Quotes of the Day:
“Propaganda ... serves more to justify ourselves than to convince others; and the more reason we have to feel guilty, the more fervent our propaganda.”
- Eric Hoffer, The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements
“It is almost safe to say that no government is likely to be overthrown until it loses the ability to make adequate use of its military.”
- Crane Brinton
“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”
- Robert A. Heinlein, Friday
1. Seoul seeks ambiguous approach to North Korea before Korea-US military drills
2. S. Korea, U.S. to hold preliminary training this week ahead of main exercise
3. Half of S. Koreans opposed to delaying allied military drills with U.S.: Realmeter
4. South-U.S. training to begin ahead of summertime joint military exercise
5. China's remarks on S. Korea-U.S. military exercise at ARF 'unusual': official
6. S. Korea-U.S. military exercise 'an issue to be decided by the allies': foreign ministry
7. N.K. paper says current hardships from pandemic, flood damage as challenging as war
8. S. Korea to explore all possibilities of helping N.K. with recovery from flood damage: unification ministry
9. Blinken says open to 'different options' in renewed call for N.K. dialogue: official
10. North-South spies suspected of converting thousands of dollars to won
11. Factory manager in Musan Iron Mine arrested for embezzling four tons of diesel over several years
12. China suspends South Korea-U.S. drills – insists on easing sanctions on North Korea
13. Restart negotiations with Kim and Harris
14. Sources: Rice in food distributions is from outside of North Korea
1. Seoul seeks ambiguous approach to North Korea before Korea-US military drills
I understand the intent. You cannot thread this needle. But there must be no ambiguity when it comes to deterrence and defense and the absolute requirement to demonstrate a ready force to defend and defeat the nKPA and deal with any contingency on the Korean peninsula. The ROKG cannot waffle on this.
Seoul seeks ambiguous approach to North Korea before Korea-US military drills
The national flags of South and North Korea fly at the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, Monday. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-woo
Seoul is resorting to an ambiguous approach to Pyongyang over its upcoming combined military exercises with the U.S., by consulting with Washington on offering humanitarian aid to the North.
This is interpreted as the Moon Jae-in government's compromise plan in which the administration can show its willingness for talks with Pyongyang while dodging domestic criticism that it is letting the North take the lead in the inter-Korean tug-of-war over the summertime military drills.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chung Eui-yong had a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Friday in which the two discussed ways to "cooperate with the DPRK in areas such as humanitarian cooperation, and agreed to make continued efforts to engage with the DPRK," his ministry said. The DPRK is an acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The U.S. State Department also said the two sides "agreed to explore humanitarian initiatives on the Korean Peninsula."
Following the agreement, South Korea and the U.S. are expected to consult on the list of humanitarian aid, such as foods, vaccines, drugs and medical devices. Since July 30, the Ministry of Unification has been approving private organizations to send humanitarian aid to the North.
The moves come as North Korea is suffering from a food crisis, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) forecast that the North is expected to face a food shortage of around 860,000 tons of grain this year, equivalent to approximately 2.3 months' worth of food consumption. Adding more concerns, the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported last week that the regime is taking "emergency steps" to prevent damage from flooding, after a heavy rain resulted in more than 1,170 homes being flooded in the eastern coastal South Hamgyong Province.
South Korea and the United States are extending their hands to the North amid the Kim Jong-un regime's resistance to engage in talks. Last month, the two Koreas restored their communication lines, signaling a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations, but again reached a stalemate as Kim's sister, Kim Yo-jong, called for the suspension of the South Korea-U.S. combined military drills as a precondition for talks.
Suspending the military exercises is a tough choice for the Moon administration, due to concerns over national security and criticisms that Seoul is letting Pyongyang call the shots.
Helicopters are parked at United States Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, a day before the South Korean military and U.S. Forces Korea are set to conduct Crisis Management Staff Training, which is a run-up to the regular summertime drills. Yonhap
Against this backdrop, the South Korean military and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) will begin the preliminary Crisis Management Staff Training this week as a run-up to the main summertime military exercises. The full schedule for the 21-2 Combined Command Post Training (CCPT) has yet to be announced, but is widely anticipated to start next week and last for 10 days.
Instead of running a full-scale computer-simulated training, sources said the two countries will hold it in a low-key manner and have a minimum level of troops involved. The overall size of the exercises will be smaller than the last such drills held in March.
Reportedly, the South Korean government is scaling down the joint exercises mainly because of the surge in pandemic cases here, but it is also taking its perceived "recent peace momentum" into account at the same time.
With South Korea and the U.S. adopting a carrot-and-stick approach to North Korea, attention is now on whether the Kim regime will stage a military provocation in protest of the drills, such as test-firing a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
On Aug. 3, the National Intelligence Service reported to the National Assembly that the North may test-fire an SLBM if the combined military exercises take place as scheduled. In October 2019, the North claimed that it succeeded in launching a Pukguksong-3 rocket, and last October it showcased its Pukguksong-4 and Pukguksong-5 missiles, which are assumed to be SLBMs.
