Quotes of the Day:
"There's a sense of desperation in Afghanistan because of the lack of funding and the fact that the U.S. only has a one-track military strategy. It doesn't have an economic and political game plan."
- Ahmed Rashid
“The quality of ideas seems to play a minor role in mass movement leadership. What counts is the arrogant gesture, the complete disregard of the opinion of others, the singlehanded defiance of the world.”
- Eric Hoffer, The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements
“If you accept a democratic system, this means that you are prepared to put up with those of its workings, legislative or administrative, with which you do not agree as well as with those that meet with your concurrence. This willingness to accept, in principle, the workings of a system based on the will of the majority, even when you yourself are in the minority, is simply the essence of democracy. Without it there could be no system of representative self-government at all. When you attempt to alter the workings of the system by means of violence or civil disobedience, this, it seems to me, can have only one of two implications; either you do not believe in democracy at all and consider that society ought to be governed by enlightened minorities such as the one to which you, of course, belong; or you consider that the present system is so imperfect that it is not truly representative, that it no longer serves adequately as a vehicle for the will of the majority, and that this leaves to the unsatisfied no adequate means of self-expression other than the primitive one of calling attention to themselves and their emotions by mass demonstrations and mass defiance of established authority.”
- George F. Kennan
1. Seoul's nuclear envoy to visit Washington for talks on N. Korea
2. Seoul, Washington expected to hold in-depth talks over humanitarian aid to Pyongyang
3. Of All Things, North Korea Tried to Buy Lexuses Last Year
4. Military sources peep indigenous nuclear submarine
5. Korea's contentious 'fake news' bill at crossroads
6. 'Escape from Mogadishu' becomes No. 1 hit movie this year
7. The advent of ‘K-tyranny’
8. (Korean) Air Force chief, U.S. space commander agree to form consultative body on space policy
9. Ethnic Chinese Leaving North Korea Sign Pledge Not to Return Through 2023
1. Seoul's nuclear envoy to visit Washington for talks on N. Korea
Excerpt:
During his trip, Noh plans to meet officials from the State Department, the White House National Security Council and others to follow up on discussions he had with Kim in Seoul, according to the ministry.
Seoul's nuclear envoy to visit Washington for talks on N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top nuclear envoy is set to depart for the United States on Sunday for talks on efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea, the foreign ministry said.
Noh Kyu-duk's four-day trip to Washington comes after his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim's visit to Seoul last week, during which the two discussed humanitarian aid to the North amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang's protest against military exercises between the South and the U.S.
During his trip, Noh plans to meet officials from the State Department, the White House National Security Council and others to follow up on discussions he had with Kim in Seoul, according to the ministry.
North Korea slammed the joint military exercise as the "most vivid expression of the U.S. hostile policy" toward the North and warned of a "serious security crisis."
The North did not take any military action against the South during the summertime joint exercise but remains unresponsive to the inter-Korean hotline calls via the liaison office and military channels.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
2. Seoul, Washington expected to hold in-depth talks over humanitarian aid to Pyongyang
We can plan all the humanitarian assistance we want. But will Kim Jong-un accept it? The ROK and the US care more about the Korean people living in the north than he does.
Excerpt:
"The government has had a series of in-depth consultations with the Joe Biden administration to resume nuclear talks between North Korea and the U.S. as soon as possible. During the trip, I plan to hold talks with U.S. representatives open-mindedly," Noh told reporters at Incheon International Airport.
Shin Beom-chul, director of the Center for Diplomacy and Security at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said that the government was likely seeking to discuss with the U.S. side how to map out humanitarian assistance to North Korea.
Seoul, Washington expected to hold in-depth talks over humanitarian aid to Pyongyang
Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, leaves Incheon International Airport, for the United States, Sunday, to meet officials of the State Department and the White House National Security Council. Yonhap
By Kang Seung-woo
South Korea's chief nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk's trip to the United States is raising speculation that Seoul and Washington are expected to discuss inter-Korean humanitarian projects in a more concrete way, according to diplomatic observers, Sunday.
