Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

 “The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.”
- Bertrand Russell, 1935

"The simplest truths often meet the sternest resistance and are slowest in getting general acceptance. " 
- Frederick Douglass

"In science novelty emerges only with difficulty, manifested by resistance, against a background provided by expectation."
-Thomas Kuhn


1. Ri Yong-gil may be North's defense minister
2. North Korea cites sanctions as obstacles to meeting U.N. development goals
3. Nearly Half of North Korea's Population Is Undernourished
4. North Korea Takes UN Hypocrisy to New Heights
5. N.K. media denounces Japan's wartime sexual slavery as war crime with 'no statute of limitations'
6. Tunnel discovery at the DMZ, a monumental achievement by the Far East District
7. Outgoing acting U.S. ambassador says he takes pride in decadeslong service in Korea affairs
8. NSC checks progress in U.S. military base return projects
9. Border-area Army base accounts for most US military COVID-19 cases in South Korea
10. Ri Pyong-chol fired by Kim for negligence
11. South Korea Seeks to Move Up Its Spot in Global Space Race
12. 'Work from home vulnerable to North Korea's cyberattacks'
13. North Hamgyong Province residents receive a week's worth of rice provisions
14. Mongolia and the Korea Conflict
15. North Koreans with COVID-19 symptoms are dying after being released from quarantine facilities
16. Kim Jong-un holidays on luxury party boat as North Koreans face famine and Covid


1. Ri Yong-gil may be North's defense minister
For the nK leadership experts to assess. Inaccurate it looks like another very evil man has been elevated in Kim's inner circle.

Excerpts:

The European Union (EU) in March put Ri Yong-gil, then the North’s social security minister, on a list of North Korean intelligence and public security officials slapped with sanctions for violating human rights by committing torture and sexual assault, among other crimes.
 
However, the South Korean official added, “While various circumstances suggest Ri has been appointed defense minister, we will watch for official confirmation, such as the North Korean media referring to him as defense minister.”
 

Thursday
July 15, 2021
Ri Yong-gil may be North's defense minister

Ri Yong-gil
North Korea is believed to have named former Minister of Social Security Ri Yong-gil as defense minister, removing Kim Jong-gwan from the post, according to a South Korean government source on Thursday.
 
The appointment follows the dismissal of Ri Pyong-chol, vice chairman of the North’s Central Military Commission and a standing member of the Politburo Presidium, after criticism by Kim Jong-un on June 29.
 
“Judging from Ri’s placement and military attire during the [party leadership’s] visit to Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the 27th anniversary of Kim Il Sung's death on July 8, it is highly likely that he was appointed to the [defense minister] post.”
 
Kim visit to the palace – a mausoleum for his grandfather Kim Il Sung and father Kim Jong-il – with an entourage of high-ranking officials from the North’s party and military leadership was closely scrutinized for any changes in the positions of officials who usually stand close to Kim.
 
Ri Pyong-chol, who usually wears a military uniform on such occasions and is normally placed next to Kim in the front row, was spotted in the third row wearing a black Mao suit.
 
The European Union (EU) in March put Ri Yong-gil, then the North’s social security minister, on a list of North Korean intelligence and public security officials slapped with sanctions for violating human rights by committing torture and sexual assault, among other crimes.
 
However, the South Korean official added, “While various circumstances suggest Ri has been appointed defense minister, we will watch for official confirmation, such as the North Korean media referring to him as defense minister.”
 
The apparent appointment of Ri is yet another change among high-ranking North Korean party and military officials following a meeting of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party Politburo on June 29, where Kim reprimanded party members for “negligence of their official duties” and demoted Ri Pyong-chol from his presidium post and General Park Jong-chon from his position as marshal and the North’s military chief of staff.
 
Kim is believed to have blamed Ri for delays to the installation of sanitization and quarantine facilities at Uiju Airport near the Sino-North Korean border.
 
The airport is reportedly central to the regime’s plans to facilitate the entry of Chinese aid and restart trade while keeping Covid-19 at bay.
 
Although South Korean news agency Yonhap reported in February 2016 that Ri Yong-gil had been executed on charges of corruption and forming a political faction, North Korean state media announced during a May 2016 Workers’ Party Congress that Ri had been appointed a member of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers’ Party, as well as its Central Military Commission.  
 

BY MICHAEL LEE, JEONG YONG-SOO [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]




2.  North Korea cites sanctions as obstacles to meeting U.N. development goals
The regime continues to try to shape the information environment to be able to demand sanctions relief.

I wonder if Ambassador Kim can look at himself in the mirror. He must have had a lot of practice to be able to make these statements while keeping a straight face.

Excerpts:
North Korea's ambassador to the U.N., Kim Song, said Tuesday at a videoconference hosted by the U.N.'s Economic and Social Council that Pyongyang was committed to U.N. goals.
North Korea "is the people-centered socialist state," the ambassador said, according to Voice of America's Korean service.
"My country's people-first principle is the only lodestar in the state's building and its activities," he said.
Hanna Song, director of international cooperation at Database Center for North Korean Human Rights in Seoul, said at the virtual conference that the Kim Jong Un regime "continues to sustain systemic discrimination at all levels of society."

North Korea cites sanctions as obstacles to meeting U.N. development goals
By Elizabeth Shim flip.it2 min

Typhoons and floods prevented North Korea from reaching grain production goals, according to Pyongyang in its Voluntary National Review submitted to the United Nations on Tuesday. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
July 14 (UPI) -- North Korea's grain production reached a 10-year low in 2018 and international embargoes are to blame for ongoing problems, Pyongyang said in its first Voluntary National Review submitted to the United Nations on Tuesday.
North Korea's chairman of the State Planning Commission, Pak Jong Gun, said in the 66-page report to the U.N. that the country's grain shortage has persisted for years due to "continued sanctions and blockade on [North Korea], severe natural disasters that hit the country every year and the protracted world health crisis since 2020."
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The report said typhoons and floods occurred annually from 2016 to 2020, but that Pyongyang responded effectively with "material resources for rehabilitation," including building 37,000 homes "distributed free of charge."
Pyongyang also said innovations in "scientific farming" enabled the country to produce a maximum of 6.65 million tons of food in 2019, "the highest yield during the last 10 years."
"However, due to the natural disasters by consecutive typhoon and floods, the production was reduced to 5.52 million tons in 2020," the report said.
North Korea is disclosing data on its economy to cite alleged progress aligned with the U.N.'s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Pyongyang said in its report that it recognized that the 2030 Agenda "conforms to the national development policy for building a powerful socialist country."
North Korea's ambassador to the U.N., Kim Song, said Tuesday at a videoconference hosted by the U.N.'s Economic and Social Council that Pyongyang was committed to U.N. goals.
North Korea "is the people-centered socialist state," the ambassador said, according to Voice of America's Korean service.
"My country's people-first principle is the only lodestar in the state's building and its activities," he said.
Hanna Song, director of international cooperation at Database Center for North Korean Human Rights in Seoul, said at the virtual conference that the Kim Jong Un regime "continues to sustain systemic discrimination at all levels of society."
North Korea claimed in its report Tuesday that "mental and physical violence" against women and other vulnerable groups are not an issue.