Following the annual combined military drills in March this year, the North launched two cruise missiles and two short-range ballistic missiles.
In March last year, the regime launched two short-range ballistic missiles and two projectiles believed to be its version of the U.S.'s Army Tactical Missile System, even though Seoul and Washington postponed their springtime training due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the previous records, experts said the North is anticipated to show a low-key response to the drills, given the current environment for talks and the conditions in the regime.
"Staging a strong provocation is spoiling the mood," said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification. "In her comment, Kim Yo-jong said the drills may become a prelude that undermines inter-Korean relations, and didn't mention an immediate military response or the severance of talks."
Hong said any military provocation by the North may result in crucial difficulties in the regime's attempts to control the affairs of the Korean Peninsula, as North Korean leader Kim said in June.
"In the past, the North conducted military exercises in response to Seoul-Washington joint drills, but that happened when the two sides were having live training. A military provocation against this summer's exercises will trigger international criticism and result in the U.S. turning to a hardline approach. Pyongyang's food and other internal affairs are also causing difficulties," Hong said. "Given this, the North is anticipated to denounce the drills in a very restrained manner."
2. S. Korea, U.S. to hold preliminary training this week ahead of main exercise
The Ulchi portion of the past Ulchi Focus Lens and Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises.
S. Korea, U.S. to hold preliminary training this week ahead of main exercise | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will conduct a preliminary training this week in the run-up to next week's main summertime military exercise that North Korea has warned against staging, sources said Monday.
The four-day crisis management staff training will begin Tuesday, followed by the computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training scheduled for Aug. 16-26, according to the sources.
"The training is aimed at checking the response to unexpected crisis situations to return to peacetime before a war breaks out," an official said.
The two countries have decided to push ahead with the drills as planned, albeit in a scaled-back manner due to the pandemic, despite North Korea's warning the maneuvers will dampen the budding conciliatory mood between the two Koreas.
North Korea has long railed against such exercises, denouncing them as a rehearsal for invasion.
Whether and how to conduct the summertime exercise have drawn keen attention, particularly after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said it could undermine efforts to improve inter-Korean ties following the restoration of the long-severed cross-border communication lines late last month.
"The upcoming exercise would involve a minimum level of troops, which will be even smaller than the springtime one, and no outdoor drills will take place," a government source earlier said, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
South Korea has seen a drastic surge in confirmed cases across the nation since July, with the daily caseload reaching 1,492 on Monday.
The defense ministry has declined to confirm the size or dates of the exercise, saying that it is still discussing details with Washington.
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)
3. Half of S. Koreans opposed to delaying allied military drills with U.S.: Realmeter
There would be a higher number supporting the training if the ROKG would properly explain the necessity of the training. But a large faction of the ruling party (74 legislators) are ignorant to the need and would rather attempt to appease the north. And these are not "drills with the US." These are drills of the permanent combined theater level command (The ROK/US Combined Forces Command) and the combined component HQ. This is not something the US thinks up every year. The combined command plans this training five years in advance and spends an entire year building the training scenarios so the most sophisticated training can take place that trains the ROK and US combined HQ on the plans for the defense of South Korea. Failure to conduct this training puts the ROK and the Korean people at great risk. The ROKG should be informing the Korean people of that message.
Half of S. Koreans opposed to delaying allied military drills with U.S.: Realmeter | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Yonhap) -- Slightly more than half of all South Koreans do not support the idea of postponing the regular joint summertime military drills between Seoul and Washington, a poll showed Monday.
In the poll of 500 people aged 18 and older nationwide conducted by Realmeter last Friday, 50.4 percent of the respondents said they do not agree with calls for delaying the allied military drills. Meanwhile, 45.3 percent said they do.
Talk of delaying or scaling down the annual joint military exercise set to take place next Monday gained traction after the two Koreas reopened the long-severed cross-border liaison hotlines late last month.
Pyongyang has been calling on South Korea and the United States to call off the joint exercise, warning that the drills, if carried out, would cloud the future of inter-Korean relations.
Higher rates of opposition were seen among supporters of the main opposition People Power Party and those who identify themselves as conservative -- traditionally more hard-line on North Korean issues -- with 69.4 percent and 64.8 percent of them, respectively, objecting to a delay.
In contrast, supporters of the ruling Democratic Party and those who identify themselves as liberals were more in favor of a delay, at 64.4 percent and 60.3 percent, respectively.
Of the different age brackets, respondents in their 20s displayed the highest rate of objection to the option of delaying the allied drills at 62 percent, the poll also showed.
