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Quotes of the Day:
"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence."
- Frederick Douglas
“Re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul.”
- Walt Whitman
“The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain that I know nothing.”
- Voltaire
1.. N. Korea fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles into East Sea: JCS
2. U.S. service member crosses border to N. Korea without authorization: Austin
3. A look at some Americans who crossed into North Korea over the past years
4. U.S. focused on threats posed by N. Korea rather than peace treaty: Kritenbrink
5. What happened to US citizens like Otto Warmbier detained in North Korea
6. Yoon boards U.S. nuclear-capable submarine in show of force against N. Korea
7. Travis King: US soldier held by North Korea after crossing border
8. North Korea Detains American Soldier After He Crosses DMZ
9. Why tourists are drawn to the DMZ between the two Koreas
10. US, allies hope to lure North Korea back to negotiation table after ICBM launch
11. N. Korea stole US$700 mln of crypto in 2022: NIS
12. S. Korean nuclear envoy heads to Japan for trilateral talks on N.K. threats
13. N. Hamgyong Province holds public struggle session to warn against S. Korean products
14. Yoon warns North during historic tour of U.S. nuclear sub
15. More North Korean cyberattacks likely in lead up to general election
16. What the arrival of USS Kentucky means (Korea)
17. [ANALYSIS] What will happen to US soldier held in North Korea?
18. Korea needs a big idea
19. US soldier’s NK defection raises alarm over JSA tour security
1. N. Korea fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles into East Sea: JCS
Probably a welcome for Pv2 King's arrival in north Korea. (note sarcasm).
(2nd LD) N. Korea fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles into East Sea: JCS | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · July 19, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES with presidential office meeting)
SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday, Seoul's military said, after the arrival of a U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarine here and the inaugural session of a new South Korea-U.S. security dialogue.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launches from the Sunan area in Pyongyang between 3:30 a.m. and 3:46 a.m., and they flew some 550 kilometers before splashing into the sea.
The JCS condemned the launches as "acts of significant provocation" that harms peace not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the international community, and as a "clear" violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
"Our military will maintain a firm readiness posture based on capabilities to respond overwhelmingly to any North Korean provocations," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.
The presidential office held a security monitoring meeting led by Deputy National Security Adviser Lim Jong-deuk, according to a presidential official.
The missile launch came after South Korea and the United States held the inaugural meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) in Seoul the previous day to bolster the U.S.' extended deterrence commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its ally.
The meeting coincided with the arrival of USS Kentucky at a key naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, marking the first port visit by an American nuclear-capable strategic submarine (SSBN) since USS Robert E. Lee in March 1981.
Pyongyang test fired a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 12.
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. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · July 19, 2023
2. U.S. service member crosses border to N. Korea without authorization: Austin
(LEAD) U.S. service member crosses border to N. Korea without authorization: Austin | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · July 19, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES with remarks from White House spokesperson in last 5 paras; ADDS photo)
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Yonhap) -- An active U.S. service member has willfully crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea without authorization, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Tuesday.
The soldier is believed to be in North Korean custody and his safety and wellbeing is still under investigation, according to Austin.
"We are very early in this event, and so there's a lot that we are still trying to learn but what we do know is that one of our service members who was on a tour willfully and without authorization crossed the military demarcation line," the defense secretary told a press briefing.
"We believe that he is in DPRK custody, and so we are closely monitoring and investigating the situation and working to notify the soldier's next of kin and engaging to address this incident," he added, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is seen answering questions during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on July 18, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)
United Nations Command (UNC) in Korea earlier said that a U.S. citizen crossed the military demarcation line while on a group tour to the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone, adding that the UNC is working with North Korean counterparts to resolve the incident.
The U.S. Department of Defense has also reached out to North Korea, according to a state department spokesperson.
"The state department has not reached out to the North Koreans or other governments. It is our understanding that the Pentagon has reached out to their counterparts in the DPRK," State Department Press Secretary Matthew Miller told a daily press briefing.
"I will just say that, as always, the safety and security of any American overseas remains the top priority for the United States," he added.
Miller reiterated that the U.S. service member has "willfully, on his own volition" crossed the inter-Korean border when asked if he was trying to defect to North Korea, adding "the matter remains under investigation."
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is seen answering questions during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington on July 18, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre later said President Joe Biden has been briefed on the incident.
"I can tell you for sure that ... clearly the president has been briefed. Obviously, this is the type of incident that he would be briefed on," she told a press briefing, adding, "certainly this is something that the president is watching very closely and will be kept updated."
Jean-Pierre said it was still too early to determine the exact motive of the U.S. service member.
"We will resolve this incident, resolve this matter to get to the bottom of exactly what happened. There is an investigation that's currently occurring. There has been outreach from the Department of Defense, as I mentioned, to their counterparts over at the Korean People's Army," she told the press briefing.
"Resolving this is basically getting to the bottom of exactly what happened, and that is important for us to know. I just don't have more to share," she added.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · July 19, 2023
3. A look at some Americans who crossed into North Korea over the past years
I think it is also useful to compare the case of PRC White in 1982. He was another disgruntled soldier who defected across the DMZ (nearby but not in the JSA/Panmunjom). I am pretty sure he is the last previous US soldier who defected.
Most of the press is only reporting Charles Jenkins (1965) and are mixing those who "defected" with those who were detained (e.g., Kenneth Bae and Otto Warmbier). I have not seen any reporting on PFC White. His defection was a big deal when I was in Korea on the DMZ in the 1980s.
Wikipedia does have some useful background on PFC White. I expect that if PV2 King is a disgruntled soldier willing to make anti-American statements he will be used for propaganda until he is no longer of value for that purpose. Then, like PFC White, he may be used to "Teach English" which is really about teaching potential espionage operators English to prepare them for work in the US or western world. If he is a discipline problem we will likely never hear about him again unless the regime chooses to notify his family to inform them of his likely untimely death.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_T._White
A look at some Americans who crossed into North Korea over the past years
AP · July 18, 2023
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S.-led United Nations Command is trying to secure the release of an American soldier who fled to North Korea from the South Korean side of a border village.
Private 2nd Class Travis King, in his early 20s, had just been released from a South Korean prison where he was held on assault charges. Instead of getting on a plane to be taken back to Fort Bliss, Texas, he left and joined a tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom, where he ran across the border.
The incident comes at a time of high tensions as the pace of both the North’s weapons demonstrations and U.S.-South Korean joint military training have intensified in a cycle of tit-for-tat.
There have been cases of Americans crossing into North Korea over the past years, including a small number of U.S. soldiers. Some of the Americans who crossed were driven by evangelical zeal or simply attracted by the mystery of a severely cloistered police state fueled by anti-U.S. hatred.
Other Americans were detained after entering North Korea as tourists. In one tragic case, it ended in death.
Here’s a look at other Americans who entered North Korea in the past years:
___
CHARLES JENKINS
FILE - former U.S. Army deserter to North Korea, Charles Jenkins, together with his daughters Mika, rear left, and Brinda at Narita International Airport, Japan on June 14, 2005. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye, File)
Born in Rich Square, N.C., Charles Jenkins was one of the few Cold War-era U.S. soldiers who fled to North Korea while serving in the South.
Jenkins, then an Army sergeant, deserted his post in 1965 and fled across the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. North Korea treated Jenkins as a propaganda asset, showcasing him in leaflets and films.
In 1980, Jenkins married 21-year-old Hitomi Soga, a Japanese nursing student who had been abducted by North Korean agents in 1978.
Soga was allowed to return to Japan in 2002. In 2004, Jenkins was allowed to leave North Korea and rejoin his wife in Japan, where he surrendered to U.S. military authorities and faced charges that he abandoned his unit and defected to North Korea. He was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 25 days in a U.S. military jail in Japan. He died in Japan in 2017.
___
MATTHEW MILLER
FILE - Matthew Miller, a U.S. citizen, sits on the dock at the Supreme Court during his trial in Pyongyang, North Korea on Sept. 14, 2014. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon, File)
In September 2014, then a 24-year-old from Bakersfield, California, Matthew Miller was sentenced to six years of hard labor by North Korea’s Supreme Court on charges that he illegally entered the country for spying purposes.
The court claimed that Miller tore up his tourist visa upon arriving at Pyongyang’s airport in April that year and admitted to a “wild ambition” of experiencing North Korean prison life so that he could secretly investigate the country’s human rights conditions.
North Korea’s initial announcement about Miller’s detainment that month came as then-President Barack Obama was traveling in South Korea on a state visit.
Miller was freed in November that same year along with another American, Kenneth Bae, a missionary and tour leader.
Weeks before his release, Miller talked with The Associated Press at a Pyongyang hotel where North Korean officials allowed him to call his family. Miller said he was digging in fields eight hours a day and being kept in isolation.
___
KENNETH BAE
FILE - American missionary Kenneth Bae speaks to reporters at Pyongyang Friendship Hospital in Pyongyang, North Korea on Jan. 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon, File)
Bae, a Korean-American missionary from Lynnwood, Washington, was arrested in November 2012 while leading a tour group in a special North Korean economic zone.
North Korea sentenced Bae to 15 years in prison for “hostile acts,” including smuggling in inflammatory literature and attempting to establish a base for anti-government activities at a hotel in a border town. Bae’s family said he suffered from chronic health issues, including back pain, diabetes, and heart and liver problems.
Bae returned to the United States in November 2014 following a secret mission by James Clapper, then-U.S. director of national intelligence who also secured Miller’s release.
___
JEFFREY FOWLE
A month before Bae and Miller’s release, North Korea also freed Jeffrey Fowle, an Ohio municipal worker who was detained for six months for leaving a Bible in a nightclub in the city of Chongjin. Fowle’s release followed negotiations that involved retired diplomat and former Ohio Congressman Tony Hall.
While North Korea officially guarantees freedom of religion, analysts and defectors describe the country as strictly anti-religious. The distribution of Bibles and secret prayer services can mean imprisonment or execution, defectors say.
In 2009, American missionary Robert Park walked into North Korea with a Bible in his hand to draw attention to North Korea’s human rights abuses. Park, who was deported from the North in February 2010, has said he was tortured by authorities.
__
OTTO WARMBIER
FILE - American student Otto Warmbier, center, is escorted at the Supreme Court in Pyongyang, North Korea on March 16, 2016. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin, File)
Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student, died in June 2017, shortly after he was flown home in a vegetative state after 17 months in North Korean captivity.
