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Quotes of the Day:
"Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay."
– Simone de Beauvoir
“What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven't even happened yet.”
– Anne Frank
“If you don't know, the thing to do is not to get scared, but to learn.”
– Ayn Rand
1. N. Korean leader boasts striking power of new battle tank
2. S. Korea stages live-fire drills with U.S. military engineers near inter-Korean border
3. Cho, Blinken to discuss alliance, peninsula issues next week: foreign ministry
4. S. Korea to seek cooperation with U.S., Japan over N. Korea's abductee issue
5. Another U.S.-N.K. summit unlikely even if Trump is reelected: U.S. expert
6. Trump isn't unpredictable – Seoul should prepare for return of Trump
7. Is Kim Jong-un nervous about Elon Musk's 'Starlink'?
8. Detention of South Korean demonstrates Russia's hostage diplomacy: experts
9. US committee co-chairs call for stopping seafood imports from Chinese firms using NK workers
10.Ukraine war and case of North Korea
11. N. Korean overseas worker welcomes New S. Korean holiday for defectors
12. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Workers frustrated by worsening workplace rations…Some call out company officials in rare rebuke
13. Sanctioned Russian Plane in Pyongyang as Arms Trade Picks Up
14. S. Korea, US close major springtime exercise against N. Korean threats
1. N. Korean leader boasts striking power of new battle tank
Kim's response to the ROK/US Alliance exercises Freedom Shield. (and we still may see a missile test firing or two).
Nice looking tank. Kim looks good in the driver's seat. I wonder how many they have and how much training its crews receive?
Excerpt:
Noting the role of tankmen in modern warfare, Kim underscored the need to organize intensive exercises simulating an actual war and training matches so that "they can carry out any combat mission promptly and accurately in a contingency."
Last week, state media said the North's leader guided artillery firing drills involving front-line units capable of striking the "enemy's capital."
Kim's inspection came as Seoul and Washington have been staging the annual Freedom Shield exercise to strengthen deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. The 11-day drills are set to end later in the day.
(LEAD) N. Korean leader boasts striking power of new battle tank | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · March 14, 2024
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details throughout; CHANGES photos)
By Kim Soo-yeon
SEOUL, March 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has unveiled a new battle tank during training exercises, state media reported Thursday, amid ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the United States.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un drove a new tank himself during the "training match" between tank units Wednesday in a bid to inspect tank troops' actual combat capabilities, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Calling them "the most powerful tanks in the world," Kim expressed satisfaction over their striking power and maneuverability, it said.
"He expressed great satisfaction over the fact that the new-type main battle tank successfully demonstrated its very excellent striking power and maneuverability, displaying its amazing militant performance for the first time in the tankmen's match," the KCNA said.
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on March 14, 2024, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un driving a new battle tank during the "training match" between tank units the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Photos carried by the KCNA showed Kim driving the tank himself and the battle tanks engaged in training exercises in an indication that the country may have deployed them for operations.
North Korea displayed the new tank during a military parade in October 2020 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party. Experts said the tank unveiled this week appears to be the upgraded version.
Noting the role of tankmen in modern warfare, Kim underscored the need to organize intensive exercises simulating an actual war and training matches so that "they can carry out any combat mission promptly and accurately in a contingency."
Last week, state media said the North's leader guided artillery firing drills involving front-line units capable of striking the "enemy's capital."
Kim's inspection came as Seoul and Washington have been staging the annual Freedom Shield exercise to strengthen deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. The 11-day drills are set to end later in the day.
Pyongyang has long denounced joint military drills between Seoul and Washington as rehearsals for an invasion and used them as a pretext for provocations. The allies have said their military exercises are defensive in nature.
At a year-end party meeting, Kim defined inter-Korean ties as relations between "two states hostile to each other" and vowed preparations to occupy the South Korean territory in an event of war.
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on March 14, 2024, shows the North holding a "training match" between tank units the previous day, guided by its leader Kim Jong-un. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
This photo, carried by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on March 14, 2024, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un guiding "training matches" involving tank troops the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · March 14, 2024
2. S. Korea stages live-fire drills with U.S. military engineers near inter-Korean border
As General LaCamera explained in the recent Wall Street Journal article, training is perishable. It must be conducted routinely to maintain the military's "muscle memory." This is why the amount of field and live fire training has doubled over the past couple of years. Combined arms live fire and maneuver are the most complex training exercises.
(LEAD) S. Korea stages live-fire drills with U.S. military engineers near inter-Korean border | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · March 14, 2024
(ATTN: RECASTS lead; UPDATES throughout with details; ADDS photo)
SEOUL, March 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea staged live-fire tank drills Thursday near the inter-Korean border, involving U.S. military engineers, the Army said, as the allies' major annual springtime exercise came to a close.
The drills took place as part of a weeklong training at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, just 25 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border, in connection with the combined Freedom Shield exercise designed to bolster deterrence against the North's nuclear and missile threats.
Some 300 personnel took part in the field training, which mobilized the Army's K1A2 tanks and K21 armored vehicles, among other assets, as well as M1150 assault breacher vehicles from a combined South Korea-U.S. engineering unit.
This file photo, taken March 23, 2023, shows a K1A2 tank firing a round at a training field in Pocheon, just 25 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
South Korean and U.S. troops formed joint battle teams in an effort to strengthen combined operational capabilities.
During the drills, K1A2 tanks and K21 armored vehicles fired at enemy targets as South Korean and U.S. engineers removed obstacles to clear a path for troops to secure the enemy's position, according to the Army.
North Korea has long accused the allies' joint drills as rehearsals for an invasion against it, while Seoul and Washington have said they are defensive in nature.
On Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided a training competition between tank units, where he drove a newly unveiled tank, state media reported, in an apparent show of force against the allies' drills.
The computer-simulated Freedom Shield exercise ended earlier in the day after kicking off March 4. The allies staged a series of concurrent on-field drills to boost readiness against North Korean threats.
The allies' navies have also been staging a three-day joint medical evacuation exercise since Thursday under a scenario of mass wartime casualties.
