(Note I will be traveling the nest 10 days or so so my daily messages will be on a more sporadic schedule)

Quotes of the Day:

"Psychological warfare is the secret weapon of victory." 

- William J. Donovan

"We live in a society in which spurious realities are manufactured by the media, by governments, by big corporations, by religious groups, political groups. I ask, in my writing, 'What is real?' Because unceasingly we are bombarded with pseudo realities manufactured by very sophisticated people using very sophisticated electronic mechanisms."

-Philip K. Dick

"The most important scientific revolutions all include, as their only common feature, the dethronement of human arrogance from one pedestal after another of previous convictions about our centrality in the cosmos."  

- Stephen Jay Gould 

1. N. Korea says 'no end' to bolstering military power ahead of key anniversary

2. U.S. nuclear-powered sub enters Jeju port for replenishment purpose: Navy

3. U.S. and North Korea Start Talking About American Soldier Who Crossed the Border

4. Why Korean unification is important for Japan

5. S. Korea removes state burial record of Gen. Paik as pro-Japanese figure

6. Top US military commander's remarks on war on Korean Peninsula inappropriate: experts

7. Female S. Korean special warfare team wins int'l parachuting contest in Spain

8. U.S. develops regular military exercises among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo

9. Pyongyang launches three to four cruise missiles early Saturday morning

10. U.S. sends message to North — and China — with second sub visit to South

11. The truth behind suspicious overseas parcels must be swiftly uncovered

12. China, Russia conclude drills as US, South Korea, Japan deepen security ties

13. Even after Korean War, allies pay a heavy price to protect DMZ

14. Wake up: Pushing de-nuking on N.Korea is a dream with a nightmare ending - Responsible Statecraft

15.  Bureau 39-run mines fail to achieve targets for first half of the year

16. Why some S. Korean children refuse to ditch masks

17. Hyesan Customs House fails inspection by central government

18.  ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Regime demands provincial party cadres to write self-criticisms regarding failure to social chaos, including starvation deaths

19. As China, Russia drill, North Korea left on the sidelines

1. N. Korea says 'no end' to bolstering military power ahead of key anniversary

We must understand that Kim Jong Un is conducting political warfare to subvert the ROK government and ROK society and drive a wedge in the ROK/US alliance. He is conducting blackmail diplomacy by using increased tensions, threats, and provocations to gain political and economic concessions. He is pursuing advanced warfighting capabilities, in particular nuclear weapons and missiles, to support his political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies while preparing for eventual unification by force to ensure regime survival.

The sad truth is the only way there will be an end to the nuclear program and military threats as well as the human rights abuses and crimes against humanity being committed against the Korean people living in the north, 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 freedom and individual liberty, free market principles, rule of law, and human rights as determined by the Korean people. In short, a United Republic of Korea (UROK).

I think we must accept that north Korea may have a continued hostile strategy and therefore while we prioritize diplomacy, we have to remain prepared for the worst cases. I hope I am wrong here and that Kim Jong Un will dismantle his nuclear weapons and seek peaceful unification that leads to a free and unified Korea. But I do not think that is likely, so we need a superior political warfare and military strategy to achieve peace by settling the "Korea question" as per paragraph 60 of the 1953 Armistice Agreement – the unnatural division of the Peninsula – once and for all.

The ROK/U.S. alliance must heed the strategic clarity that President Biden and President Yoon provided on April 26, 2023 in 26 words: "The two presidents are committed to build a better future for all Korean people and support a unified Korean Peninsula that is free and at peace." 

The requires a new strategy based on a human rights upfront approach, a sophisticated and comprehensive information campaign, and the pursuit of a free and unified Korea.

N. Korea says 'no end' to bolstering military power ahead of key anniversary | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · July 24, 2023

SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Monday that there is "no end" to strengthening its military power in an apparent attempt to justify the development of its nuclear and missile programs ahead of a key anniversary this week.

The recalcitrant regime has been ramping up sharp-tongued rhetoric and launching missiles ahead of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War on July 27, celebrated as Victory Day in North Korea.

"There can be no end to strengthening military power," Rodong Sinmun, the country's main newspaper, said in its editorial, stressing that such a goal should be carried out more swiftly and in a ceaseless manner "at any cost."

"Eternal peace lies atop of self-defense power that can overwhelmingly prevail against any enemy," it said, claiming that such power is a prerequisite to remove any risk of war on the Korean Peninsula.

This photo, carried by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on July 13, 2023, shows the North's firing of a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

In what appears to be an attempt to justify its faltering economy, North Korea also said a nuclear war could have broken out had it not focused on developing its nuclear and missile programs.

"Had our nation and people concentrated on economic development like others, a nuclear war that would have brought about a bigger catastrophe compared with all the wars in history would have broken out dozens of times and today's civilized world would not have existed," it said.

The North has been grappling with chronic food shortage and lackluster economic development, worsened by global sanctions on its nuclear and missile programs and a self-imposed border lockdown following the pandemic.

Observers said the North may seek to shore up internal unity in a possible large-scale military parade marking Victory Day following a failed satellite launch in late May and continuing economic hardships.

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · July 24, 2023

2. U.S. nuclear-powered sub enters Jeju port for replenishment purpose: Navy

Excerpts:

The USS Annapolis, a Los Angeles-class submarine, entered a naval base in the country's southern island of Jeju, as Seoul and Washington are stepping up security coordination amid tensions heightened by Pyongyang's saber-rattling, including its cruise missile launches over the weekend.

"Its entry into the port is to replenish military supplies while on an operations mission," the Navy said in a text message sent to reporters.

U.S. nuclear-powered sub enters Jeju port for replenishment purpose: Navy | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 24, 2023

SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine arrived in South Korea on Monday for a replenishment purpose, Seoul's Navy said, just days after another U.S. strategic submarine departed here following a port visit in a major show of force against growing North Korean threats.

The USS Annapolis, a Los Angeles-class submarine, entered a naval base in the country's southern island of Jeju, as Seoul and Washington are stepping up security coordination amid tensions heightened by Pyongyang's saber-rattling, including its cruise missile launches over the weekend.

"Its entry into the port is to replenish military supplies while on an operations mission," the Navy said in a text message sent to reporters.

It added that the nuclear-powered submarine's key mission is to conduct operations for anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare.

"On the occasion of the USS Annapolis' visit, the Navies of South Korea and the United States plan to strengthen a combined defense posture and conduct exchange activities in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance," the armed service said.

Last Tuesday, the USS Kentucky, an 18,750-ton Ohio-class submarine (SSBN), arrived in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in what was seen as a move to reassure the South Korean public, which is increasingly wary of North Korean nuclear and missile threats, and deter those threats.

The first U.S. SSBN visit to Korea since 1981 came after the U.S. pledged to enhance the "regular visibility" of its key military assets, including the submarine, in the Washington Declaration that Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden issued during their summit in April.

The USS Kentucky, an 18,750-ton Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine, docks at a naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on July 19, 2023, in this photo provided by the Korea Defense Daily. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 24, 2023

3. U.S. and North Korea Start Talking About American Soldier Who Crossed the Border

Just to note, the Army does not use "Private Second Class" for the rank of grade of E-2 and rank of PV2,.

But it is likely used in one of the journalistic style guides.

See here: U.S. Military Rank Insignia  https://www.defense.gov/Resources/Insignia/

I still think PFC White's 1982 DMZ crossing case is a better parallel than SGT Jenkins case. PV2 King is more likely to turn out like PFC White than SGT Jenkins. I wonder why few in the press mention PFC White.

U.S. and North Korea Start Talking About American Soldier Who Crossed the Border

Private 2nd Class Travis King has been detained in North Korea since entering the country last week

By Dasl Yoon

Follow

July 24, 2023 5:31 am ET

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-and-north-korea-start-talking-about-american-soldier-who-crossed-the-border-6be51607?mod=hp_lead_pos10

Lieutenant General Andrew Harrison at a briefing Monday. PHOTO: JUNG YEON-JE/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

SEOUL—The United Nations Command has begun talking with North Korea about an American soldier who crossed the border from South Korea without authorization last week, the deputy commander said Monday.