Warmbier was seized by North Korean authorities from a tour group in January 2016 and convicted on charges of trying to steal a propaganda poster and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.
While not providing a clear reason for Warmbier’s brain damage, North Korea denied accusations by Warmbier’s family that he was tortured and insisted that it had provided him medical care with “all sincerity.” The North accused the United States of a smear campaign and claimed itself as the “biggest victim” in his death.
In 2022, a U.S. federal judge in New York ruled that Warmbier’s parents — Fred and Cindy Warmbier — should receive $240,300 seized from a North Korean bank account, which would be a partial payment toward the more than $501 million they were awarded in 2018 by a federal judge in Washington.
AP · July 18, 2023
4. U.S. focused on threats posed by N. Korea rather than peace treaty: Kritenbrink
The idea of a peace treaty or end of war declaration is rearing its head again. Some anti-US - pro--north Korea organizations are lobbying Congress around the time of the Armistice to seek an end of war declaration and peace treaty. Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink ia right in that we must be wary of a peace regime when there is a deadly and existential (to South Korea) threat on the Korean peninsula.
Below this article is some analysis I did when the past end of war declaration was coming up for a vote in Congress..
U.S. focused on threats posed by N. Korea rather than peace treaty: Kritenbrink | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · July 19, 2023
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Yonhap) -- The United States is currently focused on dealing with the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile development programs instead of formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War with a peace treaty, a senior state department official said Tuesday.
Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, also insisted that the U.S. should focus on demonstrating its strong commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan rather than signing a peace treaty with Pyongyang.
"I think, candidly speaking, rather than focusing on a peace treaty, I think we would rather focus on the immediate problem," he said when asked if the incumbent administration would sign a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War during a hearing before the House foreign affairs subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific.
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink is seen answering questions during a hearing before the House foreign affairs subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific in Washington on July 18, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)
The Korean War ended with an armistice treaty, technically leaving South and North Korea at war to date.
"So we have stated what our long term aspirations might be. But the immediate threat is the growing threat from North Korea's missile and nuclear programs and unprecedented number of (missile) launches," added Kritenbrink.
North Korea test fired a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile last week, marking its 12th ICBM launch since the start of last year. The country also fired 69 ballistic missiles in 2022, marking a new annual record for ballistic missile launches.
"I think our focus right now is twofold: (It) is demonstrating the strength of our deterrent capabilities, the strength of our security treaty commitments to our Korean and Japanese allies and our resolve to make sure we strictly implement" those commitments, said Kritenbrink.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Duk-Kun Byun · July 19, 2023
Peace on the Korean Peninsula and Security of the Republic of Korea
(Considerations for H.R. 3446)
David Maxwell
The “Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act” (H.R. 3446) offered by Representatives Sherman, Kohanna, Kim, and Meng is a laudable effort with goals that all Americans and Koreans can support: humanitarian considerations, a formal end to the Korean War and “solid peace regime,” and establishment of North Korean and U.S. liaison offices to reduce tensions. However, these goals are not without challenges for the ROK/U.S. alliance and most importantly the security of the Korean people in the South. Before the resolution is adopted it may be useful to examine the challenges and determine if amendments should be proposed to ensure the protection of U.S. interests in the region and the Korean people.
The key national interest of the U.S. is preventing a resumption of hostilities on the Korean Peninsula. It is also rightly concerned about the nuclear and ballistic missile threats as well as the conventional risks from the fourth largest army in the world with 70 percent of its forces offensively postured between the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and Pyongyang posing an existential threat to the South. Deterrence of a conventional attack and the employment of weapons of mass destruction must guide U.S. policy and strategy.
What the Findings Lack
The list of findings in Sec. 2 of H.R. 3446 is good but incomplete. To judge the efficacy of the three proposed actions in the resolution it is important to understand the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime. This regime has correctly been described as a mafia-like crime family cult that conducts illicit activities around the world and conducts human rights abuses that have been judged as crimes against humanity by the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry. This is the nature of the regime, and it is important to understand that when engaging it. Based on careful analysis of North Korea documents (its Constitution, Workers Party of Korea Charter, and leadership writings and speeches) the vital national interests, strategic aims, and conditions for success can be discerned. First and foremost is the survival of the regime. To accomplish this the regime must complete the Korean revolution and dominate the entire peninsula under Northern rule. The key condition required for success is the removal of U.S. military forces from Korea.
The strategy of the regime can be succinctly described this way. The regime has been executing a seven decades-old strategy of subversion, coercion-extortion (e.g., blackmail diplomacy) and preparing for the use of force in order to unify the peninsula under what can be called the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State. To successfully execute this strategy the regime must divide the ROK/U.S. alliance and push U.S. troops off the peninsula and demand an end to extended deterrence and the nuclear umbrella over the ROK and Japan. From Kim Jong-un’s perspective these are the requirements for demonstrating the end of the ROK and U.S. “hostile policy.” The regime must “divide to conquer,” divide the alliance to conquer the ROK.
The regime is executing a political warfare strategy while being prepared to use force if necessary or if the conditions are right. Paul Smith at the National Defense University described political warfare as “the use of political means to compel an opponent to do one's will, based on hostile intent. The term political describes the calculated interaction between a government and a target audience to include another state's government, military, and/or general population. Governments use a variety of techniques to coerce certain actions, thereby gaining relative advantage over an opponent.” The North is executing a “political warfare strategy with Juche characteristics” adapting it for its own unique culture, history, ideology and strategic aims and objectives.
With this understanding the three proposed actions can be assessed.
Humanitarian Considerations
There can be no doubt that the Korean people in the north are suffering horrendously, perhaps on a scale worse than the “Arduous March” of the Famine of 1994-1996 in which 3 million people may have perished from the effects of the famine. Since March of 2020 North Korea has been locked down due to COVID-19, the economy has failed, and it has experienced natural disasters that will lead to another failed harvest in the fall of 2021.
Travel to North Korea should be allowed for humanitarian purposes. However, given the past behavior of the regime travel remains high risk as the regime has demonstrated it will confine innocent travelers for its political purposes. The resolution requires the Department of State to address travel for “the purposes of attending to or witnessing funerals, burials, or other religious and family commemorations of relatives.” While the intention here is humanitarian it is unlikely the regime would authorize such travel unless it believes it could extort significant resources from travelers. Any decision to authorize such travel must include procedures to prevent the regime from benefiting from such travel. Most importantly, the resolution should include the establishment of procedures to minimize risk to American travelers and to provide adequate protection from the actions of the regime. This is a tall order, but a necessary one if the U.S. is to allow travel to the North.
What the resolution does not address is providing aid to the Korean people in the North which is the most important humanitarian consideration. The humanitarian situation provides deep insights into the nature of the Kim family regime.
While the regime claims no COVID cases the regime has implemented draconian population and resources control measures to defend against COVID but also to exert greater control over the Korean people in the north and prevent any possible resistance to regime rule. It has closed the border to both legal trade with China and smuggling activities both of which are key to the markets that have served as the lifeline for the people since the failure of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the 1990s. Kim is cracking down on the use of foreign currency, internal movement, market activities, and access to information. The natural disasters and poor economic and agricultural policies have led to another emerging failed fall harvest. Sanctions limit fuel supplies, dual use technologies, and luxury goods for the elite as well as access to international banking systems. However, sanctions do not prohibit the provision of food and medical aid.
While the people suffer, the regime continues its global illicit activities and proliferation to raise hard currency to support the regime elite, the nuclear and missile programs, and a military modernization effort.
The ROK, the U.S. and the international community have made multiple offers of humanitarian assistance but so far Kim has spurned them – most likely because he is unwilling to comply with international norms and standards for transparency and to ensure the aid gets to the people most in need. Food and medical assistance have been offered. The regime has even turned down COVID vaccines.
The reason the people are suffering is not the result of external actions or natural disasters. They suffer because of Kim Jong-un’s deliberate policies. He has made the decision to prioritize the nuclear and missile programs over the welfare of the people. He could reallocate funds from illicit activities to sustain the people, but he chooses not to. The sad irony is that the ROK, the U.S., and the international community care more about the welfare of the Korean people living in the North than does Kim Jong-un. The actions of Kim Jong-un are not the ones of a responsible member of the international community. This is the true nature of Kim Jong-un and his regime.
End of War Declaration and “A Solid Peace Regime”
Congress must consider the history and who were and still are the belligerents in the Korean Civil War - with emphasis on the conflict being a civil war between North and South. A review of the UN Security Council resolutions of 1950 (82-85) shows that the United Nations clearly identified the North as the hostile aggressor who attacked South Korea. The UN called on member nations to come to the defense of freedom in South Korea. It established the UN Command and designated the United States as executive agent for the UN Command which included providing the commander.
The United States did not declare war on the North. It intervened under UN authority and fought under the UN command. President Rhee placed the remainder of the Korean forces under the control (not command) of the UN Command. China did not officially intervene in the war. It sent "volunteers"- the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV), to defend the north. The 1953 Armistice was signed by military representatives—the UN Command and the north Korean People's Army (nKPA) and then later by the Chinese People's Volunteers and the Commander in Chief of the nKPA.
The logical end to the Korean Civil War and adoption of a peace treaty must be brokered between the two designated belligerents (the North and South). The U.S. and PRC (People’s Republic of China) could provide security guarantees, but they should not be parties to the peace treaty and the U.S. should not try to have a separate peace treaty with the North. A separate peace is exactly what the regime has demanded for years so that it could then force the removal of U.S. troops. This also worries Koreans in the South who fear a separate peace that would allow the U.S. to abandon the South. This has been a key element of the Kim regime’s political warfare strategy.
There is an additional challenge to a peace agreement between North and South owing to their current constitutions. Both countries do not recognize the existence of the other and in fact both claim sovereignty over the entire Korean peninsula and Korean population. A peace treaty would undermine both constitutions because signing a peace treaty would mean recognizing the existence of two Koreas.
If the North and South sign a peace treaty ending their hostilities it is logical to argue that the UN Command should be dissolved. The relevant UN Security Council Resolutions must be rescinded (82-85), though they would be subject to veto by any of the members of the P5 (permanent members of the UN Security Council). Also, there is nothing in the Armistice that says the signatories of the Armistice must also sign a peace treaty. International lawyers are going to hash this out, especially since both North and South are now members of the UN, unlike in 1950. While a logical argument can be made for the dissolution of the UN Command, and surely the regime will make it, an end of war declaration or peace agreement will have no automatic or legal bearing on the presence of U.S. troops.
The ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea exist separately from the Armistice. They are present because of the bi-lateral agreement, the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) of 1953. Note that the MDT makes no mention of North Korea or the DPRK. The treaty only states that its purpose is to defend both countries from threats in the Asia-Pacific region. A peace agreement should technically have no impact on the presence of U.S. forces.
The most important question concerning an end of war declaration and peace agreement is how they will ensure the security of the ROK. Assuming the Kim regime continues executing its seven decades old strategy it will seek to exploit such an agreement to try to drive U.S. troops off the peninsula and undermine the ROK/U.S. alliance. Most importantly the existential threat will still be present across the DMZ. There is no piece of paper that can defend against an attack from the North.
Liaison Offices
Establishing liaison offices is an important step forward for communication and engagement. The U.S. has supported this initiative in the past and the principled and practical diplomacy desired by the Biden administration would benefit from these offices. However, despite North Korean statements it has always resisted this initiative. This is likely because it fears that it would not be able to control diplomatic engagement with the U.S. A part of its political warfare strategy is to be able to retreat to self-imposed isolation to thwart actions by the ROK and the U.S.
Current situation on the Korean Peninsula and Considerations for the Resolution
The Moon administration appears to be doubling down on its peace agenda. It is pushing hard for an end of war declaration and offers of humanitarian assistance as “incentives” to jump-start North-South engagement and denuclearization negotiations. ROK Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong has said that now the time is ripe for considering sanctions relief.
The recent missile tests and seemingly conflicting rhetoric from the regime, and specifically Kim Yo-jong, are actually in keeping with its political warfare strategy. It is attempting to set the conditions to demand sanctions relief without giving up anything substantiative in return.
The alliance must recognize, understand, and expose the Kim family regime strategy. Kim Yo-jong's "dangle" plays into the Moon administration’s peace agenda as well as H.R. 3446. If negotiations do take place, they will fail because of the continued U.S. troop presence which the regime will argue is the key indicator of U.S. and ROK hostile policy. The regime will not agree to anything if U.S. troops remain. Ultimately the blame for failing to agree to an end of war declaration and negotiate a peace agreement will fall on the U.S. This will provide "ammunition" to the anti-American and anti-military factions in the ROK and U.S. to push for a U.S. troop withdrawal. This will bring enormous strain on the alliance. It could also damage the long held bipartisan Congressional support for security on the Korean peninsula and the ROK/U.S. alliance. If the bipartisan support fractures, it will have a significant impact on the alliance. Again, the security of the ROK must be a paramount consideration and H.R. 3446 should state that.
Recommendations
Going forward the resolution should not be adopted unless it is amended. Specifically, the findings should be revised to account for the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family. There must be a clear-eyed recognition of how the regime operates and what it seeks to achieve. The ROK, the U.S., and the international community must deal with North Korea as it really is and not as they wish it to be.
Congress must recognize the single most important interest of the U.S. on the Korean peninsula is to deter war. In terms of the end of war declaration and peace agreement Congress should amend the resolution to include demands that require a sufficient reduction in North Korean conventional military forces along the DMZ to reduce the threat to the ROK and the possibility of the North launching an attack. This resolution must not pass unless it includes requirements for security guarantees of the ROK.
The resolution should include a requirement for procedures to prevent regime financial exploitation and to ensure the safety of any American who travels to the north. Without such procedures in place no American should be authorized to travel to the North unless on official government business.
Conclusion
There is no evidence that Kim Jong-un has given up the regime strategy or its playbook to achieve peninsula domination. It is imperative that the ROK and the U.S. do not provide inadvertent support to that strategy. In fact, they must identify and expose it as the only way to prevent its success and as the only course that could bring Kim to the negotiating table. If he can be shown without a doubt that his strategy has failed, he will have no other option but to negotiate. But even if he does agree to negotiate once again, negotiators can never lose sight of the regime’s political warfare strategy.
However, the sad truth is the only way there will likely be an end to the nuclear program and threats as well as the human rights abuses and crimes against humanity being committed against the Korean people living in the north by the mafia-like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime is through achievement of unification and the establishment of a United Republic of Korea. It must be secure and stable, non-nuclear, economically vibrant, and unified under a liberal constitutional form of government based on individual liberty, rule of law, and human rights as determined by the Korean people. In short, a United Republic of Korea (UROK).
That is the goal all Koreans and Americans should be striving to achieve.
5. What happened to US citizens like Otto Warmbier detained in North Korea
I do not think any of these are really analogous to PV2 King's "defection."
What happened to US citizens like Otto Warmbier detained in North Korea
BBC · by Menu
By Bernd Debusmann Jr
BBC News, Washington
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Otto Warmbier died days after returning to the US after his detention in North Korea
By Bernd Debusmann Jr
BBC News, Washington
Since the guns of the Korean War fell silent on 27 July 1953, tens of thousands of US troops have remained in South Korea to cast a wary eye across the 38th parallel to North Korea.
Together with their South Korean allies, US forces regularly conduct large-scale military drills on the peninsula, frequently drawing angry rebukes from Pyongyang's government.
But despite these tensions and a lack of formal diplomatic relations between the US and North Korea, a small but steady stream of Americans have visited the country on organised tours - sometimes with dangerous results.
"Do not travel to North Korea due to the continuing serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of US nationals," reads a sternly worded travel warning on the US State Department's website. "The US government is unable to provide emergency services to US citizens in North Korea."
US citizens have been detained in North Korea several times since 1996, including tourists, scholars and journalists.
In July 2017, the US government banned US citizens from visiting the country - a move that has since been extended until at least August this year.
Here are some of the most notable cases from the last decade.
Otto Warmbier, 2016
Otto Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, was arrested while visiting North Korea as part of a tour group in January 2016. The visit, organised by a China-based budget tour operator that specialises in off-the-beaten-track destinations, was a five-day trip to experience North Korea during the New Year's Eve period. His father later told the Washington Post that he was "curious about their culture" and "wanted to meet the people of North Korea".
About two months after his detention on 2 January, a North Korean court sentenced Otto Warmbier to 15 years' imprisonment with hard labour on charges that he attempted to steal a propaganda poster.
Shortly after the sentencing, Mr Warmbier suffered a neurological injury under unclear circumstances.
He was freed - seriously ill - 17 months after his arrest, and died in a hospital six days after returning to the US in June 2017.
US doctors described Mr Warmbier as being in a state of "unresponsive wakefulness", but the Warmbier family said calling this a coma was "unfair".
His father said when they saw his son he was "moving around, and jerking violently, making these howling and inhuman sounds".
His head was shaved, he was blind and deaf, his arms and legs were "totally deformed" and he had a huge scar on his foot, he said. It "looked like someone had taken a pair of pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth".
"Otto was systematically tortured and intentionally injured by Kim and his regime. This was no accident," his father said.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
Otto WarmbieR 'confessed' in front of North Korean media weeks after his detention
A US federal court later found North Korea liable for Otto Warmbier's torture and death.
While North Korea did not formally contest the charges, it has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency claimed he was provided medical care "with all sincerity" despite having "no reason to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state".
It also claimed that North Korea was "the biggest victim" of the death and subsequent "smear campaign" by the US.
Bruce Byron Lowrance, 2018
In October 2018, North Korea announced that Bruce Byron Lowrance - a 60-year-old from Michigan - had been detained while entering the country illegally from China.
US authorities later revealed that a man matching his name and description had been detained at the demilitarised zone separating North and South Korea. The man had allegedly told investigators that he believed that his visit would help ease geopolitical tensions between the two countries.
Mr Lowrance was released about a month after being detained, which US officials suggested may have been an effort to improve relations with the US following high-profile talks between Kim Jong Un and then US President Donald Trump.
He has not commented publicly on his detention and subsequent release.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
Tourists in South Korea looking north across the Demilitarised Zone that separates the two countries
Matthew Miller, 2014
Matthew Miller, a 24-year-old teacher from California, was taken into custody by North Korean authorities and charged with "hostile" espionage acts while on an organised tour in April 2014.
North Korean authorities later alleged he admitted to a "wild ambition" of exploring the country and investigating conditions there.
He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment with hard labour in September 2014. In interviews before and after his release, he said he spent much of his time digging in fields, moving stones and taking out weeds, but was otherwise largely kept in strict isolation.
Mr Miller was released the following month with another American detainee, Kenneth Bae.
In a later interview with journalist Nate Thayer of the North Korea-focused NK News site, Mr Miller said he went to North Korea with the intention of defecting and getting to "speak to an ordinary North Korean person about normal things", regardless of politics.
"I was trying to stay in the country," Mr Miller said. "They wanted me to leave. The very first night they said, 'We want you to leave on the next flight.' But I refused. I just did not leave."
In the interview, Mr Miller said he eventually "changed his mind" about seeking asylum and requested help from the US government.
Kenneth Bae, 2012
The man released with Mr Miller, Washington state resident Kenneth Bae, was arrested in November 2012.
A Korean-American Evangelical Christian missionary, he had visited the country many times. On this occasion he was stopped and a hard drive with Christian material was discovered.
North Korea levelled an array of charges for what it called Mr Bae's "hostile acts" including attempting to establish bases for anti-government activities, smuggling in forbidden literature, and encouraging dissidents.
Media caption,
Kenneth Bae was convicted by North Korea on charges of planning to overthrow the North Korean government
He was sentenced to 15 years with hard labour, with state media suggesting that he only escaped the death penalty as a result of a "candid confession".
During his time in captivity, his family said that his health deteriorated as a result of poor conditions and difficult labour. Part of his captivity was spent in a labour camp for foreigners in which he was the only inmate.
Mr Bae was released and returned to the US along with Mr Miller following a secret visit to Pyongyang by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
After his release, Mr Bae wrote a memoir, "Not Forgotten: The True Story of My Imprisonment in North Korea" in which he said that he was interrogated from 08:00 in the morning until 22:00 or 23:00 at night every day for the first four weeks of his imprisonment.
His interrogators demanded hundreds of pages of confessions.
He said one interrogator kept telling him: "No-one remembers you. You have been forgotten by people, your government. You're not going home anytime soon. You'll be here for 15 years. You'll be 60 before you go home".
