Quotes of the Day:
We may either fall greatly or succeed greatly; but we can not avoid the endeavor from which either great failure or great success must come.
— Theodore Roosevelt (1902)
Very often a lack of jobs and money is not the cause of poverty, but the symptom. The cause may lie deeper in our failure to give our fellow citizens a fair chance to develop their own capacities.
— Lyndon B. Johnson (1964), in reference to his “war on poverty”
There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.
— Ronald Reagan (1985)
1. Biden likely to visit S. Korea from May 20-22: sources
2. N.K. propaganda organs slam ongoing S. Korea-U.S. military drills
3. N. Korea increasingly relies on cyber crimes to fund weapons programs: U.N. expert
4. It will likely be a long time before Russia is conducive to international business and may never be as long as Putin remains in power.
5. Moody's keeps 'Aa2' rating on S. Korea with stable outlook
6. Unification minister nominee negative about resuming inter-Korean tour program amid U.N. sanctions
7. FDD | North Korean Hackers Stole $620 Million Worth of Cryptocurrency, FBI Finds
8. China exports to North Korea surge with edible oil, wheat flour in demand as trade resumes
9. North Korea's Kim Jong Un's Hollywood makeover highlights new propaganda push
10. Is this Kim Jong Un's unseen sister? Mysterious woman is seen shadowing North Korean leader
11. “Main Enemy”—concept ignored by Moon, but revived by Yoon
12. N. Korea urges effort to attain economic goals 'at all costs' during Cabinet meeting
13. North Korea orders wartime readiness during joint U.S.-South Korean military drills
14. ＜Inside North Korea＞ Outer walls of the special tourism zone pushed by Kim Jong-un have collapsed and cracks are occurring one after another.
15. My interview with John Batchelor and Gordon Chang last evening.
16. How Will President-Elect Yoon Manage The South Korea – U.S. Alliance And North Korea?
1. Biden likely to visit S. Korea from May 20-22: sources
Good. The right message.
My recommendation for the venue is the Korean War Memorial. Keep in mind the Korean War Memorial is dedicated to the history of 5000 years of warfare on the Korean peninsula and not just the Korean War. I think it would be good for our President and US officials to see this museum and the spaces it contains would be excellent venues for a summit. I bet someone will wonder why it has a complete B-52 bomber on the grounds among the other exhibits surround the museum building.
Excerpt:
Potential summit sites currently include the MND Convention, a facility used for weddings and banquets adjacent to the defense ministry, and the nearby National Museum of Korea.
Biden likely to visit S. Korea from May 20-22: sources | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Joe Biden is likely to visit Seoul from May 20-22 for his first-ever summit with incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol, sources said Thursday.
Biden has widely been expected to visit South Korea before or after he travels to Japan to attend a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting around May 24.
Sources said May 20-22 emerged as the likely dates of his visit during talks between officials in Seoul and Washington.
"I believe the U.S. is planning the visit with the aim of newly strengthening the alliance relationship with South Korea," one source said.
Details are still being set up, including the time of day Biden will arrive in Seoul and the summit venue, as Yoon will have relocated the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae and into what is now the defense ministry compound.
A U.S. advance team is expected to arrive in Seoul this weekend to look at possible venues.
Potential summit sites currently include the MND Convention, a facility used for weddings and banquets adjacent to the defense ministry, and the nearby National Museum of Korea.
Yoon's chief of staff Chang Je-won acknowledged the two countries are in talks over the dates of Biden's visit.
"We're not at the stage of making any announcements. Nothing's been decided," he told reporters.
The summit is set to become the earliest-ever South Korea-U.S. summit to take place following a South Korean president's inauguration. Yoon will take office May 10.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
2. N.K. propaganda organs slam ongoing S. Korea-U.S. military drills
Of course it "slams" the exercises. My recommendation on how to respond"
"...never ever back down in the face of North Korean increased tension, threats, and provocations."
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/01/north-koreas-ballistic-missile-test-a-6-step-strategy-to-respond/
This is straight from the 7 decades old playbook. The regime is not complaining about security. It is using this to further its political objectives to stop training, to reduce readiness and ultimately to drive US forces from the peninsula so it will have what it believes are the correlation of forces to both coerce the ROK and use force when the time comes.
While maintaining the highest state of readiness we must execute a superior form of political warfare which beings with recognizing the regime's strategy, understanding it, exposing it, and attacking it (e.g., the strategy).
N.K. propaganda organs slam ongoing S. Korea-U.S. military drills | Yonhap News Agency
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korean propaganda organs on Thursday slammed the annual combined military training between South Korea and the United States, labeling it as preparation for war, while the Kim Jong-un regime has made no formal response yet.
Earlier this week, South Korea and the United States kicked off their combined springtime military training that does not include any field troop maneuvers. It is to run through next Thursday.
"This is a reckless, dangerous play with fires of war and a clear exercise for the invasion of the North, driving the Korean Peninsula's political situation that is already unstable to an extreme," Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda outlet, said in a commentary posted on its website.
