Quotes of the Day:
"If there is no Ukrainian strong army, there will be no Ukraine, and that will be the case when everyone will understand... it's not the war in Ukraine, it's the war in Europe. We are defending our country, our land. We are not attacking anyone, because that is immoral."
- Volodymyr Zelensky
"We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.
- Winston Churchill
"Ukraine is a generous country and people. We give Russians two Easter’s to perish on our land."
- Ukrainian-American Special Forces Soldier
1. North Korea Launches 2 Short-Range Missiles
2. North Korea sharpens nuclear prowess with test of new weapons system: KCNA
3. N.K. leader inspects new tactical guided weapons test to improve nuke efficiency
4. Korea's Population to Dwindle Below 50 Million Next Year
5. S. Korea to hold NSC meeting on N.K. military activities: Cheong Wa Dae
6. President-elect Yoon to send delegation to Japan for policy consultation
7. Why not a Korea-U.S.-Japan TTC?
8. Korea-US joint military drills begin Monday
9. 'Call me by my English name'
10. Korea takes step closer to normality
11.FBI Statement on Attribution of Malicious Cyber Activity Posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
12. North Korea's Kim attends massive parade honoring grandfather
1. North Korea Launches 2 Short-Range Missiles
Kim Jong-un's "happy Easter" gift to Korean watchers who predicted something would happen and can now write about this for the next few days. :-) note sarcasm - But Kim loves to do something around holidays and I would guess CFC/USFK and the Pentagon and CIA/DIA/IC Korea teams are working this weekend.
North Korea Launches 2 Short-Range Missiles
The missile test, the North’s 12th of the year, took place as South Korea and the United States were preparing to begin joint military exercises.
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News coverage of North Korea’s missile test on a screen in a Seoul train station on Sunday.Credit...Lee Jin-Man/Associated Press
By
April 16, 2022, 9:54 p.m. ET
SEOUL — North Korea has carried out its 12th missile test of the year, launching what appeared to be a pair of short-range projectiles off its east coast, South Korea’s military said on Sunday.
The two missiles were fired from Hamhung, a city on the North’s east coast, at 6 p.m. Saturday, the military said. They flew 68 miles, it said.
Earlier Sunday, the North Korean state media said that Kim Jong-un, the country’s leader, had supervised the launching of a “new-type tactical guided weapon,” giving no date or location for the test. It said the test would help the North improve its “efficiency in the operation of tactical nukes.”
Though the missiles seemed to be considerably less powerful than others the North has recently tested, the launch Saturday came at a moment of relatively high tension.
Friday was an important state holiday in North Korea, and the United States had sent an aircraft carrier to the region days earlier amid concern that Mr. Kim might mark the occasion with a major weapon test, perhaps even one involving a nuclear device.
North Korea’s First ICBM Firing Since 2017
On March 24, North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017, marking the end of a self-imposed moratorium.
Also, the United States and South Korea are set to begin annual joint military exercises on Monday. The drills consist largely of computer simulations and are said to be defensive in nature. But North Korea has condemned all of the two allies’ joint exercises as rehearsals for invasion and has often responded to them with weapon tests.
During former President Donald J. Trump’s administration, when the American leader and Mr. Kim were engaged in direct talks, the United States and South Korea began canceling or scaling back some of their joint military drills in hopes of adding momentum to the diplomatic efforts. But South Korea’s president-elect, Yoon Suk-yeol, who takes office next month, has vowed to expand the drills, saying they are needed to help deter North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats.
It was not immediately clear what type of missile the North had tested on Saturday. In the past, it has used the “new-type guided tactical weapon” language to refer to the short-range ballistic missiles known as KN-23 or KN-24. Those are among a variety of missiles North Korea has been testing since 2019 to improve its ability to fire short-range conventional or nuclear warheads at South Korea, Japan and the American military bases in the region.
In photos released by the North Korean state media on Sunday, the missile said to have been fired on Saturday resembled the KN-23.
The launch came days after the American aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln had arrived in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. No specific reason was given for the deployment, but the carrier group was sent there amid concern that Mr. Kim might order a nuclear or intercontinental ballistic missile test around Friday — the 110th anniversary of the birth of North Korea’s founding leader, Kim Il-sung, Mr. Kim’s grandfather.
The Significance of North Korea’s Missile Tests
Card 1 of 5
U.N. resolutions. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula started rising in 2017, when North Korea tested three intercontinental ballistic missiles and conducted a nuclear test. The United Nations imposed sanctions, and Pyongyang stopped testing nuclear and long-range missiles for a time.
