Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy."

- Isaac Newton

"There is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind."

- Virginia Woolf

"One of the most cowardly things ornery people do is to shut their eyes to facts."

- C.S. Lewis

1. U.S.-South Korean Cyber Cooperation Can Combat North Korean Threats

2. North Korean hackers prioritize cyber spying over digital attacks, analysis shows

3. Military holds meeting of generals, admirals on N.K. deterrence, defense innovation

4. Drone unit aims to counter North Korea's evolving air threats

5. Everyone in South Korea Is About to Get One or Two Years Younger

6. S. Korea, U.S., Mongolia launch joint consultative body on mineral resources

7. S. Korea's analysis of Fukushima release plan in final stage

8. Japan to put S. Korea back on preferential trade partner list after 4 years

9. Yoon says his 'sales diplomacy' helped attract massive investments

10. Japan to put S. Korea back on preferential trade partner list after 4 years

11. Inaugural U.S.-Mongolia-ROK Critical Minerals Dialogue Held in Ulaanbaatar

12. North Korean state hackers discovered using wiretapping malware

13. #Koreas: The new alliances containing the #PRC.

14. US' unfinished involvement in Asia

1. U.S.-South Korean Cyber Cooperation Can Combat North Korean Threats

Excerpts:

In their Strategic Cybersecurity Cooperation Framework, however, Washington and Seoul committed to moving past previous challenges and improving intelligence sharing and technical cooperation. The allies will likely seek to build upon the work of the U.S.-ROK working group on North Korean cyber threats, which has already met three times since its inauguration in August 2022.

In addition to improving government-to-government collaboration, Washington and Seoul should encourage parallel cyber dialogues between American and South Korean academics and industry experts. Pyongyang’s cyber-espionage operations targeting these experts highlight the important role the private sector plays in both implementing national cyber resilience and evaluating national cybersecurity and geopolitical strategies.

U.S.-South Korean Cyber Cooperation Can Combat North Korean Threats

fdd.org · by Jack Sullivan · June 26, 2023

June 26, 2023 | Policy Brief

Annie Fixler

CCTI Director and Research Fellow

Sae Furukawa

Intern

Washington and Seoul held a high-level cybersecurity meeting over the course of three days last week as a follow-up to a joint pledge in April to increase cyber defense collaboration. This type of dialogue provides an opportunity to strengthen South Korea’s cybersecurity capabilities and undermine North Korea’s ability to fund its nuclear and missile programs through cyberattacks.

While the U.S. and ROK governments released few details about the meeting, it was a tangible step toward implementing their Strategic Cybersecurity Cooperation Framework adopted in April. Under that framework, the two nations pledged to “expand cooperation on deterring cyber adversaries, increase the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, combat cybercrime, and secure cryptocurrency and blockchain applications.”

South Korea’s National Security Strategy, released in early June, further details Seoul’s plans to enhance its cyber capabilities. South Korea aims to establish clear responsibilities and frameworks within its government, foster cyber workforce development, and increase cooperation with its allies, including the United States.

The strategy’s cybersecurity section frames the challenge in terms of growing cyber threats from North Korea. Earlier this month, the FBI, the ROK’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), and their interagency partners issued an advisory warning that Pyongyang frequently conducts cyber espionage against both South Korean and U.S. targets, including think tanks and academics. North Korean hackers often impersonate journalists to try to trick individuals into providing information.

As Seoul’s new strategy also notes, Pyongyang uses “ransomware to acquire virtual assets” and “generate foreign currency.” North Korean cyber operatives stole more than $1.7 billion in digital assets globally in 2022 by hacking cryptocurrency exchanges, according to cryptocurrency analysis firm Chainalysis.

Pyongyang uses the stolen funds to support its nuclear and missile programs. According to the White House, as much as half of the budget for North Korea’s missile program comes from the proceeds of its malicious cyber activity. Enhancing U.S-ROK cooperation to thwart North Korea’s cyber operations is thus critical to the alliance’s efforts to combat the broader threat posed by the regime of Kim Jong Un.

One of the key challenges impeding effective U.S.-ROK cyber collaboration has been the different ways the two allies organize their bureaucracies to address threats from North Korea, a November 2022 report by the Center for a New American Security concluded. Washington has various law enforcement, intelligence, defense, and civilian agencies responsible for understanding, sharing information about, and responding to North Korean threats. Conversely, South Korea’s NIS handles all North Korea threats, including cyber threats. This makes it difficult for NIS offices to identify the appropriate counterpart with whom to share information.