British Army Lieutenant General Andrew Harrison told a briefing on Monday that conversations have begun through a communication line established under the armistice agreement that ended combat in the 1950-53 Korean War. 

Private 2nd Class Travis King, 23 years old, has been detained in North Korea since he crossed the border while on a tour last Tuesday of the Joint Security Area, part of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. 

“The primary concern for us is Private King’s welfare,” Lt. Gen. Harrison said. He said he remains optimistic, but declined to provide details on the talks, citing their sensitivity. 

The day before he crossed the border, King had been set to fly Texas for disciplinary actions and a potential discharge following two alleged assaults last year, officials said last week. He had been held at a detention facility in South Korea for 47 days.

North Korea has said nothing publicly about King. 

U.S. Army Private 2nd Class Travis King crossed the border into North Korea while on a tour of the Joint Security Area, part of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lt. Gen. Harrison first confirmed that the U.N. Command had made contact with North Korea in an interview with the Times of London published Saturday. U.N. Command staff members, who are mostly U.S. military, call their North Korean counterparts twice daily through a phone link established as part of an agreement meant to reduce the risk of war. But North Korea hadn’t been responding since King crossed the border, U.S. officials said.

King’s crossing has raised questions about the U.S. military’s handling of personnel at overseas bases. He had been escorted to Incheon Airport last Monday by U.S. service members, who left after King passed through security checkpoints. King told airline staff he couldn’t locate his passport and slipped out of the airport. He headed to the Joint Security Area as part of a tour group the next day. 

A spokesman for the U.S. Forces Korea, which oversees the 28,500 American military personnel stationed in the country, said the incident remains under investigation. 

King allegedly assaulted a South Korean citizen last September and the next month was involved in another assault and damaged a police car by kicking it, for which he was fined $4,000. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth speculated at a news conference last Thursday that King had been grappling with the consequences he would face upon returning to the U.S.

North Korea watchers say King’s voluntary entry into the country may make winning his release difficult. In the past, North Korea has used defections by U.S. soldiers as a propaganda opportunity, portraying Americans as growing disenchanted with capitalism. Army Sgt. Charles Jenkins, who deserted his post in South Korea and fled to the North in 1965, became a familiar figure in North Korean films, cast as a capitalist villain. 

North Korea has refused to engage in dialogue with the U.S. since nuclear talks collapsed in Hanoi in 2019. In recent weeks, high-level North Korean officials have released statements lashing out at Washington for deploying to South Korea such strategic assets as the USS Kentucky, a nuclear-capable submarine. Last Thursday, North Korea’s defense minister warned that the sub’s presence could be grounds for Pyongyang to use nuclear weapons. 

On Monday, the USS Annapolis, a nuclear-propelled U.S. submarine, arrived at a port on South Korea’s Jeju Island as an additional show of force against North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats. A spokesman for South Korea’s navy said the U.S. and South Korea were discussing whether to involve the submarine in training. 

4. Why Korean unification is important for Japan

And hopefully the improving trilateral cooperation (ROK, Japan, US) will pay off in the future when the unification process takes place.

Why Korean unification is important for Japan

The Korea Times · July 20, 2023

By Emanuel Pastreich

The threat of North Korean missiles has raised concerns among the Japanese public and policymakers in Tokyo worry that their country could suffer tremendous economic damage if trade is disrupted by a conflict with North Korea.

There are also Japanese strategic thinkers who oppose a unified Korea because they perceive it as a potential economic rival for Japan in terms of the scale of its economy.

But if we look at the growing threat of war around the world, it is obvious that the long-term solution for Japan's security concerns is not the purchase of more weapons, but rather the creation of a peace regime in Northeast Asia that is centered around a unified Korean Peninsula.

Although such a move does not match with the discussion on security at many think tanks, it would be the best investment of time and effort for Japan and such a discussion in Japan about a peace regime built around a unified Korean Peninsula is neither unrealistic nor naive.

There is no reason to believe that profound change is impossible on the Korean Peninsula, no basis for presuming that military tensions, and missile launches, must continue on far into the future in North Korea, getting only worse, and no foundations for assuming that the Kim family will be ensconced in North Korea for centuries.

I was delighted to learn in my meetings with Japanese politicians that there is a substantial faction who have come to see Korean unification as a geopolitical positive for Japan and who are open to launching broad discussions on the topic. The problem is rather that they feel constrained by the inflexibility encountered in policy circles in Washington D.C.

For many Japanese, accustomed to an inflexible and predictable socio-economic order, it is hard to imagine how Korea could be so completely transformed, and Japan with it. The biggest obstacle to such a new vision for Japan and Korea is overcoming assumptions about human society based on measurable items consumed and returning to traditional concepts of sustainability, harmony and frugality.

That is to say that ultimately, the future of Japan will not be determined by how many automobiles are produced, or how much Japan has in foreign reserves, but rather by inspiring ideas and dreams that transform us and our society.

Japanese civic life has been so flattened out from staring at smartphones, and youth are so demoralized by a test-taking educational system that has been stripped of all intellectual and ethical content that the Japanese have trouble imagining anything else than the harsh reality they see outside.

At the same time, the people of Japanese are crying out for a spiritual and cultural transformation of their country so that it can restore traditional values and leave behind this banal structure founded on consumption and exploitation.

Embracing the vision of a free and unified Korea will create an intellectual space for discussion wherein concepts for a new nation can be developed and the fundamentals of governance and society can be discussed in a serious manner.

That shift in itself will have an immediate impact on Japan itself even if the topic is Korea.

The discussion about the future of Korea will entail significant discussions with the citizens of China, Russia and the United States about what Korea can become, and what each of those nations ― all of which face the same contradictions ― can become. The resulting formulation of a new security structure for Northeast Asia can focus more on emerging threats like the degradation of the environment and the creation of a public space for accurate information on the internet, topics that will draw in a broad range of citizens.

There is no such discussion going on now ― although there should be. After all, Japan finds itself under tremendous pressure to transform its economy through an increase in military spending, and yet there is no space left to discuss the implications of this shift.

A dialog about a possible peace regime in Northeast Asia built around a unified Korea could offer a tangible alternative for the people of Japan.

Moreover, the geopolitical transformation of Northeast Asia resulting from the unification of the Korean Peninsula goes much further than investment in business opportunities.

There has not been a unified Korea that had close interaction with China and Japan since the 17th century, the Ming Dynasty. The current trade ties between Japan, South Korea and China are not paralleled by cultural and intellectual exchanges.

After the collapse of the civilizational order in Asia resulting from the fall of the Ming Dynasty in 1644, interactions with China were controlled by the Manchurians. Many Koreans and Japanese never fully recognized the Manchurian Qing Empire as legitimate.

That gap in cultural relations between the nations remains to the present day.

A discussion that includes Japan about creating a new nation for Korea, including discussions about a constitution for a unified Korea that draws on the best of East and West, could serve as a tremendous stimulation and inspiration for the Japanese to reimagine what Japan can be as well.

After all, if Koreans start to draft a constitution and to imagine a Korean Peninsula that draws on the best of its civilization, from ancient times, that could be an incentive for the Japanese to undertake their own fundamental reevaluation of what Japan is, and where it is going.

The Japanese constitution, for example, is essentially a Japanese translation of an English constitution written up hurriedly during the occupation, and it is not founded on the best of Japan's intellectual traditions and does not include concepts about good governance taken from Japanese political philosophy. The concept of a peace constitution is a good one, especially today, but that peace constitution needs to be grounded in Japan's own tradition of peace ― going back to the Heian period.

A dialog in Japan on Korean unification can open up a serious discussion about Japan's position in the peace regime in East Asia and also of Japan's own approach to governance, reinvigorating political and cultural engagement and asking fundamental questions about what is a good society and how can it be established.

The debate on a free and unified Korea will inevitably lead to an inspired reevaluation of the best of Japan's own traditions.

Emanuel Pastreich is president of Asia Society, researcher at Council on East Asian Studies, Yale University and senior fellow at Global Peace Foundation. The views expressed in the above article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.