3. Nearly Half of North Korea's Population Is Undernourished

Excerpts:
North Korea has remained a nation on the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s) list of food-deficit countries that is in need of external aid. It faces a shortage of around 860,000 tons of food this year, equivalent to approximately 2.3 months’ worth of food for the nation.
“If this gap is not adequately covered through commercial imports and/or food aid, households could experience a harsh lean period from August to October, when the 2021 main season grain crops are expected to be available for consumption,” the UN report warned.
This potential famine that North Korea is facing could be set apart from the other mass starvations that other communist nations had suffered through – its leaders are already seeing the potential disaster that is unfolding and not trying to cover it up or even ignore it. At a key party meeting last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un admitted the country was facing “tense” food shortages and said that resolving the issue was a “top priority.”

Nearly Half of North Korea's Population Is Undernourished
19fortyfive.com · by ByPeter Suciu · July 14, 2021
Across the world food shortage remains a serious problem. While many Americans are facing higher prices on everything from eggs to meat, and items like non-traditional Oreos have been hard to come by – for others the problem is far more serious. Food insecurity continues to be a problem for many Americans as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, even as there is actually an abundance of items available.
The story is very different worldwide, however. In South Africa and Cubaprotesters have taken to the streets over food shortages and high prices, even resulting in violent riots and clashes with police.
Yet, the problem is even more serious than in North Korea. A new United Nations report released on Tuesday found that last year forty-two percent of the country’s citizens were undernourished. As many as 10.9 million people in the Hermit Kingdom were undernourished from 2018 to 2020 according to the findings of the report, which was jointly published by five UN agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Program, and the World Health Organization.
The percentage is the sixth-highest in the world after Somalia, the Central African Republic, Haiti, Yemen, and Madagascar.
North Korea, which has become even more isolated as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic that began last year, has reached a level that borders on paranoia – dropping out of the Tokyo Olympics and abandoning the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, citing coronavirus concerns. As The Diplomat reported last month, Pyongyang’s level of trade with China – its closest foreign partner – plummeted by eighty to ninety percent last year, and that is impacting the availability of basic goods.
Even local embassies have reported that buying such basic goods as pasta, flour, vegetable oil, and sugar has been a challenge, while clothing and footwear are also in short supply.
The problem is further compounded by the fact that the World Food Program (WFP) had suspended its work in North Korea as food imports were cut off, so even if North Korea were to request food aid – which is unlikely – a distribution system would have to be set up from scratch. That wouldn’t be easy.
Famine in Communism: An All Too Familiar Story
Famine and starvation have gone hand-in-hand with communist states, where it is sometimes bad planning but also sometimes a way to control the people. Millions died of starvation during the “Holodomor” – the Terror Famine – in Ukraine under Soviet rule in 1932-33. Today, it is even recognized by Ukraine and other nations as a genocide of the Ukrainian people carried out by the Soviet government under Joseph Stalin to eliminate any independence movement in the region. Tens of millions of people starved to death in the People’s Republic of China during its “Great Leap Forward,” while hundreds of thousands died in Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge took control.
So great was the Great Leap Forward that it has been labeled “the greatest manmade disaster in history,” and a debate remains whether Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong should be seen as guilty of criminal irresponsibility or just incredibly ignorant to the plight of his people.
How Big Is The Food Gap in North Korea?
North Korea has remained a nation on the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s) list of food-deficit countries that is in need of external aid. It faces a shortage of around 860,000 tons of food this year, equivalent to approximately 2.3 months’ worth of food for the nation.
“If this gap is not adequately covered through commercial imports and/or food aid, households could experience a harsh lean period from August to October, when the 2021 main season grain crops are expected to be available for consumption,” the UN report warned.
This potential famine that North Korea is facing could be set apart from the other mass starvations that other communist nations had suffered through – its leaders are already seeing the potential disaster that is unfolding and not trying to cover it up or even ignore it. At a key party meeting last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un admitted the country was facing “tense” food shortages and said that resolving the issue was a “top priority.”
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.
19fortyfive.com · by ByPeter Suciu · July 14, 2021


4.  North Korea Takes UN Hypocrisy to New Heights

Excellent. It is good to see Human Rights Watch call out Kim Jong-un. NGOS and other human rights organizations need to call out Kim Jong-un and those who act as apologists for the regime should take note. The suffering of the Korea n people in the north is caused by Kim Jong-un and his deliberate policy decision.


North Korea Takes UN Hypocrisy to New Heights
Pyongyang Blames Problems on Everything but Own Abusive Policies
hrw.org · by Lina Yoon Senior Researcher, Asia Division @linayp @linayp · July 14, 2021
Visitors pay homage to the late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il ahead of the 27th anniversary of the death of Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 7, 2021. © 2021 Cha Song Ho/AP Photo
Hypocrisy is commonplace at the United Nations. Delegates routinely stand at UN podiums and blame everyone and everything but their own governments for their countries’ problems. North Korea took this practice to new level on Tuesday at a High Level Political Forum on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
North Korea is “a people centered socialist state” that provides free housing and universal health care and is meeting UN development goals, according to its presentation. The forum’s process allows for states to decide on the format for their presentations, so no questions were asked about the North Korean government’s systemic use of forced labor, pervasive poverty, or UN reporting on the country’s atrocious human rights record. North Korean officials allowed only a single country to pose questions: Cuba.
The reality is that the North Koreans who build the country’s supposedly “free” housing are not paid. Many are forced to work temporarily on construction projects, unless they pay a bribe. Other workers include detainees or people forced to work on paramilitary hard labor brigades for up to 10 years without pay. Construction materials are often obtained by government demands from citizens in the form of “portrayals of loyalty” or are paid by future owners.
As for the “universal healthcare system,” several former North Korean health workers and patients have reported that most doctors, nurses, and other health workers receive no salaries from the government: patients pay them directly for their services and buy their own medicines and medical supplies.
The government did acknowledge the country’s increasingly poor economic situation but blamed it entirely on “continued sanctions” and “natural disaster and a world health crisis,” as well as last year’s typhoons and floods. But reported new shortages of agricultural supplies like fertilizer or farming machinery, not to mention food and household supplies, appear to be due mainly to the government’s stringent border closure in 2020, which went well beyond Covid-19-related restrictions.
Whatever the impact of other factors, the government is ultimately responsible for the country’s dire economic situation. If Pyongyang were genuinely concerned with advancing its development goals, it could begin by engaging with the UN and other governments about an economic reform agenda that was grounded in respect for basic human rights. It would not only adopt core UN human rights treaties, but also take them seriously. Hoping North Korea’s leadership would take such a path is admittedly utopian, but it is a more hopeful utopia than the one the North Korean government believes it has already achieved.


