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Quotes of the Day:
“It is hard for me to understand a culture that not only hates and fights his brothers but even attacks Nature and abuses her. Man must love all creation or he will love none of it. Love is something you and I must have. We must have it because our spirit feeds upon it. Without our courage fails. Without love we can no longer look out confidently at the world. Instead we turn inwardly and begin to feed upon our own personalities and little b little we destroy ourselves.
- Chief Dan George
“The way to secure peace is to be prepared for war. They that are on their guard, and appear ready to receive their adversaries, are in much less danger of being attacked, than the supine, secure, ad negligent”
- Benjamin Franklin
"If you lost the capacity to read, or play music, you would think it was a disaster, but you think nothing of losing the capacity to be honest, decent and civilized."
- Marcus Aurelius
1, US, S. Korea open biggest drills in years amid North threats
2. S. Korea, U.S. kick off combined Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise
3. Former Commander of Republic of Korea Army Special Forces' concerns about the splitting of the ROK-U.S. alliance by KPA Reconnaissance General Bureau
4. Two major military exercises threaten to raise tensions with China and North Korea
5. Wargaming a North Korean attack
6. Advancing Freedom Is Central to South Korea’s Alliance With US
7. Seoul to review possible WTO complaint over U.S. inflation act: industry minister
8. Top U.S. diplomat for East Asia policy to visit Seoul this week
9. A Coup in Seoul? South Korea’s Military Has Bigger Problems
10. N. Korea likely to conduct nuclear test before U.S. midterm elections: ex-spy chief
11. S. Korea to resume policy meeting on N.K. human rights this week
12. Yoon calls for watertight security posture for Korean Peninsula peace
13. Why N. Korea converted Sungho-ri’s political prison camp into a forced labor camp
14. Japan May Stockpile 1,000 Missiles, Yomiuri Reports
15. K-boom! South Korea’s art and high culture lands in Britain with a bang
1. US, S. Korea open biggest drills in years amid North threats
north Korea political warfare, blackmail diplomacy and warfighting strategies:
In an interview with Associated Press Television last month, Choe Jin, deputy director of a think tank run by North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, said the United States and South Korea would face “unprecedented” security challenges if they don’t drop their hostile military pressure campaign against North Korea, including joint military drills.
Last week’s launches of two suspected cruise missiles extended a record pace in North Korean missile testing in 2022, which has involved more than 30 ballistic launches, including the country’s first demonstrations of intercontinental ballistic missiles in nearly five years.
North Korea’s heighted testing activity underscores its dual intent to advance its arsenal and force the United States to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power so it can negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength, experts say.
Kim Jong Un could up the ante soon as there are indications that the North is preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since September 2017, when it claimed to have developed a thermonuclear weapon to fit on its ICBMs.
Never back down in the face of regime threats.
US, S. Korea open biggest drills in years amid North threats
AP · by KIM TONG-HYUNG · August 22, 2022
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States and South Korea began their biggest combined military training in years Monday as they heighten their defense posture against the growing North Korean nuclear threat.
The drills could draw an angry response from North Korea, which has dialed up its weapons testing activity to a record pace this year while repeatedly threatening conflicts with Seoul and Washington amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises will continue through Sept. 1 in South Korea and include field exercises involving aircraft, warships, tanks and potentially tens of thousands of troops.
While Washington and Seoul describe their exercises as defensive, North Korea portrays them as invasion rehearsals and has used them to justify its nuclear weapons and missiles development.
Ulchi Freedom Shield, which started along with a four-day South Korean civil defense training program led by government employees, will reportedly include exercises simulating joint attacks, front-line reinforcements of arms and fuel, and removals of weapons of mass destruction.
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The allies will also train for drone attacks and other new developments in warfare shown during Russia’s war on Ukraine and practice joint military-civilian responses to attacks on seaports, airports and major industrial facilities such as semiconductor factories.
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The United States and South Korea in past years had canceled some of their regular drills and downsized others to computer simulations to create space for the Trump administration’s diplomacy with North Korea and because of COVID-19 concerns.
Tensions have grown since the collapse of the second meeting between former President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in early 2019. The Americans then rejected North Korean demands for a major release of crippling U.S.-led sanctions in exchange for dismantling an aging nuclear complex, which would have amounted to a partial surrender of the North’s nuclear capabilities. Kim has since vowed to bolster his nuclear deterrent in face of “gangster-like” U.S. pressure.
South Korea’s military has not revealed the number of South Korean and U.S. troops participating in Ulchi Freedom Shield, but has portrayed the training as a message of strength. Seoul’s Defense Ministry said last week that Ulchi Freedom Shield “normalizes” large-scale training and field exercises between the allies to help bolster their alliance and strengthen their defense posture against the evolving North Korean threat.
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Before being shelved or downsized, the United States and South Korea held major joint exercises every spring and summer in South Korea.
The spring drills had included live-fire drills involving a broad range of land, air and sea assets and usually involved around 10,000 American and 200,000 Korean troops. Tens of thousands of allied troops participated in the summertime drills, which mainly consisted of computer simulations to hone joint decision-making and planning, although South Korea’s military has emphasized the revival of field training this year.
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The drills follow North Korea’s dismissal last week of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s “audacious” proposal of economic benefits in exchange for denuclearization steps, accusing Seoul of recycling proposals Pyongyang has long rejected.
Kim Yo Jong, the increasingly powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, described Yoon’s proposal as foolish and stressed that the North has no intentions to give away an arsenal her brother clearly sees as his strongest guarantee of survival.
She harshly criticized Yoon for continuing military exercises with the United States and also for letting South Korean civilian activists fly anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets and other “dirty waste” across the border by balloon.
She also ridiculed U.S.-South Korean military capabilities for monitoring the North’s missile activity, insisting that the South misread the launch site of the North’s latest missile tests on Wednesday last week, hours before Yoon used a news conference to urge Pyongyang to return to diplomacy.
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Kim Yo Jong’s statement came a week after she warned of “deadly” retaliation against South Korea over a recent North Korean COVID-19 outbreak, which Pyongyang dubiously claims was caused by leaflets and other objects floated by southern activists. There are concerns that the threat portends a provocation which might include a nuclear or missile test or even border skirmishes, and that the North might try to raise tensions sometime around the allied drills.
In an interview with Associated Press Television last month, Choe Jin, deputy director of a think tank run by North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, said the United States and South Korea would face “unprecedented” security challenges if they don’t drop their hostile military pressure campaign against North Korea, including joint military drills.
Last week’s launches of two suspected cruise missiles extended a record pace in North Korean missile testing in 2022, which has involved more than 30 ballistic launches, including the country’s first demonstrations of intercontinental ballistic missiles in nearly five years.
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North Korea’s heighted testing activity underscores its dual intent to advance its arsenal and force the United States to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power so it can negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength, experts say.
Kim Jong Un could up the ante soon as there are indications that the North is preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since September 2017, when it claimed to have developed a thermonuclear weapon to fit on its ICBMs.