In their Strategic Cybersecurity Cooperation Framework, however, Washington and Seoul committed to moving past previous challenges and improving intelligence sharing and technical cooperation. The allies will likely seek to build upon the work of the U.S.-ROK working group on North Korean cyber threats, which has already met three times since its inauguration in August 2022.

In addition to improving government-to-government collaboration, Washington and Seoul should encourage parallel cyber dialogues between American and South Korean academics and industry experts. Pyongyang’s cyber-espionage operations targeting these experts highlight the important role the private sector plays in both implementing national cyber resilience and evaluating national cybersecurity and geopolitical strategies.

Seoul has pledged that its soon-to-be-established National Cybersecurity Committee will include private-sector participants. Likewise, Washington’s own National Cybersecurity Strategy called public-private collaboration “essential to securing cyberspace.” Ensuring that the U.S.-ROK cyber dialogues become regularized and are complemented by non-governmental discussions can enhance collaboration both between the two allies and between their respective public and private sectors.

The United States and South Korea face growing threats from North Korea’s malicious cyber operations and nuclear and missile programs. The allies must continue to deepen their cooperation against these common challenges.

Annie Fixler is the director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and an FDD research fellow. Sae Furukawa is a CCTI intern. For more analysis from the authors and CCTI, please subscribe HERE. Follow Annie on Twitter @afixler. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD and @FDD_CCTI. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Issues:

Cyber North Korea

fdd.org · by Jack Sullivan · June 26, 2023

2. North Korean hackers prioritize cyber spying over digital attacks, analysis shows

The regime is playing the long game.

North Korean hackers prioritize cyber spying over digital attacks, analysis shows

washingtontimes.com · by Ryan Lovelace

By - The Washington Times - Monday, June 26, 2023

North Korean hackers are overwhelmingly prioritizing cyber espionage over destructive digital attacks, according to a new analysis from cyber intelligence firm Recorded Future.

The firm found more than 70% of cyberattacks with a known purpose and attributed to North Korea since 2009 were likely conducted for information collection rather than to wipe out systems.

“North Korea’s leadership appears to be much more interested in learning about what others think of them, gathering information that can help them develop nuclear and ballistic missile technology, and stealing money to fund their regime,” Recorded Future said in a new report.

Recorded Future studied 273 cyberattacks attributed to North Korea since July 2009 and found the top five most-targeted industries in descending order are government, cryptocurrency, media, traditional finance and the defense sector.

The cyberthreat intelligence firm said its dataset of North Korean cyberattacks tries to include any publicly reported attacks, but the actual number of digital attacks is far higher because private companies and government agencies often do not publish their research on attacks.

Recorded Future uses natural language processing, language analysis and other tools for its analysis, and relies on sources in English, Korean, Mandarin Chinese and Russian.

“Government agencies, reporters, and NGOs with a nexus to North Korea should be more vigilant, as well as defense contractors and aerospace companies supporting U.S., South Korean, or other allied nations,” the report said.

Recorded Future’s analysis follows the revelation of North Korean hackers’ recent aggressive targeting of Americans to gain consistent access to valuable information and penetrate computer networks.

High-level current and former U.S. intelligence officials, media executives and national security scholars were in the crosshairs of North Korean hackers as part of a malicious cyber campaign reported by The Washington Times earlier this month.

The FBI, the National Security Agency and the State Department partnered with South Korean government agencies to publish an advisory this month that warned of social engineering and hacking threats posed by the North Koreans.

“Some targeted entities may discount the threat posed by these social engineering campaigns, either because they do not perceive their research and communications as sensitive in nature, or because they are not aware of how these efforts fuel the regime’s broader cyberespionage efforts,” the government agencies’ warning said. “However, as outlined in this advisory, North Korea relies heavily on intelligence gained by compromising policy analysts.”

North Korea watchers have pointed to the isolation of the regime of leader Kim Jong-un as helping to drive the malicious cyber activity. North Korea’s hacking and social engineering efforts may replace the more traditional work of diplomats and intelligence officers of other countries, according to Stimson Center senior fellow Jenny Town.

“They don’t have an embassy here, they don’t have diplomats and intelligence officers that can just run around and act like real diplomats and intelligence officers,” Ms. Town said on a podcast hosted by cybersecurity firm Mandiant in March. “And so this is their version of doing that, of trying to really scope the landscape of how Washington thinks about, how the policy community is thinking about these issues and what that might mean in terms of U.S. reaction, South Korean reactions and other stakeholders.”

The U.S. agencies’ June advisory warning of North Korean hackers directs people who believe they may have been targeted to contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Recorded Future’s report said potential victims should take preventive steps such as compartmentalizing sensitive data, keeping software updated and having a well-thought-out incident response and communications plan, among other things.

• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.

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washingtontimes.com · by Ryan Lovelace

3. Military holds meeting of generals, admirals on N.K. deterrence, defense innovation

Military holds meeting of generals, admirals on N.K. deterrence, defense innovation | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · June 27, 2023

SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military held an annual meeting of general-grade officers from all armed services Tuesday to discuss deterrence against North Korean threats, defense innovation and other security issues, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The officers from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps attended the Mugunghwa Meeting that the military has held since 1973 to discuss national security issues. Mugunghwa, the rose of Sharon in English, is the country's national flower.

The meeting came as the military is maintaining a high readiness posture amid security uncertainties stemming from North Korea's continued saber-rattling earlier this year, including last month's failed launch of a space rocket.

Its agenda included Defense Innovation 4.0, an initiative to make the military slimmer yet smarter based on artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies, as well as responses to North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats.

"Officers at the meeting expressed their determination to pool their wisdom and ensure unity in the military so as to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, and firmly buttress freedom, peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the region through strength," the JCS said in a press release.

An annual meeting of general-grade officers from all armed services is under way at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) headquarters in Seoul on June 27, 2023, in this photo released by the JCS. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

sshluck@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · June 27, 2023

4. Drone unit aims to counter North Korea's evolving air threats

Drone unit aims to counter North Korea's evolving air threats

The Korea Times · June 27, 2023

South Korean military drones fly during joint drills with the United States at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, in this May 23 photo. The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday promulgated a decree for the launch of a multipurpose drone operations unit. AP-Yonhap

Gov't declares decree to create multipurpose UAV command

By Jung Min-ho

The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday promulgated a decree for the launch of a multipurpose drone operations unit as part of efforts to counter North Korea's evolving air threats and to reinforce the capabilities that have become increasingly critical in modern warfare.

The declaration comes six months after President Yoon Suk Yeol told his military officials to create a command center for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) strategies for both offensive and defensive missions.

The unit, which is expected to be established in September, will take direct orders from Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and take on reconnaissance, strike and other roles. Its presence in the military may well expand as its interoperability with other units improve, officials said.

But the location and leader of the unit have not been determined yet.

"We expect the drone operations command to play a key role in joint battlefield domains by carrying out strategic and operational missions systematically and efficiently," the ministry said in a statement.

Pocheon, a city in the northeastern part of Gyeonggi Province, is among the candidates for the command's location. Pocheon is just south of Cheorwon and Hwacheon, two counties bordering the North, and contains military facilities once used by the now-disbanded Republic of Korea Army VI Corps. This means that the command can be set up quickly, given that most facilities can still be serviceable after some repairs and improvement work.

The residents of that region, however, have not been supportive. The city council recently issued a statement criticizing the military for considering the area without asking the opinions of the residents.

Aware of the sensitivity of the issue, Jeon Ha-kyu, a spokesman for the ministry, said nothing has been determined. He also said, even if the military decides to operate the unit there, its location "may not be permanent."

"We will try our best to explain the situation to the residents living near the base, including how we will address their concerns," he said.

A Ukrainian soldier looks at the sky searching for a drone on the frontline in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Monday. Russia's war in Ukraine has demonstrated the expanding roles of drones in battlefields. AP-Yonhap

North Korea's drone infiltrations in December 2022 exposed the South Korean military's vulnerability to such basic weapons, which can carry small yet powerful armaments.

The military has since revealed a series of drone-defense plans, saying it will conduct regular drills, procure drone-jamming guns and build a real-time target intelligence-sharing system.

The military is now expediting efforts to secure UAVs and other essential equipment for operations. It plans to have advanced small-size drones ready by this week. More advanced types, with stealth functions, for example, have been under development.

The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the expanding roles of drones in battlefields. The Bayraktar TB2s, armed UAVs made in Turkey, have been among Ukraine's key weapons, particularly for high-risk strike operations and for reconnaissance. Many experts say UAVs have changed the course of the war and the nature of modern warfare.

The Korea Times · June 27, 2023

5. Everyone in South Korea Is About to Get One or Two Years Younger

The irony. Most non-Koreans are either unaware of this issue or are confused by it. Now we have an article like this that explains the custom and we are all going to understand it. It takes ending a custom to finally understand it. But the issue is going to go away because Korea is now "normalizing" birth dates. So we will be able to understand "what was." (a slight attempt at humor with these comments).