The drills mobilized a South Korean helicopter and two U.S. choppers to transport injured personnel from Deokjeok Island off Incheon, west of Seoul, to the Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital in Daejeon, 139 km south of the capital, according to the South's Navy.
South Korean Navy medics take part in a joint medical evacuation exercise with U.S. troops on Deokjeon Island in the Yellow Sea on March 13, 2024, in this photo provided by the Navy the next day. (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · March 14, 2024
3. Cho, Blinken to discuss alliance, peninsula issues next week: foreign ministry
11 days of the alliance military instrument of power on display followed by continued alliance diplomacy.
Cho, Blinken to discuss alliance, peninsula issues next week: foreign ministry | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · March 14, 2024
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, March 14 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will discuss the bilateral alliance, democracy and issues regarding the Korean Peninsula when they meet one-on-one in Seoul early next week, Cho's office said Thursday.
Cho is scheduled to host a luncheon meeting for his American counterpart Monday, during which they will also hold bilateral talks, foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said in a briefing.
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (L) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of their talks in Washington on Feb. 28, 2024, in this file photo provided by Cho's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Blinken is expected to arrive in South Korea on Sunday to attend the ministerial segment of the Summit for Democracy, a U.S.-led multination gathering meant to promote solidarity and share values among democratic countries.
"Discussion will take place on democratic cooperation between the two countries that share common values, such as freedom, human rights and the rule of law, and on ways to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance, as well as issues of mutual interest, such as the situation on the Korean Peninsula and around the globe," Lim said.
The expected talks come only weeks after Blinken and Cho had bilateral talks in Washington while Cho was visiting the United States late last month. It was their first in-person talks since Cho took office in January.
After his trip to Seoul, Blinken is expected to depart for the Philippines, where he will have trilateral talks involving Japan, with the recent escalation in tensions with China in the South China Sea likely to top the agenda.
elly@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · March 14, 2024
4. S. Korea to seek cooperation with U.S., Japan over N. Korea's abductee issue
We need to enlarge the human rights issues to include abductees from all countries, divided families, some 90,000 Korean-Japanese "returnees," some 78,000 ROK POWs and their descendants in north Korea, and most importantly the plight of the Korean people in the north. We need all countries (especially the ROK, Japan, and the US as well as the UN) to advocate for all issues for all countries. Most important is that the international community must execute the recommendations in the UN Commission of Inquiry from 2014. Human rights upfront.
S. Korea to seek cooperation with U.S., Japan over N. Korea's abductee issue | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · March 14, 2024
SEOUL, March 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to seek cooperation with the United States and Japan to help resolve the issue of South Koreans abducted and detained by North Korea as those nations saw some of their nationals fall victim to the North's inhumane act, the unification ministry said Thursday.
The move is part of eight policy goals that the ministry and six other government agencies plan to pursue this year to find ways to address the issue of South Korean detainees, abductees and prisoners of war (POWs) in North Korea.
Currently, six South Koreans, including three pastors -- Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kuk-gi and Choe Chun-gil -- have been detained in North Korea for years, with their whereabouts or fates unknown.
This file photo, provided by Yonhap News TV, shows Kim Jung-wook, a South Korean pastor who has been detained in North Korea since 2013. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Separately, 516 South Koreans have yet to return home among an estimated 3,835 people who were kidnapped by North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War, according to government data. At least 60,000 POWs are also estimated to have not come back home after being detained in North Korea.
The ministry said it plans to strengthen its communication channel with Japan and explore cooperative projects on the abductee issue.
Japan said North Korea abducted 17 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. It has insisted 12 of them are still in the North, excluding five whom the North let return home in the past.
The ministry will also support efforts by families of victims of the North's abduction to muster international attention, it said.
The government is believed to consider supporting their exchanges with the family of Otto Warmbier, a U.S. college student who died in 2017 shortly after being released from a yearlong detention in North Korea.
The conservative Yoon Suk Yeol government views the issue of South Korean abductees and detainees as a pressing humanitarian one, saying it is a violation of human rights against South Korean citizens.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · March 14, 2024
5. Another U.S.-N.K. summit unlikely even if Trump is reelected: U.S. expert
One of the questions we often get from our Korean colleagues.
Another U.S.-N.K. summit unlikely even if Trump is reelected: U.S. expert | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · March 14, 2024
By Lee Minji
SEOUL, March 14 (Yonhap) -- Another summit between the United States and North Korea is unlikely even in the event of the reelection of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has held rare meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a U.S. expert said Thursday.
Scott Snyder, a senior fellow for Korea Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, made the remarks at a forum organized by the Sejong Institute in Seoul amid views that Trump's possible win in the upcoming U.S. presidential race could reshape Washington's North Korea strategy.
"North Korea have finally changed their focus away from thinking that they can make a deal with any individual American president, and so they're going in a different direction," Snyder said on the possibility of another Trump-Kim meeting following those in Singapore and Hanoi in 2018-19.
This photo, taken March 14, 2024, shows a forum organized by the Sejong Institute in Seoul on the outlook of the U.S. presidential election in November. (Yonhap)
The U.S. expert also noted how circumstances have changed in South Korea, compared with when the summits took place during the liberal government of Moon Jae-in, saying the administration of Yoon Suk Yeol is unlikely to facilitate Trump's efforts to directly engage with Kim.
While unveiling an "audacious" initiative to help the impoverished North improve its economy in return for denuclearization steps, the Yoon administration has made it clear it will respond to North Korea's provocations based on principle.
Snyder also expected that the North Korea issue may take a back seat in the event of Trump's reelection, noting that policy focus on Washington's intensifying rivalry with China will likely grow.
On the economic front, the U.S. expert said Trump's potential reelection could be a "particular challenge" to South Korean companies that have made investments in clean energy as the former president puts higher priority on producing a broad array of energy over renewable energies and attaining climate change goals.
Still, Snyder said opportunities also lie ahead as Seoul has emerged as Washington's "technology partner." In particular, he said South Korean shipbuilders may benefit from efforts to revitalize the U.S. defense industry and shore up its naval capability.
Snyder expressed skepticism over South Korea going nuclear, saying such a move would entail heavy costs as long as the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT) is in force.
