Quotes of the Day:
"Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough."
- Emily Dickinson
"Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious."
- Stephen Hawking
"Only the educated are free."
- Epictetus
1. U.S. defense bill for 2022 may not ensure minimal troops in Korea
2. UN criticizes Korean ruling party's push for 'fake news' bill
3. September: An important month for inter-Korean relations
4. Google hits wall in Korea, says will comply with local rule
5. U.S. legislators hail South Korea’s move to curb Apple and Google’s app-store dominance
6. Gov't Delays Press Gag Bill as Int'l Pressure Mounts
7. Ministry of State Security arrests phone user in Hoeryong, exiling her family and confiscating her house
8. U.S. remains firmly committed to dialogue with N. Korea: S. Korean envoy
9. Gov't Calls for 'Humanitarian Aid' as N.Korea Restarts Nuclear Reactor
10. The Latest: North Korea proposes Sinovac shots go elsewhere
11. North Korea Ramps Up Nuclear Weapons Production
12. Kim Jong Un is slimmer than ever in new photos
13. Why is North Korea reheating its nuclear program?
14. North Korea and China vow to strengthen cooperation on their border
15. New Han River bridge opens in Seoul
1. U.S. defense bill for 2022 may not ensure minimal troops in Korea
I have been getting qpress queries about this. I think there are some in Korea who are now worried about this. The queries I received usually start off with the troop withdrawal restriction that was implemented during the Trump administration to prevent him from withdrawing troops from Korea which as we know was his stated desire.
First, This is only the HASC version. It has to go to the Senate and then to conference. So the Senate could add the troop restriction.
This caught me off guard and has me scratching my head. I believe the 22,000 number had been in an NDAA from a few years back. Is it perhaps a cut and paste mistake by the bill writers? Or is this intended to provide DOD with some flexibility that might be necessary to support the outcome of the global force policy review? Did DOD ask for this number? Do we intend to reduce troops on the Korean peninsula? I have heard no discussion of that (of course I would not if those discussions are classified). Does this provide flexibility to withdraw theAviation brigade if it can no longer conduct sufficient training to ensure its air crews remain qualified and meet certification standards?
I await the possible blowback from the Korean side.
As with the earlier reporting my thought was this would be to provide DOD with flexibility to implement the new Global Force Posture Review. My thought was that DOD could make small adjustments without having to certify to Congress a small change. However, with no restriction from Congress DOD can theoretically make any changes it deems necessary to support the Global Force Posture review. However, I think it is highly unlikely there will be any significant changes to the forces in Korea after the Global Force Posture Review is complete. Any adjustment to the US troop level should be in response to the questions of how do we optimize our force structure to deter north Korea and to assist South Korea in defending against a north Korean attack? That may require different forces and more or less based on the threat assessment and the campiang plans designed to address the threats.
As a coincidence this connects to the "peace legislation" from Congressman Brad Sherman that is working its way through. I do not think there is a deliberate connection but I worry that the result of the legislation there will eventually be calls among some in Congress for the reduction of US forces on the peninsula (and long term, the withdrawal). I am not worried about Biden withdrawing troops but I am now wondering if there are people in Congress who will eventually be emboldened by the "peace legislation" to call for US troop withdrawal. There are people in Congress who are influenced by Christine Ahn and her group which could be very dangerous for the alliance. The peace legislation actually supports Kim Jong-un's objectives and could be harmful to the national security of the ROK and to US interests. This is something we need to work on to prevent.
Wednesday
September 1, 2021
U.S. defense bill for 2022 may not ensure minimal troops in Korea
Members of the U.S. Armed Forces in Korea in training in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi, in June 2020. [THE EIGHTH U.S. ARMY]
The American defense budget bill for 2022 may not include a clause limiting the reduction of U.S. forces in Korea, which would be a first in years, according to the latest proposal put forward by the House Armed Services Committee.
Every year, the U.S. Congress passes the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to determine the funding for military activities under the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy.
The bills passed for fiscal years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 all included a clause limiting the use of defense funds to reduce the U.S. forces in Korea.
“None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act may be used to reduce the total number of members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty who are deployed to South Korea below 28,500,” reads the clause included in the bill for 2021.
Exceptions can be made, the bill states, only 90 days after the secretary of defense certifies to the congressional defense committees that such a reduction is in the national security interest of the United States and “will not significantly undermine the security of the United States and allies in the region.”
The bill for 2022 will go through several procedures, and different versions of it will be proposed until the bill is finalized for voting at the House and Senate.
The process is still in its early stages, with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith’s version of the bill released on Monday.
This version does not contain the limitation on the reduction of U.S. troops in Korea.
Clause in the National Defense Authorization Act 2021 about limitations on the use of funds appropriated by the act to reduce U.S. forces in Korea. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
When asked why, in a conversation with the Brookings Institute, a think-tank based in Washington, Rep. Smith on Tuesday said that “we don’t need it while President [Joe] Biden is in the White House,” adding that he agrees with a point the Brookings commentator made, that the bill contained the clause in previous years because former U.S. President Donald Trump often spoke of pulling out the forces from Korea.
“If we didn’t have the presence we have in South Korea, North Korea would have invaded a long time ago,” Smith said in the conversation with the Brookings. “Look at the economic and political freedom that has been developed in South Korea and look at the human conditions there versus the human conditions in North Korea. That should tell you everything you need to know about why we’re trying to deter those five groups that I keep mentioning.”
Earlier in the talk, Smith spoke of Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and trans-national terrorist groups as “our adversaries … [who] do not believe in economic and political freedom.”
Smith added that the current proposed version is not the final draft, and that amendments will follow, after which the clause restricting reduction of U.S. forces in Korea may be included.
Rep. Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, right, speaks with the Brookings Institute on Tuesday about the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2022. [SCREEN CAPTURE FROM BROOKINGS INSTITUTE'S YOUTUBE PAGE]
After the recent American pull-out of troops from Afghanistan, a decision for which was announced during the Trump administration, a number of experts in Korea raised questions on whether the United States might consider pulling out of other regions in the world, such as those around Asia. The largest American military bases in Asia are located in Japan and Korea.
The White House dismissed the concerns since, stating the U.S. has no intention of decreasing the forces in Korea or around Europe.
Korea’s nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk, who is in Washington on a visit to meet with his counterpart U.S. nuclear envoy Sung Kim, confirmed he was assured of U.S. priorities on Korea.
