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Quotes of the Day:
"Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten."
– B. F. Skinner
"Some day, in years to come, you will be wrestling with the great temptation, or trembling under the great sorrow of your life. But the real struggle is here, now, in these quiet weeks. Now it is being decided whether, in the day of your supreme sorrow or temptation, you shall miserably fail or gloriously conquer. Character cannot be made except by a steady, long continued process."
– Phillips Brooks
"There are books in which the footnotes or comments scrawled by some reader's hand in the margin are more interesting than the text. The world is one of these books."
– George Santayana
1. S. Korea conducts large-scale military exercises near border islands
2. Blinken set to arrive in S. Korea to attend democracy summit
3. N. Korea replacing ambassador to Cuba after establishment of diplomatic ties between Seoul, Havana
4. Gov't urged to be more active in resolving abductees, detainees, POWs issue
5. Less than half of South Korean students think unification is necessary
6. S. Korean convicted for bringing in and selling NK books
7. Korean shipbuilders seen as beneficiaries of US-China trade war
8. Baseball diplomacy?
9. Start boosting our economic deterrence (South Korea)
10. North Korea refers to Kim Jong Un’s daughter by term reserved for ‘top leaders’
11. North Korea bans dogs as pets - unless you plan to EAT and SKIN them
12. New homes in North Korea’s Yanggang Province are very drafty
1. S. Korea conducts large-scale military exercises near border islands
Strength and resolve.
S. Korea conducts large-scale military exercises near border islands | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by CHANG JAE SUN · March 17, 2024
SEOUL, March 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has conducted large-scale military exercises around western border islands to practice deploying forces in the event of North Korean provocations, the military said Sunday.
The maneuvers took place Friday around the islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong near the Yellow Sea border with the North, involving the Marines' quick maneuver force, the Navy landing ship (LST-II), the MUH-1 Marineon helicopter, and the Korean Assault Amphibious Vehicle (KAAV), according to the North West Islands Defense Command.
Also participating in the drills were Army helicopters, such as the AH-64E Apache.
The exercises came amid concern that the North could undertake localized provocations ahead of next month's parliamentary elections in South Korea.
This image, provided by the Marines on March 17, 2024, shows South Korean troops participating in a military exercise on and around western border islands on March 15. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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en.yna.co.kr · by CHANG JAE SUN · March 17, 2024
2. Blinken set to arrive in S. Korea to attend democracy summit
Blinken set to arrive in S. Korea to attend democracy summit | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kang Jae-eun · March 17, 2024
SEOUL, March 17 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to arrive in South Korea on Sunday to attend a session of the Summit for Democracy, a U.S.-led multination gathering formed to boost solidarity and shared values among democratic countries.
Blinken is expected to arrive at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, for a two-day visit that will also include talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, their second meeting in less than a month after the earlier one held in Washington last month.
Both the democracy forum session and the meeting with Cho are scheduled for Monday.
Seoul's foreign ministry said Cho and Blinken are expected to discuss democracy cooperation, ways to strengthen the alliance between the two countries, and other issues of mutual concern, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.
The meeting between Cho and Blinken comes only weeks after the two met one-on-one in Washington while Cho was visiting the United States late last month. It was their first in-person talks since Cho took office in January.
Blinken is also expected to pay a visit to President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The Summit for Democracy is led by the U.S. to reinforce the democratic bloc with like-minded countries in the face of various challenges posed by a rise in authoritarianism.
South Korea is hosting this year's summit, its third such session, set for March 18-20.
The ministerial sessions will be held on the first day, followed by panel discussions involving civic groups the next day. The leaders' session will take place virtually on the last day.
U.S. President Joe Biden is set to attend the summit virtually.
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (L) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a photo at the White House in Washington, D.C., in this file photo taken Feb. 29, 2024, and provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
fairydust@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kang Jae-eun · March 17, 2024
3. N. Korea replacing ambassador to Cuba after establishment of diplomatic ties between Seoul, Havana
Probably should include the equivalent intelligence station chief in Havana as well. They certainly did not see the South Korea-Cuba relationship coming.
Does a gulag await?
N. Korea replacing ambassador to Cuba after establishment of diplomatic ties between Seoul, Havana | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Woo Jae-yeon · March 17, 2024
MEXICO CITY, March 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's ambassador to Cuba has paid a visit to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel before concluding his mission, the Cuban presidential office said, as Pyongyang is preparing to replace the envoy after Cuba's surprising establishment of diplomatic ties with South Korea.
Diaz-Canel shared a brief video of Friday's meeting with Ambassador Ma Chol-su on X, the former Twitter platform, saying he reassured the ambassador that Pyongyang could always rely on Cuba's support, solidarity and friendship in all aspects.
The president, who visited North Korea twice, also emphasized the brotherhood between the countries.
Ma is reported to have received the Friendship Medal from the president that day in recognition of his diplomatic service in Cuba for the past five years.