It added that inter-Korean relations and the political situation on the peninsula have been thrown into "the worst state." It took issue with the training as well as remarks by South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and Defense Minister Suh Wook on the potential option of a "preemptive strike" against the North if inevitable for national security.
Another propaganda website Meari also lambasted the drills, arguing that its true objective is perfecting plans for an invasion of the North.
"The confrontational madness of the South Korean military has reached an extreme," it said. "The provocative military action being carried out by the South Korean military and the United States could lead to a tragic situation that no one could predict."
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
3. N. Korea increasingly relies on cyber crimes to fund weapons programs: U.N. expert
The "all purpose sword" of north Korean cyber has become the most important practical tool to assist in regime survival.
N. Korea increasingly relies on cyber crimes to fund weapons programs: U.N. expert | Yonhap News Agency
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, April 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is increasingly engaging in illicit cyber activities to secure funds for its ballistic missile and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, a U.N. expert said Wednesday, highlighting the need to protect poorly regulated areas such as cryptocurrency.
Eric Penton-Voak, coordinator on the Panel of Experts on U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea, also said North Korea's cyber actors must not be underestimated.
"Fundamentally, DPRK's ability to continue to develop its WMD depends on three things -- know-how, specialized equipments and products and, fundamentally, money," he said in a webinar hosted by the Center for a New American Security, a think tank based in Washington, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
He noted Pyongyang continues to evade UNSC sanctions to procure materials for its WMD programs through a "sophisticated global network of trade representatives with diplomatic status."
"But fundamental to this procurement network is money, and DPRK is an innovator in finding new sources of illicit income," said the former British official.
Penton-Voak said the North has increasingly been relying on cyber activities for illicit income since 2017, noting a North Korean hacker group, known as Lazarus, was recently implicated in a US$625 million crypto hack against Axie Infinity, a play-to-earn online game.
"Make no mistake, DPRK hackers are really good," he added.
In its biennial report to the U.N. Security Council on North Korea sanctions released earlier this month, the U.N. Panel of Experts said the North may have stolen as much as $400 million in cryptocurrency in 2021 alone.
Penton-Voak stressed that at least part of North Korea's illicit income may be used to finance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, highlighting the need to regulate or restrict North Korea's cyber activities, which he said are not currently covered by existing U.N. Security Council resolutions.
"There has been a marked acceleration recently, as you no doubt may be aware, in DPRK missile testing, particularly over the last six months," he said, adding that the word cryptocurrency does not "actually appear in the U.N. sanctions resolutions."
Pyongyang staged more than a dozen missile tests since late last year, including seven rounds of missile launches in January alone that marked the largest number of missile tests the country has conducted in any given month.
"Without cash, the DPRK's WMD program would slow dramatically," said Penton-Voak.
To this end, the U.N. expert emphasized the need for strong regulations to protect cyberspace.
"We see that DPRK cyber actors always go to the weakest point. They look at non-regulated areas. They look at really interesting and very gray, new areas of cryptocurrency because actually, A, no one really understands them, and B, they can exploit weakness," he said.
He also highlighted the need for countries, especially the U.S. and South Korea, to work together, noting internationally accepted regulations may not be possible in the near future.
"I think what is required is some best practice, particularly by people who clearly know what they are doing, and the U.S., ROK, on this particular issue, probably know more than anybody," he said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
"So if they can work out how to work together and then publicize that action, those decisions, then other countries can probably learn from it," he added.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
4. Korean Air slapped with 110 bln won fine in Russia
All instruments of power are being directly and indirectly employed by Putin to support Putin's War. The effects of his war are going to be long lasting. It will likely be a long time before Russia is conducive to international business and may never be as long as Putin remains in power.
Excerpt:
Industry people see Russia's imposition of the fine as having to do with its financial problems amid the United States' economic sanctions against Russia following its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
Korean Air slapped with 110 bln won fine in Russia | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's national flag carrier, said Thursday it was slapped with a fine of 110 billion won (US$89 million) in Russia due to the omission of its departure process at a Moscow airport a year ago.
Russia's customs authorities imposed the fine, arguing Korean Air's KE529 cargo plane headed from Incheon to Frankfurt via Moscow took off without receiving an official seal before departure from the customs office of Sheremetyevo International Airport, according to Korean Air.
But Korean Air balked at the notice delivered on Feb. 24 this year, as it received the seal right after the departure and submitted all necessary documents at the Russian airport on Feb. 22 last year.
The company said it has raised an objection against the fine with Russia's federal customs office.
"We will take all possible steps to cancel or reduce the excessive and unreasonable fine," she said.
Industry people see Russia's imposition of the fine as having to do with its financial problems amid the United States' economic sanctions against Russia following its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)
5. Moody's keeps 'Aa2' rating on S. Korea with stable outlook
Some stability in an uncertain global economic environment.
Moody's keeps 'Aa2' rating on S. Korea with stable outlook | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- Global credit appraiser Moody's Investors Service said Thursday it has affirmed its credit rating on South Korea "Aa2," with a stable outlook.
Moody's has maintained South Korea's sovereign credit rating at "Aa2," the third-highest level on the company's table, since December 2015, when the agency upgraded it from "Aa3."