5. N.K. media denounces Japan's wartime sexual slavery as war crime with 'no statute of limitations'

The regime is on a roll with its criticism and blame.

N.K. media denounces Japan's wartime sexual slavery as war crime with 'no statute of limitations' | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 고병준 · July 15, 2021
SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's official news agency on Thursday slammed Japan over its wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women, calling it a "war crime to which no statute of limitations is applicable."
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) also criticized Japan's denial of relevant evidence at a recent U.N. session as an "intolerable" and "shameful" act that makes a mockery of "justice" and "human conscience."
"At the 47th Session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, the Japanese representative contended it was an ungrounded story that the imperial Japanese army forcibly drafted 'comfort women' during the Second World War," the KCNA said.
"Japan's behavior is an intolerable and shameful act and a mockery of and challenge to justice and human conscience," it added. "Japan must know that war crimes must be punished and, especially, a sexual violation of women is a war crime to which no statute of limitations is applicable."
The KCNA demanded Japan "sincerely" apologize for its past wrongdoings and settle related issues, instead of trying to avoid its "undeniable" crime.
North Korea has long demanded Japan's apology and compensation for its colonial-era atrocities during its 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
Historians have said around 200,000 Asian women, mostly Koreans, were forcibly sent to front-line brothels to provide sex services for Japanese soldiers during World War II.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 고병준 · July 15, 2021


6. Tunnel discovery at the DMZ, a monumental achievement by the Far East District

I recall working with the TNT on the DMZ in the 1980s. One ice cold winter night one of our patrols heard noises underground. That was one of the PIR for patrols. They reported the noises and the TNT was called in. Of course the patrol had to remain in place in the brutal winter to provide security while they dug down to try to determine the source of the noise. After some hours they assessed what the patrol heard was the cracking of ice in an underground water source and not the digging of a north Korean tunnel. 

Tunnel discovery at the DMZ, a monumental achievement by the Far East District
korea.stripes.com · July 15, 2021

Photographed is the third tunnel, which was discovered on Oct. 17, 1978. (ROK Defense Newspaper Archives)
by Chong Yun Kim
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Far East District
July 15, 2021

Between the 1960s-1980s, North Korea dug tunnels under the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in an attempt to conduct a surprise invasion of South Korea from underground.
The first tunnel was discovered in 1974 by a South Korean Army patrol that witnessed steam rising from the ground and heard underground explosions. Based on intelligence reports, Republic of Korea (ROK) forces searched for more suspected tunnels in the area around Cholwon, near the center of the DMZ, hiring a Korean mineral firm to conduct the drilling. However, after sixty-nine boreholes, no additional tunnels were found.
In late 1974, knowing of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Far East District’s (FED) expertise in high-precision drilling for water wells, the ROK made a formal request for the District’s assistance.
Since 1965, FED has employed a drilling program for water wells on U.S. military installations across Korea.
Following the request for assistance, the District began preparations to drill near the DMZ. By March 1975, FED established a Precision Borehole Drilling Unit and dispatched drill crews to the DMZ. The teams worked in three shifts; eight hours each, twenty-four hours a day.
After twelve days of intensive drilling, 155 feet below the ground, one of the drills hit a void.
The District had discovered a second tunnel. The passage was 4 feet high by 3 feet wide and could have accommodated up to 30,000 troops an hour.
Following the discovery of the second tunnel, Eighth Army established a Tunnel Neutralization
Team (TNT) that FED assisted through technical and logistical support.


“The FED drilling teams worked along the entire length of the DMZ to locate additional tunnels,” said Kim Se-kon, who participated in the DMZ Tunnel Neutralization Team (TNT) drilling as a senior geologist for FED.
At the time, a North Korean defector reported that there was a tunnel in the DMZ, after which excavation work was carried out near the Armistice village of Panmunjom.
“It was hard to locate the exact point since the point looking from the north was different from the point looking from the south. But by chance, on June 10, 1978, an explosion was detected in an old abandoned borehole, from what was apparently a faulty dynamite charge planted years earlier. Immediately, the FED drilling team carried out reverse tunnel excavation work in the surrounding area, and on October 17, the 3rd tunnel was discovered 15 meters ahead of the tunnel end where the team was previously working.”
The tunnel was located 2 kilometers from the United Nations Forces Forward Base, which supported the Military Armistice Commission in the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom. Furthermore, it was the closest tunnel to Seoul out of all the North Korean tunnels in history. This fact caused significant shock and uproar at the time of discovery.
According to Kim, about 10 FED employees received commendations from the ROK Minister of Defense for their discovery of the tunnel. The District continued to support tunnel neutralization efforts until the 1990s, when the ROK took over the activity entirely.
Kim majored in geology at Yonsei University and began working for FED in 1977. He retired in 2017 after 40 years of service.
“I just did what I had to do, and I am honored to be involved in such meaningful work. It was a long time ago, so there are not many records left, and it is being forgotten, but I want people to remember that the FED employees made a great contribution to the discovery of the tunnels,” said Kim.
Tunnel detection near the DMZ, a monumental task by any measure, remains one of the District’s more distinctive accomplishments, reflecting the expertise and professionalism of the Far East District and its workforce.