AP · by KIM TONG-HYUNG · August 22, 2022
2. S. Korea, U.S. kick off combined Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise
A lot of moving parts for this exercise. I do not think people who have not experienced this type of training can understand the sophistication and complexity of this exercise and training.
Excerpt:
Based on an all-out war concept, the exercise entails three key elements -- the computer-simulation command post exercise, field training and Ulchi civil defense drills.
It is to proceed in two parts -- the first segment involving drills on repelling North Korean attacks and defending the greater Seoul area, with the second part focusing on counterattack operations.
During the first segment, the Seoul government will concurrently hold the Ulchi drills for four days, including those practicing transitioning to a wartime support mode.
The UFS will incorporate drills for various real-life scenarios, including the discovery of improvised explosive devices at nuclear power plants, a fire at a semiconductor factory, paralysis of a banking network, terrorism at airports and drone attacks, according to the defense ministry.
During the exercise, the allies plan to conduct 13 combined field training programs.
The exercise also includes the full operational capability (FOC) assessment, a key procedure for the envisioned conditions-based transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul.
The FOC assessment is the second part of the three-stage program designed to vet Seoul's capabilities to lead the allies' combined forces. The program is part of various conditions required for the OPCON handover.
(2nd LD) S. Korea, U.S. kick off combined Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · August 22, 2022
(ATTN: UPDATES with Navy drills, N. Korean response in last 2 paras; TRIMS)
SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States began a regular combined military exercise Monday, reviving large-scale field training suspended four years ago as the allies push to bolster defense against evolving North Korean nuclear and missile threats.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise is set to run through Sept. 1, involving an array of contingency drills, like concurrent field maneuvers that were not held over the past years under the preceding Moon Jae-in administration's drive for peace with Pyongyang.
The allies have kept up vigilance against the possibility of Pyongyang undertaking provocations on the pretext of reacting to their exercise, which the recalcitrant regime has decried as a war rehearsal.
Based on an all-out war concept, the exercise entails three key elements -- the computer-simulation command post exercise, field training and Ulchi civil defense drills.
It is to proceed in two parts -- the first segment involving drills on repelling North Korean attacks and defending the greater Seoul area, with the second part focusing on counterattack operations.
During the first segment, the Seoul government will concurrently hold the Ulchi drills for four days, including those practicing transitioning to a wartime support mode.
The UFS will incorporate drills for various real-life scenarios, including the discovery of improvised explosive devices at nuclear power plants, a fire at a semiconductor factory, paralysis of a banking network, terrorism at airports and drone attacks, according to the defense ministry.
During the exercise, the allies plan to conduct 13 combined field training programs.
The exercise also includes the full operational capability (FOC) assessment, a key procedure for the envisioned conditions-based transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul.
The FOC assessment is the second part of the three-stage program designed to vet Seoul's capabilities to lead the allies' combined forces. The program is part of various conditions required for the OPCON handover.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the two sides have put in place a set of strict antivirus measures, such as requiring troops to take virus tests before joining the exercise and wear face masks.
As part of the UFS, the Navy and personnel from the Army, police, fire service and other agencies engaged in a joint training program on countering chemical, biological, radiological and terorist threats at a port in Incheon, west of Seoul, Navy officials said.
Meanwhile, a North Korean propaganda website, Ryomyong, carried a commentary blasting the allied exercise as a "pitiful" move against a nuclear power and a "dangerous military provocation."
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · August 22, 2022
3. Former Commander of Republic of Korea Army Special Forces' concerns about the splitting of the ROK-U.S. alliance by KPA Reconnaissance General Bureau
Important insights from retired LTG Chun In Bum (AKA Jeon In-bum) and retired ROK/US CFC Director of Strategy Robert Collins.
Korean language version from RFA here with HRNK translation below.: https://www.rfa.org/korean/news_indepth/nk_nuclear_talks-08192022154516.html
Former Commander of Republic of Korea Army Special Forces' concerns about the splitting of the ROK-U.S. alliance by KPA Reconnaissance General Bureau (Hye-joon Seo, Radio Free Asia)
Anchor: Former Army Special Forces Commander, Chun In-bum, expressed concern that the North Korean Reconnaissance General Bureau, which possesses cyber capabilities and other capabilities, could attempt to divide the ROK-U.S. alliance based on political attempts against the new South Korean government.
Here is a report from Hye-joon Seo.
In a videoconference hosted by The U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) on the 12th, Former Army Special Forces Commander Chun In-bum said that the North Korean Reconnaissance General Bureau has the ability to execute a mission, so-called "one-way mission", that has the potential to cause extreme loss of life which is very concerning.
Former Army Special Forces Commander, Chun In-bum: Right now, a political goal of the KPA Reconnaissance General Bureau would be to embarrass the new Yoon government that, following the words of North Koreans, has been antagonizing them and it needs to be taught a lesson.
He pointed out, “Considering the past history and cyber capabilities of a decisive organization such as the Reconnaissance General Bureau, South Korea is in a very dangerous situation.” “I am seriously concerned about the possibility that they will threaten South Korea and divide the [ROK-US] alliance,” he added.
This meeting was held to commemorate the publication of the English translation of the book “Aung San Terrorist Kang Min-chol,” written by former Ambassador to the UK and Japan, Ra Jong-yil. The meeting was held prior to the publication of the “Report on the Role of the KPA Reconnaissance General Bureau” hosted by the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK).
On this day, former ambassador Ra Jong-yil explained the process of publishing a book about the North Korean terrorist Kang Min-Chol, who is the only survivor of the “Aung San Terror Incident,” the North Korean attempt to assassinate the South Korean president on October 9, 1983, at the Mausoleum of Aung San, Myanmar.
“Above all else, we must be able to prevent, through strength, another military provocation from North Korea, such as a terrorist attack, military intervention, or North Korea's attacks toward South Korea and this is the basic principle of our security,” he stressed.
Robert Collins, a senior adviser of HRNK, who is the author of the report on the “Role of the KPA Reconnaissance General Bureau”, ahead of its publication, pointed out at the meeting that “over the past 12 years, the capabilities of the Reconnaissance General Bureau have expanded to include cyber capabilities.”
Senior Advisor Collins: The Reconnaissance General Bureau has been very successful in cybercrime as well as in cyber operations, stealing funds from banks and cryptocurrencies, and using this capability to support North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. They certainly haven't stopped in terms of their ability to develop infiltration capabilities or any of those other that can substitute assassinations and whatnot. So that's still in good training, but the cyber operations now within the RGB have to become a dominant force.
In addition, former commander Jeon In-bum who at the time was an aide for Lee Ki-baek, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was at the scene of the terrorist attack and is the only survivor of the Aung San Terror Incident, recalled the situation at the scene of the terrorist attack.
He said, "From then on, North Korea lost its credibility as a responsible country, and it seems that South Korea was able to gain a sense of superiority in moral terms compared to North Korea even though it suffered great sacrifices.”
He added, “I want to emphasize that peace with North Korea can only be achieved when we are strong enough”, and "Since North Korea’s fundamental society and system have not changed, we must be prepared to respond and remain vigilant.”