In addition, the two sides may also share ideas on the U.S. offering partial sanctions relief, in exchange for North Korea's partial steps toward denuclearization.
Noh's four-day visit to Washington, D.C. is seen as carrying extra weight, given that it follows his American counterpart Sung Kim's official trip to Seoul last week. According to the foreign ministry, Noh plans to meet representatives from the State Department, the White House National Security Council and others, to follow up on discussions held with Kim here during his trip.
"The government has had a series of in-depth consultations with the Joe Biden administration to resume nuclear talks between North Korea and the U.S. as soon as possible. During the trip, I plan to hold talks with U.S. representatives open-mindedly," Noh told reporters at Incheon International Airport.
Shin Beom-chul, director of the Center for Diplomacy and Security at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said that the government was likely seeking to discuss with the U.S. side how to map out humanitarian assistance to North Korea.
During his visit to Seoul, the U.S. envoy said that the Biden administration was set to continue providing its support for inter-Korean humanitarian cooperation projects ― a step forward from its previous stance.
"As Sung Kim confirmed the U.S.'s commitment to South Korea's humanitarian aid to North Korea, Noh flew to the U.S. to determine the boundaries of that project," Shin said.
"With his discussion with Kim as a reference point, Noh is expected also to discuss the matters with officials from the White House and the State Department."
While in Seoul, asked about the possibility of the U.S. partially lifting its sanctions on Pyongyang in his interview with local broadcaster KBS, Sung Kim had said that the U.S. was willing to address the full range of issues and concerns.
"Given the opportunity, we will be able to make substantial progress," Kim had said.
Also, Shin said that there could be a more demanding issue that South Korea may be wanting to discuss with higher-ranking U.S. officials.
"South Korea and the U.S. could discuss what sanctions relief Seoul can offer to North Korea for dialogue in the event of North Korea showing that it is taking positive steps toward denuclearization," he added.
The U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS), published July 30, said that the Biden approach, "Appears to envision offering partial sanctions relief in exchange for partial steps toward denuclearization."
3. Of All Things, North Korea Tried to Buy Lexuses Last Year
And this just illustrates how much Kim Jong-un cares about the Korean people living in the north.
Of All Things, North Korea Tried to Buy Lexuses Last Year
Kim Jong-un is known to personally favor Lexus SUVs.
Despite its many struggles during the pandemic, the North Korean regime attempted to buy $1 million worth of Lexus SUVs in 2020, NK News reported, citing a forthcoming report from the United Nations Panel of Experts (PoE).
According to the report, “a Nanjing-based company was involved in efforts to supply Lexus LX570 SUVs to North Korea.” Any shipment of such cars would likely violate U.N. Security Council sanctions that disallow the importing of luxury items to North Korea.
Kim Jong-un is known to personally favor Lexus SUVs. Last August, he was photographed visiting a village that had suffered massive flooding and arrived in a Lexus SUV, the UPI reported at the time.
When that happened, Automotive Map reported that Kim had “done something few owners of a Lexus LX 570 do - gotten it dirty off-roading.” It also noted that the model was likely from the last few years, and described the LX 570 as “rather filthy.”
Back in 2019, the New York Times, with an assistant from the Center for Advanced Defense Studies, explored how Kim gets his hands on luxury cars, amid the sanctions and other challenges.
“When looking at the dictator’s high-profile public appearances, it would be difficult not to notice that they all share something in common: Mercedes. Mercedes. Rolls-Royce and more Mercedes,” the Times said.
Among the cars Kim owns is a “bulletproof” Mercedes, a specific model which is “primarily marketed to world leaders.” The current SUV that transports the U.S. president, known as “The Beast,” is a Cadillac.
The cars, per the Times, follow a “circuitous network of ports,” which include the use of a “ghost ship” owned by a Russian businessman.