7. Outgoing acting U.S. ambassador says he takes pride in decadeslong service in Korea affairs

Thank you, Acting Ambassador Rapson, for your service to our nation and the alliance.
Outgoing acting U.S. ambassador says he takes pride in decadeslong service in Korea affairs | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 김승연 · July 15, 2021
SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- Acting U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Rob Rapson announced in a tweet Thursday that he was leaving the post and returning home this week.
"Farewell Seoul – It's been a great 36-year run for US-ROK relationship with more to come! Proud to have been a part of it, especially the last 6 months as CDA (charge d'Affaires)," his tweet read. He will return Friday.
ROK is the acronym for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.
Christopher Del Corso, current deputy chief of the mission at the embassy, will serve as the charge d'affaires ad interim, according to Rapson's tweet. The U.S. has yet to name the new ambassador to Seoul.
Rapson, previously the deputy chief of mission, took over as acting ambassador in early February after former Ambassador Harry Harris left the post following the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
Rapson has spent a considerable part of his career working in Korea. He first served in the U.S. Consulate in the second-largest city of Busan in 1984-86 and has worked as a deputy economic counselor at the embassy in Seoul in 1997-2000.
Back home, he also served as director of the Office of Korean Affairs at the State Department in 2012-15 and came to Seoul again as a minister and acting deputy chief of mission at the embassy in Seoul in 2015.

elly@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 김승연 · July 15, 2021


8. NSC checks progress in U.S. military base return projects

I do not think most people realize how bases the US once had in Korea. Of course they varied greatly in size.

Excerpt: "Among 80 bases that are supposed to be returned under the allies' accord, 68 have been done. Some of the units based in Yongsan are scheduled to be relocated to Humphreys within this year."

NSC checks progress in U.S. military base return projects | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이치동 · July 15, 2021
SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top security officials on Thursday reviewed the ongoing work for the return of U.S. military bases here, Cheong Wa Dae said.
During their weekly session of the National Security Council (NSC) standing committee, the officials reaffirmed the government's commitment to "actively" pushing for relevant procedures in close cooperation with the U.S. under a pair of agreements on base relocation -- Yongsan Relocation Plan (YRP) and Land Partnership Plan (LPP).
The YRP and LPP scheme requires the movement of U.S. Forces Korea units, including those in the Yongsan base in central Seoul, to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul.
Among 80 bases that are supposed to be returned under the allies' accord, 68 have been done. Some of the units based in Yongsan are scheduled to be relocated to Humphreys within this year.
The NSC officials also had discussions on measures related to the COVID-19 infections among several members of the country's Cheonghae unit operating off the coast of Africa.
Earlier in the day, President Moon Jae-in ordered the military to mobilize an aerial refueling and transport aircraft to swiftly provide them with necessary medical equipment and services.
The NSC meeting was chaired by Suh Hoon, director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae.

lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이치동 · July 15, 2021


9. Border-area Army base accounts for most US military COVID-19 cases in South Korea

Excerpts:
The 31 new patients, who tested positive between July 5 and 11, are from Camp Casey, a military outpost near the Demilitarized Zone on the border with North Korea.
They are among 58 people from U.S. Forces Korea who tested positive last week, marking the most infections reported by the command during the pandemic. The previous record from early this year was 42 cases recorded over a 12-day span.
Roughly 10,000 people, including retirees and South Korean employees, work at Camp Casey, over 90% of which have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to Denver Beaulieu-Hains, a spokeswoman for U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan-Casey.
In contrast, Camp Humphreys, which has over 32,000 people accessing the base daily, had one service member test positive last week. The base, 40 miles south of Seoul, the capital city, is the largest U.S. military installation overseas.
Camp Casey has not announced the vaccination statuses of those who recently tested positive.


Border-area Army base accounts for most US military COVID-19 cases in South Korea
Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · July 14, 2021
Vehicles line up to enter Camp Casey, South Korea, Feb. 26, 2020. (Amber Smith/U.S. Army)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — Thirty-one U.S. service members from a single Army base in South Korea tested positive for the coronavirus last week as the country reached a new record for daily infections.
The 31 new patients, who tested positive between July 5 and 11, are from Camp Casey, a military outpost near the Demilitarized Zone on the border with North Korea.
They are among 58 people from U.S. Forces Korea who tested positive last week, marking the most infections reported by the command during the pandemic. The previous record from early this year was 42 cases recorded over a 12-day span.
Roughly 10,000 people, including retirees and South Korean employees, work at Camp Casey, over 90% of which have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to Denver Beaulieu-Hains, a spokeswoman for U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan-Casey.
In contrast, Camp Humphreys, which has over 32,000 people accessing the base daily, had one service member test positive last week. The base, 40 miles south of Seoul, the capital city, is the largest U.S. military installation overseas.
Camp Casey has not announced the vaccination statuses of those who recently tested positive.
Base leaders did not attribute the recent rise of service member cases to a singular incident, Beaulieu-Hains told Stars and Stripes on Wednesday.
“We are taking an active approach to living our best lives, while we mitigate the spread of COVID,” she said in a statement.
“Our emphasis is to educate personnel that vaccination is only part of the solution, but discipline and social responsibility is key to our mitigation strategy,” she added. “The idea is to treat everyone as if they have COVID and to protect yourself, which in turn protects others.”
South Korea’s recent COVID-19 surge has continued to break records for more than a week. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 1,615 new patients Wednesday, the highest number of daily cases yet, bringing the nation’s total number of infections to 171,911.
Seoul, which recorded 638 new patients Wednesday, accounts for the majority of locally transmitted cases. The metropolitan area has imposed its highest level of social-distancing restrictions, clamping down on gatherings and tightening public transportation schedules.
South Korean health officials have also expressed concern over the virus’ highly transmissible delta variant, which accounted for 374 cases last week and surpassed the 162 cases of the alpha variant within the same period.
USFK has not publicly identified which variants its patients have become infected with.
Over 30% of South Korea’s population has received the first dose of the vaccine and nearly 12% have been fully inoculated, according to KDCA data published Wednesday.
Since the uptick of cases on the peninsula, USFK has reimplemented its policy of limiting nonessential travel.
Service members are banned from visiting Areas I and II, which includes the greater Seoul area, unless they are on official business. Masks are also required indoors on military installations, regardless of whether a person is vaccinated.
David Choi
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Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · July 14, 2021


10. Ri Pyong-chol fired by Kim for negligence

I wonder if he will be subject to some re-education to get his mind right!


Wednesday
July 14, 2021
Ri Pyong-chol fired by Kim for negligence

Satellite footage of Uiju Airport near the Sino-North Korean border, where delays in construction of planned sanitization and quarantine facilities reportedly resulted in the dismissal of Ri Pyong-chol from the North's Politburo Presidium. [GOOGLE EARTH]
 
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un fired Ri Pyong-chol, vice chairman of the North's Central Military Commission, from the Presidium of the Politburo Standing Committee last month after accusing him of neglecting his official duties.
 
