Quotes of the Day:

“Make no mistake: Satan’s specialty is psychological warfare. If he can turn us on God (‘It’s not fair!’), or turn us on others (‘It’s their fault!’), or turn us on ourselves (‘I’m so stupid!’), we won’t turn on him.” 

– Beth Moore

“But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments, of their duties and obligations … This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people was the real American Revolution.” - John Adams

"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives"

– James Madison

1. Ex-Pentagon official stresses need for war plan rethink, swift OPCON transfer, USFK overhaul

2. North Korea and Iran — a new anti-Western alliance?

3. Exclusive: Ukraine examines N.Korean missile debris amid fears of Moscow-Pyongyang axis

4. Chinese warplane fired flares, put Australian Navy helicopter in danger, Canberra says

5. N. Korean leader congratulates Putin on inauguration

6. N. Korea's ex-propaganda chief Kim Ki-nam dies at 94: KCNA

7.  Ex-President Moon's memoir to be out later this month

8. Young N. Koreans question why the state demands absolute loyalty

9. After 7 infants die in North Korean orphanage, workers arrested for stealing food

10. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Recruitment for the world's longest military service (3)　Poor supplies, uniforms are late in coming, and thieves...Regime forces people to donate supplies to military

11. N. Korea is mysteriously delaying its constitutional amendment

12. Former North Korean diplomat named president of unification institute

13. What comes after UN Panel of Experts?

14. South Korea Plans $7 Billion Push to Pivot EV Battery Industry Away From China

15. South Korea holds live-fire drills to defend islands on North Korea’s doorstep

16. A Surprise South Korean Boom Is Going Unnoticed

17. Slaves to the Bomb: The Role and Fate of North Korea's Nuclear Scientists

1. Ex-Pentagon official stresses need for war plan rethink, swift OPCON transfer, USFK overhaul

Elbridge Colby just almost said the quiet part out loud - e.g. the desire to get US forces out of our Korea commitment. This has been the intent of many short sighted defense officials since Donald Rumsfeld first proposed OPCON transition and moving US forces out of Yongsan and, out of north Korean artillery ranges, and south of the Han River in december 1993 at a little known meeting with emissaries of then President Elect Roh Moo Hyun. Remember that Dougals Feith, speaking for the SECDEF, said in public in 2004 that US forces in Korea are a waste because DOD could not use them in the GWOT since they were considered committed forces. - or as Colby says "held hostage to the north Korean threat."

Here is the brutal truth. There are US officials who think OPCON transition is the path to getting US forces out of Korea (and from Colby's perspective getting them out fast). And of course anyone who understands the nature, objectives, and stage of the Kim family regime knows that the fastest way to conflict is to remove US truths.

But I supposed Mr Colby's one year of experience in the Defense Department did not give him any insights into the OPCON transition plan and the future of the ROK/US Combined Forces Command. The plan is no longer for a dissolution of the CFC but to remain a combined command. But I do not think Mr. Colby appreciates the combined command and the fact that the great majority of defense of South Korea is already conducted by Korean forces, not US forces. 

I would like to ask the question of which country is more important to US interests: Taiwan or the Republic of Korea (and a future United Republic of Korea)?

I think we all know Mr. Colby's answer. But I would love to hear him and others articulate why they think Taiwan is more important than the ROK.

You might think my answer would be the ROK, but what I think is my objective view is that one is not more important than the other, both are important to US interests in different ways. And most importantly we need to be able to contribute to deterrence and defense of both countries. And this is why I have such a problem with the myopic focus on China as the pacing threat. We have to be able to protect US national security interests and understand the interrelated nature of them particularly in Asia. Mr Colby thinks that we will get a choice to be involved in one war or the other or that they can be compartmented. He argues that we cannot do both so we need to prioritize one over the other and this means leaving South Korea on its own. I argue that it is in our national security interests to be able to deal with both threats (and more) in Asia and around the world. Yes I know the arguments are that this current administration is not funding a military to be able to both and therefore we must prioritize and accept risk. Unfortunately that sounds nice in briefings and in planning documents but as we all know, the enemy gets a vote. Knowing our priorities and where we accept risk will factor into his plans to be able to create dilemmas for us. A priority and focus on one threat will not bring us success even with that one threat. We are sure to lose both because we cannot confie the conflict to only one and on our terms.

Of course the problem with Mr. Colby is that people believe he is speaking for the possible future Trump administration. His ideas are more likely to result in conflict in Asia. 

That said, I do agree with Mr Colby that OPCON transition should continue at pace. I do believe that all military operations in north Korea (war or regime collapse) should be led by a Korean general with the US playing a (strong) supporting role. This is very important for long term legitimacy of the ROK and a unified Korea. But with OPCON transition we must maintain the combined forces command and not withdraw US forces.

(Yonhap Interview) Ex-Pentagon official stresses need for war plan rethink, swift OPCON transfer, USFK overhaul | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · May 8, 2024

By Song Sang-ho and Kim Dong-hyun

WASHINGTON, May 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States need to revise their combined wartime contingency plans if they involve America's dispatch of massive military assets to fend off a North Korean invasion, a former Pentagon official has said, stressing the U.S.' imperative to focus on the "decisive" threat from China.

In an interview with Yonhap News Agency Monday, Elbridge Colby, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development during the Trump administration, also expressed his support for the swift transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul, saying the Asian ally should undertake "overwhelming" responsibility for its own defense.

Laying out his vision for the role of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), he called for an overhaul to make it "more relevant" to handling China-related contingencies rather than being held "hostage" to addressing North Korean threats.

Colby shared his thoughts on America's security and foreign policy, emphasizing he does not speak for former President Donald Trump or his campaign. He has been mentioned as a potential candidate for national security advisor should Trump return to the White House.

"I think we need to have a plan that is based on reality. If you are assuming that the United States is going to break its spear, if you will, fighting North Korea, that is an imprudent assumption for us to make or for you to make," he said.

"To the extent that we are currently planning on sending massive amounts of forces to Korea that would decrement from our ability to deal with the Chinese, I think we need to revise that. I think we need to have a plan for the defense of South Korea that the U.S. and the president of the U.S. could rationally implement," he added.

Elbridge Colby, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development during the Donald Trump administration, speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at his office in Washington on May 6, 2024. (Yonhap)

Seoul and Washington have their operational plans in place to prepare for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula. Those plans are known to be based on the premise that the U.S. will deploy a large number of augmented forces and other military assets in support of South Korea.

Colby asserted that if the U.S. gets heavily involved in a war with North Korea, it would be a "perfect distraction" when America should prioritize countering what he called the "hardest" threats from China.

"South Korea is going to have to take primary, essentially overwhelming responsibility for its own self-defense against North Korea because we don't have a military that can fight North Korea and then be ready to fight China," he said.

The prominent security expert took note of an "asymmetry of perspective" between Seoul and Washington when it comes to threat perception.

"The fundamental fact is that North Korea is not a primary threat to the U.S. It would not be rational to lose multiple American cities to just deal with North Korea. That's a different calculation for South Korea," he said. "We need to realistically evaluate an approach."

Colby laid out his idea of contingency operations in which America's intervention occurs when China gets directly involved in a conflict on the peninsula.

"That is what we should be asking (South Korea). Hold your own as much as possible, and if the Chinese get directly involved, that's when the Americans would come in," he said.

"China is the decisive threat. So we need to retain our capacity to make sure that if (you are) the heavyweight boxing champion ... you don't want to get in a middle-weight fight ... (as) you are so bruised and tired that you lose the heavyweight fight (with China)."

On the Taiwan contingency, he said that the U.S. should not ask Seoul to get directly involved for the defense of the island democracy considering persistent threats from Pyongyang.

Colby underscored the need for a USFK overhaul to confront Chinese threats -- a suggestion that would mark a shift away from its current focus on defense against North Korean threats.

"U.S. forces on the peninsula in my view should not be held hostage to dealing with the North Korean problem because that is not the primary issue for the U.S.," he said. "The U.S. should be focused on China and the defense of South Korea from China over time."

He added that U.S. forces that are meant to defend South Korea against a Chinese attack should not be in Korea.

"Because if they were in Korea, they would be subject to massive preemptive attack at short range," he said. "South Korea is so close to China that it's under massive Chinese missile threat not to mention North Korea."

In the face of evolving North Korean threats, Colby said "all options" should be on the table to ensure South Korea's security, including its nuclear armament.

Asked what if Seoul faces costly economic sanctions in case of its nuclear option, he said that Washington should not sanction Seoul when the security measure was crafted through mutual coordination.

"It would be self-defeating and foolish for us to simultaneously not provide South Korea with a viable defense umbrella and then threaten to sanction it when it decides with us to take measures that provide for security in the face of a tremendous nuclear buildup b North Korea and China," he said.