"The rating is underpinned by a relatively robust growth outlook, backed by a diverse, competitive economic structure. Solid institutional management around longer term credit challenges from an aging population further support the credit profile," Moody's said in a statement.
The agency also maintained its 2022 growth outlook for the South Korean economy at 2.7 percent despite heightened economic uncertainty from Russia's war with Ukraine.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
6. Unification minister nominee negative about resuming inter-Korean tour program amid U.N. sanctions
I would change the word "negative" to "realistic." And we should remember that these inter- Korean tours were money-makers for the regime before sanctions. And I do not think these are really "inter-Korean". They were only one way – from the South to the north. No Koreans from the north were allowed to take any tours of the South.
Unification minister nominee negative about resuming inter-Korean tour program amid U.N. sanctions | Yonhap News Agency
By Yi Wonju and Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- The nominee to serve as the incoming South Korean administration's point man on North Korea expressed a negative view Thursday about the resumption of the Mount Kumgang tour program, with international sanctions in place against the Kim Jong-un regime.
Kwon Young-se, tapped to lead the unification ministry handling Seoul-Pyongyang affairs, emphasized the need for the government to "clearly" take issue with North Korea's recent dismantlement of South Korean-built facilities in the mountain area on its east coast.
"In the case of (the issue of resuming) Mount Kumgang tours, I don't think it's a desirable idea in the current situation," he told reporters after meeting with U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim. "It won't be easy as it is subject to sanctions."
Furthermore, he pointed out, the North has continued to stage multiple provocations without abandoning its nuclear development.
His remarks marked a contrast to the liberal Moon Jae-in administration's hope and push to use the tour program as a card to help Jumpstart talks with the North. Recently, a senior unification ministry official openly suggested that the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol government strive to restart the joint venture between the two Koreas as a pressing task.
Kwon also raised the need for "clearly pointing out" that the North violated an inter-Korean agreement by unilaterally destroying the Mount Kumgang facilities.
South Korea earlier asked the North to confirm the status of the facilities via inter-Korean liaison lines amid reports of their removal.
But Kwon, formerly Seoul's ambassador to Beijing, stressed the importance of proactively providing humanitarian assistance to the North "within the boundaries of international sanctions," including the shipment of COVID-19 vaccines and efforts to help the impoverished nation address its chronic food shortages through international aid.
He also pledged a "practical approach" to improving inter-Korean relations, saying the new administration will not blindly reject policies of the predecessor highlighted by the now-stalled Korea peace process.
The so-called Anything But Moon Jae-in, or ABM, approach is not the "right way" to deal with inter-Korean issues, he said.
"If we don't think it's the right solution we'll have to leave it behind but we need to accept those that are agreeable, to a certain extent," he said.
In talking with the visiting U.S. nuclear envoy, meanwhile, the nominee emphasized the significance of a robust Seoul-Washington alliance, which would further broaden the scope and room of their North Korea policy, the ministry said in a press release.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
7. FDD | North Korean Hackers Stole $620 Million Worth of Cryptocurrency, FBI Finds
Conclusion:
To cut off North Korea’s access to stolen funds, the Biden administration will need to work with Congress and industry stakeholders to require tighter controls over cryptocurrency transactions and accounts. Broader adoption of traditional banking compliance regulations such as “know your customer” and anti-money laundering controls could prevent hackers from circumventing sanctions against individual cryptocurrency wallets. Moreover, requiring additional access controls such as multifactor authentication for digital wallets can add simple yet effective barriers to attempted thefts. These controls can also help ensure that the magnitude of any theft is limited.
FDD | North Korean Hackers Stole $620 Million Worth of Cryptocurrency, FBI Finds
fdd.org · by RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery CCTI Senior Director and Senior Fellow · April 20, 2022
April 20, 2022 | Policy Brief
North Korean Hackers Stole $620 Million Worth of Cryptocurrency, FBI Finds
The FBI attributed a $620 million cryptocurrency theft to the North Korean hacking group Lazarus last week, while the Treasury Department sanctioned the digital wallet in which Lazarus had stashed the stolen funds. However, sanctioning the wallet alone is unlikely to prevent the hackers from laundering the funds back to the North Korean regime or deter them from future thefts.
Last month, Lazarus hackers breached Axie Infinity, a popular online video game that runs on blockchain technology, in which players use cryptocurrency to acquire creatures to use in the game’s battles. The hackers targeted the game’s underlying blockchain, compromising the software that lets users convert in-game tokens into cryptocurrencies usable outside the game.
The hackers stole 173,600 Ether and 25,500,000 USD Coins from players, speculators, and the company itself. An Ether is currently worth $3,118, while the price of a USD Coin is fixed at one dollar, bringing the total value of the stolen currency to roughly $620 million.
North Korean hackers have a long record of stealing money to prop up the Kim regime. Annual reports by the UN Panel of Experts assess that cybercrime is an “important source of revenue” for Pyongyang. The Lazarus group, for example, pocketed $81 million in 2016 after hacking the central bank of Bangladesh. The group almost got away with $1 billion, but a monitor noticed the theft in progress.