“ The first part of the journey looks like a regular shipment. Nothing out of the ordinary. The cars are on two of the containers on this ship. From here, they’re transported on a major international shipping line,” the Times said. "After a forty-one-day journey, the cars arrive in China. We track them to the port of Dalian. From here, the cars are shipped to Japan, and from there they are sent in yet another ship to another port in Busan, South Korea. And here, the Russian-owned ship at the center of our investigation enters the picture. It picks up the containers and when it leaves the port, mysteriously vanishes, turning off its required transponder. Eighteen days later, the ship reappears, but now the cars are gone. And instead, it’s carrying coal.”
The owner of the “ghost ship,” a Russian who has been accused of evading sanctions in the past, admitted to the newspaper that he had purchased the cars.
Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
Image: Reuters.
4. Military sources peep indigenous nuclear submarine
I think this is a mistake and a waste of resources and probably political capital as well.
Sunday
August 29, 2021
Military sources peep indigenous nuclear submarine
A first-batch Jang Bogo-class submarine built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering is launched on Nov. 10, 2020. [YONHAP]
Expectations are rising that the Korean military will announce the development of an indigenous nuclear submarine within the year, according to military sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
According to one source, military authorities submitted a required operational capability (ROC) assessment in the first quarter of this year regarding the possibility of developing a third batch of Jang Bogo-class submarines.
In the ROC assessment, the future Jang Bogo-class submarine is envisaged as being a 4,000-ton nuclear-powered submarine, whose tonnage would exceed 5,000 tons once crew and armaments are loaded.
The submarine would also be able to carry 10 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
Information obtained by the JoongAng Ilbo further specified that the submarine would be 100 meters (328 feet) long and be able to maintain speeds over 25 knots, or 28.5 miles per hour, underwater.
Current incarnations of the Jang Bogo-class submarine employ diesel or electricity. While their use of an air-independent propulsion system (AIP) enables them to remain submerged for several days at a time, this is not as long as those of nuclear-powered submarines, which can remain underwater for up to 90 days.
The military source explained that they decided to develop a nuclear-powered version of the Jang Bogo-class submarine after assessing the need to carry out underwater surveillance on North Korea and other neighboring countries with speed and stealth without the need to re-surface and refuel constantly.
In their white paper on defense strategy for the near future (2021-25), military authorities previously refused to comment on the likelihood of developing a nuclear-powered submarine, only saying that the third batch of Jang Bogo-class submarines would displace 4,000 tons and that “it would not be appropriate to comment on their fuel source at the current stage.”
A government source with knowledge of defense development plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the JoongAng Ilbo, “Development of a light aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine is the most important weapons project in the eyes of the Moon Jae-in administration.
“While development of a light aircraft carrier is proceeding, nuclear-powered submarines remain a sensitive issue and are thus being pursued under the surface.”
The current design for the indigenous nuclear-powered submarine is a teardrop-shaped hull that gets more narrow as it moves toward a pointed stern.
Submersibles with this shape encounter less resistance underwater, allowing them to move more quickly and silently. The U.S. Navy's L.A.-class and Virginia-class nuclear submarines also have teardrop-shaped hulls.
Another government source said, “Overall, the [third batch of Jang Bogo-class submarines] will be developed to possess the same advantages of the L.A.-class, Virginia-class and French Schiff-class submarines.”
The Korean Navy currently deploys six SLBMs on board the Dosan Anchang, the first submarine of the Jang Bogo-class. The SLBM is an improved version of the Army's short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), the Hyunmoo-2B, which has a maximum range of 500 kilometers (311 miles).
The SLBMs deployed on the third batch of Jang Bogo-class of submarines are more likely to be a larger, heavier and longer-range version of missiles than the Hyunmoo-2B.
BY MICHAEL LEE, LEE CHUL-JAE, PARK YONG-HAN [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
5. Korea's contentious 'fake news' bill at crossroads
The best thing to do is to stop this bill from being passed.
Korea's contentious 'fake news' bill at crossroads
Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks during a rally to protest the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's revision bill to the Act on Press Arbitration, held in front of the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Wednesday. Yonhap
Ruling party set to pass 'draconian' media reform bill on Monday
By Jung Da-min
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) controversial bill aimed at increasing punitive damages on media outlets producing "fake news" is at a crossroads, as it has been facing strong backlash not just from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) but also from civic groups and journalists of both domestic and international media outlets.