"As long as the NPT is in force, I personally think that it's not in South Korea's interest to be the straw that breaks the camel's back," he said, while noting that South Korea may have to develop self-defense capabilities, including nuclear, if circumstances change.
This Aug. 17, 2023, file photo, from the website of the Korean Economic Institute of America, shows Scott Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies at the U.S. Council of Foreign Relations. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · March 14, 2024
6. Trump isn't unpredictable – Seoul should prepare for return of Trump
Troy Stangarone provides answers to the questions we receive from our Korean colleagues.
One thing I would add that I heard from someone who worked in the Trump administration: Trump puts everything in terms of how can a person or action help him "win?"
Trump isn't unpredictable
The Korea Times · March 13, 2024
Seoul should prepare for return of Trump
By Troy Stangarone
With Donald Trump set to be the Republican presidential nominee after a string of primary wins on March 5, South Korea and other U.S. allies will be increasingly focused on the implications of a potential second Trump presidency for global stability and economic prosperity. A commonly expressed concern is that a restored Trump presidency would be unpredictable. In reality, Trump's policies are relatively clear. The distinctions in Trump's foreign and economic policies are in their divergence from traditional U.S. policy, not in their inherent unpredictability.
Donald Trump has intentionally cultivated his supposed unpredictability as a tool of policy. In an April 2016 foreign policy speech, Trump criticized traditional U.S. foreign policy, stating that the United States "must as a nation be more unpredictable … We are totally predictable. We tell everything … We have to be unpredictable, and we have to be unpredictable starting now."
What gives Trump an air of unpredictability is not his actions, but rather his willingness to say anything and to push established boundaries. He has no compunction about calling a world leader a name one day and then praising them the next. Trump's dealings with North Korea highlight this, as they swung from describing Kim Jong-un as a "maniac" to, in a matter of months, referring to Kim as "very honorable." But outside the Sturm und Drang of his words, there are key characteristics that drive Trump's actions.
While U.S. presidents have long viewed America's allies as a benefit for U.S. security and sought to deepen ties, Trump views U.S. allies as a financial burden — a view that dates back to the 1980s. His recent comment that he would encourage Russia "to do whatever the hell they want" to NATO allies that haven't met their defense spending commitment may have been shocking but is fundamentally no different from his 2016 response when asked if he would come to a NATO state's defense if Russia attacked. In that instance, Trump said, "If they fulfill their obligations to us, the answer is yes."
South Korea's own experience with the last set of cost-sharing negotiations further reflects Trump's view that allies are freeloaders who should pay more. What is less clear is whether he would carry through with his threats to walk away from alliance commitments.
If Trump views allies as a burden, he has an un-American fondness for authoritarian leaders. In addition to Trump's praise of Kim Jong-un, he has described Putin's actions and invasion of Ukraine as "genius" and "savvy." He has called Xi Jinping a "brilliant guy," Viktor Orban "fantastic," and referred to Hezbollah as "very smart" when discussing the terrorist group's actions after Hamas' attack on Israel.
Given Trump's admiration for dictators, it is not surprising that he agreed to Kim Jong-un's request that military exercises be canceled or said that he trusted Putin's expressed views more than those of the U.S. intelligence agencies. No prior U.S. president would have engaged in this behavior, but it is completely in line with Trump's worldview.
Trump's opinions on trade have also been known since the 1980s. Then, he noted that "America is being ripped off. We're a debtor nation, and we have to tax, we have to tariff, we have to protect this country." In his first term, Trump pushed this agenda by demanding the Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement and North American Free Trade Agreement be renegotiated. He used national security provisions in U.S. law to put tariffs on steel, aluminum and consumer goods such as washing machines. The most significant use of tariffs followed the Section 301 investigation into China, which resulted in a wide range of tariffs on Chinese goods.
Both of Donald Trump's core beliefs could raise issues for the alliance. Despite the notion that two conservative leaders would be in alignment on North Korea, Trump's personal relationship with Kim Jong-un could create tensions in the relationship. So could South Korea's level of financial support for U.S. troops, even if the Special Measures Agreement is extended prior to Trump's possible return to office. On trade, the fact that the U.S. trade deficit with South Korea is now almost twice as large as when Trump first came to office could also be a flashpoint.
When Trump was elected in 2016, he was new to the political scene, and there was reason to assume that, similar to prior U.S. presidents, he would govern differently in office than he had campaigned. After witnessing his four years in office and a post-presidency, we now know how Trump acts as a leader. It is not that he is unpredictable, as many of his core tenets have remained the same over decades, but rather that he represents a radically different view of America and its role in the world than has existed since the end of the Second World War. This is the Trump administration for which South Korea and U.S. allies need to prepare.
Troy Stangarone (ts@keia.org) is the senior director of congressional affairs and trade at the Korea Economic Institute. He is a guest editorial writer at The Korea Times.
The Korea Times · March 13, 2024
7. Is Kim Jong-un nervous about Elon Musk's 'Starlink'?
This is a Google translation of. a Radio Free Asia article.
Kim is deathly afraid of the Korean people in the north having access to information. Would Starlink make a contribution to information access in the north?
Is Kim Jong-un nervous about Elon Musk's 'Starlink'?
https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/nk_nuclear_talks/starlink-03112024153556.html
Washington - Jaewoo Park parkja@rfa.org
2024.03.11
'SpaceX' CEO Elon Musk is holding a press conference after successfully launching the 'Falcon 9' rocket.
/AP
00:00 / 02:58
Anchor : Analysis has emerged that the leaders of China and North Korea may be concerned about the commercialization of satellite internet that Elon Musk is pursuing. However , there are also predictions that authoritarian countries will block this in some way . Reporter Jaewoo Park reports on what it is about .
This is an article published by the Swiss daily newspaper Neuechricher Zeitung (NZZ) on the 8th .
It was analyzed that the commercialization of the ' Starlink ' Internet , which is being promoted by Elon Musk, the CEO of the American company 'Tesla', has become a cause for concern for the leaders of China and North Korea .
' Starlink ' is a satellite Internet service developed so that it can be used in any area through satellite rather than the current cable-based general Internet network .