The replacement came at a delicate moment, following the surprise announcement of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Cuba on Feb. 14, sparking speculation that the event might have influenced the change of the ambassador.
Given the duration of Ma's service, however, it might just be a routine transfer. Ma was appointed in October 2018, according to reports from the Korean Central News Agency.
Ma's successor has yet to be announced.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel (R) meets with North Korean Ambassador to Cuba Ma Chol-su at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana on March 16, 2024, in this photo captured from the president's X. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Woo Jae-yeon · March 17, 2024
4. Gov't urged to be more active in resolving abductees, detainees, POWs issue
A human rights upfront approach must address and work toward resolving the full spectrum of human rights issues.
Gov't urged to be more active in resolving abductees, detainees, POWs issue
The Korea Times · March 17, 2024
Rights groups hold a conference in front of Government Complex Seoul, Wednesday, to call for raising awareness and resolving the issue of abductees, detainees and prisoners of war in North Korea. Yonhap
Experts say abductee issue concerns lives, safety of citizens as well as fundamental human rights
By Kwak Yeon-soo
The government is facing growing calls to be more active in resolving the issue of South Koreans abducted and detained by North Korea by addressing it at international forums and other high-level events.
Rights groups said the government should raise awareness on this issue at the ongoing regular session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which will last until April 5, as well as at the Summit for Democracy, which will be hosted by Seoul for a three-day run from Monday. Launched in 2021, the annual summit is led by the United States and aims to support and renew democracy while at the same time, confronting authoritarianism around the world.
Currently, six South Korean citizens — including three missionaries — have been detained in the reclusive regime for years on charges of committing what Pyongyang calls "anti-North Korea crimes." In the South, nothing is known of their respective whereabouts and what has become of them.
Separately, 516 South Koreans out of an estimated 3,835 people who were kidnapped by the North after the 1950-53 Korean War, have yet to return home, according to government data. At least 60,000 prisoners of war (POWs) are also estimated to have not come back home after being detained in the communist North, with many of them believed to have died.
The issue is resurfacing as this year marks the 10th year since the arrest of South Korean missionaries Choe Chun-gil and Kim Kuk-gi.
Choe’s son will attend one of the sessions of the UNHCR this month to urge the U.N. Refugee Agency to step up efforts for his father’s repatriation, according to the Ministry of Unification.
Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho has a meal with the son of Choe Chun-gil, a missionary who has been detained in North Korea since 2014, at a place where the son lives on Feb. 7. Yonhap
Shin Hee-seok, a legal analyst at Transitional Justice Working Group, said the government should do its utmost to bring back South Korean abductees, detainees and POWs.
“This is a critical issue concerning the sovereignty of Korea and the lives and safety of South Korean citizens," Shin said. "It’s also about protecting fundamental human rights. South Korea should become a co-penholder of the North Korean human rights resolution to be adopted by the U.N. Human Rights Council in April."
For the past 20 years, South Korea has never been a penholder of North Korean human rights resolutions at the U.N. and failed to display even a minimum amount of consistency, refusing to even co-sponsor North Korean human rights resolutions from 2019 to early 2022.
Shin said, “I hope President Yoon Suk Yeol mentions South Korean abductees, detainees and POWs in North Korea and pledges support for their safe return to South Korea in his keynote speech at the Summit for Democracy. It would be better if North Korean human rights were discussed during the summit.”
Lee Kyu-chang, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-funded think tank, called for raising international interest in the detainee issue through cooperation with the international community.
“We have to deepen our cooperation with domestic and international human rights groups that hold consultative status at the U.N. Economic and Social Council, so that side events designed to encourage the world to know the real situation of detainees in North Korea can be held during UNHRC sessions,” he said.
Lee also said the Protestant community should join hands with the international community to launch a worldwide campaign calling for the return of those detainees.
“Given that three out of six detainees are missionaries, the Protestant community should cooperate with the international Christian network to pressure the North Korean regime,” he said.
To raise the issue domestically, he emphasized that the National Institute for Unification as well as a few other relevant agencies and groups should hold more lectures about abductees, detainees and POWs and create a textbook that deals with the issue.
New policies
In its effort to resolve the issue, the unification ministry rolled out eight policy goals on Thursday.
They include raising both domestic and international awareness of the issue, supporting families of those who are detained in North Korea, seeking cooperation with the U.S. and Japan as well as international organizations such as the Red Cross and the U.N. and engaging in negotiation preparation in case the two Koreas resume dialogue.
The Japanese government said there are at least 12 people who have not returned home after being abducted by North Korea.
In a related move, the government set up a task force last September to handle the issue of abductees, detainees and POWs. In February, it created a symbol of South Koreans abducted and detained in North Korea with an image of three forget-me-nots in a bid to raise public awareness.
“The Yoon Suk Yeol administration understands the issue of South Korean abductees and detainees is a violation of human rights against South Korean citizens,” a ministry official said.