Everyone in South Korea Is About to Get One or Two Years Younger

The country will ditch its ancient age-counting system. Thirty-somethings drop back to their 20s; middle age is further off. ‘I’m 50, but turning 48 soon.’

https://www.wsj.com/articles/south-korea-age-law-change-1a9efc03?mod=hp_featst_pos5

SEOUL—Like many people, Kim Hae-yeon struggled with turning the big 5-0. Unfortunately, she’ll have to do it twice.

“I’m 50,” she says, “but turning 48 soon.”

On Wednesday, Kim and the rest of South Korea will turn a year or two younger as a new national law kicks in that abolishes the unusual way this country has long calculated age.

Happy returns

For centuries, Koreans inflated ages compared with the rest of the world. An individual is 1-year-old at birth, and everyone gains a year together on Jan. 1. A New Year’s Eve baby turns two after a single day.

The new law will switch everyone to the international age standard—which starts people at zero on the day they are born. Koreans already born will get younger, and use their birth to determine how old they are. Official documents will start using the international measure, too.

Kim, a stay-at-home mother, will have to face 50 again in 2024.

Getting older based on calendar years rather than birth dates is a remnant of ancient culture in East Asian countries, which generally also considered time spent in the womb as part of age.

China and Japan shifted to the global standard decades ago. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who took office last year, vowed to do the same on the campaign trail.

Two men chat in Seoul in May. PHOTO: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

“South Korea Is Getting Younger,” the government said in a press release trumpeting the passage of the time-bending bill.

The country’s giant age reversal has some wrinkles.

It complicates South Korea’s hierarchical society, in which age influences social status—and like other cultures determines whether a more polite or casual version of language is used.

South Koreans nonchalantly ask even relative strangers, “how old are you?” The query is so common that before the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, authorities explicitly advised locals to not ask this question of foreigners, who might find it rude.

“Kids when they bump into each other at the playground will first ask their ages before their names,” says Sun Hyun-woo, the founder of Talk to Me in Korean, a website that teaches the language online.

Lee Jin-soo has been 15 but will be rolled back to 13 under the new law. At school, some of his classmates with whom he has long shared an age will be 14. They already are asking Lee to address them with the honorific title of “hyung,” or older brother.

“I’m upset that I have to wait until my birthday in October to become the same age as them,” he says.

Students wear traditional Korean dress and take a selfie during a school event in Busan. PHOTO: YONHAP NEWS/ZUMA PRESS

According to guidance issued by South Korea’s education ministry, students shouldn’t dwell on their new differences. “It may seem awkward at first,” the guidance adds.

Kim Ji-soo, an office worker, turned 30 in January and under the shift, will be 29. He plans to continue to give that older age in public because he feels it gives him more stature, especially at work where he sensed some co-workers looked down on him for being in his 20s. “I’m going to stick with 30,” he says.

But Park Jeong-yeon, also an office worker, is delighted she will soon age backward to 28, from 30 years old. That buys her more time to meet her parents’ goal that she marries by her mid-30s.

“There was always a sense of urgency with my parents telling me I was becoming too old to act like a child,” Park says. “Well, now they’ll have to accept I have two more years in my 20s.”

To prevent gray areas, the new law carves out some exceptions. South Korea will keep the old age-counting method for determining when kids start elementary school and when young men must get a physical for military conscription. And the legal drinking age of 20 will change to 19, effectively remaining the same.

The 2023 New Year’s celebration in Seoul. PHOTO: JEON HEON-KYUN/EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK

“Can Those Born in 2004 Still Legally Drink? The Still-Puzzling ‘International Age,’” screamed a recent news headline. (Yes, they can.)

Watching the years rewind will be a relief to expats such as Sasha Smirnova, who moved to Seoul from Russia at the end of 2021 as a 30-year-old and soon learned her Korean age was 32. “I was like, ‘Come on people,’” says Smirnova, who works for an information-technology company.

Some Koreans never learned how to compute their global age, which has prompted promotions by companies and a government campaign on how to do the math.

Eleven Street, an online retailer, set up a giveaway for those using its “International Age” calculator. The prizes are antiaging products, including a $1,200 LG skin-care device that stimulates collagen growth, as well as Estée Lauder night-repair cream.

Amusement-park operator Lotte World said those with birthdays in June or July could receive discounted tickets to its theme parks after 2 p.m. The advertisement gushed: “Goodbye to my old age!”

Pedestrians in the Gangnam district of Seoul in 2022. PHOTO: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Write to Timothy W. Martin at Timothy.Martin@wsj.com and Dasl Yoon at dasl.yoon@wsj.com

6. S. Korea, U.S., Mongolia launch joint consultative body on mineral resources

Mongolia is in a unique position to influence geopolitics. There is a lot of potential for Mongolia to contribute to Northeast Asia stability. Yes I am bullish on Mongolia after my first visit there.