The Korea Times · July 20, 2023

5.  S. Korea removes state burial record of Gen. Paik as pro-Japanese figure

General Paik is a hero who did so much for Korea. That must be his legacy.

(LEAD) S. Korea removes state burial record of Gen. Paik as pro-Japanese figure | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · July 24, 2023

(ATTN: UPDATES with independence group's response in last 2 paras)

SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's veterans ministry said Monday it has deleted a state burial record describing Korean War hero Gen. Paik Sun-yup as a pro-Japanese figure, saying that such an expression was written with no legal grounds.

The ministry said it has decided to remove a phrase identifying Paik as a person who engaged in pro-Japanese and anti-national activities in the late general's online burial record on the Daejeon National Cemetery's website, a term that strikes a sour note due to Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

The description had been in place since his burial in 2020 at the cemetery in Daejeon, 139 kilometers south of Seoul, as a presidential committee put him on a list of pro-Japanese figures in 2009, citing his military service for Manchukuo, a puppet state for Imperial Japan, during Tokyo's colonial rule.

Paik served in the pro-Japan Gando Special Force under the Manchukuo Imperial Army from 1943 to 1945, which was tasked with suppressing anti-Japanese forces. When he was alive, Paik denied that he actually fought against Korean independence forces.

The ministry said there was no legal basis to include the description unrelated to his merits as a war hero, which had qualified him to be laid to rest at the cemetery.

This file photo, taken July 5, 2023, shows a statue of the late Gen. Paik Sun-yup being unveiled at a ceremony in the southern county of Chilgok, 215 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)

In February, Paik's family members submitted a petition to the ministry, calling the description defamation against the deceased and requesting its removal.

Veterans Minister Park Min-shik called Paik the "greatest hero," who made contributions for the country to overcome the 1950-53 Korean War, and vowed to prevent such incidents without legal basis from happening again.

The late general, who died on July 10, 2020, at the age of 99, was credited with leading key battles during the conflict and served as the fourth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after the war.

Meanwhile, a state-funded association of independence fighters and their descendants called for the reinstatement of the record, saying that such a removal should be made with a consensus from the public.

"The ministry's unilateral removal of the (record) without legal and procedural discussions and a public consensus is a hasty decision that could incite discord among the people," the Heritage of Korean Independence said in a statement.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · July 24, 2023

6. Top US military commander's remarks on war on Korean Peninsula inappropriate: experts

Some professors will look for anything to criticize. But why do you think the motto for the ROK/US Combined Forces Command is "ready to fight tonight." Since no one can truly predict Kim Jogng Un's decision making or his ability to miscalculate, the Chairman's remarks are appropriate. Does the professor think that saying nothing or making some appeasing remarks would cause Kim to reduce tensions? These professors and pundits need to conduct a realistic assessment of the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime before making such uninformed criticism.

Excerpts:

Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, called Milley's remarks "inappropriate."

"Such remarks, coming from the chairman of the U.S. JCS, not only create concerns among the South Korean public but also give an impression that the U.S. is being swayed by North Korea's strategy of creating tensions on the Korean Peninsula through continuous military provocations," he said. "They certainly do not help in easing the tensions."

The criticism came after the top U.S. military commander spoke about the security situation on the peninsula during an interview with Japanese daily Nikkei published on Saturday.

"I think that the Korean situation is an area that the United States could ― I'm not saying it will, but 'could' ― find itself in a state of war, you know, within a few days, with very little notice," the general was quoted as saying.

Top US military commander's remarks on war on Korean Peninsula inappropriate: experts

The Korea Times · July 24, 2023

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrives for a press briefing after participating in a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., July 18. AFP-Yonhap

By Lee Hyo-jin

Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Gen. Mark Milley's recent remarks that the Korean Peninsula could be "in a state of war within a few days" were inappropriate, diplomatic observers said, Monday.

Local experts, who viewed that Milley's intention was probably to highlight Washington's commitment to maintaining peace and security on the peninsula, said that he should have been more prudent in his choice of words.

Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, called Milley's remarks "inappropriate."

"Such remarks, coming from the chairman of the U.S. JCS, not only create concerns among the South Korean public but also give an impression that the U.S. is being swayed by North Korea's strategy of creating tensions on the Korean Peninsula through continuous military provocations," he said. "They certainly do not help in easing the tensions."

The criticism came after the top U.S. military commander spoke about the security situation on the peninsula during an interview with Japanese daily Nikkei published on Saturday.

"I think that the Korean situation is an area that the United States could ― I'm not saying it will, but 'could' ― find itself in a state of war, you know, within a few days, with very little notice," the general was quoted as saying.

Milley described North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as "unpredictable."

He also commented that the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fired by the North Korean regime on July 12 was "a very significant test of an ICBM that could range and hit the U.S. mainland."

It is understandable for the American top general to perceive the current situation on the peninsula as a grave security threat to the Indo-Pacific region, but he may have gone too far, said Park.

"Milley's comments were symbolic, rather than accurate," said Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at the state-run Korea Institute of National Unification.

"If he was referring to a full-scale war, there's a slim chance for such a situation to occur with little notice. The current rising tensions may result in skirmishes, but a full-scale war is unlikely to happen abruptly without any warning signs."

He added, "I think he wanted to highlight the U.S.' commitment to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, and send a message that Seoul, Washington and Tokyo should team up against Pyongyang's nuclear threats."

Cho said Milley's remarks could have been made within the context of rising nuclear tensions on the peninsula in recent months.

South Korean navy sailors welcome the entry of USS Annapolis, a Los Angeles-class fast attack nuclear-powered submarine, to a naval base on Jeju Island, Monday. Courtesy of Navy

On Monday morning, the USS Annapolis, a Los Angeles-class fast attack nuclear-powered submarine, entered a naval base on Jeju Island, just two days after North Korea test-fired cruise missiles.

"The goal of its entry into the port is to replenish military supplies during an operations mission," the Republic of Korea Navy said, adding that the navies of both countries plan to strengthen their combined defense posture and conduct exchange activities.

On Saturday, Pyongyang fired several cruise missiles towards the West Sea, in an apparent protest against the deployment of a major U.S. strategic asset on the peninsula. Saturday's missile launch came a day after the USS Kentucky, an 18,750-ton Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine, departed from South Korea's Busan naval base.

The Korea Times · July 24, 2023

7. Female S. Korean special warfare team wins int'l parachuting contest in Spain

Congratulations. 

Female S. Korean special warfare team wins int'l parachuting contest in Spain | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 24, 2023

SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean team of five female special warfare troops finished first overall at an international military parachuting competition in Spain earlier this week, the Army said Monday.

The team from the Special Warfare Command clinched the nation's first overall win at the International Military Sports Council Parachuting Tournament that took place at an air base in San Javier in the province of Murcia from July 15 through Friday.

The team consisted of four master sergeants -- Lee Ji-sun, Kim Seong-mi, Lee Jin-young and Park Yi-seul -- as well as Sfc. Lee Hyun-ji. It competed against groups representing seven other countries, including Germany, Austria and Turkey, according to the Army.

The members of the team competed in three categories -- a four-way formation, accurate landing and freefall style.

Msg. Lee Jin-young said she focused on repeated training in preparing for the contest.

"I have concentrated on incessant, repeated drills as well as training to ensure teamwork to minimize variables that (we) could face as we get off a plane in the air," Lee was quoted by the Army as saying.

A South Korean team of female special warfare troops engages in an international parachuting competition in Spain in this photo released by the Army on July 24, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 24, 2023

8. U.S. develops regular military exercises among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo

The "new normal" for military readiness and interoperability.

U.S. develops regular military exercises among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo

donga.com

Posted July. 24, 2023 07:48,

Updated July. 24, 2023 07:48

U.S. develops regular military exercises among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo. July. 24, 2023 07:48. weappon@donga.com.

On Friday (local time), the U.S. Department of Defense announced the development of a plan for military exercises involving South Korea, the U.S., and Japan. It means that the three nations are working together to have regular military exercises.