“In my visit I confirmed that the Joe Biden administration recognizes the urgency of the North Korean nuclear issue and is going to address it as a priority,” Noh told a group of Korean journalists based in Washington on Tuesday. “The United States remains firmly committed to a forward-looking, creative, flexible and open stance to resume dialogue with North Korea.”
The Biden administration has proposed dialogue with Pyongyang on several occasions since February through the North Korean mission to the United States, or the so-called New York channel. On visits to Seoul in July and again on Aug. 23, U.S. nuclear envoy Kim offered Pyongyang dialogue, “anytime, anywhere,” without conditions.
There are around 28,500 American troops in the country, for whose maintenance Seoul and Washington decided on a new defense cost-sharing deal, known as the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), in March.
According to the agreement, Korea will be paying 1.1833 trillion won ($1.021 billion) in 2021, an unprecedented 13.9 percent increase from the previous year. Seoul’s payment for 2020 was frozen at 1.0389 trillion won, the same as in 2019. The two countries’ previous deal expired at the end of December 2019.
The new SMA was ratified at the National Assembly on Tuesday.
2. UN criticizes Korean ruling party's push for 'fake news' bill
There is a lot of international criticism over this bill. I hope the National Assembly reconsiders.
UN criticizes Korean ruling party's push for 'fake news' bill
Representatives of seven media related organizations hold a press conference in front of the main building of the National Assembly, Monday, to protest the ruling party's push to revise a law to allow punitive damages on media outlets or reporters producing "fake news." The organizations view the bill as an attempt to prevent reports critical of those in positions of political and economic power. YonhapBy Jung Da-min
The U.N. human rights body has pointed out the Korean ruling bloc's push to revise the country's media law to heavily penalize "fake news" may be in violation of an international human rights law and seriously infringe on freedom of opinion and expression.
Irene Khan, a U.N. special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression, delivered an open letter to the Korean government regarding concerns over the revision bill to the Act on Press Arbitration, Aug. 27. The letter was made public on the website of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Wednesday (KST).
The letter has come while the government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are seeking to revise the law to impose punitive damages on media outlets and reporters that produce so-called "fake news." The DPK had planned to pass the bill at the National Assembly's plenary session on Aug. 30, but put it off to Sept. 27 due to strong resistance from the opposition bloc and civic groups.
In the letter, Khan said the revisions do not meet criteria to be a fair law, in terms of legality, necessity and proportionality. The U.N. special rapporteur said if the amendments are adopted at the National Assembly without further changes, they could severely restrict the rights to freedom of information and of expression of the media.
The U.N. rapporteur also reiterated the Korean government's obligation to respect and protect the rights to freedom of opinion and expression under article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), acceded to by the Korean government in April 1990.
A poster jointly made by seven media-related organizations ― Korean Association of Newspapers, Journalists Association of Korea, Korea News Editors' Association, Korea Journalists' Club, Kwanhun Club, Korea Internet Newspaper Association and Korea Woman Journalists Association ― to protest the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's push to revise a law allowing punitive damages on media outlets or reporters producing "fake news."
The organizations view the bill as an attempt to prevent reporting critical of those in political and economic power."Article 19 protects everyone's right to opinion without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers and through any media," the letter read. "In particular, I want to stress that, under international human rights law, the prohibition of false information is not in itself a legitimate aim to restrict freedom of expression. In effect, people have the right to express ill-founded opinions or statements and indulge in parody or satire if they so wish."
Khan said any limitation to disinformation must establish a close and concrete connection to the protection of one of the legitimate aims stated in ICCPR, such as respecting the rights and reputations of others and protecting national security, public order and public health or morals, but such a direct relationship seems absent in the law drafted by the DPK.
She also said there is a concern that reporters could self-censor what they write to avoid what she said are "excessive" punitive damages when they should be in a position to freely criticize powerful figures, especially at this politically critical time as the country's next presidential election is set to be held in March next year.
3. September: An important month for inter-Korean relations
Yes there is a lot going on in September and a number of anniversaries. While the north likes to use anniversaries as part of its strategy I do not recall the north using an anniversary for "positive" diplomacy. They are often sued for rhetorical and hostile statements against the US and/or ROK as well as provocations.
September: An important month for inter-Korean relations
North Koreans pay respect to statues of former North Korea leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang in this Sept. 9, 2019 photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. Sept. 9 is North Korea's Foundation Day. Yonhap
Events marking joint UN admission, North Korea foundation scheduled
By Nam Hyun-woo
This September will mark an important month for the Moon Jae-in administration, as it is making its final efforts to improve inter-Korean relations before the President's term ends in May.
A series of key events are scheduled, including the 30th anniversary of the simultaneous admission of South and North Korea into the United Nations on Sept. 18, and the third anniversary of the Sept. 19 Pyongyang Declaration, signed by Moon and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un.
These occasions may open opportunities for Moon to send another peace message toward the Kim regime and to expect corresponding responses.
On the other hand, there are chances for the Kim regime to showcase its military strength or heighten bellicose rhetoric in another series of key events, such as North Korea's Foundation Day on Sept. 9 or the Supreme People's Assembly on Sept. 28.
According to Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday, the presidential office has yet to make a decision on Moon's visit to the U.N. headquarters in New York, for the U.N. General Assembly's General Debate that will start on Sept. 21.
During his New Year speech in January, Moon stressed that this year marks the 30th anniversary of both Koreas' admission into the U.N. and that "the two Koreas should prove together that the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula can be a help to the global community."
Given this remark, Moon is expected to deliver messages of peace to the North, regardless of his visit to New York, and to ask other U.N. members to continue their support for his peace initiative, while urging North Korea to engage in talks.
The third anniversary of the Pyongyang Declaration is also an opportunity for Moon to persuade North Korea to return to talks.
During their summit in Pyongyang three years ago, Moon and Kim shared their views that the Korean Peninsula must be "turned into a land of peace" and agreed to "cooperate closely in the process of pursuing the complete denuclearization" of the peninsula.
As an annex to the declaration, the two sides adopted the Comprehensive Military Agreement, in which the two Koreas would halt all hostile acts against each other and set buffer zones along their air, land and sea borders to reduce tensions and prevent accidental clashes. In doing so, the leaders also agreed to activate the Inter-Korean Joint Military Committee.
However, the committee has yet to have been organized, and the effectiveness of the agreement is being questioned following a number of provocations, such as the North's sudden demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong last year, as well as continued cyberattacks on strategically important South Korean organizations. Last month, Kim Yo-jong, sister of leader Kim Jong-un, threatened to abolish the agreement in protest against the joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington.
