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Quotes for the Day:
“The buying of more than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching toward infinity…”
- A. Edward Newton
"It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error."
- Thomas Paine
"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words."
- Philip K. Dick
1. N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military
2. Yoon oversees S. Korea-U.S. live-fire drills
3. N. Korea appears to continue unauthorized use of joint industrial complex
4. N. Korea's Kim touts leadership of China's Xi in birthday greetings
5. National Intelligence Service reverts personnel assignment
6. The potential of the gaming industry
7. North Korea fires two ballistic missiles into East Sea: JCS
8. Yoon vows 'peace through strength' at joint live-fire drill
9. The spy agency should be born again
10. Korea should lead by example
11. A Not-So-Secret US-South Korea Action Plan
12. Megawati touts North Korea as model for nuclear program
13. North Korea: Residents tell BBC of neighbours starving to death
14. Partnership in era of 'New Washington Consensus'
1. N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military
Of course the punists and press will "blame" the ROK/US Combined live fire exercises.
An "apparent protest" by the regime against the combined ROK/US exercises?
The regime is going to conduct a provocation when it wants to conduct a provocation. We have to try to understand what effect the regime is trying to achieve by conducting a missile launch? The simplest reason may be to test a new system or to simply train its forces to maintain readiness. Everything the regime does is not always about sending a message to the ROK and US. That said the purpose of this recent launch may in fact be a deliberate part of the regime' political warfare strgy and is designed to support those who criticize the ROK/US alliance for maintaining military readiness and consider alliance actions as hostile when in fact they are defensive exercises to sustained readiness to defend the ROK and deter a north Korean attack.
(LEAD) N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · June 15, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with N. Korean response, details)
SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Thursday, Seoul's military said, in apparent protest over a recent series of massive South Korea-U.S. live-fire drills that ended this week.
Earlier in the day, a spokesperson for the North's defense ministry issued a statement denouncing what it called the "provocative and irresponsible" drills.
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launch. It did not elaborate, pending an analysis.
The allies ended the fifth and last round of the Combined Joint Live-Fire Exercise, the first of its kind in six years, at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, just 25 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border, on Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance.
More than 610 military assets were mobilized for the drills, including F-35A fighters and K9 self-propelled howitzers from the South Korean side, and F-16 fighter jets and Gray Eagle drones from the U.S. side.
The North's defense ministry accused the allies of escalating tensions, saying the drills warrant its "inevitable" response.
"Our army strongly denounces the provocative and irresponsible moves of the puppet military authorities escalating the military tension in the region despite its repeated warnings and warns them solemnly," the spokesperson said in the statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
"Our armed forces will fully counter any form of demonstrative moves and provocation of the enemies," the official added.
The latest launch also came as the South Korean military has been conducting an operation to salvage the wreckage of an ill-fated North Korean space rocket in the Yellow Sea.
On May 31, the North fired what it claimed to be a satellite-carrying rocket, but it crashed into the sea due to the abnormal starting of the second-stage engine, according to the North's state media.
The North last conducted a missile launch on April 13. It claimed to have fired a new solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile.
This file photo, carried by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on Dec. 19, 2022, shows the North conducting "an "important final-stage test" at Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Cholsan, North Pyongan Province, for the development of a reconnaissance satellite the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · June 15, 2023
2. Yoon oversees S. Korea-U.S. live-fire drills
Excellent. Thank you President Yoon for stepping up and supporting the ROK/US CFC which of course he and President Biden equally share command of. This sends an important message. It is not a one time event either. This will become normalized and a part of year around readiness training.
I have fond memories of all the training areas in Pocheon. We covered a lot of ground there back in the day.
Excerpt:
More than 610 military assets were mobilized for the drills, including F-35A fighters and K9 self-propelled howitzers from the South Korean side, and F-16 fighter jets and Gray Eagle drones from the U.S. side, with the participation of more than 2,500 South Korean and American troops from 71 units.
Yoon oversees S. Korea-U.S. live-fire drills | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · June 15, 2023
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday oversaw live-fire drills staged jointly by South Korean and U.S. forces on the largest-ever scale, his office said.
The Combined Joint Live-Fire Exercise, the first of its kind in six years, was held at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, just 25 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border, to mark the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and the 75th anniversary of the founding of South Korea's armed forces.
More than 610 military assets were mobilized for the drills, including F-35A fighters and K9 self-propelled howitzers from the South Korean side, and F-16 fighter jets and Gray Eagle drones from the U.S. side, with the participation of more than 2,500 South Korean and American troops from 71 units.
The exercise was held under the scenario of a North Korean provocation, with the first part focusing on responding to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and repelling its possible attack. The second part demonstrated the allies' counterattack capabilities.
The drills were watched by some 2,000 people, including 300 people invited as "citizen observers," Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, the chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force and South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command chief Gen. Paul LaCamera.
The combined exercise began last month and was staged a total of five times, with the last round held Thursday.
President Yoon Suk Yeol observes the Combined Joint Live-Fire Exercise at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, just 25 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border, on June 15, 2023. (Yonhap)
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · June 15, 2023
3. N. Korea appears to continue unauthorized use of joint industrial complex
Although Kaesong is an unusual and one of a kind case, the regime's actions are indications of why international business can never invest in north Korea because of its irresponsible business practices. The regime does what it wants and businesses suffer what the must.