Meanwhile, KPA Reconnaissance General Bureau is a military intelligence agency that oversees operative activities abroad and is known to perform missions such as the assassination of government factors, kidnapping, and terrorism, and also operates army units capable of cyber hacking which are known as ‘Lazarus Group’ or ‘APT38’.
Reporter Hye-Joon Seo, Editor Bong-Hyeon Park, Web Team Sang-Il Kim
Translated by Doohyun Kim, HRNK Social Media Associate
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Prepared by Sheena Kwon, HRNK Research Intern.
We’d love to hear your thoughts! To submit a story we missed or to comment on the HRNK daily news, please send an email to outreach@hrnk.org.
4. Two major military exercises threaten to raise tensions with China and North Korea
Excerpts:
Exercise Pitch Black, which has been held every two years since 1981 but was paused for four years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, has come back with more participating countries than ever.
Three first-timers, Germany, Japan and South Korea, are among the 17 nations taking part. They have sent 100 aircraft and 2,500 personnel to take part in drills that are taking place from Aug. 19 until Sept. 8.
Exercise Pitch Black aims to "enhance regional security through multinational interoperability and understanding," according to a statement from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
Two major military exercises threaten to raise tensions with China and North Korea
Exercise Pitch Black and Ulchi Freedom Shield are bigger than previous years’ maneuvers.
By RFA Staff
2022.08.22
rfa.org
A large-scale multinational air force exercise led by the U.S. and Australia got underway in Northern Australia, with Germany taking part for the first time in what an analyst calls a “greater response from Europe” to security challenges in Asia.
At the same time, the U.S. and South Korea began their biggest combined military exercise in four years on Monday as tensions remain high in the region after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
Exercise Pitch Black, which has been held every two years since 1981 but was paused for four years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, has come back with more participating countries than ever.
Three first-timers, Germany, Japan and South Korea, are among the 17 nations taking part. They have sent 100 aircraft and 2,500 personnel to take part in drills that are taking place from Aug. 19 until Sept. 8.
Exercise Pitch Black aims to "enhance regional security through multinational interoperability and understanding," according to a statement from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
The exercise will include day and night flying and “features a range of realistic, simulated threats which can be found in a modern battle-space environment,” the RAAF said, noting that Exercise Pitch Black demonstrates “the high value we place on regional security and fostering closer ties throughout the Indo-Pacific region.”
Beijing has repeatedly criticized U.S.-led security initiatives and activities in the Indo-Pacific, calling them attempts by the West to forge “an Asian version of NATO.”
A Singapore Air Force tanker conducting aerial refueling for German Eurofighters at this year’s Exercise Pitch Black . CREDIT: German Air Force
‘Response from Europe’
Chinese state media said Exercise Pitch Black is designed “to pull more countries into an anti-China united frontline and show the unity of the West to pressure China over the Taiwan question.”
The exercise “may add oil to the flames as the Asia-Pacific region is experiencing instability with the U.S.' rampant provocations in the region,” said the hawkish Chinese tabloid Global Times.
“I think the Chinese are seeking to use it to try to pressure a new Australian government to distance themselves from the U.S.,” said Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) think tank.
“They will fail in these efforts,” Davis said.
Chinese analysts were quoted in state-run media as saying that exercises such as Pitch Black, with participants coming from all corners of the world, may “give an illusion that many countries have been rallied to counter a certain country” – China.
Germany deployed six Eurofighter Typhoons and support aircraft to the exercise.
German Air Force chief Ingo Gerhartz denied that Berlin’s participation in the exercise was “sending any threatening message towards China.”
Gerhartz told reporters last week that the German aircraft would use civilian air traffic routes and that no passage of the Taiwan Strait was planned, according to Reuters.
"We will fly at an altitude of more than 10 kilometers [6 miles] and barely touch the South China Sea, and we will move on international routes."
Yet the presence of German Eurofighters indicates that E.U. states “recognize the challenge that China poses to the international system,” said ASPI’s Davis.
“There is a greater response from Europe and not just focused on European security issues,” he added.
“The worst signal would be to cancel exercises under Chinese pressure that would reinforce Beijing's perspective that the U.S. lacks resolve and only encourage them to be more aggressive vis a vis Taiwan and the South China Sea,” the analyst told RFA.
Exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield
Meanwhile agencies reported that the annual U.S.-South Korea military drills Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) started on Monday.
This year’s drills are reportedly the largest in four years and will continue for ten days, involving tens of thousands of troops from the two nations’ armies, navies, and air forces.
In the last few years, the UFS has been virtual because of COVID and also to make room for diplomatic negotiations with North Korea.
With the drills taking place in South Korea again, North Korea has “denounced the exercise as a dress rehearsal for northward invasion,” Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
rfa.org
5. Wargaming a North Korean attack
Excerpts:
"We have the ability to detect the instant a North Korean missile gets off the ground," explains Col Anthony Kuczynski, who runs the operation centre for the US side.
After that, an algorithm predicts where that missile might be heading. "Then, with my terrible Korean, and his excellent English, we can reach a decision quickly," he adds, pointing to his South Korean counterpart, Col Soe.
This operations centre on the US Osan airbase is unique as the only place in the world where two militaries work in harmony to defend one country. This is the commitment the United States gave South Korea after the Korean War ended almost 70 years ago without a peace treaty.
The countries' air forces, armies, navies, space and cyber operations are coordinated in this one room - its current importance highlighted when Joe Biden became the first US president to visit in May.
These drills are unlikely to provoke an attack because one thing we can be pretty sure of is that Kim is unlikely to attack into strength. Sure there will be rhetoric, proviations, and perhaps even missile and nuclear tests but unless he has no other option Kim is going to try to create the optimal conditions which include splitting the alliance and driving US forces off the peninsula.
Conclusion:
These drills, meant to deter North Korea, could well end up provoking it, or at least provide the smokescreen for it to test and improve its weaponry. But faced with an increasingly formidable foe, the United States and South Korea believe they have little choice but to prepare.
Wargaming a North Korean attack
BBC · by Menu
By Jean Mackenzie
BBC Seoul correspondent
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Image caption,
Capt Abbey Walters is a fighter pilot at South Korea's Osan Airbase
South Korea and the US are holding their largest joint military exercises on the Korean Peninsula in years to practise fighting a war against an increasingly hostile North Korea. The BBC was given rare access to the countries' joint control centre. But what is the purpose of these war games and could they backfire?
Deep in a military bunker outside Seoul, two air force colonels sit shoulder-to-shoulder. One is American, the other South Korean.
Together, their eyes scour satellite pictures of North Korea, played out on giant screens at the front of the dark room. The images are one of many sources of intelligence fed into the classified vault.
"We have the ability to detect the instant a North Korean missile gets off the ground," explains Col Anthony Kuczynski, who runs the operation centre for the US side.
After that, an algorithm predicts where that missile might be heading. "Then, with my terrible Korean, and his excellent English, we can reach a decision quickly," he adds, pointing to his South Korean counterpart, Col Soe.