"If Seoul sends messages to the North, it will likely be about requesting Pyongyang to respond to Seoul's calls through communication lines first," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. "And then, it will urge the North to implement the Comprehensive Military Agreement and to activate the Inter-Korean Joint Military Committee."
Soldiers march during a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the foundation of North Korea in Pyongyang, Sept. 9, 2018. Korea Times file
Against this backdrop, Pyongyang also has a number of key events fixed for this month. On Sept. 9, North Korea will celebrate the 73th anniversary of the regime's foundation, which is expected to be accompanied by various events that could raise tensions.
In the 2016 edition of this anniversary, the North conducted a nuclear detonation test at its Punggye-ri test site, marking its fifth but not final test.
Though experts say that the chances are slim for the North to conduct a nuclear test this year, the situation is building up similarly. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in an Aug. 27 report that there were signs indicating that North Korea has restarted its nuclear reactor in Yongbyon. The report noted that there were new indications of the operation of a radiochemical laboratory, which is in charge of the reprocessing of nuclear fuels, a process required for producing plutonium.
"Though there were previous military provocations around the Foundation Day, chances are slim for the North to jump to a nuclear test right away, given the current stalemate in inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea circumstances," Yang said. "Also, there are no signs of the Kim regime preparing a massive military parade right now. If there's any provocation, a test fire of new short-range ballistic missiles might be possible."
The Supreme People's Assembly on Sept. 28 could also be an important event in inter-Korean relations down the road.
The assembly is considered to be an organization that makes decisions on North Korea's internal affairs, such as laws and budgets, but there is a chance of the North using it as an event to reaffirm its commitment to its nuclear program and hardline strategies against the U.S.
4. Google hits wall in Korea, says will comply with local rule
South Korea is taking the lead and the international community is paying attention.
Google hits wall in Korea, says will comply with local rule
Korea becomes first country to regulate global tech giants’ business models
Published : Sept 1, 2021 - 17:37 Updated : Sept 1, 2021 - 17:43
(Reuters)
Hit by an unprecedented law aimed at curbing their app market duopoly in South Korea, the world’s most powerful tech giants Google and Apple are seeking ways to readjust their profit models within the bounds of the new regulation.
Immediately after the bill passed Parliament late Tuesday, Google released a statement through its Korea office, saying it will comply with the new rule.
“The commissions are used to provide Android for free, while enabling developers to reach customers around the world through various tools and global platforms,” the statement said. “It is a business model that allows customers to use devices at affordable prices and helps both developers and platforms become financially successful. Just as developers incur costs to develop apps, Google incurs costs to establish and maintain the app market.
It went on to say that it is seeking measures to comply with the regulation, while maintaining the business model that “supports a high-quality operating system and app market.”
Market attention is now drawn to what measures Google would come up with to abide by the law. The US IT behemoth said it will announce more details in the coming weeks.
The National Assembly passed a controversial bill that could break the app store duopoly of Google and Apple, in a move watched closely by the world for its potentially radical implications.
The so-called “anti-Google bill,” endorsed by the National Assembly with 180 votes in its favor, amends the Telecommunications Business Act to stop the US-based IT titan from requiring local app developers to use its payment system for in-app sales. It is set to take effect immediately after promulgation.
The legislation was pushed by President Moon Jae-in’s liberal Democratic Party, which holds a parliamentary majority. Its lawmakers took issue with Google’s new in-app commission policy, announced last year, calling it an example of a large platform operator abusing its market dominance.
But the bill was highly divisive, pitting local app developers and IT companies who see the need to regulate global IT titans against conservative politicians and experts who fear a trade dispute with the US government.
Not only local but also global app developers and IT companies hailed the bill’s passage in Korea.
Match Group, an American internet and technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, immediately released a statement through its Asia-Pacific office after the passage.
“Today’s (Tuesday’s) historic action and bold leadership by South Korean lawmakers mark a monumental step in the fight for a fair app ecosystem,“ the group’s spokesperson said. ”The legislation passed today (Tuesday) by the Assembly will put an end to mandatory IAP in South Korea, which will allow innovation, consumer choice, and competition to thrive in this market.“
”We look forward to the bill being quickly signed into law and implore legislative bodies around the globe to take similar measures to protect their citizens and businesses from monopolistic gatekeepers that are restricting the internet,“ the official added.
Google and Apple together control 90 percent of the global app store market. The former runs its Play Store on Android, while the latter operates its App Store on iOS.
In Korea alone, Google earned nearly 6 trillion won ($5.15 billion) in revenue from Play Store in 2019, according to a government report published last year.
According to Apple, over 482,000 registered developers in Korea have earned more than 8.55 trillion won to date on its App Store.
Both Google and Apple have faced criticism in countries around the world because they require software developers to use their billing systems, paying commissions of up to 30 percent on all in-app purchases.
Last September, Google sparked criticism across the world when it announced it would expand the payment system starting in October 2021, applying it to almost all digital content ranging from webtoons to music and video, instead of just the gaming segment.
This led to a backlash in many countries. Last year, the European Union proposed the Digital Markets Act, taking aim at the commissions forced by large US tech giants.
Earlier this month in the United States, a bill was introduced to rein in app store companies that hold too much market control, apparently targeting Google and Apple.
Other countries might start to take action soon after the first move by Korea.
“It’s time the US follow suit to reduce Big Tech’s app store influence. I urge Congress to swiftly pass my bill with Senators Blumenthal and Klobuchar that will help ensure fair competition for innovative startups,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn in a statement.
Responding to the criticism, Google, earlier this year, said it would lower the commission from 30 percent to 15 percent on the first $1 million it earns in annual revenue.
Apple halved the fee rate for developers with less than $1 million in revenue, and announced last week that it would allow developers to inform their customers of other payment options -- part of a settlement proposal for a group of developers who sued Apple in a class action.
Apple did not release a new statement, reiterating its message last week that said “We believe user trust in App Store purchases will decrease as a result of this proposal.”
5. U.S. legislators hail South Korea’s move to curb Apple and Google’s app-store dominance
A positive response from the US congress.
U.S. legislators hail South Korea’s move to curb Apple and Google’s app-store dominance
The legislation would allow developers to bypass the tech giants’ proprietary payment systems and could help reshape how Silicon Valley collects fees and exerts power over developers and users
The Washington Post · by Hamza Shaban and Cristiano Lima Today at 3:18 p.m. EDT · August 31, 2021
South Korean lawmakers on Tuesday passed the world’s first law to force tech giants such as Google and Apple to offer alternative payment systems on their app stores, a move critics of the companies say will loosen their stranglehold over profits derived from the lucrative online marketplaces.
