world’s largest humanitarian organization.
Saturday’s event featured panel discussions in which former high-level U.S., South Korean and Japanese diplomats exchanged views with Mr. Pence.
Japanese Diet member Yoichi Anami and Retired Vice-Admiral Yoji Koda, the former commander in chief of Japan‘s Maritime Self, were among the dignitaries on the Japanese panel. South Korean National Assembly member Won-shik Shin and former Deputy Minister of Unification for the government in Seoul Hyeong-seok Kim were among those on the South Korean panel.
The American panel featured former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; former Congressman Dan Burton; Christopher Hill, a former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; and Michael Jenkins, the president of UPF International and Chairman of The Washington Times Foundation.
Mr. Pence told the group that “despite the many challenges we face across Northeast Asia, I remain confident that a brighter future is on the horizon for the United States, for the Korean people, our allies in the region and for all who stand strong for freedom and security.”
“During our four years of service in the White House, we reaffirmed America’s commitment to support the Republic of Korea, Japan and all of our allies in the region,” he said. “Peace followed strength, and I believe the unwavering commitment to our common defense and our shared values is the surest pathway to the final and fully verified denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and to bringing about a peaceful unification of Korea within our lifetime.”
V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
