|
Quotes of the Day:
"The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next."
- Ursula K. Le Guin
"A sign of intelligence is an awareness of one's own ignorance."
- Niccolo Machiavelli
"If we kept in mind that we will soon inevitably die, our lives would be completely different. If a person knows that he will die in a half hour, he certainly will not bother doing trivial, stupid, or, especially, bad things during this half hour. Perhaps you have a half century before you die – what makes this any different from a half hour?"
- Leo Tolstoy.
1. Yoon meets Zelenskyy on surprise visit to Ukraine
2. South Korea asks China to play 'constructive role' against North's threats
3. Kim's sister slams UNSC meeting over ICBM launch, defends it as exercise of self-defense
4. Press Statement of Kim Yo Jong, Vice Department Director of C.C., WPK
5. In rare UN appearance, North Korea defends missile launch
6. Defense minister meets visiting top U.S. general on regional security, alliance
7. S. Korea ramps up diplomatic pressure campaign against N.K. during ASEAN meetings
8. Yoon pledges security, humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Ukraine
9. Rebuilding lives: Going beyond business in post-war projects
10. Korean firms take part in Ukraine's reconstruction efforts
11. 33 MOUs signed between Korean and Polish companies
12. Korean employers in US call for bigger visa quota for professional workers
13. North Korean Stooges Step Into the Light
14. Voice of America [Washington Talk] U.S.-ROK nuclear cooperation promise, unprecedented level... Korea's decision-making power will grow
15. North Korea Says We Are on 'Brink of Nuclear War'
16. Do We Even Care About North Korea's ICBMs Anymore?
17. DPRK providing weapons to Wagner in Africa? - Pyongyang Papers
18. Republic of Korea Air Force and U.S. Special Operations Leaders Reflect on Decades-long Alliance
19. 'Young North Korean defector leaders' meet with diplomats from various countries, including the US ambassador at the UN... Suggestions on how to solve the North Korean problem
20. Mind the Gaps:Reading South Korea’s Emergent Proliferation Strategy
1. Yoon meets Zelenskyy on surprise visit to Ukraine
(4th LD) Yoon meets Zelenskyy on surprise visit to Ukraine | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · July 15, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES with Yoon-Zelenskky meeting taking place, other details; CHANGES headline; ADDS photos)
By Lee Haye-ah
WARSAW, July 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday after making an unannounced visit to Kyiv in a strong show of support for the war-torn nation.
Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee arrived in Ukraine earlier in the day following a three-day official visit to Poland and toured the site of mass killings in Bucha, near Kyiv, before visiting Irpin, a civilian residential area that was destroyed in large-scale missile attacks, according to senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye.
Yoon and Zelenskyy later met at the presidential palace in Kyiv to discuss areas where South Korea can provide additional aid, though details were not immediately available.
The two leaders are scheduled to hold a joint press conference following their summit.
Before the meeting, Yoon was also scheduled to lay a wreath at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine in Kyiv.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after arriving at the Mariinskyi Palace, the official residence of the president of Ukraine, in Kyiv on July 15, 2023, in this photo provided by South Korea's presidential office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee (L) and Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska meet at the Mariinskyi Palace, the official residence of the president of Ukraine, in Kyiv on July 15, 2023, in this photo provided by South Korea's presidential office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
A presidential official told reporters Yoon's visit came at Zelenskyy's invitation, and followed internal deliberations over security and safety, and the need for a visit, before Yoon made the final decision.
"We are preparing comprehensive and concrete measures for assistance and cooperation between Ukraine and South Korea in keeping with the principles South Korea has maintained so far," the official said, adding the summit became necessary for detailed discussions on cooperation during the war and in the post-war reconstruction effort.
The official said South Korea understood the invitation as a reflection of Ukraine's expectations for South Korea in terms of its role in the protracted war against Russia.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (C) and first lady Kim Keon Hee visit a residential area destroyed in the war in Irpin, Ukraine, on July 15, 2023, in this photo provided by the presidential office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Yoon has shown strong support for Ukraine in line with his campaign for freedom, human rights and the rule of law in solidarity with like-minded nations.
South Korea's assistance to Ukraine has included military supplies, such as first-aid kits, medicine, portable mine detectors and protective suits, but the country has denied any request for lethal weapons.
This was the second Yoon-Zelenskyy meeting after one held on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, in May.
At the time, Yoon promised additional non-lethal aid, including demining equipment and ambulances.
Controversy arose earlier this year after Yoon told Reuters in April that it might be difficult to insist only on humanitarian or financial support in the event of large-scale attacks on civilians, massacres or serious violations of the laws of war.
The same month, news reports on a set of leaked Pentagon documents alleged the presidential office grappled with a U.S. request for ammunition for Ukraine in March.
Yoon is the first South Korean president to visit a battlefield where the country's troops have not been deployed, according to his office. Former President Park Chung-hee visited Vietnam during the Vietnam War, while former President Roh Moo-hyun made an unannounced stop in Iraq in 2014.
Yoon's visit to Ukraine came at the end of a two-leg trip that earlier took him to Lithuania for a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit and then to Poland for an official visit.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and first lady Kim Keon Hee bow their heads in tribute at the grave of a victim of mass killings in Bucha, Ukraine, on July 15, 2023, in this photo provided by the presidential office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · July 15, 2023
2. South Korea asks China to play 'constructive role' against North's threats
We all keep asking for this but China never complies with the request. Of course China would argue that they are playing a constructive role but they blame the US hostile policy (north Korean words).
South Korea asks China to play 'constructive role' against North's threats
Reuters · by Reuters
SEOUL, July 15 (Reuters) - South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin on Friday called on China to play a "constructive role" in curbing North Korea's threats, after Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) this week.
The remarks were made during a meeting with Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Jakarta, where Park "strongly denounced" North Korea's ICBM launch.
It is a common interest of Seoul and Beijing for North Korea to stop provocations and return to dialogue, his office said.
"Minister Park ... stressed that it was more important than ever for the Chinese side to play a constructive role for the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula," Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement.
For several years, the United Nations Security Council has been divided over how to deal with Pyongyang.
China and Russia have said that more sanctions will not help to ease tensions, while Washington accuses Beijing and Moscow of emboldening North Korea by shielding it from more sanctions.
Relations between South Korea and China have also worsened since China's ambassador last month warned South Korea against making a wrong bet when it comes to Sino-U.S. rivalry.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had already angered China in April by saying the Taiwan issue was not merely an issue between China and democratically governed Taiwan, but a "global" issue similar to North Korea. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
"The Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests, and concerns the political foundation and basic faith of China-South Korea relations," Wang told Park at the ASEAN meetings, according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout on Saturday.
"It is hoped that the South Korean side will abide by the one-China principle and handle it prudently and properly."
China is willing to work with South Korea on rebuilding mutual trust and pushing their strategic partnership back to a healthy track, Wang said.
The two sides also exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other international and regional issues, China's foreign ministry said, without giving details.
Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Additional reporting by Ryan Woo in Beijing; Editing by Christina Fincher, Devika Syamnath and Edmund Klamann
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Reuters · by Reuters
3. Kim's sister slams UNSC meeting over ICBM launch, defends it as exercise of self-defense
Excerpt:
At a U.N. press event, the U.S. and nine other countries condemned the launch by issuing a joint statement. Meanwhile, Kim Song, the North's U.N. ambassador, made a rare appearance at the UNSC meeting to defend the North's launch.
(2nd LD) Kim's sister slams UNSC meeting over ICBM launch, defends it as exercise of self-defense | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · July 14, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with English-language statement; ADDS more details)
SEOUL, July 14 (Yonhap) -- The powerful sister of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday condemned the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for holding a meeting over the North's latest firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), calling it a legitimate exercise of self-defense.
Kim Yo-jong expressed "strong displeasure" at the UNSC, as its members met Thursday (New York time) to discuss the North's launch of a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM the previous day.
Calling the UNSC meeting an "unfair and prejudiced" move, she said the ICBM launch serves as an exercise of its right to self-defense in response to the United States' "hostile" policy against her country, according to an English-language statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
"No one has any justification for slandering the DPRK's launch of new-type ICBM," Kim said.
This file photo, captured from the homepage of North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Aug. 11, 2022, shows Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Under UNSC resolutions, the North is banned from any launches using ballistic missile technology.
At a U.N. press event, the U.S. and nine other countries condemned the launch by issuing a joint statement. Meanwhile, Kim Song, the North's U.N. ambassador, made a rare appearance at the UNSC meeting to defend the North's launch.
Kim also vowed that her country will build the "most overwhelming" nuclear deterrence until Washington abandons its hostile policy against Pyongyang.
"The price the U.S. has to pay for its moves against the DPRK will never be low, and I do not conceal the fact that very unlucky things will wait for the U.S.," she said, without elaborating on details.
She warned that the North's response to U.S. efforts to enhance the "visibility" of its strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula will become even more "freer" in mode and scope.
President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden made the agreement over the U.S. assets in a joint declaration during their summit in Washington in April as part of efforts to deter Pyongyang's military threats.
On Thursday, South Korea and the U.S. staged combined air drills, involving a U.S. B-52H strategic bomber, over the peninsula in a show of force against the North's latest launch.
The U.S. has also pledged to send a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine to the peninsula in the joint declaration for the first time in decades.
North Korea fires a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 12, 2023, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided the launch and the missile flew 1,001 kilometers for 4,491 seconds at a maximum altitude of 6,648 km before splashing into the East Sea, the North said. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · July 14, 2023
4. Press Statement of Kim Yo Jong, Vice Department Director of C.C., WPK
So now we are accused of making north Korea feel "unpleasant."
