Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

“You can ignore the reality, but you cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring that reality.”

- Ayn Rand

“All that is gold, does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes, a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king.

- J.R.R. Tolkien

"You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read."

- James Baldwin

1. Soldier Returned to U.S. Custody After Crossing Into North Korea

2. American Soldier Travis King in U.S. Custody After Release From North Korea

3. “Kim Jong-un-Putin meeting is a new threat... “Strengthening practical extended deterrence”

4. At UN, North Korea says the US made 2023 more dangerous and accuses it of fomenting an Asian NATO

5. North Korea tells UN: No choice but to accelerate building its self-defense

6. N. Korean envoy vows stronger 'self-defense' capabilities, mentions 'imminent danger' of nuclear war

7. N. Korea's state media keeps mum on key parliamentary meeting

8. Defense minister nominee vows to 'firmly punish' N. Korea in event of provocation

9. Ex-USFK commanders hail S. Korea-U.S. alliance ahead of 70th anniversary

10. Unification minister 'strongly' urges N. Korea to respond to dialogue offer over separated families

11. Travis King's release an opportunity for rapprochement in U.S.-N. Korea ties?

12. North Korea orders diplomatic staff to donate $100 each for new subs

13. U.S. Special Operations Command Korea selected for Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

14. North Korean shooters snub South Koreans on podium

15. North trumps South when it comes to martial pomp, circumstance

1. Soldier Returned to U.S. Custody After Crossing Into North Korea

Soldier Returned to U.S. Custody After Crossing Into North Korea

defense.gov · by Joseph Clark

Army Pvt. Travis T. King has been released to U.S. custody after a multiweek diplomatic effort to secure his return from North Korea, senior U.S. officials announced today.

Demilitarized Zone

South Korean soldiers guard the joint security area inside the Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjom, South Korea, June 23, 2023.

Download: Full Size (1.67 MB)

VIRIN: 230622-A-UG630-7549Y

King, who crossed into North Korea on July 18, was received by U.S. officials after being transferred to China. King's return was facilitated with the help of the Swedish government.

"U.S. officials have secured the return of [Army] Pvt. Travis King from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said using formal name for North Korea.

"We appreciate the hard work of personnel in the Army, United States Forces Korea, and across the Department of Defense, along with our State Department colleagues, to bring Pvt. King back to the United States, and we thank the governments of Sweden and the People's Republic of China for their assistance," he said.

National Security Council officials, who announced King's release as he was being transferred from China to a U.S. base, said the soldier would receive a full evaluation to address any medical or emotional concerns before being reunited with his family.

Spotlight: Focus on Indo-Pacific

The transfer culminates weeks of effort across multiple U.S. government agencies to secure his release.

That effort included outreach to North Korea through multiple channels, including efforts to "ascertain his welfare and to try to secure his safe return home," a U.S. official said.

Sweden served as the primary interlocutor between the U.S. and North Korea in securing King's release.

"We are grateful to the Swedish government for its diplomatic role in serving as the protective power for the United States in [North Korea] and to the government of the People's Republic of China for its assistance in facilitating the safe transit of Pvt. King," the official said.

The U.S. made no concessions to North Korea to secure King's release, according to the officials.

King, a cavalry scout stationed in South Korea, crossed into North Korea after joining a tour group of the joint security area at the Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjom, South Korea.

Demilitarized Zone

U.S. and South Korean soldiers walk along a road at the joint security area inside the Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjom, South Korea, June 23, 2023.

Download: Full Size (1.54 MB)

VIRIN: 230623-A-UG630-9492Y

He was later identified as AWOL by the U.S. government.

Before crossing the border, King had faced disciplinary action while stationed in South Korea and had served time in a correctional facility.

At the time of his crossing, he was scheduled to fly to the U.S. to face additional administrative action by the U.S. Army.

Officials said King's administrative status would be addressed following his successful reintegration.

"Our focus within the military at this point is really caring for Pvt. King and his family," a senior official said.

defense.gov · by Joseph Clark

2. American Soldier Travis King in U.S. Custody After Release From North Korea

Good outcome but he will have to face the consequences.

Thank you to the Swedish diplomats.

American Soldier Travis King in U.S. Custody After Release From North Korea

Soldier was freed with help from Swedish, transported to China for handover

https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/american-soldier-travis-king-to-be-deported-by-north-korea-9e1fcd68?mod=hp_lead_pos5

By Dasl Yoon

Follow and Gordon Lubold

Updated Sept. 27, 2023 12:20 pm ET

American Soldier Travis King Released From North Korea, in U.S. Custody

“Kim Jong-un-Putin meeting is a new threat... “Strengthening practical extended deterrence” - News Rebeat

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[화정평화재 [Exclusive] 워싱턴 학술회의]

“Totalitarian alliance, a watershed in security

‘Korean-style 3 axes’ in response to North Korean nuclear and missiles, strengthened as a supplement to extended deterrence

Information warfare is needed to prevent misjudgment of Kim Jong-un.”

The 36th Korea-US International Security Conference, co-hosted by the Dong-A Ilbo-affiliated Hwajeong Peace Foundation (Chairman Nam Si-wook) and the Korea-US Security Research Association, was held at the Hudson Institute in Washington, USA, on the 20th (local time). From the left, William Newcomb, former expert panel member of the UN North Korea Sanctions Committee, Choi Byung-hyuk, former deputy commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command, former US Forces Korea commander John Tillerly, and Kim Hee-eun, head of the Asia-Pacific Strategy Center. Washington =

This year, marking the 70th anniversary of the ROK-US alliance, there are a series of cataclysmic events that will fundamentally shake the security of the Korean Peninsula. South Korea and the United States adopted the Washington Declaration to strengthen extended deterrence in response to North Korea’s strong provocations and institutionalized Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation through the Camp David Summit. Meanwhile, North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un is strengthening his authoritarian solidarity by holding a summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and requesting technical support from Russia to complete nuclear weapons while providing weapons for the war in Ukraine. At the 36th Korea-US International Security Conference held at the Hudson Institute in Washington, USA on the 20th (local time), security experts from South Korea and the United States had a heated debate about the desirable diplomatic strategies of South Korea and the United States regarding North Korean nuclear weapons and North Korean human rights issues amidst the rapidly changing political situation in Northeast Asia.

“The key perception missing when discussing diplomatic and security strategies for North Korea is that we have already entered the Cold War.”