“We will support efforts by families of abductees and detainees of the North to draw international attention. We plan to call for resolution of the issue at the Universal Periodic Review in November.”
The Korea Times · March 17, 2024
5. Less than half of South Korean students think unification is necessary
Do not be misled by these surveys. First no one can stop unification when the conditions for it come into play (post war, post crime collapse, or change in leadership in the north).
Second, my anecdotal experience last summer in Korea at about 9 universities taught me that students who are exposed to unification studies become very interested in it unification. Students would tell me hat had no interest int it or were afraid of it due to the perceived impacts. But once they began studies supported by the Korean Institute of Unification Education they became excited about the prospects of unification and becoming part of something greater than themselves.
But these surveys will lead Americans (to include policy makers and military officials) to say that Korea does not want unification.
Less than half of South Korean students think unification is necessary
The Korea Times · March 17, 2024
A sign for the Ministry of Unification at the government complex in Seoul. Yonhap
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Less than half of South Korean students think unification with North Korea is necessary amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, a survey showed, Saturday.
In an online survey of 73,991 elementary, middle and high school students, conducted by the unification ministry and education ministry from Oct. 20 to Nov. 20, 2023, 49.8 percent replied that unification is necessary, while 38.9 percent said it is not needed. This is the first time that the rate of students supporting unification dropped below 50 percent since the survey began in 2014.
The two Koreas are still technically at war as the 1950-53 war ended in an armistice.
Among those opposed to the idea of unification, potential social problems following unification were the biggest reason for their objection at 28.6 percent, followed by economic burden at 27.9 percent.
Negative sentiment toward North Korea has become stronger in recent years.
The rate of respondents who perceive North Korea as a country that South Korea should cooperate with decreased to 32.1 percent in 2023 from 38.7 percent in 2022. Alternatively, students who view the North as an enemy of the state increased from 10.9 percent to 12.5 percent during the same period.
The rate of students who are not interested in unification increased for the fourth straight year from 20.2 percent in 2020 to 28.3 percent in 2023. Those who believe inter-Korean relations are not peaceful increased to 56 percent in 2023 from 55.7 percent in 2022.
“North Korea’s provocations have fueled students’ negative views of unification,” the unification ministry said. “Together with the education ministry, we will do our best to inform students about the need for unification and direction of unification policies.”
The Korea Times · March 17, 2024
6. S. Korean convicted for bringing in and selling NK books
South Korea needs to change the laws. No Korean should fear information or propaganda from the north.
S. Korean convicted for bringing in and selling NK books
koreaherald.com · by Lee Jaeeun · March 17, 2024
By Lee Jaeeun
Published : March 17, 2024 - 13:59
North Korean novels titled "The Three Vassals of Goguryeo" "Four Pieces of Ice," "National Statue of Eulpaso" and "A Woman’s Note" (direct translations) (Courtesy of the South and North Korean Economic Federation Unification Farming Cooperative)
The Seoul Central District Court handed down a verdict of guilty to the chair of a civic organization who had been accused of bringing in and selling North Korean novels, officials said Sunday.
The court found Jung Ik-hyeon, 60, chair of the South and North Korean Economic Federation Unification Farming Cooperative, of breaching the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, sentencing him to pay a fine of 3 million won ($2,250).
Jung was accused of bringing North Korean novels and USB flash drives containing North Korean novels into the country without the approval of the Unification Ministry three times between 2018 and 2020.
Under the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, any person who intends to take out or bring in goods between South and North Korea for "sale, exchange, lease, loan for use, donation, use, etc." needs approval from the Ministry of Unification concerning the items, forms of trading and methods of payment.
Jung was found to have signed a contract with the North Korean Copyright Secretariat through a Chinese broker, and brought a total of 22 North Korean novels, including "The Three Vassals of Goguryeo," (direct translation) into the country without permission.
However, the organization had held a press conference to explain its position and defend its publication of the North Korean books back on March 4, 2020.
“We have submitted applications over the past three years to the Ministry of Unification to bring in the books on the premise of publishing them, but (since they never replied) we have decided that the ministry has no will (to respond) at all," the organization had said at the press conference.
"So now we plan to proceed with the publication of 13 North Korean novels here. We sincerely hope this will help promote reconciliation and exchange between Koreans in the South and North," they added.
It published "Dongeuibogam," a revered classic of Korean traditional medicine, in its North Korean-origin version in 2020. The book was priced at 25,000 won per copy in South Korea.
Jung pleaded not guilty in the trial, saying, “The books I received from a Chinese businessperson are Chinese goods, not North Korean goods, and they do not violate good customs and morals or the National Security Act, so they are not subject to approval for import.”