The DPK initially planned to pass the bill at a plenary session of the National Assembly last Wednesday, but the plenary session has been pushed back to Aug. 30 due to a procedural problem. The Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee approved the revision bill to the Act on Press Arbitration early Wednesday morning but a bill can only be introduced in a plenary session at least one day after the judiciary committee's passage of it.
The DPK and the PPP have since agreed to hold the plenary session Monday, but the parties were still running in parallel over the issue. The PPP was planning to attempt a filibuster to block the vote on the bill, but even if the filibuster succeeds, the DPK which holds a majority of National Assembly seats can still pass the bill after it is introduced in the regular Assembly session, scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
Amid escalating criticism on the DPK trying to "silence" critical reporting and suppress press freedom, the DPK is reportedly considering participating in a social consensus body as proposed by five local media organizations, to discuss and reach an agreement over details of the so-called faked news bill.
"We have briefly exchanged opinions over the phone with the media organizations about what topics to discuss at the consensus body," a high-ranking DPK official told Yonhap News, Sunday.
Rep. Kim Yong-min, head of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's taskforce of media reform, speaks during a press conference for foreign journalists to explain the party's revision bill to the Act on Press Arbitration, held at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, last Friday. Yonhap
The official added that the party was still deciding whether it would accept the media organization's proposal to create such a consensus body, although the DPK members believe the scope of the press arbitration act which media organizations want to discuss was "too wide." The party leadership was still considering discussing the matter with the media organizations.
If the DPK decides to participate in the social consensus body on the press arbitration act, the passage of the revision bill is expected to be delayed for a considerable period of time.
The DPK members are divided over the issue, with some saying the bill should be passed at the Aug. 30 plenary session, while others call for more social discussion before bringing the bill to a plenary session so as not to lose public trust in the party.
Adding to controversies over the bill were different stances of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the DPK over the matter of applying the punitive damages to foreign media here.
While the ministry believes that foreign media are not subject to the fake news bill, Rep. Kim Yong-min, head of the DPK's taskforce of media reform, said in a press conference held to explain the bill to foreign journalists last Friday said he believed foreign media were also subject to the bill.
Rep. Hong jun-pyo, a presidential contender of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks during his one-person demonstration in front of Cheong Wa Dae, Sunday, over the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's railroading its revision bill on the Act on Press Arbitration. Joint Press CorpsRep. Kim Gi-hyeon, floor leader of the PPP, said at a press conference on the matter that it would be unfair to domestic media outlets if the bill only targets them according to the ministry's interpretation of the bill.
"It seems that the ruling bloc was afraid of criticism from global society, and that's why the ministry said foreign media are not subject to the bill, but applying the bill only to domestic media is also a farce," Kim said.
So far, a number of international media organizations have shown concerns over the DPK's fake news bill, including the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club (SFCC). They said they support local media organizations' protest against the bill, expressing concerns that the bill would undermine freedom of expression.
The PPP floor leader also said his party was ready to stage a filibuster to put a stop to the bill, adding that it has secured enough participants for the political tactic to continue until the end of the month.
6. 'Escape from Mogadishu' becomes No. 1 hit movie this year
Still not on streaming services. I hope they are preparing this for transmission into north Korea. The Korean people living in the north will be very interested in this.
'Escape from Mogadishu' becomes No. 1 hit movie this year
Director Ryu Seung-wan, top left, and the cast of the film, "Escape from Mogadishu," pose with handwritten thank you notes to fans, after the film surpassed the three-million ticket sales mark on Sunday. Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-soo
"Escape from Mogadishu," an action blockbuster by director Ryu Seung-wan, has become the most-viewed film this year to date, its distributor said Sunday.
The film posted over three million ticket purchases as of Sunday, on the 33rd day of its release, according to Lotte Entertainment. It outnumbered the previous No. 1, "Black Widow," released in July, which garnered around 2.95 million ticket sales.