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William Newcomb, former expert panel member of the UN North Korea Sanctions Committee, said this while mentioning the need for a new North Korea strategy amid the North Korea-Russia summit and the conflict between the United States and China. As the diplomatic and security strategy for North Korea’s denuclearization was established in the post-Cold War international situation, a strategy suited to the new Cold War structure and a flexible response to implement it are needed.

“The meeting between Kim Jong-un and Putin poses a new threat to the Korean Peninsula that was not present in the existing scenario,” said John Tillally, former commander of U.S. forces in Korea and chairman of the U.S.-ROK-U.S. “Work has become very important,” he said.

“We need to pay attention not only to North Korea-Russia relations, but also to the relationship between North Korea and Iran,” said Bruce Bechtol, president of the American Society for International Korean Studies. “It could also have a big impact,” he pointed out.

Choi Byeong-hyuk, vice president of the Korea-US Security Research Association, also said, “North Korea wants more support and advanced technology from Russia and China, and it also has a long history of cooperation with Iran.” He added, “The totalitarian alliance could become a watershed in Indo-Pacific security.” .

Accordingly, there were loud voices calling for South Korea and the United States to quickly take effective measures to strengthen extended deterrence in accordance with the Washington Declaration agreed upon by President Yoon Seok-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden at the April summit. Kim Tae-woo, head of the Nuclear Security Research Department at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs and former director of the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, “The Washington Declaration is not completely satisfactory, but it is like a half-full cup in that a lot of effort was made to strengthen extended deterrence.” He added, “Now, the focus is on strengthening actual extended deterrence.” “It has to be right,” he said. Next, the Korean three-axis system to respond to North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles should be strengthened to a level where it can become a meaningful complement to extended deterrence, and the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) should also strengthen practical nuclear cooperation in line with the situation in Korea, where several extended deterrence consultative bodies already exist. He emphasized that he did.

Frederic Vincenzo, a senior researcher at the Atlantic Council, pointed out, “The Washington Declaration is an important measure to strengthen extended deterrence, but extended deterrence cannot work if Kim Jong-un does not trust the political will of the United States.” He continued, “In order to prevent Kim Jong-un’s misjudgment, sub-state deterrence strategies (such as information warfare) are required to make North Korea believe that South Korea and the United States are preparing for a nuclear war with North Korea.”

As former President Donald Trump’s approval rating has recently risen and the possibility of re-election in next year’s US presidential election is rising, some have pointed out that a preemptive response to the risk of regime change in the US is necessary. Director Kim Tae-woo said, “It is difficult for the Washington Declaration to become a reality without political stability between Korea and the United States. Former President Trump’s demand for a five-fold increase in defense cost sharing is remembered as a nightmare for Koreans, so the speed of implementation of the Washington Declaration must be speeded up.” .

However, Chairman Tilally said, “We must remember that 40 years ago, there was a president who pledged to withdraw U.S. troops from Korea.” He added, “The Indo-Pacific is currently the most strategically important region for the United States, and considering the threat North Korea poses to the world, the U.S. “The administration has a clear understanding of the direction of the alliance,” he said. Considering the U.S.-China competition, this is interpreted to mean that even if former President Trump is elected, it is unlikely that the foundation of the ROK-U.S. alliance will be shaken.

In preparation for the expansion of North Korea-Russia security cooperation, it was also suggested that protection measures for South Korea’s civil infrastructure should be strengthened and that ROK-US cyber security cooperation should be strengthened. Troy Stangaron, senior director at the Korea-U.S. Economic Institute (KEI), said, “There is a possibility that North Korea will learn how to use the drones that Russia used in the Ukraine war,” and added, “South Korea’s civilian infrastructure protection plan should be strengthened (in preparation for North Korea’s drone attacks).” He said.

“We need to discuss North Korean human rights issues and the priorities of Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation.”

“Honest discussion helps strengthen North Korea’s deterrence.”

“There is a need for diplomatic isolation from the UN General Assembly.”

Experts who participated in the ‘Human Rights and the Future of the Korean Peninsula’ session at the Korea-US International Security Conference held in Washington, D.C. on the 20th (local time) urged that North Korean human rights issues should be discussed as a priority in security cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan.

Greg Scalatu, Secretary-General of the Human Rights Committee in North Korea (HRNK), said, “The key to maintaining the North Korean regime is ideology, not nuclear weapons or missiles.” “There was an ideology that made people slaves,” he said. He then emphasized the need to bring in external information about the North Korean people, saying, “We must inform the outside world of the North Korean regime’s corruption and human rights violations, and we must internally report developments in the outside world, including South Korea.”

Frederic Vincenzo, a senior researcher at the Atlantic Council, said, “Bringing up human rights issues head-on also helps strengthen deterrence against North Korea by emphasizing the political will of South Korea and the United States,” adding, “Human rights should be a key agenda at the Korea-U.S.-Korea-U.S.-Japan summit. “I do it,” he said.

HRNK Director Raymond Ha said, “After the pandemic, no one knows what happened in North Korea because all diplomats and UN investigators stationed in North Korea had to leave the country. The first thing we need to do is understand the current situation in North Korea regarding human rights. “It is done,” he pointed out. There were also concerns that a human rights crisis could soon become a reality, such as the resumption of repatriation of North Korean defectors in China due to the opening of the North Korea-China border.

It was also argued that there is a need to diversify strategies on the international stage, including the UN, regarding North Korean human rights issues. With South Korea serving as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the first time in 11 years, an opportunity for cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan has opened up in the Security Council, and concrete moves are needed to put pressure on North Korea at the UN.

William Newcomb, former expert panel member of the UN Committee on North Korea Sanctions, said, “The biggest problem with North Korean human rights or nuclear weapons is moral hazard,” adding, “North Korea is not punished no matter what it does, so it repeats human rights abuses or provocations. “He said. He said, “North Korea also knows that nothing can be done in the Security Council due to opposition from China and Russia,” and “moved the stage to the UN General Assembly to diplomatically isolate North Korea, such as involving South Korea, the United States, and Japan in sub-Saharan African countries that have relations with North Korea.” “A response is needed,” he said.