BBC · by Menu
6. Yoon boards U.S. nuclear-capable submarine in show of force against N. Korea
Yoon boards U.S. nuclear-capable submarine in show of force against N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · July 19, 2023
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol boarded the USS Kentucky, a U.S. nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine, at a naval base in Busan on Wednesday, sending a strong warning against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
The show of force came a day after the 18,750-ton Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) arrived in the southeastern port city in the first visit by a U.S. SSBN since 1981.
"The USS Kentucky's deployment shows clearly the commitment of South Korea and the United States to regularly deploy U.S. strategic assets and strengthen the credibility of extended deterrence," Yoon said during a visit with the Republic of Korea Fleet Command headquartered at the base.
President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers remarks next to the USS Kentucky, a U.S. nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine, at a naval base in the southeastern port city of Busan on July 19, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
"The two countries will overwhelmingly and resolutely respond to North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats through the NCG and regular deployments of strategic assets, such as the SSBN," he said.
Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed during their summit in Washington in April to establish a Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) to discuss nuclear and strategic planning between the allies, and strengthen the credibility of the U.S. extended deterrence commitment to defending South Korea with all of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons.
The inaugural session was held in Seoul on Tuesday as the USS Kentucky was making its port call, and Yoon said the two sides discussed the joint planning and execution of nuclear operations involving a combination of U.S. nuclear assets and South Korean non-nuclear assets, while agreeing to enhance the visibility of U.S. strategic assets around the Korean Peninsula.
"By doing so, we will make North Korea not even dream of carrying out a nuclear provocation, and we warned clearly that should North Korea carry out a provocation, it will lead to the end of that regime," he said.
The submarine's visit had been anticipated in line with a U.S. pledge to "further enhance the regular visibility of strategic assets" on the Korean Peninsula, including by sending a nuclear ballistic missile submarine to South Korea, in the Washington Declaration adopted by Yoon and Biden during their April summit.
Hours after the submarine's arrival, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea in apparent protest.
North Korea also fired a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile last week in what it said was a warning to South Korea and the U.S.
The USS Kentucky (C), a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, enters a South Korean naval base in Busan, southeast of Seoul, on July 18, 2023, in this photo provided by the U.S. Forces Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · July 19, 2023
7. Travis King: US soldier held by North Korea after crossing border
The picture of the young soldier is becoming clearer. He was a troubled soldier.
Excerpts:
It is unclear where or in what conditions PV2 King is being held.
Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Washington DC-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, told the BBC that authorities in the North were likely to "try pump information out of him" about his military service and "try to coerce him into becoming a propaganda tool".
...
He is a cavalry scout - a reconnaissance specialist - originally assigned to an element of the army's 1st Armoured Division on a rotation with the US military in South Korea.
But he got into trouble there - officials in Seoul have confirmed that he spent two months in prison for assault charges.
The Yonhap news agency quoted "legal sources" as saying that he was fined for "repeatedly kicking" the back door of a police patrol vehicle in the capital's Mapo district, and shouted "foul language" at the police who apprehended him.
He was also suspected of punching a Korean national at a nightclub in September, the report said.
It is unclear if these were the reasons for his imprisonment.
PV2 King was released from prison on 10 July and was escorted to the airport for a US-bound flight.
Seoul officials said he passed through airport security but then somehow managed to leave the terminal and get on a tour of the border, from where he crossed over into North Korea.
Travis King: US soldier held by North Korea after crossing border
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66233797
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IMAGE SOURCE,AFP
Image caption,
South Korean soldiers stand guard in the village of Panmunjom in the Joint Security Area
By Antoinette Radford & Simon Fraser
BBC News
North Korea is reported to have detained a serving US army soldier who crossed the heavily fortified border from South Korea without permission.
The man, identified by the Pentagon as Private 2nd Class (PV2) Travis King, 23, was on an organised tour of the UN-run zone dividing the two countries.
The crisis comes during a particularly tense time with the North, one of the world's most isolated states.
A senior US commander said there had been no contact with the soldier.
Admiral John Aquilino Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command said he was "not tracking" contact with North Korea.
He said PV2 King had acted willingly by "making a run" across the border without authorisation, and the incident was being investigated by US Forces Korea.
On its travel advisory, the US tells its citizens not to travel to North Korea due to "the continuing serious risk of arrest" and the "critical threat of wrongful detention".
Hours after his detention, North Korea launched two suspected ballistic missiles into the nearby sea, however there has been no suggestion that it is tied to the soldier's detention.
South Korea's military confirmed the missile launch, which comes as tensions run high on the Korean peninsula.
It is unclear if the soldier has defected to North Korea or hopes to return, and there has been no word yet from the North.
In a statement, a Pentagon spokesperson said that PV2 King had been in the army since January 2021.
He is a cavalry scout - a reconnaissance specialist - originally assigned to an element of the army's 1st Armoured Division on a rotation with the US military in South Korea.
But he got into trouble there - officials in Seoul have confirmed that he spent two months in prison for assault charges.
The Yonhap news agency quoted "legal sources" as saying that he was fined for "repeatedly kicking" the back door of a police patrol vehicle in the capital's Mapo district, and shouted "foul language" at the police who apprehended him.
He was also suspected of punching a Korean national at a nightclub in September, the report said.
It is unclear if these were the reasons for his imprisonment.
PV2 King was released from prison on 10 July and was escorted to the airport for a US-bound flight.
Seoul officials said he passed through airport security but then somehow managed to leave the terminal and get on a tour of the border, from where he crossed over into North Korea.
Media caption,
Watch: Pentagon concerned about welfare of captured soldier
An eyewitness on the same tour told the BBC's US partner CBS News that they had visited a building at the border site - reported by local media to be the truce village of Panmunjom - when "this man gives out a loud 'ha ha ha' and just runs in between some buildings".
"I thought it was a bad joke at first but, when he didn't come back, I realised it wasn't a joke and then everybody reacted and things got crazy," they said.
The United Nations Command, which operates the Demilitarised Zone and joint security area (JSA), said earlier its team had made contact with the North Korean military to try to negotiate his release.
"We believe he is currently in DPRK [North Korean] custody and are working with our KPA [Korean People's Army - North Korea's military] counterparts to resolve this incident," it said.
It is unclear where or in what conditions PV2 King is being held.
Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Washington DC-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, told the BBC that authorities in the North were likely to "try pump information out of him" about his military service and "try to coerce him into becoming a propaganda tool".
The Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separates the two Koreas and is one of the most heavily fortified areas in the world.
It is filled with landmines, surrounded by electric and barbed wire fencing and surveillance cameras. Armed guards are supposed to be on alert 24 hours a day.
The DMZ has separated the two countries since the Korean War in the 1950s, in which the US backed the South. The war ended with an armistice, meaning that the two sides are still technically at war.
Dozens of people try to escape North Korea every year, fleeing poverty and famine, but defections across the DMZ are extremely dangerous and rare. The country sealed its borders in 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and has yet to reopen them.
The last time a soldier defected at the JSA was in 2017, when a North Korean soldier drove a vehicle, then ran by foot across the military demarcation line, South Korea said at the time.
The soldier was shot at 40 times, but survived.
Before the pandemic more than 1,000 people fled from North Korea to China every year, according to numbers released by the South Korean government.
The detention of the soldier presents a major foreign policy headache for US President Joe Biden. PV2 King is believed to be the only American citizen currently in North Korean custody. Six South Koreans remain in detention there.
Relations between the US and the North plummeted in 2017 after US student Otto Warmbier, who had been arrested a year earlier for stealing a propaganda sign, was returned to the US in a comatose state and later died.
His family blames the North Korean authorities for his death.
Three US citizens were later freed during Donald Trump's presidency in 2018. But ultimately, a series of talks held between Kim Jong Un and the former US president did little to improve the relationship.
North Korea has since tested dozens of increasingly powerful missiles that could carry nuclear warheads, which have been met by a slew of sanctions by the US and its allies.
The detention of the US national comes on the same day as a US nuclear-capable submarine docked in South Korea for the first time since 1981.
The submarine was specifically supplied to help the country deal with the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.
Ahead of its deployment there were threats of retaliation from the authorities in Pyongyang, which warned the US that sending nuclear weapons to the peninsula could spark a nuclear crisis.
8. North Korea Detains American Soldier After He Crosses DMZ
Good overview and background. But I wonder why none of the journalists compare him to the last US soldier to defect, PFC White in 1982 which I think provides some useful insights into how Pv2 King will be exploited and what may happen to him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_T._White
North Korea Detains American Soldier After He Crosses DMZ
American man on a tour of South Korean side of the Joint Security Area crossed over the military demarcation line without permission, officials say
By Dasl Yoon and Timothy W. Martin n Seoul and Gordon Lubold in Washington
Updated July 18, 2023 7:15 pm ET
https://www.wsj.com/articles/north-korea-us-national-custody-b53b4449?mod=hp_featst_pos3
The White House press secretary said the U.S. was working with North Korean authorities after an American soldier, identified as Army Private First Class Travis King, crossed over the military demarcation line while on a tour of the Joint Security Area on Tuesday. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images
A U.S. soldier was taken into custody by North Korean authorities after he crossed the border during a tour on the South Korean side, U.S. officials said.
The U.S. service member, who was on a tour of the Joint Security Area between the two Korean states, crossed the military demarcation line into North Korea willfully and without permission, said Col. Isaac Taylor, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Korea, which oversees the roughly 28,500 American military personnel stationed in South Korea.
The soldier, identified as Army Private First Class Travis King, had recently served time in detention in South Korea for unknown reasons, U.S. officials said. He was then released from the South Korea-based unit he had rotated into and was expected to return to the U.S. to serve in his home unit there.
DMZ
NORTH KOREA
Joint Security Area
SOUTH KOREA
RUSSIA
Seoul
CHINA
20 miles
Detail
20 km
JAPAN
Source: U.S. Army Center of Military History
King is a cavalry scout and has been in the Army since January 2021, without deploying, according to his service record.
The U.S. believes he is currently in North Korean custody, Col. Taylor said. The U.S.-led United Nations Command is in contact with its counterpart in North Korea to “resolve this incident,” he added.
The White House, Defense Department, State Department and United Nations are working to get more information and resolve the situation, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. Jean-Pierre said Biden had been briefed on the incident, and U.S. officials have reached out to counterparts in North Korea, South Korea and Sweden.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said efforts were being made to notify the soldier’s next of kin.
“There’s a lot that we still need to learn,” he said at a Pentagon briefing. “This will develop in the next several days.”