To celebrate this record, Ryu and the cast, including Kim Yoon-seok, Zo In-sung, Huh Joon-ho, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim So-jin and Jeong Man-sik, thanked fans for their support in photos of each actor holding a "thank you" note.
Based on a true story, "Escape from Mogadishu" follows stranded South Korean and North Korea embassy workers who join forces to escape Somalia during the civil war in 1991.
Meanwhile, "Hostage: Missing Celebrity," starring Hwang Jung-min, has topped the local weekend box office during its first two weeks of release, according to data from the Korean Film Council. It has sold over 1 million tickets since its release on Aug. 18.
In the film, Hwang plays an abducted actor himself who tries to escape assailants using his wits, along with acting and combat skills he learned in acting school.
7. The advent of ‘K-tyranny’
An interesting critique of South Korean democracy.
Excerpts:
Then, why can it be branded as a “dictatorship” even as the government is an elected power not having engaged in any sorts of torture on its political enemies as in the past? Dictatorship also evolves — toward a more sophisticated form. In July 2018, The Economist pointed out that the Democracy Index, a snapshot of the state of world democracy compiled by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), continued to fall in 89 countries since the 2008 global financial crisis. (Meanwhile, the index rose in 27 countries.)
The magazine discovered four distinct steps toward the regression of democracy.
First, at times of a national crisis, voters cast their ballots to a leader who promises to recover it. (As we saw in the election of Moon Jae-in as president in 2017 after the impeachment and ouster of President Park Geun-hye over her abuse of power and corruption scandal).
Second, a head of state elected this way endlessly creates — and attacks — imaginary enemies. (Just think of the ‘deep-rooted evils’ and ‘localized pro-Japanese forces’ Moon defined as our archenemies.)
Third, such a leader attempts to oppress or neutralize independent institutions — a major stumbling block to their tyranny. (Just as Moon did with the judiciary, the prosecution and the Board of Audit and Inspection).
Finally, such state leaders make it difficult for their people to expel them from power by controlling the press to manipulate public opinion or by amending election laws. (Just think of the ruling Democratic Party (DP)’s railroading of the draconian Media Arbitration Act or of the DP’s unilateral passage of the weird election law based on unheard-of proportional representation and satellite party systems.
Sunday
August 29, 2021
The advent of ‘K-tyranny’
Choi Min-woo
The author is a political news editor of the JoongAng Ilbo.
President Moon Jae-in proudly staged the “K-venture” event at the Blue House Thursday. A day earlier, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Hong Nam-ki said he was convinced that “the K-testbed will play the role as a catalyst to boost the vitality of our economy.” Under the Moon administration, the letter “K” is omnipresent, as clearly seen in “K-quarantine,” “K-vaccine” or “K-whatever.”
The “K,” signifying Korea, was a prefix praising Korea’s global competitiveness, as in K-pop, K-food, and K-beauty, for instance. But the Moon administration degraded “K” by using it everywhere whether it be a state-led project or government-run business. The self-proclaimed progressive government instead methodically hided all the shadows behind its K-whatever. We call it “K-dictatorship.”
Then, why can it be branded as a “dictatorship” even as the government is an elected power not having engaged in any sorts of torture on its political enemies as in the past? Dictatorship also evolves — toward a more sophisticated form. In July 2018, The Economist pointed out that the Democracy Index, a snapshot of the state of world democracy compiled by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), continued to fall in 89 countries since the 2008 global financial crisis. (Meanwhile, the index rose in 27 countries.)
The magazine discovered four distinct steps toward the regression of democracy.
First, at times of a national crisis, voters cast their ballots to a leader who promises to recover it. (As we saw in the election of Moon Jae-in as president in 2017 after the impeachment and ouster of President Park Geun-hye over her abuse of power and corruption scandal).
Second, a head of state elected this way endlessly creates — and attacks — imaginary enemies. (Just think of the ‘deep-rooted evils’ and ‘localized pro-Japanese forces’ Moon defined as our archenemies.)