Elbridge Colby, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development during the Donald Trump administration, speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at his office in Washington on May 6, 2024. (Yonhap)

He threw his weight behind the expeditious OPCON handover from the U.S. to South Korea.

"I would say I agree with the OPCON transfer. I think the more (South Korean forces) can operate autonomously and independently, the better," he said.

He went on to say, "The idea of South Korea assuming primary responsibility should happen as soon as possible, like now."

South Korea handed over operational control over its troops to the U.S.-led U.N. Command during the 1950-53 Korean War. It was then transferred to South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command when the command was launched in 1978.

Seoul and Washington have been working on meeting a wide range of conditions needed for OPCON transition. Conditions include South Korea's capabilities to lead combined forces, its strike and air defense capabilities as well as a regional security environment conducive to such a handover.

Portraying the conditions as "not inherent," Colby highlighted complex regional security conditions that call for Seoul to provide for its own security.

On nuclear diplomacy with North Korea, he said that the idea of North Korea's complete denuclearization appears "impossibly far-fetched." He highlighted the need to focus on something "attainable."

"I think in terms of our policy goal, what we should be thinking about ... it's got to be more like arms control, particularly focused on limiting the range of North Korean ICBMs," he said, referring to intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Colby is currently principal and co-founder of the Marathon Initiative, a Washington-based research organization. He served as deputy assistant secretary of defense from 2017-2018. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School.

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · May 8, 2024

2. North Korea and Iran — a new anti-Western alliance?

I discussed this article with Dr. Bruce Bechtol yesterday and he provided these comments which I think provide important context and additional information to understand this "new" relationship.

There is a newly reinforced relationship - North Korea and Russia. North Korea and China have now been in a trilateral relationship with Iran since 2020 (renewing what once existed during the Iran-Iraq war).

But the North Korean-Iranian relationship has been a constant. Now that China and Russia are involved with both North Korea and Iran, Pyongyang and Tehran can make a lot of money and kill more people.

So the title is misleading. It should be, "North Korea and Russia - a new alliance." Iran and China simply are helping to enable that.

Thus, I cannot stress enough, the new Russia thing is bigger - much bigger than anything else happening in the proliferation world right now. North Korea and Iran are knee deep in it and will be as long as Putin feels he needs to drop tons of ordnance on the Ukrainian army and people...

North Korea and Iran — a new anti-Western alliance? – DW – 05/07/2024

DW

North Korea is building new ties with like-minded nations and entrenching older alliances beyond its powerful neighbors Russia and China. Recently, the Iranian regime seems to be of particular interest to Pyongyang and the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un .

"Just as in the Cold War, two blocs are emerging and North Korea sees this as a good opportunity to stand with Iran and repeat its opposition to the US," said Kim Sung Kyung, a professor of North Korean society and culture at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

"The North probably also sees this as a good opportunity to sell weapons and military technology to Tehran and obtain some sort of economic benefit in return, as there are powerful sanctions on both countries that limit what they are able to obtain," she said.

In late April, North Korea sent a high-level delegation of economic and trade experts on a nine-day visit to Tehran, the first such mission since 2019. As both nations remained tight-lipped on the details, analysts have speculated the talks involved military technology, including nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Iran denies talks on nuclear program

Tehran, however, rejected assumptions that the delegates discussed cooperation on nuclear technology. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani slammed foreign media for "biased speculations by publishing untrue and baseless news."

The following day, North Korean state media condemned a new round of sanctions imposed on Iran by Washington as "unfair." Tehran is believed to have provided Russia with thousands of drones for use in Moscow's war against Ukraine, and Iran also launched drone and missile attacks against Israel on April 13 in retaliation for the attack against the Iranian embassy in Syria. The latest round of sanctions targets Iran's capacity to manufacture and use unmanned aerial vehicles.

Iran-Israel tensions highlight nuclear program

The Korean Central News Agency also claims the US had imposed new sanctions on Iran's steel, automobile and drone sectors after it "misled the facts as if Iran was responsible for the deterioration of the regional situation."

Anti-Western alliance of communists and theocrats

"Tehran and Pyongyang have a longstanding relationship, which is in many ways paradoxical, as one is a theocratic Islamic regime and the other is a communist cult of personality," said Daniel Pinkston, a professor of international relations at the Seoul campus of Troy University.

"But while they are very different, they also share some similarities. They are both authoritarian regimes that are intolerant of others and share deep grievances against the US and the West in general," he told DW. Iranian leaders frequently refer to the US as the "Great Satan," he pointed out, while Pyongyang's propaganda focuses on "US imperialism."

North Korea focuses on closest allies

While North Korea has been looking to deepen its ties with Iran and countries like Russia, China, Syria and Belarus, Pyongyang has been shutting down its embassies elsewhere. Last year, it shuttered diplomatic missions in Spain, Angola, Uganda, Hong Kong and Nepal.

Some suggest this is due to Pyongyang simply struggling to afford operating the diplomatic outposts, but analysts have also suggested that North Korean leadership is reducing the risk of its diplomats defecting while abroad.

Instead, Pyongyang appears to be focusing on allies that will support it economically and militarily.

Nuclear and drone secrets

Iran and North Korea can be expected to demonstrate more political and diplomatic support for each other, such as Pyongyang backing Iran over Israel and the US, Pinkston said.

"In the past, North Korea provided Iran with nuclear technology, which upset the Israelis, and it is probable that the North will again be able to share what it has developed," he said. "It will be able to provide data from the nuclear tests it has conducted, it can share best practices on its space program and information from its home-grown satellite program."

Drone technology is almost certain to be of huge interest to both sides as they look to increase the capabilities of a battlefield system that is relatively new but, as has been seen in Ukraine, devastatingly effective, Pinkston said.

"They will have data back on things like battle damage assessments, the technology that is most effective, and possible countermeasures, so they will be able to compare designs."

Pyongyang needs Iranian oil

North Korea is desperate for oil, one of the key products that has been targeted by international sanctions, but it is possible that Iran may be able to skirt monitoring and take advantage of trilateral trade agreements with Russia to provide fuel to the North, Pinkston said.

Is the Indo-Pacific entering new era of security alliances?

A little over 22 years after then-US President George W. Bush coined the phrase the "axis of evil" to refer to North Korea, Iran and Iraq, the analysts warn that a far more powerful bloc is emerging.

"There are 'aggrieved' states who are set against the US-led world order," Pinkston said. "Their national interests may not align perfectly, but they share the common component of opposition to the West."

Edited by: Darko Janjevic

DW

3. Exclusive: Ukraine examines N.Korean missile debris amid fears of Moscow-Pyongyang axis

A 50% failure rate? An indication of north Korea quality control? Were these old missiles that were not properly stored? 

Excerpt:

"About half of the North Korean missiles lost their programmed trajectories and exploded in the air; in such cases the debris was not recovered," Kostin's office said in written answers to Reuters' questions.

Exclusive: Ukraine examines N.Korean missile debris amid fears of Moscow-Pyongyang axis

By Tom Balmforth and David Gauthier-Villars

May 7, 20247:27 AM EDTUpdated a day ago

https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-examines-nkorean-missile-debris-amid-fears-moscow-pyongyang-axis-2024-05-07/?utm

Item 1 of 3 A representative from the prosecutor's office shows a part of an unidentified missile, which Ukrainian authorities believe to be made in North Korea and was used in a strike in Kharkiv earlier this week, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine January 6, 2024. REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/File Photo

[1/3]A representative from the prosecutor's office shows a part of an unidentified missile, which Ukrainian authorities believe to be made in North Korea and was used in a strike in Kharkiv earlier this week, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine January 6, 2024. REUTERS/Vyacheslav... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more

Summary

• Kyiv says Russia has used 50 N.Korean missiles in UkraineProsecutor's office says missile failure rate appears highAlleged use of North Korean missiles causes alarm abroad

KYIV, May 7 (Reuters) - Ukrainian state prosecutors say they have examined debris from 21 of around 50 North Korean ballistic missiles launched by Russia between late December and late February, as they seek to assess the threat from Moscow's cooperation with Pyongyang.

In previously unreported details of an investigation under way into the missiles, the office of Ukraine's top prosecutor, Andriy Kostin, also told Reuters that the failure rate of the North Korean weaponry appeared to be high.

"About half of the North Korean missiles lost their programmed trajectories and exploded in the air; in such cases the debris was not recovered," Kostin's office said in written answers to Reuters' questions.

North Korean missiles account for a tiny portion of Russia's strikes during its war on Ukraine, but their alleged use has caused alarm from Seoul to Washington because it may herald the end of nearly two-decade consensus among permanent members of the United Nations Security Council on preventing Pyongyang expanding its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

In addition to providing North Korea with an opportunity to test missiles, Russia has taken steps that will make it harder for the United Nations to monitor sanctions imposed on Pyongyang in 2006.

Last month, Moscow vetoed the annual renewal of the U.N. sanctions monitors - known as a panel of experts - that has for 15 years monitored enforcement of the U.N. sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea's official name.