This operations centre on the US Osan airbase is unique as the only place in the world where two militaries work in harmony to defend one country. This is the commitment the United States gave South Korea after the Korean War ended almost 70 years ago without a peace treaty.
The countries' air forces, armies, navies, space and cyber operations are coordinated in this one room - its current importance highlighted when Joe Biden became the first US president to visit in May.
This week, for the first time in four years, the two militaries will run field exercises, to practise how they would respond to a North Korean attack. Such exercises, though once routine, were cancelled in 2018 as the US and South Korea tried to convince the North to get rid of its nuclear weapons.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Col Kuczynski (R) with President Biden on his visit to the centre in May
But after years of diplomatic stalemate, and faced with an increasingly hostile North Korea, both countries have decided it's time to resume training.
North Korea has fired more missiles this year than in any other single year, and its weapons are becoming increasingly sophisticated. They appear more able to evade defences and hit their targets.
Meanwhile, intelligence suggests it's on the cusp of conducting its seventh nuclear test, which it may use to perfect a smaller, battlefield nuclear weapon that could be used in a conflict against South Korea. Add to this a slew of recent warnings from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that he is prepared to use his nukes against the South.
All considered, Seoul seems ever more at risk, and defending the South Korean capital is one of the scenarios the forces are practising. The nine-day exercises, named Ulchi Freedom Shield, will draw in aircraft, warships and tanks. They will wargame not only how to repel a North Korean attack, but also how to strike back at the enemy.
"I can't teach this in a classroom, it is an art," says Colonel Kuczynski. "I have to run people through it, creating the most intense environment I can. The Korean Peninsula is not very big, so the time we have to act is very limited."
But there is concern that these exercises will provoke North Korea, which views them as a rehearsal for an invasion. The mere news that they were restarting led Mr Kim to accuse the US and South Korea of bringing the Peninsula to the "brink of war".
It is feared Pyongyang could retaliate by testing more missiles, conducting its much-anticipated nuclear test or even initiating a small-scale skirmish.
South Korea's defence vice-minister Shin Beomchul told the BBC it's unfair to accuse them of antagonising North Korea and the drills should not be blamed for any future military action by the North.
"They know these drills are defensive, they just use them as an excuse," he said. "They will carry out provocations for their own military and political aims, so we cannot listen to their criticism."
Image source, News 1
Image caption,
The BBC was given rare access to the Korean Air Operation Centre
At the airbase, above ground, a US fighter pilot, Capt Abbey Walters, was preparing for training. She explained how flying with South Koreans makes her more efficient: "The communication is much smoother in the air if we've practised together, so we can go quicker and be more deadly in our job."
But some question whether South Korea, even with US help, would be able defend itself if the North fired a nuclear weapon. A report earlier this year concluded that a missile attack by Pyongyang would have a high probability of success, despite the current defences in place.
The head of Airforce at Osan airbase, Lt Gen Scott Pleus, strongly refuted this. When asked about the progress North Koreans are making, he responded confidently: "And so are we."
These drills are as much about showcasing strength - to try to stop North Korea from ever using its weapons.
Seoul has warned that if Pyongyang were to test a nuke, it would unleash a "high-intensity" response. US bombers and other weapons would be sent to South Korea, Vice-Minister Shin confirmed, and Seoul, along with Washington, would impose further sanctions.
"There is never a 100% guarantee with missile defences, but we can thwart their ambition to attack us," he said.
Image source, KCNA
Image caption,
Kim Jong Un accused the US and South Korea of bringing the Peninsula to the "brink of war"
South Korea doesn't have nuclear weapons of its own. It is protected by what is known as a nuclear umbrella: an agreement that the United States would use its nuclear weapons to defend Seoul if necessary.
It's hoped this is enough to prevent North Korea from ever launching an attack, but it's a concept South Koreans are increasingly uncomfortable with. A poll this year showed 71% of people supported the country developing its own nuclear weapons, even though the president here says there are no plans to do so.
As the thinking goes, if North Korea has nuclear weapons capable of reaching the US mainland, could it not threaten the United States and convince it to stay out of a conflict with South Korea - just as Vladimir Putin hinted he would use nuclear weapons in Ukraine? Would the US really forfeit San Francisco for Seoul?
Lt Gen Pleus sought to assuage those fears. "That you have 28,500 US service men and women stationed on this peninsula every single day, should give people the unbelievably comfortable feeling that we are here to stay and we are here to protect them."
These drills, meant to deter North Korea, could well end up provoking it, or at least provide the smokescreen for it to test and improve its weaponry. But faced with an increasingly formidable foe, the United States and South Korea believe they have little choice but to prepare.
More on this story
BBC · by Menu
6. Advancing Freedom Is Central to South Korea’s Alliance With US
Good assessment from Anthony Kim.
Excerpts:
In other words, America and South Korea have been willing and capable partners on behalf of liberty, and have shared enduring confidence in human rights, representative governments, and free enterprise.
In preserving and enhancing the free world, a sound, effective foreign policy requires both strength and focus. Forging greater pragmatic cooperation between willing allies requires timely, proactive thinking in terms of setting an elevated trajectory of the alliance.
That’s why South Korea matters to the United States as a global pivotal partner.
Clearly, the U.S.-South Korean alliance has been fulfilling its promises. Yet, more can and should be done, given the fact that there are untapped, innovative ways in which to broaden the work going forward together.
Advancing Freedom Is Central to South Korea’s Alliance With US
dailysignal.com · by Anthony B. Kim · August 18, 2022
In his Aug. 15 Independence Day speech marking the 77th anniversary of the end of Japanese colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol underscored the fundamental importance of freedom to his country.
“As we celebrate the 77th Liberation Day, we must remind ourselves of the historic significance of this independence movement that encompasses the past and points towards the future,” Yoon said, adding:
Our independence movement is a dynamic process. … It is about restoring, defending, and promoting freedom, as well as fighting new threats to freedom, all in full solidarity with, and working alongside, global citizens with the goal of achieving global peace and prosperity.
Indeed, the importance of preserving and advancing freedom that Yoon laid out is the essential pillar of the enduring relationship between the United States and South Korea. And that unique and proven partnership deserves to be elevated and deepened through greater practical cooperation on security and economic fronts concerning mutual global interests and challenges.
In a broader context, the United States and South Korea have enjoyed a strong alliance that’s considered one of the cornerstones of stability and security in Northeast Asia and beyond.
As South Korea’s foreign minister, Park Jin, put it, “Korea now envisions an initiative to serve as a ‘Global Pivotal State,’ and we call it ‘GPS.’ We hope that this ‘GPS’ could guide us into the wider world and into a closer alliance with the United States to contribute to peace, freedom, and prosperity.”
While the alliance has provided the basis of a broad and mutually beneficial economic partnership for the past half-century, many Americans might be surprised to learn that Korea actually entered into a Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce, and Navigation with the United States in 1882.
That was Korea’s first treaty with a Western power, and during this long and sometimes rocky relationship, the two allies have come together in cooperation when strategic interests have converged.
The U.S.-South Korea bilateral relationship, anchored in the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty, is one of the strongest and most successful built by America since the end of World War II.