NZZ predicted that if satellite Internet use without a satellite dish were commercialized , North Korea could have significant changes by being able to access the open Internet .
Currently, 70% of households in North Korea have mobile phones , but only 1% have access to the Internet, and even this is so heavily censored that it is called an intranet .
According to the 'Digital 2024 Global Report' published by Singapore-based data analysis agency 'DataReportal', the actual number of internet users in North Korea is less than 1,000 .
For this reason, NZZ explained that ordinary North Korean residents will be able to use the Internet through Starlink Internet .
However, some analyzes say that authoritarian countries such as North Korea and China will not easily allow this.
Sarah Wiedemar , a researcher at the ETH Zurich Center for Security Research, said in a phone call with Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 11th that the North Korean government will not allow this to be easily done .
Researcher Wiedemar : There will still be various ways in which authoritarian regimes can maintain control. They may install signal jamming devices to prevent their citizens from accessing the open Internet . Also, in countries like North Korea, there will be limitations in terms of cost and practical environment such as digital literacy .
According to NZZ , the spread of satellite Internet in Iran has even had negative consequences .
After anti-government protests erupted in Iran in 2022 following the arrest and death of a woman not wearing a hijab properly, the United States eased sanctions against Iran to allow Starlink internet to be activated in Iran .
This allowed protesters to use the internet without censorship. However, the Iranian government blocked the Starlink website just an hour after the service was activated .
In particular, according to Al Jazeera newspaper, pro-government forces are said to have set up a fake Starlink site, identified people trying to visit the site , and spread malware to them .
For this reason, it is unclear whether North Korea will be able to use the Internet even if Starlink expands Internet services by sending more satellites into space in the future.
Editor Park Jeong-woo, Web Team Lee Kyeong-ha
8. Detention of South Korean demonstrates Russia's hostage diplomacy: experts
Will more be taken hostage. As I have said, all the South Koreans working in Russia (and CHina) helping Koreans from the north to escape are vulnerable to Russian (and Chinese) security services.
Excerpts:
"Every move by the Russian government is carefully calculated. I would be prudent about linking the case directly with the current tense bilateral relations, but the timing of the arrest is worrisome," a former South Korean envoy to Russia said, requesting anonymity.
From another perspective, Baek's arrest could signal a shift in Moscow's stance toward North Korean defectors. Russia's position toward North Korean refugees has been relatively lenient compared to China, which forcibly repatriates them to Pyongyang.
"South Korean missionaries in Russia provide North Korean escapees with shelter and assistance in filing their refugee applications with the U.N. refugee agency in Moscow. This practice has been common as the Russian government does not typically crack down on it," said a former diplomat who served in Russia for over a decade.
However, as Moscow strengthens relations with Pyongyang while ties with Seoul are strained, Baek's arrest seemingly demonstrates Russia's toughened stance on North Korean defectors, he added.
Detention of South Korean demonstrates Russia's hostage diplomacy: experts
The Korea Times · March 14, 2024
gettyimagesbank
Seoul requests Moscow's cooperation to ensure safety of detainee
By Lee Hyo-jin
The detention of a South Korean national by Russian authorities on espionage allegations has emerged as a significant diplomatic challenge for Seoul, particularly against the backdrop of strained relations between the two nations.
Observers suggest that the detainee could be caught up in Russia's hostage diplomacy tactics, and anticipate that the situation could drag on for months, if not years. Moreover, this incident could signal a shift in Russia's stance toward North Korean defectors, particularly considering the detainee's purported involvement in assisting North Korean workers in the far eastern region of Russia.
Earlier this week, the Russian state-owned media outlet TASS agency reported that a South Korean man named Baek Kwang-soon, aged 53, was apprehended in January on charges of espionage in Vladivostok. He was subsequently transferred to Moscow's Lefortovo detention facility in February, typically reserved for high-profile political detainees. The Lefortovsky Court has extended his detention until June 15.
This marks the first known case of a South Korean national being arrested on espionage charges in Russia, where such offenses carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
Baek is believed to be associated with a Seoul-based Protestant charity that provides humanitarian aid through missionary work. He served as the head of the organization's Vladivostok branch, primarily involved in aiding North Korean workers in the region.
"The Russian Federal Security Service has long been skeptical about South Korean missionaries, not only because of their religious activities but also due to speculation that there may be government spies among them," Jeong Jae-won, a professor of Eurasian studies at Kookmin University, told The Korea Times.
"While much remains unknown about the case or whether he really engaged in illegal activities, Russia's decision to reveal this incident to the public suggests that it may leverage it to influence relations with South Korea," he added.
The relationship between the two nations has been strained in recent years, mainly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and Seoul decided to support Kyiv by providing non-lethal, humanitarian aid. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in December that the return to a partnership level of cooperation between South Korea and Russia depends on Seoul, according to TASS.
Tourists walk by St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square in Moscow, Jan. 20. TASS-Yonhap
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is maintaining a low-key response, sharing little to no information about the case with the news media, while emphasizing close communication with Russian authorities.
However, critics say that the extensive coverage of Baek's case by TASS could undermine the foreign ministry's efforts to address the situation discreetly through diplomatic channels.
According to the media outlet, citing law enforcement officials, Baek is accused of masquerading as a writer to gather classified information and subsequently passing it on to undisclosed foreign intelligence agencies. The report also provided details about Baek's family and his occupation as the owner of a tour company in Vladivostok.
"Every move by the Russian government is carefully calculated. I would be prudent about linking the case directly with the current tense bilateral relations, but the timing of the arrest is worrisome," a former South Korean envoy to Russia said, requesting anonymity.
From another perspective, Baek's arrest could signal a shift in Moscow's stance toward North Korean defectors. Russia's position toward North Korean refugees has been relatively lenient compared to China, which forcibly repatriates them to Pyongyang.
"South Korean missionaries in Russia provide North Korean escapees with shelter and assistance in filing their refugee applications with the U.N. refugee agency in Moscow. This practice has been common as the Russian government does not typically crack down on it," said a former diplomat who served in Russia for over a decade.