N. Korea appears to continue unauthorized use of joint industrial complex | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · June 15, 2023
SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korea still appears to be operating facilities at a now-shuttered joint industrial complex in the North's border city of Kaesong despite Seoul's repeated warnings against the unauthorized move, Seoul's unification ministry said Thursday.
The ministry has "continuously" detected signs of the North illegally running facilities in the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the namesake border city, a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
Such signs include buses entering the factory zone and lights turned on at the site at night.
On whether the government plans to take legal measures against such a move, the official said the ministry is reviewing "various measures," without elaboration.
The remarks came a day after Seoul lodged a symbolic damages suit against the North over its demolition of an inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong. On June 16, 2020, the North blew up the joint office in protest against Seoul's failure to stop North Korean defectors from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.
The government sought 44.7 billion won (US$35 million) as compensation for losses incurred in the South's state assets and stressed that it will continue to hold Pyongyang responsible for any infringement of property rights.
The official, however, said that Seoul respects and remains committed to previous administrations' efforts for reconciliation in inter-Korean relations, referring to the anniversary of the June 15 Declaration adopted at a historic summit in 2000 between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
This composite file image, consisting of two photos taken from South Korea's border town of Paju, 37 kilometers northwest of Seoul, shows what appears to be propaganda banners on display (L) at the Kaesong Industrial Complex on May 30, 2023, compared with a photo without banners taken in February (R). (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · June 15, 2023
4. N. Korea's Kim touts leadership of China's Xi in birthday greetings
Still closer than lips and teeth.
(LEAD) N. Korea's Kim touts leadership of China's Xi in birthday greetings | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · June 15, 2023
(ATTN: ADDS details)
SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping on his 70th birthday, saying that Beijing's national power has "remarkably" strengthened under his leadership, Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday.
In the message, Kim said that Beijing has "built a comprehensively well-off society" and that its "national power and international position remarkably strengthened" under Xi's "energetic" leadership, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"The message expressed belief that the struggle for the prosperity of China will surely emerge victorious as there are the leadership of Xi Jinping and the Chinese party and people rallied around the Party Central Committee with him as its core," the KCNA said in an English-language dispatch.
Kim also said he is pleased to see Xi's achievements and wished him more success in his "important and responsible work" in leading China.
The North Korean leader sent a flower basket to Xi, which the North Korean ambassador to China delivered to the deputy head of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party on Tuesday, according to the KCNA.
The message came as the North has been seeking to strengthen ties with China, its traditional ally and economic benefactor, amid global sanctions on its nuclear and missile programs, and stalled denuclearization talks with the United States.
Last October, Kim also sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on his 70th birthday, lauding his leadership and expressing hope for bilateral ties between their countries to further develop.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talk at the Kumsusan State Guesthouse in Pyongyang on June 21, 2019, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · June 15, 2023
5. National Intelligence Service reverts personnel assignment
Problems within the South Korean intelligence community.
National Intelligence Service reverts personnel assignment
donga.com
Posted June. 15, 2023 08:02,
Updated June. 15, 2023 08:02
National Intelligence Service reverts personnel assignment. June. 15, 2023 08:02. .
It was reported that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) canceled the assignment of seven general directors and directors of Class I, which was only announced five days ago, and issued a waiting order for all the seven officials, making it the first occasion where the assignment of high-ranking NIS positions was reverted after the presidential office verified it with a presidential determination issued and even officially announced. Consequently, NIS Director Kim Kyou-hyun submitted a resignation letter to the presidential office last week to hold himself responsible for reversing the assignment announcement.
The unprecedented cancellation of personnel assignments is another occurrence that implies internal discord following the sudden resignation of Cho Sang-joon, a deputy director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), last October under President Yoon Yoon Suk Yeol's administration. Back then, rumor had it that the then deputy director Cho, a former prosecutor known to be close to President Yoon, and Director Kim, a former diplomat, were often at odds with each other regarding personnel matters. On a recent occasion, it was said that things were put on hold as it was belatedly reported to the presidential office that a high-ranking official who is close to Director Kim interfered with communication at the leadership level to pull some strings in the assignment process. The controversy was internally spurred as it turned out that promotions were given to the official in question and his close friends and former colleagues.
Every time a new government is inaugurated, it is seemingly a conventional practice that the NIS undergo large-scale personnel restructuring. A large number of NIS high-class leaders have left the agency once a new administration came into power promising to reshuffle the personnel system or drain the swamp. The Yoon administration also discharged all NIS leaders of Class I who were appointed by the previous administration and assigned the vacant positions to those internally promoted last September or four months after it took office. It newly assigned Class II and Class III positions as well at the end of the last year. As some high-ranking leaders who failed to be promoted last year raised their voices regarding the assignment of Class I positions, even the announced appointments were unprecedentedly revoked.
It needs to be taken seriously that the country's central agency for national security is still in trouble amid the internal strife regarding personnel matters, even in the second year of the current government. More importantly, the NIS is supposed to run unwaveringly and persistently as an intelligence agency. Nevertheless, the agency of such great significance still struggles with disagreements over personnel assignments, presumably because of a deeply rooted ugly combination of political circles regarding the agency as a puppet for the sake of government security of their own and the agency's insiders who take advantage. Regrettably, if every new administration wrongly believes that the first thing to do is to remove "traitors” selected by their predecessors, this organization that requires secrecy and confidentiality will only receive unpleasant and unnecessary attention to its internal affairs.