Once a recipient of U.S. development assistance, South Korea has become one of the most competitive economies in the world, and notably transformed itself from a security consumer to America’s capable and reliable partner of providing security to other nations.
In other words, America and South Korea have been willing and capable partners on behalf of liberty, and have shared enduring confidence in human rights, representative governments, and free enterprise.
In preserving and enhancing the free world, a sound, effective foreign policy requires both strength and focus. Forging greater pragmatic cooperation between willing allies requires timely, proactive thinking in terms of setting an elevated trajectory of the alliance.
That’s why South Korea matters to the United States as a global pivotal partner.
Clearly, the U.S.-South Korean alliance has been fulfilling its promises. Yet, more can and should be done, given the fact that there are untapped, innovative ways in which to broaden the work going forward together.
Seizing greater strategic clarity and refinement, particularly at this critical juncture of an evolving geopolitical environment, would be a fulfilling way to gain from an ever-evolving partnership on key policy fronts to move the U.S.-South Korea alliance onward and upward.
Yoon, whose presidency marked its first 100 days this week, concluded his Independence Day speech by emphasizing:
When all of us had to endure dark times; when none of us knew what to expect; when no one believed we had a future, we nevertheless forged ahead, believing in the fundamental universal values of freedom, human rights, and the rule of law, and achieved phenomenal growth and prosperity that all of us enjoy today.
He added, “We have become stronger in the process of defending and expanding this freedom.”
Indeed, now is the time for Washington and Seoul, the two key drivers of trans-Pacific stability and peace, to act on that steadfastness and elevate the bilateral relationship to a next level by preserving and advancing freedom.
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.
dailysignal.com · by Anthony B. Kim · August 18, 2022
7. Seoul to review possible WTO complaint over U.S. inflation act: industry minister
The rules based international order applies to everyone. If you have a grievance you take it to the international organisations that address those grievances. And even allies must do this if they feel aggrieved.
Seoul to review possible WTO complaint over U.S. inflation act: industry minister | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · August 22, 2022
SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will review whether to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over a new act in the U.S. that excludes electric vehicles built outside of North America from tax breaks in America, Seoul's industry minister said Monday.
The Inflation Reduction Act, signed by U.S. President Joe Biden last week, calls for expansion of tax subsidies for electric vehicle (EV) buyers, but only for EVs assembled in North America.
Major South Korean automakers, including Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp., have voiced concerns over the act, as they make their flagship EVs, such as the IONIQ 5 and EV6, at domestic plants and ship them overseas.
"We will actively review whether to bring the case to the WTO. We are very much concerned about the act, and we have conveyed our message to the U.S. Trade Representative that the law would violate WTO and bilateral free trade deal rules," Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang told a parliamentary session.
Officials here have said that Washington may have violated the terms of the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, and the WTO's most-favored-nation treatment principle, through the enactment of the bill.
According to Lee, Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun plans to discuss the matter with U.S. officials during his trip to Washington next week.
During his call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last Friday, Seoul's Foreign Minister Park Jin voiced concerns over the law and asked for flexible implementation of it, according to diplomatic sources.
Flagship EV models for Hyundai Motor and Kia have been gaining traction in the U.S. market in recent years. The two companies aim to sell 3.23 million EVs, including 840,000 units in the U.S., in 2030 to account for 12 percent of the global EV market.
Following the passage of the law, Hyundai Motor is considering accelerating the construction of its dedicated EV plant in Georgia, industry sources here said.
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · August 22, 2022
8. Top U.S. diplomat for East Asia policy to visit Seoul this week
Top U.S. diplomat for East Asia policy to visit Seoul this week | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · August 22, 2022
SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Yonhap) -- The top U.S. diplomat for East Asia policy will visit Seoul later this week for talks with his South Korean counterpart and other officials on the bilateral alliance and regional and global issues, an informed source said Monday.
Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, is set to arrive here on Thursday for a three-day visit, the source said, as the allies are stepping up cooperation amid persistent threats from North Korea and other challenges like the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.
Last week, the State Department announced Kritenbrink plans to travel to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar and Seoul from Monday through Saturday.
In Seoul, the U.S. diplomat plans to hold talks on strengthening the alliance and cooperation on such issues as the North Korean threats, the war in Ukraine and the importance of trilateral cooperation among the South, the U.S. and Japan, according to the department.
During his last visit here in November, Kritenbrink stressed the importance of cooperation between Seoul and Washington on enhancing economic security and resiliency in global supply chains.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · August 22, 2022
9. A Coup in Seoul? South Korea’s Military Has Bigger Problems
I missed this one a couple of weeks ago. I find the idea of coup more than a little far fetched. Never say never but I think this is a very low probability given how the ROK military and ROK government have evolved. But the author rightly points out the challenges to the military.
This is a good summary of the many problems the ROK military faces:
The South Korean military is currently facing a myriad of problems, including a North Korea with enhanced capabilities; rising regional tensions; internal discrimination; unsteady recruitment of entry-level officers, especially when their wages could be lower than conscripts under a new plan; and an aging and declining population, to name a few. Launching a coup for the first time after forty-two years is probably the least of the military’s concerns, and there is no sign that this is about to change. While the Yoon administration might be free from the danger of military coups, it should take necessary steps to resolve concerns raised by its citizens for the past three months before it is too late.
A Coup in Seoul? South Korea’s Military Has Bigger Problems
Launching a coup for the first time after forty-two years is probably the least of the military’s concerns.
The National Interest · by Seoho Lee · August 11, 2022
Seung-Whan Choi’s recent article on South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in The National Interest invited a variety of responses from Korean media; a liberal media outlet reported the article as a signal that the United States is becoming increasingly concerned by Yoon’s unpopularity, while the most circulated South Korean newspaper described Choi as “a citizen reporter” who frequently contributes to a left-leaning South Korean internet outlet to criticize the Yoon administration.
In his article, Choi seems to have made a few factual errors; the ophthalmologist who was described as President Yoon’s high school friend—actually an elementary school friend—did not examine Yoon’s eyes during the draft period, but when the previous President Moon Jae-in appointed Yoon as prosecutor-general in 2019. While President Yoon was under scrutiny for not convening a National Security Council meeting upon North Korea’s first provocation under his watch, his alleged drinking in question happened a day after the provocation, and there is no evidence so far to suggest he did not convene the meeting because he was drunk. Further, it is not clear how the current minister of national defense “politicized” the military by replacing generals with his close friends; all of the minister’s “friends,”—members of the fortieth class of the Korea Military Academy (KMA) and equivalents—had all retired from military by 2019; a Korean article that was shared in the Choi’s article actually suggests appointment and promotion decisions were delegated to the chiefs of staff in each branch to best reflect expertise in the field. Earlier appointments of four-star generals were also reportedly carried out by the minister without any intervention from the president’s office, possibly deviating from past administrations’ tradition of directly intervening in appointments of officers, if true.