However, as Moscow strengthens relations with Pyongyang while ties with Seoul are strained, Baek's arrest seemingly demonstrates Russia's toughened stance on North Korean defectors, he added.
"This case suggests that Russian authorities may be adopting a less tolerant stance towards South Korean missionaries who aid North Korean workers in escaping, as well as the perceived indirect involvement of the South Korean Embassy in facilitating their escape."
National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin said later on Thursday that crucial communication with Russia is continuing in order to offer consular assistance for Baek.
"There was communication between the authorities of South Korea and Russia before the case was made public," Chang said in a radio interview. "We will continue to explore avenues for providing effective consular protection by closely monitoring the progress of Russia's investigation."
South Korean Ambassador to Moscow Lee Do-hoon met with Russia's Vice Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, Wednesday, and requested active cooperation to ensure Baek's safety and the protection of his rights.
Hours after their meeting, Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a press briefing that the authorities are reviewing granting the detainee consular access.
While she remained tight-lipped about developments in the investigation, she commented that this case does not help improve strained bilateral ties.
"As for the impact on bilateral relations, unfortunately, we have recently seen a lot of things from Seoul that can indeed be qualified as actions that go against the interests of the peoples of the two countries, and to put it mildly, do not contribute to the development of bilateral relations," Zakharova said.
The Korea Times · March 14, 2024
9. US committee co-chairs call for stopping seafood imports from Chinese firms using NK workers
Kill two birds (malign actors) with one stone.
US committee co-chairs call for stopping seafood imports from Chinese firms using NK workers
The Korea Times · March 14, 2024
A letter written by Rep. Christopher Smith and Senator Jeffrey Merkley, co-chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, is seen in this undated file photo captured from a PDF file of the letter posted on the committee's website. Yonhap
The co-chairs of a U.S. congressional committee on China has asked the government to stop seafood imports from Chinese firms employing North Korean workers, noting that the use of labor from the reclusive regime is prohibited under U.S. law and a U.N. Security Council resolution.
On Monday, Rep. Christopher Smith and Senator Jeffrey Merkley, who lead the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, wrote a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to make the call.
They cited a recent report by the non-profit Outlaw Ocean Project published in the New Yorker, which they said "exposed horrific details about abusive practices towards North Koreans forced to work" in seafood processing plants in China and the fact that this seafood ends up on American plates.
"We are writing to ask the Administration to act quickly and decisively to address forced labor in China's seafood industry and the very real possibility that U.S. consumers of seafood are funding North Korea's nuclear saber-rattling," the letter read.
Smith and Merkley stressed that U.S. law prohibits imports of any goods made with North Korean labor, while the U.N. prohibits employment of North Koreans to stop foreign currency transfers to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who they claimed uses the wages to fund his regime's nuclear and other weapons programs.
"Given China's footprint in the global seafood supply chain, American consumers are unwittingly exposed to products likely tainted with such labor," they wrote in the letter.
They added, "Seafood sold in American grocery stores and wholesalers such as Costco and delivered to military bases, school food programs, and even congressional cafeterias makes both American consumers and the U.S. government inadvertently complicit in supporting forced labor and funding Kim Jong Un's dictatorial regime."
In the letter, they urged the U.S. government to take a series of steps as soon as possible, including "immediately" stopping all imports from Chinese companies that employ North Korean labor, and deepening information sharing with like-minded countries to promote transparency in the seafood supply chain from China.
"No U.S. business or federal agency should source seafood caught or processed with forced labor or from companies using North Korean labor, as that labor generates revenue for the North Korean government and violates U.S. law," they said. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · March 14, 2024
10. Ukraine war and case of North Korea
A fair critique of the US and the rules based internal order.
But this is the key point:
But the biggest concern is that Kim may have drawn a disturbing conclusion from Ukraine. His pronouncement last year about preemptive nuclear strikes appear to echo Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling in Ukraine, which many believe has kept NATO at bay.
And it’s possible that Kim may have concluded that he can take provocative military action against South Korea short of a major invasion thinking that his “powerful nuclear deterrent” would prevent the South and the United States from responding in kind. This is a serious possibility that should not be dismissed.
Ukraine war and case of North Korea
The Korea Times · March 14, 2024
By Kim Sang-woo
Kim Sang-woo
The case for supporting Ukraine is supporting democracy and the rule of law, security through alliances and support for an open world, with economic relations founded on common rules. Now often referred to as the rules-based international order.
The United States took the lead in establishing this system, with the blunders, hypocrisy and inconsistency of implementation since the late 1940s, and brought about three generations of relative peace among great powers, no third world war and unparalleled prosperity. It saw an end to the European and Soviet empires.
The United States is frequently accused of acting like other great powers in the past. But the U.S.-led order is not zero-sum. It held open the gates of growth and encouraged the rise and prosperity of countries all over the world.
After the invasion of Ukraine by Russia began in February 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke of the need to meet simultaneous challenges to the “rules-based international order” from two authoritarian adversaries, China and Russia.
However, former U.S. President Donald Trump and his “MAGA” allies have made clear that they do not accept the term “rules-based international order.” Rhetorically, they reject it as “globalism” bringing back memories of the "America first" isolationists in Congress before the U.S. entered World War II.
Trump repeatedly expressed disdain and even hostility towards NATO and the European Union; he seems to prefer great power politics and the logic of “might makes right.”
On Feb. 1, Brussels passed a four-year $54 billion package of aid to Ukraine. Meanwhile, a proposed $60 billion aid package to Kyiv remains blocked in Congress due to opposition from House Republicans.
Europe considers the attempted destruction of Ukraine as an existential threat. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned that Russia could invade a NATO state within five to eight years, plunging all of Europe into war.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen frequently reminds Europeans that “Ukraine is fighting for us.” While Europe has continued to ramp up support for arming Ukraine, training Ukraine soldiers and boosting European arms production, Europe would have to substantially increase its efforts in order to win without the United States, in case it comes to that.
On Jan. 30, French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that Europe “must be ready to act to defend and support Ukraine with whatever it takes and whatever America decides.”
On the other hand, China has aligned more closely with Russia. Beijing is also intensifying its cooperation with the emerging countries of the Global South and taking a more anti-American, and generally anti-Western, position.