China, one of the five permanent members on the Security Council with Russia, the United States, Britain and France, abstained from the vote.

Days before its mandate expired, the panel submitted a report confirming for the first time that, in a violation of U.N. sanctions, a North Korean-made ballistic missile known as Hwasong-11 had struck the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

This, and Moscow's veto, underscore how Russia and North Korea have intensified their bilateral relations beyond largely transactional, barter agreements, said Edward Howell, an expert on North Korea at Oxford University.

"There is a lasting legacy that is being shaped now, which is the fact that North Korea, through being assured of Russia's support, is really being able to undermine key international institutions like the U.N. Security Council," he said.

The Russian presidency referred questions on the North Korean missiles to the Russian Defence Ministry, which did not respond to emailed questions from Reuters. North Korea's mission to the United Nations in Geneva also did not respond.

DOZENS KILLED OR WOUNDED

Despite the setback at the United Nations, Kostin has said his office will carry on with the investigation.

The prosecutor's office said that when debris could not be collected at impact sites, Hwasong-11 missiles, which are also called KN-23 in the West, were identified by looking at their flight trajectories, speed and launch sites.

The last recorded use of a KN-23 was on Feb. 27, the prosecutor's office said, adding that the total number of launches it has identified tallied with intelligence showing North Korea delivered about 50 ballistic missiles to Russia.

According to the United States, Russia received ballistic missiles and artillery rounds from North Korea after the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, met Russian President Vladimir Putin for a rare summit last September.

The 21 cases, in which debris was collected, include three that were fired at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and its surrounding region, Kostin's office said. The others struck the regions of Kharkiv, Poltava, Donetsk and Kirovohrad.

The attacks, which began on Dec. 30, 2023, killed 24 people, wounded 115 and damaged a number of residential buildings and industrial facilities, it said.

The about 50 missiles were launched from multiple sites including in Russia's western regions of Belgorod, Voronezh and Kursk, it added.

The Ukrainian statement did not say whether any of the missiles had been shot down by air defences. Ballistic missiles are typically hard to intercept because of their trajectory and speed.

According to Kostin's office, Ukrainian authorities were still investigating whether Pyongyang had dispatched instructors to monitor the ballistic missile launches.

Coming soon: Get the latest news and expert analysis about the state of the global economy with Reuters Econ World. Sign up here.

David Gauthier-Villars reported from Istanbul; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Timothy Heritage

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

4. Chinese warplane fired flares, put Australian Navy helicopter in danger, Canberra says

Here is the buried lede.  

Excerpts:

The Australian MH-60R Seahawk helicopter was on patrol enforcing United Nations sanctions on North Korea at the time of the incident, the Defense Ministry in Canberra said, adding the move put the lives of the helicopter crew in danger.

...

“They’re in international waters, international airspace, and they’re doing work to ensure that the sanctions that the world has imposed through the United Nations on North Korea, due to their intransient and reckless behavior, are enforced,” the prime minister told CNN affiliate Nine News.

First, we rarely hear news about military forces actually trying to enforce north Korean sanctions. But what was the Chinese intent: Just asserting its regional dominance or active operations to "protect" north Korean sanctions evasion activities?

Chinese warplane fired flares, put Australian Navy helicopter in danger, Canberra says

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/06/asia/china-australia-helicopter-flares-intl-hnk-ml/index.html

By Brad Lendon, CNN

 5 minute read 

Updated 5:29 AM EDT, Tue May 7, 2024

An Australian Navy helicopter in flight. Ken Griffiths/iStockphoto/Getty Images

Seoul, South KoreaCNN — 

Australia has accused a Chinese fighter jet of firing flares into the path of a naval helicopter last weekend over international waters of the Yellow Sea, an action that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blasted as “completely unacceptable.”

The Australian MH-60R Seahawk helicopter was on patrol enforcing United Nations sanctions on North Korea at the time of the incident, the Defense Ministry in Canberra said, adding the move put the lives of the helicopter crew in danger.

“This was an unsafe maneuver which posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel,” the statement from Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said.

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The Chinese jet “dropped flares about 300 meters (984 feet) in front of the Seahawk helicopter and about 60 meters (197 feet) above it,” Marles said in an interview with CNN affiliate Nine News on Monday.

No damage or injuries were reported, but flares can lead to the downing of a helicopter if they strike and damage its rotor blades, or if they are ingested into its engines.

The incident is the latest in a growing list of confrontations in international waters between China’s military and other nations, and it comes as Canberra and Beijing are pursuing a rapprochement following a bruising few years of trade disputes and strained relations.

China defended the action by its military and rejected Australia’s claim that the interception was unsafe.

“Under the guise of implementing United Nations Security Council resolutions, Australian warships and aircraft deliberately approached China’s airspace to cause trouble and provocation, endangering China’s maritime and air security,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters at a regular briefing.

“As a warning, the Chinese military took necessary measures at the scene. Relevant operations are legal, compliant, professional and safe.”

In a separate statement, China’s Ministry of Defense said the Australian helicopters were conducting “close reconnaissance” during China’s “normal training activities” and called its actions warning them to leave “legitimate.” It also accused Australia of “spreading false narratives.”

The MH-60 Seahawk is a twin-engine helicopter and carries a crew of three, according to the Australian Navy.

RELATED ARTICLE

What it’s like on board an outnumbered Philippine ship facing down China’s push to dominate the South China Sea

The Australian helicopter was operating from the destroyer HMAS Hobart in international waters of the Yellow Sea as part of Operation Argos, Canberra’s contribution to a multinational effort to enforce UN sanctions against North Korea, according to a statement from the Australian Defense Ministry.

Albanese called the Chinese actions “completely unacceptable” in a television interview Tuesday.

“They’re in international waters, international airspace, and they’re doing work to ensure that the sanctions that the world has imposed through the United Nations on North Korea, due to their intransient and reckless behavior, are enforced,” the prime minister told CNN affiliate Nine News.

“They shouldn’t have been at any risk while they engaged in that behavior,” Albanese said of the Australian crew.

Albanese said “appropriate diplomatic representations” have been made with Beijing.

“We’ve just made it very clear to China that this is unprofessional and that it’s unacceptable,” he said.

The incident was similar to an encounter between a Chinese fighter jet and a Canadian military helicopter over the South China Sea in late October when flares were also fired in the path of the helicopter.

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CNN took an 11-day cruise through some of the most-contested waters on Earth. Here’s what we learned

“The risk to a helicopter in that instance is the flares moving into the rotor blades or the engines so this was categorized as both unsafe and non-standard, unprofessional,” Maj. Rob Millen, air officer aboard the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Ottawa, told CNN after the October incident.

After that incident China defended its actions and accused Canadian forces of conducting unspecified “malicious and provocative act with ulterior motives.”

Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton urged Albanese to call Chinese leader Xi Jinping to express Canberra’s concerns over the latest incident, but also over a long list of Chinese encounters with Australian and allied aircraft and ships.

“At some stage, there’s going to be a miscalculation and an Australian Defense Force member is going to lose their life. That is a tragic circumstance that has to be avoided at all costs,” Dutton said in an interview with Nine News.

“There will be a miscalculation by somebody who’s flying that jet or somebody who’s on the deck of a Chinese naval ship. Something will happen and that’s what, not just Australia is worried about, the Philippines, Japan, obviously the United States, many other countries in the region, who are very worried about these acts that continue to be provocative, and completely and utterly unnecessary.”

RELATED ARTICLE

Chinese water cannon damages ship in new South China Sea flare-up, Philippines says

Previous contentious and potentially dangerous incidents between Australia and China include an encounter in waters near Japan last November when Australia said a Chinese warship used sonar waves to harass Australian Navy divers in the water trying to untangle fishing nets from the propellers of the frigate HMAS Toowoomba, resulting in minor injuries to the divers.

According to Australian public broadcaster ABC, Australian Navy Vice Adm. Mark Hammond raised the Toowoomba incident in a meeting with Chinese navy Adm. Hu Zhongming at an international naval symposium in Qingdao.

“I sought his concurrence to prioritize the safety of our respective navy personnel and to prevent a reoccurrence of this incident,” ABC quoted Hammond as saying.

In June 2022, a Chinese fighter jet released flares and chaff that entered at least one of the two engines on an Australian P-8A flying in international waters over the South China Sea, Australia said.

Earlier in 2022, Australia said a Chinese warship used a laser to “illuminate” an Australian P-8A aircraft in waters north of Australia.

Pilots targeted by laser attacks have reported disorienting flashes, pain, spasms and spots in their vision and even temporary blindness.

China has denied wrongdoing in all incidents, saying its forces act in accordance with international law while protecting Chinese interests.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Hassan Tayir contributed to this report.

5. N. Korean leader congratulates Putin on inauguration

The axis of dictators/autocrats/totalitarians.