Academic conference participant list

◆Opening remarks

John Walters, Director, Hudson Institute

Kim Byeong-gwan, co-chairman of the ROK-US Security Research Association (former Deputy Commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command)

John Tillally, co-chairman of the Korea-U.S. Security Research Association (former ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command)

Greg Scarlatu, Secretary General of the Human Rights Committee in North Korea (HRNK)

Bruce Bechtol, Professor, Angelo State University, Texas, USA

◆Panel discussion 1(Moderator: John Tillally, Co-Chairman of the Korea-U.S. Security Research Association)

▽Presenter △Gregg Scarlatu, Secretary General of HRNK

△Raymond Ha, Director of HRNK

△Lauren Jeong, HRNK researcher

▽Debater △William Newcomb, former expert panel member of the UN North Korea Sanctions Committee

△Choi Byung-hyuk, former Deputy Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command

△Kim Hee-eun, CEO of Asia-Pacific Strategy Center

◆Luncheon speech

Nicholas Eberstadt, Distinguished Research Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

◆Panel discussion 2(Moderator: Heo Nam-seong, Professor Emeritus of National Defense University)

▽Presenter △Kim Tae-woo, Director of the Korea Institute for Military Affairs (former Director of the Korea Institute for National Unification)

△Frederick Vincenzo, Senior Researcher, Atlantic Council

△Gyeong-ho Son, Professor of National Defense University

△Kathryn Weathersby, Professor at Georgetown University

▽Debater △Jang Sam-yeol, Director of the Korea-U.S. Security Research Association

△Troy Stangaron, Senior Director, Korea Economic Institute (KEI)

△Delin Williams, Professor at Austin Peay State University

◆Panel discussion 3(Moderator: Oh In-hwan, President of Seoul National University Alumni Association in the United States)

▽Presenter △Professor Minwoo Yoon, Gachon University

△Kim So-jung, Director of the National Security Strategy Institute

▽Debater △Tara Oh, Hudson Institute Researcher

△Kim Tae-woo, Director of the Korea Institute for Military Affairs

△Clint Work, Director of Korea Economic Research Institute (KEI)

Washington =

Source: Donga

Mark

Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.

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4. At UN, North Korea says the US made 2023 more dangerous and accuses it of fomenting an Asian NATO

I think it is time to pressure the UN into suspending north Korea's status at the UN - its voting rights and membership in UN organizations should be suspended for as long as its malign activities continue.

At UN, North Korea says the US made 2023 more dangerous and accuses it of fomenting an Asian NATO

AP · September 26, 2023

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — North Korea accused the United States on Tuesday of making 2023 an “extremely dangerous year,” saying its actions are trying to provoke a nuclear war and denouncing both U.S. and South Korean leaders for “hysterical remarks of confrontation” that it says are raising the temperature in the region.

Kim Song, North Korea’s U.N. ambassador, also said Washington was trying to create “the Asian version of NATO,” the military alliance that includes European nations and the United States and Canada.

Kim came out swinging in his speech to world leaders with harsher words than he brought to the same U.N. General Assembly meeting last year. Such strong language is always noteworthy from a nation developing its nuclear program — but is also hardly uncommon from Pyongyang, a government that sometimes weaponizes hyperbole in its public statements.

“Owing to the reckless and continued hysteria of nuclear showdown on the part of the U.S. and its following forces, the year 2023 has been recorded as an extremely dangerous year that the military security situation in and around the Korean peninsula was driven closer to the brink of a nuclear war,” Kim said.

“The United States is now moving on to the practical stage of realizing its a sinister intention to provoke a nuclear war,” Kim said. He said the United States’ attempt to create an “Asian NATO” was effectively introducing a “new Cold War structure to northeast Asia.”

Kim took particular issue with what he called U.S. and South Korean statements that he said were about “the end of the regime” and the “occupation of Pyongyang,” the capital of what the country calls the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

North Korea itself said just last month that it had rehearsed how it might occupy South Korean territory in the event of a war. Those statements came after North Korea’s military said it fired two tactical ballistic missiles from Pyongyang to practice “scorched earth strikes” at major South Korean command centers and operational airfields.

The North said its missile tests were a response to a U.S. flyover of long-range B-1B bombers for a joint training with close ally South Korea. The North periodically launches missiles it says are tests, often in response to a perceived provocation from the United States or the South.

Later Tuesday, the deputy U.N. ambassador of South Korea, known formally as the Republic of Korea, dismissed all of North Korea’s claims as absurd.

“Do you really believe, as DPRK claims, that the RoK, along with the United States, conspires to provoke nuclear war?” Kim Sangjin asked the Assembly in a rebuttal. “How many member states in this chamber are seriously aligned with the DPRK’s false assertions?”

North Korea’s appearances at the United Nations are often illuminating, despite the absence of leader Kim Jong Un or other high-level officials, given that hearing words directly from the mouths of the country’s leaders — however carefully reviewed and calibrated — is a relatively uncommon occurrence on the international stage.

During his own U.N. speech last week, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned fellow world leaders about the recent communication and possible cooperation between North Korea and Russia, saying any action by a permanent U.N. Security Council member to circumvent international norms would be dangerous and “paradoxical.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took a lengthy railroad trip to Russia’s far east earlier this month and met there with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two said they may cooperate on defense issues but gave no specifics, which left South Korea and its allies — including the United States — uneasy.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency responded to Yoon’s U.N. speech by calling him “a guy with a trash-like brain.” The North Korean government often deploys such ad hominem attacks and once called U.S. President Donald Trump a “dotard.”

The Korean Peninsula was split into the U.S.-supported, capitalistic South Korea and the Soviet-backed, socialist North Korea after its liberation from Japan’s 35-year colonial rule at the end of the World War II in 1945. The two Koreas remain along the world’s most heavily fortified border since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, and are technically still in a state of war 70 years after an armistice was signed.

Kim Jong Un oversees an autocratic government and is the third generation of his family to rule. He was preceded by his father, Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011, and his grandfather Kim Il Sung, a former guerrilla who established the state.

Kim Song, the U.N. ambassador, said North Korea had little choice but to build up its methods of defense — another common refrain from the Pyongyang government.

“The DPRK is urgently required to further accelerate the buildup of its self-defense capabilities to defend itself impregnably,” he said. “The more the reckless military moves and provocations of the hostile forces are intensified threatening the sovereignty and security interests of our state, the more our endeavors to enhance national defense capabilities would increase in direct proportion.”

___

Ted Anthony, director of new storytelling and newsroom innovation for The Associated Press, was the AP’s Asia-Pacific news director from 2014 to 2018 and visited North Korea multiple times in that role. Follow him at http://www.twitter.com/anthonyted

TED ANTHONY

Writing about American culture and international affairs.

twitter mailto

AP · September 26, 2023

5. North Korea tells UN: No choice but to accelerate building its self-defense

Remember that Kim Jong Un is more afraid of the Korean people in the north than he is of the ROK and US militaries.