During a discussion with the Brookings Institute, Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security, underscored the shift from ad-hoc measures to a more structured approach in countering North Korea's actions, which is a pivotal innovation to unite and institutionalize trilateral cooperation among the three nations. However, specific details about the training plans were not disclosed during his talk.

Last year, the three nations agreed to regularize their missile defense drills and anti-submarine warfare exercises. Additionally, during the Asian Security Conference (Shangri-La Dialogue) convened in Singapore last month, the defense ministers of the three nations decided to institute an annual joint training plan.

Ratner's comments imply that the planned military drills will occur on a regular basis, similar to the routine South Korea-U.S. joint exercises. Until now, joint training involving South Korea, the U.S., and Japan has mainly taken place in the form of South Korea and Japan participating in South Korea-U.S. or U.S.-Japan exercises, particularly in response to North Korea's significant provocations. It is interpreted as a move to fully institutionalize trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan in the future, akin to the joint training exercises involving the U.S., Japan, and Australia.

한국어

donga.com

9. Pyongyang launches three to four cruise missiles early Saturday morning

Graphics at the link: https://www.donga.com/en/home/article/all/20230724/4309357/1

Pyongyang launches three to four cruise missiles early Saturday morning

donga.com

Posted July. 24, 2023 07:49,

Updated July. 24, 2023 07:49

Pyongyang launches three to four cruise missiles early Saturday morning. July. 24, 2023 07:49. by Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com.

It has been confirmed that North Korea fired several long-range cruise missiles, presumed to be the North Korean version of the Tomahawk, into the Yellow Sea early Saturday morning. This came two days after the regime menacingly argued that the arrival of the Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine USS Kentucky (SSBN-773) in Busan qualifies it to deploy nuclear arms. Military authorities analyzed that it carried out a surprise nuclear provocation unexpectedly in the wee hours just three days after launching two SRBMs, highly assumed to be the North Korean version of the Iskander (KN-23), into the East Sea early on Wednesday morning. South Korea and the United States also keep a close eye on the regime as it has shown signs of holding a large-scale military parade on July 27 that marks the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which has been arbitrarily proclaimed and celebrated as Victory Day in North Korea.

From 4 a.m. on Sunday, several cruise missiles were fired from inland North Korea into the Yellow Sea, announced by the South Korean military on Sunday. Seoul and Washington looked into details of the missiles as captured by satellites and early warning and control systems, concluding that the regime launched three to four Hwasal-1 or Hwasal-2 missiles, known as North Korea's "Tomahawk.” South Korea and Japan are within the range of both missiles. Pyongyang presumably implied that it could anytime perform a nuclear strike on the Korean peninsula and U.S. military bases in Japan, where the Time-Phased Force Deployment Data (TPFDD) is planned, according to the military.

To be specific, the regime fired the KN-23 into the East Sea last Wednesday considering the distance from the Sunan District of Pyongyang to the Busan Naval Base where the Kentucky arrived, which is seen as a supposed threat to deploy tactical nuclear weapons, no matter which missiles are, against U.S. extended deterrence forces.

“Right after North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam said intimidatingly last Thursday that Washington's palpable increase of strategic assets, including the SSBN that arrived in Busan, the regime apparently intended to perform multiple mock nuclear exercises involving cruise missiles to target major facilities in South Korea and U.S. military bases in Japan.

The regime is expected to continue to carry out provocations in response to the strengthening of extended deterrence, including the establishment of USROK NCG and the arrival of the SSBN. The military will watch the situation closely, given that the regime is highly likely to execute further provocations or armed protests to show off its advancements in nuclear arms around this Thursday.

한국어

donga.com

10. U.S. sends message to North — and China — with second sub visit to South

Or it is just a routine logistics port call.

Monday

July 24, 2023

 dictionary + A - A 

Published: 24 Jul. 2023, 18:07

Updated: 24 Jul. 2023, 19:14

U.S. sends message to North — and China — with second sub visit to South

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/07/24/national/defense/Korea-North-Korea-USS-Annapolis/20230724180730993.html

South Korean Navy troops welcome the nuclear-powered USS Annapolis submarine into port at Jeju Island on Monday. [REPUBLIC OF KOREA NAVY]

A nuclear-powered U.S. submarine arrived in South Korea on Monday, marking the second deployment of a U.S. strategic asset in the past week intended to highlight Washington's extended deterrence commitment to Seoul.

The arrival of the Los Angeles-class USS Annapolis at a port on Jeju Island, which the South Korean Navy said was to replenish supplies, came amid intensified saber-rattling by the North and four days after the Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic submarine USS Kentucky departed from the southeastern city of Busan.

In a text message sent to reporters on Monday, the South Korean Navy said the main mission of the USS Annapolis includes anti-ship and anti-submarine operations but did not go into specifics.

“On the occasion of the visit by the USS Annapolis, the navies of South Korea and the United States plan to strengthen their combined defense posture and conduct exchanges to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance,” the armed service said.

Thursday, July 27, marks the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War, which was never formally concluded with a peace treaty. South Korea and the United States signed a mutual defense treaty just over two months later on Oct. 1, 1953.

When asked whether South Korean and U.S. forces will hold combined drills involving the USS Annapolis, Navy Commander Jang Do-young told reporters that allied defense officials have consulted each other on the possibility.

The USS Kentucky was the first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine to make a publicly announced port call to South Korea in over 40 years.

The consecutive submarine visits follow a pledge by Washington to enhance the “regular visibility” of its U.S. strategic assets in the Washington Declaration announced by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden during their summit in April.

While Ohio-class submarines such as the USS Kentucky are armed with ballistic and cruise missiles mounted with nuclear warheads, Los Angeles-class submarines such as the USS Annapolis are equipped with Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles without nuclear weapons.

In an interview with ABC News, U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul said the presence of the USS Annapolis is “a projection of strength that we need right now to deter aggression.” 

McCaul also said that the deployment of U.S. strategic assets to South Korea is also designed to send a warning to Chinese President Xi Jinping as well as North Korea’s leadership against undertaking “aggressive” actions.

“North Korea needs to know that we're there and we have superiority with the submarines and nuclear subs,” he said, adding, “We need to get in their head and Chairman Xi’s head that if they do anything that’s aggressive militarily, there will be consequences to that.”

The arrival of the latest U.S. nuclear-powered submarine came after South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the North fired several cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea on Saturday and two ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday.

In an editorial issued Monday, the mouthpiece of the North’s ruling party said that there will be “no end” to the regime’s efforts to strengthen its military capabilities, despite its moribund economy.

“There can be no end to strengthening military power,” the Rodong Sinmun said, arguing the pursuit of more powerful weapons should continue "at any cost.”

The editorial also claimed that “eternal peace lies atop of self-defense power that can overwhelmingly prevail against any enemy.”

The North has repeatedly pointed to the U.S. military presence in South Korea and joint exercises by Seoul and Washington as proof of the allies’ “hostile” intent and justification for its development of nuclear weapons and missiles.

The editorial appeared to acknowledge that the North had fallen behind its neighbors in economic development, but also attributed anemic growth to the regime’s priority on deterring “nuclear war.”

“Had our nation and people concentrated on economic development like others, a nuclear war that would have brought about a bigger catastrophe compared with all the wars in history would have broken out dozens of times and today’s civilized world would not have existed,” the editorial said.

Last month, the Stimson Center’s 38 North think tank issued a report that found current food price levels “remain far higher than normal,” suggesting the North “is experiencing a significant food shortage.”

Despite the shortages, the North’s state media has exhorted its people to “tighten their belts” and rejected foreign aid as “poisoned candy” and “a bait used to curb and subjugate other countries’ economic development and undermine their economic prestige and interests.”

The Korean Institute for Defense Analyses issued a report in December that estimated that North Korea could have covered its food shortages if it had used the money spent on missile launches on foodstuffs and fertilizer instead.

Although South Korean President Yoon in August laid out what he called “an audacious initiative” offering Pyongyang large-scale food and development aid if it gave up its weapons, the offer was quickly scorned by Kim Yo-jong, the sister of regime leader Kim Jong-un.

“No one barters their destiny for corn cake,” Kim said in a statement in which she also called the South Korean plan the “height of absurdity.”

