Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"Neither Thucydides, nor Clausewitz would have gone so far; both perceived a much larger chasm, between the rough-and-tumble of peacetime, competition, and the violent, blood-soaked reality of war. But Thucydides, whose writings greatly influenced Hobbes, also portrayed the core of international relations as the naked exercise of power. As his Athenians say to the Spartans in 432 BC: we have done nothing extraordinary, nothing contrary to human nature, in accepting an empire when it was offered to us, and then in refusing to give it up. Three very powerful motives prevent us from doing so – security, honor, and self-interest. And we were not the first to act this way. Far from it. It has always been a rule that the week should be subject to the strong; and, besides, we consider that we are worthy of our power. Up till the present moment you, too, used to think that we were, but now, after calculating your interest, you are beginning to talk in terms of right and wrong."

– Williams and Maury, Alvin, Bernstein, at, el.,, The Making of Strategy: Rulers, States, and War

"A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny."

- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

"The most shocking fact about war is that its victims and its instruments are individual human beings, and that these individual beings are condemned by the monstrous conventions of politics to murder or be murdered in quarrels not their own."

– Aldous Huxley

1. 'Bloody Saturday' at Voice of America and other U.S.-funded networks

2. Voice of America channels fall silent as Trump administration guts agency and cancels contracts

3. Trump Order Aims to Dismantle Voice of America, Other Programs

4. Voice of America bias inquiry sparks concerns of political meddling

5. RFA Operations at Risk of Disruption as Federal Grants End

6. Hungry North Korean soldiers sell military gear to buy food

7. The best way to curb the cruelty of the world’s worst regimes

8. America’s bullied allies need to toughen up

9. Ruling party to accept impending Constitutional Court ruling on Yoon's impeachment

10. N. Korea's top diplomat meets Russia's vice foreign minister in Pyongyang

11. N. Korea warns U.S. war reinforcements will be 'wiped out' after stealth jet deployment to Japan

12. Rival parties play blame game after U.S. places South Korea on nuclear 'sensitive' country list

13. PPP, DP vow to acknowledge impeachment ruling, but keep up pressure on court

14. Constitutional Court expected to decide on Yoon's impeachment soon

15. Rebuilding Civil-Military Trust in South Korea

16. Numerous Smartphones Infected with Spyware from North Korea

17. Raging Kim could execute his OWN staff over stag party-style bash 'with escorts'

1. 'Bloody Saturday' at Voice of America and other U.S.-funded networks

We have ceded the political warfare battle space to China, Russia, Iran, and north Korea. This is one of the most incredible national security mistakes that we could make.

What do we have in the government arsenal to compete in the information space after we eliminate Voice of America et. al.?

I am sure some people are pleased with this. I certainly am not.

Some of the best national security journalists I know are in the Korean service of VOA and RFA.

These organizations are the most powerful media outlets to inform the world and explain administration policies. The Trump administration has no other means now to broadcast public US messages and information directly to the people and leaders in north Korea (or China, Russia, or Iran for that matter). The Trump administration cannot can rely on private media to provide objective information to foreign target audiences.

This is one of the most incredible national security mistakes that we could make.

Note that the US Agency for Global Media is the parent organization of Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. It so saddens me to see them under attack by what frankly are people who have no clue what they do or the effects they achieve (which unfortunately are for the most part intangible and very long term) and who have never worked with them or even listened to their reporting. What they know about VOA, et.al., is a result of political attacks on them (because they are certainly not listening to those who know about the organizations or objectively support them).

On the possibly optimistic side of this is that it appears that they are paring down the organizations to only what is statutorily required. It is hard to argue that you should only be doing what is statutorily required. It may be a valid critique that these organizations have grown beyond their statutory functions. But this is a gray area. I am sure the DOGE wiz kids will be interpreting the statutes literally and strictly and force what they believe to be any extraneous activity to be eliminated.

However, organizations conduct continuous mission analysis and identify the specific tasks (statute based) as well as implied tasks. These implied tasks may be necessary to support the specified tasks. It appears that the opportunity exists for these agencies to justify their activities in accordance with the statutes that govern their existence. The problem is that the algorithm of the DOGE wiz kids may not be sufficient to assess the effects of these agencies or understand the necessity of implied tasks that go into ensuring the statutory tasks are properly executed. But of course the counter to that argument is that these agencies have just expanded and become bloated and have decided to undertake functions that are not specifically authority directed.

If this is all done on good faith we could actually have a chance improve governance while improving our stewardship of taxpayer dollars. That is the ideal goal. But I fear the DOGE wiz kids are hell bent on not only cost savings but also elimination of functions with which they have political and philosophical disagreement. (And sometimes worse, elimination of functions for which they have no understanding).

And on the other hand I fear these organizations are going to do what all bureaucracies do and that is to follow their prime directive and protect their force structure (manpower) and budget slice of the pie. They must protect the organization's equities above all else. This is where good leadership is necessary both in overseeing the entire process to achieve the public good and within agencies to make the hard calls to justify whatever is critical to accomplishing their statutory requirements.

The question is who is going to act in good faith in this process?

'Bloody Saturday' at Voice of America and Radio Free Asia

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/15/nx-s1-5329244/bloody-saturday-voiceofamerica-radio-free-asia-europe-trump-kari-lake

'Bloody Saturday' at Voice of America and other U.S.-funded networks

UPDATED MARCH 15, 20254:46 PM ET

David Folkenflik

President Trump's late-night decree Friday led to orders gutting the Voice of America and other U.S.-funded international broadcasters.

Andrew Harnik/AP

Journalists showed up at the Voice of America today to broadcast their programs only to be told they had been locked out: Federal officials had embarked on indefinite mass suspensions.

All full-time staffers at the Voice of America and the Office for Cuba Broadcasting, which runs Radio and Television Martí, were affected — more than 1,000 employees. The move followed a late Friday night edict from President Trump that its parent agency, called the U.S. Agency for Global Media, must eliminate all activities that are not required by law.

In addition, under the leadership of Trump appointees, the agency has severed all contracts for the privately incorporated international broadcasters it funds, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.

2. Voice of America channels fall silent as Trump administration guts agency and cancels contracts

This is the most idiotic, insulting, ignorant, and ill-informed statement I have ever heard. Musk must have never spoken with anyone from China, Russia, Iran, or north Korea or anyone else who lived in an authoritarian country who turned to VOA, RFA, RFE/RL, et.al. for the truth not only about the outside world and America but also the truth about their own countries.

Excerpts:

Trump’s order said affected agencies should stop performing all work that is not statutorily mandated, and do the rest with as few people as possible.

The order was in line with Elon Musk’s declaration in February that government-funded international broadcasters should be shut down altogether.

“Nobody listens to them anymore,” Musk posted on X. “It’s just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money.”

This is an important statement. Congresswomen Kim knows the incredible value of Voice of America and the strategic contribution it makes in the political warfare fight with north Korea. The question is will Congress act to right this huge national security strategic error?

Advocates for the outlets strongly disagree, pointing to the broadcasters as a bulwark for democracy. Those voices include Republican lawmakers.

“Gutting Radio Free Asia and other U.S. Agency for Global Media platforms counters the principles of freedom our nation was founded on and cedes leverage to the Chinese Communist Party, North Korea and other regimes,” Rep. Young Kim, a California Republican who chairs the House Select Committee on East Asia and Pacific, told Politico last week.

It is unclear what will happen next to the USAGM’s various platforms.

Voice of America channels fall silent as Trump administration guts agency and cancels contracts | CNN Business

CNN · by Brian Stelter · March 15, 2025

Voice of America headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 14, 2025.

Francis Chung/Politico/AP

CNN —

The Voice of America may not live up to its ambitious name for much longer.

Michael Abramowitz, the director of VOA, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that he was placed on leave, along with “virtually the entire staff” of 1,300. The announcement comes one day after President Trump signed an executive order to gut VOA’s parent agency.

Some of VOA’s local-language radio stations have stopped broadcasting news reports and switched over to music to fill the airtime, according to listeners.

Even top editors at VOA have been ordered to stop working, so employees expect the broadcaster’s worldwide news coverage to grind to a halt, according to half a dozen sources who spoke with CNN on the condition of anonymity.

“The Voice of America has been silenced, at least for now,” a veteran correspondent said.

Voice of America is part of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which also runs networks like Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. Those networks are also on Trump’s chopping block, as networks’ contracts with the operators have been terminated.

While Trump allies argue that the broadcasters are bloated and outdated, advocates say that by dismantling the networks, the United States is ceding the airwaves to China and other world powers, thereby harming American interests abroad.

The United States has been funding international news and current affairs coverage intended for global audiences for decades. Both Republican and Democratic leaders have supported the attempts to promote accurate news — and democratic values — in places that are saturated by foreign propaganda.

The agency’s mission statement, codified in law, is to “inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy.”

But the Trump administration has different expectations. An internal memo earlier this month said the mission is to “clearly and effectively present the policies of the Trump Administration around the world.”

Trump appointed conservative media critic Brent Bozell III to run the parent agency and tapped election-denying former TV anchor Kari Lake to run VOA. Bozell’s Senate confirmation hearing is months away, with Lake serving as a “senior adviser.” Lake signed some of the emails announcing Saturday’s cuts.

Lake tweeted that the dismantling was taking effect because “the president has issued an Executive Order titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.”

Trump’s order said affected agencies should stop performing all work that is not statutorily mandated, and do the rest with as few people as possible.

The order was in line with Elon Musk’s declaration in February that government-funded international broadcasters should be shut down altogether.

“Nobody listens to them anymore,” Musk posted on X. “It’s just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money.”

Advocates for the outlets strongly disagree, pointing to the broadcasters as a bulwark for democracy. Those voices include Republican lawmakers.