Washington lawmakers who favor more regulation of tech companies immediately hailed the action and urged passage of a similar proposal that a bipartisan cast of lawmakers introduced this month.
“South Korea is taking steps to foster competition in the app economy. The U.S. can’t fall behind,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), one of the U.S. lawmakers leading the push for greater app store restrictions, tweeted after the South Korean action.
Google and Apple resisted the legislation in South Korea, arguing that customers’ privacy could be compromised on smaller and less secure payment systems and that the measure’s impact on consumers and developers is uncertain. NetChoice, a tech trade association that counts the two companies as members, has made some of the same arguments in its efforts to head off similar legislation in Washington.
“The proposed Telecommunications Business Act will put users who purchase digital goods from other sources at risk of fraud, undermine their privacy protections, make it difficult to manage their purchases, and features like ‘Ask to Buy’ and Parental Controls will become less effective,” Apple said in a statement after the proposal passed South Korea’s National Assembly.
The South Korean measure amends the nation’s primary telecommunications law to block marketplace operators from forcing customers to use their in-app systems to make purchases — where the giants can collect commission rates of up to 30 percent that some developers say harm competition. Failure to comply could result in fines of as much as 3 percent of the tech companies’ revenue in South Korea.
The measure now goes to President Moon Jae-in for his signature. His party has championed the bill.
Google, too, said the assembly hadn’t studied the measure enough to know how it will affect the estimated 500,000 registered app developers in South Korea or their customers. “We worry that the rushed process hasn’t allowed for enough analysis of the negative impact of this legislation on Korean consumers and app developers,” it said.
Tech critics see the legislation as a necessary guardrail to protect consumers and businesses from anti-competitive practices that enrich app store operators at the expense of the companies whose customers are reached largely through the app stores. Match Group, a member of a coalition of developers that is pushing Apple and Google to change their policies, called the South Korean action “historic” and “a monumental step in the fight for a fair app ecosystem.” It praised South Korean lawmakers for “bold leadership.”
The move comes as the debate over the tech giants’ app store dominance heats up. Last week, Apple announced that it would institute major changes to its App Store as part of a proposed settlement with developers who sued, maintaining that Apple’s pricing tiers and lack of payment options outside of its own were monopolistic.
Apple said it now will allow developers to inform their iPhone and iPad customers about ways to pay for their services beyond the official App Store. The new policy would also expand the types of prices that developers can offer for subscriptions, in-app purchases and paid apps, among other initiatives.
But the company’s critics scoffed at the changes, which still must be approved by the judge in the case, calling them insufficient and pledging to press ahead with other efforts globally to regulate Google’s and Apple’s app stores more stringently.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who in August was among the sponsors of a bill that would prohibit app store operators from requiring developers to use their in-app payment systems, said the effort “builds on our growing momentum to implement serious reforms.”
“Mobile technologies have become essential to our daily lives, and now just two app stores wield incredible power over which apps consumers can access and how they access them,” she had said last week. “When you see this same issue arising all over the world, it is even more obvious that we need to take action.”
Rep. David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.), who co-sponsored the companion app-store bill in the House, also applauded the South Korean legislation. “It is clear that momentum is building around the world to rein in abusive and anticompetitive practices by dominant online platforms, including in the mobile app economy,” he said in a statement last week in support of the bill.
Google’s and Apple’s control of their app stores faced renewed scrutiny after Epic Games, maker of the Fortnite video game series, sued the giants last year, alleging anticompetitive behavior after they removed the game from their app stores for violating payment policies. A decision in that case is expected soon.
The Washington Post · by Hamza Shaban and Cristiano Lima Today at 3:18 p.m. EDT · August 31, 2021
6. Gov't Delays Press Gag Bill as Int'l Pressure Mounts
Good news. Small victories. Delay is good, killing it would be better.
Gov't Delays Press Gag Bill as Int'l Pressure Mounts
The ruling Minjoo Party on Tuesday caved in to mounting international outrage over a planned media reform bill that critics say is a gag on media freedom.
The MP agreed with the main opposition People Power Party, which had been filibustering the bill, to postpone putting it to a plenary vote in the National Assembly on Sept. 27 and deliberate further.
President Moon Jae-in welcomed the decision in his first response to the controversy over the bill. He had remained mute while the MP railroaded it through several committees.
Earlier the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights added its voice to a chorus of international condemnation by writing to the Korean government to protest against the bill.
The OHCHR wrote to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism asking the government to explain its position on fears that the bill violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
A spokesman for the MP said the government sent a copy of the letter to the party "for reference as the bill is under deliberation at the National Assembly."
The OHCHR sent the letter after the Transitional Justice Working Group, a non-profit human rights civic group, asked a UN special rapporteur on Aug. 24 to convey concerns over the bill to the Korean government.
The government must respond officially within 60 days.
The bill ostensibly aims to crack down on "fake news" by imposing massive punitive fines if the subject of incorrect reporting sues, but the terms are broad and vaguely defined.
On Tuesday, seven media organizations here including the Korean Association of Newspapers and the Korea News Editors Association also demanded the bill be scotched.
7. Ministry of State Security arrests phone user in Hoeryong, exiling her family and confiscating her house
Guilt by association is a human rights abuse.
A lot from this article:
Note how money is getting to family members inside north Korea through cell phones from their escapee family members in the South.
The corruption by government (party)officials.
The punishment for receiving and possessing information from the outside world.
Information (and especially information from the South i) is an existential threat to the regime.
Ministry of State Security arrests phone user in Hoeryong, exiling her family and confiscating her house - Daily NK
North Korean authorities reportedly announced in May that they planned to institute a “guilt by association system” for offenders
North Korean authorities have apparently taken their sweeping operation against the use of Chinese-made mobile phones to the next level, instituting tough measures against offenders by confiscating their homes and exiling their families.
A source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Friday that the Ministry of State Security put a woman in her 20s—identified by her family name of Han—under emergency arrest in Hoeryong in early July. “In the end, Han was recently sent to a political prison camp on charges of espionage, her family was exiled to a rural area and their house was confiscated,” he said.
Given that North Korean security authorities have generally punished only the offender in illegal Chinese-made mobile phone cases, the confiscation of Han’s home and the exiling of her family are considered quite extraordinary.
According to the source, Han handed over money to the family of a North Korean defector in early July. Basically, this means she was a “remittance broker,” transferring the funds through Chinese-made mobile phones. On her way home, however, she was reportedly arrested by the Ministry of Social Security.