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]

11. The truth behind suspicious overseas parcels must be swiftly uncovered

The truth behind suspicious overseas parcels must be swiftly uncovered

donga.com

Posted July. 24, 2023 07:47,

Updated July. 24, 2023 07:47

The truth behind suspicious overseas parcels must be swiftly uncovered. July. 24, 2023 07:47. .

Suspicious international shipping parcels of unknown origin are being randomly distributed across the country. In Ulsan, it came to light that individuals who opened these unidentified overseas packages were subsequently taken to the hospital due to symptoms such as dizziness, shortness of breath, and numbness in their hands and feet. This has led to speculations that the parcels might contain harmful gaseous substances. The police received reports of over 3,500 such suspicious mails over the past three days.

Most postal mails were addressed in Taipei, Taiwan, while some were discovered in Malaysia and Uzbekistan. Based on information provided by the Taiwanese authorities, these mails originated from Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, and entered Korea through Taiwan. This suggests that someone might have deliberately manipulated the envelopes to appear as if they were sent from Taiwan, rather than China, with Taiwan listed as the sender. In response, Taiwan's delegation to Korea and the deputy prime minister-level executive vice president of the Executive Council expressed their commitment to thoroughly investigate the matter until the truth is fully uncovered. This likely takes into account the potential diplomatic implications that this incident could have.

Most of the reported mails consisted of small products, such as lip balm, while some parcels were completely empty. This has raised the possibility that the incident could be a ‘brushing scam.’ In this scam, online shopping platforms send unordered items to anonymous recipients to manipulate their performance metrics and ratings. Interestingly, reports indicate that the addresses of certain Taiwanese mail items matched those previously identified in Canada and elsewhere during the ‘brushing scam’ incidents in 2020. However, upon analysis, no chemical, biological, or radioactive substances were detected in the white dough or powder found within the Ulsan package.

The significant volume of suspicious international mails currently circulating is understandably causing public anxiety. Even a package containing hazardous chemicals or explosives could have severe consequences. A poignant example is the situation in the U.S. following the 9/11 attacks when anthrax-laden postal mail led to the infection of about 20 people and the tragic loss of 5 lives. Such biochemical terrorism using mail may recur at any time. Someone may take advantage of the loosened awareness because of the recurrence of the ‘brushing scam’ and use it for actual chemical terrorism.

The government must work closely with the relevant countries to thoroughly ascertain the sender of these mails, the method of their entry into South Korea, and their intended purpose. This is a critical moment where finger-pointing between the ruling and opposition parties over the purported weakening of the National Intelligence Service's anti-aircraft investigation capability or the government's response should be set aside. Instead, efforts should be focused on fortifying the customs clearance inspection system for overseas postal items. With the surge in international parcels due to the rise in overseas direct purchases, it is essential to prevent them from becoming a medium that jeopardizes the safety of the people.

한국어

donga.com

12. China, Russia conclude drills as US, South Korea, Japan deepen security ties

Like it or not, this is how things are lining up in Northeast Asia.

China, Russia conclude drills as US, South Korea, Japan deepen security ties

Reuters · by Reuters

BEIJING, July 24 (Reuters) - China and Russia on Sunday wrapped up an air and naval exercise in the Sea of Japan aimed at "safeguarding" the security of waterways, the Chinese defence ministry said.

The show of solidarity between the militaries comes at a time when the United States is beefing up ties with Japan and South Korea and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is looking to deepen its presence in the region, to the anger of China and Russia.

More than 10 warships and over 30 warplanes from both sides took part in the four-day "Northern/Interaction-2023" exercise as Chinese and Russian navies and air forces jointly planned and commanded naval and aerial escorts, deterrence and repelling exercises.

Chinese director of the drills Qiu Wensheng described the exercise as "a major move" in safeguarding the security of strategic waterways, while Rear Admiral Calery Kazkov of Russia, deputy director of the drill, said it had strengthened the ability of both sides to handle military threats, according to the Chinese statement.

The exercise is the latest of gesture of enhanced military cooperation between China and Russia that has seen more frequent top military official interactions, as well as more military drills between the two.

It comes at a time of heightened military and security activity between the U.S. and its major Asian allies.

Last month, the White House said National security advisers for the United States, Japan and South Korea discussed maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait and coordination over the East China and South China Seas.

Earlier this month, Japan and NATO agreed on new partnership programme, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg expressing concern about China's military buildup. China on Monday warned Japan of NATO's expansion into the Asia-Pacific.

Against that backdrop are escalating tensions with North Korea, a longtime ally of China.

On Thursday, Pyongyang said deployment of U.S. aircraft carriers, bombers or missile submarines in South Korea could meet criteria for its use of nuclear weapons.

For the first time since the 1980s, a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) visited South Korea last week.

Reporting by Albee Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Reuters · by Reuters

13.  Even after Korean War, allies pay a heavy price to protect DMZ

We must not forget what the Kim family regime has done over 7 decades. Just a few examples here.

Monday

July 24, 2023

 dictionary + A - A 

Published: 24 Jul. 2023, 18:08

Updated: 24 Jul. 2023, 18:12

Even after Korean War, allies pay a heavy price to protect DMZ

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/07/24/national/defense/korea-korean-war-DMZ/20230724180831130.html

South Korean soldiers stand guard near the military demarcation line in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Thousands of South Korean and U.S. soldiers have given their lives to protect the demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas in the 70 years since the "end" of the Korean War (1950-1953).

According to the Defense Ministry, 4,360 soldiers have been killed in military operations to defend South Korea against North Korean attacks since the Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953.

Of these, 4,268 soldiers were from South Korea and 92 were from the United States.

The Armistice Agreement brought the Korean War's hostilities to a halt — mostly. However, with no formal end of the war declared, the two sides technically remain at war. 

On Nov. 20, 1974, a South Korean soldier and a U.S. officer died in the DMZ in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi. 

U.S. Navy officer Commander Robert M. Ballinger and late South Korean Marine Lt. Kim Hak-cheol were killed by a booby trap set in a tunnel the North Koreans had dug below the military demarcation line, or MDL.

U.S. Navy officer Commander Robert M. Ballinger

North Korean troops even opened fire on South Korean and U.S. personnel as they began investigating the site of the tunnel after spotting steam rising from the ground.

The tunnel was about 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) wide, 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) high, 45 meters deep and 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) long. It was one of several tunnels the North Koreans had dug under the MDL so that soldiers could infiltrate the South.

Six other South Korean and U.S. troops were severely injured in the incident.

Ballinger was deployed in South Korea a year earlier in 1973, attached to the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission.

He had earned a Silver Star in 1964 for defeating a Viet Cong ambush as an advisor to the Vietnamese 21st River Assault Group, operating an 81-mm mortar himself.

Of the 4,268 South Korean military personnel who have given their lives to protect South Korea from the North's hostile actions since the Armistice Agreement, 4,128 were from the Army, 58 from the Navy, 16 from the Air Force and 66 from the Marine Corps.

Seventy-five of the 92 U.S. soldiers who died in North Korean attacks lost their lives between 1967 and 1969, when North Korea intensified its aggression against South Korea while the United States was bogged down in Vietnam.

Brig. Gen. Lee Ik-soo of the Korean Army

Brig. Gen. Lee Ik-soo of the Korean Army was shot and killed by North Korean guerrillas on Jan. 21, 1968, during a failed attempt to assassinate South Korean President Park Chung Hee.

Lee was a hero who fought against Japan as part of the Korean Liberation Army. He twice received a Hwarang medal, the fourth class of the country’s four-degree Order of Military Merit, for his service during the Korean War, a Chungmu medal and even a Silver Star from the United States.

The Chungmu medal is the third class of the Order of Military Merit.

Soldiers continued to sacrifice their lives defending South Korea from North Korean aggression in the present century, too. 

Six military personnel died in the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong in 2002, while 46 sailors lost their lives in the sinking of the warship ROKS Cheonan and two died in the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in 2010.

Staff Sergeant Seo Jeong-woo [SOUTH KOREAN MARINE CORPS]

Staff Sergeant Seo Jeong-woo lost his life when North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23, 2010.