An escalation. North Korea started a new round of testing in September after a six-month hiatus. It has since completed several tests, including the firing of multiple intermediate-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles, that violated the 2017 U.N. resolutions.
Instead, the holiday, North Korea’s biggest, was celebrated with large rallies, fireworks and cultural performances, but without a weapon test or a military parade.
Mr. Kim has vowed to double down on his nuclear and missile development programs since 2019, when his direct engagement with Mr. Trump ended with no agreement on rolling back his nuclear weapon program or lifting the international sanctions imposed on the North in response to it.
2. North Korea sharpens nuclear prowess with test of new weapons system: KCNA
There you have it: The regime's stated intent to use nuclear weapons for warfighting. We must understand the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime.
Excerpt:
"The new-type tactical guided weapon system...is of great significance in drastically improving the firepower of the frontline long-range artillery units and enhancing the efficiency in the operation of tactical nukes of the DPRK," the news outlet said. DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
North Korea sharpens nuclear prowess with test of new weapons system: KCNA
Newsweek · by Natalie Colarossi · April 16, 2022
North Korea has test-fired a new weapons system that it claims will boost the nation's nuclear weapons capabilities, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported early Sunday local time.
The test launch was observed under the supervision of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and commanded by the defense ministry, according to KCNA.
"The new-type tactical guided weapon system...is of great significance in drastically improving the firepower of the frontline long-range artillery units and enhancing the efficiency in the operation of tactical nukes of the DPRK," the news outlet said. DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"The test-firing proved successful," it added.
KCNA did not say when the latest launch took place, but state media typically reports on such activities a day later, Reuters noted.
North Korea said Sunday local time that it test-fired a new weapons system that will enhance its nuclear capabilities. Here, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen in Hanoi on March 1, 2019. MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images
The launch comes just weeks after the North fresumed testing of its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) for the first time since 2017. Last month, the U.S. and South Korea alleged that the nation had recently conducted two ICBM launches in an effort to gauge whether the missiles could launch far enough to strike anywhere in the U.S.
The Pentagon quickly condemned the launches, which were conducted on February 16 and March 4, calling them a "serious escalation by the DPRK."
"The United States strongly condemns these launches, which are a brazen violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, needlessly raise tensions and risk destabilizing the security situation in the region," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement.
Around the same time, satellite imagery appeared to show new construction at the country's Punggye-ri nuclear facility for the first time since Kim Jong Un promised to close the site in 2018. U.S. and South Korean officials warned that the country may soon resume nuclear weapons testing, but said the images showed "very early signs of activity," according to BBC.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command responded to those reports by ordering intensified surveillance for activity in the Yellow Sea, as well as "enhanced readiness" for U.S. ballistic missile defense forces in the region, Newsweek previously noted.
South Korea also responded to the North's ICBM tests by saying it would be ready to launch preemptive strikes if it is determined that North Korea is planning its own attacks. Those remarks prompted Kim Jon Un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, to lash out against South Korea, warning that the nation could face a "serious threat" if it continues to make "reckless" remarks.
On Sunday, KCNA reported that Kim Jong Un ordered the nation to continue strengthening its weapons efficiency and nuclear options following its latest launch.
"Clarifying the future plan of the Party Central Committee for increasing the defense capabilities, he gave important instructions on further strengthening the defense capacity and nuclear combat forces of the country," the state-run outlet wrote.
Newsweek contacted the Pentagon for additional comment.
Newsweek · by Natalie Colarossi · April 16, 2022
3. N.K. leader inspects new tactical guided weapons test to improve nuke efficiency
Tactical nuclear weapons are for warfighting. But they are also useful for political warfare and blackmail diplomacy. But we must keep in mind that Kim intends to use these weapons if and when he decides to unify the peninsula by force.
(2nd LD) N.K. leader inspects new tactical guided weapons test to improve nuke efficiency | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more info; RECASTS headline)
By Yi Wonju and Song Sang-ho
SEOUL, April 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the successful test-firing of a new tactical guided weapon meaningful in improving the efficiency of tactical nuclear operations, Pyongyang's state media announced Sunday.
The new weapon system is "of great significance in drastically improving the firepower of the frontline long-range artillery units and enhancing the efficiency in the operation of tactical nukes of the DPRK and diversification of their firepower missions," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The DPRK is the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"The test-fire was carried out successfully," it added without giving other details of the tested weapon, including its type.
South Korea's military said later that it detected the North's launch of two projectiles into the East Sea at 6 p.m. Saturday. They flew 110 kilometers at an apogee of around 25 km and a top speed of Mach 4, it added.
