Quotes of the day:

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." 

- Mohandas K. Gandhi

"There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth." 

- Leo Tolstoy

"Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success." 

- Brian Adams

On this day in History on 1 October 1953:

Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of Korea; October 1, 1953

The Parties to this Treaty,

Reaffirming their desire to live in peace with all peoples and an governments, and desiring to strengthen the fabric of peace in the Pacific area,

Desiring to declare publicly and formally their common determination to defend themselves against external armed attack so that no potential aggressor could be under the illusion that either of them stands alone in the Pacific area,

Desiring further to strengthen their efforts for collective defense for the preservation of peace and security pending the development of a more comprehensive and effective system of regional security in the Pacific area,

Have agreed as follows:

Read the 6 articles here of the treat here: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/kor001.asp

1. N. Korea says relations with Russia are 'powerful fortress' for preserving peace

2. S. Korea says N. Korea will never be recognized as nuclear-weapon state

3. The Untold Truth Of 'The Most Dangerous Woman In The World'

4. [INTERVIEW] ROK-US alliance is win-win partnership: KUSAF chief

5. [INTERVIEW] South Korean veterans minister hails ROK-US alliance as pivotal pillar in nation's history

6. NK leader sends congratulatory message to Xi on Chinese founding anniversary

7. [Lee Kyong-hee] Kishida’s summit overture to Pyongyang

8. [Kim Seong-kon] “The Big Country” and “A City upon a Hill”

9. North Korea blames US for 'grave terrorist' act against Cuban embassy

10. Ask a North Korean: What is it like to serve in North Korea’s army reserves?

11. S. Korea, US, Japan Urge N. Korea's Denuclearization at IAEA Conference

1. N. Korea says relations with Russia are 'powerful fortress' for preserving peace

north Korean "spin." It is not the relations that violate international law - it is the exchange of weapons and military goods that violate UN sanctions. Despite the north's rhetoric below we must not forget that it is the north that harbors the hostile policy toward the South and the ROK/US alliance. Please carefully consider the answers to these questions:

Do we believe that Kim Jong-un has abandoned the seven decades old strategy of subversion, coercion-extortion (blackmail diplomacy), and use of force to achieve unification dominated by the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State in order to ensure the survival of the mafia like crime family cult known as Kim family regime?

In support of that strategy do we believe that Kim Jong-un has abandoned the objective to split the ROK/US Alliance and get US forces off the peninsula? Has KJU given up his divide to conquer strategy - divide the alliance to conquer the ROK?

Excerpts:

"The U.S. unjust and outrageous hostility toward the DPRK-Russia traditional friendly and cooperative relations and its attempt to interfere in them have gone beyond the red line," Im said, referring to the North by the acronym of its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"Recently, the U.S. groundlessly termed the development of the good neighborly relations between the two countries 'violation of resolutions' of the UN and 'violation of international law' in a bid to give the world public a false impression that the DPRK-Russia cooperation poses a 'threat' to global peace and security," he continued. "This is a vivid expression of the U.S. hegemony-oriented way of thinking based on the Cold War-style confrontation logic."

N. Korea says relations with Russia are 'powerful fortress' for preserving peace | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · October 1, 2023

SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- Relations between North Korea and Russia serve as a "powerful fortress" for preserving peace and deterring the military threats of "imperialists," a North Korean official said Sunday.

Vice Foreign Minister Im Chon-il made the claim in a press statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a rare summit in Russia's Far East on Sept. 13.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) is greeted by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome space launch center in the Russian Far East on Sept. 13, 2023, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

"The U.S. unjust and outrageous hostility toward the DPRK-Russia traditional friendly and cooperative relations and its attempt to interfere in them have gone beyond the red line," Im said, referring to the North by the acronym of its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"Recently, the U.S. groundlessly termed the development of the good neighborly relations between the two countries 'violation of resolutions' of the UN and 'violation of international law' in a bid to give the world public a false impression that the DPRK-Russia cooperation poses a 'threat' to global peace and security," he continued. "This is a vivid expression of the U.S. hegemony-oriented way of thinking based on the Cold War-style confrontation logic."

The vice minister went on to say the "confrontational" moves of the U.S. and the West have pushed North Korea-Russia relations to "the height of development," thus ensuring the "balance of the international mechanical structure and further improving the world strategic security environment."

"The DPRK-Russia relations are developing onto a new high stage, according to the strategic decision of the top leaders of the two countries," he said. "They serve as a powerful fortress and strategic stronghold for preserving peace and for deterring the imperialists' high-handed and arbitrary practices, military threats and interference."

On the other hand, he claimed it is the U.S.-led "alliance" that is becoming more and more "dangerous" as it threatens the security environment of independent sovereign states.

"The U.S.-Japan-'south Korea' triangular military alliance, which has clearly betrayed hostility toward the DPRK and its neighboring countries, and NATO, the mastermind of the Ukrainian crisis, are just the cancer-like entities jeopardizing the international order based on the purpose and the principle of the UN Charter and posing a grave threat to global peace and security," he said.

hague@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · October 1, 2023

2. S. Korea says N. Korea will never be recognized as nuclear-weapon state

That is right. We need to use Dr. Bruce Bennett's description: north Korea is a noncompliant (with the NPT) unsafe (look at the severe radiation contamination around Yongbyon and Punggye-ri) nuclear experimenter.

S. Korea says N. Korea will never be recognized as nuclear-weapon state | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · October 1, 2023

SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- North Korea will never be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state and its pursuit of nuclear weapons will only lead to more sanctions against the regime, South Korea's foreign ministry said Sunday.

The ministry made the comments in response to a statement issued the previous day by North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, which claimed the North's possession of nuclear weapons was a legitimate exercise of sovereignty.

"The international community clearly bans North Korea's nuclear and missile development and provocations," the South Korean ministry said in a statement. "Regardless of North Korea's actions and claims, its possession of nuclear weapons will never be recognized, and the sanctions of the international community will further deepen."

In her statement, Choe criticized a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting convened last week in response to Pyongyang's latest measure to bolster its nuclear force policy in its constitution.

Under the attendance of leader Kim Jong-un last week, the North held a session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) and unanimously decided to "supplement Article 58 of Chapter 4 of the Socialist Constitution" to ensure the country's right to existence and development, deter war and protect regional and global peace by rapidly developing nuclear weapons to a higher level.

Choe said the North strongly condemns the "unlawful and reckless actions of hostile forces, including the U.S., which label our country's legitimate exercise of sovereignty as 'provocation' and 'threat.'"

This undated file photo provided by Yonhap News TV shows North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

hague@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · October 1, 2023

3. The Untold Truth Of 'The Most Dangerous Woman In The World'

This is the Cliff Notes version of Sung Yoon Lee's new book on Kim Yo Jong.

The Untold Truth Of 'The Most Dangerous Woman In The World' - Grunge

grunge.com · by Sarah Crocker · September 30, 2023

The Untold Truth Of 'The Most Dangerous Woman In The World'

Bloomberg/Getty Images

By /Sept. 30, 2023 5:30 am EST

Understanding who is or isn't dangerous can be a tough proposition, but when a person not only threatens war on a regular basis but also controls nuclear weapons, perhaps that individual is rightfully feared. Not too many people fit that description, but of those that do, more than one is part of the government of North Korea. Officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the nation on the northern end of the Korean Peninsula is infamously closed-off and despotic. Since former guerilla fighter Kim Il-sung took power (with Soviet support) in 1948, his family has taken the reins of the nation. After Kim Il-sung's death in 1994, his son Kim Jong-il stepped into the role until 2011, after which his own son and current leader, Kim Jong-un, took over.