On the other hand, the court said when delivering its verdict, “It is acknowledged that Jung was aware approval was required from the unification minister. Also, China appears to be merely a transit point in the process of smuggling.”
koreaherald.com · by Lee Jaeeun · March 17, 2024
7. Korean shipbuilders seen as beneficiaries of US-China trade war
Excerpts;
“Multiple reports have pointed out that the decline of the U.S. shipbuilding industry is due mainly to overprotection while the development of the Chinese shipbuilding industry has benefited from increasing technological innovation and high-end, intelligent and green development,” said He Yadong, the spokesperson of the Chinese commerce ministry.
The NH Investment analyst noted that the U.S. government’s sanctions on Chinese shipbuilders will deteriorate their price competitiveness and raise the value of building slots at Korean shipyards.
“Korean shipbuilders will be able to increase their shares in the gas carrier market in the long run, due to the growing transportation of liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas to the U.S.,” the analyst said.
The U.S. government is also expected to boost ties with Korean shipbuilders in the naval ship sector.
HD Hyundai Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun and Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, both of whom met U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro during his visit to Korea last month, are reportedly preparing for trips to the U.S. next month, as they accepted the secretary’s invitation to his office in the Pentagon to continue discussions on how to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services to the U.S. Navy.
Korean shipbuilders seen as beneficiaries of US-China trade war
The Korea Times · March 17, 2024
gettyimagesbank
By Park Jae-hyuk
Cautious optimism is growing that Korean shipbuilders will be able to increase their overall share in the global market, as the sector has become the latest battleground in the ongoing U.S.-China strategic rivalry, according to industry officials, Sunday.
After the Joe Biden administration responded positively on March 12 (local time) to a petition from a group of five U.S. unions asking for a review of China’s subsidies for shipbuilders, Korea’s five largest shipbuilding stocks rose sharply despite a slight drop of the benchmark KOSPI.
In particular, Samsung Heavy Industries’ stock price soared 13 percent during Thursday’s trading session. Hanwha Ocean's stock also rose 11 percent that day.
The stock price of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), an HD Hyundai subsidiary supervising its shipyards, went up 5 percent, while HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, both of which are HD KSOE’s listed shipbuilding units, saw 8 percent and 4 percent increases in their stock prices, respectively.
Exchange-traded funds owning major Korean shipbuilding stocks were also among the most profitable domestic funds last week.
“As the petition was filed ahead of the U.S. presidential election, the U.S. government is highly likely to accept the request for an investigation,” NH Investment & Securities analyst Jung Yeon-seung said. “Although it will take time for the U.S. government to come up with measures, this issue will be mentioned repeatedly during the presidential election campaign.”
Biden promised that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) would take a hard look at the petition in accordance with the law.
“We’ll always stand against China’s unfair practices — and as long as I am president, I’ll fight for U.S. workers and jobs,” the U.S. president wrote on social media.
USTR Ambassador Katherine Tai also said she looks forward to reviewing the petition in detail, although the Chinese commerce ministry denounced it as “trade protectionism” and “lacking factual basis.” The petitioners claimed that China’s drive to dominate the global shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sector is built on non-market policies that are far more aggressive and interventionist than any other country.
“Multiple reports have pointed out that the decline of the U.S. shipbuilding industry is due mainly to overprotection while the development of the Chinese shipbuilding industry has benefited from increasing technological innovation and high-end, intelligent and green development,” said He Yadong, the spokesperson of the Chinese commerce ministry.
The NH Investment analyst noted that the U.S. government’s sanctions on Chinese shipbuilders will deteriorate their price competitiveness and raise the value of building slots at Korean shipyards.
“Korean shipbuilders will be able to increase their shares in the gas carrier market in the long run, due to the growing transportation of liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas to the U.S.,” the analyst said.
The U.S. government is also expected to boost ties with Korean shipbuilders in the naval ship sector.
HD Hyundai Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun and Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, both of whom met U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro during his visit to Korea last month, are reportedly preparing for trips to the U.S. next month, as they accepted the secretary’s invitation to his office in the Pentagon to continue discussions on how to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services to the U.S. Navy.
The Korea Times · March 17, 2024
8. Baseball diplomacy?
Baseball diplomacy?
The Korea Times · March 17, 2024
Three members of the Los Angeles Dodgers laugh during a press conference held at Gocheok Sky Dome baseball stadium in Seoul on Saturday, four days before the MLB World Tour Seoul Series. From left are Japanese-born two-way player Shohei Ohtani, infielder Mookie Betts and first-baseman Freddie Freeman. Yonhap
Sports should not be used for political purposes
When a big sports event like the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Tour Seoul Series is approaching, politicians and government officials are tempted to use the opportunity to take advantage of it for political and diplomatic purposes.
But such an attempt, known in the media as sports diplomacy, is prone to backfire rather than succeed.
During the Seoul Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres will compete in two games slated for March 20 and 21 at Gocheok Sky Dome baseball stadium in Seoul. It is the MLB’s first opener to be held in Seoul. The Seoul Series is part of the MLB’s global expansion programs. During this season, the MLB will also hold games in Monterey, Mexico, in April and London in June.