(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S., Mongolia launch joint consultative body on mineral resources | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · June 27, 2023

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout; ADDS byline, photo)

By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea, the United States and Mongolia launched a three-way consultative body on key minerals as they seek closer trilateral cooperation in mineral resources, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon and his U.S. and Mongolian counterparts, Jose W. Fernandez and Jambal Ganbaatar, respectively, held high-level diplomatic talks in Ulaanbaatar on Monday and agreed to boost cooperation in strengthening global mineral resources supply chains, according to the ministry.

During the discussions, the three sides agreed to step up cooperation in the analysis of mineral samples and to share information collected from the ongoing projects between South Korea and Mongolia, as well as the U.S. and Mongolia, on resources exploration.

Separately, a government-civilian session was held for discussions on the market potential and investment opportunities of mineral resources, and other opportunities in developing key minerals, such as rare earth metals and lithium.

In May, the three countries held their first working-level diplomatic talks to discuss cooperation in climate change, mineral resources, development and other areas in the Mongolian capital.

South Korea's Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon (3rd from L, second row) and Jose W. Fernandez (3rd from R, second row), U.S. under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, attend high-level diplomatic talks on mineral resources cooperation in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on June 27, 2023, in this photo provided by the foreign ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

On Monday, Lee also met Mongolia's Chief Cabinet Secretary Dashzegve Amarbayasgalan at the seventh meeting of the South Korea-Mongolia Joint Committee, a regular high-level comprehensive consultative body, and stressed the importance of maintaining close partnership amid unstable supply chains in key minerals.

Lee said South Korea will "participate actively" in supporting Mongolia in the development of its mineral resources industry and building relevant infrastructure.

Seoul has been working to deepen cooperation with resources-rich nations to ensure stable supplies of key minerals amid heated global competition and supply chain issues.

South Korea's Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon (L) and Mongolia's Chief Cabinet Secretary Dashzegve Amarbayasgalan pose for a photo at the seventh meeting of the South Korea-Mongolia Joint Committee, a regular high-level comprehensive consultative body between the nations, in Ulaanbaatar on June 26, 2023, in this photo provided by the foreign ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

julesyi@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · June 27, 2023

7. S. Korea's analysis of Fukushima release plan in final stage

S. Korea's analysis of Fukushima release plan in final stage | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · June 27, 2023

By Kim han-joo

SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is in the final stage of its own analysis of Japan's plan to discharge contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, an inspection team leader said Tuesday.

The 21-member team, headed by Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Chairperson Yoo Geun-hee, completed its six-day trip to Japan in late May that included an on-site inspection of the plant ahead of its discharge of contaminated water into the ocean scheduled for this summer.

"We have been scientifically and technologically reviewing Japan's plan based on the results of the on-site inspection and additional data obtained afterward," Yoo told a daily briefing on the Fukushima release plan.

Upon its return, the inspection team analyzed further data and engaged in a series of discussions with officials from Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the plant, and the country's top nuclear regulator, the Nuclear Regulation Authority.

Yoo said that the team has received responses and data regarding the trial operation of the plant's discharge facility, which concluded earlier in the day.

Additionally, Yoo said that six types of radionuclide have been detected at levels exceeding permissible limits from the water stored at tanks even after treatment through the plant's custom purification system known as ALPS, but most of the cases came before 2019.

"This is the aspect of radionuclide that we need to closely examine," Yoo said.

In response to heightened public concern, the Seoul government launched a daily press briefing earlier this month to keep the public updated on the release of contaminated water from the plant planned for this summer.

Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Chairperson Yoo Geun-hee (2nd from L) talks during a daily briefing at the government complex in Seoul on June 27, 2023. (Yonhap)

khj@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · June 27, 2023

8. Japan to put S. Korea back on preferential trade partner list after 4 years

Good news.

(LEAD) Japan to put S. Korea back on preferential trade partner list after 4 years | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Oh Seok-min · June 27, 2023

(ATTN: ADDS more details, comments in paras 2, 6)

SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- Japan announced a decision Tuesday to reinstate South Korea on its "white list" of trusted trading partners, about four years after the removal, in a move to improve the bilateral economic relationship, Seoul's industry ministry said.

The Japanese trade ministry revised a rule to redesignate South Korea as "Group A," or a white list nation, which would give Seoul preferential export treatment, effective July 21, according to Seoul's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

In 2019, Tokyo downgraded South Korea to "Group B" after imposing export restrictions on three key industry materials in an apparent retaliation against the South Korean Supreme Court rulings the previous year that ordered two Japanese companies to pay compensation to Korean forced labor victims during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

In March, the two sides vowed the reinstatement after South Korea announced plans to compensate the victims without asking Japan for contributions.