Excerpts:
The U.S. should be aware that the more it makes the DPRK feel unpleasant, the worse it finds itself in a dilemma.
Only when the U.S. withdraws its hostile policy toward the DPRK, can the DPRK's displeasure and the evil cycle of the situation, which no one wants, disappear.
However, the more the U.S. persists in its reckless and provocative confrontation option, refusing to reject it, the more the situation will lead to a very unpleasant direction for the U.S., and it itself will feel it every minute, every second, every hour and every day.
The price the U.S. has to pay for its moves against the DPRK will never be low, and I do not conceal the fact that very unlucky things will wait for the U.S.
Press Statement of Kim Yo Jong, Vice Department Director of C.C., WPK
https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1689340238-443881812/press-statement-of-kim-yo-jong-vice-department-director-of-c-c-wpk/
Date: 14/07/2023 | Source: KCNA.kp (En) | Read original version at source
Pyongyang, July 14 (KCNA) -- Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued the following press statement on July 14:
To thoroughly contain and frustrate the most hostile and threatening nuclear confrontation policy of the U.S. against the DPRK is the just right to self-defence to defend the Korean peninsula and the Asia-Pacific region from the disaster of a nuclear war, and no one has any justification for slandering the DPRK's launch of new-type ICBM.
The recent launch, conducted in the safest way, taking into full consideration any potential danger that may affect the security of neighboring countries, did not do any harm to international maritime and air security.
However, the UNSC held an open meeting again to unilaterally pick a quarrel with the DPRK's exercise of the right to self-defence, in disregard of the DPRK's just security concern and the U.S. criminal attempt to increase the possibility of outbreak of a real nuclear war in the Korean peninsula and the region. This perfectly proved that it is a confrontation organization destroying the global peace and stability and a new Cold War mechanism totally inclined to the U.S. and the West.
I express strong displeasure over and scathingly condemn the unfair and prejudiced behavior of the UNSC which again called into question the DPRK's exercise of its just right to self-defence, which did not hurt anyone, under the unchanged and boring illegal pretext of violation of the UN "resolution".
Due to the aggressive provocations of the U.S. far beyond its constant military readiness, the situation of the Korean peninsula is now heading toward the threshold of nuclear clash and the outbreak of a nuclear war is not hypothetical but is becoming a miserable reality that countries in the Northeast Asian region have to face in the near future.
The U.S. has frequently staged the joint military drills with clear aggressive character by mobilizing nuclear submarines, nuclear strategic bombers and other various nuclear strategic assets under the pretext of the offer of the so-called "extended deterrence" and planned to put into the Korean peninsula a nuclear submarine with strategic nukes for the first time in more than 40 years, along with the operation of the U.S.-south Korea "nuclear consultative group", a nuclear war tool. Such military provocations of the U.S. are the most direct threat to the security of not only the DPRK but also all other Northeast Asian countries.
The UNSC, whose mission is to defend global peace and security, should have squarely confronted this fact and properly judged who threatens with nukes and who is exposed to nuclear threat.
Ignoring such bounden duty, the UNSC connived at and fostered and even instigated the U.S. moves to exterminate the DPRK, an expression of the extremely unfair and double-standard behavior. This is an irresponsible crime of pushing the whole of Northeast Asia and Asia-Pacific to the holocaust of a nuclear war.
As the UNSC deliberately ignores the U.S. dangerous nuclear threat and blackmail, the U.S. nuclear weapons including strategic nuclear submarine will be more massively, often and openly deployed in the Korean peninsula under the mask of "lawfulness," and the Northeast Asia will be soon turned into the world's biggest nuclear arsenal.
If an undesirable, unprecedented nuclear war breaks out in the Korean peninsula, the UNSC will be held accountable for it as it has worked hard to categorically restrain the DPRK from exercising its legitimate right to self-defense while being on the U.S. side.
Availing myself of this opportunity, I warn that the riffraff, accustomed to follow their U.S. master blindly, joined in making public an anti-DPRK "joint statement" which is not recognized by anyone outside the arena.
The U.S. should be aware that the more it makes the DPRK feel unpleasant, the worse it finds itself in a dilemma.
Only when the U.S. withdraws its hostile policy toward the DPRK, can the DPRK's displeasure and the evil cycle of the situation, which no one wants, disappear.
However, the more the U.S. persists in its reckless and provocative confrontation option, refusing to reject it, the more the situation will lead to a very unpleasant direction for the U.S., and it itself will feel it every minute, every second, every hour and every day.
The price the U.S. has to pay for its moves against the DPRK will never be low, and I do not conceal the fact that very unlucky things will wait for the U.S.
The U.S. should be aware that the DPRK's mode and scope of counteraction may be freer along with the increased "visibility" of deploying strategic assets on the Korean peninsula.
Now that the U.S. does not respond to the abandonment of its hostile policy toward the DPRK, the only solution to achieving peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the region, the DPRK will further put spurs to building up the most overwhelming nuclear deterrence until the U.S. admits its policy failure and for itself rolls back its line of confrontation with the DPRK. -0-
www.kcna.kp (Juche112.7.14.)
5. In rare UN appearance, North Korea defends missile launch
In rare UN appearance, North Korea defends missile launch
Reuters · by Michelle Nichols
UNITED NATIONS, July 13 (Reuters) - North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was an exercise of its right to self-defense "to deter dangerous military moves of hostile forces and safeguard the security of our state," the country's U.N. envoy told the Security Council on Thursday during a rare appearance.
The 15-member Security Council met after North Korea said it tested on Wednesday its latest Hwasong-18 ICBM, adding the weapon is the core of its nuclear strike force.
"We categorically reject and condemn the convening of the Security Council briefing by the United States and its followers," North Korea's U.N. Ambassador Kim Song told the council.
North Korea last spoke at a council meeting on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in December 2017, diplomats said.
North Korea - formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) - has been under U.N. sanctions for its missile and nuclear programs since 2006. This includes a ban on the development of ballistic missiles.
For the past several years the council has been divided over how to deal with Pyongyang. Russia and China, veto powers along with the United States, Britain and France, have said more sanctions will not help and want such measures to be eased.
China and Russia blame joint military drills by the United States and South Korea for provoking Pyongyang, while Washington accuses Beijing and Moscow of emboldening North Korea by shielding it from more sanctions.
"Russia and China have prevented this council from speaking with one voice. And with these repeated launches, Pyongyang is demonstrating it feels emboldened," Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, told the council.
CHINA SLAMS NATO
DeLaurentis said the U.S. was committed to diplomacy and "publicly and privately and at senior levels we have repeatedly urged the DPRK to engage in dialogue." He said Washington had made clear there were no preconditions for engagement and it would "discuss any topic of concern to Pyongyang."
"The DPRK has not responded to our offers," he said.
China's U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun told the council that Beijing was committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the settlement of the issue through dialogue.
He described the situation as "tense" and said it was getting "ever more confrontational." China has "taken note" of North Korea's latest missile launch, Zhang said.
"The Cold War has long since ended, but the specter of the Cold War mentality lingers. It has not only rendered the Peninsula issue intractable, but also intensified antagonism and conflict around the world," he said.
He went on to slam a communique by NATO leaders this week, telling the council it was as "long-winded as it was harping the same old tunes filled with Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices." Zhang said NATO should do some "soul-searching."
NATO leaders in the communique said China challenged NATO's interests, security and values with its "ambitions and coercive policies."
"China does not cause trouble, nor does it fear trouble," Zhang said. "We stand ready to respond firmly and forcefully to any act that violates China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, undermine China's development and security interests and breach the peace and stability in China's neighborhood."
Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Mark Porter and Deepa Babington
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Reuters · by Michelle Nichols
6. Defense minister meets visiting top U.S. general on regional security, alliance
Defense minister meets visiting top U.S. general on regional security, alliance | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 15, 2023
SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup met with a visiting top U.S. general in Seoul on Saturday to discuss the bilateral alliance and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, his office said.
His talks with U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley came as Seoul and Washington mark the 70th anniversary of their alliance this year, amid tensions caused by Pyongyang's provocative acts, like an intercontinental ballistic missile launch earlier this week.
Lee expressed his appreciation to Milley, noting he contributed to the joint efforts to reinforce the two countries' combined exercises in the process of the bilateral partnership evolving into an "alliance in action that marches toward the future," according to the ministry.
The minister also stressed the importance of strengthening a combined defense posture by establishing a foundation for America's extended deterrence, under which the allies work together to deter and respond to North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats.
Extended deterrence refers to the U.S.' commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.
Milley, who is set to retire in September, portrayed the alliance as the "most capable" one in history, saying military cooperation between the two countries is stronger than ever, the ministry said.
He also underscored the importance of the alliance demonstrating its robust capabilities, posture and will to respond to North Korean threats.
Later in the day, Milley and his South Korean counterpart, Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, visited the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul to pay their respects at a monument memorializing troops who made sacrifices in the 1950-53 Korean War.
Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup (L) speaks with U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley (R) during a meeting at the defense ministry in Seoul on July 15, 2023, in this photo released by the ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 15, 2023
7. S. Korea ramps up diplomatic pressure campaign against N.K. during ASEAN meetings
Photos at the link. The point man for ASEAN from north Korea does not look very happy. He looks like he is feeling "unpleasant." Maybe this is what Kim Yo Jong is going on about.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20230715000200325?section=news
(News Focus) S. Korea ramps up diplomatic pressure campaign against N.K. during ASEAN meetings | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Chang Dong-woo · July 15, 2023
By Chang Dong-woo
JAKARTA, July 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea engaged in a whirlwind of diplomacy this week to unite members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and international partners in standing together against evolving threats from North Korea.
In particular, Seoul managed to successfully persuade ASEAN to issue a joint statement condemning the North's intercontinental ballistic missile launch this week.