He was just one month away from his discharge. 

Senior Chief Petty Officer Min Pyeong-gi

Senior Chief Petty Officer Min Pyeong-gi was killed in the sinking of the ROK Cheonan on March 26, 2010.

He began serving in the Navy while still at university, consoling his mother by telling her he could "study and serve at the same time."

Despite these continuous sacrifices, military personnel continue to protect the 155-mile DMZ to this day.

“The ceasefire line divides capitalism and communism,” said Park Myung-lim, a political science professor at Yonsei University.

“Maintaining the ceasefire line has been of great significance internationally, having prevented a second Korean War while simultaneously securing security in East Asia over the past 70 years.”

BY LEE CHUL-JAE, CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]

14. Wake up: Pushing de-nuking on N.Korea is a dream with a nightmare ending - Responsible Statecraft

This article and others like it are based on some critical assumptions, namely that Kim Jong Un is willing to negotiate in good faith and that he is willing to at least limit the development of his nuclear weapons.

This does not match the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime. recommending policies that do not acknowledge the true nature of the regime is the real folly and fantasy.

The policy and strategy we should be recommending is a human rights upfront approach, a comprehensive information campaign, and the pursuit of a free and unified Korea based on a rock solid founation of deterrence and defense.

Wake up: Pushing de-nuking on N.Korea is a dream with a nightmare ending - Responsible Statecraft

responsiblestatecraft.org · by Doug Bandow · July 22, 2023

Wake up: Pushing de-nuking on N.Korea is a dream with a nightmare ending

Talks must begin with the leverage of sanctions. Everything else is not only folly; it’s fantasy.

July 22, 2023

Written by

Doug Bandow

Wake up: Pushing de-nuking on N.Korea is a dream with a nightmare ending

This article is part of our weeklong series commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War armistice, July 27, 1953.

In July 1953 the war after World War II, often labeled “the forgotten war,” came to an end. Hundreds of thousands had died. Millions had been displaced. The Korean peninsula had been wrecked. The guns finally fell silent.

Although the fighting ended, hostilities did not. The parties agreed to an armistice, but never inked a peace treaty. Today real peace seems as far away as ever. North Korea has ostentatiously rejected talks with the U.S. and Republic of Korea. At the same time, Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un is speeding up work on both his nuclear and missile programs, with the goal of targeting the American homeland.

Although nothing suggests that he is suicidal, preparing to go out in a blaze of glory atop a radioactive funeral pyre in Pyongyang, adding the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the short list of countries able to set American cities aflame would tie U.S. survival to the state of inter-Korean relations. China’s relations with Taiwan look stable in comparison.

America’s Korean commentariat leans hawkish. Few policymakers trust the DPRK to do anything other than commit mischief and contemplate mayhem. Thus, there is a broad assumption that Kim is unlikely to agree to anything — and, more important, fulfill any agreement — that falls short of conquest of the South.

That could be true, of course, but despite Kim’s physical resemblance to his grandfather, they differ greatly in the people they ruled and the way they ruled. Kim’s time in Switzerland evidently did not turn him into a liberal but appeared to whet his interest in economic reform. While exhibiting no interest in abandoning his nation’s nuclear program — after Iraq and Libya, what sane foreign dictator on Washington’s naughty list would? — he has shown a knack for diplomacy and appears to recognize reality.

No doubt, he would like to swallow the ROK. However, nothing suggests that he believes that is possible. Which is one reason he is not interested in striking a deal that leaves him vulnerable to U.S. attack. But that does not mean he is opposed to making any agreement, so long as North Korea remains a nuclear power. His proffer in Hanoi — to close the Yongbyon nuclear facilities in return for substantial sanctions relief — might have been unacceptable, but so are most initial prices in the bazaar. Negotiations could have yielded something, however limited, that was worthwhile. And the U.S. will not know what Kim is prepared to do unless it presses him.

Which Washington should do now. True, the Biden administration has done almost everything but beg to draw the North into negotiations. However, Kim realizes that Washington is offering nothing new. The U.S. insists on a promise to denuclearize, which will not be forthcoming. Only South Africa, in unique circumstances, dismantled a small number of existing nuclear weapons. The likelihood of the DPRK following suit is infinitesimal.

Rather than prevent negotiations from beginning, the U.S. should pursue more limited arms control accords. Washington need not abandon the hope — or perhaps fantasy — of Pyongyang doing a nuclear full monty. Rather, the U.S. should not demand the North’s assent, which would not be forthcoming. Successful arms control would be consistent with denuclearization, and if circumstances changed Washington could revive that objective.

Unfortunately, the question remains: how to get Kim to start talking, even about arms control? He would have to believe that the U.S. had changed its position, which might require more than a State Department press release. Moreover, since the failed Hanoi summit his government has strengthened its negotiating position.

Pyongyang launched some 100 missiles last year. It presumably is moving closer to developing not only ICBMs, but also MIRVs, multiple warheads for those intercontinental missiles. The regime’s goals have expanded in tandem: “the development of the new-type ICBM Hwasongpho-18 will extensively reform the strategic deterrence components of the DPRK, radically promote the effectiveness of its nuclear counterattack posture and bring about a change in the practicality of its offensive military strategy.”

Kim is unlikely to sacrifice these plans for the Biden administration’s mess of policy pottage.

U.S. officials should communicate that they are interested in discussing ideas to reduce tensions. This should include consideration of measures to increase personal and official contacts between the two nations and reduce sanctions on commercial dealings.

Washington could offer to suspend some economic restrictions if serious talks got underway. Any up-front benefits should be reversible, to encourage Pyongyang to keep its promises. The initial objective should be to limit the size and reach of the North’s missiles and nukes. With warnings that the Kim regime is on track to accumulate as many as 240 nuclear weapons in the next few years, a verifiable freeze would be worth serious compensation.

Nevertheless, in Washington opposition to engagement is strong. Some hawks see diplomacy as surrender, a foolish position. It is more important to talk with one’s adversaries than one’s allies. A misunderstanding between Washington and Seoul is not likely to lead to war. If the U.S. and DPRK continue on their present path, the potential for serious conflict will only grow.

Critics of negotiation insist that the North would cheat on any agreement it might make. If so, then why bother promoting denuclearization? Pyongyang is most likely to cheat on a pact that would leave its security entirely in America’s hands. Enforcement is required for any arrangement. If that is impossible, the U.S. should give up on denuclearization.

Others warn of undermining international nonproliferation efforts, fueling South Korean support for building nuclear weapons, and harming U.S. relations with Seoul and Tokyo. However, the problem is North Korea’s status as a nuclear power, with an arsenal that could soon place it firmly among the second-rank nuclear powers. Recognition of this reality would change nothing. Nonproliferation has failed and neither the ROK nor Japan has a better response.

The Biden administration’s approach has been to embrace the South ever more firmly, which means promising that Washington really would sacrifice U.S. cities to save Seoul. Indeed, the recent summit seemed to discuss little else, with Washington concocting all sorts of committees and meetings to convince the Yoon government that it now has an important role in determining when the US might use nukes, which it doesn’t.

This is manifestly bad policy for America and South Korea. The former is risking nuclear attack on the homeland. The second is betting that a U.S. president would sacrifice millions of American lives to retaliate against the North for an attack on the South. Far better for both to pursue a policy designed to reduce the likelihood of such a contingency, starting with limiting Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal.

Seven decades have passed since the guns in Korea fell silent. President Donald Trump briefly broke through the hostile status quo on the Korean peninsula. Unfortunately, that effort failed, and now the North is threatening to greatly expand its nuclear reach. Unless the Biden administration tries something different, the future is only going to become more dangerous.

Written by

Doug Bandow

15. Bureau 39-run mines fail to achieve targets for first half of the year

Are these indicators of potential resistance or just actions for survival? What comes next?

Is the regime/party losing central governing effectiveness throughout the north? And of course the regime will find a scapegoat because the regime/party cannot be at fault.

Excerpts:

According to the source, worker absenteeism has grown more pronounced since the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because workers — who no longer receive rations or wages — are finding ways to put bread on the table themselves instead of showing up to work.