But Kim Jong-un doesn't work alone. Once analysts began looking closely at documents and news footage, they began to notice a younger woman in the background. As she went from smiling on the periphery to making speeches of her own, it became clear who she was: Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of the country's leader.

Kim Yo-jong has since become a figure of fascination. Where did she come from? How did she get to such a high position? Could she really have power over North Korea's nuclear arsenal? Here's the untold truth of Kim Yo-jong, who, as analyst Sung-Yoon Lee told Fox News, may be the most dangerous woman in the world.

Outsiders aren't sure when and where she was born

Chintung Lee/Shutterstock

In an era where we're intimately tracked via our online presence, our grocery store purchases, and even our genetic code, how can someone keep basic details of their background under lock and key? They might start off by being born in North Korea. The nominally communist nation is strictly closed to most outsiders, who are left to speculate on what's really going on within the borders of the DPRK.

As a daughter of the country's most elite family, few exemplify this state of unknown affairs as thoroughly as Kim Yo-jong. Despite what some sources may claim, we're not even sure in what year she was born. The U.S. Treasury has claimed that her birthday is September 26, 1989, while South Korea maintains that she was actually born two years earlier. The most some can guess with any level of certainty is that she's somewhere in her mid to late thirties. Likewise, it's assumed that she was born in the capital of Pyongyang, or at least grew up there in the rarefied environment of an opulent Kim family home.

Observers can confirm that she has two elder brothers, including North Korea's current leader, Kim Jong-un. She also has at least two half-brothers (one, Kim Jong-nam, was assassinated in 2017, almost certainly on the orders of Kim Jong-un). However, it wouldn't be beyond belief to learn that her father, who had multiple mistresses, produced unacknowledged children elsewhere.

Kim Yo-jong studied in Switzerland alongside her brothers

4kclips/Shutterstock

Kim Yo-jong's older brothers, Jong-un and Jong-chol, were sent to study abroad — seriously abroad. In 1994, Jong-chol made his way from North Korea to Bern, Switzerland, where he posed as the son of diplomats who were actually his maternal aunt and uncle. Kim Jong-un followed two years later. That aunt, Ko Yong-suk, told reporter Anna Fifield that they all lived a fairly normal life, complete with play dates, birthday parties, and classes at a pricey private school (via Politico).

Eventually, the siblings shifted to the somewhat less prestigious Liebefeld-Steinhölzli public school, where Kim Yo-jong joined them. Very little is known about what, exactly, Yo-jong did during her years in Switzerland, but it's reasonable to assume that she lived a fairly normal life for a high-status European kid — but a remarkably open and casual one for a child of North Korea's most elite family. Observers from this time have claimed that she was often accompanied by multiple attendants who acted as drivers, bodyguards, and companions for the young girl.

She reportedly took ballet lessons during her school years in Bern, then returned to North Korea by 2001 to complete her education there. It's likely that she took some classes at Kim Il-sung University in the nation's capital and began voicing her ambitions around this time, as her father once proudly told visitors of her political interests while she was still fairly young.

She reportedly showed political talent early on

Getty Images/Getty Images

When it comes to the Kims, birth order doesn't have much to do with who ascends to power. Kim Jong-il's eldest son, Jong-nam, was a disappointment to the regime and went on to live abroad. Younger son Jong-un apparently showed the right dictatorial talent to lead the nation. Youngest sister Kim Yo-jong has reportedly displayed similar ambitions from an earlier age. By 2002, Kim Jong-il was boasting to visitors about his youngest daughter's career goals. He also reportedly referred to her as both "sweet Yo-jong" and "Princess Yo-jong" (via The Washington Post).

Yo-jong's political ambitions weren't without precedent, as Yo-jong's elder half-sister, Kim Sol-song, has been considered a potential high-flying political figure with serious decision-making power (though the scarcity of reports about what, exactly, Sol-song does makes it hard to come up with a definitive picture of her life and career).

Despite the patriarchal nature of North Korean society, Kim Jong-il was more than merely proud of his youngest daughter. As insider reports would have it, he even once admitted that, if only Yo-jong had been born a boy, she would have been the real successor to the North Korean regime. As it stands, she's achieved quite a few political appointments and gained international notoriety, all stemming from the early promise her dictator father saw in his youngest daughter as well as his youngest son.

She began her career early

Bloomberg/Getty Images

Though Kim Jong-il was speaking of his youngest daughter to foreign visitors around 2002, it's not clear what she was doing at that time. However, five years later, she was appointed to a junior position in the central party of North Korea and likely began working either for her father directly or with her politically well-positioned aunt (and Kim Jong-il's sister), Kim Kyong-hui. After her father suffered a series of strokes in 2008, she took on even more prominence as an aide and appeared at some events with her father, though practically always as a background figure standing to the side or as an unidentified figure in a group.

In the years that followed, Kim Yo-jong became more involved in ironing out the details of her brother's succession, as it must have become increasingly clear that their father's ill health was not going to improve. She also continued to travel with her father as he made trips throughout the country and to friendly nations like China and Russia (though the details of what trips she went on and when aren't always clear to those outside the regime). By the time of Kim Jong-il's public funeral in December 2011, she was seen in prominent positions next to Kim Jong-un and several senior party officials.

Kim Yo-jong made uncredited first appearances

Getty Images/Getty Images

Despite her growing status within North Korea and increasing visibility, it wasn't always clear who the young woman standing next to or near Kim Jong-il (and, later, Kim Jong-un) actually was. Clearly, she must have been someone of prominence — you don't let just anyone stand near the dear leader, holding his ashtray. Unimportant people likewise wouldn't be allowed to attend the old leader's funeral in such a public way. Still, her identity was hard for outsiders to define.

But careful observers have been able to pick out Kim Yo-jong's earliest appearances, even if she wasn't officially credited by sources such as state media. South Korean analysts were able to find her attending the 3rd Korean Workers' Party Conference in September 2010, apparently as a member of her father's entourage. She was also seen traveling internationally with Kim Jong-il shortly before his death, though it's not clear whether she was spotted on a trip to China in May 2011 or a Russia-China visit in August of the same year. Later, she had a fairly prominent — if seemingly silent — role in the state funeral for Kim Jong-il in December 2011.

It wasn't until March 2014 that Kim Yo-jong was officially identified by North Korean state media. On that occasion, she was spotted next to the new leader, brother Kim Jong-un, at the Supreme People's Assembly elections.

She may intend to replace her aunt

Handout/Getty Images

Though, as a woman in the North Korean political system, Kim Yo-jong is unique, she isn't singular. Her aunt, Kim Kyong-hui, already had high standing as the daughter of Kim Il-sung and sister of Kim Jong-il. She also became a high-ranking woman in government and, when her brother had a stroke in 2008, Kyong-hui and her husband, government official Jang Song-thaek, rose even higher. The pair reportedly acted as mentors to Kim Jong-un and took on more responsibility as Jong-il's health failed. Some analysts even began to consider her to be a sort of regent.