“Gutting Radio Free Asia and other U.S. Agency for Global Media platforms counters the principles of freedom our nation was founded on and cedes leverage to the Chinese Communist Party, North Korea and other regimes,” Rep. Young Kim, a California Republican who chairs the House Select Committee on East Asia and Pacific, told Politico last week.

It is unclear what will happen next to the USAGM’s various platforms.

In addition to the employees who were put on leave Saturday, some contractors who were working for VOA were told to hand in their badges.

Other staffers went to VOA offices on Saturday to gather their belongings because they feared being locked out altogether, sources said.

But in a recent memo, before Trump signed his order, Lake made it sound like the broadcasters will continue to exist in some fashion going forward.

“It is critical we recognize our agency is funded by hardworking American taxpayers, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet,” Lake wrote earlier this month. “That means we have an added responsibility to restore their trust while working efficiently and honestly to cover this consequential moment in our nation’s history.”

Lake said she would modernize the agency “into something the American people are willing to support.”

Abramowitz said in his Facebook post that “VOA needs thoughtful reform, and we have made progress in that regard,” but sidelining the staff means that VOA won’t be able to carry out its mission.

“That mission is especially critical today,” he wrote, “when America’s adversaries, like Iran, China, and Russia, are sinking billions of dollars into creating false narratives to discredit the United States.”

The American Foreign Service Association released a statement Saturday that it “will mount a vigorous defense of USAGM and the Foreign Service professionals whose expertise is indispensable to its mission.”

CNN · by Brian Stelter · March 15, 2025

3. Trump Order Aims to Dismantle Voice of America, Other Programs

We have ceded the political warfare battle space to China, Russia, Iran, and north Korea. What do we have in the government arsenal to compete in the information space after we eliminate Voice of America et. al.? We should keep in mind that one of the primary functions of VOA , in addition to providing the news around the world, is to explain US policies to foreign target audiences. When Biden was in office they explained Biden policies. With Trump in office they have begun explaining Trump policies (as they are developing) to foreign target audiences. They explain these policies from the point of view of various experts across the political spectrum. And foreign target audiences trust VOA for news. Without VOA how are these foreign target audiences going to learn about US policies and the US in general? Are they going to only get that information from the Chinese, Russia, Iranian, and north Korean information services? How does the Trump administration propose to compete in the information and political warfare battlespace?

Trump Order Aims to Dismantle Voice of America, Other Programs

The president’s move gives offices one week to comply, part of his effort to scale back government

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-issues-executive-order-to-dismantle-several-programs-including-voice-of-america-d9676cda?st=VWXWV1&utm

By Natalie Andrews

March 15, 2025 12:41 pm ET

The Voice of America building in Washington. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Associated Press

WASHINGTON—President Trump ordered the dismantling of seven government offices, including the parent of Voice of America and another focused on solving homelessness, part of his continuing mission to reduce the size of the federal government.

The late Friday executive order stands to test the bounds of presidential power, as Congress created most of the small offices through statute. The order instructs the offices to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”

One of the offices that the executive order seeks to eliminate is the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which is the parent for Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Those organizations were established to emphasize democratic values by providing news in countries where a free press is threatened, including Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Russia and Ukraine. The organizations employ thousands of journalists.

Trump selected Kari Lake as his top adviser for the agency. Lake is a former Arizona journalist who ran unsuccessfully for governor and Senate, adopting Trump’s bold style and consistently criticizing the media that covered her race. Lake on Saturday posted a link to the order on social media, saying on X: “If you are an employee of the agency please check your email immediately for more information.”

Liberty’s CFO Joseph Lataille terminating federal grant funding.

The other offices included in Trump’s order were: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, formed to ease labor-management conflicts; the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a think tank; the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which provides grants to libraries and museums; the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness; the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, which promotes access to capital and local economic growth; and the Minority Business Development Agency, which is housed under the Commerce Department.

The Trump administration has moved to rapidly reduce the size of the federal government, throwing the workforce into tumult, with thousands of people losing their jobs—and then in some cases getting them back through court order. There are roughly 2.3 million Americans working for the federal government in civilian jobs.

While relatively obscure, the offices were largely established with bipartisan support. The Woodrow Wilson Center, for example, describes itself as “fiercely nonpartisan” on its website and was established by Congress in 1968.

The limiting of services could have local impacts. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the largest source of federal funding support for library services in the country, according to its website.

Write to Natalie Andrews at natalie.andrews@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications

Employees of VOA on Saturday received an email saying that they are being put on administrative leave. An earlier version of this article said that their employment was terminated. (Corrected on March 15)

4. Voice of America bias inquiry sparks concerns of political meddling

Steve Herman is the example that sits in people's minds about VOA. This is how VOA gets accused of bias. The actions of one reporter who asked hard questions that some do not like. VOA is supposed to be the exemplar for freedom of the press. One of the only countries in the world who runs a media organization (UK's BBC also comes to mind) that allows complete freedom of the press to report on anything, good or bad, to tell the news stories and explain US government policy through media reporting to overseas foreign target audiences.

But all that most Americans know about VOA comes from reports like these where they see someone ask hard questions that the administration does not like.

As I reflect on the actions so far things are becoming clear. The Trump administration and Musk and the DOGE wiz kids are opposed to soft power because it is perceived as weak. They are taking the expression peace through strength literally to mean that we can only be strong and we should not be using any tools that are soft (and therefore, by definition perceived as weak). We do not need any "weak" policies, only strong ones.

And I think it goes deeper than that. I think the core policy is to stop immigration. And the problem with organizations like VOA and USAID is that they inform the world about American values and goodness which contributes to the old view of America as a "city on a hill" and beacon of hope for people who desire to be free. So by getting rid of them we are no longer using soft power to attract those who want to be free. We do not want to advertise our values and freedoms anymore for fear it would attract immigration (and I know the argument is that we only want to stop illegal immigration not all immigration, but the perception is different). Ultimately this is about rolling up the American welcome mat and erasing the words on our beloved Statue of Liberty:

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

When there is "perceived bias" against any administration (and that bias can only be defined like porn - I will know it when I see it said Justice Potter) we would do well to remember the words of Theodore Roosevelt:

“The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.

Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else.”

– Theodore Roosevelt in The Kansas City Star, published on May 7, 1918

Voice of America bias inquiry sparks concerns of political meddling

NPR · by David Folkenflik · March 1, 2025

File photo shows the Voice of America building in Washington. Andrew Harnik/AP

The Voice of America embarked this week on a formal review of a chief national correspondent's social media postings for potential bias against the Trump administration, sparking concerns of a new burst of political interference at the federally funded international broadcaster.

Steve Herman was placed on paid "excused absence" and told colleagues he expected to lose his job. He confirmed his status Friday evening but declined comment.

Voice of America is overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media. VOA relies on the USAGM for human resources services. In a memo sent to Herman that was reviewed by NPR, the agency cited several policies in explaining the grounds for the review of his work including an executive order by President Trump titled "One Voice for America's Foreign Relations." Among the elements of that executive order: "Failure to faithfully implement the President's policy is grounds for professional discipline, including separation."

Sponsor Message

Additionally, on Friday afternoon, VOA shifted a veteran reporter who covers the White House, Patsy Widakuswara, to another beat. Journalists at the network said a clear rationale was not offered.

This account is based on interviews with five people at the network with knowledge of events who asked for anonymity for fear of retribution. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Agency for Global Media did not respond to requests for comment.

The New York Times first reported on the investigation of Herman, and the reassignment of Widakuswara, who had been the White House bureau chief.

During the final year of President Trump's first term in office, political appointees at the U.S. Agency for Global Media similarly investigated Herman for bias. A federal judge found that then USAGM chief Michael Pack acted unconstitutionally in assigning aides to investigate Steve Herman, the national correspondent being reviewed once more.

USAGM also oversees other international broadcasters funded by the federal government, such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and Radio Television Martí. The networks are charged with providing straight news for societies where independent news coverage is either repressed or financially unfeasible and with modeling the value of pluralistic political debate within that coverage.

Sponsor Message

It serves 427 million listeners in 100 countries and 64 languages every week.

This week, USAGM hired two-time unsuccessful Arizona MAGA candidate and former local television news anchor Kari Lake as an adviser. Trump publicly announced she was his choice to lead the VOA but she can't start until Trump's nominee to be chief executive of USAGM is approved by the Senate. Lake would then require the approval of a bipartisan advisory board.

Lake has said the network is rife with liberal bias and she simply wants to make it fair to Trump and his views.

The new investigation of Herman does not appear to trigger the legal issues cited by the federal judge, Beryl Howell, back in 2020. She ruled in fall of that year that then USAGM chief Michael Pack — who had promised to "drain the swamp" at the VOA — had violated Herman's First Amendment rights and breached a firewall set up to protect the newsroom from editorial interference.

A federal investigation found Pack also repeatedly abused the powers of his office, broke laws and regulations, and engaged in gross mismanagement as he turned the agency and the international broadcasters it oversees upside down.

In this instance, by contrast, the investigation was initiated by journalistic leaders at the VOA itself. It is being conducted by John Featherly — who is acting senior programming director — and it received the blessing of VOA's director, Michael Abramowitz. He is a former veteran editor of The Washington Post and former president of Freedom House, an advocacy and research group dedicated to promoting journalism and free expression.

Abramowitz was named director by then President Joe Biden's chief of the U.S. Agency for Global Media and is not seen as an ideological figure.

But journalists at the network said they are fearful of pressures, explicit and otherwise, from Trump administration officials, including Lake.

Sponsor Message

In 2020, the White House had objected to several stories prior to the inquiry, which focused on Herman retweeting posts that involved stories that reflected critically on the Trump administration.

The Voice of America leaders have told associates they are simply basing the review of Herman's work on journalistic concerns. Similarly, they have internally cited the pace and intensity of Herman's retweets, which focus primarily on controversies encompassing the Trump administration.