Immediately after the launch, the presidential National Security Office, military and intelligence agencies held an emergency meeting to discuss it, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Observers here say the North seems to have tested a newly developed heavy artillery system or upgraded KN-23 missiles -- its own version of the U.S.' Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).
Photos released by the KCNA show that the transporter erector launcher (TEL) has two tubes, while the tactical weapon itself bears an external resemblance to the KN-23 missile, modeled after Russia's Iskander ballistic missile. The North might have modified the missile to be fit for multiple TEL tubes.
The KN-23 is known to have a flight range of 400 to 600 km that can target South Korea. Rather than following a general parabolic trajectory, the missile shows a more complicated path by doing a so-called pull-up maneuver over the course of its flight.
Inspecting the latest launch, Kim gave important instructions on "further building up the defense capabilities and nuclear combat forces of the country," the KCNA reported.
Kim highly praised the national defense scientific research sector for its "continuous successes in attaining the core goals of securing the war deterrent" set forth at the eighth party congress last year.
He then clarified that the long-term plan for the ruling party's central committee is to bolster up the defense capabilities of the country.
During the Workers' Party congress in January last year, the North laid out plans to advance its weapons, including developing tactical nuclear weapons, hypersonic gliding flight warheads, nuclear-powered submarines and reconnaissance satellites, among others.
The North's latest test-launch comes as South Korea and the United States prepare to kick off their major springtime combined training on Monday. Concerns have grown that Pyongyang may conduct another nuclear test in the near future.
It marks the country's 13th known flight test of projectiles this year, and the first since Pyongyang fired what it claims to be a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last month.
On Friday, the North also commemorated the 110th birth anniversary of its founder Kim Il-sung with massive celebratory events, but there has been no report of a military parade.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
4. Korea's Population to Dwindle Below 50 Million Next Year
Not good numbers. Like many advanced countries (especially the US) it will be up to immigrants to stem the decline.
But the "ultra-aged" will be a challenge.
Also this one reason why unification will be important at some point in the future despite all the naysayers.
Korea's Population to Dwindle Below 50 Million Next Year
Faced with an ultra-low birth rate and rapid aging, Korea's population will fall below 50 million next year, much sooner than projected only a few years ago.
According to Statistics Korea on Thursday, the population of Korean citizens already stands at barely 50.03 million as of present and will plunge to 49.92 million in 2023 and to 48.03 million in 2040 at the current pace.
Including foreign residents, the country's total population is also expected to decline from the current 51.63 million to 50.19 million in 2040.
But foreigners will make up for some of the shortfall as immigration increases, rising from 1.6 million or 3.1 percent of the population to 2.16 million or 4.3 percent over the period.
Korea is also graying rapidly. The population of people over 65 will increase from 8.92 million or 17.8 percent of the population this year to 16.98 million or a whopping 35.3 percent in 2040.
Korea will become an "ultra-aged" society with more than 20 percent of its population over 65 in 2025, when 10.45 million people will be 65 or older.
The working-age population aged 15 to 64 will fall apace from 35.26 million this year to just 26.76 million in 2040 or only about half of the total population. It will dwindle by 350,000 a year on average this decade, when the baby-boomers born between 1955 and 1963 reach pensionable age, and then decline by 550,000 a year in the next decade.
That means the number of senior citizens every 100 people in the working-age population must support will multiply from 25.3 to 63.4 over the next 18 years.
5. S. Korea to hold NSC meeting on N.K. military activities: Cheong Wa Dae
The outgoing Moon administration gets to work on another holiday thanks to Kim Jong-un.
S. Korea to hold NSC meeting on N.K. military activities: Cheong Wa Dae | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, April 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is set to convene a session of the presidential National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday to discuss North Korea's weekend launch of two projectiles, Cheong Wa Dae said.
Suh Hoon, director of national security at the presidential office, plans to preside over the NSC session after the North's state media reported the country had test-fired a new tactical guided weapon to improve the efficiency of tactical nuclear operations.
South Korea's military said that it had detected the North's launch of two projectiles into the East Sea at 6 p.m. Saturday. They flew 110 kilometers at an apogee of around 25 km and a top speed of Mach 4, it added.
Following a briefing on the launch, President Moon Jae-in directed the military to exhaustively check North Korean military movements and thoroughly manage the security situation, his aides said.
The previous day, Suh Choo-suk, first deputy director of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office, chaired an emergency NSC session to discuss Saturday's test, officials said.