Things went wrong fairly quickly after her nephew took power. In 2013, Jang Song-thaek was accused of planning a coup and was executed. Kyong-hui quickly left public view and generated speculation that she, too, had been executed. However, she reappeared in 2020, though she appears to have little real power anymore.

But she may have had a successor of her own, at least in a fashion: Kim Yo-jong. It's hard to ignore the parallels between the two women's careers. Kyong-hui also worked her way from appointment to appointment, and, tellingly, her position in the state's Politburo went to none other than her ambitious niece. It may even be of her own doing, as some reports indicate that she also guided Yo-jong through North Korea's treacherous political system at the beginning of the younger woman's career.

Her family origin myth may help her override patriarchy

Poongkyung/Getty Images

One inescapable fact makes Kim Yo-jong's current political successes all the more remarkable: she is a woman. North Korea is a highly patriarchal society in which men dominate and women are to be submissive and focus on the home — definitely not a seat in the Politburo. North Korea's communist system does complicate things, as theoretically everyone is supposed to be on the same level and the 1946 Law on Sex Equality made men and women legal equals. But the everyday reality is different. Few women have made it in North Korean politics, and it's difficult to ignore the long-standing cultural background of Korean society.

Yet, Kim Yo-jong has not only gotten a rare seat in the nation's Politburo and appeared in the background of her brother's events but has even issued statements on her own behalf. For that, she may have her family's cult of personality to thank. Oftentimes, it's referred to as the Mount Paektu bloodline, in reference to the peak in the north of the country (pictured) where the first supreme leader, Kim Il-sung, is said to have fought off capitalist invaders. It's also where Kim Jong-il was reportedly born (though records indicate his birthplace was really over the border in Russia). This near-mythical association has been used to bolster the Kim regime and almost certainly opened doors for Kim Yo-jong that would have been soundly shut in the face of any other North Korean woman.

Kim Yo-jong is in charge of her brother's image

Pool/Getty Images

In a dictatorial regime, few things are more important than image. Few governments have done more for the image of its dictators than North Korea, where the cult of personality has elevated the Kim family to mythical proportions. Today, revered portraits of its leaders are everywhere, while North Koreans have been reportedly forced to attend celebrations in honor of Kim Jong-un's 10th anniversary of rule.

Much of that may be down to the work of Kim Yo-jong. That's because, in 2014, she was appointed the vice-director of the Workers' Party of Korea Propaganda and Agitation Department, a role that she likely still holds. Despite the title of second-in-command, sources maintain that she is the one who truly manages the department, thanks in part to Kim Jong-un's trust in his sister's unwavering loyalty.

She's also believed to be the mastermind behind Kim Jong-un's everyman image, which has presented him as a paternal, benevolent leader in the vein of their grandfather, Kim Il-sung. All those photos of Kim Jong-un smiling with happy North Korean schoolchildren and cuddling adorable orphans? Kim Yo-jong's work. And remember the odd 2013 revelation that Kim Jong-un and former basketball star Dennis Rodman were kind of friends? Yes, Rodman's multiple visits to the DPRK — and, by extension, his subsequent defense of the regime and Kim Jong-un — are almost certainly the result of Kim Yo-jong's propaganda initiatives.

Her husband and children's identities are murky

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Kim Yo-jong may be one of the more familiar faces of the North Korean regime, but finding information about her immediate nuclear family is tricky. It's often reported that she's married to a man named Choe Song, the son of North Korean official Choe Ryong-hae. Other sources say that she's married to Woo In-hak, a seemingly unremarkable middle-class guy, but nothing has been currently confirmed by official North Korean sources. It would make some sense if it were the son of a high-ranking party official like Choe Ryong-hae, given that they would have the sort of social connections and party loyalty that would make someone more primed to be Kim Yo-jong's spouse. If the reports are to be believed, she's been married to Choe Song since around 2015.

But what about children? In 2018, while Kim Yo-jong was in South Korea for the Winter Olympics, she reportedly told officials that she was pregnant, as per local outlet Chosun Ilbo. Onlookers had already been speculating about a possible pregnancy given Kim's body shape, but that is hardly a definitive answer and the South Korean government couldn't confirm the news. If the unconfirmed reports were to be believed, however, this would have been her second child. Yet, given that North Korean state media has said nothing about Kim Yo-jong's marriage, much less her possible motherhood, most of the world remains in the dark on this matter.

Kim Yo-jong has achieved other major political roles

Handout/Getty Images

Besides effectively heading up the propaganda division of the North Korean Workers' Party, Kim Yo-jong has collected quite a few other titles and positions throughout her political career. In 2016, she became a member of the Central Committee and, in 2017, she was made an alternate member of the nation's influential politburo. Kim Yo-jong was only the second woman ever to gain a seat in the body after her aunt, Kim Kyong-hui. She also set out on her own to act as an envoy for North Korea to nations such as South Korea during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Things may not have always been so easy for Kim Yo-jong, however. In 2021, her name was missing from the list of Politburo members, though she was still part of other government groups like the Central Committee. Was this evidence of a demotion? Observers weren't so sure. Getting at what exactly is happening in the closed-off world of North Korean politics is famously tricky, after all. And it's worth noting that Kim Yo-jong still made public appearances at this time, which would hardly be the case if she was on the verge of being ousted. Either way, she seems to have regained some level of status in the interim, as she not only makes public speeches and issues statements as of 2023 but was promoted to the State Affairs Commission in 2021 — her highest position yet.

She was the first Kim to visit South Korea since the Korean War

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

One thing outsiders are well aware of when it comes to North Korea is the state's animosity towards certain other countries. Its greatest enemy, at least according to state propaganda, is the United States and its imperialist doctrine. But the U.S.-allied South Korea hasn't been singled out for easy treatment, either, even if the Korean peninsula was only split into the two nations at the end of World War II. In short, the idea of a Kim family member officially meeting with South Korean leaders long seemed like a delusion — until 2018.

That's when Kim Yo-jong traveled to PyeongChang, South Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympics. She attended the opening ceremony and received a flurry of media attention after shaking hands with the then-president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, as did other members of the North Korean party. The trip was especially significant for Kim, however, as she was the first member of her family to enter South Korea since the beginning of the Korean War.

The day after the Olympic opening ceremonies, Kim Yo-jong and her delegation met with Moon at Cheongwadae, at the time the official presidential residence and office often known in English as the Blue House. While there, she invited Moon to Pyongyang and delivered a letter from Kim Jong-un expressing a desire to ease the tensions between their two countries.

Kim Yo-jong doesn't hesitate to use bellicose language

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

While Kim Yo-jong has seen an easing of tensions between North Korea's traditional enemies (to the point where Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump met for talks in 2017 and 2019), she hasn't always eased up on one of her country's most often deployed tactics: scary language. This isn't just a cute phrase, either, as North Korea and its spokespeople have often promised to rain death and destruction down upon its enemies.

In June 2020, when North Korean defectors sent anti-government leaflets back into the country, Kim Yo-jong threatened to shut down thawing relations between North and South Korea, while also referring to activists as "human scum" and "mongrel dogs." In fact, the border liaison office she considered shutting down in her speech blew up shortly after her remarks.