North Korean hackers have increasingly targeted cryptocurrency in part because digital wallets are easier to acquire than traditional bank accounts and because digital currency exchanges often have less stringent compliance procedures and less formidable cybersecurity than traditional financial institutions. In 2021 alone, North Korean stole over $400 million, according to the blockchain data firm Chainalysis. With the additional $620 million from the Axie Infinity hack, North Korean hackers will have generated more than $1 billion in stolen cryptocurrency in less than two years.
While cyber policy debates over the past 18 months have focused on Russian and Chinese cyber espionage and the proliferation of Ransomware-as-a-Service providers harbored inside Russia, North Korea’s equally rapacious and adept activity threatens to undermine U.S. policy on the Korean Peninsula. Billions of dollars’ worth of illicit income can help North Korea weather international sanctions aimed at limiting Pyongyang’s “development and proliferation of its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles,” as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said earlier this month.
To cut off North Korea’s access to stolen funds, the Biden administration will need to work with Congress and industry stakeholders to require tighter controls over cryptocurrency transactions and accounts. Broader adoption of traditional banking compliance regulations such as “know your customer” and anti-money laundering controls could prevent hackers from circumventing sanctions against individual cryptocurrency wallets. Moreover, requiring additional access controls such as multifactor authentication for digital wallets can add simple yet effective barriers to attempted thefts. These controls can also help ensure that the magnitude of any theft is limited.
fdd.org · by RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery CCTI Senior Director and Senior Fellow · April 20, 2022
8. China exports to North Korea surge with edible oil, wheat flour in demand as trade resumes
"Edible oil." I guess the headline editor wanted to save one letter rather than use "cooking" oil.
China exports to North Korea surge with edible oil, wheat flour in demand as trade resumes
BEIJING, April 20 (Reuters) - China's exports to North Korea surged in January-March with sales of edible oil, wheat flour and pharmaceutical compounds to its reclusive neighbour sky-rocketing after a COVID-induced pause, Chinese customs data showed on Wednesday.
China resumed freight trains to North Korea in January for the first time since COVID-19 led to a border lockdown between the two countries in early 2020, halting almost all trade.
The rebound in trade comes as the United States is urging the U.N. Security Council to further sanction North Korea over its renewed ballistic missile launches. North Korea has been subjected to U.N. sanctions since 2006, although the Security Council does allow for humanitarian exemptions. read more
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In January-March, Chinese exports to North Korea leaped to $173.4 million from only $13.0 million a year earlier, and nearly recovered to the $215.3 million figure for the first quarter of 2020, when COVID was just emerging. Imports more than quintupled from a year earlier to $23.5 million, according to the customs data.
For March alone, Chinese shipments to North Korea stood at $57 million, up from $13.0 million a year earlier, while imports were at $3.5 million, versus $1.3 million in the previous year.
The top export items were edible oil and wheat flour.
North Korea bought $16.4 million of soybean oil, $5.1 million of palm oil, $4.3 million of wheat flour and $4.1 million of soda in the first quarter, the customs data showed.
North Korea has long suffered from food insecurity, with observers saying mismanagement of its economy had been exacerbated by sanctions and then the unprecedented border lockdowns due to COVID-19. read more
China also exported $11.3 million of chemical compounds mostly used in making steroids in the first three months. It also shipped more than $3.7 million of tobacco to its neighbour.
The United States is also seeking a ban on tobacco to North Korea. Its leader Kim Jong Un is known as a chain smoker, often seen with a cigarette in hand in state media photographs.
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Reporting by Stella Qiu, Hallie Gu and Ryan Woo; Editing by Edmund Klamann
9. North Korea's Kim Jong Un's Hollywood makeover highlights new propaganda push
Everyone wants to be a movie star, even Kim.
You haven’t highlighted anything yetWhen you select text while you’re reading, it'l appear here
North Korea's Kim Jong Un's Hollywood makeover highlights new propaganda push
By Hermes Auto The Straits Times3 min
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has brought new looks to state TV, including drone footage and computer graphics. PHOTO: AFP/KCNA VIA KNS
It was a far cry from the style seen under his father, Mr Kim Jong Il, a lover of cinema who reportedly owned thousands of movie tapes and who wrote treatises about filmmaking.
The elder Kim liked to record events on heavy movie cameras that could often be heard clicking in the background during his biggest moments.
Movie trailer style
Previous weapons tests yielded snapshots of Mr Kim Jong Un, clad in baggy suits or puffy coats, watching with binoculars from afar. The missile-test video on March 24 was a departure from that style, putting the North Korean leader in the centre of the apparent action.
Hangar doors slowly open to reveal a missile on a mobile launcher, while Mr Kim - dressed more casually - walks in slow motion with two soldiers as suspenseful music plays.
It was North Korea's most elaborate production for a launch and featured filming techniques, such as overhead drone shots, used in recent years by state TV.