N. Korean leader congratulates Putin on inauguration | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · May 8, 2024

SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin for formally starting his fifth term as Moscow's leader, state media said Wednesday, amid deepening military cooperation between the two nations.

Putin began his fifth term Tuesday, extending his 24-year rule for another six years after winning a landslide victory in Russia's election in March.

"The respected Comrade Kim Jong-un warmly congratulated Putin once again on his inauguration as the president of the Russian Federation and wished him great successes in his responsible work for Russia and its people," Kim was quoted as saying in a dispatch released by the Korean Central News Agency.

The letter was delivered through the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang, it added.

It marked the second congratulatory message Kim sent to Putin on his reelection. In March, Kim sent a letter vowing to "bring about a new era of the DPRK-Russia friendship ... in conformity with the requirements of the times and push forward with the accomplishment of the cause of building a powerful country."

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The latest message came as North Korea-Russia ties have been significantly deepening following a rare summit between their leaders in September, spawning speculation over Pyongyang's arms transfers to Moscow for use in its war in Ukraine.

Last week, the White House said Russia delivered more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea in March alone, noting that such shipments have exceeded the annual cap of 500,000 barrels set by the U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed on North Korea in 2017.

This Sept. 14, 2023, image, taken from Korean Central Television footage, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · May 8, 2024

6. N. Korea's ex-propaganda chief Kim Ki-nam dies at 94: KCNA

There is a lot to be said for continuity of messaging.

Something else to keep in mind based on discussion with escapees who were senior officials. There is really no retirement plan for military or party officials. They have jobs for life (as long as they do not demonstrate any disloyalty to the dear leader).

(LEAD) N. Korea's ex-propaganda chief Kim Ki-nam dies at 94: KCNA | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · May 8, 2024

(ATTN: ADDS photos, details throughout)

SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) -- Kim Ki-nam, known as the master of propaganda operations for North Korea's ruling Kim family, has died at 94, Pyongyang's state media said Wednesday.

The former secretary of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party (WPK) died Tuesday after suffering multiple organ failures since April 2022, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

This undated file photo, released by the Korean Central News Agency, shows Kim Ki-nam, the former secretary of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party and known as the country's propaganda master. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the funeral hall of the former official at 2 a.m. and will lead the state funeral committee for his burial, it added.

"Kim Jong-un paid silent tribute to Kim Ki-nam who made contributions to the sacred struggle for the development of the WPK, modeling the revolutionary ranks on the monolithic ideology and the victorious advance of the socialist cause," the KCNA said.

This photo, released by the Korean Central News Agency on May 8, 2024, shows the funeral hall of Kim Ki-nam, former secretary of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

Kim Ki-nam, who spent decades overseeing propaganda operations in North Korea, was known to have stepped down from most official posts after he was excluded from a group of top officials sitting on the podium together with the leader in a party plenary meeting in October 2017.

He briefly reappeared in state media photos in January 2019, where he was seen shaking hands with members of an art delegation heading to China. The KCNA mentioned Kim's name first among the officials present at the send-off ceremony at the train station in Pyongyang, even ahead of the leader's influential sister, Kim Yo-jong.

In 2009, Kim Ki-nam led a North Korean delegation organized to pay condolences to late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who held the first inter-Korean summit with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the late father of the current North Korean leader, in 2000.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C, front row) attends the funeral of Kim Ki-nam, former secretary of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party, on May 8, 2024, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency the same day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · May 8, 2024

7. Ex-President Moon's memoir to be out later this month

Ex-President Moon's memoir to be out later this month | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Woo Jae-yeon · May 8, 2024

SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) -- Former President Moon Jae-in's memoir will be published later this month, his first since his presidency ended in May 2022, the book's publisher said Wednesday.

The book, the title of which translates into "From the Periphery to the Center," is set for release on May 20, Gimm-Young Publishers said. It adopts a question-and-answer format, with the questions posed by Choi Jong-kun, who served as vice minister of foreign affairs under the Moon government.

The memoir is expected to recount significant diplomatic events, such as his summit meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Additional behind-the-scenes stories about key diplomatic events will be shared with readers, according to the publisher.

The book "candidly documented not only diplomatic and security achievements, but also regrets, limitations, successes and failures of his policies," it said.

"The book also contains hopes and advice for the current international and inter-Korean situations, as well as future changes."

The cover page of former President Moon Jae-in's memoir is shown in this photo provided by Gimm-Young Publishers on May 8, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Woo Jae-yeon · May 8, 2024

8. Young N. Koreans question why the state demands absolute loyalty

Now might be a good time to consider what is supposed to guide the life and thinking of every Korean in the north. This article appears to indicate the people are diverging from the 10 principles of monolithic ideology. 

The “Ten Principles for the Establishment of the One-Ideology System” are regulations that govern the everyday lives of the North Korean people. They were officially announced by Kim Jong Il in 1974. The original Ten Principles, to which the name “General Kim Jong Il” has now been added, are as follows:

1. We must give our all in the struggle to unify the entire society with the revolutionary ideology of Great Leader Kim Il Sung.

2. We must honor Great Leader comrade Kim Il Sung with all our loyalty.

3. We must make absolute the authority of Great Leader comrade Kim Il Sung.

4. We must make Great Leader comrade Kim Il Sung’s revolutionary ideology our faith and make his instructions our creed.

5. We must adhere strictly to the principle of unconditional obedience in carrying out the Great Leader comrade Kim Il Sung’s instructions.

6. We must strengthen the entire Party’s ideology and willpower and revolutionary unity, centering on Great Leader comrade Kim Il Sung.

7. We must learn from Great Leader comrade Kim Il Sung and adopt the communist look, revolutionary work methods and people-oriented work style.

8. We must value the political life we were given by Great Leader comrade Kim Il Sung, and loyally repay his great political trust and thoughtfulness with heightened political awareness and skill.

9. We must establish strong organizational regulations so that the entire Party, nation and military move as one under the one and only leadership of Great Leader comrade Kim Il Sung.

10. We must pass down the great achievement of the revolution by Great Leader comrade Kim Il Sung from generation to generation, inheriting and completing it to the end.

Young N. Koreans question why the state demands absolute loyalty - Daily NK English

The gap is gradually widening between what the North Korean government wants from young people and what they want out of life

By Seulkee Jang - May 8, 2024

dailynk.com · by Seulkee Jang · May 8, 2024

"Young university students are actively engaged in sociopolitical activities during their winter break," Rodong Sinmun reported on Jan. 8. The photo shows students from Han Deok-soo University of Light Industry in front of the Pyongyang Thermal Power Plant. (Rodong Sinmun-News1)

North Korea organized a second training seminar for party officials in charge of propaganda at the People’s Palace of Culture in Pyongyang from Apr. 20 to 23.

“Party organizations and officials in the party’s propaganda wing have failed to adapt to a rapidly changing reality, and our propaganda and agitation programs are not communicating a clear message,” said Ri Il-hwan, a secretary with the WPK Central Committee, during an address at the seminar.

Ri’s remark about the failure “to adapt to a rapidly changing reality” is an apparent reference to how North Korean propagandists have failed to instill patriotism and loyalty in the younger generation, which is regarded as a crucial pillar supporting the regime’s rule.

The North Korean authorities have stressed that young people are supposed to serve as “shock troops in building a powerful socialist state,” as described in the recently enacted Youth Education Guarantee Act. But many of North Korea’s young people are expressing resistance to the government’s political propaganda and agitation and even asking why they should make personal sacrifices for the sake of the party, the leader and the state.

While the virtues of sacrifice and loyalty to the state remain a major focus of state indoctrination, there are few young people who take the political and ideological education they receive at school or work at face value.

“Volunteers” for work in tough areas often have little choice because of social status

North Korean media outlets continue to report that “many patriotic young people are voluntarily signing up for difficult and challenging areas of the socialist construction project because of their esteem for state policy.” But a young resident of Pyongyang in his 20s, identified here as “A,” explained to Daily NK that such volunteering is hardly voluntary. “It’s because of economic incentives and social pressure,” he added.

Since schools and youth organizations are periodically ordered to rustle up volunteers for difficult work assignments, people often find themselves forced to “volunteer” for mines or construction sites against their wishes.

“When someone chooses a tough job for the sake of the state and at the expense of their own happiness, they’re publicly praised as a ‘youth hero.’ But in private conversation, people say they’re crazy and suspect they either fell for government propaganda or are social outcasts,” “A” said.

According to “A,” most young people who volunteer for hardship assignments are people with unfavorable family backgrounds who are trying to lay the foundation for a respectable career.

But even the North Korean authorities appear to recognize that young people are more interested in achieving a comfortable life for themselves than in national development or the socialist revolution.

According to reporting by Daily NK, study materials recently distributed by North Korea’s Socialist Patriotic Youth League state that “an issue that must be overcome is the fact that young people who ought to be armed with socialist ideology and brimming over with loyalty to their fatherland are instead taking an interest in personal wealth and economic stability.”