Japan lifted the export curbs on Seoul in March after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to make joint efforts to better bilateral ties, and South Korea put Japan back on its white list the following month.

"The two nations are able to fully restore bilateral confidence in terms of export controls. Based on the improvement in ties, South Korea will continue to push for close cooperation with Japan on various bilateral and multilateral trade issues," the ministry said in a release.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands prior to their expanded summit talks at the latter's residence in Tokyo on March 16, 2023. Earlier in the day, Yoon began a two-day trip to Japan to put strained relations back on track. The summit marks the first time in 12 years that such talks have taken place amid tense relations between the two nations. (Yonhap)

graceoh@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by Oh Seok-min · June 27, 2023

9. Yoon says his 'sales diplomacy' helped attract massive investments

Yoon says his 'sales diplomacy' helped attract massive investments | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · June 27, 2023

By Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday that his focus on "sales diplomacy" during overseas trips, coupled with sweeping deregulation, helped attract massive investments in the country.

Yoon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office, three days after returning from a trip to France and Vietnam.

"In order to overcome the global polycrisis and continue the growth of our economy, which is heavily dependent on external factors, I have actively carried out economic diplomacy and sales diplomacy as a salesman of the Republic of Korea," he said.

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul on June 27, 2023. (Yonhap)

In the year since he took office, the state-funded industrial complex in Saemangeum, a reclaimed area in the southwestern coastal city of Gunsan, has attracted 6.6 trillion won (US$5.07 billion) in investment from 30 companies, or more than four times the amount pledged over the preceding nine years, Yoon said.

"Such large-scale investments were possible because we created an institutional environment needed by businesses through sales diplomacy and efforts to improve South Korea-U.S. relations and South Korea-Japan relations, as well as sweeping deregulation," he said.

Yoon said the government will continue to provide the necessary support so businesses can operate freely and dynamically not only in Saemangeum but throughout the country.

He also instructed Cabinet members to make all-out efforts to stabilize people's livelihoods and revive the economy in the second half of the year amid positive indicators, such as slowing inflation and an improving trade balance.

Last week, Yoon traveled to France to promote South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo at a general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions, the international body in charge of overseeing the Expo, before traveling to Vietnam for a state visit.

"The Busan Expo will be a solutions platform that will help solve the polycrisis facing humanity, from the climate crisis and the digital gap to the issue of the global south," he said. Busan is the southeastern city bidding to host the 2030 World Expo in competition against Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Rome, Italy.

"It will be a meeting venue where the world's enterprises will gather to create new business," he said.

Yoon recalled that during his trip to France, six European companies announced plans to invest $940 million in South Korea's batteries, future cars and other cutting-edge industries.

He also instructed each ministry to take thorough follow-up measures to help produce quick results from the 111 memorandums of understanding signed between South Korean and Vietnamese businesses on the sidelines of his visit to Hanoi.

hague@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · June 27, 2023

10. Japan to put S. Korea back on preferential trade partner list after 4 years

Good news. Every day the ROK-Japan relationship seems to be improving.

(LEAD) Japan to put S. Korea back on preferential trade partner list after 4 years | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Oh Seok-min · June 27, 2023

(ATTN: ADDS more details, comments in paras 2, 6)

In March, the two sides vowed the reinstatement after South Korea announced plans to compensate the victims without asking Japan for contributions.

graceoh@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by Oh Seok-min · June 27, 2023

11. Inaugural U.S.-Mongolia-ROK Critical Minerals Dialogue Held in Ulaanbaatar

Inaugural U.S.-Mongolia-ROK Critical Minerals Dialogue Held in Ulaanbaatar

MEDIA NOTE

OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON

JUNE 27, 2023

https://www.state.gov/inaugural-u-s-mongolia-rok-critical-minerals-dialogue-held-in-ulaanbaatar/

On June 27, 2023, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez held the first-ever U.S.-Mongolia-Republic of Korea (ROK) Critical Minerals Dialogue with Mongolian Minister of Mining and Heavy Industry Ganbaatar Jambal and Republic of Korea 2nd Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Do-hoon in Ulaanbaatar. Through the U.S.-Mongolia-ROK Critical Minerals Dialogue, the three governments advanced information exchange and collaboration on critical mineral supply chains.