"North Korea had never put together a programme like that, especially regarding a Kim leader. That was so progressive - so un-North Korean," Ms Rachel Minyoung Lee, a non-resident fellow with the 38 North Programme at the Stimson Centre, said of the footage for the ICBM launch.
Playing up action with drones
In September, North Korea unveiled a new missile-launch system that could be fired from a train car.
Drones flying overhead and cameras positioned around the train were used to capture the missile from multiple angles, from the moment it is unsheathed from a train carriage's roof flap to the moment it's shot into the sky, leaving behind a trail of flame and smoke.
That marked the first time it gave a ballistic missile test the Hollywood treatment. The test came just hours after South Korea fired a new weapon of its own: a submarine-launched ballistic missile.
Fireworks and fighter jets
Some of the biggest spectacles on state TV have been military parades, including Mr Kim's biggest by far in October 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of his ruling party.
Mr Kim appeared to cry while expressing regret for the country's struggles under sanctions and natural disasters. The affair held at night was complete with fighter jet fly-overs, fireworks and the biggest display of new weaponry since Mr Kim took power.
North Korea about three years ago began transition to high definition and that lead to an increase in production values. This could be seen in the introduction computer graphics into its reports on economic production, giving a new look to what had typically been staid stories about workers at factories.
Sets took on a more modern look and younger reporters in the field and newscaster in fashionable clothing made their way onto screens.
10. Is this Kim Jong Un's unseen sister? Mysterious woman is seen shadowing North Korean leader
Maybe there will be some royal infighting within the royal court. Kim creating competition?
Excerpts:
He said: 'Kim Sol-song has never been a public figure in North Korean media and political culture.
'In contrast to other political cultures in the world, a North Korean elite does not necessarily need a public profile in order to establish his or her power or influence.
'But it would certainly be quite fascinating if she were to transition to a public role, and to ponder the internal dynamics behind that kind of move.'
South Korea-based website NK News, which monitors goings-on in North Korea, suggested Kim Sol-song could be the mystery woman in a new article.
But Mr Madden urged caution until the woman's true identity could be confirmed.
He said: 'When we are observing North Korea, Kim Sol-song is one of those individuals and lines of inquiry where the information landscape is marked more by smoke than actual fire.'
Is this Kim Jong Un's unseen sister? Mysterious woman is seen shadowing North Korean leader - sparking speculation another relative has entered the public eye
- The woman has been tentatively identified as Kim's half-sister Kim Sol-song
- She has been seen at the leader's side at public events, handing him speeches
- Kim Sol-song served her father Kim Jong-il before his death in 2011
PUBLISHED: 03:54 EDT, 21 April 2022 | UPDATED: 03:54 EDT, 21 April 2022
Daily Mail · by Michael Havis For Mailonline · April 21, 2022
A mysterious woman has been spotted following Kim Jong-un amid mounting speculation that another member of his family has entered the public eye.
The woman, who has been tentatively identified as Kim Sol-song, the dictator's half-sister, was seen watching over the dictator at several recent engagements.
She appears to be in her 30s or 40s, wears glasses and carries a large handbag.
A mysterious woman has been spotted following Kim Jong-un amid mounting speculation that another member of his family has entered the public eye
The woman, who has been tentatively identified as Kim Sol-song, the dictator's half sister, was seen watching over the dictator
She has also been spotted leaving Kim Jong-un's Mercedes and was seen handing him his speech at a large political rally in February.
Michael Madden, a leading expert on North Korea's elite, suggested that she might be part of the leader's inner circle.
'We do not know what job or function this individual discharges,' he said.
'But because she was observed leaving Kim Jong-un's personal car at an event, it is a reasonable and safe assumption that she works directly for him in his executive office.
'Kim Jong-un has four or five individuals – men and women – who work as administrative and personal assistants to him.
Michael Madden, a leading expert on North Korea's elite, suggested that she might be part of the leader's inner circle
The new member of the Kim circle was seen handing him his speech at a large political rally in February
'This woman might be his private secretary.'
If the woman in question is Kim Sol-song, 47, she brings a wealth of experience to the role.
She served her father, the former leader Kim Jong-il, as an event director before his death in 2011.
Mr Madden – who runs the North Korea Leadership Watch website – called it a 'critical' position.
He said: 'It involves coordinating the leader's schedule, his security arrangements, protocol and press coverage requirements, etc.
'In a political culture like North Korea's, it is a pretty critical job as this individual controls what elite North Korean citizens have access to the leader – at least for public events.'
If the woman in question is Kim Sol-song, 47, she brings a wealth of experience to the role
Kim Sol-song is also said to have served Kim Il-sung – her grandfather and the country's founding ruler – as a foreign language interpreter.
Further roles within the regime's propaganda and defence departments have been attributed to her by some sources.
Mr Madden added: 'When Kim Jong-un assumed the leadership ten years ago, she was a core elite political supporter, and provided his succession and transition with effectual support.'
The leader's full sister, Kim Yo-jong, already has a public-facing role within the North Korean regime.
Kim Sol-song, however, has so far avoided the spotlight – though Mr Madden said that this did not necessarily diminish her influence.