한국어
donga.com
6. The potential of the gaming industry
We are missing the boat here. The gaming environment is where China is shaping long term narratives. Yet it is a space where democratic governments cannot compete and our commercial companies are not concerned with national narratives to achieve national security effects over time. As General Milley said in the Joint Concept for Competing we have to prevent losing without fighting - In the gaming environment we are losing and we are not fighting.
Excerpts:
Meanwhile, Korea’s gaming business does not look too optimistic for now. China, which had taken up 30% of Korea’s game exports, is expanding its foothold in the market by creating its games and capitalizing on its capital and resources. With the gaming industry losing its appeal, IT resources are leaving the industry, impacting the ecosystem of AI engineers. It is worrisome that we may lose the optimal timing to accept and support the gaming business as a key pillar of the industry.
Korean game companies also need to work harder to improve their image. They should improve their earning structure, which encouraged users to spend more and overindulge. Creating high-quality content is key to innovating negative public perceptions towards games. Areas that need to be addressed should be seriously looked at and acted on an industry-wide level. We must bear in mind that the gaming industry is a vital market for export and job creation.
The potential of the gaming industry
donga.com
Posted June. 15, 2023 08:00,
Updated June. 15, 2023 08:00
The potential of the gaming industry. June. 15, 2023 08:00. .
Korea’s perception towards the potential of the gaming industry remains unchanged. While the gaming industry is viewed globally as a new growth momentum, the predominant view in Korea is that it is gambling oriented and overindulgent. Despite such views, however, the global gaming industry grows at a tremendous pace.
At the CES 2023 held in Las Vegas this year, Steve Koenig, vice president of Market Research for the Consumer Electronics Association, mentioned gaming as a key tech trend for the year. According to market research company Omdia, consumers’ global spending for games by 2027 is projected to reach 215 billion dollars (around 274 trillion won) exceeding spending on movies or video content.
The destination to highly trending AI, virtual reality, or metaverse points to gaming as well. Excluding business tools, the deliverables of AI engineering will be mostly concentrated on the entertainment business. The competition to win leftover time because of reduced work being replaced by AI (whether voluntarily or forced) will grow more intense than ever. This also explains why the gaming business joins forces with autonomous driving.
Meanwhile, Korea’s gaming business does not look too optimistic for now. China, which had taken up 30% of Korea’s game exports, is expanding its foothold in the market by creating its games and capitalizing on its capital and resources. With the gaming industry losing its appeal, IT resources are leaving the industry, impacting the ecosystem of AI engineers. It is worrisome that we may lose the optimal timing to accept and support the gaming business as a key pillar of the industry.
Korean game companies also need to work harder to improve their image. They should improve their earning structure, which encouraged users to spend more and overindulge. Creating high-quality content is key to innovating negative public perceptions towards games. Areas that need to be addressed should be seriously looked at and acted on an industry-wide level. We must bear in mind that the gaming industry is a vital market for export and job creation.
한국어
donga.com
7. North Korea fires two ballistic missiles into East Sea: JCS
As the news media says, this is a developing story. But also nothing new or that we have not expected.
Thursday
June 15, 2023
dictionary + A - A
North Korea fires two ballistic missiles into East Sea: JCS
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/06/15/national/northKorea/North-Korea-Ballsitc-missile/20230615195204145.html
News of North Korea's mid-range missile launch appears on a news broadcast on a TV at Seoul Station in April. [YONHAP]
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSC) said Thursday evening.
The missiles were launched from Sunan area, near Pyongyang.
The launch comes 63 days after North Korea fired its intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-18 on solid fuel on April 13.
At the end of May, North Korea also launched what it claimed to be a military surveillance satellite, thought the launch ended in failure.
North Korea’s latest missile launch came on the same day South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol observed a large-scale live-fire artillery drill by South Korean and U.S. troops in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, the first exercise of its kind in six years.
BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]
8. Yoon vows 'peace through strength' at joint live-fire drill
Compare the dignified nature of President Yoon in the photos at the link with the usual photos of Kim Jong Un at his missile launches.
Thursday
June 15, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Yoon vows 'peace through strength' at joint live-fire drill
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/06/15/national/defense/Korea-Yoon-Suk-Yeol-livefire-drills/20230615184753702.html
President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, greets troops, observing the largest-ever combined live-fire drill with South Korean and U.S. forces at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, near the inter-Korean border on Thursday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
President Yoon Suk Yeol presided over the largest-ever combined and joint live-fire artillery drill between South Korean and U.S. troops in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, Thursday, the first of its kind in six years, in a show of force against North Korea.
The joint war simulation involving live-fire bombings and overflights by combat jets in the latest show is meant to strengthen deterrence against potential provocations by Pyongyang.
It was the first exercise of its kind since 2017 and also the first time it was held under presidential supervision since 2015, during the Park Geun-hye administration.
It comes as Seoul and Washington commemorate the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance 75th anniversary of the founding of South Korea's armed forces this year.
Some 2,500 Korean and U.S. troops from 71 units took part in the exercise, mobilizing 610 military assets including South Korea's F-35A stealth fighters and K9 self-propelled howitzers and the U.S. Air Force's F-16 fighters and MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones, according to the presidential office.