Some thoughts:

•The regime accuses the US and ROK/US Alliance of a “hostile policy”

•Repeated in nearly every verbal attack on the ROK and US

•Pro-regime useful idiots repeat this talking point and use it to justify recommending sanctions relief (even US withdrawal)

•The truth is the north’s revolutionary ideology is the real hostile policy

•The regime seeks to dominate the peninsula under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State and rid it of all foreign influence

•The alliance must call out the regime for its actual hostile policy – an integral theme and message for a comprehensive information and influence activities campaign

North Korea tells UN: No choice but to accelerate building its self-defense

Reuters · by Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - North Korea's United Nations envoy accused the United States and South Korea on Tuesday of pushing the Korean peninsula closer to the brink of nuclear war, telling the U.N. General Assembly that as a result his country had no choice but to further accelerate a build-up of its self-defense capabilities.

"The year 2023 has been recorded as an extremely dangerous year," Ambassador Kim Song told the last day of the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders. "The Korean peninsula is in a hair-trigger situation with imminent danger of nuclear war breakout."

"Given the prevailing circumstances, the DPRK (North Korea) is urgently required to further accelerate the build-up of its self-defense capabilities to defend itself impregnably," Kim told the 193-member General Assembly.

North Korea has tested dozens of ballistic missile in the past 18 months. The United States has long warned that Pyongyang was ready to carry out a seventh nuclear test.

Pyongyang says it is exercising its right to self-defense with its ballistic missile tests to safeguard its sovereignty and security interests from military threats.

"The DPRK remains steadfast and unchanged in its determination to firmly defend the national sovereignty, security interests and well-being of the people against the hostile threats from outside," Kim said.

North Korea - formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) - has been under U.N. Security Council sanctions for its missile and nuclear programs since 2006. The measures have been steadily strengthened over the years.

However, for the past several years the 15-member Security Council has been divided over how to deal with Pyongyang. Russia and China, veto powers along with the United States, Britain and France, have said more sanctions will not help and want such measures to be eased.

China and Russia say joint military drills by the United States and South Korea provoke Pyongyang, while Washington accuses Beijing and Moscow of emboldening North Korea by shielding it from more sanctions.

Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Howard Goller

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Acquire Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Reuters · by Michelle Nichols

6. N. Korean envoy vows stronger 'self-defense' capabilities, mentions 'imminent danger' of nuclear war

This Is the rationale the regime uses to prioritize the expenditure of its scare resources on developing nuclear weapons and missiles while forcing the suffering and sacrifice on the Korean people in the north.

(LEAD) N. Korean envoy vows stronger 'self-defense' capabilities, mentions 'imminent danger' of nuclear war | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · September 27, 2023

(ATTN: S. Korea's response in paras 11-12)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations said Tuesday his country is "urgently" required to bolster its self-defense capabilities, claiming the Korean Peninsula faces the "immediate danger of nuclear war breakout."

Addressing the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Ambassador Kim Song attributed the "current dangerous situation" to South Korea and the United States, lambasting a series of steps that the allies have taken to bolster deterrence against evolving North Korean threats.

"Given the prevailing circumstances, the DPRK is urgently required to further accelerate the build-up of its self-defense capabilities to defend itself impregnably," the ambassador said during his live-streamed speech. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"It is only too natural that the more the reckless military moves and provocations of the hostile forces are intensified …, the more our endeavors to enhance national defense capabilities would increase in direct proportion," he added.

This image, captured from a U.N. website, shows North Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song speaking during a U.N. session in New York. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Kim catalogued a series of defensive exercises between the U.S and South Korea namely the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, the launch of the Nuclear Consultative Group and repeated verbal warnings against the North's potential use of nuclear arms.

"From the beginning of the year, the U.S. and the 'Republic of Korea' made hysterical remarks of confrontation such as 'end of the regime; and 'occupation of Pyongyang' in flagrant violation of the principles and purposes of the U.N. Charter," he said.

Calling South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol only by his name, Kim criticized Yoon's warning at the U.N. General Assembly that any arms deal between Russia and North Korea would be considered a "direct provocation" against South Korea.

"Development of equal and reciprocal relations between and among independent sovereign states is not an issue for the "ROK" to interfere in as it is no more than a colony of the U.S.," Kim said.

He described the Yoon administration as a "puppet" government, accusing it of raising tensions.

"The Korean Peninsula is in a hair-trigger situation with imminent danger of nuclear war breakout," he said.

Kim Sang-jin, South Korea's deputy permanent representative to the U.N., hit back, chastising the North for making "groundless, illogical and absurd" allegations.

"Do you really believe as the DPRK claims the Republic of Korea, together with the U.S., conspires to provoke a nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula without reasons that will cause catastrophic casualties?," he asked. "How many member states in this chamber are seriously aligned with the DPRK's false assertions? My answer is clear: untrue, absolutely incorrect," he said.

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · September 27, 2023

7. N. Korea's state media keeps mum on key parliamentary meeting

Enquiring minds want to know what has come out of the meeting.

N. Korea's state media keeps mum on key parliamentary meeting | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · September 27, 2023

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's state media on Wednesday remained silent about whether it opened a key parliamentary meeting earlier this week amid the possibility that the rubber-stamp parliament's session could run for at least two days.

North Korea earlier announced a plan to convene the ninth session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) on Tuesday to discuss organizational matters and the issue of reviewing and adopting various laws.

As of 8:15 a.m., the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and other state-run media outlets had not yet carried any report on the opening of the SPA meeting. The KCNA usually runs reports of the outcome of major political events early the following morning.

The meeting could last for at least two days, given that North Korea has held two-day sessions of the SPA since September 2021.

The SPA is the highest organ of state power under the North's constitution, but it actually only rubber-stamps decisions by the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).

One of the major focal points for the SPA meeting would be whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will use the gathering to deliver a public speech toward the outside world following his latest summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

North Korea could also decide to replace Premier Kim Tok-hun as the North's leader has strongly berated the premier and the Cabinet over their "irresponsible" attitude in failing to prevent flood damage and "spoiling" the country's economic plans.

Still, Premier Kim has been carrying out his official duty, including an inspection of the agricultural sector in a provincial area, raising the possibility that he may remain in office.