For North Korean youth, their goals in life are “economic stability” and “social success”

When North Koreans in their 20s are asked about their goals over the next five to ten years, common answers are “joining the Workers’ Party of Korea,” “getting a graduate degree” and “going overseas as a trade official.” However, when asked about what they hope to accomplish in their lives, they typically mention “social success” and “economic stability.”

One reason that so many young people want to go to graduate school appears to be because of a growing sense that highly educated people can get ahead both economically and socially given Kim Jong Un’s adoption of policies emphasizing science and education.

In other words, the ultimate life goal for young North Koreans is no longer joining the Workers’ Party of Korea, entering graduate school or getting some specific job, but rather gaining social acceptance and enjoying a comfortable lifestyle.

So while Kim regards the North Korean youth as the “future generation” who will sustain the party and the regime and emphasizes their patriotism and loyalty, those young people themselves place more importance on their personal happiness and success. That shows that a gap is gradually widening between what the North Korean government wants from young people and what they want out of life.

Some of the reasons that North Korean young people have come to value personal happiness and success more than state development or the socialist revolution seem to be the rapid development of markets since the 2000s and the influx of information from the outside world in the form of Korean movies and dramas.

“North Korea’s young generation includes people whose parents were part of the ‘market generation’ or who were part of that generation themselves. They experienced the collapse of the state rationing system and have had to support themselves through the markets. So even when they’re indoctrinated in state values or patriotism, many of them perceive that the ideology promoted by the state is divorced from reality,” said Jeong Eun-mee, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), in a telephone interview with Daily NK.

“The North Korean authorities have adopted a carrot-and-stick approach with the youth. They attempt to suppress and control the actions of the youth through such measures as the Youth Education Guarantee Act, while also developing mobile games and organizing concerts in an attempt to satisfy their cultural desires. But such efforts are inevitably limited in their ability to change young people’s thoughts and ideas,” Jeong added.

Translated by David Carruth. 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.

Read in Korean

dailynk.com · by Seulkee Jang · May 8, 2024

9. After 7 infants die in North Korean orphanage, workers arrested for stealing food

The horrific tragic conditions in north Korea.

After 7 infants die in North Korean orphanage, workers arrested for stealing food

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/orphanage-arrests-infant-deaths-05072024205636.html

The children were fed corn flour and sugar, and appeared to have died from a coronavirus outbreak.

By Moon Sung Hui for RFA Korean

2024.05.07

North Korean children wait to be examined for possible signs of malnutrition in an orphanage in an area damaged by summer floods and typhoons in South Hwanghae province, Oct. 1, 2011.

 (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

North Korean authorities have arrested workers at an orphanage where seven infants died earlier this year after investigators found that caregivers “systematically stole” food supplies the government had provided for infants and toddlers, a provincial health official said.

When an outbreak of a coronavirus-like disease left seven children dead in February at an orphanage in Hyesan city, party officials in northern Ryanggang province began an investigation into how the orphanage was being run, a provincial resident told Radio Free Asia.

“They found that the children’s nutritional conditions were serious and ordered a judicial agency to investigate,” said the resident, who requested anonymity for personal safety. 

“During that investigation, mismanagement of children began to be revealed one by one,” he said. “As a result, the investigation was expanded to include all orphan care facilities.”

This undated picture released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on June 2, 2014, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visiting a Pyongyang orphanage to celebrate International Children’s Day. (KNS KCNA AFP)

They found that infants and toddlers at the Hyesan orphanage were fed a difficult-to-digest concoction of corn flour and sugar instead of milk, the resident said.

Residents of the province are shocked that babies were fed this combination – and they’re angered by the deaths, he said.

“They fed the powder to breastfeeding-age infants. Children less than a year old were fed corn porridge,” he said. “Even adults have difficulty digesting that.” 

Investigators also found that caregivers had taken rice, sugar, cooking oil and flour, and had regularly bribed supply officials, the resident said. North Korea regularly suffers from food shortages.

Judicial provincial authorities detained the heads of the accounting department and the medical department at the center on April 27, the provincial health official said. Four nutritionists at the center were also arrested, and the number of arrests is expected to increase, the resident said.

This handout photo released on July 30, 2008, from the World Food Programme shows malnourished children sitting on the floor of an orphanage in Chongjin City in North Korea’s North Hamgyong province on June 20, 2008. (World Food Programme/AFP)

The director of the orphanage and the orphanage’s party secretary haven’t been arrested, the resident added.

Since 2015, North Korea has built childcare centers and orphanages in every provincial capital, Pyongyang and several other cities. Some of the centers focus on newborns to 3-year-olds, while others are designated for children between 3 and 6 years old.

“From the first day of operation, childcare centers and orphanages had many problems due to poor nutrition management for children,” said the provincial health official, who also requested anonymity for personal safety.

North Korean orphans watch a TV program as a foreign delegation visits their orphanage in the area damaged by recent floods and typhoons in North Hwanghae province Sept. 29, 2011. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

“In 2021, Kim Jong Un ordered that those children be fed dairy products – and nutritional care for orphans greatly improved,” the official said.

Milk from farm cows in each province is supplied to children in orphanages, he said. The centers also receive regular shipments of rice powder and sugar, which are used to make rice porridge.  

Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.

10. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Recruitment for the world's longest military service (3)　Poor supplies, uniforms are late in coming, and thieves...Regime forces people to donate supplies to military

＜Inside N. Korea＞ Recruitment for the world's longest military service (3)　Poor supplies, uniforms are late in coming, and thieves...Regime forces people to donate supplies to military

asiapress.org

(FILE PHOTO) Scrawny-looking soldiers build a fire to roast corn stolen from a field by the river. Many of the recruits are said to be malnourished after joining the army. Photo by Jang Jeong-gil in a suburb of Pyongyang, September 2008. (ASIAPRESS)

＜Inside N. Korea＞Recruitment for the world's longest military service(1) This year 8 years for men, 5 years for women

According to a survey conducted by ASIAPRESS, recruits entering the army this year are expected to serve for eight years for men and five years for women, and many are dissatisfied with the low quality of military uniforms for new recruits. The authorities are asking people to donate various military supplies to the army, which is delaying their arrival at their posts. This report examines the reality of the North Korean army through the various aspects of the North Korean landscape during the recruitment season. (JEON Sung-joon / KANG Ji-won)

◆ Poor military supplies are severe, uniforms are poor quality

In early April, an ASIAPRESS reporting partner in a northern province of North Korea described the poor supply of supplies for North Korean military recruits as follows.

"They say that the departure of new recruits is delayed due to insufficient supply of uniforms at (some) corps uniform supply centers. The (poor supply) of quality uniforms has also been deplorable. Previously, the uniforms were made of Teflon, which was less wrinkled and tougher, but the new uniforms are made of cotton, so when the recruits sit down and get up, they look like nongpo (farmers') pants (because their knees are revealed)."

※ Nongpo: A widely used derogatory term for farmers, the lowest class of North Koreans.

"The municipal government arranged for new recruits who came up from the provinces to sleep at an inn, but three of the recruits who were sleeping there lost their uniforms (the uniforms were stolen). People who were making and selling military uniforms were later caught."

(FILE PHOTO) Soldiers of the Island Defense Corps, located at the southernmost tip of the Southwest Front. They are short and look like boy soldiers. Kim Jong-un can be seen at the center conducting an inspection. Rodong Sinmun, August 2012

◆ Parents still send their kids to the military because it still represents a way to advance in society

Parents feel bad for their sons and daughters who are facing shortages before they even enlist. However, the reporting partner said that it is rare for parents not to send their children to the military.

"It's hard to make a living (without going to the army), and if you want to advance in society, you need years of military service, so they try to send their kids if they can. However, some powerful families try to make it a little easier by sending their children to college and giving them short-term service in shock troop teams (organizations created to help out with construction projects)."

Meanwhile, the food stalls at the markets are packed with parents and recruits trying to feed their children a little more before they enlist, the reporting partner said.

◆ People forced to donate cotton clothes and gloves to give to the military

Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un's regime has been forcing the general population to donate various military supplies, which has led to growing discontent.

"Since the beginning of April, the government has demanded people contribute gloves and cotton cloth for the Korean People's Army, and families in each neighborhood watch unit have to pay 3,000 won. Each household has to contribute one glove and 50 cents worth of cotton cloth."

※ 100 North Korean won is equivalent to about 157 South Korean won.

The reporting partner said that unlike in the past, the non-tax burden must be fulfilled regardless of individual living conditions. "For food-short households or households in need, authorities exclude them from doing tasks such as neighborhood watch unit guard duty, arranging compost sites, and cleaning communal toilets. Instead, they have to pay more money compared to other households."

Taken together, information from reporting partners suggest there are serious concerns about the Kim regime's ability to continue operating the military at its current scale. This year's recruits will continue to rot away the most beautiful years of their lives as they face the harsh conditions of the North Korean military.