Earlier this year, Ric Grenell, named by Trump to be the interim head of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, called for Herman to be fired over his tweets relaying news reports of deep cuts in U.S. international aid programs.

"Why are you working against President Trump's reform plans for the U.S. budget?" Grenell asked. "It isn't too much to suggest this is treasonous."

Lake, who is poised to be the next director of VOA, has repeatedly posted on behalf of the President and his causes — including as recently as Friday.

NPR · by David Folkenflik · March 1, 2025

5. RFA Operations at Risk of Disruption as Federal Grants End

This may be the last article we see published by RFA. It provides a useful overview of its work which, again, which I think most Americans don't really know about or understand.

This is. Google translation from Korea.

I am sure when Kim Jong Un reads this he will be very pleased because RFA and VOA pose grave threats to the regime.

But why should we be concerned with 60 million people overseas? We only need to invest in hard power for peace through strength (note my bitter sarcasm).

Excerpts:

“The termination of federal funding to RFA rewards dictators and despots, including the Chinese Communist Party, who wish to see their influence in the information space unchecked,” the statement said. “Not only does today’s notice disenfranchise the nearly 60 million people who rely on RFA’s reporting each week to learn the truth, it also benefits America’s adversaries at our expense.”

An editorially independent news organization funded by legislation from the U.S. Congress, RFA began broadcasting in Chinese in 1996 and has expanded to nine other languages in the years since: Cantonese, Uighur, Tibetan, Korean, Khmer, Vietnamese, Burmese and Lao.

RFA news programs are broadcast on radio, television, social media, and the web in countries with little or no free press, often providing the only source of uncensored, non-propaganda news . Because RFA covers closed countries and regions such as North Korea, Tibet, and Xinjiang, English translations remain the primary source of information in these regions.

USAGM, RFA’s parent company, oversees stations that broadcast in more than 60 languages and reach hundreds of millions of listeners. That includes Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which announced on the 15th that its subsidies had ended. Voice of America, which is run directly by USAGM, and the Office for Cuba Broadcasting, both placed all their staff on paid administrative leave on the 15th.

“This morning I learned that virtually the entire VOA staff — over 1,300 reporters, producers and support staff — has been placed on administrative leave today. I am one of them,” VOA Director Michael Abramowitz wrote on Facebook.

RFA Operations at Risk of Disruption as Federal Grants End

https://www.rfa.org/korean/in-focus/2025/03/16/trump-executive-order-radio-free-asia/

RFA

2025.03.15

March 15, 2025, RFA Radio Free Asia headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Charlie Darapak/RFA)

A U.S. federal grant that funds RFA Radio Free Asia and its network of partners expired on the morning of the 15th.

An executive order issued late last night by President Donald Trump seeks to curtail the unregulated component of the U.S. Agency for Global Broadcasting (USAGM), a federal agency that funds RFA and several other independent global news organizations.

The U.S. Congress appropriates funds to USAGM, which then distributes the funds to its affiliated news outlets.

The short order requires that six other government agencies devoted to museums, homeless and minority development be dissolved “as consistently as possible with applicable law.” While the order seeks to reduce USAGM’s “non-statutory components,” RFA was actually created under the International Broadcasting Act enacted by the U.S. Congress.

But the letter sent to RFA’s president on the 15th, signed by USAGM Special Counsel Karrie Lake and titled “Senior Advisor to the Acting CEO with delegated authority from the Acting CEO,” states that the agency’s federal grants have been terminated and RFA is obligated to “immediately refund all unused funds.” The letter also states that an appeal can be filed within 30 days.

It is not clear at this time when or how operations will cease, but RFA is funded entirely through federal grants.

In a statement released on the 15th , RFA President Bei Fang said RFA plans to appeal the order.

“The termination of federal funding to RFA rewards dictators and despots, including the Chinese Communist Party, who wish to see their influence in the information space unchecked,” the statement said. “Not only does today’s notice disenfranchise the nearly 60 million people who rely on RFA’s reporting each week to learn the truth, it also benefits America’s adversaries at our expense.”

An editorially independent news organization funded by legislation from the U.S. Congress, RFA began broadcasting in Chinese in 1996 and has expanded to nine other languages in the years since: Cantonese, Uighur, Tibetan, Korean, Khmer, Vietnamese, Burmese and Lao.

RFA news programs are broadcast on radio, television, social media, and the web in countries with little or no free press, often providing the only source of uncensored, non-propaganda news . Because RFA covers closed countries and regions such as North Korea, Tibet, and Xinjiang, English translations remain the primary source of information in these regions.

USAGM, RFA’s parent company, oversees stations that broadcast in more than 60 languages and reach hundreds of millions of listeners. That includes Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which announced on the 15th that its subsidies had ended. Voice of America, which is run directly by USAGM, and the Office for Cuba Broadcasting, both placed all their staff on paid administrative leave on the 15th.

“This morning I learned that virtually the entire VOA staff — over 1,300 reporters, producers and support staff — has been placed on administrative leave today. I am one of them,” VOA Director Michael Abramowitz wrote on Facebook.

Carlos Martinez de la Serna, program director for the Committee to Protect Journalists, urged Congress to restore funding to USAGM, saying it “provides uncensored news in countries where the press is restricted.”

“It is outrageous that the White House would seek to destroy a congressionally funded agency that supports independent journalism that challenges the narrative of authoritarian regimes around the world,” he said in a statement .

China watchers have warned that cuts to RFA in particular could affect Washington's ability to counter Beijing.

“RFA plays a vital role in countering Chinese influence by providing accurate, uncensored news to audiences in the face of constant PRC propaganda,” California Democratic Rep. Ami Bera wrote on the social media site X. “ RFA helps advance American values in our ongoing great power competition with China, and exposes egregious human rights abuses such as the genocide of the Uyghurs and Beijing’s covert operations abroad,” Bera added.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul called the dissolution of RFA and its sister outlets “a huge gift to China ,” while Human Rights Watch’s Maya Wang said that in places like Xinjiang and Tibet, “RFA was one of the few places that could get information out. Without RFA, those places would become information black holes, just as the Chinese Communist Party wants them to be.”

In a statement released by USAGM on the evening of the 15th and posted to X by Special Counsel Lake , USAGM was deemed “beyond redemption” due to the discovery of various allegations of security breaches and self-dealing, but provided few details.

“From top to bottom, this agency is a massive corruption and burden on the American taxpayer, a national security risk to this country, and irreparably broken,” the statement added. “While there are bright spots within the agency, including a talented and dedicated public servant workforce, this is an exception.”

6. Hungry North Korean soldiers sell military gear to buy food

Soldiers are desperate. But markets and capitalism can provide some relief for them (until inspection time).

This is reporting from RFA from inside north Korea that is informing the Korean people in the north about what is happening to them and their soldiers. If RFA is disbanded how will this kind of information get to the Korean people in the north? Although not its focus, RFA's reporting network of people inside north Korea provide open source information that can be very useful to various agencies. It is a very useful source of open source information.

Hungry North Korean soldiers sell military gear to buy food

Officials are conducting surprise inspections to find out if soldiers have all their equipment.

https://www.rfa.org/english/korea/2025/03/15/north-korea-soldiers-sell-gear/

By Ahn Chang Gyu for RFA Korean

2025.03.15

Read a version of this story in Korean

Hungry North Korean soldiers are selling some of their military equipment to buy food, prompting officials to conduct inspections that have caught some soldiers without all their issued gear, residents in the country told Radio Free Asia.

Though the country’s military is often said to be under-supplied, military-grade items tend to be of better quality than products civilians can obtain, so are viewed as desirable.

Weapons are used often during training, but personal gear like tents, lunch boxes, canteens and waterproof rice containers are not used as often, so some soldiers figure they won’t

be missed.

RFA has reported in the past that soldiers often go hungry, and some of them even steal from residents get food.

The inspections began earlier this month, and will now happen on a regular basis, a resident of the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.

“The authorities recently determined that some young soldiers are selling their military-issued gear or giving it to people they know because they are hungry and need money,” he said. “In fact, quite a few soldiers during this inspection were caught without their gear that they were supposed to have.”

Two items -- canteens and waterproof rice bags -- are particularly sought after, he said.

Those who were caught without all their issued gear were going to be severely punished, he said.

The best way to curb the cruelty of the world’s worst regimes

First get your facts straight, argues Kenneth Roth, a top human-rights campaigner

https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/03/13/the-best-way-to-curb-the-cruelty-of-the-worlds-worst-regimes

Photograph: Getty Images

Mar 13th 2025

Listen to this story

Righting Wrongs. By Kenneth Roth. Knopf; 448 pages; $30. Allen Lane; £30

doctor in Syria under Bashar al-Assad was forced to sedate 63 prisoners. Not to ease the pain caused by shackling, but to ensure they did not complain about it when a UN delegation visited the hellish prison where they were being held. At first glance, the moral of this story is obvious: despots spit on human rights. But Kenneth Roth, a former head of Human Rights Watch (HRW), sees another, more hopeful lesson. Even the vilest rulers care about their reputations, and so try to hide at least some of their abuses. This gives human-rights campaigners an opening: by exposing horror, they can sometimes shame governments into perpetrating less of it.

This task is not straightforward. Those who rule by fear are hard to shame. Exposing their cruelty may actually bolster their power for a while, by reminding their subjects of the dangers of disobedience. However, ruling by fear alone “is risky, because a disgruntled public is always on the lookout for a way to oust the tyrant”. (As Mr Assad, pictured, discovered in December, when his overthrow sparked jubilation in Damascus’s streets.) So most dictators want to appear to serve the public good.

Having run one of the world’s most effective human-rights groups for three decades, Mr Roth has sparred with more nasty regimes than most people could name. In “Righting Wrongs” he distils his hard-earned insights. With warlords carving up Sudan, Russia kidnapping Ukrainian children and America’s president musing about ethnic cleansing in Gaza, the book could hardly be more timely.