The test launch of Pyongyang's Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM was conducted Wednesday morning while the annual ASEAN meetings, a major multilateral diplomacy event for the region, were under way in the capital of Indonesia.
The ASEAN foreign ministers' statement condemning Pyongyang's missile launch was issued just one day after the test firing.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (5th from L) and his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations pose for a group photo during their meeting in Jakarta on July 13, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
In Indonesia, Foreign Minister Park Jin participated in four multilateral events -- the South Korea-ASEAN and ASEAN plus three meetings, the East Asia Summit ministerial gathering and the ASEAN Regional Forum -- along with bilateral and trilateral meetings on the sidelines.
Along with the Ukrainian War and Myanmar's internal crisis, North Korea was discussed as a major topic throughout the meetings that also brought together top officials of the U.S., China, Japan, Russia and other key nations.
During the back-to-back sessions, Park repeatedly condemned the North's continued provocations and highlighted that they were in clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
He also stressed the need for ASEAN and its partners to stand together in sending a clear message that the international community's determination to denuclearize the North is stronger than the North's will to arm itself with nuclear weapons.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (C), Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (R) and China's top diplomat Wang Yi (L) attend a meeting with foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as from the three Northeast Asian countries, in Jakarta on July 13, 2023. (Yonhap)
The meetings were held behind closed doors, but an official familiar with the discussions said many ASEAN nations joined Seoul in denouncing Pyongyang.
Some of the language used by ASEAN nations in denouncing the North's actions reportedly included words and phrases such as "condemn," "great concern" and "multiple UNSC resolution violations."
South Korean officials in Jakarta were reportedly surprised by the reaction, given how many countries in the region have maintained diplomatic ties with North Korea.
Sources also said ASEAN members urged the North to return to dialogue during the discussions.
"There were many working-level consultations (on the North Korean issue). The North presumably fired a solid fuel ICBM so we had to actively engage with ASEAN partners to have strong language appear (in the ministers' statement)," a Seoul official said.
In a meeting with reporters Friday before leaving Jakarta, Park said he took note of how the ministers' statement was issued just moments before their talks with him Thursday.
"This goes to show that (the ASEAN members) see the situation on the Korean Peninsula and take the North's provocation very seriously," he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (from L to R) hold a trilateral meeting in Jakarta on July 14, 2023, to discuss measures against North Korea's missile provocations. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
South Korea's activities at the ASEAN meetings were also highlighted by its trilateral foreign ministerial talks with the U.S. and Japan.
Park and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Antony Blinken and Yoshimasa Hayashi, respectively, met Friday evening and issued a joint statement denouncing the North's missile launch, ending South Korea's diplomatic pressure campaign against Pyongyang at ASEAN on a high note.
At home, meanwhile, Seoul announced fresh sanctions on the North, adding four individuals and three entities to its blacklist against Pyongyang as the ASEAN meetings proceeded.
North Korea's presence at the meetings, meanwhile, appeared low-key. At the ARF, Pyongyang was represented by An Kwang-il, its ambassador to Indonesia, instead of Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui.
The North is a member of the region's largest security meeting. At the venue for the ARF, An avoided answering questions asked by South Korean reporters.
North Korea fires a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 12, 2023, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided the launch, and the missile flew 1,001 kilometers for 4,491 seconds at a maximum altitude of 6,648 km before splashing into the East Sea, the North said. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
During the ARF session, An argued that the North's provocations were acts of self-defense taken in response to the combined military exercises by South Korea and the U.S., according to sources familiar with the discussions.
The ambassador also reportedly argued that the cause of problems related to tensions over the Korean Peninsula did not lie with the North but came from other places, they added.
He also reportedly insisted that its military provocations did not pose a threat to neighboring nations.
Before this year's ARF, observers had kept a close eye on a possible chance encounter between Park and Choe. The North Korean minister also did not attend last year's forum in Cambodia.
Instead, Park reportedly had a brief exchange with An while the head of the delegates paid a courtesy call on Indonesian President Joko Widodo. It was their second encounter following their first one in Cambodia last year.
Park was known to have said to An that it was important for the North to stop its missile launches and resume denuclearization talks for the peace of the Korean Peninsula. The North's ambassador reportedly did not show any particular reaction to Park's comments.
North Korean Ambassador to Indonesia An Kwang-il, who doubles as point man on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), attends an ASEAN Regional Forum ministerial meeting in Jakarta on July 14, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Chang Dong-woo · July 15, 2023
8. Yoon pledges security, humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Ukraine
Excerpts;
In a joint press conference with Zelensky after their summit, Yoon announced that the two sides agreed on the so-called "Ukraine Peace and Solidarity Initiative," a comprehensive package which covers Korea's security, humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Ukraine.
"Above all, we have decided to further strengthen our efforts to promote Ukraine's security," said Yoon.
The initiative includes security support, such as expansion of military supplies including armors and helmets. It also includes prompt delivery of humanitarian aid, financial support, as well as cooperation for reconstruction and infrastructure projects.
"Korea will continue to provide military supplies to Ukraine," Yoon said. "Following last year's support for military supplies such as body armor and helmets, we will continue to provide military supplies on a larger scale this year as well."
Saturday
July 15, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Published: 15 Jul. 2023, 21:28
Updated: 15 Jul. 2023, 21:32
Yoon pledges security, humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Ukraine
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/07/15/national/diplomacy/Korea-Ukraine-bilateral-summit/20230715212905257.html
Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, holds a bilateral summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Mariinsky Palace, the official presidential residence, in Kyiv on Saturday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]
Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol promised further security, humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Ukraine in a bilateral summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Saturday.
Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee made a surprise trip to Kyiv, the capital of war-torn Ukraine, earlier that day.
This trip marks the first time a Korean president has officially visited a country at war.
In a joint press conference with Zelensky after their summit, Yoon announced that the two sides agreed on the so-called "Ukraine Peace and Solidarity Initiative," a comprehensive package which covers Korea's security, humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Ukraine.
"Above all, we have decided to further strengthen our efforts to promote Ukraine's security," said Yoon.
The initiative includes security support, such as expansion of military supplies including armors and helmets. It also includes prompt delivery of humanitarian aid, financial support, as well as cooperation for reconstruction and infrastructure projects.
"Korea will continue to provide military supplies to Ukraine," Yoon said. "Following last year's support for military supplies such as body armor and helmets, we will continue to provide military supplies on a larger scale this year as well."
Yoon stressed Korea "will provide humanitarian aid items needed by the people of Ukraine as swiftly as possible."
The Korean government pledged to Ukraine another $150 million in humanitarian aid this year providing $100 million of assistance last year. Yoon said Korea will also renew financial support for Ukraine in cooperation with the World Bank.
Korea previously provided Ukraine with demining equipment as requested by Ukraine in May.
"Today, I discussed with President Zelensky about ways to cooperate to write a new history of hope," Yoon said. "If we fight together in solidarity in the spirit of life and death, we will surely be able to protect freedom and democracy."
Yoon also extended his "deepest condolences to the Ukrainian citizens whose innocent lives were sacrificed due to Russia's illegal aggression, the young people of Ukraine who gave their lives to defend freedom and their bereaved families."
He said, "Korea will become a partner in cultivating freedom, peace and prosperity in Ukraine, and furthermore, a reliable partner contributing together to freedom, peace and prosperity in the world with Ukraine."
The two leaders further agreed on a Yoon-Zelensky scholarship program to enable Ukrainian students to study in Korea to continue their education in a safe place.
Yoon said he believed there will be a "Miracle in the Dnipro River" in Ukraine, as there was a "Miracle in the Han River" for South Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War.
Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee, left, and Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska meet at the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv Friday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]
Earlier, Yoon and Kim were received in a welcoming ceremony at the Mariinsky Palace, the official presidential residence, in Kyiv.
The bilateral summit lasted around 110 minutes.
The two leaders agreed to expand cooperation between their governments and businesses for the postwar reconstruction of Ukraine.
In May, the Korean government signed a preliminary agreement for the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), to offer long-term, low-interest rate loans to help Ukraine rebuild urban infrastructure.
The previously unannounced visit was not part of the president's original European trip itinerary to Lithuania and Poland.
After arriving in Ukraine, Yoon and first lady Kim visited Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv where civilians were discovered killed en masse last year after the Russian army abandoned its positions near the Ukrainian capital, according to the presidential office.
They also visited Irpin, the site of a fierce battle between the Ukrainian military and invading Russian forces at the beginning of the war.
They also laid a wreath at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine to pay respects to the war dead.
Yoon previously held bilateral talks with with Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May and promised continued humanitarian and non-lethal assistance for Ukraine.
They also agreed to cooperate on Korean companies' participation in postwar reconstruction efforts in Ukraine.
Earlier in May, Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska visited Seoul and requested to Yoon nonlethal aid to Ukraine, such as demining equipment and ambulances.
In April, Yoon suggested for the first time Korea could potentially provide military aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Yoon told Reuters in an interview that Korea could provide aid beyond humanitarian or economic support if Ukraine if there is a "large-scale attack on civilians, massacre or a serious violation of the laws of war."
The issue had raised controversy after leaked classified Pentagon documents earlier indicated that U.S. intelligence authorities may have been spying on Korea's deliberations on supplying ammunition to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Despite pressure to provide artillery shells to Ukraine, either through direct or indirect routes, Korea has officially maintained the position it will not provide lethal aid to countries at war.
Last Monday, Yoon kicked off a weeklong overseas visit which took him to Vilnius, Lithuania, to attend the NATO summit and Poland for an official visit.
The visit to Ukraine comes upon the invitation of Zelensky.