It was the message of the video conference between President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin at the end of last year.
In China’s foreign ministry readout, Xi stated that China and Russia should “strengthen strategic coordination,” safeguard their “national sovereignty, security development interests” and “resolutely oppose external interference in their internal affairs.”
Before Xi came to power, decades of reform under his predecessors had led Chinese administrative and technical elites toward approaches somewhat closer to the West. But that changed after Xi.
A case in point is the recent appointment as China’s new defense minister Dong Jun, a former navy commander in the South China Sea and a Russian speaker trained at Russia’s top military institute. And his first official engagement was a video call to his Russian counterpart, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
When the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine began, China seemed confident that Kyiv would quickly fall. However, from the beginning, Moscow’s “Special Military Operation” did not go as expected and met with one military disaster after another.
Beijing launched its “smart diplomacy,” trying to avoid the appearance of being Russia’s accomplice in the war, instead presenting itself as a neutral mediator. Li Hui, former Chinese ambassador to Russia was dispatched to Kyiv as Beijing’s Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs to meet Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to Politico and Nikkei Asia, Putin was alarmed by Xi’s decision to mediate in the Ukraine war, seeing it as a move by the pro-Western, pro-U.S. faction in China’s foreign ministry. Putin sent a trusted official to tell Xi that his protégé, Foreign Minister Qin Gang, had allegedly leaked secrets to the U.S. He was removed and never heard from again, and a swift purge followed. Accordingly, Xi changed his stance on Ukraine.
Beijing in late 2023 signaled that China had no interest in taking part in peace talks proposed by Ukraine and the West, and maintained it had “limited influence” over the warring parties.
But something apparently has changed, and in late February 2024, China’s foreign ministry announced that the special envoy Li Hui, would embark on “the second round of shuttle diplomacy” trying to find a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis.
Meanwhile, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has taken advantage of the rising power rivalry, and the renewal of a strategic and military relationship between North Korea and Russia.
North Korea’s military relationship with Russia has steadily expanded in volume and scope since the spring of 2023. North Korea supplies ammunition and missiles to Russia. In return, North Korea benefits from Russian military-related technologies from Moscow.
But the biggest concern is that Kim may have drawn a disturbing conclusion from Ukraine. His pronouncement last year about preemptive nuclear strikes appear to echo Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling in Ukraine, which many believe has kept NATO at bay.
And it’s possible that Kim may have concluded that he can take provocative military action against South Korea short of a major invasion thinking that his “powerful nuclear deterrent” would prevent the South and the United States from responding in kind. This is a serious possibility that should not be dismissed.
Kim Sang-woo (swkim54@hotmail.com), a former lawmaker, is chairman of the East Asia Cultural Project and a member of the board of directors at the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation.
The Korea Times · March 14, 2024
11. N. Korean overseas worker welcomes New S. Korean holiday for defectors
Human rights upfront, sound policy actions, and the flow of information to Koreans in and from the north can influence target audience attitudes.
N. Korean overseas worker welcomes New S. Korean holiday for defectors
"My perception of South Korea has improved as it appears the country is making efforts to adhere to policies that treat defectors warmly," a North Korean overseas laborer told Daily NK
By Seulkee Jang -
March 14, 2024
dailynk.com
N. Korean overseas worker welcomes New S. Korean holiday for defectors - Daily NK English
The South Korean government recently decided to designate July 14 as “North Korean Defectors’ Day.” Minister of Unification Kim Yung-ho announced that the day would be an opportunity to remember North Korean defectors in South Korean society and send a message of hope to the North Korean people.
To realize a “free, peaceful and unified Korean Peninsula,” as President Yoon Suk Yeol stressed during his March 1 Independence Movement Day address, the Unification Ministry plans to push three central tasks this year: properly informing the public about Korea, inducing changes in North Korea and strengthening South Korea’s capacity for unification. The enactment of North Korean Defectors’ Day is aimed at enhancing South Korea’s capacity for unification.
To learn more about North Koreans’ thoughts on the new holiday, Daily NK interviewed a North Korean worker in Russia earlier this month. The full interview is below.
Daily NK: The South Korean government designated July 14 as “North Korean Defectors’ Day” to mark South Korea’s first passage of the North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act on July 14, 1997. Have you heard this news?
“Overseas workers like us closely watch these policies by South Korea and greatly welcome the news [of the enactment of North Korean Defectors’ Day]. People in North Korea will also learn of the news, albeit later than us. When they do, they could think of South Korea as another fatherland.”
Daily NK: What was the first thing you thought when you heard the news?
“I thought it was a significant day for people who live with holidays like the Day of the Sun and the Day of the Shining Star imprinted on us more than our parent’s or sibling’s birthday. I’m one of the people who want to become a South Korean citizen. Since leaving my home in the fatherland and coming overseas, I’ve wanted to seize that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, I haven’t been able to go [to South Korea] because I don’t know how. It’s also true that I’m scared because I’ll be killed if I’m caught. Since coming abroad, I’ve been coming to realize that the government’s talk of the supposed accomplishments of North Korea’s leaders and the party’s ideology are all lies. I have countless thoughts about how I want to go to a nation that accepts me and where I can live free to live my life truly.”
Daily NK: What do you think of South Korea? Or what is your perception of the country?
“I think it’s a free, strong and rich country. My perception of South Korea wasn’t good when reports emerged a few years ago that some defectors who escaped by boat to the South were forcibly sent back to the North. Other workers here criticized [South Korea] for sending them back to the North when it was clear they were being sent to their deaths. However, seeing how South Korea has enacted North Korean Defectors’ Day, my perception of South Korea has improved as it appears the country is making efforts to adhere to policies that treat defectors warmly.”
Daily NK: Have you encountered anyone who has gone to South Korea?
“I’ve talked directly with somebody over the phone, and I’ve heard through others how people are living. I often heard that life was much better there than in North Korea and that the government supports defectors. However, they told me that everything in the [South Korean] movies was fiction. I heard it was really hard to live as well as native South Koreans. Is anywhere as good as one thinks? In reality, probably not. Still, is working here in Russia easy? We work for dear life, eating and wearing scraps and buying what the merchants put in front of their shops right before it goes bad just to save a penny. I really want to go to South Korea right away.”