Kim Sol-song is also said to have served Kim Il-sung – her grandfather and the country's founding ruler – as a foreign language interpreter
He said: 'Kim Sol-song has never been a public figure in North Korean media and political culture.
'In contrast to other political cultures in the world, a North Korean elite does not necessarily need a public profile in order to establish his or her power or influence.
'But it would certainly be quite fascinating if she were to transition to a public role, and to ponder the internal dynamics behind that kind of move.'
South Korea-based website NK News, which monitors goings-on in North Korea, suggested Kim Sol-song could be the mystery woman in a new article.
But Mr Madden urged caution until the woman's true identity could be confirmed.
He said: 'When we are observing North Korea, Kim Sol-song is one of those individuals and lines of inquiry where the information landscape is marked more by smoke than actual fire.'
Daily Mail · by Michael Havis For Mailonline · April 21, 2022
11. “Main Enemy”—concept ignored by Moon, but revived by Yoon
And the president-elect recognizes and is willing to call out Kim Jong-un's hostile policy.
“Main Enemy”—concept ignored by Moon, but revived by Yoon - OKN
This article was originally published on Jayu Press and translated by OKN Correspondent.
Although President-elect Yoon Seok-youl has yet to take office, various national security-related issues that the Moon Jae-in administration destroyed are quickly returning to the state it once was before. One is the idea of specifying North Korea as the “main enemy” once more. Previous South Korean administrations have always regarded North Korea as their main adversary since they began publishing white papers on national defense in the late 1980s. However, the Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in administrations completely removed the concept of [North Korea being] the main enemy from the defense white paper. Their logic was to be submissive by not provoking North Korea, which strategically is absurd and senseless.
These administrations justified not using the term “main enemy” on the pretext that there were no countries that they identified as the concept of being the main adversary. However, this argument is possible because they try to ignore the fact that no country in the world has such a nasty enemy as we do. North Korea blatantly denies South Korea’s sovereignty and has never concealed its ambition to achieve unification under communism through force. Furthermore, we have powerful, threatening powers as neighbors. That is why a sophisticated security strategy and the main enemy concept are needed.
In “The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History” by American strategy theorist Philip Bobbitt, he clearly states how futile and absurd a defense strategy whose main enemy is not clearly stated is. He states that “If it takes two to war, then the idea of deterring wars without a specified adversary or threat is nonsense.” Bobbitt is arguing that not specifying the main enemy in defense strategy is strategically nonsensical. An accurate defense strategy can be established only when the adversary is identified. Only after the main enemy is specified can we decide how to train the soldiers and what weapons to equip them with.
When we excluded North Korea from being the adversary, China claimed that we were threatening them because we were building up [our navy] with high-performance warships. Even when North Korea was declared our main enemy, the country that argued over the deployment of THAAD in South Korea was China. Perhaps Japan was also on alert.
For whom did the Roh and Moon administrations buy weapons to fight if they ignored the concept of the main enemy? For whom did we train our soldiers to fight? Were they planning on fighting against all our neighbors? Or were they planning to not fight anyone?
To read the original article in Korean, please click here.
Author
12. N. Korea urges effort to attain economic goals 'at all costs' during Cabinet meeting
"Translated" for KimJong-un: "I got nothing." I have no tools and no capabilities to fix our economy because I cannot reform and remain in power. Just feed the people more ideology and keep building nuclear weapons and missiles.Therefore, I admonish you to improve the economy at all costs (except not at the cost of nuclear weapons and missiles) . Or maybe this is Kim exercising mission command and giving a mission type order - just meet the intent. , I do not care what you do (but don't touch my treasured sword) how much it costs.
N. Korea urges effort to attain economic goals 'at all costs' during Cabinet meeting | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has held a Cabinet meeting to assess its economic performance for the first three months of the year and urged officials to make utmost efforts to achieve their goals "at all costs," state media reported Thursday.
At the expanded plenary meeting of the Cabinet held via video link the previous day, Vice Premier Pak Jong-gun made a report analyzing the country's economic weaknesses and flaws that dragged down the country's performance for the first quarter, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
During the session, Pak called on officials to "wage a stronger battle against undesirable phenomena, including formalism and self-protectionism, in the process of implementing economic policies."
"The meeting stressed that all officials should wage a bold battle to implement the national economic plan in the first half of the year at all costs, keeping in mind that the national economic plan is an order from the party and the law of our nation," the KCNA said.
During the North's eighth Workers' Party congress in January last year, its leader Kim Jong-un admitted that his five-year economic plan failed to meet the target and unveiled a new scheme focusing on self-reliance amid crippling global sanctions and a protracted border closure due to COVID-19.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
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13. North Korea orders wartime readiness during joint U.S.-South Korean military drills
Expend resources and give us a good intelligence read. Remember Team Spirit\ and the many ways we exploited it?
The military is ripe for strategic influence operations. It would be great to have an accompanying information and influence activities campaign surge surrounding the exercise. Hopefully when the Yoon administration takes power we will be able to plan and execute combined operations in the information environment. I would be planning for the August exercise right now as the nKPA soldiers will be tired from the Summer training CYcle and then have to conduct the harvest.