When asked if Yoon could make a visit to Ukraine, which is adjacent to Lithuania and Poland, and meet with Zelensky, a presidential official told reporters last week that there is "no current plan for a separate visit to Ukraine or a summit."
However, Yoon reportedly solidified his decision to visit Ukraine during his Europe tour, and the trip was kept secretive due to security reasons.
At a meeting of leaders of NATO allies and partner countries on Wednesday, Yoon said the Korean government will contribute to NATO's trust fund for Ukraine and pledged continued humanitarian assistance.
Separately, first lady Kim Keon-hee met with Ukraine's first lady Zelenska at the Ukrainian Center in Vilnius, alongside the spouses of other leaders attending the NATO summit.
In Warsaw on Thursday, Yoon said in a bilateral summit with Polish President Andrzej Duda Korea and Poland can be "optimal partners" in rebuilding Ukraine
Korea and Poland signed a memorandum of understanding on reconstruction efforts related to Ukraine during the summit.
On Friday, Yoon also met with businesspeople from companies who are seeking to participate in Ukraine's reconstruction process. They included Samsung C&T, Hyundai Engineering and Construction and Kolon Global.
This comes amid estimates that postwar reconstruction projects in Ukraine could amount to an estimated $1 trillion.
Regarding rebuilding Ukraine, Yoon said in a business forum in Poland, "Korea has a lot of experience in participating in postwar reconstruction projects and has built trust based on pour outstanding technology."
Zelensky wrote on social media on Yoon and Kim's visit to Ukraine, "During this visit, the first in the history of our relations, we are discussing everything that is important for the normal and safe life of people, for the rules-based international order."
He added that through cooperation in the return of deported adults and children, food and energy security and economy, "I am sure together we will give more strength to our nations and the global positions of Ukraine and the Republic of Korea."
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
9. Rebuilding lives: Going beyond business in post-war projects
Rebuilding lives: Going beyond business in post-war projects
donga.com
Posted July. 15, 2023 08:01,
Updated July. 15, 2023 08:01
Rebuilding lives: Going beyond business in post-war projects. July. 15, 2023 08:01. .
Korea and Poland agreed to collaborate on rebuilding post-war Ukraine during a summit in Warsaw on July 13. They will establish a vice-minister-level consultation body in September 2023 to co-develop and implement projects. In a press briefing, the Korean Presidential Office stated that the initiative aims to go beyond reconstruction, involving a comprehensive renewal and upgrade of Ukraine's national systems. The project's entire value is estimated at 2,000 trillion won, presenting Korea with business opportunities exceeding 66 trillion won.
Governments and businesses are fervently yet discreetly vying for participation in the rebuilding projects of historic size for post-war Ukraine. The EU and seven industrialized countries launched a multilateral ODA platform, while the U.S., Italy, Germany, and others have proposed diverse reconstruction initiatives since 2022. In Korea, Samsung C&T Corporation and Hyundai E&C are actively pursuing involvement in smart city and small modular reactor construction projects. Korea's unparalleled expertise in rebuilding, gained through redeveloping its own cities after the war, positions it well for these endeavors. It is crucial for both our government and businesses to engage in these projects to support Ukraine's recovery promptly.
Regrettably, the figures provided by the Presidential Office during the press briefing appear questionable. Initially, the government stated the projects were valued at 1,200 trillion won over ten years. However, they now claim the projects could exceed 2,000 trillion won, accounting for potentially missed opportunities. The optimistic estimate of 66 trillion won also raises doubts, considering the substantial funding support from the U.S. and Europe ranging from billions to tens of billions of dollars, along with their local joint ventures that enhance their business accessibility. It is premature to adopt a positive outlook for the future. Our government must consistently strengthen inter-governmental cooperation initiatives to secure better channels and opportunities for our companies to establish a presence.
The July 14 newspaper displayed a poignant photo of a wife embracing her husband, a Ukrainian soldier who suffered severe war injuries. The Presidential Office should exercise discretion when sharing figures such as “66 trillion won” publicly to avoid any perception that we are exploiting the plight of those affected by the devastating war. Rebuilding projects should emphasize our collective compassion and enduring partnership, rather than solely focusing on business opportunities. Ukrainians would expect us to showcase the lessons from our own history, including the "Miracle on the Han River," symbolizing Korea's exceptional economic growth after the war, as portrayed in Ukrainian textbooks.
한국어
donga.com
10. Korean firms take part in Ukraine's reconstruction efforts
Korean firms take part in Ukraine's reconstruction efforts
donga.com
Posted July. 15, 2023 08:03,
Updated July. 15, 2023 08:03
Korean firms take part in Ukraine's reconstruction efforts. July. 15, 2023 08:03. by Kwan-Seok Jang jks@donga.com.
On Friday (local time) during his state visit to Poland, President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke about Korea's role in the reconstruction of Ukraine. “Korea has a history of rebuilding from the ashes, following the devastating 6.25 War, thanks to international support,” the president said. "This experience, combined with Korea’s backing, will play a pivotal role in post-war recovery and restoration efforts in Ukraine.” The Presidential Office estimates that the total scale of the projects, including the Ukraine reconstruction initiative, will greatly surpass previous figures, soaring above 2,000 trillion won.
By September, a vice-ministerial consultative body will be set up between Korea and Poland, marking the start of a concerted search for collaborative projects. Korea's contribution to Ukraine's reconstruction efforts is estimated at 52 billion dollars. This sum incorporates a 20-billion-dollar reconstruction scheme requested by the Ukrainian government in May and a 32 billion dollar worth of the private-led project.
“This is a significant opportunity for participation in the reconstruction effort, particularly in securing overseas infrastructure contracts,” President Yoon said at the 'Ukraine Reconstruction Cooperation Enterprise Roundtable' convened in a Warsaw hotel. "The (Korean) government will actively support private sector-led efforts in Ukraine's reconstruction." Eleven key players in the reconstruction project, including Samsung C&T, Hyundai E&C, Kolon Global, HD Hyundai XiteSolution, Hyundai Rotem, and the Export-Import Bank of Korea, were present at the meeting.
“Comprehensive support is underway for those seeking to join the Ukraine reconstruction effort,” Choi Sang-mok, Senior Presidential Secretary for Economic Affairs, said. "A trilateral cooperation system among Korea, Poland, and Ukraine has been established, setting the stage for concerted action on Ukraine's reconstruction."
In the subsequent Korea-Poland Business Forum, President Yoon urged business leaders from both countries, stating, "Ukraine's reconstruction will usher in a new era of cooperation between nations. Let's jointly participate in the post-war recovery projects." The forum, attended by around 250 representatives from both countries, led to the signing of 33 Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) spanning new energy industries and infrastructure sectors.
한국어
donga.com
11. 33 MOUs signed between Korean and Polish companies
33 MOUs signed between Korean and Polish companies
donga.com
Posted July. 15, 2023 08:03,
Updated July. 15, 2023 08:34
33 MOUs signed between Korean and Polish companies. July. 15, 2023 08:03. by Joo-Young Jeon aimhigh@donga.com.
A total of 33 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed between companies and organizations of the two countries in the fields of nuclear power, batteries, future vehicles, and hydrogen at the Korea-Poland Business Forum attended by President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is visiting Poland, on Friday (local time).
The forum was attended by about 350 businessmen and government officials from Korea and Poland, including the economic delegation accompanying the visit. Eleven MOUs were signed in high-tech industries such as batteries and future cars, 13 in energy segments such as nuclear power plants, hydrogen, and green energy, and nine MOUs in service fields such as finance and tourism.
In the area of nuclear power plants, companies such as Doosan Enerbility, Hyundai Engineering, Daewoo E&C, and BHI signed six MOUs with Polish companies for nuclear power plant cooperation. The introduction and development of nuclear power generation in Poland, cooperation related to the construction of new nuclear power plants, human resource exchange and training in the field of nuclear energy, joint research collaboration, and supply of nuclear equipment to the Pątnów nuclear power plant project.
In the battery industry, an MOU was signed between the Korea Battery Industry Association and the Polish Automobile Industry Association. “Poland has become virtually the largest battery producer in Europe, accounting for 30% of the total volume used in Europe with the investment of LG Energy Solutions," Choi Sang-mok, Senior Presidential Secretary for Economic Affairs, said in a local briefing. With the MOU as an opportunity, the scope of cooperation has expanded from existing electric vehicle batteries to batteries for energy storage systems (ESS), and more advanced battery cooperation between the two countries is expected, such as responding to supply chain risks jointly.”
As for green energy, Samsung C&T and BHI signed MOUs with Polish companies for cooperation in carbon reduction combined cycle power plant projects, net zero-linked energy development, and construction cooperation.
President Yoon stressed, “Economic cooperation between the two countries is starting a new chapter, with the largest-ever export of defense products to Poland last year and a significant increase in trade between the two countries every year. As Korean battery and material parts companies have built Europe's largest battery ecosystem in Poland, cooperation should be expanded to defense and infrastructure and high-tech industries such as aerospace, smart factories, and green energy.”
한국어
donga.com
12. Korean employers in US call for bigger visa quota for professional workers
Not explicitly stated in this article, but relayed to me by a Korean business person is the fact that many of the Korean factories being built in the US cannot find Americans with sufficient skills to work in them.
Excerpts:
"While direct investments in the U.S. from Korea is rapidly increasing, there have been complaints that it is difficult for Korean companies to operate normally due to visa problems," PPP spokesperson Rep. Yoo Sang-bum said.
"The companies requested the government to actively step forward to expand the U.S. professional visa quota."