The key to shaming powerful wrongdoers, Mr Roth argues, is to avoid name-calling and “stigmatise with facts”. Researchers at HRW are told “that their top priority is accuracy”, and that it is better to come home empty-handed than to publish inaccurate information. They dig up the truth painstakingly, by interviewing victims and combing through tedious official documents. Even if their reporting achieves nothing in the short run, it can furnish evidence for future prosecutions.

Despots fear exposure. Otherwise they would not devote such vast resources to hiding their abuses, sometimes ineptly. When China blanked out its Uyghur prison camps on online maps, it made it easier for researchers to find them–by looking for unexplained blank spots.

An activist must know which levers to pull. If a head of government is genuinely unaware of abuses, simply proving them may be enough, especially in a democracy. In 2011 Mr Roth sat down with Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderón, to discuss a report on “disappearances” and summary executions meted out by the Mexican army in its “war on drugs”. Previously Mr Calderón had insisted that his troops were innocent. But after Mr Roth went through the report with him paragraph by paragraph, the president admitted he was wrong and adopted some of Mr Roth’s suggested remedies, such as no longer interrogating suspects on military bases.

To shame nastier regimes, more skill is required. Rulers who feel no guilt about tearing out dissidents’ thumbnails may simultaneously crave international respectability. After America overthrew Saddam Hussein, another Arab dictator, Muammar Qaddafi, was eager to avoid the same fate. As well as publicly giving up a nuclear-weapons programme, his regime invited Mr Roth to visit Libya.

Photograph: Getty Images

Mr Roth seized the chance and shared a list of 131 political prisoners, demanding their release. Mid-level officials exploded with rage and “seemed to think they could bludgeon us into not publishing [the findings] at all”, Mr Roth recalls. He let them hyperventilate for a while, and then gave them a choice. HRW was going to hold a press conference in Egypt a few days later. When journalists asked about their meetings in Tripoli, they could say: “All they did was yell at us.” Or: “The conversations were productive, and they promised various reforms.” Which would it be? The next day the officials apologised, and soon all 131 political prisoners were freed.

Defending human rights is getting harder. Russia has gone completely rogue. The two most powerful democracies, India and the United States, have leaders who care little for human rights. And China under Xi Jinping has become what Mr Roth calls the greatest “threat to the global human-rights system”, constantly seeking to undermine it in international forums.

Meanwhile, some Western progressives have lost their common sense. Some embrace the ridiculous notion that for Westerners to criticise oppression in the global south is a form of imperialism. Others talk self-righteous guff. Mr Roth recalls an adviser urging HRW to campaign against “structural racism, patriarchy and classism embedded in the design of Western public-health systems”. Such rhetoric is likely to repel “the moveable middle”—the people campaigners need to win over. Far better to focus on things that more or less everyone agrees are wrong, such as torture.

The gripes of Roth

As the world polarises, human-rights campaigners must be seen to be impartial. This is hard. Nasty regimes often accuse them of being agents of foreign powers. Other abusive regimes try to change the subject: what about America’s crimes? Mr Roth’s response is to arrive with a stack of HRW reports on America and “place them with a good thump” on the whataboutery-spouting official’s desk.

After he retired from HRW in 2022, Mr Roth was cancelled. An invitation to take up a human-rights fellowship at Harvard was vetoed, allegedly because donors objected to his “anti-Israel” bias. The objection rang hollow: Mr Roth is Jewish, his family fled from the Nazis and he is a stern critic of brutality everywhere. After an outcry, Harvard backed down.

The world needs more watchdogs like Mr Roth: principled yet worldly, insanely hard-working and resolutely non-tribal. It probably helps that he never took an academic course on human rights. Rather than nitpicking about the minutiae of international law, he tells human stories, like that of the Syrian anaesthetist, that shock the listener into fury. It is stories, more than theories, that help humans comprehend tyranny. And as the mighty fill the world’s small screens with falsehoods, someone needs to tell true tales. ■

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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “How to shame a dictator”

8. America’s bullied allies need to toughen up

So tough love has worked. Allies are spending more on defense. Allies now understand how the President thinks and works. They are ready to cooperate with him. He could be pushing on an open door with most allies. Why must the ally bashing continue?

Excerpts:

Last, America’s allies should seek strength in numbers. Europe needs a plan to take over the leadership of NATO, join the CPTPP, an Asian trade deal, and co-operate with Japan and South Korea more closely on military and civilian technology. That would create scale and help manage rivalries. It would also preserve an alternative liberal order, albeit vastly inferior to the original. Allies should be ready to welcome back America under a new president in 2029, though the world will not be the same. Nuclear proliferation may have been unleashed, China will have grown stronger and America’s power and credibility will have been gravely damaged. For its allies, there is no point whingeing: they need to toughen up and get to work.

Leaders | Trump’s foreign policy

America’s bullied allies need to toughen up

To avoid being crushed, they need a better plan than flattery and concessions

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/03/13/americas-bullied-allies-need-to-toughen-up

Mar 13th 2025

Listen to this story

or decades America has stood by its friends and deterred its enemies. That steadfastness is being thrown upside down, as Donald Trump strong-arms allies and seeks deals with adversaries. After freezing all aid to Ukraine on March 3rd, his administration restored it when Ukraine agreed in principle to a 30-day truce. It is unclear how hard the White House will press Vladimir Putin to accept this. On the same day, Mr Trump briefly slammed even more tariffs on Canada. Its new prime minister, Mark Carney, warned that a predatory America wants “our water, our land, our country”. And don’t forget Asia. The president has just raised doubts about the value to America of the US-Japan defence treaty, which Eisenhower signed in 1960. Around the world, allies fear that America First means they come second, third or even last.

Mr Trump and his supporters believe his frenetic actions enhance American power, breaking deadlocks and shaking up deadbeat or parasitic allies. The proposed ceasefire in Ukraine is evidence that he can change countries’ behaviour. But at what cost? His trade war is panicking financial markets. The 40-odd countries that have put their security in America’s hands since 1945 are suffering a crisis of confidence. They dread Team Trump’s inconsistency and short-termism: a ceasefire in Gaza that is rather like the Ukrainian one may soon collapse. At home, Mr Trump faces checks and balances. Abroad, much less so. Allies are asking whether they are certain that Mr Trump or a President J.D. Vance would fight alongside them if the worst happens. Unfortunately, the answer is: not certain enough.

This loss of faith also reflects a dawning realisation that coercing allies is an inevitable consequence of the MAGA value-free agenda. Allies’ interdependence means that America has more leverage over them than over foes such as Russia or China. For decades Canada, Europe and parts of Asia have trusted America’s “superpower stack”—defence treaties, trade deals, nuclear weapons, the dollar banking system—because it is mutually beneficial. Tragically Mr Trump sees it as a liability.

The administration’s economic nationalism and the repudiation of its global security role may go further. Foreign firms are being bullied to shift capital to America. Some White House advisers want reciprocal tariffs, a radical form of protectionism. On Wall Street there is talk of schemes to depress the dollar. Elon Musk says America should quit NATO; although Mr Trump has not gone that far, he has not contradicted him. Europeans are exploring new, once-unthinkable risks: does America have kill switches for F-35 fighter jets? Might it refuse to maintain Britain’s nuclear deterrent?

Asian allies worry that Mr Trump will turn on them next. Australia, Japan, South Korea and others hope his hostility to China runs deep enough that he will not abandon them. But his grievances over trade and defence treaties do not have geographic limits. Given his determination to avoid world war three with Russia over Ukraine, negotiations with China or North Korea could see him offering concessions that weaken allies and make Taiwan more vulnerable.

If you admire America and its transatlantic and Pacific alliances, this shift is so extreme and unfamiliar that it is tempting to deny it is happening and to assume that Mr Trump must backtrack. However, when your people’s safety is at stake, denial is not a plan. America’s allies have a GDP of $37trn, but they lack hard power. Sucking up in the Oval Office and offering to Buy American gets them only so far. Making concessions can encourage more demands, as Panama has found. If allies are unable to defend themselves, some will seek an accommodation with China or Russia.

America’s allies should try to avoid that dismal outcome, starting today. One idea is to deter America from mutual harm. That means identifying unconventional retaliatory measures while calibrating their use to avoid a 1930s-style downward spiral. One option is to slow co-operation on extraterritorial sanctions and export controls. Allies could use their “choke-points” in trade, which we reckon account for 27% of America’s imports, including nuclear fuels, metals and pharmaceuticals. Hidden in the semiconductor-production chain are firms such as Tokyo Electron and ASML in Europe, which are crucial suppliers to America’s tech giants. Smart retaliation against foolish tariffs worked for Europe in the first Trump term. Allies should also identify military pressure-points, such as radars and bases, though they should stop short of exploiting them except in extreme circumstances.

As an insurance policy allies will have to build up their own economic and military infrastructure in parallel to America’s superpower stack. Creating this option will take years. Europe is highly likely to issue more joint debt to finance extra defence spending, and it may keep its own sanctions on Russia even if Mr Trump lifts America’s. All this could split American and European capital markets and ultimately boost the euro’s role as an international currency. In defence, Europe is scrambling to fill gaps in its forces. It is also discussing a continental nuclear deterrent involving France and perhaps Britain. In Asia, South Korea and perhaps Japan may move closer to the nuclear threshold, in order to deter China and North Korea.

The new night watchmen

Last, America’s allies should seek strength in numbers. Europe needs a plan to take over the leadership of NATO, join the CPTPP, an Asian trade deal, and co-operate with Japan and South Korea more closely on military and civilian technology. That would create scale and help manage rivalries. It would also preserve an alternative liberal order, albeit vastly inferior to the original. Allies should be ready to welcome back America under a new president in 2029, though the world will not be the same. Nuclear proliferation may have been unleashed, China will have grown stronger and America’s power and credibility will have been gravely damaged. For its allies, there is no point whingeing: they need to toughen up and get to work.■

For subscribers only: to see how we design each week’s cover, sign up to our weekly Cover Story newsletter.