In addition to enthusiastic fans, the historical sport event will bring officials of Seoul, Washington and Tokyo together in the stadium, too.
According to diplomatic sources, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Aiboshi will be at the opening game together on March 20. Chung Byung-won, South Korea's deputy minister for political affairs, will also be there. The Yoon Suk Yeol government seems to expect the three officials watching the game together would send a symbolic message that the trilateral partnership between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan is on course and expanding into sports.
What happened in Japan demonstrates the opposite side of the scene, proving sports diplomacy has done a disservice to the politicians who have tried to push for it.
In February, a Japanese media outlet reported that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida considered visiting Seoul on March 20 for a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol and the two leaders would watch the MLB game together. The Japanese leader then faced fierce criticism. Kishida was depicted on social media as a selfish leader who tried to use sports as a means of boosting his lackluster approval ratings. Some fans urged him to stop trying to use Shohei Ohtani for political purposes.
The presidential office rebuffed any possibility of Kishida’s Seoul visit on March 20, confirming that he would not visit South Korea within this month.
This kind of diplomacy backfires because the public tends to feel disgust for politicians who seek to exploit popular sports to their own ends.
It is the private sector — in this case Coupang, a popular e-commerce company in Korea, and MLB leaders who agreed to hold the opening games in Seoul after rounds of negotiations — that laid the groundwork to make the big event happen but, out of the blue, government officials are trying to be part of it to take credit for its success.
Fans should be able to enjoy their favorite games without being disturbed by government intervention.
As a sports event, the Seoul Series has a lot to thrill baseball fans in Korea. Both teams are star-studded. Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, Padres’ shortstop and outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. and slugger Manny Machado, to name a few, are set to entertain fans with their fascinating play. Baseball fans will also watch Japanese-born superstar Shohei Ohtani, the highest-in-demand player in the league, playing for the Dodgers, while South Korea’s first gold glove winner Kim Ha-seong will play against the Dodgers.
The Dodgers bear very special meaning to Korean baseball fans. Koreans came to develop their bond with the LA-based club after South Korea’s first Major Leaguer Park Chan-ho began his career in the U.S. big league in 1994.
Park’s successful baseball career there has inspired many other Korean baseball players to chase their dreams in the MLB. Ryu Hyun-jin is the second and, at the moment, last South Korean pitcher to play for the Dodgers. Since his successful debut in 2013 — with 14 wins and 8 defeats with a 3.0 ERA — he was nominated for the Cy Young Award twice before he returned to Korea last year after the 2023 season to play for the Hanwha Eagles. South Koreans were particularly thrilled when he started the Dodgers’ opening game against the Boston Red Sox in the 2018 World Series. Ryu was the first South Korean pitcher to open a World Series game.
Media reports about Ryu and his bond with a few Dodgers teammates, such as infielder Justin Turner and outfielder Cody Bellinger, also helped Korean fans build affection toward the Dodgers.
That bond, however, has been weakened over the past years since Ryu’s and other players’ departures from the club. Ryu left the Dodgers for the Toronto Blue Jays after the 2019 season. Bellinger is currently playing for the Chicago Cubs, and Turner for the Jays.
All these and others highlight the merits of the incoming baseball events. Yet they need to serve as festivals for baseball fans and general audiences as purely sport events, not tainted by any political motives. Sport is sport and diplomacy is diplomacy.
The Seoul Series will be broadcast on Coupang Play, an over-the-top (OTT) service platform run by Coupang.
The Korea Times · March 17, 2024
9. Start boosting our economic deterrence (South Korea)
Sunday
March 17, 2024
dictionary + A - A
Published: 17 Mar. 2024, 19:14
Start boosting our economic deterrence
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-03-17/opinion/columns/Start-boosting-our-economic-deterrence/2004324
Chang Se-jeong
The author is an editorial writer of the JoongAng Ilbo.
Korea-Japan relations, frozen during the liberal Moon Jae-in administration, began to thaw after conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol defined Japan as a “cooperation partner” in his March 1 Independence Movement holiday speech last year and presented a compensation plan for the wartime forced labor. Despite the opposition’s persistent criticism of the president as a pro-Japanese leader, he flew to Tokyo and shook hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Remarkable changes took place in diplomatic and security fronts between the two countries after the two leaders’ summits in Tokyo and Seoul.
As the architect of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s diplomatic and security strategy, Kim Sung-han, currently a professor of international relations at the Graduate School of International Studies at Korea University, poses with a K9 self-propelled howitzer displayed at the War Memorial of Korea, close to the presidential office, earlier this month. [WOO SANG-JO]
The smooth sailing of their relations led to President Yoon’s glamorous state visit to the United States last April — epitomized by warm hospitality from U.S. President Joe Biden and fervent responses from guests to the Korean president’s singing of “American Pie” at the White House dinner. President Yoon went on to deliver a speech to a joint session of U.S. Congress, marking the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance, to an uninterrupted standing ovation. The three leaders held a tripartite summit at Camp David last August — the first of its kind — and made a joint statement promising to further strengthen the countries’ trilateral security cooperation.