Korean employers in US call for bigger visa quota for professional workers
The Korea Times · July 14, 2023
Ruling People Power Party Chairman Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon speaks during a policy meeting with Koreans in the U.S. at the Korean Community Center in Washington, D.C., Monday. Courtesy of People Power Party
By Ko Dong-hwan
Korean businesses in the United States urged the ruling party to make efforts to expand the quota of American visas for professional workers for Korean companies, saying their operations are being hampered by labor shortages due to the U.S. visa restrictions.
During a meeting between members of the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the USA (KOCHAM) and a delegation of the People Power Party (PPP), including chairman Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, Thursday (local time), the businesses asked the Korean government and the ruling party to urge Washington to expand the issuance of U.S. visas for nonimmigrant skilled workers or the H-1B visa.
According to the delegation, the number of H-1B visas issued per year is usually limited to some 80,000 among applicants from all countries, so it is not easy to bring skilled Koreans to their companies.
In that respect, the businesses said that Korea should secure its own H-1B annual quota like some other countries with which the U.S. has signed free trade agreements (FTA). Pursuant to the respective FTA, H-1B1 visas are set aside specifically for 5,400 Singaporeans and 1,400 Chileans, as well as E-3 visas for 10,500 Australians.
"While direct investments in the U.S. from Korea is rapidly increasing, there have been complaints that it is difficult for Korean companies to operate normally due to visa problems," PPP spokesperson Rep. Yoo Sang-bum said.
"The companies requested the government to actively step forward to expand the U.S. professional visa quota."
The Korea Times · July 14, 2023
13. North Korean Stooges Step Into the Light
We must remember that north Korea is conducting active subversion of not only South Korea but is of the ROK/US alliance with the intent to drive a wedge in the ROK/US alliance. Many of the activities (and organizations) described below are designed to do just that.
It is imperative that we recognize the Kim family regime strategy, understand it, EXPOSE it (as Mr. Peck has long been trying to do) and attack it with a superior political warfare strategy.
Conclusion:
This campaign coming to Washington in late July, focused on lobbying Congress, is not what it claims to be, and not what some of its deluded supporters and participants believe it to be. As demonstrated by the extremist views of some its organizing/sponsoring groups and their leaders, it is an effort by pro-North Korean forces, some of whom have connections to North Korean agents, to influence American policy to benefit the Kim Jong-un regime. Members of Congress and the media should be aware of this deception and conduct due diligence research into the extremist nature and appalling views of some of the groups/activists behind this campaign.
North Korean Stooges Step Into the Light
LAWRENCE PECK , ADVISOR, NORTH KOREA FREEDOM COALITION
ON 7/14/23 AT 7:02 AM EDT
Newsweek · July 14, 2023
On June 25 this year, the anniversary of North Korea's 1950 invasion of South Korea, Kim Jong-un's regime commenced its annual "hate America" propaganda event known as the "Month of Anti-U.S. Struggle," which lasts until July 27, the date on which the Korean War armistice agreement, routinely violated by the North, was signed in 1953.
On July 27 and 28 this year in Washington, D.C., some of the spirit of that event, albeit in a camouflaged form, will be present in several events targeting Congress and the media. Taking the form of a lobbying campaign by self-styled advocates of "peace" on the Korean peninsula, these events in reality constitute an exercise in deception, and to some extent a foreign influence operation targeting Congress.This campaign in Washington at the end of July is part of an annual lobbying effort by pro-North Korean and other extremist groups/activists and their dupes to argue for unconditional U.S. acceptance of the North's long-standing demands.
This so-called "National Mobilization to End the Korean War" will focus on promoting a bill in the House of Representatives, the misnamed "Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act," H.R. 1369. Introduced in 2021 and reintroduced this year by Rep. Brad Sherman, and co-sponsored by 32 other Democrats from the far-left wing of their party and a lone Republican, this bill amounts to a gift granting North Korea its long-sought demands, including unreciprocated concessions to dictator Kim Jong-un.
People visit the statues of the late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on the 29th anniversary of Kim Il Sung's death, July 8, in Pyongyang. KIM WON JIN/AFP via Getty Images
Among its bad ideas, the bill calls for the United States to accept the North's demand for a no-preconditions "peace agreement," while asking nothing from the North in return.The bill fails to mention any demands by the U.S. or the international community for the North's complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization; an end to its horrific crimes against its own people; its proliferation of weapons to other rogue and terrorist regimes; its military attacks against South Korea; its assassinations, or its cyber-crimes targeting the U.S. and South Korea.
Worse than the glaring omissions of H.R. 1369 is the pro-North Korean, anti-American, racist, and antisemitic nature of some of the official sponsoring/organizing groups participating in the D.C. lobbying and other events in late July. The dirty secret of this campaign is the involvement of groups that support the North Korean regime, such as the Korean American National Coordinating Council, the June 15 U.S. Committee for Reunification of Korea, and Nodutdol. These fanatically pro-North Korean, anti-American groups, as well as Women Cross DMZ, are headed by individuals who have for years been communicating and collaborating with intelligence agents of North Korea's United Front Department stationed at the North's Mission to the United Nations.To expose this deception, questions should be posed to those directly involved in this campaign or indirectly involved in it through their support for some of its sponsors. These are questions to those who are not pro-North Korea, but who do not know, or do not care to know, the true nature of the groups/individuals they are involved with and supporting in this campaign.
Women Cross DMZ leader Christine Ahn has said that she is "trying to liberate Korea under the yoke of U.S. imperialism," that the "U.S. military is there to protect the corporate interests of U.S. corporations" and she describes the U.S. as "the world's aggressor and occupier." She has also said, regarding the U.S military, "the U.S. and South Korean governments control and suppress dissent through the infrastructure of bases, particularly Pyeongtaek and Osan."
Are Retired Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Leaf and scientist Dr. Sigfried Hecker aware of the fact that they will be speaking at a Washington event alongside not only Ahn, but Ann Wright, who has said that "There are powerful influences in the United States, key Jewish persons with lots of money, who use that money and influence to influence our U.S. Congress, and to influence every U.S. president?"
Are Global Impact Rotary Club and Rotary Satellite Club of International Peace World, District 5000, which are sponsoring the Washington events in late July, aware of the fact—or, do they care?—that their fellow sponsor and participant, the Korean American National Coordinating Council, is a fanatically pro-North Korean group whose website features an official statement claiming that "American politics serves to exclusively benefit Jews and capitalists" and articles condemning what are termed "gangster American-style race-mixing" and "immoral race-mixing culture," which claim that "North Korea is the world's most honorable nation, because it is independent of the ugly evils of Jewish capitalism," and that "70 percent of Koreans are obsessed with American capitalism and have become inhuman sh*t worms lower than dogs"?
This campaign coming to Washington in late July, focused on lobbying Congress, is not what it claims to be, and not what some of its deluded supporters and participants believe it to be. As demonstrated by the extremist views of some its organizing/sponsoring groups and their leaders, it is an effort by pro-North Korean forces, some of whom have connections to North Korean agents, to influence American policy to benefit the Kim Jong-un regime. Members of Congress and the media should be aware of this deception and conduct due diligence research into the extremist nature and appalling views of some of the groups/activists behind this campaign.
Lawrence Peck serves as an advisor to the North Korea Freedom Coalition, the largest network of North Korea human rights groups in the U.S.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Newsweek · July 14, 2023
14. Voice of America [Washington Talk] U.S.-ROK nuclear cooperation promise, unprecedented level... Korea's decision-making power will grow
A discussion on the ROK/US nuclear cooperation, the Nuclear Consultative Group and the nK ICBM from Ambassador Zumwalt and Ankit Panda.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv2iHx2_dxM
[Washington Talk] U.S.-ROK nuclear cooperation promise, unprecedented level... Korea's decision-making power will grow
1,832 views Premiered 2 hours ago #Washington Talk #VOA #nuclear consultation group
While North Korea launched a solid-fuel ICBM Hwasong-18, the United States and South Korea are scheduled to hold the first launch meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group. Experts in Washington said that the two countries' commitment to nuclear cooperation is at an unprecedented level, and predicted that Korea's decision-making power within this framework would grow further in the future. Moderator: Cho Eun -jung / Conversation: James Zumwalt (Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs), Ankit Panda (Senior Research Fellow , Carnegie Foundation )
15. North Korea Says We Are on 'Brink of Nuclear War'
North Korea Says We Are on 'Brink of Nuclear War'
19fortyfive.com · by Maya Carlin · July 14, 2023
This week, North Korea spoke at a UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting for the first time.
North Korea Ambassador Kim Song claimed that Washington’s action was bringing the Korean peninsula “to the brink of nuclear war,” at the emergency meeting requested by the U.S., France, Albania, Malta, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
On Wednesday, Pyongyang carried out a second test of its Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the country’s latest provocation.
While North Korean state-run media outlets described the ICBM launch as a warning to America, Ambassador Kim claimed that the test was merely a “warranted exercise” to “safeguard the security of our state.” State media KCNA condemned ongoing joint drills between South Korea and the U.S., calling them “a trigger for driving the situation on the Korean peninsula to the point of explosion.”
The Washington-Seoul Partnership is Angering Pyongyang
Since March, Seoul and Washington have been participating in a series of military drills, including air and sea exercises involving a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in addition to B-52 and B-1 strategic bombers.
Roughly 2,500 troops and more than 600 weapons systems including attack helicopters, fighter jets, and main battle tanks (MBTs) participated in the drills, comprising the largest joint exercise between the two countries in years.
Intended to mark 70 years of U.S.-South Korean relations, the drills coincided with Pyongyang’s escalating hostilities in the region. Since the start of 2022, North Korea has launched more than 100 missiles. While Kim Jong Un’s regime claims that this ramp-up is in response to the U.S.-South Korea partnership, industry experts assert that an extended ballistic missile arsenal is the true objective for Pyongyang. Analysts agree that North Korea is racing to further develop its missile and nuclear force with ICBMs, submarine-launched, and tactical nuclear weapons.