The troops conducted practical maneuvering and live-fire training based on North Korean provocation scenarios and checked their ability to conduct combined and joint operations to realize "peace through strength."
"True peace comes from protecting national security with our own strength, not a fake peace that depends on the goodwill of the enemy," Yoon told troops at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, near the inter-Korean border. "Only a strong military that can fight and defeat the enemy, one that the enemy cannot dare to overcome, can guarantee the freedom, peace, and prosperity of the Republic of Korea."
The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name.
The drill was an opportunity for the combined forces of South Korea and the U.S. to mobilize their latest land, sea and air weapons to show off their ability to retaliate and destroy a potential enemy.
South Korean and U.S. military forces take part in a large-scale combined live-fire drill at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, near the inter-Korean border on Thursday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
The first part of the exercise focused on responding to North Korea's potential nuclear and missile threats and repelling a possible full-scale attack.
This included defending against a possible North Korean surprise attack, which included combined forces neutralizing the enemy's long-range artillery by dropping air bombs from a squadron of KF-16s and FA-50s. They also simulated cross-fire in a general outpost area, while South Korea's military mobilized reconnaissance drones and attack helicopters to monitor the situation and conduct precise strikes on key targets.
The second part focused on counterattack operations involving precision strikes with air and artillery power against key targets identified by joint surveillance and reconnaissance assets.
"Our government will firmly defend the country and protect the lives and safety of the people with a solid security posture and practical training," Yoon said.
Some 300 public observers viewed the event, including lawmakers, former military and government officials and defense industry leaders.
The high-profile firepower demonstrations date back to 1977.
"It was an occasion to check the operational capability to realize peace by force" during a hypothetical North Korean attack, said Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential secretary for public communications, in a press briefing Thursday afternoon. "The training ground where today's drills took place was first created by the U.S. military and developed by the South Korean military. So, it can be said that it has special meaning as a place that symbolizes the 70-year history of the South Korea-U.S. alliance."
President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, observes the largest-ever combined live-fire drill with South Korean and U.S. forces at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, near the inter-Korean border on Thursday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
9. The spy agency should be born again
South Korea needs to get this sorted out and get the NIS on the right path to support ROK national security.
Thursday
June 15, 2023
dictionary + A - A
The spy agency should be born again
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/06/15/opinion/editorials/spy-agency-NIS-appointment/20230615203044373.html
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has become shaky after the appointments of top officials of the spy agency by President Yoon Suk Yeol were reversed. After reviewing a list of names for their promotion to the first-level agents, NIS chief Kim Kyou-hyun submitted the list to the President Yoon and the president approved it. But his approval has become null and void after problems were found. It turned out that a confidante of the spy chief was included in the promotion list and he is suspected of having influence in promoting four to six other agents to the top level. Whether President Yoon was aware of the abnormal promotion process has not been known yet.
The recruitment of agents and their promotion at the top spy agency should be fair. If the spy chief’s close aide really affected the promotion of other agents, that constitutes a serious crisis. A bigger problem is lack of an internal system to check the appointment tyranny by an aide to the spy chief. Under the banner of no intervention in domestic politics, the NIS repeatedly pledged to reshape itself, not to mention the removal of a department handling domestic affairs earlier.
After the head of the Office of Planning and Coordination handling personnel affairs and budget in the NIS tendered his resignation last October just four months after his appointment for totally unknown reasons, rumors about internal conflict spread fast. The unspecified stepdown of the official could be the prelude to the latest appointment crisis. As the world has turned into a battleground for information, the role of spy agency has grown more than ever. Now it must not only catch spies from the enemy but also defend against unceasing cyberattacks from outside and discover industrial spies. The NIS plays a crucial role in collecting information and coordinating stakeholders behind the scenes. The top spy agency must return to normal after putting the appointment fiasco behind.
At the same time, the NIS must take this as an opportunity to reposition itself as an intelligence agency for the sake of national interests. Its code of conduct stipulates “a silent devotion to national security and protection of the people.” If the agency is swayed by political influence or adheres to its own interests, it cannot avoid criticism for serving the powers that be. The practice of changing the spy chief whenever the governing power changes also must stop. Departure of the top spy with affluent experiences in the field translates into a big loss for national interest. The government must be careful in appointing the head of NIS and politicians must ensure the spy agency not be swayed by political pressure no matter what.
10. Korea should lead by example
Conclusion:
Whether Korea has reached a great power level or not is debatable. But it may be fair to say that it is moving steadily in that direction. What is important, however, is that status or designation will follow when Korea leads by example, being mindful of "noblesse oblige." It depends on what we can do for the common public goods with humility, not for narrowly focused nationalistic dreams as often pursued by great powers and middle powers alike throughout history. The Yoon government is now "Present at the Creation" of a new regional and global order.
Korea should lead by example
The Korea Times · June 15, 2023
By Yun Byung-se
Last week, the Yoon Suk Yeol government released its first-ever National Security Strategy (NSS) with the subheading "Global Pivotal State (GPS) for Freedom, Peace and Prosperity." The NSS is expected to serve as a comprehensive guide for foreign, defense and unification policy direction throughout his government. It will put more flesh on the GPS vision, one of the six key pillars of national agendas. The NSS is designed to work in tandem with Yoon's Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) which was released late last year.