The next year, she directed public ire towards the U.S. after it and South Korea conducted joint military exercises, a particular pain point in inter-Korean relations. In an official statement published in March 2021, warning the newly-minted Biden administration that "if it wants to sleep in peace for the coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step." In 2022, she also spoke of "unimaginably terrible disaster" if South Korea undertook military action (via NBC News) and, the same year, vowed "deadly" retaliation against the nation for supposedly introducing the COVID-19 virus into North Korea (via AP News).

She occasionally speaks and acts for her brother

Handout/Getty Images

One of the most telling signs of Kim Yo-jong's power may be the fact that she is often deployed to speak directly for her brother. There was the time she acted as a special envoy to South Korea during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, for instance. While there, she had the ability to invite South Korean President Moon Jae-in to North Korea, a fairly high-ranking task that would have had to have gotten the okay from Kim Jong-un prior to the trip.

Though Kim Yo-jong didn't make her first official statement in her own name until March 2020, she's definitely made high-level statements and decisions that are usually reserved for Kim Jong-un. In June of that same year, she responded to the appearance of anti-North Korea leaflets in the country by claiming that she had ordered action focused on the international joint liaison office. The next day, that office exploded, indicating that it may have been done so under Kim Yo-jong's order.

In 2022, Kim Yo-jong rejected an offer of economic help from South Korea in exchange for shutting down North Korea's nuclear weapons program. In her response, she proceeded to tell South Korean President Yoon Suk to "shut his mouth," a bold and direct statement that one might expect to come from Kim Jong-un himself. To date, she's made an estimated 40 statements while representing her brother and the country.

Kim Yo-jong may occasionally step in for her brother in a more practical way

Pool/Getty Images

Speeches and statements are one thing, but could Kim Yo-jong truly take power in North Korea? According to some reports, she already has, at least for a short period. Some analysts have speculated that she may have briefly led the DPRK in October 2014 while Kim Jong-un underwent some sort of medical treatment. Of course, North Korea isn't often ready to admit that its leader might be incapacitated (though, in 2022, state media admitted that Kim Jong-un had COVID), so we can't be sure that Kim Yo-jong had the opportunity to truly run the nation so early in her career.

That doesn't mean the opportunity won't present itself sometime in the future, however. In the event that Kim Jong-un dies before any of his children are old enough to take power themselves, it could be that Kim Yo-jong would act as a regent before the successor (presumably a son) comes of age. In this hypothetical scenario, many variables would make such a situation almost unpredictable. Would old-school military officials, who have a fair amount of power in North Korea, be willing to accept a woman-led government? Would Kim Yo-jong attempt to seize longer-lasting power? Would the Kim family mythos be enough to stabilize an otherwise unstable situation? With Kim Yo-jong in the mix, it can be hard to tell.

She may be part of a bad cop-good cop routine

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At this point in history, Kim Yo-jong has established herself as something of a hard-liner in the North Korean media machine. She's not shy about using downright frightening language that threatens war, retaliation, building explosions, and the occasional mention of nuclear annihilation. Is this sincere? Perhaps — but perhaps not, or at least not exactly. It could be that Kim Yo-jong is the bad cop in the classic good cop-bad cop tactic sometimes employed by interrogators and public officials. The good cop here would be none other than current leader Kim Jong-un.

Take Kim Yo-jong's statement in March 2020, in which she warned of retaliation after South Korea commanded the North to stop military exercises. Mere days later, Kim Jong-un sent a downright cuddly letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in offering support and friendship as COVID-19 hit the country.

While some have wondered if there is an ideological disconnect within the regime, it's also possible that Kim Yo-jong is leaving room for her brother to change his perception. Not only does it allow Kim Jong-un to appear far more approachable than he might otherwise, but this technique may give him the space to change course. If his sister says it, he could claim that it wasn't an official statement and go the other way if things appear to be going poorly.

Kim Yo-jong likely has some control over North Korea's military

hapelinium/Shutterstock

While intense speeches and tight control over her brother's propaganda image may be pretty unnerving, for many it's not quite enough to earn Kim Yo-jong the title of the most dangerous woman in the world. Instead, the real issue is with her possible control of the North Korean military. While the DPRK's military may not seem all that advanced, it does possess an estimated 20 to 60 nuclear-armed warheads, with the potential to make more. Given the destructive power of such weapons, even a handful would be cause for serious concern. When Kim Yo-jong and other members of the regime talk of retaliation, that deadly arsenal looms behind every word.

Because Kim Yo-jong has made so many declarations on behalf of her brother's government, professor Sung-Yoon Lee told Fox News that it's likely she has some level of control over North Korea's military capabilities, and in particular its nuclear weapons. Whether she is a mouthpiece for Kim Jong-un or would use some of that power under her own direction remains unclear.

She may direct cash flow in North Korea

ungvar/Shutterstock

Kim Yo-jong might oversee the flow of foreign cash into the country. Given that North Korea is one of the poorest countries in Asia and has a GDP that's currently 57 times smaller than that of neighboring South Korea, an influx of foreign currency can be a big deal. So, too, would be the person who controls where it goes.

It's all linked to a mysterious subsection of the country's ruling Korean Worker's Party, commonly referred to as Office 39 for the number outside its rooms in the party's headquarters. While it's not confirmed, sources suggest that Kim Yo-jong and her husband have significant roles in Office 39. That would mean they could be directing foreign money that comes into the country into an array of accounts that fund government and family activities. Given the number and intensity of economic sanctions that have been imposed on North Korea over the years, this money flow may not always be entirely legitimate.

It is telling that, not only is the U.S. government terribly interested in figuring out where the money comes from and where it goes, but that the U.S. Department of the Treasury specifically picked out Kim Yo-jong for sanctions in 2017. While the department said that it did so because of her links to the propaganda arm of the DPRK, officials told TIME that her appearance on the list was actually due to her suspected links to Office 39.

Some wonder if she could become North Korea's next leader

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

As of 2023, Kim Yo-jong appears to remain a formidable figure in North Korean politics. Given that a major part of the nation's political system hinges on dynastic succession within the Kim family, and that power may be allocated to the most capable members of that family instead of the oldest son, it stands to reason that she may be next up for the supreme leader seat. But how realistic is that scenario?

There are some significant roadblocks that stand between Kim Yo-jong and the job. North Korea's patriarchy makes the idea of a female leader hard to stomach for some. Speaking to Fox News, analyst Sung-Yoon Lee suggests that her Kim family bloodline may still trump entrenched sexism, but her gender would not make things easy.

If she went for the supreme leader role, military leaders could rise up against her and attempt to seize power for themselves. Then, there are the treacherously shifting loyalties within the political system, which left Yo-jong's elder half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, assassinated and uncle Jang Song-thaek brutally executed via firing squad. Finally, there's Kim Yo-jong herself. She may have realized relatively early on that, to maintain a balance of power and safety, she has to keep herself on the sidelines. Making speeches, traveling abroad, and working behind the scenes may be as far as she is willing to go, even if the supreme leader spot opens up sometime soon.

grunge.com · by Sarah Crocker · September 30, 2023

4. [INTERVIEW] ROK-US alliance is win-win partnership: KUSAF chief

[INTERVIEW] ROK-US alliance is win-win partnership: KUSAF chief

The Korea Times · by 2023-09-25 21:50 | Politics · October 1, 2023

Leem Ho-young, president of the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Sept. 13. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

'Extended deterrence best practical option to counter NK threats'

Editor’s note

This article is the second in a series of interviews to highlight the significance of the ROK-US alliance on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty, signed on Oct. 1, 1953, in the aftermath of the 1950-53 Korean War. ― ED.