The poll, commissioned by the local cable news channel YTN, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
nyway@yna.co.kr
(END)
4. South-U.S. training to begin ahead of summertime joint military exercise
The Blue House must inform the Korean people why these exercises are important to their security and the defense of the ROK:
The Blue House has remained mum on the issue as of Monday.
Monday
August 9, 2021
South-U.S. training to begin ahead of summertime joint military exercise
Military helicopters are on standby at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, Monday, ahead of the four-day crisis management staff training between Seoul and Washington set to kick off Tuesday. The preliminary training comes as a prelude to their main joint military exercise expected to take place next week as scheduled, albeit in a scaled-down manner. [NEWS1]
South Korea and the United States will hold a four-day crisis management staff training starting Tuesday ahead of next week's summertime joint military exercise.
Korean and U.S. troops will conduct the crisis management staff training (CMST) through Friday to prepare for various local provocations and terrorism, said military sources Monday.
This training serves as a prelude to the main combined command post training (CCPT) exercise scheduled for Aug. 16 to 26. The defensive computer-simulated CCPT exercise is expected to be scaled down and conducted with fewer personnel than the annual springtime joint drill held in March, taking into consideration the coronavirus situation, according to military sources.
The preliminary training this week will be led by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and will focus on how to respond to and manage a crisis situation to prevent an escalation into war. The CMST this time will likewise involve fewer personnel than their springtime training.
The CCPT will be led by the Combined Forces Command and is expected to include a defense scenario and a counterattack scenario as planned.
Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and the Combined Forces Command, will supervise the exercise, as he has wartime operation control (Opcon). However, Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, deputy commander of the Combined Forces Command, is expected to supervise one day each in the first and second parts of the exercise, according to sources.
This will help rehearse for full operational capability (FOC), a step which evaluates command ability needed for the transfer of wartime Opcon from the United States to South Korea.
However, the FOC verification process is again not expected to take this time around, which further clouds the timeline for the transfer of wartime Opcon. The FOC verification is second in a three-step evaluation process for Korea to regain wartime Opcon, which has faced delays since last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Moon Jae-in administration initially hoped for Korea to regain Opcon from the United States by the end of the president's five-year term in May 2022.
Seoul and Washington are expected to formally announced the schedule and scale of their joint drill before the start of the main exercise next Monday, and notify Pyongyang through its United Nations Command hotline, as according to practice.
This comes despite some calls to delay the joint drill, protested by North Korea, from some officials and lawmakers. The issue has even divided the ruling Democratic Party (DP), with party leadership saying holding the joint exercise is “inevitable,” while a group of 74 liberal lawmakers issued a joint statement last week calling for the postponement of the drill to help improve inter-Korean ties.
Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader's younger sister, in a statement on Aug. 1 called for a halt to the Seoul-Washington drill, warning they could undermine inter-Korean relations slightly thawed by the recent restoration of cross-border communication lines.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also openly opposed the Seoul-Washington exercise at the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) Friday, saying that the United States "should not take any actions that will intensify tensions” if it wants to resume dialogue with the North.
A South Korean Foreign Ministry official told reporters Monday that it was “unusual” for the Chinese top envoy to refer to the Seoul-Washington military exercise at the ARF.
The official added, “I believe the international community generally understands that the nature of the South Korea-U.S. joint exercise is annual and defensive, and does not threaten any specific country, including North Korea.”
Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the PPP floor leader, said in the party’s supreme council meeting Monday the Moon government is “begging for Kim Jong-un’s permission to conduct an exercise in name only,” referring to the scaled-back joint drill.
The Blue House has remained mum on the issue as of Monday.
According to a Realmeter poll released Monday, 50.4 percent of respondents said they do not agree with calls for delaying the Seoul-Washington military drill, while 45.3 percent said they agree. The poll, commissioned by YTN, was conducted on 500 people aged 18 and older nationwide last Friday.
There was some division between party lines over the joint drill issue, with just 28.8 percent of supporters of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) who were in favor of delaying the joint exercise, compared to 69.4 percent who were opposed.
In contrast, 64.4 percent of supporters of the ruling Democratic Party were in favor of a delay, compared to 30.1 percent who were not.
By generation, 62 percent of people in their 20s were more opposed to a delay, higher than other age brackets, while 33.9 percent were in favor.
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
5. China's remarks on S. Korea-U.S. military exercise at ARF 'unusual': official
China (and north Korea) does not get a vote in ROK/US combined training and in ROK sovereignty issues.
China's remarks on S. Korea-U.S. military exercise at ARF 'unusual': official | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Yonhap) -- China's expression of objections to joint military exercises between South Korea and the United Sates is "unusual" because most countries are fully aware that the drills are purely defensive and pose no threats to any specific country, a foreign ministry official said Monday.
The official was reacting to remarks that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made during last week's ASEAN Regional Forum that the upcoming exercise between South Korea and the U.S. is not "constructive." Wang also called for Washington to avoid any action that would cause tension with the North.