＜Inside N. Korea＞Recruitment for the world's longest military service(1) This year 8 years for men, 5 years for women

＜Inside N. Korea＞Recruitment for the world's longest military service(2) Bribery in the military selection process... an unbridgeable gap between rich and poor before military life even begins

＜Inside N. Korea＞Recruitment for the world's longest military service(3) Poor supplies, uniforms are late in coming, and thieves...Regime forces people to donate supplies to military

asiapress.org

11. N. Korea is mysteriously delaying its constitutional amendment

This is a useful analysis of KJU's recent directives on South Korea as the enemy and no longer seeking peaceful unification. At the heart of all this is control of the population and creating and maintaining an iron curtain to prevent information from getting to the people. Does the delay mean KJU has recognized his miscalculation?

N. Korea is mysteriously delaying its constitutional amendment - Daily NK English

The delay in moving forward with the amendment suggests that the matter is a conundrum with many factors to consider

By Gil-sup Kwak - May 8, 2024

dailynk.com · by Gil-sup Kwak · May 8, 2024

"The 10th meeting of the 14th session of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was held on Jan. 15 at the Mansudae Shrine in the capital, Pyongyang," according to Rodong Sinmun on Jan. 14. (Rodong Sinmun-News1)

Some four months have passed since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un asserted that two states exist on the Korean Peninsula, denying the concept of national reunification, and ordered that the North’s constitution define South Korea as the “invariable principal enemy.”

However, the follow-up to this order remains shrouded in fog. The Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) — the North’s legislature with the authority to amend the constitution — has yet to even hold elections for new deputies for the 15th Assembly, despite the five-year term of the 14th Assembly ending in March. This suggests that the matter is a conundrum with many factors to consider.

Amending the constitution

We can postulate two ways for North Korea to amend its constitution: 1) a “rushed method” in which an amendment is passed by a final meeting of the 14th SPA, which could be convened at any time, or 2) a “pouring wine into a new wineskin” method in which a new SPA is composed, even if this takes a bit of time.

Both methods have their advantages and drawbacks. However, we must consider 1) that including territorial provisions into the North Korean constitution would represent an epoch-making watershed in the history of the North Korean regime, 2) Pyongyang must sufficiently consider the ramifications that will follow new territorial provisions (or as North Korea puts it, drawing a border) and craft responses, 3) North Korea is now focusing on stabilizing its domestic and international situation, including implementing its “20×10” regional development program and promoting cooperative ties with China and Russia, and 4) May is an especially sensitive period with a series of major diplomatic events scheduled, including summits between China and Russia, North Korea and Russia and South Korea, China and Japan.

Given this, this writer believes method number two, in which North Korea can comprehensively survey the moves of South Korea and other surrounding nations in the course of electing new deputies and convening a new SPA, is a bit more likely than method number one, when measures materialize in a short period. This is because Kim Jong Un can raise tensions — necessary for him to take control of the situation on the Korean Peninsula — simply by making verbal threats or provocations using strategic or tactical weapons such as spy satellites.

Moreover, considering North Korea’s system of unitary leadership under Kim and party supremacy, the country — regardless of the circumstances — will likely amend its party regulations or amend its constitution only after Kim has proclaimed the significance of the matter to local and international audiences through a speech before a plenary meeting of the party.

Potential territorial articles

Based on Kim’s speech before the SPA on Jan. 16, it appears North Korea’s constitutional amendment references examples of divided nations such as South Korea and Taiwan, as well as Russia (a federation), East Germany (which acknowledged two states) and Austria (a separate state despite ethnic ties to Germany). However, this piece will avoid discussions of the international or domestic legal particulars of those cases in favor of guessing the direction of that amendment based on Kim’s speech and trends in North Korea.

To begin from the end, I believe North Korea is more likely to legislate the big ideas first and fill in the provisions later. This is because Kim’s argument in favor of two states may have comprehensively taken into account both local and international elements, but this writer believes domestic issues — namely the need for a North Korean Iron Curtain that fundamentally blocks the entry of South Korean pop culture — are at the heart of the matter. Accordingly, I believe North Korea will focus on stabilizing the shaky regime by “permanently systematizing the existing inter-Korean border” (with a few minor adjustments) and intensifying counterespionage education and crackdowns than by adding new, provocative territorial definitions that could drive the Korean Peninsula to ruin. The core content of any new constitutional amendment is as follows.

Firstly, a comprehensive provision will likely define the territory of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) — North Korea’s official name — as the Korean Peninsula and its attached islands. This could present a territorial conflict with South Korea as it clashes head-on with Article 3 of the South Korean constitution, but given North Korea’s de-facto possession of nuclear weapons, Pyongyang will probably reduce potential problems with the following provisory clauses while simultaneously using the parent provision as a basis for “communizing the peninsula by force,” i.e., using nuclear weapons to seize South Korea in wartime.

Secondly, the provisory clauses will likely define the DPRK’s actual borders. They may stipulate that the so-called South Korean puppets are illegally occupying areas south of the border while provisionally defining the border as areas north of the armistice line on land and either drawing a “new middle line” near the NLL or declaring a new “no transit buffer zone” between the NLL and the North’s self-declared patrol line at sea.

North Korea stands more to gain than lose by making strategic and tactical concessions regarding the NLL and adopting a permanent dividing line rather than stubbornly insisting on aggressive lines such as its 1999 West Sea patrol line and 2007 patrol line that could lead to naval confrontations, limited clashes and full-scale war.

This is to say, by successfully implementing a two-state ideology, Kim Jong Un can focus on standing fully alone through internal crackdowns — including on South Korean pop culture — and distancing himself from his predecessors, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, while at the same time wielding another sword at the Yoon Seok Yul administration in South Korea. Above all else, he can also create an international legal basis to deal harshly with leaflets, broadcasts and video material entering North Korea from the South, one of the Kim Jong Un government’s biggest headaches.

“As the southern border of our country has been clearly drawn, the illegal ‘northern limit line’ and any other boundary can never be tolerated, and if the ROK violates even 0.001 mm of our territorial land, air and waters, it will be considered a war provocation. In my opinion, we can specify in our constitution the issue of completely occupying, subjugating and reclaiming the ROK and annexing it as a part of the territory of our Republic in case a war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula.” (Kim Jong Un’s policy speech before SPA on Jan. 16)

Thirdly, North Korea will likely include “Kim Jong Un” and “Mount Paektu bloodline” in the constitution. Lending support to this argument is that while the current constitution mentions Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, efforts to idolize Kim Jong Un are ongoing, including the recent use of the title “Sun” to refer to the youngest Kim rather than Kim Il Sung. The title of the constitution will likely change from the “Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il constitution” to the “Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il-Kim Jong Un constitution, and a provision may be added on permanent leadership succession within the Mount Paektu bloodline, as was included in the “Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System” when they were amended in June 2013.

Fourth, North Korea will likely erase or change terminology on national unity and reunification as per Kim’s order and take broader measures such as scrapping inter-Korean agreements such as the 1991 Inter-Korean Basic Agreement, which defined North-South relations as a “special interim relationship.” On the other hand, regulations stipulating Pyongyang as the capital, the national anthem, national flower and other symbols were already included in the Socialist Constitution of the DPRK when it was amended in 1972, making separate measures unnecessary.

Final words

The measures to amend the North Korean constitution and the presumptions I presented here are simply one possible scenario. To come up with the forecast, I gathered my thoughts focusing on a “check process” in response to various scenarios rather than specifically answering one question.

Of course, the forecast could be wrong. However, I’m reasonably confident that 1) work on amending the constitution that began per Kim’s order is encountering several difficulties at the working level; 2) the two-nation theory — in contrast to the harsh rhetoric — will likely focus on “creating an environment where the two Korea’s can live separately for the time being,” that is to say, the defensive, rather than inserting aggressive clauses in the constitutional amendment, give the very defensive and closed nature of the policy; and 3) Kim’s diplomatic clock is tuned to sometime after 2025, following the U.S. presidential election in November.

In ending this piece, I would like to appeal to the South Korean government and people. North Korea’s “two-state narrative” presents South Korea with risk and opportunity. Seoul must never shrink before Kim Jong Un’s threat. South Korea can adequately respond to whatever move North Korea makes. In fact, I believe that South Korea now has an opportunity to liberate our Northern brothers and sisters from the shackles of oppression and that we must put our heads together. It is always darkest before the light. Let us prepare. And then prepare again.

Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.

Views expressed in this guest column do not necessarily reflect those of Daily NK. Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean

dailynk.com · by Gil-sup Kwak · May 8, 2024

12. Former North Korean diplomat named president of unification institute

He is a good man. I have learned a lot from him over the years. NIU is a good organization. I spent two weeks with them last summer. It has a beautiful campus in the north part of Seoul.