This image, captured from footage of North Korea's state-run Korean Central Television on Sept. 9, 2022, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) speaking at the seventh session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · September 27, 2023

8. Defense minister nominee vows to 'firmly punish' N. Korea in event of provocation

When have we ever "firmly punished" north Korea other than attempting to apply sanctions (unfortunately without sufficient enforcement of them)?

I recommend that the ROK heed President Yoon's words from late last year when he said that he would respond to the north's provocations with information. A comprehensive information campaign (and not simply leaflets or loudspeakers at the border) will put extreme pressure on the regime. Remember when it comes to information Kim Jong Un "can't handle the truth" in the famous words of Colonel Jessup.

(LEAD) Defense minister nominee vows to 'firmly punish' N. Korea in event of provocation | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · September 27, 2023

(ATTN: ADDS remarks from confirmation hearing)

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister nominee Shin Won-sik vowed Wednesday to "firmly punish" North Korea in the event of military provocations and warned the regime will come to an end should it conduct a nuclear attack.

Shin, a ruling People Power Party lawmaker who retired as a three-star Army general and is known for his expertise in defense policy and military operations, made the remarks during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly.

"I will build a powerful defense posture that overwhelms the enemy," Shin said, noting that the North continues to threaten South Korea with various military provocations and preparations for a nuclear test.

"If North Korea attempts a nuclear attack, its regime will come to an end."

The retired general-turned-lawmaker reaffirmed his call for scrapping an inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement against such a backdrop.

Shin earlier said the Comprehensive Military Agreement, signed in 2018, when then President Moon Jae-in traveled to Pyongyang for summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is a "wrong" accord that weakens the military's combat power amid the North's provocations.

"If I become minister, I will do my best to at least suspend the effectiveness of the agreement even if I cannot discard it," he said, adding that no-fly zones designated under the accord should be normalized as soon as possible.

Defense Minister nominee Shin Won-sik attends a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 27, 2023. (Yonhap)

Shin, who is also known as a vocal supporter of President Yoon Suk Yeol's drive to bolster security ties with the United States, pledged to further bolster their alliance.

"I will strengthen joint South Korea-U.S. exercises and training," Shin said, adding he will also push to expand military cooperation with member nations of the United Nations Command and other friendly countries.

Noting the military's difficulties in hiring new recruits, Shin said he will develop future combat systems, such as those based on artificial intelligence, and improve working conditions for junior servicemen.

The minister nominee, meanwhile, apologized for using what he called "excessive" remarks in referring to Moon while criticizing the former administration's security policy in a political rally, saying they were "inappropriate."

Shin also stressed there was a "misunderstanding" regarding his remarks made in 2019, which appeared to defend the Dec. 12 military coup of 1979.

"A coup is something that should absolutely not and cannot happen," he said on the remarks referring to the coup, which ushered in the Chun Doo-hwan regime. "A coup is absolutely impossible in modern-day Korea."

The parliamentary confirmation hearing is widely seen as a formality because his formal appointment does not require endorsement from the National Assembly.

In South Korea, the prime minister is the only Cabinet post that requires parliamentary approval.

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · September 27, 2023

9. Ex-USFK commanders hail S. Korea-U.S. alliance ahead of 70th anniversary

Perhaps ex-USFK commanders but they are all former commanders of the ROK/US Combined Forces COmmand which is the command charged with deterrence and defense of the ROK by both nations. The warfighting command is the ROK/US CFC and not USFK.

Ex-USFK commanders hail S. Korea-U.S. alliance ahead of 70th anniversary | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · September 27, 2023

By Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- A group of former commanders of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Wednesday hailed the alliance between South Korea and the United States ahead of its 70th anniversary next week, highlighting the two countries' commitment to each other.

The six retired generals made the remarks in separate messages sent to the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation as the two countries are set to mark the anniversary of the 1953 signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty, a bedrock alliance document, Sunday.

The messages were sent by Ret. Gen. Thomas A. Schwartz, Ret. Gen. B. B. Bell, Ret. Gen. Walter L. Sharp, Ret. Gen. James D. Thurman, Ret. Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti and Ret. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks.

Thurman, who served as the USFK commander from 2011 to 2013, described the treaty as the "glue" that kept the two countries together and expressed hopes for a reunited Korea.

"The mutual defense treaty between South Korea and the United States has remained the glue that has held the ROK-US Alliance together," Thurman said, referring to South Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Republic of Korea.

"I hope that someday we will see a reunited Korea, and there is no more threatening behavior in the region."

This file photo, taken Sept. 26, 2013, shows then U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. James D. Thurman at the Cheong Wa Dae presidential office in central Seoul. (Yonhap)

Scaparrotti, who succeeded Thurman to serve as the USFK chief until 2016, called for "modernizing" the alliance to face current and future challenges.

"As the alliance has strengthened over time, so have our adversaries," he said. "We must be vigilant and scan the horizon for looming threats while simultaneously modernizing and transforming the alliance to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow."

Bell, who led the USFK from 2006 to 2008, said South Korea continues to face threats from its neighbors and called for the allies to "resolutely" commit to their alliance treaty.

"Because of this continuing threat, it is crucial for our now 70-year time-honored and tested alliance to remain the cornerstone of stability on the Korean Peninsula," he said. "We must both continue to resolutely commit to the provisions of this treaty throughout this century and beyond."

South Korea and the United States signed the alliance document three months after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · September 27, 2023

10. Unification minister 'strongly' urges N. Korea to respond to dialogue offer over separated families

Remember that the reason that families remain divided and are prevented from being reunited lies squarely on the shoulders of Kim Jong Un. He could allow not just short reunions but the permanent reuniting of families. But instead he continues to afflict great pain on the Korean people in the north and South.

As a reminder: The root of all problems in Korea is the existence of the most evil mafia- like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime that has the objective of dominating the Korean Peninsula under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.

Unification minister 'strongly' urges N. Korea to respond to dialogue offer over separated families | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · September 27, 2023

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's point man on North Korea "strongly" called on North Korea on Wednesday to respond to Seoul's offer for talks to discuss the issue of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho made the call during a ceremony commemorating Separated Families Day.

Earlier this year, South Korea designated Aug. 13 on the lunar calendar, which is two days before the Chuseok fall harvest holiday, as a commemorative day to raise public awareness of the issue of separated families.