Probably the most thought-provoking argument within the article is how the unpopular South Korean government under President Yoon could be toppled by, not just by its people, but by its military. Choi assesses that three factors—President Yoon potentially being a draft dodger, the president’s office’s hasty takeover of a Minister of National Defense building, and the appointment of a retired three-star general as the defense minister instead of a four-star general—have strained civil-military relations, and the military may launch a coup against Yoon. The three reasons, with the exception of the presidential move, however, actually received a lukewarm response from the military.
The fact that Yoon was exempt from mandatory military service actually did not receive much attention in the presidential election, which was filled with a myriad of other scandals, potentially due to the fact Lee Jae-Myung, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, was also exempt from military service due to medical reasons. While military service, especially allegations related to special treatment and exemptions of key politicians’ sons, are likely to remain important for voters, it is increasingly losing its status and is no longer one of the most important factors that determine a president in close elections. In fact, the military already had two presidents in the twenty-first century who were exempt from the military: former President Lee Myung-bak (with a medical exemption) and former President Park Geun-hye (as a woman who was not required to serve). The military did not react to the fact that they lacked military service, and there is no indication that it is about to change. As a presidential candidate, Yoon received endorsements from 1,300 out of 2,200 living retired generals, which included twelve former defense ministers, thirty-four former chiefs of staff, and seventy-four retired four-star generals. If the military saw his exemption as a problem, it would have been very unlikely for retired ranking officers to announce endorsements publicly.
Compared to his military exemption, Yoon’s decision to move the Ministry of National Defense had far more significance for the military, and potential negative consequences on operational readiness should definitely worry officers. The move directly impacted about 1,000 employees and officers working in the building and potentially demoralized civil servants and officers who saw working in the ministry as one of few ways to work in Seoul. It is, however, unclear whether the building eviction alone would warrant the military to revolt against the democratically elected president. When eleven retired chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS)—the highest rank within the South Korean military—expressed concerns over the move’s negative impacts and urged Yoon to not act hastily on the matter, sixty-four retired four-star generals and admirals, who claimed to be supported by 1,000 other retired generals, also issued a statement that stated that the move would not create a security vacuum, and the military’s joint command and control system would remain the same for operational readiness; the retired CJCS later announced that they did not want their statement to be politicized, with some stating they will cooperate with the move and even criticizing the outgoing Moon administration for its “mismanagement of national security” and politicizing the eviction. The statements by the retired generals, of course, should not be interpreted as the prevailing view shared by active-duty officers who are legally barred from expressing their political views, but it is a helpful indicator of what officers might be thinking. The move also has no direct impact on the vast majority of conscripts who are not serving in Seoul, and it would be almost impossible to convince conscripts and non-commissioned officers to rise against the government together.
Perhaps the weakest argument overall is to state many soldiers were infuriated when President Yoon appointed a retired lieutenant general (three-star general) instead of a four-star general. It is questionable whether National Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, a former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), former commander of the VII Mobile Corps, and former head of the JCS’ New Combined Defense Transformation Task Force overseeing planned operational control transfer between the United States and the South, can be viewed as not having proper military knowledge or experience. In fact, the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly with an opposition Democratic Party majority unanimously passed a report after the hearings on Minister Lee to green-light his nomination, citing that Lee “has ample experiences related to military operations and defense policy, well as professional and strategic leadership, by working in key posts in 39 years of his military career.” If Lee being a retired lieutenant general rather than a four-star general was problematic, it would have been flagged and opposed like other appointments deemed to be problematic by Yoon’s opposition. And it is hard to think that conscripts, most of whom will finish their military services without directly seeing a single four-star general or a lieutenant general, would care if a minister is a four-star general or not.
In fact, Lee is not the first retired lieutenant general to be appointed as a defense minister; there were four non-four-star generals who have served as defense ministers since 1988, which included three lieutenant generals and one major general. The latest such appointment was the appointment of retired Vice Admiral Yoon Kwang-ung by former President Roh Moo-hyun in 2004; his appointment was taken to be far more exceptional not just because he was a three-star admiral, but he was from the navy when the ministerial post was historically predominantly occupied by army generals who graduated from the Korean Military Academy. President Roh, who actively pushed for wartime operational control transfer (OPCON), also contemplated appointing a civilian as a defense minister and openly criticized former defense ministers and generals for opposing the transfer. It is worth noting that Roh’s open criticism of the former defense officials also coincided with the time when his approval rating reached 5.7 percent in December 2006, but the military, which included officers who directly experienced a coup in 1979 as young officers, took no action and carried on as it is intended.
The argument that Minister Lee was favored because he joined President Yoon’s campaign also seems to be weak. The Yoon campaign had a number of retired four-star generals, including chiefs of staff of the army, navy, and air force who were appointed by former President Moon. And while previous administrations preferred to appoint recently retired officers as defense minister, there were exceptions. Retired Admiral Song Young-Moo, who was President Moon’s first defense minister appointment, had been retired for almost a decade before he was appointed as a defense minister. His appointment was an anomaly not just because he was originally from the navy, but also because he was a member of a political party prior to the appointment.
And even if the military as a whole somehow becomes infuriated enough to launch a coup, the modern structure of South Korean society, military, and the government makes any coup almost definitely impossible. South Korea’s robust telecommunications network, multiple flows of information in the internet age, notorious traffic, and soldiers and officers who were born and only grew up in a liberal democracy all point to how a coup in South Korea would not be feasible.
Previous administrations’ firm grasp on appointments of generals also contributed to alleviating the possibility of a coup in South Korea. After the swift and successful purge of a clique of army officers in 1993, the military remained largely answerable and submissive to what is often described as an “imperial presidency.” Its firm control, however, also had negative consequences. Officers have been constantly worried about the ramifications of their posts and connections in a single-term, five-year presidency, during which previous administrations acted to firmly control military officers.
During the Moon administration, for example, three or four presidential secretaries were reportedly directly involved in promotions of generals under the logic that the military should be controlled by people from a certain region during their term; a lieutenant colonel reported sensitive information to a deputy director of national security without following a chain of command when two North Koreans were forcibly repatriated; the highest ranking officer of the Korean military was interrogated for four hours when he was deemed to be disobeying a deputy director of national security, while the general argued he is only answerable to a South Korean president or defense minister. The Yoon administration repeatedly announced that it would be different from the past and would not excessively intervene. If true until the end of the term, this actually could be one of the accomplishments the Yoon administration can claim.
The South Korean military is currently facing a myriad of problems, including a North Korea with enhanced capabilities; rising regional tensions; internal discrimination; unsteady recruitment of entry-level officers, especially when their wages could be lower than conscripts under a new plan; and an aging and declining population, to name a few. Launching a coup for the first time after forty-two years is probably the least of the military’s concerns, and there is no sign that this is about to change. While the Yoon administration might be free from the danger of military coups, it should take necessary steps to resolve concerns raised by its citizens for the past three months before it is too late.
Seoho Lee is a former Korea studies fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. A graduate of Tufts University’s Fletcher School, his articles had been published and featured in Foreign Policy, the Diplomat, Asia Times, among other outlets. Twitter: @slee_0602
Image: Flickr.
The National Interest · by Seoho Lee · August 11, 2022
10. N. Korea likely to conduct nuclear test before U.S. midterm elections: ex-spy chief
Probably a good bet that it will.