Former North Korean diplomat named president of unification institute

The Korea Times · May 8, 2024

Ko Young-hwan, formerly a North Korean diplomat before he defected to South Korea in 1991, speaks after being named a special aide to Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho in this Sept. 6, 2023 photo. Yonhap

By Kwak Yeon-soo

A North Korean diplomat-turned-defector has recently been appointed the president of the National Institute for Unification Education (NIU).

Ko Young-hwan, who had worked as a North Korean diplomat in Africa for more than 10 years before defecting to South Korea in 1991, was selected through a public contest and will serve his two-year term until May 2026.

Before taking office, he served as a special aide to Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho and vice president of the Institute for National Security Strategy.

The NIU is committed to developing various unification education programs to foster public opinion on peaceful unification on the Korean Peninsula.

Ko started his diplomatic career in 1979 and worked in central and east Africa, including the North Korean Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly known as Zaire), while interpreting French for late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il several times in his meetings with French-speaking African leaders.

“The ministry has been encouraging and supporting North Korean defectors to work in the public sector. Ko sets a good example for both North Korean defectors who have settled in South Korea and North Korean residents. He shows how a North Korean defector can fully demonstrate his expertise to contribute to our society,” the Ministry of Unification said.

The Korea Times · May 8, 2024

13. What comes after UN Panel of Experts?

Excerpts:

Developing a new system to monitor and enforce U.N. sanctions on North Korea remains critical to slowing its weapons development. North Korean ballistic missiles found on the battlefield in Ukraine have contained parts produced in major developed economies in the last few years, demonstrating the need to disrupt North Korea’s sanctions evasion better and limit the regime’s ability to gain access to the technology it needs to advance its programs. However, with Russia and China willing to countenance sanctions evasion, a new system will need to be developed that excludes them from monitoring and holds Moscow and Beijing accountable.

What comes after UN Panel of Experts?

The Korea Times · May 8, 2024

New system needed to check NK nukes buildup

By Troy Stangarone

On April 30, the mandate for the U.N. Panel of Experts on North Korea expired, leaving the international community without an international mechanism to monitor North Korean sanctions evasion. Developing a new tool to monitor and enforce U.N. sanctions on North Korea is important, but sanctions enforcement faces challenges beyond Russia’s decision to veto a renewal of the panel’s mandate.

Russia’s decision to end the panel’s mandate is easy to understand. Moscow needs North Korean artillery to win its war against Ukraine, a significant sanctions violation in itself, and had lost interest in the continuation of a U.N. panel tasked with monitoring and reporting its own growing list of sanctions violations. These include providing North Korea with access to the international financial system, the transfer of military technology, the continued use of North Korean labor and likely transfers of petroleum in excess of U.N. limits.

While the war in Ukraine may have been the proximate reason for Russia to end the panel, its primary motivation predates the war.

With the panel’s mandate now expired, former panel members are beginning to describe some of the challenges they faced while serving on the panel, going back years. According to former panel member Eric Penton-Voak in a recent article for 38 North, one of these challenges was that neither Russia nor China has shown interest in maintaining or enforcing sanctions on North Korea since 2019.

This suggests a strategic shift by China and Russia after the failure of the Hanoi summit and the formal breakdown of talks in Stockholm between the United States and North Korea in October 2019. The deterioration in relations between China and the United States likely also played a factor, at least in China’s shift.

The decisions by Russia and China to not enforce sanctions against North Korea severely weakened the sanctions regime. Now, a failure to develop a new system for monitoring and enforcing sanctions would essentially hand Beijing and Moscow, likely the two largest sanctions violators, the ability to unilaterally eviscerate international sanctions.

The primary question is how to move forward, knowing that broader geopolitics are unlikely to change in the near future. Because Russia and China have now spent years undermining sanctions, any new efforts to monitor and enforce sanctions must be outside of the U.N. structure and without their involvement.

While Russia and China will complain of bias, allowing them to be part of any new process would be the equivalent of having the accused run the investigation into their crimes.

Because Russia and China will not want any new sanctions enforcement grouping to have validity, the United States, South Korea and other states supportive of the U.N. sanctions regime will need to prepare to combat both disinformation, a key component of any Russian strategy, and likely economic coercion on smaller states to dissuade them from cooperating.

The United States will need to be willing to do something it has not done in the past — place significant sanctions on China related to North Korea. In a talk with the North Korea Economic Forum, for which I am a member of the steering committee, Penton-Voak also pointed out one key aspect of sanctions enforcement that could help avoid escalation. Ultimately, sanctions evasion requires illicit actors to be able to move money within the financial system. Most banks and firms do not want to be caught on the wrong side of the law. It would require long and patient work, but highlighting for banks and firms their connections to illicit North Korean activities would cut off points of access for North Korea.

Cutting off North Korean access, however, will be challenging. First, not all firms North Korea deals with in Russia and China have international operations, but those that do will be more vulnerable, even those in China. Major Chinese banks, for example, are cutting off payments for transactions that could fall afoul of U.S. sanctions on Russia, making it increasingly difficult for Chinese firms to supply Russia with the parts it needs to build weapons. The second difficulty, however, is that Russia and China hope to build payment systems outside the reach of the United States. Over time, these new systems could become central to North Korean financial flows.

Developing a new system to monitor and enforce U.N. sanctions on North Korea remains critical to slowing its weapons development. North Korean ballistic missiles found on the battlefield in Ukraine have contained parts produced in major developed economies in the last few years, demonstrating the need to disrupt North Korea’s sanctions evasion better and limit the regime’s ability to gain access to the technology it needs to advance its programs. However, with Russia and China willing to countenance sanctions evasion, a new system will need to be developed that excludes them from monitoring and holds Moscow and Beijing accountable.

Troy Stangarone (ts@keia.org) is the senior director of congressional affairs and trade at the Korea Economic Institute. He is a guest editorial writer at The Korea Times.

The Korea Times · May 8, 2024

​14. South Korea Plans $7 Billion Push to Pivot EV Battery Industry Away From China

South Korea Plans $7 Billion Push to Pivot EV Battery Industry Away From China

The financial aid involves cheaper state loans and tax incentives

https://www.wsj.com/business/south-korea-plans-7-billion-push-to-pivot-ev-battery-industry-away-from-china-1fa1f189?mod=latest_headlines

By Kwanwoo Jun

Follow

May 8, 2024 6:47 am ET

South Korea will provide state financing to the local EV-battery industry this year to build up the country’s supply chain to continue to benefit from U.S. rules. PHOTO: SEONGJOON CHO/BLOOMBERG NEWS

South Korea is dedicating around $7 billion to help wean its electric-vehicle battery supply chain away from China and align more with U.S. trade guidelines.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in Seoul said Wednesday that it will provide 9.700 trillion won ($7.14 billion) in state financing to the local EV-battery industry this year to build up the country’s supply chain to continue to benefit from U.S. rules.

The financial aid, which involves cheaper state loans and tax incentives, will help local EV-battery makers source critical minerals from the U.S. and U.S. free-trade partners. The money is also aimed at supporting the development of lithium-metal batteries or alternatives to replace graphite, a key battery ingredient, the ministry said.

The move comes as South Korean EV makers and battery suppliers look to meet complex U.S. rules that take a tougher stance on Chinese manufacturers in the industry. One of the rules’ focus regards U.S. tax credits, which won’t be given to makers of cars that use critical minerals that come from China.

Carmakers breathed a sigh of relief when Washington decided earlier this month to allow them to use Chinese graphite until 2026 but give them until 2027 to source key materials like graphite from outside of China, in order to be eligible for the tax credit.

When Korea’s trade minister, Ahn Duk-geun, met with local EV companies and battery makers on Wednesday, he said they had earned “two years of precious time” to diversify their supply chains for graphite and other critical battery minerals, according to the ministry statement.

The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act stipulates that no U.S. tax benefits be given to electric vehicles or EV batteries with critical minerals from “foreign entities of concern”—a term that largely refers to China, which dominates the global supply of graphite.

Write to Kwanwoo Jun at Kwanwoo.Jun@wsj.com

15. South Korea holds live-fire drills to defend islands on North Korea’s doorstep

South Korea holds live-fire drills to defend islands on North Korea’s doorstep

Authorities advise residents not to go outside during exercises on repelling enemy landing and retaking border islands

https://www.nknews.org/2024/05/south-korea-holds-live-fire-drills-to-defend-islands-on-north-koreas-doorstep/

Jeongmin Kim May 8, 2024

A soldier firing a K6 heavy machine gun toward the sea during the Nov. 2023 northwestern border island defense exercises | Image: ROK marine corps

South Korea kicked off live-fire military exercises on defending border islands against North Korean attack on Wednesday, warning residents to avoid going outside during the drills.

The exercises, led by the ROK Northwest Islands Defense Command, will run for three days through Friday and will involve multiple military branches, including the marines, navy and air operation commands and special operation command.