The dismissal was noted by the official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), which described the shake-up as a change “to the party's strategic initiative, which was caught up in conservatism and passivism” but did not give a specific reason for the dismissal.
 
Last Thursday, state media published photographs of the North Korean leader at Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum of his grandfather and North Korea’s founder Kim Il Sung, on his annual visit to pay homage on the anniversary of the elder Kim’s death.
 
Ri’s demotion appeared confirmed by his appearance in the photos in a black Mao suit –- not his customary military uniform -– and his place in the third row, far back from his customary spot next to the North Korean leader.
 
According to investigative reporting by the JoongAng Ilbo, the dismissal of Ri was triggered by delays to construction work at Uiju Airport, which North Korea is building to facilitate trade and economic aid from China in the wake of the border shutdown between the two countries.
 
The airport is located 2.5 kilometers from the Sino-North Korean border and 8 kilometers from Sinuiju Station, where freight from China enters North Korea by rail.
 
A South Korean government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity explained, “North Korea, which closed its borders completely at the end of January last year, plans to equip the airport with quarantine and sanitization facilities in order to receive Chinese aid.”
 
Satellite imagery from March 17 showed the construction of new buildings next to the runway at Uiju Airport and the demolition of a aircraft storage facility used by the North Korean air force.
 
When Kim recently visited the airport, he was furious to discover that the project had fallen behind schedule, according to the official.
 
Speculation about Ri’s dismissal arose after Kim held an extended Politburo meeting on June 29 and berated officials in charge of implementing anti-epidemic measures for “neglecting their duties” and “creating a great crisis in efforts to ensure the security of the state and safety of the people.”
 
At the meeting, high-ranking party officials were dismissed and their replacements elected, including a member of the Presidium of the Politburo, but state media did not provide names.
 
The Politburo Presidium, which consists of Kim and four other members, is one of the most powerful political bodies in North Korea.
 
Footage aired by the North’s state television channel showed Ri with his head down and not participating in a vote at the Politburo meeting, heightening speculation that he had been stripped of his position.
 

BY MICHAEL LEE, JEONG YONG-SOO [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]


11. South Korea Seeks to Move Up Its Spot in Global Space Race

And more.

South Korea Seeks to Move Up Its Spot in Global Space Race
  • Seoul aims to lead 6G communications, science minister says
  •  Lim Hye-sook says in interview that new satellites are on tap
Bloomberg · by Jeong-Ho Lee · July 14, 2021
South Korea’s space program is set for a major boost with new satellites to keep it at the forefront of the 6G communications competition and more eyes in the sky for national security purposes, the science minister said.
Lim Hye-sook said this means launching multitasking satellites on home-grown rockets, and eventually a mission to the moon. “Space exploration will be the platform for new businesses,” Lim, who received her doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Texas, said in interview with Bloomberg this week.
WATCH: South Korea’s Science and ICT Minister Lim Hye-sook discusses the country’s advances in its space program.
(Source: Bloomberg)
South Korea saw limits removed on its rocket development earlier this year when the U.S. lifted restrictions in a bilateral agreement, which could help the country build more powerful rocket engines and quickly play catch-up in the commercial space business. U.S. President Joe Biden and President Moon Jae-in ended bilateral missile guideline in May that had long restricted Seoul’s development of missiles to under the range of 800 kilometers (500 miles).
One big test comes in October when South Korea plans to launch its three-stage Nuri rocket, a $1.8 billion project designed to put a 1.5-ton satellite into a orbit about 600 to 800 kms above the Earth. It would be a major advancement over its two-stage Naro space vehicle built with domestic and Russian technology that was hit by delays and two failed launches before a successful flight in 2013 -- carrying a 100-kilogram (220-pound) research satellite.
“The space industry is a cutting edge industry that’s based on intelligence, but also a crucial one for national strategy in terms of securing national security and public safety,” Lim said. She didn’t mention any specific country that may be watched from above but the military threat from North Korea has persisted since the Cold War, while a more aggressive China has raised concerns among some in Seoul.
South Korea may be a world leader in several tech sectors, but its space program lags behind that of neighbors China and Japan. North Korea has fired off intercontinental ballistic missiles and a rudimentary civilian rocket using ICBM technology that could be seen as exceeding what South Korea has launched so far.
South Korea has been pushing to fully activate its “425 Project” of high-resolution surveillance satellites as early as next year, which would have civilian and military applications to watch the Korean Peninsula including North Korea.
South Korea is planning to build its own satellite navigation system, as well as a 6G communications satellite network, Lim said, adding it plans to send a spaceship to the moon by 2030. South Korea has been aiming to send a probe there for more than a decade, and in May it joined NASA’s Artemis program, which plans to return humans to the lunar surface.
Lim also talked about plans to bolster the semiconductor industry, coronavirus research and heading to the moon in the interview.
Here are some highlights:
Semiconductors
“In the semiconductor industry for example, the memory chip sector is one where South Korea is the best in the world. However, we’re unable to secure an edge for the system semiconductor market. Securing an edge would be extremely helpful in securing a gateway to the world supply chain. ”
Digital New Deal
“We’re pushing for many South Koreans to be learning digital technology to lessen the impact of the digital divide, and we’re actively cultivating human resources regarding software and artificial intelligence. We have also opened our AI data to the public. We anticipate this would bring positive effects across all industries in Korea.”
Virus research center
“We’re looking forward to putting together the research conducted separately by universities and research institutes. We think it’ll take the role of a holistic support system for virus research support and the latest facilities for research.”
Artemis
“The most significant part is that Korea gets to participate in space exploration. We will make an effort to operate in a transparent and responsible way. We plan on expanding space exploration-related investment through joining the Artemis program and revising our system to work on the foundation for the private sector to lead in space exploration.”
Global positioning
“Should we have our own Korean satellite Global Positioning System, we will have an accurate and detailed positioning system. The reason we need this is for its precision that will be utilized by our new businesses and industries such as urban air-mobility, drones, and self-driving services.”
(Updates with additional quote.)
Bloomberg · by Jeong-Ho Lee · July 14, 2021



12. 'Work from home vulnerable to North Korea's cyberattacks'

A word of warning for all of us.

'Work from home vulnerable to North Korea's cyberattacks'
The Korea Times · July 15, 2021
Rep. Tae Yong-ho of the conservative main opposition People Power Party / Korea Times file By Kang Seung-woo

Rep. Tae Yong-ho of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) urged the government, Thursday, to review whether to allow employees of organizations dealing with important national secrets to work from home, claiming that their environments could be vulnerable to North Korea's cyber attacks.
"The increase in people working from home or working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic could be a golden opportunity for North Korea to extract confidential information from certain institutions," Tae wrote on Facebook.