As the first national security advisor to President Yoon, Kim Sung-han — currently a professor of international relations at Korea University’s Graduate School of International Studies — drew up a blueprint for the normalization of the trilateral diplomacy among Korea, the United States and Japan. Kim, an old friend of the president, served as head of the diplomacy and security committee of his transition team after Yoon’s election victory on March 9, 2022. Kim handled national security affairs at the presidential office from Yoon’s inauguration on May 10, 2022, until March 29, 2023. The following is his recollection of his thrilling year as the first national security advisor in the Yoon administration and his advice for Korea’ future diplomacy. The interview was conducted at War Memorial of Korea, close to the presidential office.
Q. Wasn’t there any opposition to the normalization of Korea’s relations with Japan?
A. Both the presidential office and related ministries recognized the need to improve bilateral ties. On concrete solutions for forced labor compensation and the timing of announcing them, there were some disagreements between the National Security Office (NSO) and the Foreign Ministry. Senior officials had long and heated debates in my office. But thanks to the president’s strong will to improve the ties, we were able to push it speedily based on the consensus that we must move forward after putting our victimhood behind.
The Kishida cabinet’s approval rating recently fell sharply. Can these improved relations be maintained, regardless of Japan’s domestic politics?
In a speech on this year’s March 1 Independence Movement holiday, President Yoon reaffirmed that Japan is Korea’s pivotal partner who share values with us, seek common interests and cooperates for world peace and prosperity. His emphasis on both countries’ “marching toward a new world” and his proposal for “enhancing the relations one step further” — on the occasion of the 60th year of the normalization of their diplomatic relations — suggest that there are many areas for the two to cooperate in a future-oriented way. If a new leader wants to return to the past, he or she will not get support from their people.
Will the results of the upcoming U.S. presidential election affect the alliance?
Since the improvement of Korea-Japan ties, trilateral relations are sailing smoothly to offer a better environment for the risk management of the Korea-U.S. alliance. The U.S. government, whether Democratic or Republican, takes the position that the Korea-U.S. alliance and the U.S.-Japan alliance should work towards promoting trilateral security cooperation. It would be naïve to think that U.S. President Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in a presumptive rematch in November will benefit Korea more than the reverse. What changes the direction of U.S. policy is not China or Japan, but American voters. It is time for Korea to rev up its public diplomacy to convince them of the necessity of its alliance.
How should we prepare for the so-called Trump risk?
“U.S. election risks” could be a better phrase. We must brace for two risks. One involves how to deter against the North Korean nuclear threat and the other how to capitalize on the alliance to manage the China factor. We must double-check if the current extended deterrence is enough to curb the North’s nuclear missile threat. If Washington sits on its hands and demands that Seoul cooperate with its China policy, even when Beijing has launched economic retaliation against Korea — as the U.S. did over China’s methodical economic revenge against Korea’s deployment of the U.S.-led Thaad [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense] antimissile system — we cannot accept it. Just as the United States wants to systematize and reinforce its nuclear deterrence against North Korea, we should have a close consultation with the country to prepare effective “economic deterrence” against a third party’s coercion. If Japan, Australia and New Zealand can join that economic deterrence, it could be even better.
While President Yoon was trying to put the estranged trilateral diplomacy back on track, North Korea, China and Russia joined forces to confront it. North Korea supplied massive military weapons to Russia for its war against Ukraine after the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin last September. That significantly changed the developments of the war.
Some security experts say the new trilateral cooperation has worsened South Korea’s relations with China and Russia. Do you agree?
We stress the importance of the tripartite cooperation because of North Korea, not China or Russia. In 2022, when the Yoon administration launched, North Korea refused dialogue, accelerated nuclear missile development and engaged in the largest number of strategic provocations since the Cold War. We had to forge solidarity with Japan on top of our ally and put tripartite cooperation into action. If some say our relations with China and Russia weakened as a result, that’s a distortion of the causal relationship. China and Russia have repeatedly refused to endorse the UN Security Council’s resolutions against the North’s provocations, even before the Camp David summit. In a nutshell, what spiked the strengthened trilateral ties was the North’s provocations and China’s and Russia’s siding with them, not vice versa.
How should we respond to the close connections between North Korea, China and Russia?
We don’t have to distance ourselves from China and Russia simultaneously. Even though the trilateral security axis on the other side has evolved into a dangerous one, we must exploit their “strategic schisms” wisely instead of dealing with their security alliance at the same time. China and Russia can hardly separate themselves from North Korea, but China does not welcome close ties between North Korea and Russia either. We must have the flexibility to get close to China if Russia makes a mistake, and vice versa. In that case, our tripartite security cooperation will become more powerful.
The biggest headache for our security is North Korea. But the country drastically changed its strategy towards South Korea by defining inter-Korean relations as being “between two hostile states at war.” North Korea is expected to make a military provocation soon in waters near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea after amending the territorial clauses of its Constitution.