Daily NK: What kind of life do you want to lead if you go to South Korea?
If I go to there, I just want to work at a company, learn new skills, and gradually save money to send to my family in North Korea.”
Daily NK: What would you like to say to the South Korean government?
“Given that the country has announced a North Korean Defectors’ Day, I hope that South Korea never sends defectors back to the North. People who have risked their lives to go to the South — and their families — will be slaughtered like animals if they go back to the North. Would you put your own family in harm’s way like that? I want to believe such a thing won’t happen again. My heart has warmed hearing that South Korea enacted the holiday. I’m grateful.”
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
Seulkee Jang
Seulkee Jang is one of Daily NK’s full-time reporters and covers North Korean economic and diplomatic issues, including workers dispatched abroad. Jang has a M.A. in Sociology from University of North Korean Studies and a B.A. in Sociology from Yonsei University. She can be reached at skjang(at)uni-media.net.
MORE STORIES
dailynk.com
12. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Workers frustrated by worsening workplace rations…Some call out company officials in rare rebuke
Please observe for indicators of internal instability in the north.
＜Inside N. Korea＞ Workers frustrated by worsening workplace rations…Some call out company officials in rare rebuke
asiapress.org
A North Korean laborer seen working near the Yalu River. He has a dog with him. Taken on the Chinese side of the border in October 2023. (ASIAPRESS)
In North Korea's rural cities, disparities in food rations provided by different companies are growing. In January, some company workers received no rations at all, prompting employees to publicly criticize the incompetence of their managers. Meanwhile, the authorities are trying to prevent a growing number of workers from changing to jobs with managers who are better able to provide rations. (KANG Ji-won / JEON Sung-jun)
◆ Revival of an unstable rationing system
Since Kim Jong-un took power, North Korea has given factories and companies more discretion in their management activities, all part of efforts to push them to improve their own management and treat their employees better. This was seen as an attempt to supplement the rationing system, which had largely collapsed since the mid-1990s, but these efforts have not been very successful. Moreover, during this period, the rise of private economic activity, including at local markets, made the poor rations at companies an issue of little concern given that many people made their living in other ways.
While markets provided North Koreans with a way to earn money, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted North Korean authorities to begin a full-scale crackdown on almost all types of private economic activity, including market activities, from 2020 to 2021.
The authorities ordered companies to revive what had been a laxly controlled system of rationing in order to provide workers with as much food as possible. These efforts were aimed at forcing employees to show up for work. The amount of rations varies from company to company, but in the northern provinces of North Pyongan, Yanggang, and Hamgyong, workers are typically given five to seven days’ worth of food per month.
According to a February 13 report from an ASIAPRESS reporting partner in Yanggang Province, the rationing system has become even more important to people who have lost their main source of income due to the government’s strong crackdowns on private economic activities.
"They don't let us do business and we have to rely on rations and state-run grain shops. People are becoming more reliant on the rations, which they didn't care about before because women earned money."
State-run grain shops: The Kim Jong-un regime is selling food through these shops as part of efforts to crackdown on the illegal sale of white rice and corn in markets.
◆ Ration system reveals inequalities
The problem is that the economic situation in North Korea has deteriorated since the pandemic. As a result, many businesses are unable to provide rations, which has revealed the inequalities in North Korean society.
While some companies are able to self-manage their rations-related issues by earning money from side jobs outside of their main business, others are not. A reporting partner told ASIAPRESS:
"In Hyesan, a steel factory handed out rations for January, but nothing was given to workers at a shoe factory or beer factory. The steel factory specialized in transporting firewood (as a side business) and made money, so they (were able) to give some rations to the workers."
According to the reporting partner, the steel plant used the factory's labor force to transport firewood for heating, which was in high demand during the winter months. The money earned from this business was used to distribute rations to the workers.
"The factory managers say they have a hard time running the factory because workers are complaining openly about who gets rations and who doesn't, even though they work the same amount."
◆ Discontent rises, leading to explosions of anger at officials
The reporting partner said the issue became particularly acute among workers around February 16 (Kim Jong-il's birthday), a national holiday in North Korea, when holiday rations varied widely between companies. The situation prompted the party committee in Hyesan to take action.
The disparity in rations, which came at a crucial time of the year, led workers to complain to managers and hold them accountable, he said.
"On February 6, there was an ideological struggle meeting at a shoe factory against the unemployed and other illegal elements of society, and there was an incident where a worker criticized a workplace official for being incompetent about handing out rations."
Taken aback by the rare criticism, the official in question replied: "Could you do my job any better?" At that, the worker upped the ante by replying: "If you can't give out rations, what kind of a leader are you, and why should we listen to you?"
◆Workers attempting to somehow switch jobs
The reporting partner said that there is a growing trend among workers to take second jobs in factories run by "competent" managers who give them rations.
"They will apply for a leave of absence with excuses such as illness, difficulty making a living, or tuberculosis infections. Then, after three months, they will apply for a new job and try to move to the factory (through bribes)."
As the number of such cases has increased, the labor department of the people's committee (local government) has been taking notice. Local officials have instructed people who have moved jobs to go back to their original jobs; however, telling people what to do is challenging because some have gone to extreme measures of changing their residence in order to switch jobs.
It seems unlikely that Kim Jong-un's regime, which has used the pandemic as an opportunity to continue its policy of tightening state control and management, will change course now. However, the seeds of inequality in North Korea's society are not going to go unnoticed, which means that developments going forward must be closely watched.
※ ASIAPRESS communicates with reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
A map of North Korea (ASIAPRESS)
asiapress.org
13. Sanctioned Russian Plane in Pyongyang as Arms Trade Picks Up
Sanctioned Russian Plane in Pyongyang as Arms Trade Picks Up
By Jon Herskovitz
March 13, 2024 at 3:11 AM EDT
A Russian cargo plane under US sanctions touched down in Pyongyang this week for an unannounced trip that raised concerns about illegal arms transfers, a specialist news service reported.