Third, such a leader attempts to oppress or neutralize independent institutions — a major stumbling block to their tyranny. (Just as Moon did with the judiciary, the prosecution and the Board of Audit and Inspection).
Finally, such state leaders make it difficult for their people to expel them from power by controlling the press to manipulate public opinion or by amending election laws. (Just think of the ruling Democratic Party (DP)’s railroading of the draconian Media Arbitration Act or of the DP’s unilateral passage of the weird election law based on unheard-of proportional representation and satellite party systems.
What eerie similarities there are with The Economist’s description of a new type of dictatorship! In a sharp analysis, the prestigious magazine concluded that such a government assumes characteristics of democracy until the third stage, but can hardly be defined as a democracy when it reaches the fourth stage. The stringent Media Arbitration Act the DP prepared to pass through a full session of the National Assembly on Monday could be the final chapter of the soft Fascism of the K-dictatorship.
The ramifications of K-tyranny are far-reaching. Since the implementation of the toughest-ever regulations on our jeonse (long-term deposit) system and monthly rent from July last year, rent prices for apartments in Seoul and the capital area have soared by 25.7 percent, more than eight times the annual average of 3.1 percent in the three years shortly before the law took effect. Despite the backfiring of such rigorous regulations-focused approach, no DP lawmaker has apologized yet.
What matters more than money is a deepening distrust between landlords and tenants. Under the previous jeonse system — Korea’s uniquely rental system — landlords could take advantage of the money in lump sum for their needs while tenants could live in a relatively decent home without having to pay rents each month. But after the government put a 5 percent cap on the rate of rent hikes, fierce disputes took place between landlords and tenants over and over. The two groups have nearly turned into enemies. Another bill being pushed by the DP to enforce the installation of CCTV cameras in surgery rooms is also based on the assumption that doctors cannot be trusted.
The same applies to the government’s abrupt decision to force banks to stop offering mortgage loans to home buyers and stop loans for rent. If the government really wanted to stably maintain the ratio of household debt to overall debts, it should have talked with commercial banks pre-emptively. Instead, it suddenly invoked its financial authority to step in to control the skyrocketing real estate prices. In the face of deepening pains of tenants and landlords, officialdom is sitting on its hand. Bureaucrats only care their boss’s reaction, not the people.
In his book “How Democracies Die,” Steven Levitsky, a professor of government at Harvard University, argued that elected tyrants destroy the substance of democracy while keeping its style. After the prosecution was nearly deprived of its investigative authority in the government’s crusade for prosecution reform, what’s left now to put the brakes on the sitting power is only the opposition People Power Party (PPP), whose seats are less than a half the DP’s, and the press. The DP even threatens to disband the press by passing the harshest-ever media bill today.
If the press — once dubbed a “fourth branch of government” — is tamed following the legislative, executive and judiciary branches, the next target will be the unfettered social media. When that day comes, pro-government pundits like Kim Ou-joon, an outspoken liberal critic, will see a brave new world. China — a country infamous for its systemic media censorship and control — is not a distant future for Korea. Even when we finally take masks off our face, we may have to continue shutting our mouth for a while.
8. (Korean) Air Force chief, U.S. space commander agree to form consultative body on space policy
Air Force chief, U.S. space commander agree to form consultative body on space policy | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho has signed a deal with the chief of the U.S. space operations and agreed to form a joint consultative body on space policy to strengthen cooperation, his office said Sunday.
During his visit to the Air Force Space Command in Colorado, Park signed a memorandum of understanding with Gen. John Raymond on the formation of a joint space policy consultative body on Friday (U.S. time), becoming official partners in space security cooperation.
The Air Force plans to further boost cooperation with the U.S. space force, including exchanging information, through the consultative body.
Park also held a bilateral meeting with the command chief, Gen. James Dickinson, and agreed to strengthen partnership on sharing information on space surveillance, as well as improving joint space operations capabilities, such as missile defense.
He plans to fly to Hawaii for a meeting with air force commanders in the Pacific from 19 nations to explore ways to boost regional security and ensure peace, the military said.