His claim came after three major South Korean organizations fell victim to cyber attacks originating from North Korea in recent months. They include the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME).

The KAERI is a government-funded research institute in charge of developing nuclear technology, while KAI is the nation's sole aircraft manufacturer. DSME is a major shipbuilder specializing in the construction of submarines and other naval vessels.

Citing this recent series of hacking incidents, Tae, a former North Korean diplomat-turned-South Korean politician, said, "North Korean hackers are going all-out to steal the technology of our small nuclear reactors and missiles."
He added that some 6,000 hackers are attacking South Korean organizations every day in cyberspace.

The lawmaker also said that the separation of internal and external networks is imperative.

"These kinds of hacking incidents could have been prevented if the internal and external networks had been separated. However, some organizations are still connecting the two networks while staff are working at home," he said.
"Under the current circumstances, no matter how often passwords are changed and manpower and facilities are reinforced, North Korean hackers will penetrate their networks in the end."

Tae said that in North Korea, Pyongyang never allows the linking of internal and external networks at it most vital institutions. "Those who work for the foreign ministry or other organizations dealing with confidential information are not allowed to enter with their personal laptops or tablets."
The Korea Times · July 15, 2021



13. North Hamgyong Province residents receive a week's worth of rice provisions

Which they will probably make last for a month or two.

Another example of how the regime exerts political control over every aspect of Korean society. The inmindan controls food distribution.
“The government’s price for unglutinous rice is KPW 3,500, and for corn it’s KPW 1,500,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Unlike the past, they aren’t distributing the food through food ration centers attached to grain processing facilities. Instead, they are distributing ‘food tickets’ to families within each inminban through local people’s committees and then providing them with eight parts corn and two parts unglutinous rice – all depending, of course, on the size of the family.”

North Hamgyong Province residents receive a week's worth of rice provisions - Daily NK
Many locals are dissatisfied with only receiving a week's worth of food, despite it being sold for below market prices
By Jong So Yong - 2021.07.15 2:53pm
dailynk.com · July 15, 2021
North Hamgyong Province residents recently received provisions of food, Daily NK has learned. Discontent is apparently widespread, however, because the authorities have provided only a week’s worth of sustenance.
A source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Wednesday that as “market prices for rice climb to unprecedented levels with the closure of the border due to the coronavirus” and “locals clamor about food shortages,” the government began providing food to local residents from Monday “by releasing what little military stores of rice they had.”
In North Hamgyong Province, the authorities have been distributing a week’s worth of food per person since Monday morning, focusing on the densely populated provincial capital of Chongjin. Locals must pay to receive the food.
“The government’s price for unglutinous rice is KPW 3,500, and for corn it’s KPW 1,500,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Unlike the past, they aren’t distributing the food through food ration centers attached to grain processing facilities. Instead, they are distributing ‘food tickets’ to families within each inminban through local people’s committees and then providing them with eight parts corn and two parts unglutinous rice – all depending, of course, on the size of the family.”
A view of Chongjin. / Image: Daily NK
Accordingly, the price of rice in Chongjin — which had climbed as high as KPW 7,200 recently — fell to KPW 5,300, while corn prices fell from KPW 4,300 to KPW 3,500, the source said.
Though the authorities are selling the rice at below market prices, locals are reportedly quite dissatisfied with receiving only a week’s worth of food.
In fact, locals are denouncing the measure. “For the first time in our lives, we are receiving rice that could either be [government] rations or disaster relief – we don’t know which,” they say, according to the source. “But if they give us only a week’s worth of staple grains – and we’re not talking about just seasonings here – all [the government] is telling us to do is just eke by.”
Many Chongjin residents say that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they lived so well on their business acumen and talents that they felt no envy toward people living in the Sino-North Korean border region, who are generally afforded better opportunities for cross-border trade. They complain, however, that despite the fact they have suffered greatly since the border was sealed, the state has provided them rations that amount to “bird feed.” Outraged, they are saying, “These rations apparently aim to assuage the people, but we don’t want them,” according to the source.
“If they open the border, Chongjin residents could confidently obtain three months’ worth of food from Chinese traders and sell it off in three days in the town square,” some members of the donju, the country’s wealthy entrepreneurial class, are saying, according to the source. “The state can’t do a thing and is simply making the people feel insecure. If the state can’t do anything, it should just sit back and get out of the way.”
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
dailynk.com · July 15, 2021
14. Mongolia and the Korea Conflict

Maybe 5 party talks would be useful - ROK, nK, PRC, US, and Mongolia since Mongolia is the only country with cordial relations with all. Perhaps negotiations could be held in a Yurt in Mongolia.

Excerpts:
In recent decades, the art of using soft power has been enshrined in Mongolia’s foreign policy and via its cordial diplomatic relationships. Pursuing a pacifist foreign policy, Mongolia has sought an “open, independent, multi-pillared” foreign policy and is pursuing a “Third Neighbor” policy in global relations, emphasizing the development of diplomatic ties with both the West and East on pragmatic grounds.
Under this concept, Mongolia has enjoyed positive relations with a cluster of advanced democracies and global institutions including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the U.N., the World Trade Organization, and ASEAN, all while maintaining its strategic relations with its two great power neighbors, China and Russia. Furthermore, Mongolia has declared its territory a nuclear-weapon-free zone and has striven to formalize its nuclear-weapon-free status. These efforts have helped establish Mongolia’s reputation as an honest and dependable broker committed to regional nuclear non-proliferation.
Mongolia’s expansion of its mediator profile may not have been achievable without a cordial diplomatic record; its amicable relations with both Koreas have allowed its efforts to mediate as a third-party country to come to fruition. In a rare feat, Mongolia has gained North Korea’s trust. The two countries’ historic ties, dating back to 1948 and based on their shared communist ideology, have remained solid, despite Mongolia’s transition to democratic government and a liberalized economy. Mongolia may serve as a window to the outside world for North Korea, providing an opportunity for economic development by learning from its experience.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Seoul in 1990, Mongolia has also maintained close relations with South Korea. Today, as part of Ulaanbaatar’s Third Neighbor policy, relations with Seoul have evolved into comprehensive partnerships in several fields, including politics, economics, and culture. Politically, the two nations have sought greater diplomatic engagement by hosting an annual ministerial meeting to exchange foreign policy perspectives, including discussions regarding Ulaanbaatar’s support for the Korean Peninsula peace process.