"We believe that most of the international community fully understands that the South Korea-U.S. combined exercises are an annually-held and defensive exercise and therefore, it does not pose a threat to any particular country, including North Korea," the official said.
"Nevertheless, we also fully recognize it is unusual for China to make a mention of it at the ARF conference," he said. "We're analyzing the background and intentions."
South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, who delivered his remarks at the ARF session after Wang, did not make any particular comments about what the Chinese diplomat had said, given the circumstance that the meeting took place online, the official added.
An Kwang-il, the North's ambassador to Indonesia who attended the conference, reportedly did not make any remarks about the exercise either, only saying that his country hopes for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.
Whether and how to conduct the drill set for next week has drawn keen attention after Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned against staging it, saying the drill will cloud the future of inter-Korean relations.
Despite the warning, South Korea has decided to conduct the exercise in a scaled-back manner, sources said.
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)
6. S. Korea-U.S. military exercise 'an issue to be decided by the allies': foreign ministry
Good statement from MOFA. I would recommend the Minister himself make this statement publicly (as should President Moon):
"The South Korea-U.S. combined exercise is an annual exercise of a defensive nature, and it is an issue that South Korea and the United States decide at the alliance level," the ministry said in a statement to media.
China does not get a vote on ROK national security issues.
(LEAD) S. Korea-U.S. military exercise 'an issue to be decided by the allies': foreign ministry | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS more details in paras 2-3)
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Yonhap) -- The joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States are purely defensive and a matter to be decided by the allies, the foreign ministry said Monday, after China expressed objections at a regional forum last week.
The remarks came after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during the ASEAN Regional Forum on Friday that the upcoming exercise between South Korea and the U.S. is not "constructive" and called for Washington to avoid any action that would cause tension with the North.
"The South Korea-U.S. combined exercise is an annual exercise of a defensive nature, and it is an issue that South Korea and the United States decide at the alliance level," the ministry said in a statement to media.
Regarding Wang's remarks, a foreign ministry official said they were "unusual."
"We believe that most of the international community fully understands that the South Korea-U.S. combined exercises are an annually-held and defensive exercise and therefore, it does not pose a threat to any particular country, including North Korea," the official said.
South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, who delivered his remarks at the ARF session after Wang, did not make any particular comments about what the Chinese diplomat had said, given the circumstance that the meeting took place online, the official added.
An Kwang-il, the North's ambassador to Indonesia who attended the conference, reportedly did not make any remarks about the exercise either, only saying that his country hopes for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.
Whether and how to conduct the drill set for next week has drawn keen attention after Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned against staging it, saying the drill will cloud the future of inter-Korean relations.
Despite the warning, South Korea has decided to conduct the exercise in a scaled-back manner, sources said.
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)
7. N.K. paper says current hardships from pandemic, flood damage as challenging as war
Everything in north Korea is on war footing. We complain about using "war" too much in the US but no one comes close to north Korea in its use.
Recall the scene in Crash Landing on You when the protagonist questioned the villagers of north Korea who were about to wage war on domestic chores they had to do and she asked why everything was a war? It was just the way it is in north Korea and the women did not think much of it. It was ingrained in the culture and way of life. Perhaps it is human nature to think that if we are at war we will give our all and make sacrifices to win the war. Don't we in the US think that waging war on drugs, on poverty, on AIDS, on COVID, etc., will motivate us to do everything we can to defeat it?
N.K. paper says current hardships from pandemic, flood damage as challenging as war | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's main newspaper said Monday that the country is faced with war-like challenges from a triple whammy of the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, global sanctions and recent flooding.
"The challenges arising from an unprecedented global health crisis, protracted border closure and abnormal weather disasters have led to a crisis no less challenging than those during war," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the country's ruling Workers' Party, said in an editorial.
The paper also called on its people to help achieve a self-reliant economy that advances regardless of "any sanctions by hostile forces" or other external factors, including the lockdown.
"All party members and workers must strive to lead the world with our own creation using our own hands and finding it on our own land," it said.
Adding to North Korea's woes from the pandemic and international sanctions were recent heavy downpours that battered the country's eastern South Hamgyong Province. According to state media, the heavy rains left about 1,170 homes destroyed or flooded and forced some 5,000 residents to evacuate to safety.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
8. S. Korea to explore all possibilities of helping N.K. with recovery from flood damage: unification ministry
All the possibilities will come down to one single action: A decision by Kim Jong-un to accept help. If he cannot get help delivered in the way he wants he will not accept it regardless of how creatively the ROKG acts. This also needs to be part of the ROKG's strategic messaging to the Korean people (north and South) and the international community. It is willing to help but it is Kim Jong-un who refuses help. The ROKG is more concerned with the welfare of the Korean people living in the north than is Kim Jong-un.