The Ilyushin 76TD plane linked to Russia’s military departed from Shanghai on Monday and made a sharp turn toward North Korea, NK News reported Wednesday based on data from commercial tracking service FlightRadar24.
The plane departed for Tianjin, southeast of Beijing and then left for Moscow on Tuesday, it said. NK News, a Seoul-based provider of news on North Korea, said there was no commercial satellite imagery showing the Russian cargo plane on the ground in Pyongyang. But the South Korean DongA Ilbo newspaper said it was there for several hours, giving workers enough time to unload and load cargo.
There was no mention on the flight in North Korea’s official media. NK News said the tail number of the plane was the same as an Ilyushin 76TD cargo plane sanctioned by the US Treasury in January 2023 when it took action to “degrade the Russian Federation’s capacity to wage war against Ukraine.”
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense did not comment on the flight. It did say in a statement that “South Korea and the US have been tracking and monitoring related signs.”
Vladimir Putin, center left, with Kim Jong Un, center right, in Amur region on Sept. 13, 2023.Photographer: Mikhail Metzel/AFP/Getty Images
While it is uncertain what may have been on board the plane, flights of military-related planes between Russia and North Korea have been rare in recent years and thought by weapons experts to be linked to the transfer of arms by Kim Jong Un’s regime to help President Vladimir Putin in his assault on Ukraine.
Last year, there were two flights tracked by FlightRadar24 that caught attention, including a Russian military VIP plane that touched down in Pyongyang days after Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to the North Korean capital to attend a military parade hosted by Kim, who also gave him a tour of a weapons exhibit. Another Russian military VIP plane landed in Pyongyang in September, stoking concerns that it transported officials for arms deals.
North Korea and Russia did not comment on either flight and have denied accusations from the US, Japan, South Korea and others of the arms transfers.
A satellite photo of the North Korean port in Rason on March 10.Source: Planet Labs
Read more: Ghost Ships at Reawakened North Korea Port Put Ukraine in Peril
After the flights, satellite imagery showed sea traffic picking up between the once sleepy North Korean port of Najin near the border of Russia and Dunay, a former Soviet submarine base about 180 kilometers (110 miles) away. The White House provided imagery it said showed weapons being sent on the route and delivered thousands of miles away to a depot in the Russian town of Tikhoretsk for use in Ukraine.
The Russian-North Korean Trade Connection
Two ports suspected of bring hubs for an arms trade
North Korea has shipped containers that could hold as many as 3 million rounds of artillery shells to Russia, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik told reporters last month. This could allow Putin to maintain his assault on Ukraine as Kyiv’s stocks of ammunition dwindle.
Kyiv is estimated to need at least 200,000 rounds a month to keep up the fight against Russia’s invading forces, whose average daily shell use can be anywhere from three to five times what Ukrainian forces can fire.
Russia in return for munitions and ballistic missiles is providing North Korea with food, raw materials and parts used in weapons manufacturing, Shin said. The food aid has helped Kim stabilize prices for necessities, he said, adding if the arms transfers grow, Russia is set to send more military technology to Kim, which increases Pyongyang’s ability to threaten the region.
The sea trade may have briefly slowed in the past few weeks. One of the vessels named by the US as involved in the trade and subject to US Treasury sanctions, the Russian cargo ship Angara, appears to be at a dry-dock facility in China for repairs, maritime tracking data indicates.
Satellite imagery from Sunday showed another Russia cargo ship thought to have gone in for repairs, the Lady R, has returned to the port in North Korea, NK News reported.
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the US is offering a fresh package of $300 million for Ukraine, with the funds coming from contract savings on weapons bought to replenish those sent to Kyiv earlier. Biden cautioned that package was “not nearly enough.”
— With assistance from Shinhye Kang, Soo-Hyang Choi, and Danny Lee
14. S. Korea, US close major springtime exercise against N. Korean threats
S. Korea, US close major springtime exercise against N. Korean threats
The Korea Times · March 14, 2024
This file photo shows K1A2 tanks firing a round at a training field in Pocheon, just 25 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border, during the military drills, March. 14. Joint Press Corps
South Korea and the United States on Thursday wrapped up a major combined military exercise designed to reinforce deterrence against North Korean threats, the South's military said, as Pyongyang remained relatively mum over the exercise it has accused of being an invasion rehearsal.
The annual computer-simulated Freedom Shield exercise drew to a close after kicking off March 4 amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang's recent saber-rattling, including artillery firings near the western sea border and a series of missile launches.
This year's Freedom Shield took place with an aim to improve the allies' combined defense posture, focusing on multi-domain operations by utilizing land, sea, air, cyber and space assets, and countering the North's nuclear operations.
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, left, shakes hands with a U.S. service member during his visit to Command Post TANGO bunker complex in Seongnam, in this photo provided by the Ministry of Nationa Defense, March 13. Yonhap
On Wednesday, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik called on troops to master operational systems to "neutralize" the North's nuclear and missile networks as he visited a key wartime command bunker complex in Seongnam, just south of Seoul.
The allies, however, did not train under a scenario of nuclear weapon use by North Korea, with that scenario expected to be incorporated in their major combined exercise in August.
In connection with Freedom Shield, the two sides planned a total of 48 on-field exercises this month, more than double the figure in a similar period last year.
Personnel from 12 member states of the United Nations Command, including Britain, also joined the exercise with the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, tasked with overseeing the armistice of the 1950-53 Korean War, observing them.
The springtime exercise had raised concerns of Pyongyang conducting further provocative acts over the 11-day period, but the North did not stage high-profile military demonstrations, such as missile launches.
Pyongyang has long denounced the allies' military drills as rehearsals for an invasion against it and has a track record of conducting missile launches in protest.
Shortly after this year's Freedom Shield began, the North warned the allies would pay a "dear price" over the exercise, with its leader Kim Jong-un guiding a series of military field training over the exercise period, including one involving a newly unveiled tank Wednesday.
The South's military said it also detected attempts believed to be made by the North to jam Global Position System signals around the northwestern border islands in the Yellow Sea from March 5-7. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · March 14, 2024
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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