The latest launch came as Seoul and Washington are preparing to start their regular springtime military training on Monday. Pyongyang has berated the training as a rehearsal for a war of invasion against it.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
6. President-elect Yoon to send delegation to Japan for policy consultation
Can the new Yoon administration improve bilateral relations and trilateral coordination?
(2nd LD) President-elect Yoon to send delegation to Japan for policy consultation | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with delegation head's remarks in paras 6-10)
SEOUL, April 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol plans to send a delegation to Japan later this month for policy consultations on North Korea and pending bilateral issues, his transition team said Sunday.
Led by Rep. Chung Jin-suk of Yoon's People Power Party, the delegation will visit Tokyo from April 24-28 to meet officials from the Japanese government and legislature as well as those from business circles, media and academia, according to the transition team's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin.
The seven-member delegation includes Rep. Kim Seok-ki, Yun Duk-min, former head of the foreign ministry-affiliated Korea National Diplomatic Academy, and Park Cheol-hee, a professor at Seoul National University's Graduate School of International Studies.
"The objective of the delegation is for consultations on North Korea policy and relations between Seoul and Tokyo," Bae told reporters. "We expect (the visit) to lay the foundation for cooperation on North Korea and for the resolution of pending issues between the two countries."
Chung, five-term lawmaker and vice National Assembly speaker, is a co-chair of the South Korea-Japan Parliamentary Diplomacy Forum, a group dedicated to improving the two countries' relations.
Chung reaffirmed Yoon's commitment to improving the long-fraught relations between Seoul and Tokyo
"Yoon's thought is that restoring ties between South Korea and Japan, which have been left unattended at one of their worst points, serves our national interests," Chung told Yonhap News Agency by phone.
He stressed the need for "future-oriented" bilateral ties like the cooperative partnership pledged under a 1998 statement between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then Japanese Premier Keizo Obuchi.
The declaration paved the way for closer cooperation between the two countries at that time, as Obuchi expressed "keen remorse" and apologized for "great damage and pain" that Japan inflicted on Koreans during its 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula.
Chung voiced hope that his delegation could meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during its planned trip, though he said a decision on the possible meeting has yet to be made.
Also included in the delegation is Lee Sang-deok, former director-general for Northeast Asian affairs at the foreign ministry who led working-level negotiations with Tokyo for the landmark 2015 deal to address the issue of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.
Chang Ho-jin, a former ambassador to Cambodia, is another key delegate. He served as a foreign policy secretary in 2012 for then President Lee Myung-bak.
It will be Yoon's second delegation sent to a foreign country since his election. He dispatched delegates to the United States earlier this month, as he is slated to take office on May 10.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
7. Why not a Korea-U.S.-Japan TTC?
Trade and Technology Council (TTC)
Excerpts:
Political circles and think tanks in Washington have seen Seoul getting too close to Beijing. An alliance cannot remain solid if trust is lost. If the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration wants to reinforce the alliance with America, it will have to go through a trust test. Seoul should propose to take one before it is forced to.
...
But young South Koreans disagree with the passivity of the Moon administration. They want South Korea to stand up to China and make choices confidently and assertively based on national interests and principles and its right as a sovereign state.
Sunday
April 17, 2022
Why not a Korea-U.S.-Japan TTC?
Choi Byung-il
The author, a professor at the Ewha Womans University Graduate School of International Studies, is president of the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies.
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has been decisive and clear on the foreign affairs front. He has sent a delegation to Washington shortly after his election in March and visited the U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi. On the campaign trail in February, he contributed an opinion piece to Foreign Affairs in which he wrote, “A deeper alliance with Washington should be the central axis of Seoul’s foreign policy.”
Yoon has veered away from the strategic ambiguity in foreign policy of President Moon Jae-in to strategic certainty. Foreign affairs have become closely related to security and economic affairs. Now the second largest economic power, China has challenged the United States in a power contest through a technological buildup. President Xi Jinping has exposed his ambitions for China’s control of East Asia, claiming the Pacific should be shared by China and America. The U.S. hopes for more democratic development in China once it joined the free international order have been dashed. The U.S. containment campaign that started under President Donald Trump has entered a second stage under Joe Biden.
The West hailed the triumph of democracy when the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union that prevailed in the late 20th century ended. Francis Fukuyama represented western intelligentsia when he declared in his book “The End of History and the Last Man” that the progression of human history as a struggle between ideologies had come to an end with the crumbling of the communist bloc led by the Soviets along with the Berlin Wall. After the ebbing away of struggles between ideologies, the larger priority for most countries was how to make their people richer. Economic compulsions came to overwhelm political ones. Trade ties were possible with regimes once considered enemies or at least rivals. All countries moved in that direction. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman came up with what is known as the Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention, the notion that countries with McDonald’s within their borders do not go to war with other countries with McDonalds.