Both the NSS and the IPS dovetail well with the respective strategies of the U.S., Japan, EU, NATO and Australia. It marks a clear turnaround from the previous government in terms of vision, objectives and strategies.
Since the inception of GPS, a frequently asked question from our friends abroad, including the U.S., was, "GPS is a welcome vision, but where's the beef?" Now, one year into the presidency, the Yoon government has accumulated significant ammunition to offer its response, not just philosophically but through concrete policy actions. This came in the form of the ROK assistance to Ukraine and Pacific Islands countries, hosting and co-hosting the democracy summit, election as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, as well as participation in trilateral, plurilateral, regional and global initiatives on peace and security, development, climate change, health security, economic security and cybersecurity, to name a few.
It is no coincidence that President Yoon's recent G7 Summit participation in Hiroshima triggered a lively and serious debate at home on the need for Korea to join the club as a G8 ― not as an on-and-off guest to the G7.
Foreign Minister Park Jin is an eloquent spokesperson for the rationale. He submits that the Yoon government's multilateral diplomacy over the last year has elevated Korea's status to the G7 level. Many Korean experts and the Federation of Korean Industries support and further elaborate on this argument, offering statistics such as per capita GDP among countries with populations over 50 million, military capability and export volume which rank Korea between sixth and eighth, as well as its top-tier soft power.
It is also encouraging to see growing foreign opinions in favor of this elevated status and role for Korea as well.
Recently, former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Kathleen Stephens provided a cogent argument stating, "Over the last years, we've seen the Republic of Korea joining the top table of a whole variety of international institutions and not just its membership but its leadership in the G20 was very important, especially in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. It is very important for South Korea to continue to expand its leadership role in a variety of like-minded international institutions."
As she rightly noted, leadership is no less important than membership. Korea joined the inaugural G20 summit in 2008, which was formally designated in 2009 as the "premier forum for international economic cooperation." Korea lost no time in meeting international expectations by successfully hosting the G20 summit in 2010.
For the first time, development policy issues were put on the G20 Summit agenda which came to be known as the "Seoul Consensus." Development has since been a standard agenda of every subsequent summit. As a country that transitioned from an aid recipient to a donor, Korea played a bridging role between the G20 and the Global South.
In a similar context, Korea's election to the non-permanent membership of the U.N. Security Council last week, for the third time in just three decades, will serve as another opportunity to display such leadership especially when the world is riddled with unprecedented poly-crises. Certainly, it can draw on two previous membership experiences for wisdom and insight.
It is one thing to be a member of the G8, G10 or D10, but it is another to play a leadership role commensurate with its national prowess and moral standings. Over the last several decades, Korea used to be called by various names ― "Asian tiger," "Little Asian Dragon," "shrimp among whales," "dolphin" and "middle power." Now, the Yoon government calls Korea a global pivotal state. Also, according to a media report, the forthcoming report of the Institute for Future Strategy of Seoul National University is expected to define Korea's status as a great power. This echoes the view of professor Ramon Pacheco Pardo at King's College London who in his recent book recognized Korea's growth from a shrimp to a whale.
Whether Korea has reached a great power level or not is debatable. But it may be fair to say that it is moving steadily in that direction. What is important, however, is that status or designation will follow when Korea leads by example, being mindful of "noblesse oblige." It depends on what we can do for the common public goods with humility, not for narrowly focused nationalistic dreams as often pursued by great powers and middle powers alike throughout history. The Yoon government is now "Present at the Creation" of a new regional and global order.
Yun Byung-se, a former foreign minister of South Korea (2013-17), is now a board member of the Korea Peace Foundation and a member of several ex-global leaders' forums and taskforces, including the Astana Forum and its Consultative Council as well as the Task Force on U.S. Allies and Nuclear Weapons Proliferation sponsored by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
The Korea Times · June 15, 2023
11. A Not-So-Secret US-South Korea Action Plan
Good analysis of the alliance partnership but like most pundits and commentators they overlook the most important task of the ROK and the US getting the most out of the partnership. That is seeking a common objective, and an "end state" to the Korean security problem or the acceptable durable political arrangement that will protect, sustain, and advance common alliance interests and ultimately solve the "Korea question" (para 60 of the Armistice). The most important 26 words from the Biden Yoon summit are overlooked by the press, pundits, policy makers, and public.
"The two presidents are committed to build a better future for all Korean people and support a unified Korean Peninsula that is free and at peace." https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2023/05/137_350494.html
This is the strategic clarity that provides the guidance to ROK and US policymakers, strategists and planners to achieve security and prosperity on the Korean peninsula. This should be the focus on the alliance. Everything the authors outline below is important. But most actions need to ba taken to support the ultimate strategic aim of the pursuit of a free and unified Korea. Evaluation criteria for all actions should include asking how does this action contribute to the pursuit of a free and unified Korea?
Excerpt:
There is a not-so-secret formula for getting the most out of the partnership of the two nations. Enduring partnerships work together on all common vital interests, elevating the South Korea-U.S. strategic partnership beyond primarily security cooperation and Korean pop music boy bands to cover the breadth of diplomatic, economic, technological, and cultural spheres. There are many areas of opportunity for greater cooperation.