Mongolia and the Korea Conflict
Mongolia’s mediating role in the Korean Peninsula has emphasized the significance of small states’ soft power in global diplomacy.
thediplomat.com · by Shinae Hong · July 15, 2021
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Joseph Nye’s notion of “soft power” has untapped potential for understanding the power of so-called small states, which can significantly contribute to peace mediation in the global policy arena by marshaling their soft diplomatic power. In this vein, Mongolia’s diplomatic mediation efforts on the Korean Peninsula, facilitated through its multilateral peace activist foreign policy and its cordial relations with all of the parties involved, have the potential to broaden its foreign policy reach in regional affairs.
‘Soft Power’: Bringing Warmth to a Frozen Conflict
North Korea’s nuclear ambitions have, in recent years, shaken the precarious stability established by the 1953 Armistice between the two Koreas. The growing tensions on the peninsula evoke power struggles between big powers such as the United States, China, Japan, and Russia, historical adversaries with direct strategic interests in revisiting the Korean conflict. The region remains trapped in the logic of obstinate realpolitik.
Since the early 1990s, major powers have engaged in “hard power” mediation initiatives, employing a primarily carrot-and-stick approach that incorporates elements including financial assistance, humanitarian aid, and economic sanctions. However, these efforts have so far failed to resolve the Korean conflict. This suggests that hard power approaches may not be the best foreign policy solution for frozen conflicts, and they have proven to be especially ineffective in changing the “hearts and minds” of policymakers in conflicting states.
Many observers were surprised when Mongolia quietly revived declining multilateral engagement with North Korea following the gradual breakdown of the Six-Party Talks, which were held intermittently beginning in 2003. Notably, Mongolia’s mediating role has emphasized the significance of small states’ “soft power” in global diplomacy.
In 2014, Mongolia’s then-President Elbegdorj Tsakhia established a new dialogue venue in Ulaanbaatar to facilitate a breakthrough on the Korean issue. The conference type was track two, with diplomats from the Six-Party states invited as well as academics.
The conference aimed to increase trust and confidence among the various parties while decreasing tension and hostility on the Korean peninsula. The Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security (UBD), as it is widely known, has aided high-ranking officials in developing mutual understanding and in reestablishing working relations. Social interactions at events and meals, undertaken as part of the UBD initiative, have helped to soften hardline positions on sensitive security issues. The dialog has also included non-security issues such as economics, energy, infrastructure, humanitarian issues, and the inclusion of youth in peacebuilding initiatives.
The number of participants attending the UBD has grown over time, as has its influence. The UBD has now firmly established itself as a stable multilateral security dialogue mechanism in which North Korea has consistently participated.
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Mongolia’s Soft-Power Assets
Mongolia is a small state, with an annual GDP of just $13.84 billion, but has a rapidly growing economy. In 1990, it underwent a remarkable political transformation, from communism to holding democratic elections, without reverting to authoritarianism or political backlash, unlike in other emerging Sino-centric Asian countries. Mongolia’s successful sociopolitical transition was not novel. The roots of Mongolian soft power can be traced back to the Great Yassa (Mongol Empire law) and the cosmopolitan Mongolian identity that developed in the Central Asian steppe (c.1280–1360), when nomadic Mongols secured “Pax Mongolica” hegemony over much of Eurasia.
Today, Mongolia is an advanced democracy with a firmly established market economy that has a reputation for diplomatic mediation and peacekeeping operations. Mongolia’s regional peacemaker role may reflect its desire for renewed global prestige.
In recent decades, the art of using soft power has been enshrined in Mongolia’s foreign policy and via its cordial diplomatic relationships. Pursuing a pacifist foreign policy, Mongolia has sought an “open, independent, multi-pillared” foreign policy and is pursuing a “Third Neighbor” policy in global relations, emphasizing the development of diplomatic ties with both the West and East on pragmatic grounds.
Under this concept, Mongolia has enjoyed positive relations with a cluster of advanced democracies and global institutions including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the U.N., the World Trade Organization, and ASEAN, all while maintaining its strategic relations with its two great power neighbors, China and Russia. Furthermore, Mongolia has declared its territory a nuclear-weapon-free zone and has striven to formalize its nuclear-weapon-free status. These efforts have helped establish Mongolia’s reputation as an honest and dependable broker committed to regional nuclear non-proliferation.
Mongolia’s expansion of its mediator profile may not have been achievable without a cordial diplomatic record; its amicable relations with both Koreas have allowed its efforts to mediate as a third-party country to come to fruition. In a rare feat, Mongolia has gained North Korea’s trust. The two countries’ historic ties, dating back to 1948 and based on their shared communist ideology, have remained solid, despite Mongolia’s transition to democratic government and a liberalized economy. Mongolia may serve as a window to the outside world for North Korea, providing an opportunity for economic development by learning from its experience.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Seoul in 1990, Mongolia has also maintained close relations with South Korea. Today, as part of Ulaanbaatar’s Third Neighbor policy, relations with Seoul have evolved into comprehensive partnerships in several fields, including politics, economics, and culture. Politically, the two nations have sought greater diplomatic engagement by hosting an annual ministerial meeting to exchange foreign policy perspectives, including discussions regarding Ulaanbaatar’s support for the Korean Peninsula peace process.
In economic terms, South Korea was Mongolia’s fourth-largest trading partner in 2019, with bilateral trade volume totaling $266 million. Culturally, Mongolia remains one of the top tourist destinations for Koreans, while South Korea is the preferred immigration destination for Mongolians. It hosts the largest proportion of the Mongolian diaspora abroad, amounting to around 48,185 people in 2019, including 7,381 students.
Mongolia’s diplomatic achievements have demonstrated how small states can use soft power to enhance their foreign policy influence. The country has emerged as a key player in Northeast Asia over the last decade by employing soft power via its multilateral peace activist foreign policy and amicable diplomatic relations with key regional actors and powers beyond. Mongolia’s soft diplomatic mediation efforts through the UBD have thawed a frozen conflict, particularly with North Korea, offering a path to peace. Mongolia has quietly worked to revive the Korean Peninsula’s declining security dialogue, fostering regional cooperation among parties and raising its own profile as a foreign policy actor in the process.
This article is based on the findings of a research paper published in The Pacific Review; an international relations journal covering the interactions of the countries of the Asia-Pacific. The Pacific Review has a particular interest in how the region is defined and organized, and covers transnational political, security, military, economic, and cultural exchanges in seeking greater understanding of the region.
thediplomat.com · by Shinae Hong · July 15, 2021


15. North Koreans with COVID-19 symptoms are dying after being released from quarantine facilities

Another example of how the north's poor medical system cannot keep up. And it is also an example of the inhumanity of the Kim family regime.