North Korea orders wartime readiness during joint U.S.-South Korean military drills
Soldiers complain that they are too exhausted after winter exercises and political events in April.
By Myung Chul Lee
2022.04.20
North Korea put its military in a wartime posture–mobilizing troops and stepping up army political indoctrination– in response to the semi-annual U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises that began this week, sources in the country told RFA.
The exercises are mostly computer simulations and involve cooperation between alliance command posts. But North Korea still views the exercises as a threat to its sovereignty, and its General Political Bureau has ordered the military to be ready for war.
“Artillery and other important mission units were instructed to maintain a high state of readiness and conduct frequent inspections on their combat equipment so they could enter battle immediately in the event of a crisis,” a military source in the northwestern province of North Pyongan told RFA’s Korean Service Tuesday on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
“During the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, commanders must not leave the areas under their jurisdiction. Soldiers in the units are prepared to mobilize in a ready state, day or night,” he said.
But soldiers are exhausted, having just finished their grueling “winter training” sessions, where they toil as essentially free labor for the government on the premise of training, and coming off a major holiday full of political events, the source said.
“They are angered by the authorities’ orders to immediately mobilize at a time when they lack fuel and materials, and they say the situation is not realistic,” he said.
Authorities want soldiers not only to be ready on the physical battlefield, but also on the ideological battlefield, a military source in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.
“From the 19th, political departments in all units were urged to use ideological education classes for high-ranking officials this coming Saturday, and daily mental education hours for soldiers, so that they can propagandize the tension of the current political situation, and confirm their determination to defend our supreme leader,” he said, referring to the country’s leader Kim Jong Un.
“The General Political Bureau has ordered the Korean People’s Army newspapers, telecommunications, and the third broadcast within the military to put out intensive propaganda that shows the party and the military’s resolve, and our principled and ruthlessly super-hardline stance,” the second soruce said.
Third broadcast refers to government-controlled loudspeakers that transmit messages or instructions to everyone they can reach.
“The propaganda must emphasize the need to show the will of tens of millions of people to respond to the U.S.-South Korean war provocations with military action and not just words,” the second source said.
“In response to the orders … high-ranking officials and the soldiers below them complain that they are already tired from winter training and the various different political events concentrated in April. They wonder whether it makes sense to ‘arm soldiers with the 1950 spirit of defending the motherland…’ when what they want the most right now is adequate rest and enough food to eat,” he said.
The source said the propaganda is essentially meaningless.
“If you listen to the third broadcast inside the Korean People’s Army, you will only hear songs on the theme of defending our leader. All day long,” he said.
“These songs include ‘I will defend Gen. Kim Jong Un with my life,’ ‘Our weapons don’t forgive,’ and ‘Leader, just give us an order.’ I don’t understand why the authorities are obsessed with ideological education when the joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States happen every year.”
The joint exercises will run through Friday, then break for the weekend, resuming April 25 and ending April 28, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Hostilities in the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice agreement, but North and South Korea are technically still at war as no peace treaty has ever been signed.
Translated by Claire Lee and Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
14. ＜Inside North Korea＞ Outer walls of the special tourism zone pushed by Kim Jong-un have collapsed and cracks are occurring one after another.
A couple of years of neglect and poor construction to begin with.
＜Inside North Korea＞ Outer walls of the special tourism zone pushed by Kim Jong-un have collapsed and cracks are occurring one after another.
Kim Jong-un visited Samjiyon in November 2021. Photo quoted from the Labor Newspaper.
In the special tourist zone where Kim Jong-un ordered construction directly, in northern Samjiyon located in Ryanggang Province, many problems are happening. Such as the collapse of the outer walls of a new building built last year, reported a collaborator in mid-April.
Samjiyon is located at the foot of Mt. Paektu which is a tourist attraction, and is close to China. Kim Jong-un, who is enthusiastic for its development, hastened the construction by repeating site visits and the construction completed once in December 2019. The idea was to attract tourists from China and earn foreign currency income.
However, the pandemic of COVID-19 completely stopped accepting tourists from China. Even so, it was still a top priority construction project under the direct direction of Kim Jong-Un, so additional construction continued.
Map of the Chinese-North Korean border region (ASIAPRESS)
◆ Cement freezing without drying
"This winter the cold waves were severe, and the water in the cement froze when the drying of cement was insufficient. Now in spring, the water is beginning to melt and many buildings’ with cracking cement, and outer walls peeling off are appearing one after another. Even indoors, it seems that the tiles of the washroom are emerging. The government agency ordered it to repair it as planned no matter what, put the personnel in charge of urban construction into the repair work, and repair it so the tourists in the future can’t see the Traces of breakage."
The collaborator says.
However, there were too many defective constructions and lack of manpower. So it was decided to select personnel from various workplaces to deal with them. (Kang Ji-Young)
* Asia Press keeps in touch by bringing in Chinese mobile phones into North Korea.