A Not-So-Secret US-South Korea Action Plan
James Carafano / @JJCarafano / Anthony B. Kim / @AKFREEDOM / June 13, 2023
dailysignal.com · by James Carafano · June 13, 2023
Policymakers in Washington and Seoul rightly suspect that by the 70th anniversary of Korean-American relations, the agenda for the two nations is way more than just wrapping up the aftermath of the Korean War.
No two countries have benefited more from the world’s free and open spaces than South Korea and the United States.
This is not about defending some mythical rules-based order. This is about two great powers working together to protect their interests among the troubles of the modern world.
There is a not-so-secret formula for getting the most out of the partnership of the two nations. Enduring partnerships work together on all common vital interests, elevating the South Korea-U.S. strategic partnership beyond primarily security cooperation and Korean pop music boy bands to cover the breadth of diplomatic, economic, technological, and cultural spheres. There are many areas of opportunity for greater cooperation.
Here, we want to focus on the two that are transformative.
The first is that the burgeoning partnership has to build on a firm foundation of regional peace and stability. Looking to a promising future is fine, but security still matters.
Integral to the foundation of peace and stability in Northeast Asia is the unbreakable bond of trust and confidence between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan. More than just consultation and cooperation, the three countries are the quintessential trilateral team to ensure a stable region.
Fortunately, the U.S. is blessed with governments in Seoul and Tokyo that understand the value of making our three countries the Three Musketeers of Northeast Asia. Both administrations should be commended for their sincere efforts to look to the future of bilateral relations to the benefits of both countries.
The U.S. task is simple: Remain a strong and committed partner for both and start thinking creatively of how to take what we can do together to reach the next pragmatic level. For instance, perhaps Washington, along with Tokyo, ought to be thinking about how we raise the status of the Indo-Pacific relative to its importance in the global community by proposing to add South Korea to the Group of Seven.
On another practical front, Seoul has already taken some tentative steps, but it’s time for the U.S. and South Korea to leverage the best of what they both can bring to the table—diplomatic clout, private sector investment, and capacity-building in the free and open spaces that are important to both of us.
Free and open spaces is about building resilient and free paths of supply chains, commerce, and cooperation without the malicious bullying of great power politics and spheres of influence. Connecting these spaces together is a project where both America and South Korea have the right toolkit to have impact. Indeed, now is the time for Washington and Seoul to focus on further advancing the U.S.- South Korea bilateral alliance onto the global stage.
The potential space for such timely greater engagements span from the Nordic countries to central and southern Europe; from the Black Sea to the Caucuses and Central Asia; and from the eastern Mediterranean to the Middle East and West Africa and then across the Indo-Pacific to Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea; and also east across the Atlantic in the Western Hemisphere.
South Korea is already engaging beyond Northeast Asia in important ways, becoming a major arms supplier for Poland, for example. Conversely, European countries are collectively one of the biggest foreign direct investors in South Korea.
Yet there’s more that can and should be done. South Korea, for example, could contribute to the Three Seas Initiative, a commercial fund to build out Europe’s north-south infrastructure and connectivity. South Korea could and should participate in investing in the reconstruction of Ukraine, a partner project of the Three Seas Initiative.
Furthermore, South Korea could join in developing the Middle Corridor—the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route—linking Central Asia’s energy, resources, and manufacturing potential through the Caucuses to the rest of the world, a space where South Korean companies already have been quite active.
Building free and open spaces not only benefits great trading and partner nations such as South Korea and the U.S. in reducing the space for malicious powers to meddle and disrupt stability across Eurasia. Partnering on these activities could be transformational for South Korean-American relations, but more importantly for our freedom, prosperity, and security for the next 70 years.
Seizing such greater strategic clarity and refinement, particularly at this critical juncture of an evolving geopolitical environment, would be a fulfilling way to gain from an ever-evolving partnership on key policy fronts to move the U.S.-South Korea bilateral alliance onward and upward.
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.
dailysignal.com · by James Carafano · June 13, 2023
12. Megawati touts North Korea as model for nuclear program
Hmmm...
Dr. Bruce Bennett describes north Korea this way: "a noncompliant, unsafe, nuclear experimenter." Is that the model Magawati thinks is good for Indonesia?
Megawati touts North Korea as model for nuclear program
nationthailand.com · June 14, 2023
Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri said on Monday that the country should emulate North Korea in building its nuclear capacity and called on the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) to start designing a nuclear reactor.
In a statement made during the signing of an agreement between BRIN and the state-owned broadcaster TVRI, Megawati said that it was not too late for Indonesia to catch up with nuclear-weapons states like North Korea.
“If we can develop the technology, it’s never too late. We can catch up with countries that have nuclear programs,” Megawati said, as quoted by Antara.
The matriarch of the PDI-P said budgetary constraints should not hinder the development of nuclear programs.
“How can a country like North Korea develop its nuclear program? It’s a problem of human resources I believe,” Megawati said.
Indonesia has been steering away from nuclear plants since then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued a government regulation in 2014 that declared such plants “a last resort option” to power the country.
The regulation instead prioritizes coal, natural gas and renewables, namely geothermal, solar, wind, hydropower, bio and tidal energy, for electricity production.
In the past few years, private firms have expressed an interest in building smaller-capacity nuclear power plants.