By Lee Hyo-jin

The beginning of the alliance between South Korea and the United States dates back to Oct. 1, 1953, when the two nations signed the Mutual Defense Treaty in the aftermath of the 1950-53 Korean War. Over the past seven decades, the bilateral pact has withstood the test of time, but not without challenges.

In particular, the 1970s was a time of change, when the U.S. reduced the United States Forces in Korea (USFK) deployed here and reviewed further adjustments of troop levels. The idea of withdrawing the U.S. troops was brought up again in 2018 by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who demanded more defense costs from South Korea.

"Alliances can break apart if the interests of both countries are not aligned. An alliance where one party benefits while the other does not, cannot last long," Leem Ho-young, president of the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation (KUSAF), said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. The retired four-star Army general and former Deputy Commander of Combined Forces has been heading the foundation since May this year.

But in recent years, the shifting geopolitical landscape has underscored South Korea's strategic importance in the U.S.' global competition, particularly in its rivalry with China, making Seoul a valuable partner for Washington than ever before, Leem viewed.

"We should use this opportunity to bolster this win-win partnership. It is crucial for the U.S. to continue its commitment to deter North Korean threats, while South Korea should show full support for U.S.' key foreign policies such as the Indo-Pacific Strategy," he said.

This year has been a milestone year for the South Korea-U.S. alliance which celebrates its 70 th anniversary, according to Leem.

He stressed the importance of the Washington Declaration signed by Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden in April, through which the two sides agreed to launch a Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), a joint body that will meet regularly to discuss nuclear and strategic planning.

"The extended deterrence provided by the U.S. is the best practical option for South Korea to deter the North's evolving threats."

INTERVIEWSouth Korean veterans minister hails ROK-US alliance as pivotal pillar in nation's history

However, as North Korea continues to advance its nuclear arsenal, there have been growing calls among the South Korean public and some politicians that the nation should acquire its own nuclear weapons.

Leem viewed that a nuclear-armed South Korea is not a feasible scenario for now.

"Developing our nuclear weapons is clearly a violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and it will result in huge international sanctions that will deal a heavy blow on our nation's export-oriented economy," he said.

But at the same time, he noted that Seoul should be prepared for a "worst case scenario."

"At some point, there may come a time when the alliance with the U.S. becomes unstable and it may refuse to provide its nuclear umbrella. I'm not saying that we should go nuclear right now, but we should at least make efforts to shorten the 'lead time' needed in the development of nuclear weapons," he said.

In order to do so, the 2015 nuclear agreement signed with the U.S. needs to be updated and revised, he said. The treaty bans South Korea from enriching uranium and reprocessing spent fuel, the technologies used by countries such as North Korea to make nuclear weapons.

"Based on mutual trust, we should begin discussions with the U.S. and persuade them to lower our nuclear-related barrier simliar to that of Japan," Leem said.

A graveside service for John Singlaub, former chief of staff for U.S. Forces in Korea, is held at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, Aug. 19 (local time). Newsis

Remembering fallen heroes

Formed in April 2017, the main goal of the KUSAF is to support the two nations in maintaining friendly ties by facilitating research, education and forums promoting alliance. It also funds the Korea Defense Veterans Association (KDVA), a Virginia-based nonprofit organization that advocates for the South Korea-U.S. alliance by supporting former and current military service members.

Another major role of the foundation is honoring the soldiers killed during and after the Korean War.

"The service of U.S. troops during the Korean War is widely appreciated and remembered among the (South) Korean public. Yet few people are aware about the sacrifices and contributions made by American soldiers after the war," said Leem, saying that his foundation is engaging in various projects to commemorate such soldiers.

Later this month, the KUSAF will estabilsh a monument of John Singlaub, a former USFK chief of staff who served here in the 1970s. He was removed from his post in 1977 after openly criticizing then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s plan to pull out American troops from the Korean Peninsula, saying that the withdrawal could lead to another North Korean invasion. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 100.

The foundation also plans to be build a memorial by 2025 for 92 U.S. soliders who were killed during sporadic conflicts with the North after the signing of the 1953 armistice agreement, most of which occurred in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Korea Times · by 2023-09-25 21:50 | Politics · October 1, 2023

5. [INTERVIEW] South Korean veterans minister hails ROK-US alliance as pivotal pillar in nation's history

[INTERVIEW] South Korean veterans minister hails ROK-US alliance as pivotal pillar in nation's history

The Korea Times · by 2023-10-01 07:52 | Foreign Affairs · September 25, 2023

Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at Seoul Regional Office of Veterans Affairs in central Seoul's Yongsan District, Sept. 22. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

'Ex-soldiers should be honored every day, not just on Memorial Day'

Editor’s note

This article is the first in a series of interviews to highlight the significance of the ROK-US alliance on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty, signed on Oct. 1, 1953, in the aftermath of the 1950-53 Korean War. ― ED.

By Lee Hyo-jin

The seven-decades-old alliance between South Korea and the United States formed with the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty on Oct. 1, 1953, has played a vital role in South Korea's history as a safeguard for the peace and prosperity of the nation, according to Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik.

The post-war treaty has, and will, continue to protect South Korea from another North Korean invasion, he said.

"The Mutual Defense Treaty has played a pivotal role in preserving the peace established by the Korean Armistice Agreement, and still continues to serve as the foundation for the prosperity we enjoy today," Park said during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Sept. 22.

"Even though North Korea has carried out numerous provocations in the past seven decades, the fact that the North has not initiated another war is attributable to the overwhelming deterrence created by the Mutual Defense Treaty. The ironclad alliance has left North Korea with virtually no opportunity to start a war, not even a 0.1 percent chance."

And this "hard-won" peace should not be taken for granted, Park stressed.

He viewed that the country's inaugural President Syngman Rhee played an instrumental role in securing U.S. support for South Korea during the period leading up to and following the 1950-53 Korean War, and such an effort eventually led to the signing of the defense treaty.

"If you take a closer look at how the treaty was ratified with all the negotiation process, the U.S. side was initially reluctant to sign the agreement. But President Rhee, a remarkable politician with excellent diplomatic skills, ultimately persuaded U.S. officials to commit to the treaty," the minister said.

Rhee's legacy remains a subject of ongoing debate and historical research. He is revered by some for his role in establishing the foundation of modern Korea and fostering a strong partnership with the U.S. On the other hand, he is criticized for solidifying the division of the two Koreas and for his authoritarian rule during his presidential tenure. He was ousted by a civil uprising in 1960.

INTERVIEWROK-US alliance is win-win partnership: KUSAF chief

During the interview, Park renewed his support for the swift establishment of a memorial for Rhee, an ongoing project led by the Memorial Association for Founding President Syngman Rhee.

Following an upgrade of the veterans ministry from a sub-ministry unit to full-fledged ministry status in June this year, Park was sworn in as the inaugural veterans minister of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

Park said the elevated status of his ministry reflects the government's commitment to recognizing and rewarding patriotic services. Through the upgrade, the scope of veterans entitled to government support has been largely expanded, and the ministry is developing various sustainable support policies for them.