The JSA, located within the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas, is a popular tourist attraction for visitors to South Korea. It is the only place where North and South Korean troops stand face-to-face along the DMZ, which stretches about 150 miles long and more than 2 miles wide. At the JSA, the two Koreas are split down the middle by the military demarcation line.
The JSA is also a historic site where high-profile meetings involving North Korea often take place. In 2019, former President Donald Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the site, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to step into North Korea. Two recent inter-Korean summits also unfolded there.
North Korea didn’t immediately comment on the American. Any negotiation over the man’s release would come at a strained moment in U.S.-North Korea relations, as the two countries increase displays of military might in the absence of diplomacy.
At around 3:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its east coast, officials in Tokyo and Seoul said, which traveled roughly 350 miles at an altitude of about 30 miles before splashing into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Pyongyang has conducted more than a dozen weapons tests this year.
The U.S. and North Korea haven’t held formal disarmament talks in nearly four years. The Biden administration has made repeated efforts to engage Pyongyang, offering to meet anywhere and without preconditions. On Tuesday, North Korea again dismissed engagement with the U.S. as futile, saying any commitments could easily be reversed by future administrations.
South Korean soldiers patrolling the demilitarized zone, which spans the width of the Korean Peninsula—about 150 miles long and more than 2 miles wide. PHOTO: AHN YOUNG-JOON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
If the individual desires to defect, Kim could attempt to wield that domestically as propaganda against the U.S., whom he has referred to as the nation’s “biggest enemy.” That morale boost could help at a time when North Koreans are struggling with food shortages and an economy battered by sanctions and the Covid-19 pandemic. Should the American want to leave, Pyongyang could potentially be handed leverage or goodwill with a negotiated handover that cost the regime nothing to achieve.
Securing the release of three U.S. citizens detained by North Korea in 2018 involved a visit to Pyongyang by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Trump said Kim’s decision to release the trio represented “a positive gesture of goodwill.” Within weeks, Trump and Kim met for the first time in Singapore.
Americans have been banned from traveling to North Korea since 2017, following the death of Otto Warmbier, a U.S. student who was detained in Pyongyang and died upon returning to the U.S.
Border crossing by anyone at the JSA is exceedingly rare.
Soldiers from the United Nations Command, South Korea and North Korea are all prohibited from crossing the military demarcation line to retrieve someone, per the nearly seven-decade-old armistice that brought an end to armed conflict in the 1950-1953 Korean War.
More than 33,000 North Koreans have relocated to South Korea over the decades, crossing the border into China and then finding passage through a third country. But in recent years, some North Koreans have escaped across the heavily guarded DMZ, which spans the width of the Korean Peninsula. A series of border breaches by North Koreans have resulted in criticism in South Korea over potential vulnerabilities. That includes one man who left, then later re-entered North Korea using a similar route.
Tours to the JSA were suspended intermittently during the pandemic but resumed last year. Typically, around 40 people are allowed on group tours of the JSA, which for now are limited to one a day. Getting there takes about an hour by bus from Seoul, which is located about 30 miles south of the DMZ.
On a typical tour at the JSA, visitors can look into North Korea from an observatory and visit the “T-2” building—“T” stands for temporary—which contains a conference room where high-level meetings with North Korea have taken place. The military demarcation line isn’t observed in the T-2 building.
Foreigners looking to visit the JSA must do so under tight supervision from the United Nations Command, including submitting a copy of one’s passport at least a week before the travel date. Some of the restrictions are more lax for South Korean nationals and for military personnel.
A common question for visitors to the JSA is whether it is possible to step inside North Korea, though the answer is no without exception, said Lee Kyung-ryoon, who founded a Seoul-based company that has done DMZ tours for two decades. Nobody on his tours have ever attempted to cross over the military demarcation line into the North, Lee said. Anyone seeming suspicious isn’t allowed on the bus.
The tour does bring visitors close to the demarcation line. It wouldn’t be difficult to dash over the line, Lee said. “But nobody does that,” he said. “That is a big risk.”
United Nations Command soldiers at the border area have had no physical contact with North Korea during the pandemic, as North Korea cut back its presence within the JSA. No high-level government meeting has occurred there since the 2019 exchange with Trump and Kim.
In September 2018, the two Koreas warmed ties and signed a Comprehensive Military Agreement, which included a decision to demilitarize the JSA. Outposts and firearms were removed from the area. Tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang have heightened, after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who backs a tougher line with the North, took office last year. Yoon replaced a left-leaning predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who gave priority to engagement with the Kim regime.
In April, North Korea stopped responding to inter-Korean calls via a military hotline, one of the few direct communication lines with South Korea. Normally, the two Koreas hold calls twice a day.
Chieko Tsuneoka contributed to this article.
Write to Dasl Yoon at dasl.yoon@wsj.com, Timothy W. Martin at Timothy.Martin@wsj.com and Gordon Lubold at gordon.lubold@wsj.com
Appeared in the July 19, 2023, print edition as 'Pyongyang Detains U.S. Soldier'.
9. Why tourists are drawn to the DMZ between the two Koreas
I am sure this is on many peoples' bucket list (probably not).
Sadly, I received a message from one of my colleagues who is in Korea and who was scheduled to take the JSA tour as part of the event she is attending, but the tour was of course cancelled due to this incident.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66239840
IMAGE SOURCE,YOUNG PIONEER TOURS
Image caption,
The DMZ is much quieter since the Covid pandemic
By Sam Cabral
BBC News
It is one of the world's most heavily fortified areas, a no-man's land that stands as a remnant of the Cold War. It was also a tourist magnet before the Covid pandemic.
From Gyeonggi-do in the west to Gangwon-do in the east, the 160-mile (258km) long Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) divides the Korean Peninsula in two.
And in the truce village of Panmunjom, where a concrete slab signifies that split, tour groups used to flock daily. They still come but now in smaller groups.
On Tuesday, Private 2nd Class Travis King, an American serviceman due to be sent home for disciplinary reasons, joined one tour group in the South and crossed over the DMZ into the North.
It remains unclear if the man defected or hopes to return, but the US military has confirmed he crossed over "wilfully and without authorisation", adding he was probably detained.
"When you're on that tour, you realise that it's just a couple of inches, a little border, and that you can easily step into North Korea the way President Trump did in 2019," said Jean H Lee, a former Korean bureau chief for the Associated Press, who has entered the DMZ dozens of times from both Koreas.
"And so, in some ways, if you've been there, you also recognise how tempting it is."
But the reality, she notes, is that DMZ tours operate on a very tight set of rules.
Visitors can take photos, but they must walk and stand where instructed to, and cannot wave or make other untoward gestures.
IMAGE SOURCE,JEAN H LEE
Image caption,
Jean H Lee sits in a bunker on the South Korean side of the DMZ
They can legally step across the DMZ's demarcation line, but only when inside the blue-roofed Military Armistice Commission huts, where the 1953 ceasefire was negotiated.
Before the pandemic, tours took place under tight military scrutiny, with South Korean soldiers in a taekwondo stance - legs wide, arms at the ready - and North Korean troops keeping a watchful eye, as well as the United Nations Command (UNC) actively patrolling the area.
Nowadays the North is no longer visible at the border and as a result the South no longer mounts patrols, so there are no soldiers visible on either side. Tours today are accompanied by the UNC.
Tensions at the DMZ were on full display in November 2017, when a North Korean soldier was shot several times by his own military as he defected to the South Korean side.
Pte King's actions come barely one week out from the 70-year anniversary of the armistice that brought an end to the fighting in the 1950-53 conflict, if not a formal end to the war.
Being at the DMZ "makes you realise that even though North Korea is so far away from us psychologically, economically, politically, ideologically... physically they're right there", said Ms Lee, a Korean American from Minneapolis.
"It's a very moving experience."
That sense of the surreal has stuck with Rowan Beard, an Australian who has led tour groups to the site since 2008 on behalf of Young Pioneer Tours (YPT).
The travel company bills itself as the "number one DPRK travel agency", and handled more than 1,000 annual customers in pre-pandemic years.
YPT claims to offer the largest selection of North Korean tour programmes of any company, and most of its requests are to visit the DMZ and the North Korean capital Pyongyang.
IMAGE SOURCE,YOUNG PIONEER TOURS
Image caption,
Rowan Beard's tours include a photo with a North Korean soldier
"Most tourists feel, if they don't visit the DMZ, their trip to North Korea is not complete," said Mr Beard.
Day trips from the North begin in Pyongyang, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the DMZ-adjacent city of Kaesong. From the South they start in Seoul, less than an hour away.
Tourists visit the Joint Security Area (JSA), learn about the area and its history through briefings and artefacts, and can view either side from various observation points. Some tours also include entry to the infiltration tunnels once dug by the North Koreans.
Mark Edward Harris has seen the two Koreas from both entry points several times in his career as a travel and documentary photographer,
"For most people, almost everybody in fact, their only glimpse into this very reclusive country is from points along the DMZ," he said.
"To anybody interested in history, it's the ultimate tourism spot in a sense."
Still, "things do happen" at the DMZ, said Mr Harris, mentioning a 1976 axe murder incident at Panmunjom, when South Koreans and Americans trimming a poplar tree at the JSA were attacked by North Korean guards.
The incident resulted in the brutal slaying of two US soldiers and drove up tensions.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
Mark Edward Harris photographed an axe from the 1976 incident that left two US soldiers dead in Panmunjom
To Mr Harris, the DMZ represents the "propaganda war" that rages on between North and South.
"Both sides actually do a pretty good job of telling their sides of this complex story," Mr Harris says.
"The biggest difference is, when you come from the North, you feel like the war is still going on. When you come from the South, you feel like you're glimpsing a bit of ancient history."
10. US, allies hope to lure North Korea back to negotiation table after ICBM launch
What do we have that can "lure" Kim to the negotiating table? While there are some who argue that as a powerful nation we should be able to make concessions and lift sanctions to "lure" Kim back to the negotiating table. The problem with that line of thinking, especially after Kim has been ratcheting up tension for the past few years using his blackmail diplomacy strategy is that any concessions will be interpreted by Kim as successful blackmail diplomacy. It will not cause him to come to the negotiating table and act in good faith. I was at an event yesterday and listened to a speaker who was a former official in the north Korean ministry of foreign affairs and he said all diplomatic actions by north Korea are based on deception. Every action the regime takes is focused on deceiving the ROK and US.