This photo, taken Sept. 14, 2023, shows Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho speaking at a press conference in Seoul. (Yonhap)

The divided Koreas have held 13 rounds of reunions since a landmark summit in 2000, bringing together more than 20,000 family members who had not seen each other since the war.

South and North Korea have usually staged family reunions around Chuseok, a major holiday that is celebrated in both countries, and other important national holidays. The two sides last staged temporary family reunions in 2018.

Last September, South Korea proposed holding talks with North Korea to try to discuss family reunions, a pressing humanitarian issue on the Korean Peninsula, as most separated family members are in their 70s and 80s and wish to see their long-lost relatives before they die.

Still, North Korea has remained silent on South Korea's offer and cut off inter-Korean communication channels amid tensions over Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs.

On Monday, North Korea called South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol a "puppet traitor," and South Korea's unification ministry criticized North Korea for rebuking Yoon with "vulgar" remarks, saying it is not even worth commenting on.

"I am strongly urging North Korea to respond to it before it's too late when it comes to the issue of divided families and show the responsible attitude in front of history and people," Kim said.

In South Korea, some 133,700 have applied for family reunions. More than 93,000 of them have already died, according to the unification ministry.

There are no direct means of contact between ordinary civilians of the two countries that remain divided by a heavily fortified border.

The inter-Korean border has been sealed since the war, and no South Koreans or North Koreans can visit the other side without government approval, which is rarely given.

Civic activists hold a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul to call on the government to permit separated families to visit North Korea for family reunions arranged by civic groups on Feb. 22, 2023. (Yonhap)

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · September 27, 2023

11. Travis King's release an opportunity for rapprochement in U.S.-N. Korea ties?

Wishful thinking? Why did the regime hold him for two months? Why did they not return him right away?

(LEAD) (News Focus) Travis King's release an opportunity for rapprochement in U.S.-N. Korea ties? | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · September 28, 2023

(ATTN: ADDS more remarks in 21th para)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's release of a U.S. soldier after months of detention for a border crossing is raising questions over whether it would lead to direct reengagement between Washington and Pyongyang or at least a warming of their strained ties.

U.S. officials confirmed Wednesday that Pvt. Travis King was transferred out of the North across the border with China, flew to Osan Air Base, a U.S. installation in South Korea, and was on his way back to the United States.

The release ended Washington's monthslong diplomatic effort that was set in motion after King made an unauthorized trip across the inter-Korean border into the North during a tour of the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone separating the Korean Peninsula on July 18.

This file photo, provided by the Associated Press on July 24, 2023, shows American soldier Travis King during a news program being aired at Seoul Station in central Seoul. (Yonhap)

Earlier, the official Korean Central News Agency reported that the North decided to "expel" King following an investigation, during which it said the U.S. soldier confessed to his "illegal" intrusion into the North Korean territory.

The release, which U.S. officials said was secured without any concessions, raised questions over whether it was the North's conciliatory gesture or a move to quickly get rid of what could be a major source of friction with Washington.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller did not appear to have high expectations about diplomatic ramifications of the North's decision to set King free.

"I do not see this as a sign of any diplomatic breakthrough that will have implications for other issues and other areas of concern that we have with the DPRK regime," he told reporters, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

State Department Press Secretary Matthew Miller is seen answering questions during a daily press briefing at the state department in Washington on Sept. 12, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)

The release, however, came as U.S. officials continued to reiterate Washington's willingness to engage in diplomacy with Pyongyang.

During his U.N. General Assembly speech, President Joe Biden said that his administration is committed to diplomacy to bring out the denuclearization of the peninsula. Other senior U.S. officials made similar remarks.

"This incident to our minds demonstrate that keeping lines of communication open even when ties are strained is a really important thing to do and can deliver results," a senior U.S. administration official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "We again stand by … ready for any further diplomacy that might be possible."

Direct diplomatic talks between the U.S. and the North have been stalled since the two countries held working-level nuclear talks in Sweden in October 2019 in the wake of the bilateral no-deal summit in Hanoi in February that year.

The COVID-19 pandemic further darkened the prospects of reengagement between the two countries as the reclusive country, known for poor medical and economic conditions, had closed borders to fend off any inflow of the virus.

But the North reportedly lifted its border closures on Monday, fueling speculation that it may set out to engage in more diplomatic exchanges with the outside world.

Patrick M. Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute, said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's decision to expel the U.S. soldier is "more like an expedient rather than a conciliatory gesture."

"Kim Jong-un does not want to take responsibility for Travis King, and the risks of keeping him outweigh any further benefits," he told Yonhap News via email. "However, if Washington also wants to see this as a sign of goodwill, then Pyongyang may be more open to talks now than it has been since before Covid."

Frank Aum, senior expert at the United States Institute of Peace, did not see the release as a conciliatory move either.

"I see it as just North Korea expelling a foreigner that it saw as having no value and potentially being a headache," he said, noting that the release within a few months without any concessions is "normal."

"When U.S. citizens are detained by North Korea but haven't committed anything perceived to be a serious crime, North Korea tends to release them within a couple months," he pointed out.

The complicated process to secure King's release brought into sharp relief the diplomatic estrangement between Washington and Pyongyang and also underscored a difficult road ahead for the restoration of the relations.

U.S. officials said that Sweden, as the "protecting power" and "primary interlocutor," helped Washington secure King's release while China facilitated the safe transfer of King across the border.

"When Travis King first crossed the border into North Korea, we tried to reach out (to the North) on a number of occasions. They rejected our direct approaches and ended up talking to Sweden," Miller said.

Some observers, however, said that King's release could at least serve as an opportunity to reassess relations between the U.S. and the North, though tensions have been heightened following a recent summit between North Korean leader Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The summit raised speculation that it might lead to an arms deal that would help improve the North's technological capabilities to build spy satellites and other weapons in exchange for supporting Russia's war operations in Ukraine.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) holds talks with 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)

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · September 28, 2023

12. North Korea orders diplomatic staff to donate $100 each for new subs

I guess you cannot make this stuff up. Imagine asking US diplomats to contribute to the US defense budget? Only in north Korea.

North Korea orders diplomatic staff to donate $100 each for new subs

Kim Jong Un toured Russian military facilities this month and came away with submarine envy.

By Kim Jieun for RFA Korean

2023.09.27

rfa.org

Kim Jong Un has submarine envy, so every North Korean attached to diplomatic missions abroad has been ordered to “donate” US$100 to a new fund that will go toward the construction of “cutting-edge” submarines and other warships, sources in China told Radio Free Asia.