How do you view the North Korean leader’s definition of inter-Korean relations as being those of two different states?
It represents a determination to wage war against “a different country.” As Kim denied the same peace and unification his father and grandfather had upheld, his new definition of inter-Korean relations translates into a revocation of their cherished united front tactics. The bold negation primarily aims at the United States, as it implies that North Korea will be ready to cooperate with the Uncle Sam, except on denuclearization, if he treats North and South Korea as separate entities and respects the North’s sovereignty. For instance, as long as the U.S. recognizes a small number of its nuclear warheads, the North will abandon ICBMs [intercontinental ballistic missiles] allegedly capable of striking the U.S. mainland and possibly become a U.S. ally. If Kim believes such a strategy will work, he must be naïve. In this year’s March 1 Independence Movement holiday, President Yoon accentuated the “importance of freedom and unification” in response to Kim’s championing of two separate statehoods. Yoon’s remarks in the address — “Our genuine independence can be secured through reunification to ensure liberty and affluence for both residents of South and North Korea” — carry particular significance.
Will North Korea carry out a military provocation targeting the April 10 parliamentary elections in South Korea and the Nov. 5 presidential election in the U.S.?
A full-scale provocation would not be an option for North Korea, as it must worry about the possibility of the Kim dynasty perishing in the face of massive retaliation from the alliance. But the possibility of a limited war in the five northernmost islands of the Yellow Sea or an extension of the war cannot be ruled out. While serving in the NSO, our team drew up more than 100 scenarios for the North’s provoking the South. We must update them to thoroughly prepare. As the likelihood of provocation persists even after the April 10 general elections, we must massively strengthen our spying and reconnaissance capabilities and innovate our military. Israel’s lax discipline invited provocation from Hamas. Our defense capability will only be completed by enhancing our reconnaissance. North Korea still refuses to talk, but the doors are always open.
10. North Korea refers to Kim Jong Un’s daughter by term reserved for ‘top leaders’
This allows us to speculate and gossip.
North Korea refers to Kim Jong Un’s daughter by term reserved for ‘top leaders’
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/north-korea-refers-to-kim-jong-uns-daughter-by-term-reserved-for-top-leaders
Analysts said it was the first time North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's daughter Ju Ae had been described as such by the North.
PHOTO: AFP
UPDATED MAR 16, 2024, 07:46 PM
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SEOUL – North Korean state media on March 16 referred to leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter as a “great person of guidance”, employing a term usually reserved for senior leaders and hinting at her status as a potential successor, analysts said.
Both the English- and Korean-language versions of an official Korean Central News Agency report on Mr Kim and his daughter’s visit to a greenhouse farm used the plural form of the honorific, suggesting it applied to both of them.
“The great persons of guidance, together with cadres of the Party, the government and the military, went round the farm,” read the English-language report, which ran with images of the pair.
Analysts said it was the first time Mr Kim’s daughter – never named by Pyongyang’s state media, but identified as Ju Ae by South Korean intelligence – had been described as such by the North.
“This is the first expression of elevating Kim Ju Ae to the ranks of” a leader, said Dr Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
The North Korean term “hyangdo” – meaning guidance – is typically only reserved for “top leaders or successors” of the isolated regime, said Dr Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Centre for Korean Peninsula Strategy at the Sejong Institute.
“This level of personal worship for Kim Ju Ae strongly suggests that she will succeed Kim Jong Un as the next leader of North Korea,” Dr Cheong added.
11. North Korea bans dogs as pets - unless you plan to EAT and SKIN them
Sigh...Based on the Daily NK report last week.
North Korea bans dogs as pets - unless you plan to EAT and SKIN them
Daily Mail · by Michael Havis · March 14, 2024
North Koreans risk the wrath of the regime if they keep dogs as pets, Pyongyang has decreed, warning that canines should only be kept for meat and fur.
The bizarre ban was announced through the Socialist Women's Union of Korea, according to a source in South Pyongan Province, which lies north of the capital.
Speaking to Daily NK, a newspaper in neighbouring South Korea, the source listed the offences that could leave dog owners in violation of the government's socialist ethos.
'Treating a dog as a family member, who eats and sleeps with the family, is incompatible with the socialist lifestyle and should be strictly avoided,' they said.
Dressing dogs in clothes, as exemplified by Western celebrities like Paris Hilton, was also singled out for condemnation.
Kim Jong-un's people risk the wrath of the strict regime if they keep dogs as pets after being warned canines should only be raised for meat and fur
The source continued: 'The practice of dressing up dogs as if they were humans, putting pretty ribbons in their hair, wrapping them in a blanket, and burying them when they die is a bourgeois activity.
'It's one of the ways wealthy people waste money in a capitalist society.'
Describing the regime's attitude, the source said: 'Dogs are basically meat that's raised outside in accordance with their nature and then eaten when they die.