The authorities charged Han with having “transferred money” since February of 2018 and, in the process, conducting espionage by leaking dozens of pieces of domestic information in return for money. The source said Han was further charged with being a “middleman” connecting the border region with the country’s interior and delivering “operational expenses.”
In particular, the authorities searched her home and found RMB 60,000 and USD 27,000. The source said investigators believed Han spied in return for “dirty money” from South Korean intelligence.
A North Korean merchant using a cell phone at a local market. / Image: Daily NK
Relatedly, the source said the only option open to people in border regions to make money is “to connect people who went to South Korea with their families [in North Korea] and convey news in the process.”
“Frankly, it only depends on whether the Ministry of State Security decides to press charges,” he said, adding, “When you enter a Ministry of State Security interrogation room, the torture and violence is so bad you’ll confess even to things you didn’t do. How could a young woman in her 20s withstand the torture of the Ministry of State Security? It’s likely they got her to write a confession through violence.”
On the ground, locals note that while the sweeping operation to “mop up” illegal mobile phone use has been ongoing, ostensibly part of quarantine efforts against COVID-19, the authorities are now instituting tougher punishments to generate a climate of fear as efforts to eradicate the problem fail.
In fact, the authorities reportedly announced in May that they planned to institute a “guilt by association system” by confiscating the homes of offenders and exiling their families. It is likely Han, too, was caught up in this operation.
“In the past, you could resolve this problem with connections or money, but recently, the authorities are responding to users of Chinese-made mobile phones in extraordinary fashion,” said the source. “Now, locals are refraining as much as possible from contacting the outside world.”
8. U.S. remains firmly committed to dialogue with N. Korea: S. Korean envoy
No surprise here but we cannot emphasize this enough. The roadblock to negotiations is Kim Jong-un and his decision making.
(LEAD) U.S. remains firmly committed to dialogue with N. Korea: S. Korean envoy | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in last 3 paras)
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- The United States remains strongly committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy and dialogue, and is working closely with South Korea to bring North Korea back to the dialogue table, Seoul's top nuclear envoy said Tuesday.
Noh Kyu-duk made the remark after holding a series of meetings with his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, and other administration officials, including the White House policy coordinator for Asia, Kurt Campbell, during a visit to Washington this week.
"The U.S. administration firmly maintains a forward-looking, creative and flexible stance to restart dialogue with North Korea and make progress. South Korea and the U.S. have been holding discussions on humanitarian assistance for the North in that context," Noh said in a meeting with reporters here.
Noh arrived here Sunday, about a week after he and his U.S. counterpart met in Seoul.
His remark came shortly after White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki reiterated the U.S. remains open to dialogue with North Korea.
"Well, we have left the door open and obviously reached out through our channels. I don't have an update for you in terms of any response to our offer. (The) offer remains to meet anywhere, anytime without preconditions," Psaki said in a daily press briefing.
North Korea has stayed away from dialogue with the U.S. since early 2019, while it has also ignored several outreaches from the Joe Biden administration, which took office in January.
Noh and Kim said after talks earlier this week that they discussed possible humanitarian assistance for the North as a way of bringing Pyongyang back to the dialogue table.
"I may not be able to provide the details of specific (humanitarian assistance) projects at this stage but being fully prepared to begin anytime is the shared stance of South Korea and the U.S.," Noh said.
A senior South Korean official here noted the assistance for North Korea may include support for its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other health issues, such as clean drinking water.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also noted any such assistance will not be directly linked to the North's return to dialogue.
"Humanitarian assistance is, in fact, being discussed regardless of the political situation. We are not saying we are discussing humanitarian assistance to bring (North Korea) to dialogue," the official told reporters.
"Humanitarian assistance is for humanitarian purposes, and it is not linked to dialogue. We just believe it could lead to a breakthrough for North Korea to have dialogue," the official added.
Noh said the U.S. continues to place a high priority on the North Korean nuclear issue despite many other urgent issues, such as its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"I could confirm that the U.S. government continues to recognize the urgency of the North Korean nuclear issue even in the midst of rapidly changing international political conditions and will continue to address the North Korean nuclear issue as a first-priority challenge," he said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) earlier said in a report that the North appears to have restarted its main nuclear reactor that can produce plutonium for nuclear weapons.
White House spokeswoman Psaki said the IAEA report highlighted the urgent need for dialogue with the North to address "this reported activity and the full range of issues related to denuclearization."
The senior South Korean official said the reactivation of the North's reactor suggests a continued increase in the country's nuclear capability, but the move could also be seen as an attempt to use the Yongbyon complex as a bargaining chip.
"Based on the North's nuclear activity seen in the IAEA report, we believe the North's nuclear capability continues to expand even at this very moment," the official told reporters.
"Still, it may be viewed that North Korea restarting its nuclear activity at Yongbyon highly likely stems from a strategic decision. North Korea had in the past offered Yongbyon as a subject up for negotiation, and thus, can be viewed to still consider Yongbyon as a bargaining chip," the official added.
(END)
9. Gov't Calls for 'Humanitarian Aid' as N.Korea Restarts Nuclear Reactor
Korean cognitive dissonance?
Gov't Calls for 'Humanitarian Aid' as N.Korea Restarts Nuclear Reactor
September 01, 2021 13:38
The South Korean government has called for humanitarian aid for North Korea even as the country alarmed the international community by restarting its nuclear reactor in Yongbyon.
Lee In-young /Newsis
In an opening speech at a forum in Seoul on Tuesday, Unification Minister Lee In-young said, "There is now international consensus that we need to seek ways to resolve North Korea's difficulties as early as possible despite international sanctions."
Seoul "hopes that the two Koreas can restart dialogue on the path of humanitarian cooperation to protect each other's life and safety and create a healthier community together," he added.
Meanwhile the chief South Korean nuclear negotiator met his U.S. counterpart in Washington on Monday and also tried to persuade him of the need for humanitarian support for the North.
Noh Kyu-duk said, "South Korea and the U.S. have already discussed what both can do with regard to humanitarian support for the North."
But his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim only said that the U.S. and South Korea reaffirmed their commitment to seeking the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomatic efforts. He added Washington is looking forward to hearing a response from Pyongyang.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
10. The Latest: North Korea proposes Sinovac shots go elsewhere
north Korea wants only the best and the Chinese vaccine is not the best.