The donation mandate was the first order of business after Kim returned from his summit in Russia with President Vladimir Putin, where the two countries agreed to strengthen ties.

During that trip, Kim toured military facilities including a naval base for Russia’s Pacific Fleet and was “shocked” by Moscow’s high-tech weaponry, especially submarines, the sources told RFA.

“Yesterday, Pyongyang sent an order to the North Korean Embassy here in China to raise the necessary funds to build new submarines and warships,” a source in Beijing who is familiar with the situation, told RFA Korean Sept. 23 on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

“The instructions state that the members of all overseas diplomatic missions must donate $100 each before Party Foundation Day on Oct. 10,” he said, adding that the ambassador in Beijing had sent the same order to North Korean consulates in Shenyang and Dandong. Personnel working in overseas companies are also considered part of the mission.

“The order states that the construction of new warships and submarines is a top priority that can no longer be postponed, considering the current situation,” the source said. “The members at the embassy all gave $100 as soon as they received the instructions. Most of them seem to understand that the leader gave this order after being quite shocked by Russia’s advanced weapons.”

Not cheap

Even though the stated purpose is to raise money for warships and submarines, the source said that the order is also a test of loyalty, and likely that future instructions will continue to ask for funding.

“Some of the people responded to the order by saying ‘New submarines and warships are high-tech, and require expensive materials and equipment. They are not children’s toys. I don’t understand how it will be possible to build them by saving just $100 per person.’”

Indeed, submarines are not cheap, and such donations would seem to hardly make a dent in the overall cost.

Construction costs for the type of nuclear-powered submarine North Korea could build, such as the French-designed Barracuda-class, run about $1.19 billion each.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un [right] watches a cruise missile being launched from a warship in the East Sea, in this undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 21, 2023. Credit: AFP/KCNA via KNS

When the orders reached the consulates in the northeastern cities of Shenyang and Dandong and the former British colony Hong Kong, the officials there “looked dejected,” a source in Shenyang told RFA on condition of anonymity for personal safety.

Companies there are used to getting orders to donate a specific amount of money from their revenue, but this order appealed to them to “exhibit a high level of loyalty in response to the Marshall's instructions to build submarines and new warships,” the Shenyang source said. In official communications, Kim is often referred to by his military rank.

Companies did not force the workers to donate, he said. Instead, they anticipate that some of the workers will demonstrate their loyalty with a large donation, and then the pressure will be on for the rest of the workers to better or match that amount.

“The workers could not hide their sense of dejection at the instructions,” the Shenyang source said. “The workers are saying, ‘We have been tightening our belts to develop nuclear weapons for decades as we were preparing for war. Now we are building new submarines and warships.’”

“It was foolish of us to expect that [the government] would finally address the country’s food problems.”

Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.

rfa.org

13. U.S. Special Operations Command Korea selected for Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

Congratulations to SOCKOR. It has come a long way since I served in the unit.

U.S. Special Operations Command Korea selected for Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

korea.stripes.com · September 27, 2023

by Maj. Christopher Mesnard

Special Operations Command Korea

September 27, 2023

USAG HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea – Today the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) President, Yoon Suk Yeol, awarded U.S. Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR) with the Presidential Unit Citation at the 75th Anniversary ceremony of the ROK Armed Forces Day at Seoul Air Base (K-16), Seongnam, ROK. The ROK Presidential Unit Citation award is the highest unit honor the President can bestow on a military unit and dates back to the Korean War of 1950.

The presentation signified the first time a ROK President recognized a U.S. joint headquarters with the prestigious honor. The award bestows credit on the people of SOCKOR, recognizes the command’s 35-years of distinguished service on the Korean Peninsula, and highlights the headquarters’ recent efforts to strengthen the ROK and U.S.’s Alliance.

Over the past year, SOCKOR conducted more than 150 special operations-oriented exercises and training events focused on the mutual defense priorities between the ROK and U.S., advancing special operations skill sets and related capabilities, and improving combined relationships with ROK Armed Forces.

“This is truly a historic event for all the people who have served under the SOCKOR banner and highlights the impact special operations forces have day-to-day on our combined, integrated deterrence and strategic competition,” said Brig. Gen. Derek Lipson, SOCKOR commander. “Across the Korean Peninsula the motto, ‘We Go Together,’ remains a resolute representation of our Alliance, and it is the efforts of people and our combined teams who deserve the ultimate credit for maintaining competition below the level of conflict in this complex, strategic environment. Working with our Korean Allies, United Nations sending states, and enabling our mutual defense priorities is our primary job, so it is with the humblest gratitude that we accept this recognition of efforts from President Yoon.”

Due to a travel-schedule conflict, Lipson was unable to attend the event. U.S. Air Force Col. Kevin Martin, SOCKOR deputy commander, received the recognition on behalf of the command.

U.S. SOCKOR is a theater special operations command under U.S. Special Operations Command, based out of Tampa, FL, and forward postured to enable U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea efforts.

NOTE: For official SOCKOR multimedia products visit the unit’s DVIDS page.

14. North Korean shooters snub South Koreans on podium

They must have had their marching orders. And they probably fear what will happen to them when they return to Pyongyang after having come in second place to the ROK team.

And this is a metaphor for the two militaries. The ROK military will outshoot the nKPA. :-)

North Korean shooters snub South Koreans on podium

Reuters · by Martin Quin Pollard

HANGZHOU, China Sept 25 (Reuters) - Three North Korean marksmen refused to join their South Korean rivals in a group photo of medal winners at the Hangzhou Asian Games after narrowly missing out on gold in a men's team shooting competition on Monday.

After receiving their silver medal in the men's team 10m running target, their country's first of the Games, the three North Korean athletes first broke with tradition by declining to turn towards the flag during the rendition of the national anthem of the winners, South Korea.

Then, during the customary group photo, where all medal winners bunch together for the cameras, the bronze medallists, Indonesia, joined South Korea on the top rung of the podium, but the three North Koreans, Kwon Kwang-il, Pak Myong-won and Songjun Yu, did not.

During a brief, but awkward delay one of the South Koreans tapped one of the North Koreans on the shoulder and tried to speak to them, but the North Koreans kept silent and did not even look to their left where their rivals stood.

The podium drama at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre on the outskirts of the Eastern Chinese cit was the latest controversy involving the team from the long isolated country.

A day earlier the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said it was happy for the North Korea flag to keep flying at the Games despite it being banned over the country's non-compliance with global anti-doping rules.