President Yoon Suk Yeol applauds a veteran who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War during a ceremony to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement held at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, July 27. The event gathered 62 U.N. veterans and their relatives who defended South Korea. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hun

As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement signed on July 27, 1953, Park has been ramping up efforts to strengthen relations with countries that helped South Korea during the Korean War. In July, the ministry hosted a major commemoration ceremony in Busan where 62 foreign veterans who fought for the South under the U.N. flag and their descendants were invited.

"The relationships and friendships forged with the 22 countries that participated in the Korean War have grown stronger and more robust over time through various cooperations in veterans affairs on government levels. I believe these partnerships are a valuable diplomatic asset for our nation," Park said.

"Our ministry is currently expanding the scope of international veterans' policies to include the descendants of U.N. Korean War veterans and soldiers who were deployed after the Armistice Agreement, in order to ensure that their contributions are remembered not only in South Korea but also in their own nations."

In September, Park met with Ukrainian Minister for Veterans Yuliia Laputina on the sidelines of the Invictus Games held in Germany, during which the two sides agreed to cooperate in Ukraine's projects honoring the fallen soldiers in its ongoing war with Russia.

"I think the situation in Ukraine due to Russia's agression is similiar to what we have experienced decades ago," Park said. "As a nation that has successfully rose from the ruins of war, we should support Ukraine not only in their reconstruction projects but also regarding policies needed to honor their fallen soldiers."

Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik smiles during an interview with The Korea Times at Seoul Regional Office of Veterans Affairs in Yongsan District, Sept. 22. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Renovation of Seoul National Cemetery

In Korea, commemorating the fallen heroes is widely percieved as a solemn occasion that takes place nationwide on June 6 Memorial Day. However, Park views that honoring patriotic services should be entrenched in the nation's culture and identity that people can experience in their daily lives.

"Honoring veterans should not only be about visiting graves and paying tribute on Memorial Day," he said. "What's even more important is for people to carry a sense of respect and gratitude in their hearts throughout the remaining 364 days of the year."

Against this backdrop, the veterans ministry is planning to renovate of the Seoul National Cemetery located in Dongjak District, with an aim to make the facility more accessible to the public. The renovation project, launched in June, will transform the cemetery into a cultural park and tourist spot similar to the Arlington National Cemetery in the U.S. state of Virginia.

"People tend to think that rewarding veterans is about remembering the past. But actually, the core value of rewarding patriotism lies in shaping the nation's identiy that empowers future generations," Park said.

The Korea Times · by 2023-10-01 07:52 | Foreign Affairs · September 25, 2023

6. NK leader sends congratulatory message to Xi on Chinese founding anniversary

KJU is managing both sides of the threesome of convenience or the axis of authoritarians.

NK leader sends congratulatory message to Xi on Chinese founding anniversary

koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · October 1, 2023

By Yonhap

Published : Oct. 1, 2023 - 11:09

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday to mark the 74th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China, state media said.

"Over the last 10-odd years, the CPC with you, the general secretary, as its core has made remarkable successes in the cause of the party and state building by uniting and inspiring the entire party and people under the banner of the socialist idea with Chinese characteristics in the new era," Kim wrote in the message, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency. CPC stands for the Communist Party of China.

"Our party, government and people are rejoiced over all the achievements made by the Chinese party, government and people as over our own," he continued.

Kim said North Korea and China have "always and invariably" supported and encouraged each other "in the long course of defending and glorifying socialism."

"I, together with you, will strive to consolidate and develop the DPRK-China friendly relations, which have entered a new historic period, in accordance with the aspiration and desire of the peoples of the two countries and to safeguard peace and stability in the region and the rest of the world," he added, referring to North Korea by the acronym of its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · October 1, 2023

7. [Lee Kyong-hee] Kishida’s summit overture to Pyongyang

This has not received a lot of attention. Probably because no one thinks KJU would ever agree to a summit.

[Lee Kyong-hee] Kishida’s summit overture to Pyongyang

koreaherald.com · by Korea Herald · September 27, 2023

By Korea Herald

Published : Sept. 28, 2023 - 05:30

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pressed rewind and expressed his desire for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The overture last week was the same as last year. In between, Kishida has suggested high-level talks to set up a summit and North Korea has responded promptly and positively. But it also attached a caveat.

“There is no reason for the DPRK and Japan not to meet, if Tokyo is not being shackled by the past,” said the North’s vice foreign minister.

Therein lies the stumbling block: the past. In the 1970s and 1980s, Pyongyang’s agents kidnapped Japanese, some of whom they used as teachers and translators. Their fate in North Korea has been the “foremost priority” of successive Japanese cabinets since the years of late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the hawkish conservative who mentored Kishida.

Abe had three principles on the abduction issue: It is Japan’s task of foremost importance; the normalization of relations with North Korea is impossible without the resolution of the issue; and under the premise that all the abductees remain alive, Japan demands the return of all of them.

It is debatable whether Kishida genuinely intends to pursue a breakthrough in the long-stalled dialogue with Pyongyang or is simply parroting his predecessors to boost his mediocre public opinion poll ratings. Still, Kishida has reason to continue his overtures.

North Korea is cozying up to Russia and relentlessly developing a nuclear arsenal. Meanwhile, relations with South Korea are frozen. There is irony there. Japan hopes Seoul will stop mentioning that Korean women were abducted and enslaved in Japanese wartime brothels, but the Japanese government refuses to look past the kidnapping of Japanese civilians by a foreign government.

Citing the 2002 Japan-DPRK Declaration in Pyongyang, Kishida told the UN gathering that his government seeks to normalize relations with North Korea, through comprehensively resolving outstanding issues of concern such as “the abductions, nuclear and missile issues, as well as settlement of the unfortunate past.”

Abe’s principles on the abduction issue represented a backlash against his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi’s summit with Kim Jong-il, the late chairman of North Korean National Defense Commission and the father of the North's current leader, in Pyongyang on Sept. 17, 2002. Not surprisingly, Abe was accused of being hypocritical, given his denial of Japan’s responsibility for the abduction and sexual slavery of tens of thousands of women from Korea and elsewhere during World War II.

During the summit, the late Kim admitted for the first time that his country was behind the abductions of Japanese nationals and apologized. The summit produced a joint declaration, in which Japan expressed “remorse and apology” for the damage and suffering caused by its past colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea promised to prevent any further abductions. They also agreed to resolve the nuclear and missile issues and work toward normalizing diplomatic relations as soon as possible.

That same day, however, a bombshell revelation followed to see the historic summit taking an unexpected turn. North Korean officials revealed five abductees were alive and eight were dead. The five living abductees were brought back to Japan later that year, supposedly temporarily, but all decided to stay. Their children returned as well.

The reported deaths of abductees and the grief of their families stoked public anger against the North, as the media made intensive coverage of their stories. The resentment weighed on Hitoshi Tanaka, director of Asian diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry, for his year-long, secret pre-summit negotiations. The media accused him of being “too pro-North Korea.” Haunted by the fallout of the issue, Tanaka eventually resigned from the Foreign Ministry in 2005.

Tokyo believes that at least 17 individuals were kidnapped by North Korean agents. It has sought the return of 12 abductees, based on the assumption that these 12 are still alive. Some family members of abductees have formed an alliance with conservative politicians to oppose normalization negotiations with Pyongyang. Abe spearheaded these moves.