Were Fukuyama and Friedman wrong? The history of mankind apparently didn’t end with the triumph of democracy in 1989 and, in fact, democracy has been in retreat in many places around the globe in the last 30 years. China claims that elections cannot be considered an acid test of democracy. Making people more prosperous is the acid test, it insists, and making them happy is democracy. Vladimir Putin’s Russia in February invaded Ukraine. McDonald’s hamburgers sell in Russia and Ukraine. Communism borrowed capitalism, but capitalism could not replace socialism. The U.S. and the U.K., which spearheaded globalization, are leaving the stage they designed. America has demoralized the World Trade Organization’s crucial dispute arbitration function. The U.K. bolted out of the European Union.
The crisis of democracy and a weakening of globalization can be risks for South Korea. Upon achieving democratization, the country fell into the middle-income trap like other developing nations as they struggled to move up to the next stage. South Korea has joined the ranks of the developed world by riding the globalization wave in trade, where ideology did not matter. Security guarantee from the U.S. helped South Korea’s rags-to-riches transformation following the Korean War. But the paradigm of Korea sticking to the U.S. for security and China in an economic partnership has come under strain more than once.
Seoul was comfortable with the prioritization of security in its relationship with Washington and of trade with Beijing, especially when the U.S. was keenly engaging China. Even after America began to contain China, Seoul rigidly kept to its dogma and stayed passive or defensive, citing economic interests when it was asked to join U.S.-led initiatives to rein in China. But with China, South Korea did not aggressively defend its national interests despite traditional alliance with the U.S. when security issues were raised. The government responded that it could not interfere with a “private-sector issue” when America asked South Korea to join its sanctions on Huawei Technologies to contain its predominance in 5G equipment and networks. Seoul took the security alliance for granted by thinking it was unshakable.
Political circles and think tanks in Washington have seen Seoul getting too close to Beijing. An alliance cannot remain solid if trust is lost. If the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration wants to reinforce the alliance with America, it will have to go through a trust test. Seoul should propose to take one before it is forced to.
The U.S. containment of China that began with Trump continues. Trump waged a unilateral trade war with China, while Joe Biden’s administration is bringing on nations sharing such values as freedom. The keystone of the campaign is to reduce strategic reliance on China in resources used for both industry and security by strengthening supply chains in the U.S. and nations it trusts. The strategic importance of semiconductors, batteries, rare earth minerals and drugs was heightened amidst the rise of China and the pandemic. Since America cannot win the campaign alone, it is essential to have partners. The U.S. and EU launched the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) last year for discussions and sharing of information about global supply chains, chips, artificial intelligence, export curbs, and other issues of regional significance. The U.S. is envisioning a similar platform — the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) — with Asian partners. That framework could take longer to pull together since India has not joined the sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
South Korea and Japan are the backbone of the technology alliance of democratic states in Asia. The two countries play an important role in supplying parts and materials as well as the assembling of technology products. As the U.S. has an alliance with each, it hopes the two Asian partners can team up in a joint front against China. Despite differences over issues from a painful past, Japan also wishes to be in the same boat as South Korea as it shares the same values in terms of democracy and market economics. Tokyo was most eager to have Seoul in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) when U.S. President Barack Obama led the talks. Seoul hesitated to join the multilateral free trade agreement led by America and Japan due to its spat with Tokyo over history issues.
Instead, South Korea worked on its own bilateral FTA with China. But the FTA with China proved to be of little help. Despite the FTA, South Korean companies had to endure discrimination and retribution for security decisions. Seoul did not protest too much in fear of losing Beijing’s support over North Korean issues.
But young South Koreans disagree with the passivity of the Moon administration. They want South Korea to stand up to China and make choices confidently and assertively based on national interests and principles and its right as a sovereign state.
Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
8. Korea-US joint military drills begin Monday
We conduct multi-echelon training with the right type of training that is appropriate for each echelon. Although counterintuitive to many (mostly the press, pundits, and politicians) computer simulation training for the ROK/US CFC and component HQs is more important than field training to prepare commanders and staffs for execution of the defense plans of Korea. The uninformed will criticize computer similar training as not being the same as field training. While that is a true statement, what they do not understand is computer training is more challenging and more effective for high level staffs than field training. Technically, the HQs and staff conduct "field training" during these computer simulation exercises because they deploy to their warfighting locations ("in the field") to train on their defense plans. Tactical units will conduct live fire and field manuarver (and training in the air and at sea) throughout the year and possibly simultaneously or following the computer simulation exercise.