15. My interview with John Batchelor and Gordon Chang last evening.
Apr 20, 9:14 PM
#Korea: Yoon takes command. @GordonGChang, Gatestone, Newsweek, The Hill. David Maxwell @DavidMaxwell161 @FDD, Army Special Forces colonel (ret); Fellow, Institute of Corean American Studies
David Maxwell @DavidMaxwell161 @FDD, Army Special Forces colonel (ret); Fellow, Institute of Corean American Studies
16. How Will President-Elect Yoon Manage The South Korea – U.S. Alliance And North Korea?
In case you missed this. My thoughts on the new Yoon Administration.
How Will President-Elect Yoon Manage The South Korea – U.S. Alliance And North Korea?
By
What to Expect from the Yoon Administration on the ROK/U.S. Alliance and National Security – President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will have a positive impact on the ROK/U.S. alliance and on the security of the Republic of Korea.
However, we must be aware of the propaganda and rhetoric that will likely emerge from both North Korea and the political opposition that will argue that he is too close to and too aligned with the U.S. We must keep in mind that the national security interests of both the ROK and the U.S. benefit from the alliance and it is the interests of both nations to ensure we have a strong alliance.
South Korea Must Step Up
President-elect Yoon has laid out his vision for national security in his February Foreign Affairs article and in a recent Washington Post interview. In short, his vision is that it is time for South Korea to step up – in the ROK/U.S. alliance, in the region, and around the world because the ROK is an important player on the global stage.
We will see a defense of democratic values, the rules-based international order, cooperation with other like-minded countries, and alignment with entities such as the Quad. Korea is the only country in the world to go from a major aid recipient following the Korean War armistice to a major donor nation after the Miracle on the Han. It stands as an example for the developing nations around the world. We should expect to see strong solidarity with Ukraine as it experiences similar attacks as Korea did in 1950.
Hostile Policy
What we are going to see between the ROK and the U.S. is sufficient alignment of assumptions about the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime. I believe the president-elect has a realistic understanding of North Korea and its goals and these are more in synch with the U.S. than the previous administration.
The alliance will focus on the security of the ROK through readiness and deterrence. The president-elect will remind Korea, the region, and the world that the alliance exists to defend South Korea and the U.S.in the Asia Pacific region.
This is a two-track approach – political warfare to subvert the South and manipulate the U.S. and international community, and the development of advanced warfighting capabilities to be able to attack the South. These two tracks guide all actions from the north. He is correctly calling out Kim for his hostile policy toward the ROK and the U.S. No longer will Kim be able to get away with saying the U.S. and the ROK have a hostile policy. The ROK/U.S. alliance seeks security and stability, economic growth, and ultimately peaceful unification in Korea. Kim seeks hostile domination.
Human Rights Upfront Approach
It is necessary for the president-elect to take a human rights upfront with North Korea. Not only is it a moral imperative, but it is also a national security issue because Kim Jong-un must deny the human rights of the Korean people living in the north to remain in power.
The president-elect must also be concerned with the rights of the escapees/defectors in the South who are working hard to get information into the north to change the conditions. He must convince the National Assembly to repeal the so-called anti-leaflet law and allow the escapees to continue their good work with the full support of the ROK government and the Korean people.
Strategic Influence Campaign and a Superior Political Warfare Strategy
The president-elect must go beyond the work of the escapees and embark on a combined strategic influence campaign in the north. The ROK/U.S. alliance must bring all ROK and U.S. influence capabilities to bear on the north. It is important to understand that Kim Jong-un fears the Korean people in the north more than he fears the U.S. military. And his biggest fear is when the people have information and knowledge about life in the South and understand their unalienable rights and long to have the same rights as their brothers and sisters in the South.
Most importantly, the essence of a superior political warfare strategy is to recognize the north’s strategy, understand it, expose it, and then attack that strategy.
Unification as the Challenge and the Solution
The president-elect must take a long-term approach to solve the “Korea question” which comes from paragraph 60 of the armistice and recognizes the unnatural division of the peninsula. He must change the focus of the Ministry of Unification from competition with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Intelligence Service to an organization that is singularly focused on the necessary deep and detailed planning for the unification of Korea. The ministry must plan for unification through the four possible paths – from peaceful unification, regime collapse, and war, to the possibility of emerging new leadership in the north who will seek unification on peaceful terms. The ministry must focus on every aspect of unification from political, economic, health services, and security integration to culture and language divergence to such basic rights as land ownership and freedom of movement.
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol must recognize that the only way to achieve denuclearization, the elimination of the existential threat from the north, and bring an end to the human rights abuses and crimes against humanity is through unification. The only acceptable durable political arrangement that will serve the Korean people and ROK and U.S. interests is the establishment of a United Republic of Korea that is secure and stable, non-nuclear, economically vibrant, and unified under a liberal constitutional form of government based on individual liberty, rule of law, free market economics and human rights as determined by the Korean people.
In short, a United Republic of Korea (UROK).
David Maxwell, a 1945 Contributing Editor, is a retired US Army Special Forces Colonel who has spent more than 20 years in Asia and specializes in North Korea and East Asia Security Affairs and irregular, unconventional, and political warfare. He is the editor of Small Wars Journal and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