S. Korea to explore all possibilities of helping N.K. with recovery from flood damage: unification ministry | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will try to help North Korea with recovery efforts in a flood-hit eastern province while leaving all possibilities open as to how to provide assistance, the unification ministry said Monday.
The remark came a day after North Korean state media reported that leader Kim Jong-un ordered full state support for recovery efforts in South Hamgyong Province, hit hard by recent heavy downpours, and that the country held an emergency meeting of the provincial military commission to discuss recovery plans.
On Monday, unification ministry spokesperson Lee Jong-joo said that when the North suffered damage from flooding or other disasters in the past, the South provided humanitarian assistance through various channels, including government and civilian channels as well as via international agencies.
"This time as well, it will also figure out damage in the North and its needs for support while leaving all the possibilities open, including cooperation through state and civilian channels and international organizations, and draw up concrete cooperative measures," she said.
The spokesperson reiterated that the ministry will push to share information on infectious diseases and natural disasters with North Korea via the recently-restored cross-border communication lines, though she said that no information has been exchanged on the latest flood damage in the North.
North Korea's state media earlier reported that about 1,170 homes were destroyed or flooded, and some 5,000 residents were evacuated as up to 307 millimeters of rain fell in South Hamgyong Province between Aug. 1-2.
North Korea has recently ramped up calls for flood prevention efforts not to repeat the devastation caused by back-to-back typhoons last summer in major farming areas, which aggravated the country's already serious food shortages.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)
9.
I am confident the only option not on the table is premature sanctions relief. We are not going to lift sanctions while Kim Jong-un is still violating them. Sanctions are not a bargaining chip.
Blinken says open to 'different options' in renewed call for N.K. dialogue: official | Yonhap News Agency
By Song Sang-ho
SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken showed a willingness to consider different "options" and "possibilities" with North Korea in a renewed call for its return to dialogue during a regional forum last week, a Washington official said Monday.
Kin W. Moy, a senior official for the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, made the remarks during a telephone press conference on Blinken's attendance at a series of forums led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
"In his comments, I thought we were very good about our openness to talk to the North. And I think that shows a kind of willingness to consider different options," Moy said during the press meeting.
The official added, "In terms of possible discussions down the road, the secretary mentioned that he was open to different possibilities."
Moy did not elaborate what those different options and possibilities would be.
The official was referring to Blinken's comments made during Friday's virtual ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), a rare multilateral conference involving North Korea. Representing the North at the forum was An Kwang-il, the North's ambassador to Indonesia, instead of its top diplomat, Ri Son-gwon.
Given the nature of the multilateral forum on a wide range of issues, there wasn't a "back-and-forth" exchange on the North Korean issue, but Moy voiced hope that Washington's message will be relayed to the North Korean leadership.
"We hope that the DPRK side heard us and will take those messages back to Pyongyang, and we'll see what happens," he said, referring to the North by its official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The official also pointed out that Blinken and other participants showed their interest in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
"The secretary and others reiterated an interest in a sort of comprehensive, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he said.
South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong also attended the ARF session, where he reiterated Seoul's hopes to advance its drive for peace with Pyongyang on the back of the restoration of inter-Korea communication channels late last month.
The reactivation of the communication lines stoked hopes for dialogue, but optimism was tempered by the North's warning that the planned South Korea-U.S. military exercise would cast clouds over inter-Korean relations.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
10. North-South spies suspected of converting thousands of dollars to won
South Korea has a north Korean espionage and subversion problem. This is only the tip of the iceberg.
Monday
August 9, 2021
North-South spies suspected of converting thousands of dollars to won
A screenshot of the homepage of the media outlet run by Son, featuring an article praising Kim Jong-un. Son is accused of violating the National Security Act along with three other suspects. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Four civic activists suspected of having received at least $20,000 from North Korea in 2019 were also discovered to have converted almost $24,800 into won between 2017 and 2018, according to a warrant application filed by police and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) on July 27.
The NIS and the police are conducting a joint investigation into two men and two women on charges of having received orders from the Workers’ Party’s Cultural Exchange Bureau — a North Korean espionage department directed at recruiting and mobilizing South Korean sympathizers of Pyongyang — and staging a series of protests to oppose the South Korean military’s plan to procure U.S.-built stealth fighter jets.
Three of the four activists were taken into custody on Aug. 2, when the Cheongju District Court issued warrants allowing police to detain three of the suspects over their alleged acts of benefiting the enemy, a crime punishable by the National Security Act. The fourth suspect, surnamed Son, remains under investigation without detention.
In the warrant application, the NIS said that not only did one of the suspects in 2019 retrieve $20,000 in cash deposited by North Korean agents in a supermarket locker in Shenyang, northeastern China — which was intended to fund the group’s activities in favor of North Korean interests in South Korea — but the suspect had also previously converted $10,000 into Korean won near Myeongdong Station, subway line No. 4, in central Seoul in June 2018. He again converted $10,300 in the same location in August that year.