The Washington-based power producer ThorCon International Pte Ltd has been engaging with Indonesian regulators and state-owned enterprises to launch a 500-megawatt floating nuclear power plant in the country by 2027.
The Jakarta Post
Asia News Network
nationthailand.com · June 14, 2023
13. North Korea: Residents tell BBC of neighbours starving to death
More evil from the Kim family regime. KJU spent $650 billion on missile tests last year. It has allegedly stolen billions of dollars through crypto and cyber activities. There is no reason why the Korean people in the north should be suffering like this. It is solely because Kim prioritizes nuclear and missile development and support to himself and his elite over the welfare of the Korean people.
But the question we have to ask is whether the conditions in the north will lead to instability and ultimately threaten the existence of the regime. And this is why Kim is more afraid of the Korean people than he is of the ROK/US combined military force.
North Korea: Residents tell BBC of neighbours starving to death
BBC · by Menu
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By Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent
People in North Korea have told the BBC food is so scarce their neighbours have starved to death.
Exclusive interviews gathered inside the world's most isolated state suggest the situation is the worst it has been since the 1990s, experts say.
The government sealed its borders in 2020, cutting off vital supplies. It has also tightened control over people's lives, our interviewees say.
Pyongyang told the BBC it has always prioritised its citizens' interests.
The BBC has secretly interviewed three ordinary people in North Korea, with the help of the organisation Daily NK which operates a network of sources in the country. They told us that since the border closure, they are afraid they will either starve to death or be executed for flouting the rules. It is extremely rare to hear from people living in North Korea.
The interviews reveal a "devastating tragedy is unfolding" in the country, said Sokeel Park from Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), which supports North Korean escapees.
One woman living in the capital Pyongyang told us she knew a family of three who had starved to death at home. "We knocked on their door to give them water, but nobody answered," Ji Yeon said. When the authorities went inside, they found them dead, she said. Ji Yeon's name has been changed to protect her, along with those of the others we interviewed.
A construction worker who lives near the Chinese border, whom we have called Chan Ho, told us food supplies were so low that five people in his village had already died from starvation.
"At first, I was afraid of dying from Covid, but then I began to worry about starving to death," he said.
North Korea has never been able to produce enough food for its 26 million people. When it shut its border in January 2020, authorities stopped importing grain from China, as well as the fertilisers and machinery needed to grow food.
Meanwhile, they have fortified the border with fences, while reportedly ordering guards to shoot anyone trying to cross. This has made it nearly impossible for people to smuggle in food to sell at the unofficial markets, where most North Koreans shop.
A market trader from the north of the country, whom we have named Myong Suk, told us that almost three quarters of the products in her local market used to come from China, but that it was "empty now".
She, like others who make their living selling goods smuggled across the border, has seen most of her income disappear. She told us her family has never had so little to eat, and that recently people had been knocking on her door asking for food because they were so hungry.
From Pyongyang, Ji Yeon told us she had heard of people who had killed themselves at home or disappeared into the mountains to die, because they could no longer make a living.
Media caption,
Watch a clip from Ji Yeon's animated testimony
She was struggling to feed her children, she said. Once, she went two days without eating and thought she was going to die in her sleep.
In the late 1990s, North Korea experienced a devastating famine which killed as many as three million people. Recent rumours of starvation, which these interviews corroborate, have prompted fears the country could be on the brink of another catastrophe.
Inside North Korea - voices from behind the sealed border
"That normal, middle-class people are seeing starvation in their neighbourhoods, is very concerning," said the North Korea economist Peter Ward. "We are not talking about full-scale societal collapse and mass starvation yet, but this does not look good."
Hanna Song, the director of NKDB, which documents human rights violations in North Korea, agreed. "For the past 10-15 years we have rarely heard of cases of starvation. This takes us back to the most difficult time in North Korean history."
Even the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has hinted at the seriousness of the situation - at one point referring openly to a "food crisis", while making various attempts to boost agricultural production. Despite this, he has prioritised funding his nuclear weapons programme, testing a record 63 ballistic missiles in 2022. One estimate puts the total cost of these tests at more than $500m (£398m) - more than the amount needed to make up for North Korea's annual grain shortfall.
Image source, NK NEWS
Image caption,
A rare photo taken inside North Korea during the pandemic, showing people at a crossing in Phyongysong
Our interviewees also revealed how the government has used the past three years to increase its control over people's lives, by strengthening punishments and passing new laws.
Before the pandemic, more than 1,000 people would flee the country each year, crossing the Yalu River into China, according to numbers released by the South Korean government. The market trader Myong Suk told us it had become impossible to escape. "If you even approach the river now you will be given a harsh punishment, so almost nobody is crossing," she said.
The construction worker Chan Ho said his friend's son had recently witnessed several closed-door executions. In each one, three to four people had been killed for attempting to escape. "Every day it gets harder to live," he told us. "One wrong move and you are facing execution."
"We are stuck here waiting to die."
North Korea: The Insiders
For more than three years, North Korea has sealed its borders. People are banned from leaving or entering the country. Almost every foreigner who was inside has packed up and left. The world's most secretive and tyrannical state is now an information black hole. For months, three people inside North Korea have risked their lives to tell the BBC what is happening.
Watch now on BBC iPlayer (UK only) or at 19:00 BST on BBC Two in the UK
We put our findings to the North Korean government, which told us it "has always prioritised the interests of the people, even at difficult times".