What is the Hwasong-18?
The Hwasong-18 is a type of solid-fuel long-range missile that is more difficult to detect and intercept than Pyongyang’s other liquid-fueled ICBMs.
As explained by Reuters, “Solid propellants are a mixture of fuel and oxidizer. Metallic powders such as aluminum often serve as the fuel, and ammonium perchlorate, which is the salt of perchloric acid and ammonia, is the most common oxidizer.”
Although liquid propellants enable greater power, they require extra weight and more complex technology. Industry experts have noted that Pyongyang’s successful Hwasong-18 tests are significant since the country does not have experience with other solid-propellant missiles.
In the Hermit Kingdom’s latest ICBM test launch, the Hwasong-18 flew roughly 620 miles at an altitude of over 3,700 miles. Notably, the missile was airborne for over 74 minutes, the longest flight time ever recorded. Kim Jong Un’s sister claimed that the launch was a response to “illegal U.S. spy drones” and reconnaissance planes “intruding” on the country’s exclusive economic zone. However, both Washington and Seoul have insisted that any aerial maneuvers were legal and routine in nature.
Ahead of the missile launch, 31 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members issued the Vilnius Summit Communique, urging Pyongyang to terminate its nuclear weapons program. Obviously, it appears Pyongyang is nowhere near acquiescing to this demand.
Maya Carlin, a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
From 19FortyFive
A Russian Submarine Accidently ‘Destroyed Itself’
Did Ukraine Just Win the War?
Total Massacre’: Ukraine Footage Shows Russian Cruise Missile Shipment Attacked
19fortyfive.com · by Maya Carlin · July 14, 2023
16. Do We Even Care About North Korea's ICBMs Anymore?
Do We Even Care About North Korea's ICBMs Anymore?
We are becoming used to the most terrifying country in the world possessing nuclear missiles which can strike most of the planet. This is a remarkable achievement – for North Korea.
19fortyfive.com · by Robert Kelly · July 15, 2023
Earlier this week, North Korea tested another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Many readers probably did not know this.
It was barely covered by the Western media, and even here in South Korea, it mostly brought a shrug.
The US, Japan, and South Korea condemned the test but did not say anything we had not heard many times before.
This is hardly their fault. There is little we can do to stop North Korean missile testing. If there were, we would have done it before.
In other words, we are becoming used to the most terrifying country in the world possessing nuclear missiles which can strike most of the planet.
This is a remarkable achievement – for North Korea. It represents the normalization of, at least, their missile program. North Korea now understands that it can test with near impunity. It has even launched missiles over Japan without facing a response. We are stuck.
‘Pakistan’ Model of Nuclear Acceptance: Hang Tough
For many years, North Korean testing has been met with stern denunciation – as well it should be.
Democracies have placed sanctions on it and taken their concerns to the United Nations, which has also sanctioned the North.
We have fought North Korean sanctions evasion and chased its illegal monies and transfers to prevent the illicit import of weapons materials.
We have installed missile defense in Japan and South Korea and warned that North Korean nuclear use would bring fierce retaliation.
Former US President Donald Trump even negotiated with Kim to bring some controls to the program.
It seems very apparent now that Kim does not intend to sign a meaningful arms control accord and otherwise limit his weapons production.
The outside world can rage and threaten, but barring the use of force, Kim seems likely to force upon us the acceptance of his nukes and missiles.
This is remarkable for a country otherwise so weak.
There is a ‘model’ for this. Pakistan developed nuclear weapons in the late 1990s, and global opinion was initially very hostile. Hyperbolic analysts warned about nuclear war in southeast Asia, and the US government sanctioned Pakistan. Pakistan said little in response. Instead, it just hung onto its weapons and waited. In time, analysts forecasting doom were wrong and exhausted themselves. Events in world politics moved on, and Pakistan’s weapons slowly slipped from the front pages. And after 9/11, the US lifted sanctions to solicit Pakistan’s help against terrorism.
Accommodation of North Korea is Harder: We Don’t Really Know What They Have
Pakistan did what North Korea is doing now: digging in and waiting out world opinion. This will be harder for Kim. North Korea is a much greater global pariah than Pakistan ever was. But Pakistan showed how grudging acceptance by the rest of the world can be won: just hang tough through the early storm of condemnation and criticism; be responsible with the nukes and missiles (do not sell or proliferate them); eventually the world moves on, if only out of sheer exhaustion, and everyone adapts. The North Korea version of the Pakistan track to acceptance is harder because of its political – i.e., orwellian – character, but also its opacity.
North Korea has had nuclear weapons since 2006 and has tested missiles since the 1990s. Its program is frightening. We have only a poor sense of how North Korea is governed. Below the autocracy of Kim Jong-Un himself, we have weak grasp of how other players – his sister, the generals, the State Affairs Commission, and so on – interact. We do not know what North Korea’s ‘red lines’ for nuclear use are. We do not know if local commanders have release authority. We do not the size of North Korea’s biggest nuclear warhead or how many it has.
This is more surprising than it seems. Some military secrecy is very valuable of course. But in nuclear affairs, revealing information can, in fact, be very stabilizing. The US and USSR learned this during the cold war. If each knew, roughly, what the other had, then each could be less paranoid.
If my opponents have one thousand warheads, not ten thousand, then I do not need to build ten thousand myself. North Korea has not learned this lesson. Indeed, it is likely never to learn the value of nuclear transparency, as the country’s internal culture is built on control and suspicion.
This poor transparency will make the world’s accommodation of North Korean missiles and nukes harder. Pakistan got de facto acceptance in just five years. North Korea will need much more. But given our poor response options to its programs, grudging acceptance is already happening.
Expert Biography: Dr. Robert E. Kelly (@Robert_E_Kelly; RoberEdwinKelly.com) is a professor of international relations in the Department of Political Science at Pusan and a 19FortyFive Contributing Editor.
From 19FortyFive
A Russian Submarine Accidently ‘Destroyed Itself’
Did Ukraine Just Win the War?
Total Massacre’: Ukraine Footage Shows Russian Cruise Missile Shipment Attacked
19fortyfive.com · by Robert Kelly · July 15, 2023
17. DPRK providing weapons to Wagner in Africa? - Pyongyang Papers
DPRK providing weapons to Wagner in Africa? - Pyongyang Papers
pyongyangpapers.com · July 13, 2023
Opportunity – A situation or occasion which makes it possible to do something that you want. This definition perfectly sums up the efforts of the North Korean regime who will never look to miss an opportunity. Moral dilemmas are non existent when money is available and North Korea is happy to make money, even if it is at the expense of innocent lives!
Wagner – Beginnings & Expansion into Africa
The Wagner Group (Группа Вагнера) is a Russian paramilitary organization co-founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin & Dmitry Utkin. Before the failed wagner rebellion in June, Prigozhin was a Russian oligarch who controled a network of heavily influential companies including the Internet Research Agency & Concord Management and Consulting. Wagner appears to have substantial ties to the Russian state, operating in support of Russian interests and have been described as ‘a private army of Putin’
Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed he initially founded the Wagner Group to support Russian backed separatist forces in the Donbas region, Ukraine in 2014. By late 2015 Wagner were also involved in Syrian civil war and their efforts to expand their activities and influence have only continued with Wagner believed to still be active in many African counties including:
• Central African Republic
• Madagascar
• Libya
• Mozambique
• Mali
• Chad
Media reports suggest that Wagner are also heavily active in Sudan, a country currently being torn apart by two rival Sudanese generals fighting for control. Wagners previous interest in Sudan involved lucrative gold mining concessions as well as providing training and equipment to the security forces.
Recent reports by the Wall Street Journal claim that the Wagner group has offered heavy weapons to the leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Force (RSF), Lt Gen. Mohamad Hamdan Dagalo and a recent CNN investigation also details flight movements indicating the potential weapons drop to RSF by Wagner.
Wagner fighters have been accused of numerous human rights breaches including torture, rape, mass execution and child abduction. Their actions have seen them sanctioned by several countries and organizations including the EU & US.
Where do North Korea get involved?
As mentioned earlier the North Korean regime likes oppurtuunity and in this case it’s the opportunity to make money. And where there is war there is always opportunity. Pyongyang Papers has been investigating DPRKs sanction breaking activity on the African continent for a number of years and has a growing network of sources that are willing to supply us information.
North Korean activity in Africa is just as shady as Wagner and over the years the DPRK have found the continent of Africa a rich source of revenue. The type of activity in Africa is wide ranging & sanctioned. For example, our previous articles have highlighted North Korean medical workers across Africa & DPRK involvement in construction projects. Over the decades the DPRK regime has also offered more sinister services to African leaders.
A recent video emerged online depicting the RSF capturing weapons in Sudan that are believed to have originated from North Korea. Pyongyang Papers has also been informed that operating throughout Africa, Wagner is supplying DPRK sourced anti-aircraft missiles and mortars to rebel cells. With Wagner supplying the RSF with North Korean weapons and North Korean weapons being used by the Sudanese Armed Forces, this effectively means that North Korea has managed to arm both sides of the conflict. Proof if needed that the North Korean regime positions money generation for its ballistic weapons program above everything else. Even if the cost is hundreds or thousands of lives.
#Sudan : Rapid Support Forces (#RSF) released a video of the captured systems from Sudanese Forces in #Khartoum.
The video shows rather noteable Multiple Rocket Launchers:
Three rare #DPRK/#NorthKorean 122mm BM-11 launchers and at least one #Chinese 302mm Weishi WS-1B. pic.twitter.com/uGoEZ7RujU
— War Noir (@war_noir) April 26, 2023
North Korean weapons currently in Africa?