The Latest: North Korea proposes Sinovac shots go elsewhere
By The Associated Press The Associated Press7 min
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has proposed a U.N.-backed immunization program send its allotment of almost 3 million doses of a Chinese-made vaccine to countries with severe COVID-19 outbreaks while it continues to claim a perfect record in keeping out the coronavirus.
UNICEF, which procures and delivers vaccines on behalf of the COVAX program, said Tuesday that North Korea’s Ministry of Public Health has communicated that the 2.97 million Sinovac shots COVAX planned to deliver to the North may be sent elsewhere.
The North Korean ministry also said it will “will continue to communicate with COVAX Facility to receive COVID-19 vaccines in the coming months,” UNICEF said in an email to The Associated Press.
COVAX had also allocated 1.9 million AstraZeneca shots to the North but delivery has been delayed.
Experts say North Korea remains focused on tough quarantines and border controls to keep out the virus, and vaccines appear to be a secondary priority.
Some experts say North Korea could be questioning the effectiveness and rare side effects of the vaccines it’s been offered and holding out for others.
The North claims to have not confirmed a single case of coronavirus infection, despite widespread skepticism. In its latest report to the World Health Organization last week, the North said it has tested 37,291 people for the coronavirus as of Aug. 19 and that all were negative.
___
MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:
— Micronesia’s president tells AP he mandated vaccines to protect vulnerable island nation where virus hasn’t spread
— Vaccinations in rural India are improving but country continues to struggle with enough supplies to meet demand
— Sound bite labeling US outbreak a ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’ captured the moment but not the whole story
11. North Korea Ramps Up Nuclear Weapons Production
Concur:
Washington should continue diplomatic efforts to denuclearize North Korea despite the failure of all previous international agreements. Negotiations with Pyongyang have stalled since 2019, and the regime has rejected all U.S. and South Korean attempts to resume dialogue.
As such, the United States and its allies must concurrently implement measures to enhance deterrence and defense capabilities.
Diplomacy and deterrence are not mutually exclusive. North Korea is unlikely to intimidate or attack South Korea if it perceives that the U.S.-South Korean alliance is strong and that the U.S. commitment to defend South Korea is beyond doubt.
The U.S. should make absolutely clear to friend and foe alike that it will defend its allies and maintain current levels of U.S. forces until the North Korean nuclear, missile, and conventional force threats have been sufficiently reduced.
Deterrence consists of credible commitments as well as capabilities, including strategic and theater missile defenses and strong U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific region.
North Korea Ramps Up Nuclear Weapons Production
The International Atomic Energy Agency recently assessed that North Korea resumed operations at its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, which produces plutonium for nuclear weapons.
Pyongyang also may have reprocessed nuclear fuel from previous reactor operations. The developments are worrisome and will test the Biden administration on how to respond to North Korea expanding its ongoing production of nuclear weapons material.
In recent years, North Korea has expanded and refined manufacturing facilities for fissile material, nuclear weapons, missiles, mobile missile launchers, and reentry vehicles.
In 2017, the U.S. intelligence community assessed that North Korea had between 30 and 60 nuclear weapons (or weapons’ worth of fissile material) and could annually produce an additional seven to 12 weapons.
While the Yongbyon reactor was offline, production would have decreased; however, resumed reactor operations will presumably return nuclear production to 2017-2018 levels.
Since 2017, North Korea demonstrated significant improvements in its ability to target South Korea, Japan, and the continental United States with nuclear weapons. That year, Pyongyang conducted three intercontinental ballistic missile test launches, as well as a hydrogen (thermonuclear) weapon explosion at least 10 times as powerful as the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.
North Korea is now producing a new generation of advanced mobile missiles that are more accurate and more difficult to detect and target, and have an enhanced ability to evade allied missile defenses.
In 2019, Pyongyang conducted 26 missile launches, all of them violations of U.N. resolutions and more than it had ever tested in a year.
In October, Pyongyang unveiled the Hwasong-16 ICBM, the world’s largest mobile missile on a launch vehicle. The missile, larger than North Korea’s previous ICBM models, may be capable of carrying three or four nuclear warheads.
Pyongyang also revealed that it can produce mobile ICBM transporter-erector-launchers. The regime’s ability to deploy more ICBM missiles with multiple warheads on mobile launchers risks overwhelming limited U.S. missile defenses protecting the American homeland.
In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lauded his scientists for developing miniaturized nuclear weapons from tactical warheads to a super-large thermonuclear hydrogen bomb as well as more accurate guidance technology for ICBMs.
He announced that North Korea was developing the ability to deploy multiple warheads on a solid-fueled ICBM and a nuclear-powered submarine to launch intercontinental strategic weapons.
North Korea declared it would improve the quality and quantity of its nuclear forces, recently vowing to “bolster the national defensive power and preemptive strike capabilities, which can strongly contain and eliminate the outside threats.”
Pyongyang has repeatedly vowed to take escalatory, though unspecified, actions while blaming U.S. or South Korean actions as being the catalyst.
North Korea typically engages in major action during the first year of new U.S and South Korean administrations, since the regime thinks it provides negotiating leverage. But Pyongyang has refrained so far this year, perhaps because it faces internal challenges and COVID-19 precludes North Korean diplomats from meeting with U.S. counterparts.
Washington should continue diplomatic efforts to denuclearize North Korea despite the failure of all previous international agreements. Negotiations with Pyongyang have stalled since 2019, and the regime has rejected all U.S. and South Korean attempts to resume dialogue.
As such, the United States and its allies must concurrently implement measures to enhance deterrence and defense capabilities.
Diplomacy and deterrence are not mutually exclusive. North Korea is unlikely to intimidate or attack South Korea if it perceives that the U.S.-South Korean alliance is strong and that the U.S. commitment to defend South Korea is beyond doubt.
The U.S. should make absolutely clear to friend and foe alike that it will defend its allies and maintain current levels of U.S. forces until the North Korean nuclear, missile, and conventional force threats have been sufficiently reduced.
Deterrence consists of credible commitments as well as capabilities, including strategic and theater missile defenses and strong U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific region.
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email [email protected] and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.
12. Kim Jong Un is slimmer than ever in new photos
What does this mean? Is he getting healthier or is the weight loss a result of a health issue?