"The people's well-being is our foremost priority, even in the face of trials and challenges," said a representative from the North Korean embassy in London.
They also said the information was "not entirely factual", claiming it had been "derived from fabricated testimonies from anti-DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] forces".
But Sokeel Park, from LiNK, said these interviews reveal a "triple whammy" of hardship. "The food situation has become more difficult, people have less freedom to fend for themselves, and it has become pretty much impossible to escape." They support the theory, he said, that "North Korea is now more repressive than it has ever been before."
In Pyongyang, Ji Yeon said the surveillance and crackdowns were now so ruthless that people did not trust each other. She was taken in for questioning under a new law, passed in December 2020, which bans people from sharing and consuming foreign films, TV shows and songs. Under this Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act, aimed at rooting out foreign information, those caught distributing South Korean content can be executed.
A former North Korean diplomat, who defected in 2019, said he was shocked by how extreme the crackdown on foreign influence had become. "Kim Jong Un is afraid that if people understand the situation they are in, and how wealthy South Korea is, they will start hating him and rise up," explained Ryu Hyun Woo.
Our interviews suggest that some people's loyalty has waned over the past three years.
"Before Covid, people viewed Kim Jong Un positively," Myong Suk said. "Now almost everyone is full of discontent."
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14. Partnership in era of 'New Washington Consensus'
Conclusion:
These are examples of how the private sector is responding agilely to the new environment. The public sector must keep up, and renew its PPP efforts. This is not a time to leave Korean industries to their own wits. We live in a world where security and economic issues are becoming increasingly meshed together, which brought about the New Washington Consensus in the first place.
Partnership in era of 'New Washington Consensus'
The Korea Times · June 13, 2023
By Ahn Ho-young
In my many years of service as a diplomat, I experienced two tectonic changes in the international system. The first one was the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s. In the following 30 years or so, the "rules-based international order" spread beyond the borders of the free world. The second one is the ongoing challenges now buffeting the "rules-based international order" in many different parts of the world.
These changes in the international system have been reflected in the economic system as well. The so-called "Washington Consensus" was the prevailing economic belief during the post-Cold War period. People believed that small government, trade and financial liberalization, privatization and regulatory reform were the best package to develop the economy. Now, especially in light of the Global Recession of 2008, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, people are turning away from the Washington Consensus and touting the necessity of the bigger role to be played by the government. Some people began to talk about the emergence of the "New Washington Consensus."
President Joe Biden has been at the center of such a change. He has consistently emphasized the bigger role that the government must play to rebuild manufacturing industries in the U.S., boost the middle class and thus maintain the U.S.' strength as a nation. His emphasis was reflected in many legislative achievements, including the Infrastructure Act, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the CHIPS and Science Act. What these laws share in common is the strengthened role of government, renewed focus on industrial policy and economic nationalism.
During the post-Cold War period, Korea took advantage of the economic tenets propagated by the Washington Consensus to develop its economy. One prominent indicator of Korea's economic achievements was the changes in its per capita GDP, which jumped from $6,600 in 1990 to $35,000 during that period.
I think that one factor which helped Korea greatly during this period was Korea's belief in the importance of public-private partnership (PPP). I once had an opportunity to participate in a meeting President Barack Obama held with Korean business leaders. One of the points I made at the meeting was my belief in PPP. I said that the definition of PPP for me was that the public sector must secure a level playing field so that the private sector could play to the best of its abilities in various chosen industries.
Toward the end of the meeting, President Obama took up the PPP point I had made. He said that, in his observation, Ambassador Ahn's definition of PPP seemed to be widely shared by public servants in Korea, and could explain why the Korean economy had been performing so successfully. It was back in 2014. If PPP was important then, it is even more important today in the era of the New Washington Consensus.
The U.S. adoption of the IRA and the CHIPS Act last year caused much concern in Seoul. In my observation, some of the concerns have been taken care of as of now. The condition of "manufactured in North America," a condition to be met to benefit from the EV subsidy available through the IRA, has been attenuated thanks to the exception provided for rental and lease vehicles. The categorization of what constitutes minerals and components for EV batteries, as was set out in the U.S. Treasury Guidance, is not excessively burdensome for Korean industries. Korea and the U.S. now seem to consult diligently concerning the CHIPS Act subsidy requirements. I assume that the Korean government closely consulted industries to bring about all these developments.
I commend these efforts made by the Korean government. At the same time, it must heed the concerns I often hear that the Korean government is not sufficiently committed to protecting Korean industries from the strengthened industrial policies of the U.S. During my time in Washington, D.C., one of my frequent contacts at the White House left the government to work as a vice president for government relations at Google. When I visited her at her new office, I was impressed with the sheer number of people working for her at the division. It was so large that they had to work out of a huge building of its own. I also heard that Korean semiconductor and battery industry offices in D.C. have been strengthened recently.
These are examples of how the private sector is responding agilely to the new environment. The public sector must keep up, and renew its PPP efforts. This is not a time to leave Korean industries to their own wits. We live in a world where security and economic issues are becoming increasingly meshed together, which brought about the New Washington Consensus in the first place.
Ahn Ho-young is chair professor of North Korean Studies, Kyungnam University.
The Korea Times · June 13, 2023
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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