The Hangzhou Asian Games is the first international multi-sport event North Korea is attending since the 2018 edition in Jakarta.

North Korea was suspended from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) until the end of 2022, missing last year's Beijing Winter Games, after failing to send a team to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

The 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty meaning the two sides are still technically at war.

Reporting by Martin Quin Pollard and Dylan Martinez Editing by Christian Radnedge

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Acquire Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Martin Quin Pollard

Thomson Reuters

Martin is a (China) political and general news correspondent based in Beijing. He has previously worked as a TV reporter and video journalist and is fluent in Mandarin and French.

Reuters · by Martin Quin Pollard

15. North trumps South when it comes to martial pomp, circumstance

Yes. let the nKPA be the better parade army.

North trumps South when it comes to martial pomp, circumstance

Seoul stages first military parade in a decade as tensions mount

washingtontimes.com · by Andrew Salmon

By - The Washington Times - Tuesday, September 26, 2023

SEOUL, South Korea — Central Seoul echoed to the tramp of marching boots and the rumble of tank engines as, for the first time in a decade, a military parade wound through the capital to mark Armed Forces Day.

While massed troop formations are a common spectacle in North Korea’s capital of Pyongyang, South Korea‘s parade showed that the richer half of the divided peninsula has some catching up to do when it comes to military spectacle.

Conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, a hard-liner against North Korea, resurrected the South Korean display. At the reviewing stand, he echoed a warning aired by President Joe Biden in April.

“If North Korea uses nuclear weapons, its regime will be brought to an end by an overwhelming response,” Mr. Yoon said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, however, may take some comfort: His impoverished, isolated nation boasts no export powerhouses, global brands or soft power. But superbly choreographed parades and displays of monster missiles are a rare competitive advantage for Pyongyang.

Observers noted the marching skills of South Korean soldiers were far inferior to the goose-stepping North Koreans. That may be because South Korean conscripts serve just 18 months, while their potential adversaries in the North’s armed forces serve for a decade.

Missile firepower displayed was equally uneven, with the North’s menacing array of missiles far outshowing what South Korea put on display Tuesday. Still, there was one upside for the Yoon government.

The Ukraine war is proving a bonanza to Seoul’s military industrial complex, and today’s event showcased multiple high-tech killing machines.

Wet and out of step

The war gods rained on Seoul’s parade Tuesday, and though flag wavers lined the route, photos shot from the wealthy capital’s towering high rises revealed thin crowds lining the streets.

Some fretted that many of the reported 3,700 South Korea troops marching could not keep in step.

“The marching seemed more like a training exercise compared to the precision of North Korean soldiers,” said Chad O’Carroll, CEO of consultancy Korea Risk Group, who watched both the Seoul parade and a pre-parade drill at an air base outside city limits.

A planned fly-by of helicopters and advanced jet fighters was canceled because of rain, leading to more questions about preparation and military readiness.

“I don’t get why” it was called off, Mr. O’Carroll said. “You have to practice in real-world conditions.”

Drones, he noted, were excluded from a joint Korean-U.S. special forces exercise this year, as some had malfunctioned on a previous drill.

Chun In-bum, a retired general who formerly led the South’s special forces, pointed to one reason North Koreans march better then South Koreans: Their service is longer, so they drill more.

“South Korean soldiers don’t serve long enough to learn their job,” added Steve Tharp, an ex-U.S. Army lieutenant colonel retired in Korea. “You have a sergeant who has been in the army less than 18 months. I made sergeant in 36 months and that was considered quick.”

South Korean presidents also face democratic pressures that Mr. Kim in Pyongyang never has to confront.

“I blame the politicians and the mothers who have gotten the draft down from 36 months to 18,” Mr. Tharp said.

National muscle is withering in South Korea, old-timers say.

“Guys like me lived in an authoritarian state when we used to do all this well,” Mr. Chun said, a reference to the military regimes that ruled the South until democratic rule was reestablished in 1987.

Mr. Tharp added that conscripts of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s lived a more spartan existence than the prosperous, middle-class youths of today’s South Korea.

“Authoritarian states are good at parades, non-authoritarian states are incapable,” said Mr. Chun, who noted that the planning for today’s parade was rushed. “To do something like this, you really need to push your troops.”

Authoritarian states “want to project power not just to neighboring countries but to their own citizenry,” said Douglas Nash, a historian and expert on Adolf Hitler’s armed forces. “They command a lot of attention.”

Even the weather favored the North: While Seoul’s display took place on a gray afternoon, Pyongyang’s parades — recalling torch-lit Nazi marches — commence after dusk. It’s impressive.

“They started these in October 2020, installing massive new stadium lighting rigs in [Pyongyang’s] Kim Il Sung Square, and they do fly-bys, LED lights and fireworks,” said Mr. O’Carroll. “The aesthetics are much better than a daytime parade.”

But does putting on a good parade make for a better fighting force?

Mr. Nash, a retired US colonel, notes that Hitler’s personal SS bodyguard, the Leibstandarte, transitioned from ceremonial troops into one of Germany’s most effective – and brutal – Panzer divisions. But more recent practice offers a very different perspective.

“Drill is impressive to see, but does not transition to combat efficiencies, as you see in Ukraine,” said Mr. Nash. “The 1st Guards Tank Division is one of Russia’s key parade units, but [it] did not perform that well on the battlefield.”

A market for arms

The parade in Seoul reportedly involved some 170 separate pieces of weaponry, but the missile competition with the North proved not much of a contest: Seoul’s intermediate-range, conventional Hyunmoo ballistic missiles are far less imposing visually than Pyongyang’s hulking, nuclear-capable Hwasong intercontinental ballistic missiles.

While North Korea may be preparing to barter weapons with fellow pariah Russia, U.N. sanctions prevent it from selling arms on the global market. That’s not the case for South Korea, whose gleaming high-tech economy has found a new export outlet in the security world.

Seoul showcased systems including drones, tanks and self-propelled guns and has seen arms sales soar since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. According to the Swedish International Peace Research Institute, South Korea in 2021 had 2.8% of global weapons sales; two years later, that had risen to 3.7%.

A massive package sale to Poland of armor, artillery and warplanes is estimated at over $18 billion. Seoul has also sent a half-million 155mm shells to the Pentagon to replenish depleted U.S. stocks.

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

washingtontimes.com · by Andrew Salmon

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

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."

Access NSS HERE

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