Kim Jong Un is slimmer than ever in new photos
Kim Jong Un is slimmer than ever: Tyrant's chin looks prominent and there is space between his neck and jacket collar in new photos after he outlawed gossip about his weight
- Kim's facial features were notably prominent, particularly around his chin
- The 37-year-old's jacket provided generous space between his neck and collar
- Rumours about Kim's health forced Pyongyang to outlaw gossip about his weight
- Photos broadcast in June showed a dramatic weight loss from earlier this year
PUBLISHED: 04:15 EDT, 31 August 2021 | UPDATED: 11:15 EDT, 31 August 2021
Daily Mail · by Ross Ibbetson For Mailonline · August 31, 2021
Kim Jong Un looked thinner than ever this week with excess skin sagging around his neck and his jacket hanging loosely over his shoulders in a new propaganda broadcast.
The North Korean tyrant appeared on state TV walking in front of a stand filled with hundreds of seemingly adoring school children, the girls crying and the boys clapping enthusiastically as he waved and smiled during Youth Day celebrations in Pyongyang.
Kim's facial features were notably prominent, particularly around his chin which used to disappear in folds of fat just six months ago.
The 37-year-old also wore a white jacket which provided a generous space between his neck and the collar, as well as flaps and creases down the midriff where once the fabric would have been pulled tight around his belly.
Speculation about Kim's health has forced the government to ban gossip about his weight as a 'reactionary act' after photos emerged earlier this year showing a dramatic change thought to represent a roughly 44-pound drop.
The North Korean tyrant appeared on state TV walking in front of a stand filled with hundreds of seemingly adoring school children, the girls crying and the boys clapping enthusiastically as he waved and smiled
Kim Jong Un is pictured in 2018. It is believed the dicator has lost around 44 pounds
Kim Jong Un posing with youngsters this week. The photo opportunity was part of Youth Day celebrations in Pyongyang
Kim Jong Un wearing the same white jacket on April 12, 2020. The fabric appears to be pulled tighter around his waist and there is no clear gap between his neck and chin appear larger
In a bid to stifle the rumours, the apparatchik have told state media that Kim is eating less 'for the sake of the country' as it grapples with famine, saying that the despot is healthy.
However, there have been reports that Kim may have had a gastric band fitted to reduce his cheese-fuelled weight problem.
Others have claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus the need for the leader to shed some pounds.
State TV even spoke to someone who said his 'emaciated' condition was 'breaking our people's hearts' in a highly unusual broadcast around two months ago.
Experts believe this was a cynical attempt to garner sympathy for Kim, whose country is in the throes of an economic crisis precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic and a poor harvest.
The impoverished, nuclear-armed country is more isolated than ever behind its self-imposed coronavirus barricade, and this month admitted it was tackling a food crisis, sounding the alarm in a nation with a moribund agricultural sector that has long struggled to feed itself.
At the same time Kim's health has long been closely watched internationally as his sudden death would raise questions over succession and stability.
Known as a heavy drinker and smoker, the leader has long been obese, with his weight appearing to increase steadily in recent years.
But he looked noticeably less overweight in around June in pictures published by Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency and on state television.
Kim's personal life is normally taboo for North Korea's state media and Pyongyang has never even confirmed how many children he has.
Pictured: Kim Jong Un's watch strap shown in North Korean state propaganda this week appeared to give away his weight loss, compared with photos from December 2020 and March 2021 show his watch strap was done up looser to accommodate his thicker wrists. Photos from this week showed more of the watch strap showing after the buckle, and did not look as tight
Kim looking much bigger in his white jacket at a meeting in June, 2020
But KCTV in July aired a clip of an unnamed resident of the capital claiming everyone in the country was 'heartbroken' by his 'emaciated' condition.
'Seeing our respected general secretary looking emaciated breaks our people's hearts the most,' he said.
'Everyone is talking about how their tears welled up immediately.'
Last year it was estimated he had put on another 20 pounds, taking him to around 305 pounds.
But Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, pointed out it was unlikely his recent weight loss was a symptom of acute ill health, as he had attended several public events this month.
'No one can really know why he lost weight,' he told AFP. 'What's clear -- from the KCTV footage -- is the regime wants the world to think that its people love care for their leader, to a point where they'd cry over his thinner appearance.'
Kim has acknowledged a 'tense' food situation that could worsen if this year's crops fail, exacerbating economic problems amid strict self-imposed border and movement restrictions that have slowed trade to a trickle.
'The most likely reason they would mention his declining weight in this way would, in my opinion, be related to ongoing COVID-19-related border measures,' said Chad O'Carroll, CEO of the Seoul-based Korea Risk Group.
'Regardless of the motivation for Kim's rapid weight loss, it seems there is propaganda value in showing that even the leader of North Korea is enduring the same food shortages that are hitting the country at the current time.'
The regime may have intended from the beginning to emphasise the fact that Kim is working hard for the people at a time of widespread hardship, or its messaging may have been an unintended consequence of Kim's inevitable appearance, Green said.
'What matters is that the North Korean regime will have received word from its many, many, many informants that Kim's condition was a talking point among ordinary people,' he said.
'From there it is a simple matter to respond by designing a propaganda strategy to use the existing public discussion to the regime's advantage.'
Daily Mail · by Ross Ibbetson For Mailonline · August 31, 2021
13. Why is North Korea reheating its nuclear program?
Another way to read the subtitle of this article: KIm is executing his tried and true blackmail diplomacy which is to use threats, increased tensions, and provocations to gain political and economic concessions.
Why is North Korea reheating its nuclear program? | DW | 31.08.2021
Analysts say cash-strapped Pyongyang is returning to its strategy of trying to obtain concessions from the international community by threatening nuclear proliferation.
DW · by Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com)
The United Nations' nuclear watchdog described the resumption of operations over the weekend at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear reactor as "deeply troubling."
In its new annual report on North Korea's nuclear program, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that while monitors have not been granted access to the Yongbyon site, there are "indications" that the five-megawatt reactor is once more producing plutonium for the first time since December 2018.
According to the report, there were "indications, including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation of the reactor" in early July.
It concluded that the the North's nuclear activities, "continue to be a cause for serious concern" and are "deeply troubling."
"The continuation of the DPRK’s (The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) nuclear program is a clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and is deeply regrettable," it said, adding that the IAEA called on Pyongyang to comply with UN resolutions.
Images captured from satellites also show that the steam plant for the radiochemical laboratory was also operational in the first half of the year, and that milling and concentration activities are ongoing at the Pyongsan uranium mine and the associated fabrication plant.
What is North Korea planning?
Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, says North Korea has a number of reasons for resuming production of fissile material.
The global coronavirus pandemic has made life within the nation's sealed borders even harder than in past years, prompting the regime to seek concessions from the international community.