“At the state funeral of Abe on Sept. 27, 2022, Prime Minister Kishida pledged to continue Abe’s policy on North Korea, but as long as his principles on the abductions issue remain unchanged, it is impossible to normalize relations with Pyongyang,” says Haruki Wada in the foreword to the Korean edition of his 2022 book, “Thirty Years of Japan-DPRK Negotiations: A History.”

A prominent academic and progressive activist, Wada served as general secretary of the National Association for Normalization of Japan-DPRK Relations, which was founded in 2000 and is set to be dissolved at the end of this year. As he acknowledges, the book traces how the efforts for normalization of ties with North Korea have failed over the last three decades, with a focus on the political clashes between opposing groups in Japan. The North Korean nuclear and missile program and responses by concerned countries provide a complex backdrop and crucial intervening factors.

The abductions are a “time-sensitive human rights issue,” as Kishida noted. Time is running out for the family members of abductees, with many in advanced age, requiring urgent action. At the same time, with dialogue at standstill toward Washington and Seoul, Pyongyang may consider talking with Tokyo to use Japan as a middleman between Washington and Pyongyang in place of Seoul.

In any case, if a summit materializes, Kishida may have to face Kim, who is in a more formidable position than he was in when he met former US President Donald Trump four years ago. Now, with Beijing and Moscow aligned to give him better support, Kim may be tougher to deal with. And President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul may have to pause and look back on his pugnacity -- and a lost opportunity.

Lee Kyong-hee

Lee Kyong-hee is a former editor-in-chief of The Korea Herald. -- Ed.

koreaherald.com · by Korea Herald · September 27, 2023

8. [Kim Seong-kon] “The Big Country” and “A City upon a Hill”

A view from Korea on America's divided politics.

Excerpts:

At the same time, we hope that America remains a role model for the countries of liberal democracy. For that purpose, Americans should find a peaceful resolution to the internal scuffles between Democrats and Republicans. If they do not stop fighting, they will eventually destroy each other, as the movie shows through the tragic end of the Terrills and the Hannasseys.

The internal fight is cancerous. It is as if internal organs turned against and attacked one another. Unless the major organs can stop their cancerous skirmishes, the body will eventually perish because of them. We hope that America remains a truly big, healthy country that the world continues to look up to as a “shining city upon a hill,” as the first settlers dedicated long ago.

[Kim Seong-kon] “The Big Country” and “A City upon a Hill”

koreaherald.com · by Korea Herald · September 26, 2023

By Korea Herald

Published : Sept. 27, 2023 - 05:41

When I first watched William Wyler’s 1958 movie, “The Big Country” as a little boy, I was mesmerized by the charming personality of the protagonist James McKay, played by major star Gregory Peck. McKay is a man from the American East who has just arrived in the West to marry his fiancee, Patricia Terrill, a daughter of Henry Terrill, a man who owns the biggest ranch in the region.

In the eyes of tough Westerners, McKay is nothing but a weak Easterner who does not fit in with the Big Country, or the Wild West. Because of this perceived shortcoming, McKay is bullied by the ranch’s tough-as-nails supervisor, Steve Leech (Charlton Heston), who tries to humiliate him by tricking him into riding the untamed bronco “Old Thunder” and insults him by calling him a “liar” in public. To his fiancee Patricia’s disappointment, McKay endures the derision and stays calm.

Later, however, McKay turns out to be a man of true courage. In one sequence, he shows courage and persistence when he is alone, trying and finally succeeding to tame “Old Thunder” after numerous unsuccessful attempts. In another scene, McKay challenges Leech before dawn to a fight that ends in a draw. McKay was neither a coward nor a weak man. As a former sea captain, he is tough and strong deep inside.

When I saw this movie for the second time recently, I realized that “The Big Country” was, in fact, a movie about America, exploring the meaning of a truly big country. Indeed, the film made the viewers ponder, “America is a big country in size, but how could it be truly big in essence?”

“The Big Country” tries to answer this question through its mythic setting: the Wild West. The wealthy rancher Henry Terrill has an archenemy named Rufus Hannassey who owns a smaller ranch nearby. Their feud stems from their competing claims to a water supply for their cattle. Observing their enmity, McKay attempts to reconcile them. He purchases the Big Muddy Ranch that includes the only river in town, which is the vital source of the area’s water supply. McKay wants to put an end to the feud by allowing both the Terrills and the Hannasseys to have unlimited access to the water.

McKay bought the Big Muddy Ranch as a wedding gift. Unfortunately, however, Patricia does not like the idea that he would help her family’s enemy and decides to leave him. At the end of the movie, Henry Terrill and Rufus Hannassey kill each other in a duel.

The hate and resentment between the Terrills and the Hannasseys mirrors the antipathy between Republicans and Democrats in America these days. The enmity between these two antagonizing political groups culminated in the attack in 2021 on the US Capitol, a symbol of democracy, by right-wing extremists. This embarrassing incident gave socialist countries the wrong idea that American democracy had declined. Consequently, they boasted that their totalitarian system was better than America’s liberal democracy and therefore theirs should be a role model for the rest of the world.

“The Big Country” illustrates how America cannot be a truly big country if it is polarized and divided by extreme ideologies. Its message is that America can be a big country only when its people have a big heart that embraces differences, tolerates others and reconciles with their adversaries. The movie also shows the importance of cultural diversity through McKay’s attempts to reconcile the Terrills and the Hannasseys, as well as the American East with the Wild West.

In a sense, the protagonist James McKay himself resonates with the original image of America. He is a gentle, unselfish man who wants to put an end to a family feud by mediating between the two archenemies. He also wants to bridge American Eastern and Western culture. Likewise, America has played a similar role to the one McKay played when it has intervened in conflicts overseas to mediate as a peacemaker. For a long time, America has done what the UN could not do. We hope that America continues to play the role of McKay in the international community.

At the same time, we hope that America remains a role model for the countries of liberal democracy. For that purpose, Americans should find a peaceful resolution to the internal scuffles between Democrats and Republicans. If they do not stop fighting, they will eventually destroy each other, as the movie shows through the tragic end of the Terrills and the Hannasseys.

The internal fight is cancerous. It is as if internal organs turned against and attacked one another. Unless the major organs can stop their cancerous skirmishes, the body will eventually perish because of them. We hope that America remains a truly big, healthy country that the world continues to look up to as a “shining city upon a hill,” as the first settlers dedicated long ago.

Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are his own. -- Ed.

koreaherald.com · by Korea Herald · September 26, 2023

9. North Korea blames US for 'grave terrorist' act against Cuban embassy

North Korea blames US for 'grave terrorist' act against Cuban embassy

Reuters

SEOUL, Oct 1 (Reuters) - North Korea accused the United States on Sunday of letting a "terrorist" act against Cuba take place on U.S. soil, saying a recent attack against the Cuban embassy in Washington was the result of "despicable anti-Cuban" U.S. intentions.

The United States has neglected to ensure the safety of the Cuban mission and was only keen to put countries it dislikes, such as Cuba, on its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a spokesman of North Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Along with Cuba, North Korea, Syria and Iran are on the State Department list.

An assailant attacked the embassy on Sept. 24 with two Molotov cocktails. No one was hurt and there was no significant damage.

The incident was "a grave terrorist attack", the North Korean spokesman said, adding there was a pattern as it followed a 2020 incident at the same embassy in which someone fired a rifle at the building.

"This goes to prove that the above-said incidents were committed evidently at the tacit connivance of the U.S. administration," the unnamed spokesman said in the statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.