US, allies hope to lure North Korea back to negotiation table after ICBM launch
Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · July 18, 2023
North Korea launches a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile in this image released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, July 13, 2023. (KCNA)
SEOUL, South Korea — Representatives of the U.S., South Korea and Japan are scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss North Korea’s recent ballistic missile tests and luring the communist regime back to “substantive negotiations.”
Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, is expected to meet in Karuizawa, Japan, with Funakoshi Takehiro of the Japanese Foreign Ministry and Kim Gunn, the South Korean special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, according to a State Department news release Monday.
North Korea carried out its most recent test on July 12, a solid-fueled Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile. The regime has fired 15 ballistic missiles in 11 separate days of testing so far this year.
The ICBM flew for a record 74 minutes from the Pyongyang area before splashing into the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, about 155 miles west of Okushiri Island.
Shortly after the test, Kim, Takehiro and Gunn conferred and “strongly condemned” the firing, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the same day.
The ministry said North Korea violated U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibiting it from testing ICBMs, which the communist regime “cannot justify for any reason.”
North Korea launches a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile in this image released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, July 13, 2023. (KCNA)
North Korea’s ICBM came down in Russia’s exclusive economic zone, Mohamed Khaled Khiari, the U.N. assistant secretary-general for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, said at a Security Council briefing Thursday in Washington, D.C, according to a meeting summary.
Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency on Saturday said the Russian military is investigating the claim. The exclusive economic zone stretches 200 nautical miles beyond a nation’s 12-mile territorial limit.
On Tuesday, the U.S. and South Korean Nuclear Consultative Group met in Seoul to discuss bolstering their nuclear deterrent against the North.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency routinely characterizes Pyongyang’s missile tests as a necessary precaution against U.S. and South Korea’s military alliance.
The ICBM test was part of “an essential process aimed at further developing the strategic nuclear force of [North Korea] and, at the same time, serves as a strong practical warning” against Washington and Seoul, according to a KCNA report Thursday.
North Korea’s missile tests brought Washington, Tokyo and Seoul to “work even more closely together than was already the case,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday before meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Warships from the three countries practiced their ballistic missile defense Sunday in the Sea of Japan.
The guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn joined the Japanese destroyer JS Maya and South Korean destroyer Yul Gok Yi I to demonstrate “the strength of the trilateral relationship,” according to news releases from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense on Sunday.
David Choi
David Choi
David Choi is based in South Korea and reports on the U.S. military and foreign policy. He served in the U.S. Army and California Army National Guard. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · July 18, 2023
11. N. Korea stole US$700 mln of crypto in 2022: NIS
I listened to some experts speak on this last week. We should keep in mind that these reported numbers are unlikely to be the amounts that the regime actually realizes due to fluctuating currency values as well as the costs of middlemen and getting the money converted to actual currency.
N. Korea stole US$700 mln of crypto in 2022: NIS | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Boram · July 19, 2023
SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea stole a total of US$700 million worth of cryptocurrency last year, equivalent to the money that would enable the country to fire 30 intercontinental ballistic missiles, South Korea's state intelligence agency said Wednesday.
"We've confirmed that North Korea took $700 million in virtual assets in two separate incidents last year," said a senior official from the National Intelligence Service (NIS), adding that Pyongyang has failed to monetize them yet.
North Korea's attempts to hack into the space and defense industries in South Korea and abroad have been on the rise since the country announced its plans to concentrate on launching a space satellite and increasing its nuclear capability, he added.
"Despite the international community's pressure, North Korea will focus more on stealing virtual assets and monetizing them," he said. "We estimate that the amount of money earned by its hackers accounts for about 30 percent of North Korea's total foreign currency earnings."
He said the NIS will strengthen cooperation with local exchange operators to counter North Korea's rising cyber attacks.
Meanwhile, the NIS official said a North Korean hacker was caught last month trying to get a job at an overseas office of a South Korean energy company.
The hacker, who had posted his resume on the global professional networking platform LinkedIn, used a forged passport and graduation certificate during the recruitment process.
But he did not elaborate on the names of the Korean company and the country where the North Korean hacker had stayed, citing the sensitivity of the issue.
Baek Jong-wook, third deputy director at the National Intelligence Service (NIS), speaks during a press event in Seoul on July 19, 2023, in this photo provided by the NIS. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Boram · July 19, 2023
12. S. Korean nuclear envoy heads to Japan for trilateral talks on N.K. threats
With every north Korean missile launch or provocation the strength of the trilateral relationship grows. This represents one strategic failure for the Kim family regime. (And this is not in Chinese interests as well).
S. Korean nuclear envoy heads to Japan for trilateral talks on N.K. threats | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Chang Dong-woo · July 19, 2023
SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top nuclear envoy on Wednesday traveled to Japan to hold talks with his United States and Japanese counterparts on North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile provocations.
Kim Gunn, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, plans to meet with his American and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, in Tokyo on Thursday.
The three sides are expected to discuss ways to deal with Pyongyang's growing provocations, highlighted by the launch of a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile last week.
They are also expected to discuss response measures against the North's illegal cyber activities used as new ways of financing Pyongyang's nuclear and missile developments.
The three previously held trilateral talks in Seoul in April. Kim also plans to hold separate one-on-one talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, respectively.
The scheduled meeting comes after the United Nations Security Council failed to take an action on North Korea for its latest ICBM test due to opposition from China and Russia.
The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan pose for a photo prior to their talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions at the foreign ministry in Tokyo on Sept. 7, 2022. From left are Sung Kim (U.S.), Takehiro Funakoshi (Japan) and Kim Gunn (South Korea). (Yonhap)
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Chang Dong-woo · July 19, 2023
13. N. Hamgyong Province holds public struggle session to warn against S. Korean products
A struggle. South Korean products are another form of "information" which is a threat to the regime.
N. Hamgyong Province holds public struggle session to warn against S. Korean products
The authorities gathered all the confiscated South Korean goods and set them alight before starting the public struggle session, a source told Daily NK
dailynk.com
FILE PHOTO: A scene from Chongjin, North Hamgyong Province. (Daily NK)
After a large amount of South Korean products recently began circulating among people in North Hamgyong Province, local authorities held a public struggle session to warn people to stop consuming illegal goods, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Thursday that “the provincial unified command on non-socialist and anti-socialist behavior joined with the provincial branches of the Ministry of Social Security and Ministry of State Security to carry out an inspection after several places in North Hamgyong Province got a sudden influx of South Korean products entering from China.”
According to the source, a scad of used South Korean electronics, medicines, cosmetics and other products — which traders are believed to have brought into the country by ship — proved a hit with residents of North Hamgyong Province, going into widespread distribution as rumors spread far and wide.
The provincial unified command raided several areas, including Chongjin and Kimchaek, for three days in the first week of July. In Kimchaek, it sent 20 inspectors to simultaneously search the homes of persons of interest.
During the home searches, inspectors found products with South Korean trademarks, including electronics, medicines such as transdermal patches and cosmetics. Additional investigations revealed that South Korean goods were widespread in Kimchaek’s markets.
South Korean products burned before struggle session
The provincial unified command arrested four wholesalers who disseminated a consignment of South Korean goods among the locals. The very next day, a public struggle session was convened on a levee in Kimchaek, with leading cadres from the provincial branches of the Ministry of Social Security and Ministry of State Security and even provincial judicial officials in attendance.
“First, [the authorities] gathered all the confiscated South Korean goods and set them alight, and when they were reduced to ashes, they stood the four wholesalers on stage and subjected them to severe criticism,” the source said. “[The authorities] said that using or liking South Korean goods was reactionary, and that getting people to say this or that about South Korea was also reactionary.”
In the end, the four wholesalers were handed to the local police for preliminary examinations.
Preliminary examinations include the entire interrogation process prior to suspects being indicted.
People connected to the wholesalers and their family members likely face punishment in the form of writing self-criticism letters at the political organizations to which they are affiliated, or stints of forced labor, the source said.
Meanwhile, family members of the wholesalers are borrowing money and trying to sell their homes to get money to get their kin out of custody, he added.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources who live inside North Korea, China and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com
14. Yoon warns North during historic tour of U.S. nuclear sub
Photos at the link. Note General LaCamera is shaking hands with one of his two bosses, President Yoon. I wish the Korean press would emphasize that the ROK/US Combined Forces Command belongs to Korea and the US and is equally "co-owned" by both countries because it is a bilateral command and not a US command. Instead the Korean press calls him the Commander of U.S. Forces Korea.
Wednesday
July 19, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Published: 19 Jul. 2023, 18:15
Updated: 19 Jul. 2023, 18:27
Yoon warns North during historic tour of U.S. nuclear sub
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/07/19/national/defense/Korea-nuclearcapable-ballistic-missile-submarine-SSBN/20230719181549821.html
President Yoon Suk Yeol offers Korean and American troops words of encouragement as he visits the USS Kentucky, a U.S. nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), docked in Busan on Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
President Yoon Suk Yeol made an unprecedented tour of a U.S. nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) on Wednesday.
During the tour, he warned that South Korea and the United States will respond "overwhelmingly" and "resolutely" to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
Yoon became the first leader of a U.S. allied country to inspect an American SSBN when he visited the USS Kentucky, currently making a port call at a naval base in Busan.
It's the first time in 42 years that a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine has visited Korea.
"It is meaningful and reassuring to visit the USS Kentucky, one of the most powerful strategic assets in existence," Yoon said, adding that the deployment "demonstrates the two countries' intentions to routinely deploy U.S. strategic assets and defend extended deterrence capabilities."
Yoon offered words of encouragement to South Korean and American troops, who he called "defenders of freedom and peace" in Korea.
"South Korea and the United States will continue to respond overwhelmingly and resolutely to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats through the regular deployment of strategic assets, such as SSBNs, and the Nuclear Consultative Group," Yoon said.
The USS Kentucky arrived on the peninsula on Tuesday, coinciding with a visit by U.S. White House National Security Council (NSC) officials to launch the inaugural Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting in Seoul.
Early Wednesday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea in apparent protest of the arrival of the American nuclear-powered submarine and the NCG meeting.
Yoon noted that through the NCG, South Korea and the United States agreed to discuss joint planning and execution of U.S. nuclear operations, combining nuclear and other assets to "enhance the visibility of the deployment of U.S. strategic assets around the Korean Peninsula."