We should also keep in mind that even if we had cancelled this training Kim would still likely have conducted his 12th missile test this weekend. Sure people interpret the test as a response to the exercises to show Kim's displeasure. But it does not follow that Kim will stop the tests if we stop the exercises. Of course he wants us to stop the exercises but not because he views that as a n of. security guarantee for him. He wants exercises stopped to weaken the military capabilities of the alliance and ultimately drive US forces off the peninsula because they are unable to train to maintain readiness. We should view his desire for the end of exercises through the lens of his desire to dominate the Korean peninsula and through force if the conditions are right. We need to ensure we do not provide him with the conditions he desires.
Korea-US joint military drills begin Monday
Military helicopters are parked at U.S. Army base Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, April 13, ahead of joint military drills with South Korea. The South and the United States kick off computer-simulated training drills based on the allies' wartime contingency plans, which runs from Monday through April 28. Yonhap
By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea and the United State will kick off their springtime joint military drills from Monday through April 28, amid rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
North Korea could stage another provocation on Military Foundation Day on April 25.
Following a four-day crisis management staff training (CMST) last week, the ensuing combined command post training (CCPT) is a computer-simulated command post exercise (CPX) that does not involve any field exercises, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) explained, Sunday.
"This drill is going to improve Korean and the U.S. soldiers' ability for combined operations and further solidify combined defense," the JCS added.
North Korea commemorates the founding of Korean People's Revolutionary Army on April 25. This year marks the 90th anniversary of its establishment by Kim Il-sung and experts speculate that North Korea might celebrate it with a big military parade.
Since Pyongyang strongly rebukes the South Korea-U.S. joint military drills, North Korea might resort to further provocations to oppose the joint drill around the time when South Korea's new Yoon Suk-yeol administration is inaugurated on May 10 and U.S. President Joe Biden visits the South around mid-May.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, said Kim Jong-un mentioning "nuclear combat forces" during his recent visit to a missile test might be a warning to Yoon who advocated a "preemptive strike" against North Korea's missile attacks.
"Kim Jong-un is likely to pressure South Korea's new administration and the U.S. during the South Korea-U.S. joint drill and Biden's visit to South Korea by testing a new guided weapon and small nuclear warhead," Lim said.
This is going to be the last South Korea-U.S. combined training under the Moon Jae-in administration.
Seoul and Washington agreed to conduct a full operational capability (FOC) assessment this year during a security consultative meeting last December, but it is not included in the springtime joint drill and the details are likely to be discussed with the incoming Yoon government after May.
Previously, South Korea and the U.S. notified North Korea of the joint drill's schedule and its defensive nature via a direct line between the United Nations Command and Pyongyang. But the Ministry of National Defense said during a regular briefing last week that it does not have plans to do so this time.
In 2016 and 2017, the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command announced the joint drill through a loudspeaker at border truce village of Panmunjom through the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission.
9. 'Call me by my English name'
As an aside, I have only known a few Koreans who asked to be called by their "English names." I have seen diplomats and journalists sign messages with English names but very few have asked me to call them by an English name. But I do not know any "Conglomerate" CEOs.
Of course this article is about CEOs asking to be called by ENglish names at the office.
'Call me by my English name'
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, second from left, talks with SK Telecom employees at the telecommunication company's headquarters in Seoul in this March 11 file photo. Courtesy of SK Telecom
Conglomerate CEOs struggle to break hierarchical corporate cultures
By Park Jae-hyuk
Top executives of Korea's chaebol groups have joined the trend of using English names at the office, as part of efforts to break down their companies' hierarchical cultures and allow their employees more freedom to communicate horizontally, according to industry officials, Sunday.
Last month, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won asked SK Telecom employees to call him by his English name, "Tony," instead of addressing him as "Mister Chairman," considering the fact that the telecommunication unit's employees have already been calling each other by their English names to encourage more horizontal communication and interaction.
Chey, who created an Instagram account last August with his English nickname, "Papa Tony Bear," made the request a month after he started serving as the chairman of SK Telecom in February to nurture its artificial intelligence business as the group's new growth engine.
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee, left, and President Kyung Kye-hyun / YonhapSamsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee and President Kyung Kye-hyun also requested the company's employees to address them by their English initials, instead of by their job titles.