N. Korea likely to conduct nuclear test before U.S. midterm elections: ex-spy chief | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이민지 · August 22, 2022
SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Yonhap) -- Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won said Monday that North Korea will likely conduct a nuclear test ahead of November's U.S. midterm elections to show off its nuclear capability.
"They are going to do it in order to demonstrate a threat that its missile can fly to the U.S. carrying a miniaturized and lighter warhead, and to deal a blow to the Joe Biden administration ahead of the midterm elections," Park said on KBS Radio.
Park also said the North could undertake provocations in protest of military exercises that South Korea and the U.S. kicked off Monday.
"Chairman Kim Jong-un is not going to overlook it as if nothing happened," he said.
North Korea has long denounced such joint exercises as a rehearsal for invasion.
Officials in South Korea and the U.S. have said that the North has completed all preparations and is ready to conduct what would be its seventh nuclear test at any time.
Park said the government should try to reach out to the North behind the scenes if President Yoon Suk-yeol's "audacious plan" toward the North is going to take off.
The plan calls for denuclearization in exchange for massive economic aid.
North Korea reacted negatively to the proposal, calling it the "height of absurdity."
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이민지 · August 22, 2022
11. S. Korea to resume policy meeting on N.K. human rights this week
Just a reminder, human rights is not only a moral imperative but also a national security issue. KJU must deny the human rights of the Korean people in the north in order to keep them oppressed so the regime can remain in power.
And our focus on the nuclear and missile threat reinforces the legitimacy of the regime. Our focus on human rights undermines the legitimacy of the regime.
S. Korea to resume policy meeting on N.K. human rights this week | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · August 22, 2022
SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will hold an inter-agency government meeting on its North Korean human rights policy later this week for the first time in over two years, a unification ministry official said Monday.
The meeting is slated for Thursday, as the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has shifted to a more proactive stance in dealing with the North's rights issues in a change from the preceding Moon Jae-in administration.
Vice Unification Minister Kim Ki-woong plans to preside over the meeting involving director general-level officials from the unification, foreign and justice ministries, according to Cho Joong-hoon, the unification ministry's spokesperson.
"The meeting will take stock of the implementation of the government's North Korean human rights policy and discuss issues, including the drafting of a government report on the North's current human rights situation," Cho told a regular press briefing.
The meeting was last held in May 2020. It was launched in October 2016 under the enforcement decree of the North Korean Human Rights Act.
The dialogue platform is designed to enhance intra-government policy coordination and discuss the formulation of policy measures and other efforts to help enhance rights conditions in the reclusive country.
The resumption of the meeting comes as the Yoon administration has taken more salient policy steps to address the North Korean human rights issues.
Among the steps is its appointment of Lee Shin-wha, a political science professor at Korea University, as its new envoy for North Korean human rights -- a position that had been left vacant since September 2017.
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · August 22, 2022
12. Yoon calls for watertight security posture for Korean Peninsula peace
Watertight, airtight, lock tight.
Excerpt:
"Only exercises that are identical to an actual battle can firmly defend the lives of our people and the security of our nation. In order to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula, our watertight security posture must serve as the basis," he said.
Yoon calls for watertight security posture for Korean Peninsula peace | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · August 22, 2022
SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol called Monday for maintaining a "watertight" security posture as the government kicked off a four-day civil defense exercise.
Yoon issued the call during a Cabinet meeting on the first day of the Ulchi exercise, which will involve more than 480,000 people working at some 4,000 institutions across the public sector and run parallel to South Korea-U.S. military exercises.
"We must take part in these exercises with the determination to unwaveringly maintain the government's function, support military operations and be responsible for the people's safety in any national crisis situation," Yoon said, noting that the allies' exercises have been revived after being scaled back under the previous administration.
"Only exercises that are identical to an actual battle can firmly defend the lives of our people and the security of our nation. In order to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula, our watertight security posture must serve as the basis," he said.
The Ulchi exercise is held annually to review and update response manuals and train in operational steps in the event of war and other national emergencies.
Yoon also announced the designation of 10 areas hit hard by recent deadly downpours as special disaster zones.
The areas, including Gwanak Ward in Seoul, Yangpyeong County in Gyeonggi Province, and Buyeo County in South Chungcheong Province, will be eligible for the government's financial support in recovery work, relief funds for victims and other benefits.
Yoon said additional designations will made as soon as assessments of other areas are completed.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · August 22, 2022
13. Why N. Korea converted Sungho-ri’s political prison camp into a forced labor camp
Excerpts:
The Sungho-ri camp now holds cadres who were arrested for involvement in various incidents, the source said.
Based on his report, high-ranking cadres in the camp come from the Ministry of the Electric Power Industry, Ministry of State Natural Resources Development, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of External Economic Relations, and the country’s Central Bank. Prisoners who worked at secret facilities include civilian designers who designed underground tunnels at strategic weapon bases in Chagang Province, as well as other special districts of the country.
The family members of these cadres and other prisoners are also confined at the camp, the source said.
When high-ranking prisoners enter the camp, administrators reportedly decide how to treat them after examining their case documents and determining how likely it is they could rejoin society.
Administrators treat prisoners depending on who they are, treating even high-ranking cadres cruelly if they have little chance of rejoining society, while taking care of those likely to be rehabilitated, the source added.
Why N. Korea converted Sungho-ri’s political prison camp into a forced labor camp
Unlike most political prison camps, which are located deep in the mountains, the Sungho-ri camp is located in a relatively open area
dailynk.com
The general location of the political prisoner camp in Sungho-ri. (Google Earth)
The conversion of the Sungho-ri Political Prison Camp in North Hwanghae Province into a forced labor camp for cadres was a measure to avoid the watchful eye of the international community, Daily NK has learned.
The authorities converted the facility because unlike other political prison camps located deep in the mountains, the Sungho-ri camp is located near a residential area, making it hard to prevent information about it from leaking outside the country.
A source in North Korea told Daily NK on Thursday that the authorities converted the camp because they could not thoroughly isolate it from society. The camp’s surrounding areas render it impossible to secretly garrison like other political prison camps.
For example, the Mandalsan Cement Factory and its workers’ homes are located near the site, which does not lend itself to the kind of strict secrecy needed to avoid international surveillance. As a result, the authorities converted the facility from a political prison camp into a labor camp after a government review process, according to the source.
Daily NK reported in early August that the Sungho-ri Political Prison Camp, which was built in 2020, was converted into a detention facility for high-ranking cadres and officials who handled confidential information in their work.
The international community pays close attention to North Korea’s political prison camps as they are considered the prime areas of human rights abuse in the country. North Korea denies the very existence of the camps, shrouding them in strict secrecy.
Besides the recently converted Sungho-ri camp, seven political prison camps exist in North Korea. Unlike most of those camps, which are located deep in the mountains, the Sungho-ri camp is located in a relatively open area. As such, North Korea appears to have judged that there was a risk of information about the camp leaking to the outside world, including its location.