Excerpts:
According to a weekly report issued by the World Health Organization on Tuesday, North Korean authorities self-reported that they have conducted COVID-19 tests on 32,512 citizens as of June 1, with all the tests returning negative.
Daily NK understands that when people released from state quarantine facilities die, local security officials quickly dispose of the bodies under strict disease control protocols.
The source claims that nobody — not even family members — is allowed near the bodies, which are quickly cremated.
When someone dies while in these quarantine facilities, family members and friends generally believe COVID-19 is the culprit. Daily NK understands, however, that nobody makes open mention of the coronavirus due to fears of punishment by the authorities.
Around half of the individuals in these quarantine facilities are eventually released, though the situation reportedly differs from facility to facility.
“About 50% of the people who enter the facilities die, while 50% return home. But this doesn’t mean they were released because their symptoms disappeared,” said the source. “Some were released because their symptoms slightly improved or because they bribed their way out despite their symptoms, and that is why even people who are discharged [from the facilities] continue to die.”


North Koreans with COVID-19 symptoms are dying after being released from quarantine facilities - Daily NK
“About 50% of the people who enter the facilities die, while 50% return home. But this doesn’t mean they were released because their symptoms disappeared,” a source told Daily NK

By Seulkee Jang - 2021.07.15 3:41pm
dailynk.com · July 15, 2021
North Korean authorities continue to claim the country has had no confirmed cases of COVID-19, yet evidence is mounting that people with coronavirus symptoms are dying after being released from state quarantine facilities.
According to a Daily NK source in North Korea on Tuesday, about 10% of the people who were released from state quarantine facilities in South Pyongan Province after their symptoms improved have subsequently died.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the percentage was revealed through a quiet investigation conducted by the authorities, and that there are large regional variations in the death rate among the released given the fact that the number of quarantined individuals differs from region to region.
North Korean authorities have reportedly established state quarantine facilities to hold people suspected of COVID-19 infections in each province of the country.
Pyongyang is the exception, however, due to a policy barring the “revolutionary capital” from having coronavirus-related facilities. Nonetheless, a quarantine facility has reportedly been created in the port city of Nampo, which is close to Pyongyang and through which a great deal of the country’s trade with China is conducted.
Within North Korea, these facilities are reportedly called “State Quarantine Facilities for Suspected [COVID-19] Cases.”
Disease control officials testing drivers for COVID-19 symptoms in Pyongyang’s Manggyongdae District. / Image: Rodong Sinmun
It remains unconfirmed just how many people with suspected cases of COVID-19 are quarantined in the state facilities. However, each facility is reportedly holding anywhere from 50 to more than 1,000 individuals.
North Korean authorities are ordering people with fevers of 37.5 degrees or higher to quarantine at home for 15 days. If they continue to have a fever after that period, they are placed in the state quarantine facilities. Given that people may bribe their way out of forced stays in the facilities, the actual number of people with COVID-19 symptoms is presumably much higher.
According to a weekly report issued by the World Health Organization on Tuesday, North Korean authorities self-reported that they have conducted COVID-19 tests on 32,512 citizens as of June 1, with all the tests returning negative.
Daily NK understands that when people released from state quarantine facilities die, local security officials quickly dispose of the bodies under strict disease control protocols.
The source claims that nobody — not even family members — is allowed near the bodies, which are quickly cremated.
When someone dies while in these quarantine facilities, family members and friends generally believe COVID-19 is the culprit. Daily NK understands, however, that nobody makes open mention of the coronavirus due to fears of punishment by the authorities.
Around half of the individuals in these quarantine facilities are eventually released, though the situation reportedly differs from facility to facility.
“About 50% of the people who enter the facilities die, while 50% return home. But this doesn’t mean they were released because their symptoms disappeared,” said the source. “Some were released because their symptoms slightly improved or because they bribed their way out despite their symptoms, and that is why even people who are discharged [from the facilities] continue to die.”
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
dailynk.com · July 15, 2021


16. Kim Jong-un holidays on luxury party boat as North Koreans face famine and Covid

If accurate this would not be a surprise.  Kim's 260ft pleasure barge could double as a quarantine or isolation facility too! (note sarcasm)

Kim Jong-un holidays on luxury party boat as North Koreans face famine and Covid
dailystar.co.uk · by Michael Moran · July 14, 2021
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un appears to be living the high life while his Hermit Kingdom battles the twin perils of Covid-19 and food shortages.
The dictator has retreated to his secure compound near the Wonsan naval base on the country’s eastern coast.
There, Kim’s lavish private estate features its own train station, a basketball court, and a dock for the dictator’s 260ft party boat which boasts an Olympic-sized pool with two twisting waterslides.
The dock area is also littered with smaller boats and jet-skis for use by the dictator and his entourage.
The formerly tubby tyrant sparked concerns last time he appeared in public, shedding up to three stone according to South Korea's National Intelligence Service.

Satellite photos reveal the details of the luxury compound (Image: Google Earth)
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South Korean MP Kim Byeong-kee, a member of the government intelligence committee, quoted the agency as saying that "Kim Jong Un recently lost around 10 to 20 kilograms of weight, and is conducting normal governance activities”.
Kim is known to be a heavy smoker and has spent a lot of his life obese with his weight increasing steadily for a number of years.
South Korea's intelligence unit claimed he reached 22 stone in 2020, having stacked on around a stone per year since coming to power in 2011.
But meanwhile, the North Korean people are starving.

Kim's 260ft pleasure barge has undergone a series of upgrades over the years (Image: Google Earth)
Last week, the Pyongyang government admitted to a United Nations committee that food production dropped to its lowest ever level in 2018 due to “natural disasters and weak resilience, insufficient farming materials and low level of mechanisation.”
While the North Korean government rarely admits its problems, Kim appeared in North Korean state media last month and confessed that the “food situation is now getting tense.”
The Pyongyang government blames many of North Korea’s on UN Security Council sanctions put in place to discourage the North Koreans from developing nuclear weapons.
The “main obstacles to the government’s efforts to achieve the sustainable development of the country,” according to the report submitted to the UN, include the “continued sanctions and blockade on the DPRK”.
dailystar.co.uk · by Michael Moran · July 14, 2021








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

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

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

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

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