Another individual went abroad in May 2017 and converted $2,500 into Korean won upon return to Korea. In June that same year, that individual and Son converted $2,000 together in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi.
The conversions attracted suspicion from the NIS that the funds originated from North Korean agents because the suspects did not have stable occupations and yet converted large sums of the U.S. currency in locations in Seoul and Gyeonggi, far away from their places of residence in Cheongju, North Chungcheong.
The suspect who converted money in Myeongdong in 2018 had not recently traveled abroad at the time, leading investigators to believe he had obtained the U.S. currency from someone else who had met with North Korean agents.
He was also accused by a fellow suspect in March of using the funds for private purposes, leading the North's Cultural Exchange Bureau to demand he explain the reasons for using the funds for purposes other than those ordered by the department.
In its warrant application, the NIS cited this as further evidence that the group was paid by Pyongyang to establish an underground organization and carry out activities benefiting the communist regime, according to sources informed about an investigation into their alleged National Security Act violations.
The police and the NIS suspected that the North ordered the four activists to organize protests to oppose the procurement project of the F-35A stealth fighter jets. Their inter-Korean exchange projects of sending 1 million seedlings to the North, promoting a return visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and inviting over 500,000 people to create a “human chain” along the 500-kilometer (310-mile) demilitarized zone were also carried out to implement the North’s directives, the investigative authorities said.
In May, the NIS and police raided the activists’ residences and offices in Cheongju, finding USB flash drives containing encrypted files of orders and reports they exchanged with North Korean agents.
From their raid, investigators said they discovered evidence that the four suspects received instructions from members of the Cultural Exchange Bureau to win over politicians, labor and civic group members in the Cheongju area to support their campaign against the purchase of the stealth fighter jets.
For the seedlings project, the suspects appear to have met with senior leaders of the Democratic Party and Korea Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, investigative authorities said. The lawmakers told the JoongAng Ilbo that they had met with the activists, but they have no information about the ongoing investigation.
Three of the four suspects were also members of a special advisory group on labor issues for Moon’s presidential campaign in 2017. However, reports of their involvement in the body was met by a Blue House response which said they are “not worth mentioning."
Meanwhile, Son said that he and his fellow activists are victims of a political probe and illegal surveillance by state authorities, arguing that their prosecution demonstrates the need to abolish the National Security Act. Son is an operator of an online news media outlet, which has previously published articles praising Kim Jong-un.
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
11. Factory manager in Musan Iron Mine arrested for embezzling four tons of diesel over several years
People have to survive and they are going to do what will so they will not suffer what they must.
And this should be noted. This Korean from the north was more concerned about the welfare of his workers than the Kim family regime. Another example for messaging for the PSYOP professionals.
Excerpt:
“The manager was one of the officials who cared the most about resolving the workers’ food problem,” the source claimed. “Absurdly, they are punishing a cadre who actually worked for the laborers.
Factory manager in Musan Iron Mine arrested for embezzling four tons of diesel over several years - Daily NK
The manager reportedly gave food to workers at the factory, which has failed to receive state rations since 2019
The manager of the March 23 Factory in the Musan Iron Mine was recently sacked and arrested on charges of embezzling supplies.
In a phone conversation with Daily NK on Thursday, a source in North Hamgyong Province said the manager, a man in his 50s identified by his family name of Pak, was arrested by the Musan branch of the Ministry of Social Security in mid-July. “He is being charged with having sold about four tons of diesel over several years,” he said.
The March 23 Factory manufactures explosives used in blasting at the mine. North Korean public security authorities believe Pak profited by selling diesel needed in the production of explosives.
In this undated photo taken in China, Musan Mine can be seen across the Tumen River. / Image: Daily NK
However, local residents have a different take. They say Pak did more than just fill his own pockets, claiming he also provided food to the factory’s workers when the state failed to distribute rations.
In fact, Musan Iron Mine has reportedly been without food rations since 2019. Its workers have been living on proceeds made from selling herbs and wild greens gathered in the mountains or as traveling peddlers.
Nonetheless, the authorities continue to insist that illegal activity by mine workers cannot be justified, regardless of their miserable circumstances.
“The manager was one of the officials who cared the most about resolving the workers’ food problem,” the source claimed. “Absurdly, they are punishing a cadre who actually worked for the laborers.
“Also, given that the March 23 Factory — no ordinary plant, but one that makes explosives — is under tight surveillance and supervision by the Ministry of State Security and Ministry of Social Security, it’s hard to believe the manager carried out the embezzlement on his own,” the source continued, adding, “In a sense, a single administrative official is essentially taking the entire rap.”
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
12. China suspends South Korea-U.S. drills – insists on easing sanctions on North Korea
Must be a translation issue with the headline for the People's News Chronicle. As we know, China does not get a vote on ROK/US combined training. And we can expect China and north Korea to embark on an aggressive push for sanctions relief which will be supported by the likes of 74 legislators in the ruling party in the National Assembly of South Korea.