The NCG is a bilateral consultative body aiming to strengthen U.S. extended deterrence commitment to South Korea using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its ally.
The NCG was established as a part of the Washington Declaration, an agreement between the two countries to mark the 70th anniversary of the alliance during a bilateral summit Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden in April.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, accompanied by first lady Kim Keon-hee and other aides, tours the USS Kentucky, a U.S. nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), docked at a naval base in Busan on Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
On Wednesday's tour of the SSBN, Yoon was accompanied by first lady Kim Keon-hee and aides including National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong, and greeted by Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), Cara Abercrombie, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for defense policy and arms control, and other American diplomats and military officials.
The arrival of the 18,750-ton Ohio-class SSBN, a key U.S. strategic asset, is seen as a demonstration of the two countries ironclad combined defense posture. The 170-meter long Kentucky was escorted by two U.S. guided missile destroyers.
The USFK said in a statement that the visit "reflects the United States' ironclad commitment to the Republic of Korea," referring to the South's official name, and demonstrates the "flexibility, survivability, readiness, resolve, and capability of the U.S. Navy submarine forces."
The USS Kentucky, one of 14 U.S. submarines capable of carrying ballistic missiles, is known to hold 20 Trident II D5 missiles, each of which can deliver up to eight nuclear warheads to targets as far as 12,000 kilometers away.
The last U.S. ballistic missile submarine to make a port call in Korea was the USS Robert E. Lee in 1981.
The first bilateral NCG meeting was co-chaired by Kim Tae-hyo, Korea's principal deputy national security adviser, and Kurt Campbell, the White House NSC coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, known as the key architect of the U.S. pivot to Asia strategy during the Barack Obama administration.
The two countries issued a joint statement after the NCG meeting Tuesday that warned that "any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies is unacceptable and will result in the end of that regime," and that any such attack against South Korea will be "met with a swift, overwhelming, and decisive response."
Washington's demonstration of its nuclear umbrella commitments to allies in the region comes as some South Korean politicians urge the country to develop its own nuclear arsenal.
Last week, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the East Sea, However, the 15-member UN Security Council was unable to come up with joint action due to the vetoes of permanent members China and Russia, who traditionally have sided with North Korea.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, accompanied by first lady Kim Keon-hee, shakes hands with Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), left, at a naval base in Busan to tour a U.S. nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
15. More North Korean cyberattacks likely in lead up to general election
The regime's all purpose sword will not rest. It is one of the regime's most important capabilities.
Wednesday
July 19, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Published: 19 Jul. 2023, 19:51
More North Korean cyberattacks likely in lead up to general election
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/07/19/national/northKorea/North-Korea-National-Intelligence-Service-Hacking/20230719195101413.html
Baek Jong-wook, NIS deputy director on cybersecurity, gives a brief on North Korea's cyberattacks in the first half of this year at the National Cybersecurity Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Wednsedsay. [NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SERVICE]
North Korea is launching more cyberattacks on the South and will likely launch even more ahead of next year's general election.
According to the National Intelligence Service (NIS), a daily average of 1.37 million cyberattacks were detected in the first half of the year. That’s roughly 15 percent more than the daily average of 1.18 million last year.
Some 70 percent of those attacks were by actors believed to be connected to North Korea.
China followed with 4 percent and Russia 2 percent.
“In our own internal index on cyberattacks, we raise the alert level when it goes above 45,” said Baek Jong-wook, NIS deputy director of cybersecurity.
“In the past, that figure didn’t go past 30, but in the first half of this year, it frequently went up above 30.”
The NIS said the attacks have not only become more frequent, but their targets have widened, and the tools used have grown more sophisticated.
In the past, the attacks mostly targeted major government institutions and agencies, or experts in diplomacy and security.
Today the attacks are aimed at random people.
“Recently there had been a case where North Korea hacked into a person’s cloud storage using stolen e-mail accounts and personal information and stole 1,000 credit card photos.”
Attacks on companies by hacking through security verification software have more than doubled in the first half of this year compared to the second half of 2022.
The NIS said one attack tried to penetrate the intranet of a major national institution by hacking a security product supplied to 250 institutions.
The NIS said they also found a case in which a North Korean IT expert tried to get hired by a South Korean company’s overseas branch.
In the past, North Korea IT experts would get work from South Korean companies as freelancers.
“To get hired by a South Korean overseas office, he used forged passports and diplomas,” a NIS official said. “They almost got hired.”
The NIS said it took particularly note of North Korea's recently appointment of Kim Yong-chol as an advisor to the United Front Department.
Kim is suspected of playing key roles in cyberattacks committed by North Korea, including the hacking of Sony Pictures in 2014.
He is also known as the mastermind behind several major attacks on South Korea, including the sinking of the naval vessel ROKS Cheonan in 2010 and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island the same year.
Kim also accompanied North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in meeting with then-U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore and Vietnam.
“There is a possibility that [North Korea] could try to create social chaos using large-scale cyber provocations,” a NIS official said.
North Korea could also increase cyber thefts.
The state is accused of stealing $700 million through cryptocurrency theft last year, according to the NIS.
“That’s almost the cost of firing 30 intercontinental ballistic missiles,” a NIS official said.
The NIS said it is increasing its monitoring, especially in the lead up to next April's general election.
The spy agency disclosed its evaluation of the cybersecurity of public institutions for the first time Wednesday.
It has conducted internal evaluations since 2007.
Some 25 public institutions, including the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. and the Health and Insurance Review and Assessment Service, received high points.
Another 25 institutions, including Korail and the Korea Land and Housing Corp., did not.
BY YOUN SANG-UN, LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]
16. What the arrival of USS Kentucky means (Korea)
Excerpt:
We must live under the constant nuclear threat from North Korea. The arrival of the nuclear sub must not be temporary. Dialogue with the North could help dissuade the recalcitrant state from nuclear attacks, but it should be backed by a reliable U.S. nuclear umbrella.
Wednesday
July 19, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Published: 19 Jul. 2023, 20:02
What the arrival of USS Kentucky means
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/07/19/opinion/editorials/USS-Kentucky-Korea-North-Korea/20230719200251418.htm
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday toured the USS Kentucky, currently docking at Busan Harbor. The 18,000-ton Ohio-class nuclear submarine is one of the three pillars of U.S. strategic assets, together with strategic bombers and Trident ICBMs. The nuclear-powered submarine can conduct undersea operations without refueling until food for its crew runs out.
The USS Kentucky can deal a fatal blow to the enemy after stealthily surviving until the last minute. The sub can carry 20 to 24 Trident II nuclear missiles with a shooting range of up to 12,000 kilometers (7,450 miles). Their destructive power amounts to 1,000 times Little Body, the atomic bomb the U.S. dropped over Hiroshima during World War II.
South Korea and the U.S. exposed the arrival of the strategic submarine and the president’s visit to demonstrate their determination to deter against North Korea’s military provocations after the first meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG). The two allies revealed the arrival of the sub for the first time in 42 years to mitigate security concerns of South Koreans.
The move affirms a stern warning against North Korea’s possible provocations, as manifested in the Washington Declaration in April. The North’s firing of two suspected short-range ballistic missiles at 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday reflects its growing agitation about the arrival of the sub.
Whenever North Korea ratcheted up tensions, South Koreans call for the development of nuclear weapons on their own or the deployment of a U.S. strategic submarine around the Korean Peninsula on a permanent or rotational basis. In that sense, the port calling of USS Kentucky can help reassure South Koreans who demand concrete actions from the U.S.
We must live under the constant nuclear threat from North Korea. The arrival of the nuclear sub must not be temporary. Dialogue with the North could help dissuade the recalcitrant state from nuclear attacks, but it should be backed by a reliable U.S. nuclear umbrella.
South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are reportedly fixing a date, place and agenda items for their tripartite security summit in August. Japan already proposed a summit with North Korea, and the U.S. and North Korea will likely have a meeting, direct or indirect, over the issue of a USFK soldier crossing the border into North Korea. Regardless of the defection, the three countries must show a concerted voice and action over the North’s nuclear threat and prepare effective countermeasures.
17. [ANALYSIS] What will happen to US soldier held in North Korea?
We are all just speculating.
[ANALYSIS] What will happen to US soldier held in North Korea?
The Korea Times · July 19, 2023
This July 19, 2022, file photo shows the Joint Security Area of Panmunjeom inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. An American soldier is now believed to be in North Korean custody after "willfully" crossing the inter-Korean border on Tuesday. AP-Yonhap
Pyongyang will likely deport him due to criminal charges: experts
By Jung Min-ho
An American soldier is now believed to be in North Korean custody after "willfully" crossing the inter-Korean border on Tuesday, creating a new problem that could further complicate Washington's efforts to deal with Pyongyang.
Asked about what will happen to Pvt. Travis King, analysts on North Korea and human rights experts said on Wednesday that he is likely to face deportation due to criminal charges pending in the U.S. and the little utility it can expect by holding him.
Before crossing the border during his Panmunjeom tour, King was reportedly released on July 10 from a South Korean prison where he had spent two months over assault charges. Further military disciplinary action awaited him in the United States.
"Given that his criminal charges have been reported widely by the media, he will likely face deportation," Cheong Seong-chang, an analyst at the Sejong Institute think tank, told The Korea Times.
"As a member of the U.S. Forces Korea, he might be able, and willing, to provide some information North Korean officials would find useful. Depending on the levels of his knowledge and cooperation, he could be detained there for a while, but probably not for too long."
The fate of U.S. citizens detained in North Korea is not always clear or consistent. Some are released voluntarily, while others have been put behind bars over dubious offense charges.
North Korea generally does not welcome foreigners who have illegally entered the country, as King did, for any reason, according to Kim Duck-soo, deputy director of Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, a rights advocacy group.
"In addition to that, his judicial proceedings may not be finished in the United States, which could ask North Korea to send him on that legal (extradition) ground," Kim said, adding that North Korea, which is notorious for abusing the same grounds to punish its citizen defectors, would not reject such demands outright.
But Washington would not make such a request if King insists on staying there, which is another complex issue, as it is almost impossible to tell whether he is speaking without duress while in North Korean captivity.
As long as his stay is voluntary, there is little Washington could do, said Oh Gyeong-seob, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification think tank.
"Since he was not abducted, the U.S. cannot impose additional sanctions on the regime or even criticize it," Oh said. "He is now dependent on North Korea's leadership to decide if he can stay there."