"Calling me by my job title builds a wall between you and me, so I want you to just call me 'JH,'" Han said in a meeting with Samsung Electronics employees earlier this month. "I will carry out various campaigns to enhance communication."
Kyung made the request through the company's intranet last month, saying that clients of foreign nationality call him "KH," and that their emails also begin with "Dear KH."
Lotte Group Vice Chairman Kim Sang-hyun, who directs the group's retail business, asked employees to call him "Sam."
"I hope our employees will feel comfortable working with me and give me their advice," Kim said in his inaugural address in February.
In the past, English names were only used at startups and IT firms, such as Kakao, where its founder, Kim Beom-su, is called "Brian."
KakaoBank has also addressed CEO Yun Ho-young as "Daniel," since its launch in 2016.
Their rapid growth over the past few years has prompted more conventional conglomerates and financial firms to ask their employees to refer to their bosses without any job titles, based on the belief that more horizontal relations in the workplace are key for enabling innovation.
Most of them have decided to use their English names at the office, given that it is almost inconceivable for most Koreans to call their bosses by their Korean names without their job titles.
However, recruiting platform Saramin surveyed 1,153 workers last November and found that using English names at the office was the least preferred way to simplify job titles.
According to the survey, only 6.3 percent preferred addressing their colleagues by their English names.
"Just changing how employees call each other … cannot reform a company's organizational culture instantaneously," a Saramin official said. "Companies should consider various issues ― such as decision-making processes and compensation systems ― together as well."
10. Korea takes step closer to normality
Korea takes step closer to normality
Government lifts social distancing rules after nearly two years, signaling beginning of ‘living with coronavirus’
Published : Apr 17, 2022 - 15:12 Updated : Apr 17, 2022 - 17:27
This photo shows people in Myeongdong, central Seoul on Sunday (Yonhap)
After more than two years since the COVID-19 pandemic hit all parts of the world, Korea is set to step into a new era, lifting major social distancing rules except for the mask mandate.
Though the omicron wave is yet to be fully resolved here, the government has decided to lift pandemic-related rules, concluding that the virus peak has passed.
On Friday, the disease control authorities presented a new virus response road map, lifting the preexisting social distancing rules such as the limit on private gatherings and curfew on business establishments.
However, the mask mandate for both indoors and outdoors will be maintained. The authorities will discuss the mandate rule in two weeks, seeing how Korea adapts to the new system.
Jung Eun-kyeong, the director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention, stressed that the post-omicron variant era is a “new beginning.” “This transition is more than a simple downgrading of the COVID-19 infectious disease level or an easing of the infectious disease control and prevention protocols. This is a new beginning and a very difficult challenge to return to our lives and to normalize the medical system,” Jung said at a briefing held Friday.
The authorities will downgrade the COVID-19 infectious disease level by one notch to Class 2 from Class 1 in the four-tier system on April 25. From then, tentatively four weeks will be designated as a “transition period,” in an aim to have the community safely settle into the new system.
During the transition period, the current protocol, including the seven-day isolation rule for confirmed patients and at-home care measure for patients with underlying conditions, will be maintained.
From May 23 at the earliest, patients who contract COVID-19 will not have to isolate themselves for seven days. They will be treated under the general medical system. As the government will not require isolation for patients, state relief funds will be ended.
Public health centers will focus on testing high-risk groups.
Though Korea has claimed to move into a new era of the virus-plagued times, the country is still fighting the pandemic, seeing around 100,000 confirmed cases along with some 200 deaths per day.
The country reported 93,001 new COVID-19 infections for the 24 hours of Saturday, including 18 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 16,305,752. Some 203 deaths were reported, raising the overall death toll to 21,092.
The authorities said social distancing rules and related measures such as the “test, trace, treat” measures and limits on gatherings and businesses could be reintroduced in the case of a new variant or a surge in the number of infections.
The social distancing scheme comes to a halt after a near two-year run. Though Korea has strengthened and weakened its distancing rules depending on the state of the virus wave from time to time, it has not lifted restrictions entirely.
Korea took a big step in November by presenting its “with COVID” scheme, including the normalization of gatherings and business hours, but it had to withdraw the plans in just a month due to a spike in the number of confirmed cases.
Meanwhile, schools are also gearing up to adjust to the new times.
From Monday, kindergarteners, elementary, middle and high school students are to be advised to test themselves once a week using self-testing kits, taking a step down from the previous twice-a-week routine.
While the Ministry of Education’s decision to exclude confirmed students from midterm exams has drawn backlash, it is expected the ministry will lift the ban for the end-of-term exams in June and July.