China suspends South Korea-U.S. drills – insists on easing sanctions on North Korea
North Korea and China came together in unison, insisting on the suspension of joint exercises between the US and South Korea and easing of sanctions against North Korea. The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs sympathized with China’s claims by introducing China’s claims on its website when China increased pressure on North Korea to stop training at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). North Korea has been silent on calls for the return of dialogue between the two countries. South Korea and the US have a policy of drastically reducing the scale but conducting the exercises as scheduled, so the structure of a confrontation between South Korea and North Korea and China appears to be prominent over the joint exercise. As China, which is in conflict with the United States, once again showed off that it is North Korea’s ‘behind the scenes’, it appeared as a variable in the resumption of dialogue.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, “Under the current situation, the ROK-U.S. joint exercises are not constructive.” should also be avoided.” Clearly opposing the ROK-U.S. joint exercises and demanding a halt. “An effective way to break the current deadlock is to ease sanctions on North Korea and create a positive atmosphere in which dialogue and consultation can resume,” Wang said.
Then, on the 7th, the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on its website “China’s opposition to the US-South Korea joint military exercise” and introduced Wang’s remarks. The North Korean foreign media Unification Sinbo reported on the 8th, “Every time a joint military exercise took place, there was a risk of war on the Korean Peninsula (Korean peninsula), and serious difficulties were often created for the development of inter-Korean relations and the movement for national reunification.” did.
The ROK and the US emphasized North Korea’s return to dialogue at the ARF meeting. US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln said, “North Korea has not changed its position that it will meet anytime, anywhere without conditions, as long as it designates an authorized negotiating representative.” Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong also expressed expectations for inter-Korean cooperation. However, Ahn Kwang-il, North Korean ambassador to Indonesia and ASEAN ambassador to Indonesia, who attended the meeting as the North Korean delegation, insisted, “There is no change in our will for peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
The opposition party, the People’s Power, protested, calling it “interference in internal affairs.” In a statement from the opposition presidential candidate Choi Jae-hyeon, former Auditor General Choi Jae-hyun criticized, “It is unacceptable for China, as a third party, to argue about whether or not the training will be held.” Rep. Park Jin of People’s Power, who is running for the presidential election, also pointed out that “it was a calculated remark intended to shake the ROK-U.S. alliance by riding on North Korea’s deterrent claims.”
13. Restart negotiations with Kim and Harris
I guess this is "creative options" to explore. I do feel bad for the Vice President because everyone wants to add to her portfolio and give her "missions" that cannot be achieved.
But on a serious note do we really think KimJong-un would go for this? He might if he thinks it could advance his political warfare strategy and that he could extract concessions in the form of sanctions relief. But I guess it is one thing that could be put on the table.
Restart negotiations with Kim and Harris
By Paul Tyson
Is there likely to be a summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un along the lines of those former President Donald Trump held with Kim? Not likely anytime soon from Washington's perspective.
Why? For Biden and his advisors, a summit so soon after the defeat of Trump represents a potential trap and embarrassment. Trump's boast of having achieved successful relationships built on his own personality has proven to be a negative factor and overshadowed Biden's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin for example.
How could a Biden summit with Kim match such Trumpian theatrical elements as floral arrangements and love letters? Stepping over the line in Panmunjom? A meeting in Singapore? Nice for some but not really Joe Biden's style. Many in America thought that the Kim-Trump theatrics were tacky (and they were) and that they would look even worse with Biden, who could commit his own gaffes.
To be sure, there were benefits produced by the Trump-Kim summits. The threat of war receded. There were no more nuclear or ballistic missiles tests. For what it's worth, the Trump-Kim love fest stopped a juggernaut that had been moving towards a confrontation.
The Trump summits also gave the Kim family the global attention that they have been seeking for decades. Trump provided Kim with the Manhattan and Mar A Lago glitz that he craved, while Trump in return got glad-handing photos, love notes and publicity.
Nuclear disarmament? Well, the agreed-upon definitions in the Singapore Declaration were not really agreed to, so that remains a major fudge factor. But Trump offered some concessions and there is no going back in some ways.
There is a problem, however, that resulted from the Trump-Kim summits. Kim is not likely to put himself in the position of negotiating with anyone except the U.S. president in the future. Anyone with less status is a lackey being sent, and an insult.
If any Biden-Kim summit materializes, it would have to begin with other high-level meetings between the two sides. An act of outreach by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman or Special Representative Sung Kim would be a start, to be later followed by moves from Secretary of State Tony Blinken and North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho. Such a sequence would follow normal diplomatic protocol.
Although Blinken enjoys the confidence of Biden, with the two men having worked together for years, I would like to make another "out-of-the-box" suggestion in terms of getting negotiations going again.