The dialogue featured both public-private and government-to-government sessions. During the first session, company and industry association representatives exchanged information about the status and potential of Mongolia’s mineral resource sector as well as about global commodity market trends and investment. In the government-to-government session, the three parties highlighted the importance and potential role Mongolia could play in meeting the world’s critical mineral needs. Each side provided views on critical minerals challenges and opportunities, and the parties discussed streamlining coordination, deepening information exchange, and implementing joint initiatives and projects. The three sides agreed that experts from each government would follow up on the dialogue’s key themes to pursue strategic opportunities.

This trilateral convening is just one example of diplomatic efforts by the United States to engage partner countries to achieve more secure and resilient supply chains around the globe. It is imperative that we come together to strengthen cooperation on shared economic, national security, and clean energy goals. Demand for critical minerals, which are essential for clean energy and other technologies, will expand significantly in the coming decades. Through initiatives like the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), of which the ROK is a leading partner, the United States supports countries in realizing the full economic development benefit of their geological endowments. This is done through catalyzing investment in the critical minerals sector via government and private sector efforts to secure strategic opportunities – across the full value chain – that adhere to the highest environmental, social, and governance standards.

To stay updated, follow Under Secretary Fernandez on Twitter: @State_E, Facebook: @StateDeptE, and LinkedIn: @State-E.

For press inquiries, please contact: E_Communications@state.gov.

12. North Korean state hackers discovered using wiretapping malware

North Korean state hackers discovered using wiretapping malware

cybersecurityconnect.com.au · June 26, 2023

26 June 2023 | 1 minute read

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Hackers backed by the North Korean government have been observed using wiretapping malware as part of a campaign of surveillance attacks.

South Korean cyber security firm AhnLab said that the advanced persistent threat (APT, or in this case, APT37) was discovered most recently in May this year and that the malware was being delivered via spear phishing email with a password-protected document, alongside a CHM (Compiled HTML Help File) disguised as the password for it.

When the CHM is opened, a malicious PowerShell backdoor is injected and launched, allowing it to execute commands received from the command-and-control server.

This allows hackers to collect files and file information, as well as edit registries, modify file names, delete files, download files and more. In addition, AhnLab observed the hackers deploying malware using a Go-based backdoor via the Ably platform service for data transfer, as well as escalating their privileges and exfiltrating data.

AhnLab adds that the PowerShell script and Go-based backdoor were used to execute an information stealer known as FadeStealer, which is capable of logging keystrokes, stealing removable device data, taking screenshots and, of course, wiretapping.

“[APT37’s] primary focus is on information theft, and an info stealer with a feature to wiretap microphones was discovered in this recent attack case,” said AhnLab.

“Unauthorised eavesdropping on individuals in South Korea is considered a violation of privacy and is strictly regulated under relevant laws.

“Despite this, the threat actor monitored everything victims did on their PC and even conducted wiretapping.”

ISCOVER

The APT37 hacking group, also known as RedEyes, ScarCruft or Reaper, is a state-sponsored group known for targeting individual victims that act against the North Korean government’s regime, such as human rights activists, university professors and North Korean defectors, according to AhnLab.

“Their task is known to be monitoring the lives of specific individuals,” it added.

AhnLab said that the attack launched by APT37 was carried out “cleverly and precisely” and that the spear phishing techniques the attacker used are difficult to detect by individuals. As a result, the cyber firm has said that it is maintaining close surveillance on the hacking group’s activities to “prevent further damage”.

The firm has also advised that users remain vigilant with files from unknown sources and that additional caution should be exercised with files using the CHM and LNK extensions.

“Since the group in question has recently been using malware based on CHM and LNK extensions to perform their initial breach, extra attention should be given to the file extensions when executing email attachments,” said AhnLab.

As the file extensions for these types are hidden by default, users should disable the “Hide Extensions for known file types” setting in their file explorer.

Daniel Croft

Born in the heart of Western Sydney, Daniel Croft is a passionate journalist with an understanding for and experience writing in the technology space. Having studied at Macquarie University, he joined Momentum Media in 2022, writing across a number of publications including Australian Aviation, Cyber Security Connect and Defence Connect. Outside of writing, Daniel has a keen interest in music, and spends his time playing in bands around Sydney.

North Korean state hackers discovered using wiretapping malware

Daniel Croft

Last Updated: 26 June 2023 Published: 26 June 2023

cybersecurityconnect.com.au · June 26, 2023

13. #Koreas: The new alliances containing the #PRC.

My latest interview on the John Batchelor Show with Gordon Chang as well.

https://audioboom.com/posts/8324114-koreas-the-new-alliances-containing-the-prc-david-maxwell-fdd-gordongchang-gatestone-ne

The John Batchelor Show

#Koreas: The new alliances containing the #PRC. David Maxwell, FDD. @GordonGChang, Gatestone, Newsweek, The Hill

14. US' unfinished involvement in Asia

US' unfinished involvement in Asia

The Korea Times · June 27, 2023

By Eugene Lee

In several of my previous articles, I continued noting that the United States has unfinished business in Asia. Arguably, in the last 150 years, the U.S. has had a bigger influence on the region than any other big country, like China or Russia.