North Korea has provided military assistance to many African countries over a long period of time. The assistance offered has ranged from training & advisors to pilots, specials forces and of course …. Weapons!
A recent example involves the Haegumgang Trading Corporation & Nigeria, who were planning to purchase $3.5 million worth of military equipment from North Korea in June 2021. This prompted an investigation from the UN Panel of Experts.
As recently as the end of March, Burkina Faso’s Foreign Ministry announced that it plans to resume diplomatic relations with North Korea and “focus on military equipment, mining, healthcare, agriculture and research”.
Wagner and North Korea
It has been widely reported that Wagner has purchased North Korean weapons for use in the Ukraine conflict. But with the ongoing conflict in Sudan and unstable alliances across several African countries, less visible in the public domain, the opportunity for the DPRK regime to make money and Wagner & Russia to further its interests in the region are just too good to ignore.
As always, if you have any information on DPRK sanctions evasion or would like to get in touch about one of our articles, please use the ‘Contact Us’ page.
Tags: DPRK, North Korea, Wagner, weapons
pyongyangpapers.com · July 13, 2023
18. Republic of Korea Air Force and U.S. Special Operations Leaders Reflect on Decades-long Alliance
Excerpts:
Recently AFSOC Air Commandos supported a forward area refueling point demonstration with ROKAF personnel in attendance to observe the capability that enables agile combat employment across a variety of austere and contested environments.
“The value of landing one of our MC-130Js or other aircraft on unimproved and improvised airstrips cannot be overstated,” said Bauernfeind. “When you have the ability to refuel and rearm air assets virtually anywhere there’s enough space to land, you complicate an adversary’s ability to decide where and what to strike past the point of effective decision making. With our Allies, creating these kinds of options for leaders is the SOF value proposition.”
Note this article:
Air Force Special Ops Wants Runway Independence, More Speed
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2023/7/14/air-force-special-ops-wants-runway--independence-more-speed
Republic of Korea Air Force and U.S. Special Operations Leaders Reflect on Decades-long Alliance
dvidshub.net
Photo By Maj. Christopher Mesnard | U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Derek Lipson, right, Special Operations Command Korea commander, shares his perspective of the unique relationship between Special Operations Forces and conventional air forces in Korea with Republic of Korea Air Force Lt. Gen. Ha Sik Park, left, Air Force Operations Command commander, and U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, center, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, during a meeting on July 13, 2023, at Osan Air Base, Republic of. The ROK-U.S. Alliance is one of the most enduring in the region and the two leaders took time to reflect on their collective history while also looking to the future of security issues in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Christopher Mesnard) | View Image Page
SOUTH KOREA
07.13.2023
CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea -- Demonstrating the decades-long alliance between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and U.S., Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Gen. Sang-hwa Jung, Chief of Staff of the Air Force welcomed U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, Air Force Special Operations Command commander back to the Korean Peninsula July 13, 2023. Bauernfeind, who previously served as the commanding general of Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR) from April 2016 – June 2019, made the visit as part of a multi-day theater circulation in the Indo-Pacific region.
During their meeting, Bauernfeind and Jung discussed the unique capabilities of each nation’s Air and Space Forces, with special emphasis on the role and integration of Special Operations Forces as a key advantage in times of competition and conflict.
“In the Special Operations community we know our people are our competitive advantage, underpinned by the enduring relationships we have around the world,” said Bauernfeind. “It is an absolute pleasure and honor to have served here in Korea and to be back again to see that the resolute friendship of the ROK-U.S. Alliance is more vibrant than ever.”
Jung and Bauernfeind discussed topics ranging from special operations capabilities unique to each nation’s air forces, joint and combined integration in the region and globally, and the continued strengthening of the 70-year ROK-U.S. Alliance.
In addition to meeting with the ROKAF top general officer, Bauernfeind also visited with the ROKAF Air Force Operations Command commander Lt. Gen. Ha Sik Park and the current SOCKOR commander, Brig. Gen. Derek Lipson.
“For 50 years the U.S. Special Operations Command Korea has partnered with our ROK Allies, a relationship we continue today and into the future,” said Lipson. “We take great pride in working with our ROK counterparts to enable their priorities here on the Peninsula, in the region, and globally.”
A common theme throughout the visit was a need to develop people capable of adapting to evolving technology, threats, and opportunities.
“Our adversaries will not fight or compete in a way we consider regular or fair—it’s not advantageous for them to do so,” said Lipson. “We expect adversaries who adapt, innovate, remain flexible, and challenge us in non-traditional ways. This means we must maintain the proficiency to carry out our missions to create advantage and opportunity below the scale of armed conflict.”
Recently AFSOC Air Commandos supported a forward area refueling point demonstration with ROKAF personnel in attendance to observe the capability that enables agile combat employment across a variety of austere and contested environments.
“The value of landing one of our MC-130Js or other aircraft on unimproved and improvised airstrips cannot be overstated,” said Bauernfeind. “When you have the ability to refuel and rearm air assets virtually anywhere there’s enough space to land, you complicate an adversary’s ability to decide where and what to strike past the point of effective decision making. With our Allies, creating these kinds of options for leaders is the SOF value proposition.”
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the ROK-U.S. Alliance and 50th anniversary since the establishment of SOCKOR.
NEWS INFO
Date Taken: 07.13.2023 Date Posted: 07.14.2023 05:14 Story ID: 449182 Location: KR Web Views: 73 Downloads: 0
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Republic of Korea Air Force and U.S. Special Operations Leaders Reflect on Decades-long Alliance, by Maj. Christopher Mesnard, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
dvidshub.net
19. 'Young North Korean defector leaders' meet with diplomats from various countries, including the US ambassador at the UN... Suggestions on how to solve the North Korean problem
Two articles below on our North Korean Young Leaders Assembly that took place this week. It concluded with a visit to the UN yesterday. Although these two articles are google translations they are sufficiently readable. They were able to meet with the US Ambassador to the UN and the ROK AMbassador to the UN as well as attend a meeting organized by the ROK mission to the UN where they were able to provide testimony on human rights and north Korea.
I am hoping we can shape this young leaders assembly into a Korean Escapee (defector) information Institution to help the ROK, US and civil society to create information content for the Korean people in the north as well as to advise on the future unification process. They and people like them will make great contributions as a bridge between the north and South.
'Young North Korean defector leaders' meet with diplomats from various countries, including the US ambassador at the UN... Suggestions on how to solve the North Korean problem
2023.7.15
https://www.voakorea.com/a/7181642.html
Young North Korean defector leaders visited New York and met with diplomats from various countries, including the US ambassador to the United Nations. It is evaluated that young North Korean defectors with competence are taking the lead in resolving North Korean issues, including policy proposals. Reporter Jo Sang-jin reports.
Young North Korean defector leaders from the United States and South Korea met with Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Ambassador to the United Nations, in New York on the 14th to discuss the North Korean issue.
Immediately after the meeting, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said, “I met young North Korean defectors who suffered from human rights violations and abuses in North Korea,” and “I felt humbled by their courage, and I express my gratitude for their continued human rights protection.” revealed.
“The UN Security Council can no longer be silent on this issue, which is a matter of international peace and security,” he stressed.
Nate Evans, spokesperson for the US mission to the United Nations, said in a statement released after the meeting that day, “Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield met with young North Korean defectors today.” Hearing it in person, I thanked them for their courage and dedication to advocating for human rights.”
[US Representative Nate Evans] “Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Representative to the United Nations, met today with young defectors of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Ambassador heard firsthand the defectors' stories of living under the DPRK government's human rights abuses and violations and expressed appreciation for their courage and commitment to human rights advocacy. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield reiterated the United States' continued work, both in and outside of the United Nations, to amplify defector voices, and ensure that the UN Security Council remains seized by this ongoing issue of international peace and security.”
"Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield reiterated the United States' continued efforts to spread the voices of North Korean refugees both inside and outside the United Nations and to ensure that the United Nations Security Council continues to address ongoing international peace and security issues," he said.
Members of the 'Young North Korean Refugee Leaders Assembly', formed by young North Korean defectors from various backgrounds with expertise, held a general meeting in Washington from the 10th and met with US government officials and congressional officials. I met with UN officials.
These 10 young North Korean defectors, who are working with expertise in various fields such as international relations, law, architecture, information technology (IT), film art, media, politics, and education, are working in policy on overall North Korean issues, including politics and security, as well as human rights issues. It is evaluated that it is changing the paradigm of North Korean defectors' activities, such as making suggestions.
Lee Hyeon-seung, a former North Korean defector and researcher at the Global Peace Foundation, who led the general meeting, explained in a phone call with VOA that day that the interview with Ambassador Thomas Greenfield was also arranged to evaluate and inspire the activities and performances of these young North Korean defectors.
In particular, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield spoke highly of the fact that young North Korean defectors with expertise are leading new changes in resolving the North Korean issue on the international stage, and said that several policy proposals were also converged.
[Soundbite: Researcher Lee Hyeon-seung] “Because of North Korea's missile launch, the Security Council discussed the issue of human rights in North Korea and condemnation of the missile launch. So he tried to meet us this time, and said he wanted to hear our story. He said it was very helpful for us to suggest policies. He said that it is important to show that we are leading change so that other international communities can join us in our activities.”
Young North Korean defector leaders attended a discussion on human rights in North Korea hosted by the South Korean mission to the United Nations on the 14th. South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Hwang Joon-kook is giving a speech. Photo courtesy of the Korean mission to the United Nations.
Young North Korean defector leaders also attended a discussion on human rights in North Korea organized by the South Korean mission to the United Nations in the afternoon, and proposed measures and policies to resolve the North Korean problem to about 100 diplomats from around the world in the United Nations.