The source said that with the conversion of the political prison camp into a forced labor camp, the intensity of the work forced upon its prisoners has lessened.
“Punitive tasks have eased, in contrast to when it was a political prison camp, and regulations regarding the intensity of punitive labor have grown more lax, too,” he said.
“The head of the camp, the prison guards and the sentries are all the same, so prison management remains intense and harsh,” he said. “But they generally allow visits, and since they also accept bribes, camp management sometimes treat prisoners well.”
The Sungho-ri camp now holds cadres who were arrested for involvement in various incidents, the source said.
Based on his report, high-ranking cadres in the camp come from the Ministry of the Electric Power Industry, Ministry of State Natural Resources Development, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of External Economic Relations, and the country’s Central Bank. Prisoners who worked at secret facilities include civilian designers who designed underground tunnels at strategic weapon bases in Chagang Province, as well as other special districts of the country.
The family members of these cadres and other prisoners are also confined at the camp, the source said.
When high-ranking prisoners enter the camp, administrators reportedly decide how to treat them after examining their case documents and determining how likely it is they could rejoin society.
Administrators treat prisoners depending on who they are, treating even high-ranking cadres cruelly if they have little chance of rejoining society, while taking care of those likely to be rehabilitated, the source added.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com
14. Japan May Stockpile 1,000 Missiles, Yomiuri Reports
Japan May Stockpile 1,000 Missiles, Yomiuri Reports
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-21/japan-may-stockpile-more-than-1-000-missiles-yomiuri-reports?utm_source=pocket_mylist&sref=hhjZtX76
ByAyai Tomisawa
August 20, 2022 at 8:47 PM EDTCorrectedAugust 21, 2022 at 3:57 AM EDT
Japan is considering amassing an arsenal of more than 1,000 of its planned long-range missiles, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing unidentified people with knowledge of the plans.
The projectiles will be deployed mainly across the Nansei Islands and Kyushu, according to the article. By doing so, Japan is seeking to close the “missile gap” with China, which has about 300 cruise missiles and 1,900 ballistic missiles, according to the newspaper.
Japan embarked on a program a few years ago to boost its missile capabilities in the face of potential threats from China and North Korea. The latest report on the scale of a potential Japanese stockpile follows China’s recent military exercises in waters and airspace around Taiwan after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island.
Read more: Japan to Step Up Defenses From Chinese, North Korean Threats
Japan is also planning to upgrade and extend the capability of its domestically produced Type 12 surface-to-ship missile deployed by the Ground Self Defense Force to hit objects more than 1,000 kilometers away, the Yomiuri reported.
(Removes mistaken references to range, types of missiles in second paragraph.)
15. K-boom! South Korea’s art and high culture lands in Britain with a bang
K-boom! South Korea’s art and high culture lands in Britain with a bang
The Guardian · by Vanessa Thorpe · August 20, 2022
Kimchi, the fermented pickle, led the way, establishing a taste for colourful Korean food in Britain. It was followed by a youth wave of K-pop music hysteria. Then came those two international screen hits, Bong Joon-ho’s shocking 2020 Oscar winner Parasite and last year’s brutal television series Squid Game.
Now the influence of South Korea is spreading just as quickly across highbrow culture, with the launch of a season of K-music and visual art in London and a major exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum about to offer a kaleidoscopic vision of South Korean creativity.
The title of the V&A’s show, Hallyu! (“Korean Wave!”), sums it up. The exhibition, which opens on 24 September, will proudly display a jacket worn by the Gangnam Style singer Psy in his viral 2012hit, but will also place the current explosion of Korean energy in a wider cultural setting.
Psy’s Gangnam Style was a hit around the world in 2012. Photograph: Jason Decrow/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Before that, from this Friday, the outside of the Coronet theatre, a large arts centre in Notting Hill, west London, will be entirely covered by the work of Choi Jeong-hwa, a specialist in inflatable art, as a way to announce the arrival of a late summer burst of Korean creativity inside the building. Choi’s sculpture will festoon the theatre’s facade with shapes made from balloons and wires, as well as recycled and found objects, and the artist’s work will also be on show inside the theatre itself.
“The things I’ve seen in Korea in the last few years have blown my mind,” said Anda Winters, artistic director of the Coronet theatre. “There is such an exciting use of cultural traditions and skills, but always with a twist.”
Winters’s passion for Korean contemporary arts stems from her first visit to Seoul more than 20 years ago: “I’ve seen so many changes, both economic and artistic – and, of course, everything has been influenced by the west. But they are still using the artefacts and objects and mannerisms from their own traditions,” she said.
Much of the work showcased in the Coronet’s month-long season might be described as “avant garde”, except that both Korean street food and popular mass entertainment have already served as an advance guard, paving the way for a more sophisticated influx of leading Korean artists. In fact, two years ago, BTS, the superstar K-pop boy band, deliberately made a link with the fine art world by sponsoring 22 art installations in London, Buenos Aires, Berlin, New York and Seoul called Connect, BTS. For the project, British sculptor Sir Antony Gormley created Clearing, an installation for Brooklyn Bridge Park like a giant slinky toy of linked metal coils running along the bank of the East River.
The growing significance of art and design from Seoul is examined in a new book by Fiona Bae, Make Break Remix: The Rise of K-Style, out next month. Featuring a series of interviews with key designers and commentators, it suggests that commercial creativity and independent contemporary art practice are both enjoying an unprecedented boom. Early next month, Seoul will acknowledge this new status in the cultural firmament when it hosts its first Frieze art fair.
The Coronet has called its season Tiger Is Coming; a phrase chosen by the artist Choi to provoke interest in all the storytelling, computer-generated sound, art and dance going on inside the venue until October.
The Ambiguous Dance Company will perform Body Concert Photograph: Sebastian Marcovici
Leenalchi, a new K-band sensation, will make their first live appearance outside Korea, with three performances timed to coincide with South Korea’s thanksgiving festival, Chuseok. The six-piece band, more like alt-pop in style and content than mainstream chart-toppers, draw on pansori, a musical storytelling tradition, as well as on dance and rap. Their recent track Let’s Live for Today was featured on the original version of the acclaimed Apple TV+ drama series Pachinko.
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Music will also come from Tacit Group, a team of composers and media artists also making their London debut after performances in New York, Chicago and Denmark. They use mathematical codes to make immersive sound experiences that change each time they are played.
A dance video series looking at the geography and nature of Jeju, an island on the southernmost tip of the Korean peninsula, will be screened, and there will be a performance of Body Concert, a piece from the award-winning Ambiguous Dance Company, directed by Boram Kim. The company appeared last year in Coldplay’s video for Higher Power.
Another dance work, Body-go-Round, will be a “mixed reality performance” from Collective A, led by Cha Jinyeob, who was the director of choreography for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Theatre will be represented by the award-winning company Dolpagu, who are to stage a show that explores gender and social class across generations. “I have wanted to bring all this work over to London for years,” said Winters, “and the whole world is certainly paying attention now.”
The Guardian · by Vanessa Thorpe · August 20, 2022
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
VIDEO "WHEREBY" Link: https://whereby.com/david-maxwell
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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