The “defensive” drills will include reinforcement training and amphibious landing scenarios, among preparations for “various contingencies,” according to the ROK marine corps on Tuesday.

“Through this exercise, our military will once again review our strong commitment to immediately, strongly and until the end punish should the enemy provoke us, in order to absolutely protect the northwest islands,” the marines stated in the release.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the marine corps and local authorities issued emergency messages to the residents of these islands, urging them to “refrain from” outdoor activities due to scheduled maritime live fires starting around 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

The alerts stated that the firing would occur around the remote western islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong, both located near the inter-Korean maritime border.

The marine corps has yet to specify which military assets have been or will be deployed for the training.

But domestic media, citing anonymous military officials, have reported that Wednesday’s drills will mark the first time in nearly seven years that South Korea forces have conducted both shooting and landing drills as part of the biannual training.

“This training will not involve artillery firing such as K9 self-propelled guns, but will deploy company-level or smaller arms such as K2 tanks, K6 heavy machine guns, and grenades,” the Joongang Ilbo reported.

The ROK defense ministry did not respond to requests for comment on these reports.

K1 tanks head to a training venue during the Nov. 2023 border island defense exercises | Image: ROK marine corps

Training resumed last summer after a hiatus of more than six years, with the most recent session occurring shortly after the collapse of an inter-Korean military agreement in November.

The Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA), signed in 2018, had established a maritime buffer zone where the Koreas agreed not to carry out military activities.

Yang Uk, a military analyst at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, told NK News that this week’s training appears to be a response to North Korea’s repeal of the CMA and is focused on defending against enemy landings and training to recapture islands.

“The ROK marine defense forces are likely numerically inferior to the enemy landing forces, which means it is challenging to ensure superiority without such artillery fire,” Yang said.

The expert called it “unfortunate” that K9 howitzers reportedly won’t feature in the drills but said the ROK previously demonstrated its fast artillery firing ability during the Yeonpyeong Shelling in 2010.

North Korea’s shelling of the border island resulted in the deaths of two marines and two civilians, while injuring 19 others. The ROK retaliated with K9 howitzers at the time.

This week’s drills come as experts have warned of the risk of heightened tensions and even limited skirmishes along the inter-Korean border in the Yellow Sea, especially after North Korea denounced the Northern Limit Line as “illicit” and vowed to redefine its borders earlier this year.

On Jan. 5, North Korea launched approximately 200 coastal artillery shells into the former buffer zone in the Yellow Sea, and the South Korean military reportedly retaliated by firing 400 rounds. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff declared that “North Korea’s actions resulted in the loss of effectiveness of the buffer zone” under the CMA.

Experts predicted South Korea would resume more sensitive military training, including artillery fire drills and outdoor field training. But major South Korean and U.S.-ROK joint drills this year have largely steered clear of areas near the sea border, with a previous border island drill in March held on a smaller scale.

Yang pointed out that this week’s drills are somewhat belated, considering it has been months since South Korea vowed swift and corresponding measures, such as the resumption of training, for North Korea’s breach of the buffer zone.

Edited by Bryan Betts

16. A Surprise South Korean Boom Is Going Unnoticed

A Surprise South Korean Boom Is Going Unnoticed

The country is riding an export bonanza courtesy of the US. But its citizens are not reaping the benefits. 

May 7, 2024 at 4:00 PM EDT

By Daniel Moss

Daniel Moss is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian economies. Previously, he was executive editor for economics at Bloomberg News.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-05-07/south-korea-s-export-boom-is-going-unnoticed?sref=hhjZtX76

If only K-pop and cinema would get out of the way. South Korea has a ringside seat to the world economy, but struggles to get the attention it deserves. That's a pity because the view is promising and says much about upbeat global prospects. In some ways, developments are almost too positive.

The country is often overlooked relative to mighty neighbors Japan and China. South Korea has become more famous for cultural exports — and the ebb and flow of tensions with Pyongyang — than the key components of 21st century commerce that leave its ports in encouraging numbers. Growth is surging, largely on the strength of demand from abroad. The bulk of the credit goes to the resilience of the US economy, and, to a lesser degree, signs that China might be past the worst of its slowdown. Washington’s ringfencing of investments deserves a shoutout as well, given Seoul is a close American ally.

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What could be wrong with this? There will be no relief on interest rates soon. This, too, is a reversal. The central bank laid down an early marker in August 2021, becoming the first industrialized economy to tighten, way ahead of the Federal Reserve and before neighborhood inflation obsessives like New Zealand. With the current bullish conditions, borrowing costs will be slow to retreat.

It didn't look that way a year ago; economists confidently predicted multiple cuts beginning in late 2023. There was even a chance of recession. Prospects of such a downturn have greatly diminished. Inflation is proving a little stubborn and a rampaging greenback has weakened Korea's currency, the won, to a degree that worries the central bank. This is an unfortunate byproduct of robust conditions in America and diminished hopes for early reductions from the Fed, a shift that has reverberated through global markets. “I wouldn't call it starting from scratch,” Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong told reporters recently. “But the situation has changed.”

Nor is President Yoon Suk Yeol getting any kind of dividend from this economic buoyancy. His party received a drubbing in parliamentary elections last month when voters rebelled against Yoon’s hard-right policies. So great was the bloc's defeat that political scientists declared his rule over with several years left in his term. Investor-friendly policies championed by Yoon, like deep cuts in capital-gains tax and union busting, will struggle to get traction. The average Korean has yet to experience better times. An index of consumer sentiment has hovered either side of the divide that gauges whether optimism or pessimism prevails. Boom times for Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. don’t necessarily translate into euphoria on the streets. High levels of debt and worries about inequality have accompanied the country’s advance in recent decades — and inspired Netflix Inc.’s hit Squid Game and, a few year’s earlier, the Oscar-winning film Parasite.

But don't let that crowd out some very good news. Gross domestic product in the first quarter increased an impressive 3.4% from a year earlier, beating forecasts by a handsome margin. Net exports were vital to this outcome. Construction, which had languished but stands to be a big beneficiary of the state's infrastructure program, showed signs of ticking up. Household spending is slowly improving.

Then, last week, blockbuster shipment data hit. Exports climbed more than 11% in April from a year earlier. Purchases by US customers jumped by almost a quarter, easily surpassing the roughly 10% headed to China. That marked the third consecutive month when goods dispatched to America exceeded those destined for its neighbor. Proximity to Beijing no longer automatically bankrolls regional economies​.

When many people think of Korean engagement with the world, they have in mind phenomena like BTS, the boyband sensation whose members are taking time out for military service, or more recent arrivals like NewJeans. To walk down some streets in Singapore is to wonder how many Korean BBQ places a single city can sustain. These are narrow or, at best, incomplete pictures.

The memory chips that drive modern electronics and artificial intelligence are hot property. There is much more to this economy than its cultural exports. All you need to do is notice the wiring.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

• Good News on the World Economy Needs Applause: Daniel Moss
• K-Pop Without the ‘K’ Just Won’t Pop in the US: Bobby Ghosh
• Humbled Yoon Must Future-Proof Seoul’s Alliances: Gearoid Reidy

Want more Bloomberg Opinion? Terminal readers head to OPIN . Or you can subscribe to our daily newsletter.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

17. Slaves to the Bomb: The Role and Fate of North Korea's Nuclear Scientists

This will be another seminal work by Robert Collins. This report provides tremendous insights into the nuclear scientist community in north Korea. All north Korea watchers, policy makers, and the military and intelligence community will want this report.

Slaves to the Bomb: The Role and Fate of North Korea's Nuclear Scientists

https://www.hrnk.org/events/events-view.php?id=151

Date and Time:

May 17, 2024 03:00 pm ~ May 17, 2024 05:00 pm

Location:

DACOR Bacon House (1801 F St NW, Washington, DC 20006)

Speakers:Host Organization:

HRNK

Description:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) cordially invites you to the rollout of its latest report, Slaves to the Bomb: The Role and Fate of North Korea's Nuclear Scientists by Robert Collins.

This event will be held on Friday, May 17 at 3:00 p.m. at the DACOR Bacon House (1801 F Street NW, Washington, D.C.). Please click on this link to RSVP.

Keynote Introductory Remarks (invited)

Ambassador Julie Turner | U.S. Special Envoy for N. Korean Human Rights Issues

Presenter: Robert Collins | Author, Slaves to the Bomb

Discussants

• Ambassador Robert Joseph | Board Co-Vice-Chair, HRNK
• Col. David Maxwell | Board Member, HRNK
• Dr. George Hutchinson | Board Member, International Council on Korean Studies

Moderator: Greg Scarlatoiu | Executive Director, HRNK

The report will be published on HRNK's website on the day of the report rollout.

For media inquiries, please contact Greg Scarlatoiu at executive.director@hrnk.org.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Raymond Ha at raymond.ha@hrnk.org.

Thank you.

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