9. Ruling party to accept impending Constitutional Court ruling on Yoon's impeachment

That is the right thing to do. Will the Democratic Party of Korea/Minjoo say (and do) the same?

Ruling party to accept impending Constitutional Court ruling on Yoon's impeachment | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · March 16, 2025

SEOUL, March 16 (Yonhap) -- The ruling People Power Party (PPP) will accept whatever decision the Constitutional Court makes on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial, the party's floor leader said Sunday, outlining the party's official stance ahead of the ruling.

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong's remark came as the court is currently deliberating whether to reinstate or remove Yoon from office after he was impeached over his short-lived martial law declaration on Dec. 3. It has yet to announce the date of the ruling, though many observers expect it to take place this week.

"Our party's official stance is that (we) will accept the court's decision," he told reporters. "As you all know, constitutional trials are single-trial cases ... once a ruling is made, the outcome is binding for everyone."

If Yoon is ousted, the country will be required to hold a snap presidential election within 60 days. If reinstated, he will serve out the remainder of his term through May 2027.

Meanwhile, Kweon also called on the court to quickly make a decision on the impeachment trial of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, citing Washington's designation of Seoul as a "sensitive" country in January before former President Joe Biden left office.

"It has been 80 days since Prime Minister Han has been suspended from his duties," Kweon said. "We have already wasted a significant amount of golden time at a national level."

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Energy said the Biden administration placed Seoul in the lowest category of its "sensitive and other designated countries list," raising concerns of possible disruptions to joint cooperation in advanced technologies.

Ruling People Power Party floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong (C) enters a room at the National Assembly in western Seoul on March 14, 2025. (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · March 16, 2025

10. N. Korea's top diplomat meets Russia's vice foreign minister in Pyongyang

Minster Choi was heard saying, please continue the war against Ukraine. We want to keep selling you military equipment and renting our army to you. (note attempt at humor that that was probably her inside voice).

N. Korea's top diplomat meets Russia's vice foreign minister in Pyongyang | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · March 16, 2025

SEOUL, March 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has met a senior Russian diplomat visiting Pyongyang, state media reported Sunday, amid talks for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Choe met a Russian delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko on Saturday, a day after they arrived in the country, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The KCNA said the talks were attended by North Korean foreign ministry officials and Russian Ambassador to North Korea Aleksandr Matsegora. It did not elaborate further on its details.

Rudenko also held separate talks with his North Korean counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong-gyu, on Saturday, and they reached a consensus on practical measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation in line with their comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed last June, according to the KCNA.

Rudenko's visit to Pyongyang appears to be part of follow-up efforts for last year's treaty, which calls for mutual assistance if either is attacked. The two officials served as the government representatives for the treaty's ratification.

The talks also come after Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States last week.

The Russian official may have discussed the proposal with his North Korean counterpart, considering Pyongyang's troop deployment in support of Russia's war efforts and North Korean prisoners of war held by Kyiv.

North Korea is estimated to have dispatched more than 10,000 troops to Russia's western front-line region of Kursk. Ukraine earlier unveiled that it captured two North Koreans from the region, with one of them expressing his intent to defect to South Korea.

A Russian delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko (L) arrives in Pyongyang on March 14, 2025, in this photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · March 16, 2025

11. N. Korea warns U.S. war reinforcements will be 'wiped out' after stealth jet deployment to Japan

Political warfare and blackmail diplomacy.

N. Korea warns U.S. war reinforcements will be 'wiped out' after stealth jet deployment to Japan | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · March 16, 2025

SEOUL, March 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's state media warned Sunday any U.S. military reinforcements in the event of a war will be "wiped out," as it took issue with Washington's additional deployment of stealth fighter jets to Japan earlier this month.

A commentary carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency criticized the recent U.S. deployment of a squadron of F-35B fighters to an air base in Iwakuni, Japan, accusing Washington of increasing uncertainties for a nuclear war.

"The additional deployment of offensive war reinforcements to cope with contingency in the Korean peninsula is hourly increasing the unpredictability of actual armed conflict and a nuclear war," it said. "The U.S. desperate moves of military adventurism ... provide the DPRK with reasonable justification and the urgent need to give tougher warning of action."

DPRK stands for the North's official name -- the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The U.S. anti-communist outposts ... are within the constant sighting and striking range of the DPRK's indefinite forces," it said. "Any war reinforcements of the U.S. will be completely contained and wiped out."

This file photo, provided by the Defense Daily on Feb. 19, 2024, shows a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet taking off from an air base in Gunsan, about 175 kilometers south of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · March 16, 2025

12. Rival parties play blame game after U.S. places South Korea on nuclear 'sensitive' country list

This action does not seem to be in the best interest of the US or the ROK/US alliance. I suspect and fear this decision was made by some low level functionaries who have little understanding of the ROK/US alliance or the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime that poses an existential threat to South Korea and a real threat to the US. I am concerned that ill-informed actions such as this undermine trust and confidence in the alliance. I am doubtful that whomever made the decision to add the ROK to the list was informed by US alliance managers. Probably the ill-informed rationale stemmed from politics in the South. This seems to be a decision by the outgoing US administration and hopefully the Alliance experts in the Trump administration will correct what appears to be a mistake.

Sunday

March 16, 2025

Rival parties play blame game after U.S. places South Korea on nuclear 'sensitive' country list

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-03-16/national/diplomacy/Rival-parties-play-blame-game-after-US-places-South-Korea-on-nuclear-Sensitive-Country-List/2262941

Published: 16 Mar. 2025, 18:16

Updated: 16 Mar. 2025, 19:52

SEO JI-EUN
seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr

Korea JoongAng Daily

Rival parties play blame game after U.S. places South Korea on nuclear 'sensitive' country list

7 min

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, talks with U.S. President Joe Biden after attending the seventh replenishment conference of the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in New York on Sept. 21, 2022. [YONHAP]

[NEWS ANALYSIS]

Rival parties blamed each other after the United States officially confirmed that it added its ally South Korea to its "sensitive" country list in early January under the previous Joe Biden administration. The move raised concerns over potential risks to bilateral energy and science cooperation, as well as to the broader alliance.

A spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed Saturday that South Korea was classified under the "Other Designated Country" category, the lowest tier within the sensitive country list, in early January, in response to media inquiries.

Screenshot of the U.S. Department of Energy website displaying the Sensitive Country List [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The sensitive country list categorizes nations that require special consideration for reasons such as U.S. national security concerns, nuclear nonproliferation or support for terrorism, with countries like North Korea, Iran, Syria, China and Russia included on the list.

The DOE clarified that being on the list “does not necessarily indicate an adversarial relationship with the United States” and does not outright "prohibit scientific or technical cooperation."

“Inclusion on the sensitive country list does not prohibit Americans or DOE personnel from visiting or doing business with listed countries, just as it doesn't prevent foreign nationals from visiting DOE sites,” the spokesperson said.

However, all visits and collaborations are now subject to "internal review beforehand," the spokesperson added.

While the designation does not ban collaboration, it is believed to introduce bureaucratic hurdles for South Korean researchers working with DOE-affiliated institutions. Experts warn that restrictions could impact sensitive fields like nuclear technology and AI, potentially slowing technological exchanges between the two allies.

South Korean Minister of Science and ICT Yoo Sang-im downplayed the concerns in a televised interview on KBS on Sunday.

“Currently, we have around 12 billion won ($8.25 million) worth of ongoing global joint research between our research institutes and those under the DOE," Yoo said. "The designation does not cancel existing projects, but it introduces inconveniences, such as requiring [our researchers] to report their activities 45 days in advance.”

Although the DOE's decision was made under the Biden administration, some experts worry that it could strain the Seoul-Washington alliance, especially under current U.S. President Donald Trump, known for his "transactional" approach to foreign partnerships.

The Biden administration did not provide a clear rationale for South Korea’s inclusion.

Some believe that the U.S. decision was influenced by political instability in South Korea following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol by the National Assembly in December 2024 over his alleged attempt to declare martial law.

“Last winter, our political situation was extremely unstable," Yoon's conservative People Power Party's (PPP) former leader, Han Dong-hoon, wrote in a social media post on Saturday. "One of the reasons I acted swiftly to prevent martial law was to avoid international repercussions like this. This is why politics need to be stabilized as soon as possible."

Another theory points to ongoing intellectual property conflicts between South Korean companies Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and its parent company, Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), and U.S. nuclear firm Westinghouse Electric Company.

Westinghouse filed a lawsuit in late 2022 against the Korean companies, claiming that their reactor design incorporates technology originally licensed from Westinghouse and thus cannot be exported to third countries without its admission. Although the dispute was resolved on Jan. 17, South Korea’s sensitive country list designation was made just before that, leading to speculation about a connection.

Some experts believe South Korea’s rising discussions on nuclear armament contributed to its sensitive country list classification.

The DOE, which oversees nonproliferation policy, previously listed countries such as Israel, India and Pakistan — de facto nuclear states — on the sensitive country list.

Officials under the Yoon administration openly called for South Korea — a signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and benefits from U.S. extended nuclear deterrence — to build a nuclear arsenal of its own, alarming the international community.

Yoon, during a policy briefing on Jan. 11, 2023, said that South Korea could consider acquiring its own nuclear weapons if "North Korean provocations continued intensifying." The Biden administration swiftly responded by reaffirming that denuclearization remains a core principle of the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

The debate over South Korea’s independent nuclear armament reintensified following a military pact signed between North Korea and Russia in June 2024.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said that South Korea’s nuclear armament is "not off the table" during a parliamentary session on Feb. 26, signaling that the government is not ruling out the possibility entirely.