North Korean authorities are cracking down on “workplace deserters,” but faced with hardship, locals are refusing to return to work. Instead, they are earning a living — barely — as they wander about.

The authorities are also taking issue with party officials who are discouraging workers through inappropriate words and actions, despite their remit to provide workforce leadership and prevent falls in production, the source said.

Bureau 39-run mines fail to achieve targets for first half of the year

The authorities are now conducting a sweeping inspection of Bureau 39-affiliated organizations following a series of incidents that hurt production

By Mun Dong Hui - 2023.07.24 10:00am

dailynk.com

A photograph of operations at the Kumya Youth Coal Mine. (Yonhap News)

Mines affiliated with Bureau 39 have failed to achieve their targets for the first half of the year because of worker desertion and poor discipline, Daily NK has learned.

“Unsan Mine [gold] and other mines affiliated with Bureau 39 failed to meet their production quotas for the first half of the year,” a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “Absenteeism has climbed, and even the workers who show up don’t work hard, so the mines ran into trouble carrying out their plans.”

Bureau 39 is the office tasked with managing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s slush funds.

According to the source, worker absenteeism has grown more pronounced since the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because workers — who no longer receive rations or wages — are finding ways to put bread on the table themselves instead of showing up to work.

North Korean authorities are cracking down on “workplace deserters,” but faced with hardship, locals are refusing to return to work. Instead, they are earning a living — barely — as they wander about.

The authorities are also taking issue with party officials who are discouraging workers through inappropriate words and actions, despite their remit to provide workforce leadership and prevent falls in production, the source said.

“[The Workers’ Party] took issue with a party cadre at Unsan Mine who, while recently criticizing workers for not showing up to work or for not working hard, said something along the lines of, ‘Only if workers show up and dig out a lot of gold can the Supreme Leader’s moneybags grow.’ He was criticized for saying something inappropriate for a party cadre and unbecoming of a party official.

“[The party] said even if problems are arising in securing the party’s vital funds, it was a serious problem for him to talk so lightly. It is now considering whether to sack the cadre.”

In short, the authorities took issue with how a cadre hurt workforce solidarity with his inappropriate comments and behavior – even hindering the achievement of production targets.

The authorities are now conducting a sweeping inspection of Bureau 39-affiliated organizations following these relevations, the source 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

16. Why some S. Korean children refuse to ditch masks

Why some S. Korean children refuse to ditch masks

koreaherald.com · by Lee Jung-joo · July 24, 2023

Despite masks no longer being required for about six months, some young Koreans have refused to give them up, not only to stay healthy and protect themselves from potential viruses, but for personal reasons as well.

Min Kyeong-chae, a 13-year-old student, told The Korea Herald that she feels reluctant to take her mask off because of her insecurities.

“My face breaks out very easily, which is something that I feel the most insecure about,” said Min. “I think I look prettier with my mask on because it hides all my insecurities. I don’t want my friends to think that I’m a magikkun.”

"Magikkun" -- a portmanteau from the English word “mask” and the Korean word “sagikkun,” which means fraud -- is a new word that emerged during the pandemic. Young people have teased their friends that the faces behind the masks may not be as pretty as one might expect.

According to professor Kwak Keum-joo of Seoul National University's department of psychology, people have a tendency to imagine that something looks better than it actually does when it is covered. "Since children can cover up their insecurities, they feel more comfortable with themselves when wearing their masks. But this is also the reason why many students say they feel naked when they're not wearing their masks," the professor said.

For children who started going to school with masks due to the pandemic, it is harder and more awkward for them to go without now.

"In my class, which holds around 23 students, around nine students show up regularly wearing their masks," said Yoo, a second-grade elementary school teacher who wished to only be identified by her surname.

“My second-grade daughter’s teacher told me that my daughter cried in front of her class because she had trouble taking her mask off before her presentation,” read a post written on an online community for moms. “My daughter lacks confidence and is very shy. She told me that she’s scared to take her mask off because she’s scared her classmates would judge her.”

Professor Lim Myung-ho of Dankook University’s department of psychology and psychotherapy says children are more prone to being confused about their identity, and lack self-confidence because of it.

"This is why it's important for parents to communicate more with their children having trouble taking off their masks," said Lim. "Give them time to be able to take their masks off on their own and help them gain more self-confidence about their looks. Seeking professional help is also an option if none of these methods work."

By Lee Jung-joo (lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com)

koreaherald.com · by Lee Jung-joo · July 24, 2023

​17. Hyesan Customs House fails inspection by central government

The regime seems to remain deathly afraid of COVID. But the failure to resume full trade operations is also significantly affecting the welfare of Koreans living in the north. I think the regime would rather keep the people oppressed to prevent resistance. Such is the COVID paradox - defense against COVID but exploit it to further oppress the people through draconian populations and resources control measures.

Hyesan Customs House fails inspection by central government

Traders are growing more and more unhappy with the delay in Hyesan Customs House’s reopening, a source told Daily NK

By Lee Chae Un - 2023.07.24 5:00pm

dailynk.com

A panorama of Hyesan taken in 2013. (Wikimedia Commons)

The opening of Hyesan Customs House has been delayed after the facility failed a recent inspection by the central government, Daily NK has learned.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK last Thursday that the central government recently carried out an inspection of the customs house.

Inspectors from Pyongyang carried out a thorough inspection of the custom house’s preparations for the full opening of trade, including the conditions of its quarantine facilities. However, the customs house failed the inspection, with the facility’s officials being reprimanded in the process.

“The officials from Pyongyang slammed the work attitude of the custom house’s staff, saying it was nonsense to open up the place when it didn’t have even a single proper quarantine facility,” the source said.

With the central government inspection deeming Hyesan Custom House’s quarantine facilities substandard, the opening of the customs house — originally set for the week of July 17 — has been delayed, he added.

Daily NK reported recently that trading companies in Yanggang Province were busy preparing for trade after the central government issued an order to open Hyesan Customs House from mid-July and fully resume trade.

Traders are growing more and more unhappy with the delay in Hyesan Customs House’s reopening, the source said.

“With the reopening being delayed, traders who were waiting under the belief that the customs house would reopen this past week are complaining that [the authorities] will keep inspecting the place forever.

“The customs house will likely open next week [the week starting on July 24] after the problems noted by the central government inspection are eliminated, but we must wait and see because [the opening] requires approval from the central government.”

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

18. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Regime demands provincial party cadres to write self-criticisms regarding failure to social chaos, including starvation deaths

Blame. Scapegoats. Everyone is to blame except Kim Jong Un and his deliberate policy decisions that are the actual cause of the suffering.

Sometimes the regime gives us easily exploitable themes and messages for an information campaign.

＜Inside N. Korea＞ Regime demands provincial party cadres to write self-criticisms regarding failure to social chaos, including starvation deaths

asiapress.org

People mobilized to build a levy on the Yalu River. The lack of equipment and fuel means that the construction is done almost entirely through manual labor. This kind of unpaid labor makes life even more difficult for ordinary people. Taken by ASIAPRESS in July 2021 in on the Chinese side of the border facing North Pyongan Province.

In late June, amid the emergence of starvation and other major economic issues in the country’s provincial cities, the Workers’ Party headquarters in Pyongyang ordered all party cadres in North Hamgyung Province to conduct self-criticisms. This development came amid the Kim Jong-un regime’s failure to implement effective policies to combat the deepening of poverty in the country, which has led to the spread of distrust and discontent toward Workers’ Party policies. (KANG Ji-won)

◆ State-run media remains silent

“On June 17, all party cadres were ordered by the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party to write self-criticisms. The self-criticisms were to be two pages long and focused on whether the cadres had properly conducted their duties to manage the chaos afflicting people’s lives, and what measures they would take going forward to manage these problems.”

This report was given by “B,” a reporting partner who lives in a city in North Hamgyung Province. “B” received news of the order from a cadre he knows who works in the city’s party committee.