(END)
9. Ethnic Chinese Leaving North Korea Sign Pledge Not to Return Through 2023
Excerpts:
Pyongyang has not allowed foreign arrivals into North Korea since January 2020, Cho said, adding that the body of a North Korean trade worker who died in the Chinese border city of Dandong is rumored to still be kept in a freezer at Dandong Hospital.
“The Hwagyos have now left for China, but I don’t think they’ll be able to come back to North Korea until the pandemic ends,” he said. “It is highly probable that the Hwagyos recognized this, and have left the country only after promising not to return.”
Ethnic Chinese Leaving North Korea Sign Pledge Not to Return Through 2023
The North Korea-China border may remain closed for some time, analysts in Seoul say.
Ethnic Chinese stranded in North Korea when the border was closed last year amid coronavirus concerns have been allowed by Pyongyang to return home, but only after promising not to return to the reclusive country before the end of 2023, sources say.
The closure of the Sino-North Korean border and suspension of all travel and trade at the beginning of the pandemic in January 2020 has devastated a North Korean economy highly dependent on China. Commerce has dried up, factories lay idle for lack of raw materials, and food prices have jumped sharply as shortages mount.
The ethnic Chinese, called “Hwagyo” in Korean, were authorized to leave for China on July 14, and quickly departed the country, but were made to sign documents pledging not to come back, a source living in China recently told RFA’s Korean Service.
“When the Hwagyos came out of North Korea, they signed promises that they would not re-enter North Korea through the end of 2023,” RFA’s source said, citing information learned from a conversation with one of those who returned, and speaking on condition of anonymity.
Many ethnic Chinese traveled regularly to and from North Korea on business before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and were left out of work and cut off from their families when the border closed, the source said.
Stranded in North Korea, the Hwagyos were unable to receive living expenses from their relatives in China or even to attend family members’ funerals, he said.
“So they asked North Korean authorities for permission to leave, and the authorities allowed them to do so on the condition that they not come back to North Korea for a certain period of time,” the source said.
In July RFA’s Korean Service reported that in previous months three ethnic Chinese in the North Korean cities of Wonsan and Chongjin had died of starvation under the heavy coronavirus restrictions.
Border may remain closed
The North Korea-China border may remain closed for some time, as the situation with the spread of COVID-19 in China has not improved, analysts in Seoul say.
“There was a rumor that the border would be opened in August, but I think the possibility was always very low,” said Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of National Unification, based in Seoul.
“North Korea may still be feeling a sense of crisis as the recent situation in China regarding the novel coronavirus has been unstable,” he said.
Pyongyang has not allowed foreign arrivals into North Korea since January 2020, Cho said, adding that the body of a North Korean trade worker who died in the Chinese border city of Dandong is rumored to still be kept in a freezer at Dandong Hospital.
“The Hwagyos have now left for China, but I don’t think they’ll be able to come back to North Korea until the pandemic ends,” he said. “It is highly probable that the Hwagyos recognized this, and have left the country only after promising not to return.”
Resumption of trade under review
Also speaking to RFA, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said that plans for a resumption of trade between the two countries are under constant review, with North Korea maintaining quarantine facilities in the border cities of Sinuiju and Uiju and the seaport of Nampo, and adopting a Law on the Disinfection of Imports.
No progress has made yet toward actually opening the border, though, a Ministry official said.
“We are closely monitoring the trends along the border, but there has been no change so far,” the official said, adding that some goods—mainly fertilizers and farming equipment not banned by international sanctions—are being delivered by sea, but that nothing has been seen coming across by land.
The several thousand Chinese residents of North Korea are not recent immigrants from the People’s Republic of China. Most entered the Korean peninsula at a time when the Republic of China (ROC) controlled the Chinese mainland or during the Chinese Civil War (1927-1949).
RFA reported in mid-July that about 90 Hwagyo arrived by bus in the Chinese border city of Dandong, after crossing the Yalu River from North Korea’s Sinuiju.
Reported by Yong Jae Mok for RFA’s Korean Service. Translated by Jinha Shin. Written in English by Richard Finney.
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.