The ministry had announced previously it would set its rules in accordance with that of the disease control authorities, only allowing confirmed students to take the exams if they are not required to isolate.
As the authorities are to lift the isolation rule on confirmed patients by the end of May, it is expected that students who contract the disease will be able to attend school to take the exams in-person.
Also, schools are expected to resume all educational activities soon, such as “normalcy attendance,” field trips and excursions.
The Education Ministry is set to officially announce the post-omicron measures for schools on Wednesday.
By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)
11. FBI Statement on Attribution of Malicious Cyber Activity Posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
FBI Statement on Attribution of Malicious Cyber Activity Posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea | Federal Bureau of Investigation
Washington, D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
April 14, 2022
FBI Statement on Attribution of Malicious Cyber Activity Posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
The FBI continues to combat malicious cyber activity including the threat posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the U.S. and our private sector partners. Through our investigation we were able to confirm Lazarus Group and APT38, cyber actors associated with the DPRK, are responsible for the theft of $620 million in Ethereum reported on March 29. The FBI, in coordination with Treasury and other U.S. government partners, will continue to expose and combat the DPRK’s use of illicit activities – including cybercrime and cryptocurrency theft – to generate revenue for the regime.
12. North Korea's Kim attends massive parade honoring grandfather
North Korea's Kim attends massive parade honoring grandfather
SEOUL —
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a massive civilian parade in the capital, Pyongyang, celebrating a milestone birth anniversary of his state-founding grandfather in which thousands marched in a choreographed display of loyalty to the Kim family, state media said Saturday.
The reports didn’t mention any speech or comments made by Kim during Friday’s event and it appeared the country passed its biggest holiday without showcasing its military hardware, amid heightened tensions over its nuclear program.
Commercial satellite images in recent weeks have indicated preparations for a large military parade in Pyongyang, which could take place on the April 25 founding anniversary of North Korea’s army and display the most advanced weapons in Kim’s nuclear arsenal, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles.
There’s also expectation that Pyongyang will further escalate its weapons testing in the coming weeks or months, possibly including a resumption of nuclear explosive tests or test-flying missiles over Japan, as it attempts to force a response from the Biden administration while it’s preoccupied with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a rivalry with China.
State media images showed Kim waving from a balcony looking over Kim Il Sung Square, which is named after his grandfather, as huge columns of people carrying red plastic flowers and floats with political slogans marched below.
Ri Il Hwan, a member of the ruling Workers’ Party Politburo, issued a call for loyalty, saying in a speech that North Koreans will “always emerge victorious” under Kim’s guidance. It appeared Kim didn’t deliver a speech and state media didn’t mention any comments regarding the United States or rival South Korea.
The parade came hours before thousands of young people performed a mass dance in the square as fireworks launched from a nearby riverbank lighted up the night sky.
Kim Il Sung’s birthday is the most important national holiday in North Korea, where the Kim family has ruled under a strong personality cult since the nation’s founding in 1948. This week’s celebrations marking the 110th anniversary of his birth came as his grandson revives nuclear brinkmanship aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power and remove crippling economic sanctions.
North Korea has opened 2022 with a slew of weapons tests, including its first flight test of an ICBM since 2017. South Korea’s military has also detected signs that North Korea is rebuilding tunnels at a nuclear testing ground it partially dismantled weeks before Kim’s first summit with then-President Trump in June 2018.
Kim Jong Un’s defiant displays of his military might are also likely motivated by domestic politics, experts say, as he doesn’t otherwise have significant accomplishments to trumpet to his people after a decade in power.
His stated goals of simultaneously developing nuclear weapons and bringing economic prosperity to his impoverished populace derailed after the collapse of his second summit with Trump in 2019, when the Americans rejected North Korea’s demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a limited surrender of its nuclear capabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic unleashed further shock on his broken economy, forcing him to acknowledge last year that the North was facing its “worst-ever situation.”
Sung Kim, the top U.S. official on North Korea, is scheduled to visit South Korea next week for talks on the international community’s response to the North’s recent missile tests.
North Korea has recently resumed its trademark harsh rhetoric against its rivals. One of its international affairs commentators labeled Biden as “an old man in senility,” while Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, called South Korea’s defense minister “a scum-like guy” and threatened to annihilate South Korea with nuclear strikes.
“Kim Jong Un’s stated goal of deploying tactical nuclear weapons, Kim Yo Jong’s recent threats toward Seoul and satellite imagery of tunneling activity at Punggye-ri all point to an upcoming nuclear test,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. “Additional missile launches are also expected for honing weapons delivery systems.”
V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