U.S. authorities arrested and indicted a man soon after the 2020 shooting.

The United States should "acknowledge the blame for not only the recent incident but also all the past terrorist cases and probe their truth to show its sincerity," rather than focussing on naming countries as state sponsors of terrorism, he said.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States strongly condemned the attack and that U.S. law enforcement authorities would investigate. No one was in custody as the investigation continued, the Secret Service has said.

The embassy reopened in 2015 when Cuba and the U.S. restored diplomatic ties. Havana has said it is unreasonable for Washington to keep Cuba on its terrorism list and maintain a Cold War-era economic embargo.

Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by William Mallard

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Acquire Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Reuters

10. Ask a North Korean: What is it like to serve in North Korea’s army reserves?

Ask a North Korean: What is it like to serve in North Korea’s army reserves?

https://www.nknews.org/2023/09/ask-a-north-korean-what-is-it-like-to-serve-in-north-koreas-army-reserves/?utm_source=pocket_saves

All men must enlist in local forces in case of the outbreak of war, and training is often brutal and unpredictable

Joshua Kim September 29, 2023

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North Korean soldiers posing for a photo in Wonsan | Image: Eric Lafforgue (April 2008)

“Ask a North Korean” is an NK News series featuring interviews with and columns by North Korean defectors, most of whom left the DPRK within the last few years.

Readers may submit their questions for defectors by emailing ask@nknews.org and including their first name and city of residence.

Today’s question is about serving in North Korea’s military reserve forces.

Joshua Kim (a pseudonym) — who was born and raised in North Korea and lived there until he defected in 2019 — writes about why the DPRK maintains a massive army reserve, the tough conditions during annual training, and what reservists do to get out of it.

Got a question for Joshua? Email it to ask@nknews.org with your name and city. We’ll be publishing the best ones.

June and July are the months of “class education” in North Korea, which we called the “Anti-imperialist, Anti-American Month.” During this period, various events are held across the country to promote anti-Americanism among North Korean youth and university students. 

I remember singing many chants with words such as “extinguish the American invaders, who are the enemy of the Korean people.” From the time we took our first steps, we learned that the U.S. was a mortal enemy with which we could not live together under the same sky. 

For us, having grown up playing “beat up the Americans” in kindergarten, the Americans were akin to wolves, not human beings. And this attitude was also reflected in military policy.

Soldiers march in the paramilitary parade in Pyongyang on Sept. 9, 2023 | Image: KCNA

ALL-CITIZEN MILITARY

During the Kim Il Sung era, North Korea proposed the Four Military Lines policy (사대군사노선). The policy calls for the militarization of the entire population, the promotion of officers throughout the military, the fortification of the entire country and the modernization of the entire military.

Under this policy, all boys and girls in the second year of high school (around age 15) are required to participate in military camps for seven days, with a live artillery drill conducted on the last day. They are then required to complete a 90-hour course called “Introduction to Military Activities” to graduate from high school. 

North Korea has an all-citizen military service system, so as a matter of principle, more than 90% of men and women join the military after graduating from high school. It is common to attend university after being discharged from the military, with women serving 7 years and men 10 years. 

However, young people who can afford to go to university immediately after graduating from high school must still take a 6-month military training course. After finishing four years of university, men tend to serve three years in the military.

All men between 17 and 50 years of age must also serve in the country’s reserve forces, excluding those who are on active duty. These forces were among those who marched through central Pyongyang during a paramilitary parade on Sept. 9, with participants coming from all nine provinces and special cities as well as universities and businesses.

The country’s paramilitary civil defense forces are subdivided into various sections: the Red Youth Guards, the Worker-Peasant Red Guards, the propaganda balloon group, prison guards and the reserve forces.

The reserve forces require a certain level of physical fitness. If a man does not meet the physical requirements, he must join the Worker-Peasant Red Guards. 

The reserve forces train every winter and the training period is around 45 to 60 days per year. Because North Korea considers itself in a quasi-war state, it tends to randomly extend the training period or give sudden orders for reserve forces to gather.

North Korean soldiers on a bridge in Pyongyang | Image: NK News (Sept. 2015)

BRIBE OR TRAIN 

There are many differences between North and South Korea’s reserve forces. 

First, there is a significant difference in training time. Training in South Korea’s reserve forces lasts for about three days and is predictably scheduled, but North Korea’s reserve forces train for much longer and for uncertain periods of time.

The DPRK’s reserve forces usually train in the winter, and the meals they receive and the amount of sleep they’re allowed to get is pitiful. 

To avoid the suffering, reserve soldiers will often bribe officers with cigarettes, rice or money to get out of training, but everyone has to participate in the final training, where soldiers practice shooting. As bribery has become more common, the people who actually participate in training have been those who are the worst off financially.

Active military officers run the training for reserve forces, and the training itself consists of political study, target practice, formation practice, infantry tactics and more.

However, rather than actually train, it is common for reserve soldiers to carry out various other activities such as repairing camps, cleaning mine shafts or preparing firewood for the families of the officers in charge.

The reserve forces are often called the “local forces” in North Korea, and they are assigned to regional military command systems if war breaks out. There are many types of organizations in the civil defense forces, but the reserve forces are the ones that can be transferred to the active military system the quickest. 

Generally speaking, units are stationed in each province of the country. The regional corps leaders command all people in their local region in the event of war.

While Kim Il Sung implemented the Four Military Lines policy, Kim Jong Il took it one step further and militarized all of North Korea under the “military-first” policy. Based on the social and political foundation that they created, Kim Jong Un seems to be planning a leap forward into a new military state. 

The civil defense military parade held in September was intended to unite the people internally and to send a strong message externally that the Kim Jong Un regime is sound and becoming ever more solid. 

Edited by Alannah Hill

11. S. Korea, US, Japan Urge N. Korea's Denuclearization at IAEA Conference

S. Korea, US, Japan Urge N. Korea's Denuclearization at IAEA Conference

world.kbs.co.kr

International

Written: 2023-09-30 13:33:25 / Updated: 2023-09-30 13:37:00

Photo : YONHAP News

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan issued a joint statement calling for the suspension of North Korea's nuclear program during the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) held in Vienna on Friday.

Seoul's ambassador to Austria Ham Sang-wook read the trilateral statement before the representatives of 178 nations at the conference, urging denuclearization measures from Pyongyang.

This marks the first joint address by the three allies on a multilateral diplomatic stage addressing North Korea's nuclear issue.

The three sides expressed concern that the issue has persisted for three decades and called on the regime to stop its nuclear development and provocative ballistic missile launches and take concrete steps toward denuclearization.

They also took note of the fact that IAEA members adopted a resolution to this effect by consensus without a vote, which they said underscores the international community's grave concern over the nuclear issue.

The three countries also said the international community must not and will no longer tolerate North Korea's illegal and irresponsible nuclear and missile development programs while urging the North to return to talks stressing the door to dialogue remains open with no conditions attached.

The IAEA resolution adopted Friday urges Pyongyang to abide by its obligations under UN Security Council resolutions.

The North declared its withdrawal from the Non Proliferation Treaty in 2003. The IAEA urges treaty signatories to implement safeguards on preventing nuclear substances from being used militarily but with the North's rejection of IAEA activities, onsite verification of its nuclear facilities has not taken place since 2009.

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