The PPP has been at the forefront of these discussions.

In November 2024, PPP Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon introduced a resolution urging the government to actively consider nuclear armament as a strategic option. Several high-profile politicians, including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, both seen as potential presidential candidates, also voiced support for nuclear capability. PPP Rep. Na Kyung-won, a longtime advocate for independent nuclear deterrence, reinforced her stance, saying Korea "must begin preparations" for its nuclear armament on March 3.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul speaks during a parliamentary session in Seoul on March 11. [NEWS1]

However, the South Korean government only learned of its inclusion on the sensitive country list belatedly after a media report about DOE's possible designation first emerged last week.

Cho admitted on March 11 that the government became aware of the decision through "unofficial channels" and is still investigating the matter. Critics argue that this reflects a failure in diplomatic coordination between Seoul and Washington.

With the designation reportedly set to take effect on April 15, South Korean officials are scrambling to persuade the United States to "rectify" the decision. Diplomatic efforts are expected to emphasize South Korea’s strategic importance to U.S. energy and security policy.

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun is scheduled to visit the United States this week for a pre-arranged meeting with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

Kwon Young-se, left, chief of the ruling People Power Party's emergency leadership committee, and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the liberal Democratic Party [NEWS1]

The sensitive country list designation also sparked political debate in South Korea.

The PPP blamed the opposition Democratic Party (DP) for disrupting foreign policy efforts through its series of impeachments, while the DP argued that Yoon’s reckless remarks about nuclear armament and his declaration of martial law led to South Korea’s classification.

“The DP must take responsibility for the national chaos caused by its politically-motivated impeachment efforts." PPP’s spokesperson Kim Dai-sik said in a commentary Sunday. "The result of paralyzing key national institutions and administration without a legal basis led to confusion in state administration and weakening government responsiveness."

Former Foreign Affairs Committee chairman and PPP Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun added that the United States may have concerns about "potential leaks" of advanced technology such as AI and ship technology to "countries like China if the opposition gains power."

Conversely, DP spokesperson Kim Seong-hoe criticized Yoon’s administration.

“This dangerous government that not only incites internal unrest but also undermines our alliance with the United States must be expelled as soon as possible,” Kim said.

Kim pointed to Yoon as a "dim-witted man who forgot the weight of the presidency and went to the United States to talk about nuclear armament."

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]

13. PPP, DP vow to acknowledge impeachment ruling, but keep up pressure on court

Good. There is some hope. Both parties will follow the verdict.

Sunday

March 16, 2025

dictionary + A - A

PPP, DP vow to acknowledge impeachment ruling, but keep up pressure on court

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-03-16/national/politics/PPP-DP-vow-to-acknowledge-impeachment-ruling-but-keep-up-pressure-on-court-/2262971

Published: 16 Mar. 2025, 18:23

CHO JUNG-WOO
cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr

Korea JoongAng Daily

PPP, DP vow to acknowledge impeachment ruling, but keep up pressure on court

4 min

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

People Power Party floor leader Kweon Seong-dong, second from right, speaks during a press conferece at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on March 16. [NEWS1]

The conservative People Power Party (PPP) said Sunday it would “concede” to the Constitutional Court’s verdict on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment amid the delayed announcement of the ruling date.

Speaking at a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong stressed his party's "official stance" to acknowledge the Constitutional Court's decision. He added that the party would coordinate its response with the liberal Democratic Party (DP) through a joint press conference or a collective statement.

Yoon supporters, opponents rally in Seoul as impeachment ruling approaches

Korea mobilizes country's entire police force as tensions rise ahead of Yoon impeachment verdict

Constitutional Court dismisses impeachment motions against four senior officials

Prosecutors say 'no change' in decision not to appeal Yoon release despite Supreme Court questions

On Wednesday, DP leader Lee Jae-myung said that his party "should concede, and has been doing so," regarding the Constitutional Court's verdict, during an appearance on local broadcaster Channel A's YouTube channel.

When asked whether Yoon himself would issue a statement acknowledging the court’s ruling, Kweon said, “I understand that he said he would during his final hearing.”

On the same day, PPP Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo wrote on his Facebook account that “a sincere statement from the president acknowledging the court’s decision, whatever it may be,” would help “prevent national turmoil and unrest.”

Seok Dong-hyun, one of Yoon’s attorneys, said during a press conference on Feb. 19 that “the president would, as a matter of course, accept the Constitutional Court’s verdict.”

As of Sunday, the Constitutional Court had yet to announce a ruling date on whether to reinstate or remove Yoon. The court typically announces ruling dates two to three days in advance.

While some observers believe the decision may come mid- to late this week, others speculate that the ruling may be delayed until after the DP leader’s second trial, scheduled for March 26, on his appeal of a lower court conviction related to charges of lying during a 2021 state audit of the Gyeonggi provincial government just as he launched his presidential campaign.

Minor conservative New Reform Party Rep. Lee Jun-seok, speaking on a YouTube channel on Thursday, said, "Considering the Constitutional Court usually delivers its impeachment ruling on Fridays, it would either come on the 21st or the 28th," adding that he believes it is more likely the ruling will be made on March 28.

"Given the serious public division and concerns over social stability, the Constitutional Court would likely make its decision after seeing Lee’s appeals trial on March 26," he said.

More than two weeks have passed since the trial’s final hearing, marking the longest deliberation period for a presidential impeachment case. Previously, rulings on former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye were issued just 14 and 11 days after their trials concluded.

To uphold Yoon’s impeachment, at least six of the eight justices must concur.

Except for the impeachment case of Korea Communications Commission Chair Lee Jin-sook — where a 4-4 split resulted in the motion being dismissed — recent Constitutional Court rulings on four senior officials have been unanimous at 8-0, reinstating them to their positions.

Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae demands President Yoon Suk Yeol's immediate removal during a protest at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on March 16.[NEWS1]

Despite their vows to acknowledge the ruling, both parties continued to pressure the Constitutional Court on Sunday regarding its verdict on Yoon's impeachment.

DP floor leader Park Chan-dae called for Yoon's "immediate removal" and urged the Constitutional Court to deliver a ruling this week, as the party continued its marching protest from the National Assembly to Gwanghwamun for the fifth consecutive day.

The PPP called on the Constitutional Court to first rule on the impeachment motion against suspended Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. PPP floor leader Kweon stressed the ruling on Han should come promptly, noting that he had heard the review had already concluded. PPP Rep. Na Kyung-won also wrote on her Facebook account that the ruling on Han should come first, stressing that Yoon's hearing ended on Feb. 25, six days later than the prime minister's.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO, YOON JI-WON [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]

14. Constitutional Court expected to decide on Yoon's impeachment soon

I am told by my Korean friends that there are two kinds of rallies in South korea. One develops organically by people concerned for their democracy. The other is organized by organiatizers and agitators who use indoctrination and propaganda to mobilize people.

Constitutional Court expected to decide on Yoon's impeachment soon

The Korea Times · March 16, 2025

Razor wire lines the perimeter of the Constitutional Court in central Seoul and police buses have formed barricades around the area, Sunday. Yonhap

Street rallies heat up as ruling nears

By Kwak Yeon-soo

The spotlight is now on the Constitutional Court as it prepares to rule on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment case. There is widespread speculation that the court will announce its final decision this week, determining whether Yoon will be reinstated or removed from office for his Dec. 3 martial law declaration.

Many observers expect the court will announce the ruling date early this week and deliver the verdict sometime between Wednesday and Friday, following the timeline of previous presidential impeachments.

In 2004, then President Roh Moo-hyun was reinstated by the Constitutional Court just 14 days after the final hearing of his impeachment trial. In contrast, former President Park Geun-hye, who was removed from office in 2017 over a corruption scandal, received her verdict 11 days after the final hearing. Both presidents received their rulings on a Friday.

Given that the final hearing of Yoon’s case was held on Feb. 25 and based on precedents, Friday appears to be the likely date. The Constitutional Court typically announces a ruling date two to three days in advance.

Moreover, the Constitutional Court has yet to set a ruling date for the impeachment trial of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as acting president, adding another key factor that could influence the timing of its ruling for Yoon.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has consistently urged the court to deliver a verdict on Han’s impeachment first. Han was impeached by the opposition-led National Assembly on Dec. 27, and has been suspended from his duties since then.

“The Constitutional Court should either reinstate Han or remove him from office as early as today. The PPP will accept any verdict given by the judges,” Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the PPP, said during a press conference Sunday.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said it would also accept the verdict regardless of the outcome. "Of course we will accept any verdict given by the judges. It's so obvious. What makes this newsworthy?" DPK floor leader Rep. Park Chan-dae told reporters Sunday.

A key reason behind Han’s impeachment was his refusal to meet a demand from the DPK to appoint justices to fill three vacant seats at the Constitutional Court. The DPK argued that filling these positions was essential to ensure fairness and public confidence in the court's ruling on Yoon’s impeachment. Han, however, insisted he would not make the appointments without bipartisan consent.

Two Constitutional Court justices have been appointed since the National Assembly's impeachment motion against Yoon was ratified on Dec. 14, leaving one out of nine seats vacant.

If six or more of the justices vote in favor of impeachment, Yoon, who has been suspended from presidential duties, will be removed from office immediately and stripped of all presidential privileges. He is also likely to face a pending criminal trial for insurrection. Following his removal, Korea will hold a snap election within 60 days.

If less than six of the justices vote for impeachment, Yoon will retain his position as head of state.

Given past rulings and the current political polarization, many speculate that the eight Constitutional Court justices will likely avoid issuing a dissenting opinion. Last week, the eight justices made a unanimous decision to overturn motions by the Assembly to impeach Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choe Jae-hae, along with three senior prosecutors, including Lee Chang-soo, the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

Rallies against President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and for Yoon are underway in Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap

Supporters and critics of Yoon intensified their rallies in Seoul over the weekend, with some demanding his removal from office and others rallying in his defense, all in anticipation of the upcoming impeachment ruling.