And all of that time it was done under the slogan of the fight for freedom.

It is hard to trace all the wrongs, but they ended in the U.S. drawing lines. Those drawings eventually even welcomed a conflict into the region. I rephrase one author, after World War II, Dean Acheson, the U.S. Secretary of State, kept repeating the view of the Defense Department and the State Department, in essence, the much-heralded view of General MacArthur. In March 1949, the General had told the Arizona Daily Star, "From the line we hold beginning in Alaska and running from the Aleutians through Okinawa and the Philippines, we can with our air and sea power break up any amphibious operation of a predatory power embarking from the Asiatic mainland."

In those days Korea and Formosa (today's Taiwan) were put outside the system. The policy may have been wrong, and it was almost certainly foolish to broadcast it as we did but that does not alter the fact that the policy was policy and was based on the considered judgment of our military leaders. End of the quote.

A prelude to that was General Douglas MacArthur's supervision of the prosecution of 28 Japanese war criminals at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) ― the Tokyo Trials. The trials lasted from 1946 to 1948 and resulted in 25 death sentences, seven life sentences and two sentences of 20 years in prison. Later MacArthur also authorized the prosecution of thousands of other Japanese war criminals by the Japanese government. However, many Japanese war criminals were not prosecuted and even had their sentences suspended.

Some even were granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for their cooperation with the Allies. Others were never caught or brought to justice. The trials were to ultimately serve an important purpose in bringing justice to the victims of Japanese war crimes and helping to prevent future atrocities. One of the Judges, Bert Roling, later lamented, "It is a bitter experience for me to be informed now that centrally ordered Japanese war criminality of the most disgusting kind was kept secret from the court by the U.S. government."

Why is that all a problem? It is simple. It is about who gets what and why. It is about fairness and eventually, about legitimacy. If you were thinking that everyone would get what belonged to them before colonization and would be reimbursed after you would be dead wrong. And there are many reasons for that.

A small example. If you read about Korea before 1900, you would find a completely different country compared to one, let's say, after the year 1946. Everything had changed! Before colonization, Korea was a kingdom run on archaic rules and practices. In some cases, the paperwork for land or any other property ownership, was nonexistent, as it was a normal practice to run things verbally. Some families were rich by title, not by paper. When colonized, if you weren't able to provide proper papers. Your land would be seized.

As a result, the land ownership in Korea by the Japanese went from 8 percent in 1910 to over 52 percent in 1932. Some of that land was redistributed between pro-Japanese collaborators, who helped the Japanese colonialists run the country. What happened after the liberation was quite a messy process, where yet again, the land was redistributed under Syngman Rhee's government. Though some citizens were able to get some small patches of land, they were heavily taxed and weren't able to use their land for any purposes, other than agriculture. The system of ownership after decolonization changed very little afterward, and the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP), General Douglas MacArthur, allowed it to happen.

His influence is still echoing in the present day. Gen. MacArthur was heavily involved in shaping views on intelligence. He emphasized the importance of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor of the CIA, for the U.S.'s success in Asia. Many machinations of the secretive M-fund are yet to be properly researched. According to some researchers, the M-Fund was named after General William Frederic Marquat, one of MacArthur's inner circle of advisers known as the Bataan Boys.

He, as the chief of the Economic and Scientific Section in SCAP headquarters and the figure in charge of zaibatsu, (chaebol in Korean, or conglomerates) and their dissolution during the occupation, allowed MacArthur to use the M-Fund to influence politics during the occupation as well as for other politically difficult operations, such as creating the Police Reserve Force, the predecessor of today's Self-Defense Force, after the outbreak of the Korean War. This gray financial area may well remain hidden for all of us indefinitely, as it may have repercussions on today's geo-financial politics in Asia.

In other words, "the fight for freedom," or "the freedom world," cliches that we hear even today, evoke the ghosts of the past that the politicians in the U.S. need to reconcile with and put them to rest in peace in order for countries, like South Korea and the North, to live normal lives and hopefully be one again.

Eugene Lee (mreulee@gmail.com) is a lecturing professor at the Graduate School of Governance at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul. Specializing in international relations and governance, his research and teaching focus on national and regional security, international development, government policies and Northeast and Central Asia.

The Korea Times · June 27, 2023

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

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."

Access NSS HERE

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