Tourists visit a tourist center during a tour of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas at Imjingak Peace Park in the border city of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. AFP-Yonhap
The North Korean pretrial detention and investigation system is infamous for human rights violations. According to rights experts, torture and other forms of physical violation are not unusual in detention centers. But they said Western detainees, particularly Americans, are treated far better as they could be useful for political or diplomatic means. As well, there are concerns that they could speak after their release about the inhumane conditions they witnessed and experienced there, elevating negative perceptions of the reclusive state.
The incident involving King comes while relations between Washington and Pyongyang are at their lowest point in years as North Korea has ramped up its nuclear and missile programs.
Some observers worry that he could be used as a diplomatic bargaining chip in the North's attempt to advance its demands in possible negotiations with Washington and Seoul. However, those contacted by The Korea Times said its impact on the prospects of talks and agenda would be limited.
King is the first U.S. citizen to be detained in the North in nearly five years since Bruce Byron Lowrance, who was held for a month after illegally entering North Korea from China in 2018.
The Korea Times · July 19, 2023
18. Korea needs a big idea
Here is my description of Korea. Perhaps not a "big idea" but it is a narrative Korea should consider. I think it needs to build on and flesh out the concept of a Global Pivotal State.
"The Republic of Korea is a Global Pivotal State that chooses to be a peaceful nuclear power, a partner in the Arsenal of Democracy, a champion of human rights, and a nation that desires to shape and support the rules based international order."
Korea needs a big idea
The Korea Times · July 19, 2023
Seoul should play more proactive, creative global role
By Troy Stangarone
Dating back to last year's presidential election, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has sought to transform Korea's foreign policy to give it global reach and to advance Korea as a "global pivotal state."
In his article in Foreign Affairs, then candidate Yoon Suk Yeol in describing shifts in global foreign policy said that "South Korea should no longer be confined to the Korean Peninsula but rise to the challenge of being what I have described as a 'global pivotal state,' one that advances freedom, peace, and prosperity through liberal democratic values and substantial cooperation."
In taking part in the last two NATO summits and the recent G7 summit in Japan, the Yoon administration has taken initial steps towards raising Korea's global profile. Moving forward, how Korea chooses to contribute to global challenges and the development of global norms ― such as the values President Yoon has articulated ― will shape how successful Korea is in becoming a force in the international community.
Additional elements of a pivotal state can be seen in the previous experience of the Lee Myung-bak administration's "Global Korea" policy. During that period, Korea began to carve out a larger role on the international stage by hosting the G20 during the global financial crisis and the second Nuclear Security Summit advanced by the Barack Obama administration. The Lee administration also worked to site the U.N.'s Green Climate Fund in Incheon and established the Global Green Growth Institute.
However, broader global outreach was scaled back under both the conservative Park Geun-hye administration and the liberal Moon Jae-in administration. Had they maintained the level of international engagement, especially on climate change, Korea may have developed a pivotal role in helping the world to manage the climate crisis. While the Moon administration would eventually embrace dealing with climate change, momentum on Korea carving out a leading role on this issue had been lost.
Another path to expanding Korea's role on the international stage is engaging more in crisis management. We've seen on President Yoon's recent visit to Europe this month begin to take shape with the agreements for Korea and Korean firms to take part in up to $52 billion in postwar reconstruction projects in Ukraine, but Seoul remains reticent to contribute in an area where Korea could be pivotal to the war effort.
Because of the manufacturing capacity of Korea's arms industry, Seoul is in a strong position to support Ukraine's efforts to secure its freedom, enforce the international norm that states should not invade their neighbors and hasten the end of the conflict. While the problems of Ukraine may seem far from Seoul, the Korean Peninsula likely seemed far away for the European troops that defended Korea's freedom during the Korean War. Providing arms to Ukraine is one way Seoul can provide support to Europe.
These are all examples of ways that Korea could expand its influence as a global player, but one critical area rarely discussed is for Seoul to develop a "big idea" to advance in the international community.
What would be an example of a "big idea"? In the lead up to his recent summit meeting with Biden, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak floated the idea of creating a "CERN for AI" to promote the ethical development of AI modeled on the international particle physics project in Switzerland and the development of a regulatory AI body modeled on the International Atomic Energy Agency. While the U.S.-U.K. summit didn't result in these two specific proposals, the United States announced its support for the U.K.-led Global Summit on AI Safety which in time could lead to the development of some of Sunak's proposals.
In developing a "big idea," the United Kingdom identified a critical issue facing the international community, devised a reasonable plan for managing that issue and then began to seek international support. While the process that is developing may be different than what was initially envisioned by the British government, the U.K. has now placed a claim to being a pivotal player in the area of artificial intelligence. This could be a path for Korea as well.
Becoming a "global pivotal state" will take time and consistent effort. It will entail elements of attending international meetings, hosting key summits and contributing more globally in areas where Korea has relative advantages. But it also will require Korea to find a way to stand out among other states. Developing a "big idea" could be a key part of that process. However, as the experience of the Lee administration demonstrates, it will also require commitment on the part of Seoul across administrations if Korea is to remain a major international actor.
Troy Stangarone (ts@keia.org) is the senior director of congressional affairs and trade at the Korea Economic Institute.
The Korea Times · July 19, 2023
19. US soldier’s NK defection raises alarm over JSA tour security
I hope people do nto think we should be shooting at people trying to defect to north Korea. This is what NKPA soldiers do (1984 and 2017).
US soldier’s NK defection raises alarm over JSA tour security
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · July 19, 2023
South Korean military personnel stand near conference buildings in the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom within the Demilitarized Zone, which separates the two Koreas, in July 2022. (Photo - Joint Press Corps)
The defection of a US soldier to North Korea has brought forth significant questions about the means and motives behind his crossing of the inter-Korean border within the Joint Security Area in the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the two Koreas.
The soldier, identified by the US Army as Travis King, holds the rank of Private Second Class and has been serving in the army since 2021. But it appears that King warrants additional attention from the US Forces Korea, as he faced fines or prosecution for charges related to assault and property damage during his tour of duty in South Korea.
The defection to North Korea during the JSA tour is deemed "technically" possible, South Korean and US military officials -- who wished to remain anonymous -- told The Korea Herald on Wednesday.
One unnamed official highlighted the discrepancy in the number of security guards present at the South Korean side of the JSA. A typical group of 40 tourists usually outnumbers the fewer than 10 security guards on duty, meaning it would be possible to run into the North Korean side of the building without being stopped in time.
Two other sources further explained that the presence of unarmed security guards would have made it more challenging to promptly subdue Travis.
Since 2018, the JSA has been disarmed following an inter-Korean military agreement. As a result, both the United Nations Command and North Korean soldiers in the area do not carry weapons.
The JSA straddles the military demarcation line. This line consists of a narrow concrete boundary that acts as the dividing line between South Korea and North Korea.
It is therefore extremely challenging to prevent someone from swiftly crossing the brick line should they make a sudden attempt to defect, one of the officials said. There have been instances where security guards caught tourists who tried to cross the inter-Korean border in the JSA.
The lack of immediate physical deterrents and the limited response time significantly decrease the ability to halt such an occurrence effectively, they said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday confirmed the deliberate defection of the US soldier to North Korea within the JSA. The US believes King is currently in North Korean custody, Austin added. The White House has also acknowledged the incident and mentioned that the US is working with its "North Korean counterparts to resolve this incident."
"We communicate with the North Koreans almost every day," Colonel Isaac Taylor, a spokesperson for United Nations Command said Wednesday. "It's a critical part of UNC’s job that we take great pride in."
"Most days, it's about routine business. It might be dealing with some level of maintenance in the DMZ, firefighting or right-to-flight operations in the DMZ, or our joint oversight of the JSA."
A North Korean soldier peers at Chief of Staff of the United States Army Gen. James McConville through a telescope from inside the Panmungak building on the north side of the Joint Security Area in May 2023, slightly opening the curtains. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)
King was fined earlier this year for damaging a police patrol car in October of the previous year, according to a South Korean court. Additionally, he faced prosecution for an assault charge in a separate incident in September of the same year. It is alleged that King repeatedly punched a South Korean individual in the face in a dispute that occurred while drinking at a club near Hongdae in Seoul's Mapo-gu.
King was released on Monday last week after serving approximately two months in a South Korean prison for the assault charges, according to the US officials.
Originally, King was scheduled to be sent to Fort Bliss, Texas, to face further disciplinary actions. The US service member was escorted to the customs checkpoint at Incheon Airport, but then managed to elude authorities and exited the terminal. Subsequently, he joined the JSA tour on Tuesday.
Two tour companies, which have previously organized JSA tours, confirmed to The Korea Herald that general tours for foreign nationals have been suspended since 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to information provided by one tour company, Travis appears to have participated in a "special tour run by the United Service Organizations," a nonprofit organization that operates independently from the US Department of Defense. The primary mission of the USO is to uplift the well-being of military service members and their families.
The company explained that only US service members and their family members are eligible to join the JSA tour. USO Korea also operates an information desk at Incheon Airport.
But The Korea Herald was unable to confirm whether King forged his identity to gain access to the JSA. Generally, foreigners are required to present their passports to participate in the JSA tour.
Within the JSA, there are a total of seven buildings situated along the military demarcation line, serving as venues for military armistice talks and various other purposes. Among these buildings, the United Nations Command manages four blue-colored buildings, while the North Korean side oversees three gray-colored buildings.
It appears that King ran through these buildings and successfully crossed the military demarcation line.
"To our right, we hear a loud HA-HA-HA and one guy from OUR GROUP that has been with us all day -- runs in between two of the buildings and over to the other side!!," Mikaela Johansson, a Swedish national who claimed to be on a tour of the JSA said on Facebook. Her post was first reported by NK News.
King's actions and movements suggest that his defection could be premeditated.
But Rep. Thae Yong-ho, a defector-turned-lawmaker from the ruling People Power Party, said on Wednesday that the longstanding stalemate in relations between North Korea and the US would make it unlikely for North Korea to promptly repatriate King.
"Nevertheless, for the sake of his human rights, the US should engage in negotiations for repatriation," he said. "If necessary, the US should utilize diplomatic channels, including foreign embassies in Pyongyang, to seek consular access for him."
But the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang, which handles US consular affairs, is temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thae said the US may need to seek alternative channels such as through embassies of countries such as China, Russia, Vietnam, Iran or Syria.
By Ji Da-gyum (dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · July 19, 2023
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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