In Gwanghwamun, an estimated 42,500 people gathered and chanted for Yoon's removal from office. The DPK lawmakers marched from the National Assembly in Yeouido to Gyeongbok Palace in downtown Seoul calling for Yoon’s impeachment.

"The Constitutional Court must deliver its ruling on Yoon’s impeachment as soon as possible. It has the responsibility to end the deadlock in the government by removing Yoon, who destroyed the constitutional order and democracy," Park said.

Conservative groups, including the Liberty Unification Party, also held rallies in central Seoul and in Hannam-dong, where Yoon’s presidential residence is located, calling for his immediate reinstatement.

Yoon’s legal team did not release any official statements, saying that the president will calmly await the decision.

The Korea Times · March 16, 2025

15. Rebuilding Civil-Military Trust in South Korea

Some interesting analysis and an interesting thesis.

Rebuilding Civil-Military Trust in South Korea

thediplomat.com

South Korea’s model of military service has failed to act as a bridge between the military and society, instead reinforcing divisions that now threaten political stability itself.

By Brendan Balestrieri

March 13, 2025

Credit: ROK Armed Forces

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Service in South Korea, whether in the military or government, is regrettably not the time-honored tradition it once was. But declining interest in military service is not just an issue of recruitment numbers or personnel management. It is a symptom of a far deeper fracture – one that has eroded trust between South Korea’s military and civilian population and now threatens the very cohesion of the nation.

At the heart of this crisis is South Korea’s failure to build a shared civil-military identity, leaving the armed forces an isolated institution rather than an integrated part of national life. The result? A widening chasm between those who serve and those who do not, and a public that increasingly views military service as an obligation to be avoided rather than a duty to be embraced.

This is not just conjecture. A 2018 study found that 82 percent of men in their 20s stated that military service should be avoided, with 74 percent stating that military service results in more losses than gains. Is it any surprise that by 2023, 9,481 officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) with over five years of service left the military, a 24 percent increase from the previous year, or that applications for the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) are cratering? South Korea’s civil service has experienced a similar exodus, where early resignations are soaring. In 2021, 3,123 government employees quit in their first year, triple the number in 2018.

But declining enlistment numbers and government resignations are only the symptoms of a deeper issue. At its core, South Korea’s model of military service has failed to act as a bridge between the military and society, instead reinforcing divisions that now threaten political stability itself.

The Widening Divide

From the moment of its creation, the Sixth Republic of South Korea – born out of the tumultuous “June Struggle” of 1987 – was always bound to confront deep and possibly ruinous identity crises. Its foundation rested on fragile ground, shaped by decades of military rule, ideological struggle, and the weight of the five contentious republics that came before it. Geography only compounded these vulnerabilities, placing a divided nation in the shadow of an existential threat.

Over the past 38 years, South Koreans have seen three former presidents imprisoned, and another take his own life to avoid possibly becoming the fourth. The impeachment and arrest of President Yoon Suk-yeol made him the fifth president to spend time behind bars – and the first to be detained while still in office.

The polarization of the country’s civil and military spheres, each entrenched in opposing ideological camps, did not merely predict these crises – it all but ensured them. The imprisonment of nearly two-thirds of the nation’s democratically elected leaders was not an aberration but a symptom of a deeper fracture.

In that context, the sight of military helicopters descending upon the National Assembly last December represented the culmination of the decades-long polarization of the civil and military spheres, each aligned with opposing ideological factions, and the unraveling of civil-military trust.

For a country that has experienced a decades-long decline in the desirability of military service and OECD-record-low levels of societal trust in government institutions, a more nuanced look is needed to understand how the civil and military poles drifted so far apart. The answer may partly lie in examining South Korea’s Cold War-era model of military service, one that clearly differentiates between the reluctant conscript and a mostly Korea Military Academy-dominated officer corps, and the absence of a modern military reserve system to help bridge the civil-military divide.

South Korea’s Malaise Militaire

As it entered its democratic era, South Korea ignored one of the most important aspects of civil-military relations – societal representation and the development of shared values and norms between the military and civilian world. Instead, South Korea’s redress focused on structural top-end changes in command structures, service exemptions, and technological modernization. This was tantamount to renovating a building to give it a sleek, modern look while leaving the crumbling foundation untouched.

Nowhere was this more evident than in South Korea’s rigid, Cold War-era military caste system, where military service was seen as an obligation to endure, not an institution that fostered national unity. What was missing was a model of service that could create meaningful linkages between the civil and military spheres, a system where military experience was not just a burden to be carried but a foundation upon which individuals could build their future. More importantly, it lacked the space for critical reflection on “what is going on” between the military and the society it serves.

Declining ROTC applications tell part of the story. Compared to 2016, when ROTC programs received 16,000 applications, only 5,000 applied in 2023. As for the 2023 exodus of 9,481 officers and NCOs, many were ROTC officers who no longer see a career in the military as worthwhile, especially when upward advancement is limited. This was the result of a deeply entrenched system in which conscripts feel little investment, academy graduates dominate leadership positions, and there is no mechanism to bridge the divide between service and society.

The consequences of this structure are quantifiable. A 2014 study found that Korea Military Academy graduates had a promotion rate to lieutenant colonel of 78 percent, while their ROTC counterparts accounted for just 12 percent over the same period. The authors of the study concluded that “South Korea’s fragmented military education system will increase the likelihood of within-group cooperation at the expense of between-group cooperation.” The same observation could just as easily apply to the nation’s broader civil-military divide.

Fixing Service in South Korea

Other nations have avoided this fate by building strong military reserve models that foster both credible deterrence and civil-military integration. Countries with well-resourced reserve models – where reservists train upwards of 40 days per year – offer not only a credible response at scale in a national crisis but also foster a strong national identity of service.

Singapore is a case in point. Some 98 percent of Singaporeans have a positive perception of National Service (NS), and some 88 percent of Singaporeans would encourage loved ones to serve even if it was not compulsory. Such numbers are unthinkable in South Korea, where military service is not an embedded civic duty, but an isolated obligation divorced from civilian life.

Singapore’s model – and similar systems in Switzerland, Finland, Ukraine, and Israel – demonstrate that to foster a desire to serve, military service must come with both material and symbolic rewards. When service provides convertibility – allowing individuals to translate military experience into meaningful social, educational, or economic benefits – it stops being viewed as a burden and instead becomes a bridge. Reserve-centric military models offer something South Korea lacks – a two-way channel where values flow between the military and civil society. In doing so, they don’t just strengthen deterrence; they fortify the very bonds that make national defense a collective responsibility rather than an isolated duty.

Conclusion

In “The Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940,” William Shirer wrote that “an army can rarely be stronger than the country it serves.” Maintaining a strong military and a resilient society will be paramount to South Korea over the coming years. It is a strength predicated on first mending the deep fractures in civil-military relations.

By adopting a system of service that builds trust between its citizens and soldiers, South Korea can make national service the highly sought-after career path it once was and provide the people of South Korea with a better understanding of what is needed to achieve a gukga gaejo or “national overhaul” in civil-military relations.

Authors

Guest Author

Brendan Balestrieri

Brendan Balestrieri is a Professor of Practice at Seton Hall University and a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. He has over a decade of service in South Korea, where he earned his Ph.D. from Korea University. His work has been published in the Journal of Strategic Security, War on the Rocks, Korea on Point, Army Sustainment, and the Korea JoongAng Daily.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense, the U.S. government, or the South Korean government.

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thediplomat.com

16. Amid new Trump era, South Korea considers ‘plan B’ – building its own nuclear weapons

As one of my friends continually asks: after seeing what has happened to Ukraine and the threats around the world, wouldn't you want your own nuclear wepaons?

Amid new Trump era, South Korea considers ‘plan B’ – building its own nuclear weapons

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/03/13/trump-concerns-lead-south-korea-to-say-developing-nukes-not-off-table/80837029007/?utm

Davis Winkie

USA TODAY

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WASHINGTON − Building nuclear weapons could be South Korea's "plan B" in an increasingly "unpredictable" security landscape, Seoul's top diplomat told the country's legislature Wednesday.

The remarks from Foriegn Minister Cho Tae-yul signal that the U.S. ally could back away from Seoul's recent Biden-era commitment not to develop nuclear weapons.

NK News was the first English-language outlet to report Cho's speech, which comes amid the early weeks of President Donald Trump's second administration.

Although Cho himself noted his discussion of the nuclear plan B is "premature," some in Seoul question whether Trump is willing to uphold America's promise to defend its ally − with nuclear weapons if necessary − against a nuclear-armed North Korea. (Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a joint statement with Cho and Japan's top diplomat Feb. 15 after a meeting "to reaffirm the unshakable" partnership between the countries.)

A top expert on Washington-Seoul relations, Victor Cha of Georgetown University and the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, downplayed the significance of Cho's remarks.

"It would be natural for a Korean official to say all options are on the table at this time of great uncertainty," Cha told USA TODAY. "In the end, such decisions about going nuclear would only be made in response to some major change in the U.S. security commitment to Korea." Cha further noted that Trump officials thus far "are not trending" toward a reduction in security support.

Yet a majority of South Koreans support the idea of developing an independent nuclear arsenal, according to Cha's research. The idea lacked comparable support among Seoul's "strategic elite" in a 2024 survey Cha and his colleagues conducted before the U.S. presidential election.

The debate over nuclearization in South Korea is sharply politicized as well. Support for weapons development is high among members of the ruling conservative People's Power Party, which is likely to lose power in upcoming elections after impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's attempt to decree martial law in December. The opposition Democratic Party largely opposes building nuclear weapons.