"Despite the incredible stress North Korea's economy and society are suffering under self-imposed pandemic isolation, the regime of Kim Jong Un pushes forward with its nuclear programs," Easley told DW.
"As the administration of US President Joe Biden is focused on the coronavirus and Afghanistan, Pyongyang may be looking to create another crisis in an attempt to extract benefits," he added.
"It would be better for everyone if North Korea skipped the provocation cycle and accepted humanitarian assistance and resumption of dialogue," Easley added.
Toshimitsu Shigemura, an expert on North Korean affairs and professor at Tokyo's Waseda University, says Pyongyang is desperately seeking Washington's attention now that the US involvement in Afghanistan is over.
"Biden has been completely preoccupied with coronavirus and Afghanistan and has been less interested in Korean affairs, so Kim is maybe feeling a little overlooked," he told DW.
"Indications that they are starting to once again make more nuclear warheads — is guaranteed to get the attention of the US."
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North Korea warns US
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North Korea accuses US of hostile intent
Concerns over nuclear proliferation
Daniel Pinkston, a former deputy project director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Project at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, warned that North Korea may be planning to sell nuclear technology or completed weapons.
The North's economic problems, brought on by international sanctions but exacerbated by the regime's decision to close borders to trading partners due to COVID, mean that the country is desperate for money that it needs to survive, said Pinkston, who is currently a lecturer of international relations at Troy University in Seoul.
Pinkston said his "biggest worry" over the resumption of processing activities at Yongbyon is an elevated possibility of nuclear proliferation.
"North Korea has allocated an immense amount of its limited resources to this program for many, many years so they are not walking away from it any time soon," he told DW.
"The North is estimated to have somewhere between 50 and 60 warheads, so adding one more warhead to that stockpile does not have much meaning. What difference will one extra nuclear bomb have?" Pinkston said, adding that the North's "biggest problem right now is economic."
"They may be looking for states that have no nuclear weapons at the moment and for whom a single warhead would therefore be very significant," he said.
South Korea and US seek negotiations
Seoul’s top nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk arrived in Washington on Sunday for discussions with his US counterparts on ways to encourage North Korea to return to talks.
On Monday, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters that the US is continuing to seek negotiations with North Korea on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
There has been no response from Pyongyang to the latest offer to negotiate.
DW · by Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com)
14. North Korea and China vow to strengthen cooperation on their border
The border is key to the survival of the Korean people in the north. The prohibitions on trade and movement (as well as crackdowns on smuggling) are what is causing the suffering of the people in the north.
North Korea and China vow to strengthen cooperation on their border
- Zhao Kezhi, the Chinese public security minister, meets North Korean ambassador Ri Ryong-nam in Beijing
- Both express willingness to work together and enhance communication, the Chinese statement says
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Published: 3:46pm, 31 Aug, 2021
China and North Korea said they would step up cooperation to maintain security and stability on their border, after the Chinese public security minister met North Korea’s top envoy in Beijing.
Zhao Kezhi told North Korean ambassador Ri Ryong-nam on Monday that China was willing to work closely with its neighbour and strengthen strategic communication to “maintain, consolidate and develop the traditional friendship” between the two countries, the Chinese public security ministry said in a brief statement.
Ri said that North Korea was also keen to enhance communication and coordination with China while deepening pragmatic cooperation, the Chinese statement said.
Sharing a border of nearly 1,350km (834 miles), China and North Korea are divided by the Yalu River, Paektu Mountain and the Tumen River.
01:18
North Korean schools boost Covid-19 prevention measures despite ‘no confirmed cases’
North Korean schools boost Covid-19 prevention measures despite ‘no confirmed cases’
North Korea was among the first countries that closed its border with China when the coronavirus was first discovered in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Since then, some of the strictest lockdowns have been imposed in the self-isolated country, further encumbering its economy with its trade – about 90 per cent of which is with China – largely disrupted.
According to Chinese customs data, Chinese shipments to North Korea rose to US$16.8 million in July from US$12.3 million in June. That was still less than 10 per cent of the total shipments made in July 2019, months before the pandemic.
However, there have been signs that the two sides are seeking closer ties amid pressure from the US.
Ri, a former deputy premier in charge of trade who was named North Korea’s ambassador in February, said in an interview with Global Times earlier in August that the US was a threat to both China and North Korea, and the two neighbours needed to step up cooperation to tackle it.
In another rare meeting, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in May, Ri also pledged to build “unbreakable friendship” with China while Wang reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to keep up strategic communication and help the sanctions-hit North cope with worsening economic problems amid a prolonged stalemate over Pyongyang’s nuclear talks with the US.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un describes nation’s food situation as ‘tense’
Although there has been no sign of North Korea lifting its border restrictions, the meeting between Zhao and Ri came days after reports that the two countries had begun an investigation into the deaths of three Chinese fishers after their fishing boat landed on a North Korean island to take shelter during Typhoon In-fa in July.
Citing a source in China, Daily NK, a website based in the South Korean capital Seoul, said last week that the Chinese fishing boat left Zhuanghe port, near Dalian in northeast China, around July 25 and was heading to waters off North Korea’s North Pyongan province to catch crabs when the typhoon hit.
The boat eventually landed on an island in Cholsan county in North Pyongan, where North Korean soldiers discovered them and opened fire, the report said.
The Chinese public security ministry did not immediately reply to an inquiry about the incident from the South China Morning Post. The foreign ministry said last week that it was still verifying the report.
15. New Han River bridge opens in Seoul
How many Han River bridges are around Seoul these days? More than 30? Every one is a key target for north Korea - they need to retain sufficient bridges to be able to cross the Han for their attack South.
New Han River bridge opens in Seoul | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- The Seoul city government said Wednesday it opened a new bridge over the Han River and an underground expressway as part of efforts to ease chronic traffic congestion in the city's southwestern area.
The metropolitan government livestreamed an online opening ceremony of the World Cup Bridge and the Seobu Underground Expressway in western Seoul on its official YouTube channel at 11:30 a.m., 30 minutes before they were open to traffic.
The bridge is the 31st one crossing the Han River, which flows through the heart of South Korea's capital. It appeared in the music video of BTS' mega-hit song "Butter."
The 10.33 km-long, four-lane expressway was constructed under a section of the Seobu Expressway connecting Yangpyeong-dong and Doksan-dong neighorhoods.
Officials expect the new roads to improve the traffic situation in the southwestern Seoul area, infamous for heavy traffic.
The World Cup Bridge will turn on its nocturnal lighting features starting Wednesday night.
nyway@yna.co.kr
(END)
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.