South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Hwang Joon-kook explained in his remarks that the meeting was held to help the international community understand and resolve various pending issues in North Korea, including human rights issues.
At the same time, he emphasized that the young North Korean defectors who attended the event are changing the paradigm of the approach to the North Korean issue on the international stage.
[Ambassador Hwang Joon-guk] “These individuals may have been labeled as simply North Korean defectors in the beginning, but they are more than that now. We call them young leaders, because they have proven themselves through their unrelenting bravery and invaluable expertise in their respective fields. We expect many great things from them in the future, including their valuable contributions toward the reunification of Korea. I look forward to the stories these young leaders will share with us today. They will provide fresh insight in deepening our understanding of human rights issues in the DPRK, and offer valuable perspective on why it is so important.”
“These individuals were initially classified as North Korean defectors, but now they have become more than that,” Hwang said. “We call them young leaders because they have proven themselves through constant courage and valuable expertise in their respective fields.” said.
He stressed that these young North Korean defectors will provide new insights that deepen the international community's understanding of human rights in North Korea and provide valuable perspective on why human rights in North Korea are so important.
The young North Korean defectors who attended the event said that it was an opportunity to feel with their own skin that the perception and expected role of North Korean defectors on the international stage is changing.
Lee Seo-hyun, who received international attention for her speech at the United Nations Security Council meeting in March, said that the attitude of the international community towards the North Korean issue is changing.
[Soundbite: Mr. Seohyun Lee] “Those who are educated or are receiving education in the United States are more persuasive to the listeners because they speak rationally with sufficient grounds rather than simply appealing to emotions, with a different approach than in the past. I think that influence was more effective.”
Cho Kyung-il, CEO of Peace Agora, who worked as a writer after serving as a secretary to a member of the South Korean National Assembly, emphasized to VOA that day that young North Korean defectors with expertise did not stop complaining about the poor human rights situation in North Korea, but began to take the lead in solving the problem.
[Soundbite: CEO Cho Kyung-il] “They are called the older generation who defected from North Korea. Human rights movements in North Korea, democratization in North Korea, and movements to inform North Korea have remained in the 'exhibition of suffering', relying on testimonies and complaining of suffering. However, in the case of our young people now, the big difference is that they have emerged as the subject of problem solving as the person concerned. It is now very different from North Korean defectors who appeared in the existing North Korean human rights movement or North Korean issues, and a change in the paradigm of generational change has begun.”
Park Dae-hyeon, CEO of 'Urion', a North Korean refugee resettlement support group, explained that the difference is that the young North Korean refugee generation is directly taking action for practical change based on the North Korean human rights activities that the older generations of North Korean refugees have devoted themselves to.
[Soundbite: CEO Park Dae-hyeon] “Based on the pain, sorrow, and pity our ancestors experienced, our role is to explain how the international community can go beyond empathy and take action, not just sympathize with the pain. The generation seems to be doing it.”
Members of the 'Young North Korean Refugee Leaders Assembly' also explained that the international community is showing great interest in proposing policies and solutions for various North Korean issues based on their professional knowledge and background while working in various fields of society.
Harry Kim, who graduated from North Korea's Kim Chaek College of Engineering and worked as an IT agent dispatched overseas to North Korea, entered the United States. Based on his professional experience and activities in North Korea, Harry Kim came up with solutions to related problems such as the relationship between North Korea's hacking and human rights. He said he suggested.
[Soundbite: Harry Kim] “In my case (working as an IT worker in North Korea), I was earning $1,000 a month at the time. But when I took that 1,000 dollars, less than 20% of the money returned to me. Since we can now know the terms of such a contract numerically, it is actually a huge blow to the North Korean regime. So we talked about it a lot.”
Lim Cheol, an attorney who advocates for immigrants at the Public Interest Law Center at Seoul National University, said that talented young North Korean defectors gathering together and speaking out with one voice with a common goal of resolving the North Korean problem and improving human rights play a bigger role in drawing international attention. .
[Soundbite: Attorney Cheol Lim] “I wanted to show the power of our young people to gather and act together. All of them were thinking in common about how to change North Korea as quickly as possible and what kind of method would be good for the people of North Korea. During the discussion, we discovered what we were lacking in and what we needed to improve and suggest, so we were convinced that we could come together and form solidarity in the future.”
On the 14th, Human Rights Watch's UN director-general, Louis Charverno, told VOA about the activities of young North Korean defectors that the international community is paying attention to the changes in North Korean human rights activities led by them.
[Record: Director Charverno] “It's really important to hear directly from victims themselves and to bring it down from talking about things on a purely political level and to hear about people's personal experiences. It's important that this keeps getting discussed.”
Charverno said it was very important for North Korean defectors to tell their stories and share their experiences away from political issues.
At the same time, he emphasized that the issue of North Korea should be raised continuously in the international forum so that competent North Korean defectors can play a more significant role in resolving North Korea's human rights violations and various pending issues.
This is VOA News Cho Sang-jin.
North Korean defectors met by UN diplomats "China should stop repatriation and take responsibility for human rights in North Korea"
Enter 2023.07.15. 5:21 am Modified 2023.07.15. 5:22 am original article
Reporter Kang Geon-taek
Testified on North Korean human rights abuses to diplomatic corps at an event invited by the South Korean mission to the United Nations
Young North Korean defector leaders testifying about the human rights situation in North Korea to diplomats at the United Nations
[New York = Yonhap News]
(New York = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kang Geon-taek = Young leaders from North Korean defectors reported to UN diplomats on the 14th (local time) about North Korea's human rights violations and urged China's cooperation.
Ten young North Korean defectors from the North Korean Youth Leaders Conference introduced their experiences and views on the human rights situation in North Korea to about 100 people, including diplomatic corps and foreign reporters, at the United Nations Mission in New York. Another North Korean defector who settled in the United States as a software engineer introduced his experience of working as an overseas IT (information technology) worker to earn foreign currency for the North Korean regime, saying, "Almost all the money we earn goes to the North Korean regime's missile development." "I worked without a contract," he said.
"China is harassing North Korean defectors and sending them back to North Korea," said Lee Hyeon-seung, a researcher at the Global Peace Foundation. "China and Russia must work with us to hold North Korea fully responsible for its human rights situation."
A North Korean defector who requested anonymity for family matters also said, "The Chinese government must abide by the principle of non-forced repatriation. China must not return North Korean defectors who are at risk of political persecution and severe torture in accordance with the Refugee Convention and the UN Convention Against Torture." appealed.
Lim Cheol, a lawyer in South Korea, said that the Chinese government's repatriation of North Korean defectors was "illegal and inhumane." Even if there is a risk of persecution, it can be recognized as a refugee."
In fact, Lawyer Lim's family also crossed the Chinese border just to survive, but could not return to their hometown due to the risk of punishment, and her father was repatriated to North Korea once and was severely tortured.
A North Korean defector, who also requested anonymity, added, "It is also a problem that North Korean women are victims of sex trafficking in China."
There were also loud voices criticizing the responsibility of the Kim Jong-un regime regarding the human rights situation in North Korea.
An anonymous North Korean defector said, "The North Korean regime has created the most oppressive society in the world by continuing to isolate its residents from the outside world," citing examples of police's constant house searches, bans on watching movies and TV shows, and restrictions on Internet access. said. Seohyun Lee, a graduate student at Columbia University, shed tears when she witnessed her best friend being dragged away in front of her eyes while studying abroad in China. Hwang Joon-guk, Ambassador to the United Nations, who hosted the event, said, "These are not just North Korean defectors, but young leaders."
Hwang Joon-guk, Ambassador to the UN, invited young North Korean defector leaders from the UN Representative Department
[New York=Yonhap News]
firstcircle @ yna.co.kr
20. Mind the Gaps:Reading South Korea’s Emergent Proliferation Strategy
Download the Washington Quarterly article here: https://t.co/IHRViUIt3g
Mind the Gaps:Reading South Korea’s Emergent Proliferation Strategy
Eric Brewer,Toby Dalton and Kylie Jones
https://t.co/IHRViUIt3g
South Korea has long been on the list of potential over-the-horizon
proliferation challenges, but growing debates in Seoul about its nuclear options
are quickly moving it toward the front of the US nonproliferation agenda.
Indeed, proliferation concerns featured prominently at the April 2023 Republic
of Korea (ROK)-US summit, where Washington sought South Korean reaffirmation
of its “longstanding commitment to its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty” in return for efforts to bolster extended nuclear deterrence.1
For decades, calls in South Korea for nuclear armament remained relegated to the
political fringes and did not receive serious policy attention. That has begun to
change in recent years.2 South Korean nuclear weapons advocates and those sympathetic
to the idea are becoming more numerous, louder, and are increasingly
drawn from a broader cross-section of the national security community.3 In
January 2023, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol publicly stated that if
threats continue to worsen, South Korea might develop nuclear weapons.4
This is the first time a South Korean president has made such comments.
Perhaps most importantly, there has been a subtle evolution of the public discourse,
from basic arguments about why nuclear weapons may be desirable to
nascent articulations of how South Korea might go about developing
them: Seoul’s proliferation strategy.
There are likely multiple reasons why the nuclear issue is becoming more prominent
in South Korea. Some of these reasons are tactical, others strategic.
Talking about nuclear options can be a useful way for South Korean politicians
to score points with constituencies worried about North Korean threats. This
can also be viewed as a warning to North Korea itself. Playing the nuclear card
probably also reflects an attempt to leverage additional measures of US nuclear
assurance, a more direct role in US nuclear decision-making, or even a
“nuclear sharing” arrangement, all of which appeared to be on the Yoon Administration’s
wish list going into the April 2023 summit.5
Continued at the link: https://t.co/IHRViUIt3g
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
| 