The Eighth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party was held on June 17. State-run media, including the Rodong Sinmun, never made mention of cases of starvation or that a discussion had been made about chaos in people’s lives. KCNA, however, included the following sentence in a report published on June 19:

The report stated that, in the economic activities conducted during the first-half of the year, strict discipline failed to be established in the process of unconditionally fulfilling the people’s economic plan, and that a series of negative effects that had led to the failure of substantial progress in efforts to establish an independent basis for the economy were analyzed in a serious manner.

◆ Sitting around without any measures to deal with the problem

According to the cadre “B” spoke to, the Central Committee in Pyongyang claimed that cadres in provincial party organizations had failed to do their work properly, simply sitting around keeping their seats warm while failing to even attempt to solve the problems faced by the people in their lives, and that their laziness in trying to identify solutions had led to various social issues. The Central Committee criticized these cadres, ordering them to properly fulfill their roles.

Even high-level cadres were subject to the Central Committee’s criticism. “B” said that the highest-level official in the provincial party committee, the committee secretary, along with leading officials in municipal and county-level party committees, were ordered to write self-criticisms. These officials were also ordered to identify measures that could alleviate the terrible situation. “B” told ASIAPRESS that:

“There seems to be a lot of discontent in the party organization about the order to write self-criticisms. The only way to quickly solve the chaos is to distribute food, but there’s no food available to release to the public. I’ve heard that cadres have discussed transporting potatoes recently harvested in the southern region of the country. There’s an order telling cadres to focus on helping people survive until August 15, when the corn ripens; however, there’s no specific measures from the leadership, and no guarantee that food will come to the city. Since April, the regime has promoted the fact that food would enter from China and Russia, but that food is nowhere to be found.”

As of July 19, ASIAPRESS was unable to confirm whether all party cadres outside of North Hamgyung Province were ordered to write self-criticisms.

※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.

asiapress.org19.

19. As China, Russia drill, North Korea left on the sidelines

Interesting assessment. Should not be surprising. Kim Jong Un is not someone with whom anyone can effectively deal, not even China and Russia.

Of course its air and maritime military capabilities probably offer nothing to China and Russia. And the regime also might not want to show off their actual weaknesses and inferiority.

This should be something else we should be exploiting in an information campaign. even its "natural" and historical allies and friends do not want to touch the regime with a ten foot pole.

As China, Russia drill, North Korea left on the sidelines

As blocs compete in Indo-Pacific, Pyongyang shut out by Beijing, Moscow

washingtontimes.com · by Andrew Salmon

By - The Washington Times - Friday, July 21, 2023

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean forces remain at the base while Chinese and Russian warships conduct joint drills in what appears to be a counter to tightening cooperation between the United States and its Indo-Pacific allies.

The paradigm is puzzling, particularly given the value Pyongyang could contribute to a coalition of anti-U.S. powers in the region.

The isolated state commands a strategic location in Northeast Asia and deploys a constant stream of harsh rhetoric toward the United States and its allies. It fields weapons of mass destruction and a 1 million-strong military.

Yet it has joined none of the land, air and naval drills that China and Russia have conducted in recent years on the Eurasian landmass or in the Sea of Japan or the South China Sea.

North Korea’s odd-man-out status looks even more unlikely when viewed historically. Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang were aligned against U.S.-led forces during the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in a truce 70 years ago.

While North Korea stays on the sidelines, 2023 is proving a golden year for U.S.-led initiatives to rally allies in the region against the increasingly assertive China and Russia.

Enabled by conservative administrations in Manila, Seoul and Tokyo and galvanized by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Washington is overseeing a tightening web of alliances and strategic basing structures from northern Australia and western South Korea to Japan’s Ryukyu chain and the Philippines’ northern region of Luzon.

Last week, a U.S. nuclear-capable submarine docked in South Korea — the first such port call in decades. The two allies also held the inaugural meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group, which they created after a bilateral summit in Washington in April.

Given this, the ever-bristling, risk-tolerant Pyongyang might appear to be a perfect regional partner for an anti-U.S. alliance, but experts say China and Russia keep North Korea at arm’s length for diplomatic, military and even reputational reasons.

“The North Koreans don’t have the capability [to join the drills]. That is the practical reason,” said Go Myong-hyun, a North Korean watcher at Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies. “The other reason is that North Korea is toxic. If China or Russia develop the perception that they have influence over it, they would be held responsible for its behavior.”

North Korea, traditionally jealous of its strategic autonomy, has reasons for standing alone.

Undeclared alliance, missing partner

Beijing and Moscow have no formal alliance but say their partnership has no limits. Although most of Moscow’s forces are mired in Ukraine, that partnership is visible in the Indo-Pacific. Troops in Russia’s Far East, notably those based in Vladivostok, drill with Chinese counterparts.

Chinese and Russian vessels are conducting “Northern Interaction 2023” this month in the East Sea/Sea of Japan. Three Russian destroyers and a corvette are exercising with two Chinese destroyers, two frigates and a supply ship.

Drills have included the massive-scale “Vostok 18” land exercises in 2018, which Chinese army units joined, and regular joint warplane flights over waters separating South Korea and Japan.

Despite its hostility toward Washington, North Korea participated in none of the exercises despite some seeming overtures on both sides.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, China and Russia have extended diplomatic assistance to North Korea by blocking U.S.-led efforts to add international sanctions on the regime for its missile testing program.

The Biden administration has accused North Korea of supplying ammunition to Russia to help in the Ukraine operation, but Pyongyang denies the allegations.

Russian media personalities’ statements that North Korea could send labor or even combat troops to the war zone have not been borne out.

Odd man out

Given the need for allies, it would seem North Korea would be a useful — if eccentric — partner for an anti-Western coalition. One reason an alliance has not been formed is diplomatic. Even authoritarian states such as China and Russia are leery of dealing with brutal and mercurial North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

“Open military cooperation with a rogue state would have a bad impact on the reputation of both China and Russia as North Korea is an open challenge to the U.N.-designated world system,” said Andrei Lankov, a Russian expert on North Korea who teaches at Seoul’s Kookmin University.

China, he said, “positions itself as a protector of multilateralism against U.S. hegemony, while Russia understands that its seat on the U.N. Security Council is one of its most important foreign policy assets and doesn’t want to change it.”

Another reason relates to national prejudices.

“There is a tradition of despising North Korea in China, and especially in Russia,” Mr. Lankov said. “You are not going to please [Russian President Vladimir] Putin by comparing him to Kim. For generations of Russians, North Korea was seen as a bizarre, comical and highly unpleasant dictatorship.”

Mr. Lankov suggested that Russians’ traditional views of North Korea are similar to Americans’ views of Latin American dictatorships in the decades after World War II.

The relationship between Seoul and Washington has had ups and downs, but the South Korean public is grateful for U.S. support during the Korean War. That is visible in the excellent treatment of visiting veterans and the public support for Seoul’s alliance with Washington despite several bilateral irritants.

U.S. troops remain in South Korea, but Chinese units withdrew from North Korea in 1958. That reflects Pyongyang’s differing stance toward its erstwhile allies.

“For North Korea, it was a quid pro quo relationship. They look at the support from the Chinese and Soviets as a larger pursuit of communist goals, so to them, it was only natural that these nations should have supported them,” said Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean general. “And North Korea also promotes the idea that during the [Chinese Civil War], many Koreans fought for the communists, so it was a balance.”

Yet another reason relates to the North Korean military. While China and Russia boast modern warships and aircraft, struggling Pyongyang has focused on a few asymmetric assets that do not complement conventional forces.

“North Korea concentrates on what matters: nuclear arms, ballistic missiles and light infantry/special forces,” said Mr. Lankov. Its naval and air forces, by contrast, are given inferior equipment and “don’t have the fuel to operate over longer distances.”

North Korea under Mr. Kim has increasingly isolated itself while pursuing a policy of maximum strategic autonomy, relying on no ally to protect it. That approach has been strained by North Korea’s extensive economic reliance on China, which Pyongyang’s leadership resents.

“North Korea understands that too much influence from Russia or China threatens their supreme leader,” Mr. Chun said. “So they try to keep a good distance.”

• Andrew Salmon can be reached at asalmon@washingtontimes.com.

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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