Vice President Kamala Harris could meet with a delegation headed by Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader's sister. Both women have close ties with their countries' top leaders. The two could lay their cards on the table and see what is possible.
Kim Yo-jong already has had experience in dealing with American vice presidents. The shadow she cast on then-vice president Mike Pence at the PyeongChang Olympics generated headlines around the world. The Pyongyang Ice Queen made her mark.
Since she is a descendant of the "Mount Paektu bloodline," claiming direct lineage to the country's founder Kim Il-sung, she has an extraordinary sense of self that gives her great confidence.
She appears to play a major behind-the-scenes role in Pyongyang, although the extent of the influence she wields is keeping a whole array of worldwide intelligence agencies busy. But it is a fact that she has taken the lead in commenting on relations between Washington and Pyongyang, so her declarations are closely watched.
Kim Yo-jong's evolution into Pyongyang's top de facto diplomat offers other advantages to North Korea. In a world where there are more female heads of state and senior officials, it is useful for North Korea to have one of their own to show off.
Vice President Harris also has a strong sense of self and a very diverse background. The daughter of highly-educated immigrants from Jamaica and India, she has made a successful career in law and politics and is a quintessential example of the American success story.
Having been born and spent much of her life in California, where she represented the state in the U.S. Senate, Harris is also familiar with the Korean-American community, while her political career has given her insights into defense and diplomatic issues, including those with Korea. Assuming the role of a negotiator with Kim Yo-jong would enhance her status and could very well fit with her plans to run for president again once Biden departs from the scene.
Harris also has the chops to deal with Kim Yo-jong that Pence clearly lacked in his brief encounter with her. Indeed, the two might have a wary respect for each other. The photo op of two powerful women of color meeting and negotiating is a good one for both.
Tea at the DMZ or a Singapore redux? Stay tuned. Just maybe.
Paul Tyson is a retired U.S. diplomat teaching diplomacy and government at New England College.
14. Sources: Rice in food distributions is from outside of North Korea
Not surprising. I have spoken with a former north Korean soldier who reserved in the 4th Corps during the SunShine Policy period. When I asked him about his routine work day and learned that they spent the morning doing agricultural work I asked if that meant working in the rice fields. He said they did not grow rice because all the rice for the 4th Corps came from South Korea. They knew this because of the very high qualify to the rice sacks (which they used to make clothing and essentials once they used up the rice as again because the sacks were of such high quality). But the key point is outside aid was being diverted to the military.
Given the report below that may no longer be the case because the rice from the military is of much lower quality.
Sources: Rice in food distributions is from outside of North Korea - Daily NK
Most of the food distributed to food-poor families has reportedly been corn, with some poor quality rice thrown in as well
By Seulkee Jang - 2021.08.09 10:00am
North Korean authorities recently provided rice to government cadres and their families, but multiple sources inside the country say the rice originated from outside the country.
A source in North Korea told Daily NK on Wednesday that the authorities provided five days of “pretty high-quality rice” to members of “special bodies” such as the Central Committee, military and Ministry of State Security from July 31. “North Korean rice has [small] stones mixed in, but the rice provided this time was clean without a single stone,” he said.
Another source in North Korea who works in the rice industry said the recently distributed rice was shiny and sticky when steamed. “It’s definitely not from North Korea, nor have I ever seen rice this good coming from China,” he added.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) recently claimed that North Korea is distributing rice from wartime emergency stores due to food shortages, but Daily NK sources in North Korea stressed that the rice recently provided to cadres was not from these stores.
According to South Korean lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung of the People Power Party, NIS chief Park Jie-won told a plenary session of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that with North Korea’s grain situation worsening this year, North Korean authorities provided wartime emergency stores of rice to “food-poor families and workers at provincial government organizations and enterprises.”
However, Daily NK sources say that because rice from North Korea’s wartime emergency stores is of such poor quality, people can clearly distinguish it from rice in general distribution in the country.
Market official on patrol in Sunchon, South Pyongan Province. / Image: Daily NK
With some of the rice distributed to the cadres and their families finding its way into markets, rumors have spread among locals that “cadres received rice of a quality never seen before.”
Daily NK also understands that illegal ship-to-ship transfers took place “countless times” in the open waters near the port of Nampo last month.
“Work took place in the middle of the night with the lights turned off, so we cannot confirm which items entered the country,” one of the sources told Daily NK. “It’s clear, however, that the transfers took place not just once or twice, but several times.”
That being said, most of the food distributed to food-poor families has reportedly been corn, with some poor quality rice thrown in as well.
Multiple Daily NK sources in North Korea have reported that the grain provided to food-poor families “appears to be corn from China.”
Corn accounted for most of the “problematic” Chinese grain imported by Ri Pyong Chol, the recently disgraced vice chairperson of the Central Military Commission. It seems highly likely that this corn was supplied to families suffering from food shortages during the latest distribution.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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.