'Therefore, such behaviour is totally unsocialist and must be strictly eliminated.'
The regime also emphasised that 'the purpose of raising dogs is to collect more furs', the source said.
Rising levels of dog ownership – a practice described by the authorities as carrying 'the stench of the bourgeoisie' – reportedly motivated the new edict.
And while citizens were being given the chance to deal with the matter 'quietly', non-compliance could trigger a 'mass movement' to 'eliminate' the practice, the source said.
The custom of keeping pet pooches must ultimately die out, union members were warned.
The practice of keeping dogs as pets started small in North Korea in the early 2000s, when they were usually guard dogs
One dog owner described by Daily NK was reduced to tears by the announcement.
'What should I do with the dog I love so much? I can't just kill it, and I can't just abandon it,' she reportedly said.
Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), which documents the atrocities of the Kim regime, said it was a 'ludicrous' decree.
He said: 'The Kim regime criminalises normal behaviour, including visiting a relative in a neighbouring village without a travel permit, crossing the border without regime approval, or possessing a religious book.
'The ongoing crackdown on pet dog ownership as non-socialist behaviour – this attempt to break the multi-millennial human-canine bond by ideological decree – is the epitome of ludicrous interdiction.'
According to the source in South Pyongan, the practice of keeping dogs as pets started small in North Korea in the early 2000s, when they were usually guard dogs.
They said: 'There have always been families who had cats to catch mice, but there weren't many families with dogs.
'But that number has gradually increased, and recently there's been a noticeable rise in foreign breeds of dogs such as Pomeranians and Shih Tzus, which used to be a rare sight in North Korea.'
Though dog meat is eaten in both Koreas, it's become controversial in the South and the Seoul government passed a law in January banning its production and sale.
A dog-meat soup known as Dangogiguk is sometimes served to foreign visitors in the North.
Daily Mail · by Michael Havis · March 14, 2024
12. New homes in North Korea’s Yanggang Province are very drafty
"Under the tender loving care" of the dear leader. (note sarcasm).
New homes in North Korea’s Yanggang Province are very drafty
"The houses were built so poorly that ice forms on the walls in winter, and the drafts are so bad that you can't get out from under the blankets even if you're wearing winter clothes," a source told Daily NK
By Lee Chae Un - March 15, 2024
dailynk.com
New homes in North Korea’s Yanggang Province are very drafty - Daily NK English
Newly built homes in Komdok, South Hamgyong Province, in April 2022. (Rodong Sinmun - News1)
People who have moved into newly built houses in agricultural areas of Yanggang Province are complaining that the new homes are very drafty, Daily NK has learned.
“People who recently moved into newly built houses in agricultural areas of Yanggang Province, such as Samsu and Kapsan counties, are complaining of severe drafts,” a Daily NK source in Yanggang Province said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. “This is because construction has focused on quantity rather than quality.”
Since the Fourth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee announced a policy to build “new socialist rural housing” in late 2021, the country has been building houses in agricultural communities nationwide.
However, because the state has dumped the problem of securing supplies and labor to build the houses on provincial authorities or individual institutions, people at the bottom of the proverbial totem pole have shouldered the burden.
“Even if the government provided the materials, they couldn’t guarantee the quality. And if the authorities are building the houses by squeezing workers who don’t even get rations, how are they going to ensure quality?” the source said.
Since the rural houses were built on orders from the Workers’ Party, the builders rushed to finish the work as soon as possible. But the people who end up living in the new houses complain of difficulties caused by the shoddy construction.
“The houses were built so poorly that ice forms on the walls in winter, and the drafts are so bad that you can’t get out from under the blankets even if you’re wearing winter clothes,” the source said. “Even though the middle of winter has passed, people who have moved into the new apartments are still falling ill from the cold.”
State-media doesn’t reflect reality
On Mar. 3, the Rodong Sinmun published an article on page two on how Ri Ok Chol, head of the production unit of the third work team of the Sapyong collective farm in Kapsan County, and other farmers would repay the party’s kindness by building their new houses. The article was entitled “Worship Shouts from the New Farmhouses.”
In a similar article on Feb. 28, the newspaper promoted the party’s construction of new houses in rural villages, quoting local people.
However, people who read the articles said that “these people must be angry because they have to lie about how happy they are while shivering with cold” and that “no matter how much they promote how happy people are living in the loving bosom of the mother party, no one believes it.” They also lamented the “sad reality” in which “people have to smile and sing ‘thank you’ while freezing and starving to death.”
“If you read the Rodong Sinmun or watch television, people seem to be living happily, but the reality is the opposite,” the source said. “Everything looks fine on the outside, but people are living hellish lives without light, water, or food.
“They are simply promoting the houses without regard to the quality of their construction. It would actually help the people to build one quality house instead of 100 poor quality ones. And solving the food problem is even more important. What people need more now is for the government to provide food so they don’t starve to death.”
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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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
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