It's unclear where the new Trump administration stands on South Korea's prospective weapons development. Seoul's ambassador to the U.S. highlighted to reporters Wednesday that the new administration's diplomatic communications advocate only for "denuclearization of North Korea."

By contrast, the Biden administration's statements often called for the denuclearization of the entire Korean peninsula, the envoy added. (The White House, State Department and National Security Council did not immediately respond to comment requests from USA TODAY.)

Davis Winkie's role covering nuclear threats and national security at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Outrider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. If you wish to share a news tip, please contact Davis via email at dwinkie@usatoday.com or via the Signal encrypted messaging app at 770-539-3257.

16. Numerous Smartphones Infected with Spyware from North Korea

A PSA warning for all Korea watchers and others.

Numerous Smartphones Infected with Spyware from North Korea

techbook-magazine.com · by Adrian Mühlroth · March 15, 2025

Adrian Mühlroth

March 15, 2025, 9:14 am | Read time: 3 minutes

A North Korean hacker group has managed to infect numerous smartphones with extremely dangerous malware. From local files to personal video recordings, nothing remains hidden from the espionage tool.

Security researchers at “Lookout” have uncovered several apps tainted with the North Korean spyware “KoSpy.” This malware can effortlessly spy on smartphone users, and its sophisticated code makes it challenging to detect. TECHBOOK explains the details.

Spyware from North Korea

In its report, “Lookout” attributes the development and distribution of “KoSpy” to the well-known North Korean hacker group APT37. The security experts at Lookout believe that APT37 leverages infrastructure belonging to “Kimsuky,” another North Korean hacker collective also referred to as APT43. The affected apps lure users in as supposed utilities and are often functional to a limited extent.

“KoSpy” Hidden in Service Apps

The File Manager app provides access to smartphone storage, while the Update Utility software triggers the software update feature within Android settings. Kakao Security pretends to be an app from the South Korean Internet conglomerate Kakao Corporation. The app is not functional and instead only shows an interface with security and optimization options for the smartphone. However, these cannot be used as the app proceeds to gain access rights to things such as SMS, background activities, and SD cards.

English and Korean-speaking users are the main focus of the “KoSpy” attacks. The apps discovered are available in both languages. Some of them could be found in the Google Play Store itself and in the “Apkpure” app database. All apps have since been removed from the respective platforms. However, users who have already downloaded these apps must now uninstall them manually:

File Manager (com.file.exploer)
Software Update Utility
휴대폰 관리자 (Phone Manager)
스마트 관리자 (Smart Manager)
카카오 보안 (Kakao Security)

Install Without Fail! Important Update Available for Several Samsung Smartphones

What Makes “KoSpy” So Dangerous

Although the infected apps may seem legitimate at first glance, “KoSpy” operates covertly in the background. The spyware receives an encrypted configuration from the Cloud Firestore of the Firebase database. This allows the attackers to determine whether “KoSpy” should switch itself on or off and which server address should be used for further communication.

If the so-called command-and-control server (C2) is discovered or blocked, it is easy to switch to another C2. In a further step, “KoSpy” makes sure that it is actually installed on a smartphone and checks the date. This strategy allows the spyware to conceal its true purpose for an extended period.

If “KoSpy” is activated, it receives further plug-ins and configurations from the C2 server to carry out the monitoring function. “Lookout” has discovered several plug-ins capable of accessing SMS messages, call logs, device locations, local files, and keystrokes, among other data. “KoSpy” is even capable of independently recording videos and photos, as well as taking screenshots and screen recordings.

techbook-magazine.com · by Adrian Mühlroth · March 15, 2025

17. Raging Kim could execute his OWN staff over stag party-style bash 'with escorts'

Photos for the "tabloid" report are at the link: https://www.the-sun.com/news/13787366/kim-jong-un-execute-staff-party/?utm

Raging Kim could execute his OWN staff over stag party-style bash 'with escorts'

Dozens of party officials were involved in an embarrassing 'drinking spree' that ended in a 'major incident'

Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital)
Published: 9:53 ET, Mar 15 2025

the-sun.com · by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) · March 15, 2025

FURIOUS Kim Jong-un could send his own officials to face the firing squad for their "reckless" behaviour.

Iron-fist ruler Kim has wiped one of North Korea's party committees off the map after being left outraged by their antics.

Kim Jong-un aims a weapon as he visits the training base of the special operations armed force of North Korea’s armyCredit: Reuters

North Koreans enjoy a beer festival in PyongyangCredit: Pen News

Kim inspects a newly completed industrial factory in Jaeryong County in North Korea on January 8, 2025Credit: AFP

North Korean soldiers firing rifles at a range in the hermit kingdom

Dozens of party officials were involved in an embarrassing "drinking spree" that ended in a "major incident" at Ryonggang Hot Springs resort in Onchon county.

Insiders believe this could have involved physical fights, abuse towards staff, cavorting with mistresses and trashing the premises

Michael Madden, director of NK Leadership Watch, told The Sun: “North Korean culture has no qualms about alcohol consumption.

“This was not a case of people getting a tad too tipsy or singing too loudly.

“Whatever happened, it was most certainly a stag party atmosphere.

"This involved about 40 officials under a county party committee.

“Whatever happened was so egregious they decommissioned the county party committee.

"That means some pretty hard individuals tied to Kim will directly manage the Onchon area’s affairs for the time being and the county party committee literally wiped off the map”.

Kim is now desperately trying to clamp down on unruly government officials in his Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) after a series of incidents.

Fuming Kim has demanded his cronies stop abusing their power to clean up their act amid fears it could spell bad news for his party's future.

North Korea's Bizarre Ban on Tottenham Hotspur

His puppet state newspaper Rodung Sinmun recently used its front page to decry bad behaviour and insist on compliance with party discipline.

It warned that disobedience "will cause losses to the party and leave a stain on one's own political life".

Kim has forced some local and provincial government officials to work without pay for up to six months as punishment.

But the despot’s wrath could go a lot further - and end in death for the worst offenders.

Mr Madden added: “There were other ruling party meetings at which discipline and bad behaviour were addressed.

“Some local and provincial government officials were sentenced to work without pay for three-to-six-month periods.

A waitress carrying jugs of beer to guests before the opening of the Pyongyang Taedonggang Beer FestivalCredit: AFP or licensors

North Koreans enjoy a beer festival in PyongyangCredit: Pen News

North Koreans enjoy pints at a beer festival in PyongyangCredit: Pen News

“Some of these people will be demoted and/or expelled from the WPK.

“These party meetings, the central Secretariat meeting Kim presided over, and these local level meetings are, in some cases, just the beginning of the process.

“Some of these incidents will be referred to the police or the State Security Department (NK secret police) for further investigation.

“In some of the more egregious cases people will be incarcerated or sent to isolated areas with their family members.

“There is also certainly a high probability that a couple of the most flagrant offenders will be sent to the firing squad and executed.”

North Korea's implementation of the death penalty has long been condemned by human rights groups.

The nation's hermetic state means the true number of executions isn't clear - but defectors have given gruesome accounts.

Murder, rape, drug smuggling, treason, political dissent, piracy, and consumption of media not approved by the government are some of the offences the death penalty is handed down for.

Last year, North Korea admitted carrying out public executions in a rare admission of its treatment of prisoners.

Executions were ordered for 30 officials in September after Kim accused them of failing to prevent flooding and landslides that killed 1,000 people.

Kim's secret missile base disguised as Golf Course

By Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter

SCHEMING Kim Jong-un has constructed a new missile base disguised as a private golf course, satellite images reveal.

Top analysts told The Sun how the James Bond villain-esque golf course features sand traps, grass and putting greens - but they believe they are being used to conceal launch pads and missile caches.

The extent of the North Korean despot's nuclear and missile programme has long been shrouded in mystery - with stations scattered across the hermit kingdom.

Satellite images reveal Kim's latest base, however, as he continues to ramp up his weapon development.

The pictures reveal what appears to be a private golf course near a recently demolished Kim family mansion in the Ryokpho district of southern Pyongyang.

Analysts confirmed the base could be used to launch long-range missiles - though appears more operational at the moment.

'Bloody Saturday' at Voice of America and other U.S.-funded networks

Voice of America channels fall silent as Trump administration guts agency and cancels contracts | CNN Business

Trump Order Aims to Dismantle Voice of America, Other Programs

The president’s move gives offices one week to comply, part of his effort to scale back government

Voice of America bias inquiry sparks concerns of political meddling

Hungry North Korean soldiers sell military gear to buy food

Officials are conducting surprise inspections to find out if soldiers have all their equipment.

The best way to curb the cruelty of the world’s worst regimes

First get your facts straight, argues Kenneth Roth, a top human-rights campaigner

The gripes of Roth

Explore more

America’s bullied allies need to toughen up

To avoid being crushed, they need a better plan than flattery and concessions

The new night watchmen

Ruling party to accept impending Constitutional Court ruling on Yoon's impeachment | Yonhap News Agency

N. Korea's top diplomat meets Russia's vice foreign minister in Pyongyang | Yonhap News Agency

N. Korea warns U.S. war reinforcements will be 'wiped out' after stealth jet deployment to Japan | Yonhap News Agency

Rival parties play blame game after U.S. places South Korea on nuclear 'sensitive' country list

PPP, DP vow to acknowledge impeachment ruling, but keep up pressure on court

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Rebuilding Civil-Military Trust in South Korea

Amid new Trump era, South Korea considers ‘plan B’ – building its own nuclear weapons

Numerous Smartphones Infected with Spyware from North Korea

Spyware from North Korea

“KoSpy” Hidden in Service Apps

Install Without Fail! Important Update Available for Several Samsung Smartphones

What Makes “KoSpy” So Dangerous

Raging Kim could execute his OWN staff over stag party-style bash 'with escorts'

Kim's secret missile base disguised as Golf Course