NEVER FORGET

Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it."

– Albert Einstein

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

– President Ronald Reagan

“This is perhaps the most important consequence of Orwell’s time in Burma: If at school he learned to be skeptical of authority, in Asia he learned how the exercise of power can corrupt a person. He hated what he saw it do to himself and feared what would have happened to him had he remained in the role of enforcer of colonial law. As he put it in “Shooting an Elephant,” “When the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. He becomes a sort of hollow, posing dummy, the conventionalized figure of a sahib.” This conclusion amounted to a wholesale rejection of his own background in the bureaucracy of the British colonies.”

– Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom by Thomas E. Ricks

1. Meet Na Kyung-won, the Woman Who Could Start a Whole New Nuclear Standoff

2. S. Korea warns against possible launch of additional N.K. trash balloons

3. N. Korea slams Kishida's visit to Germany as 'collusion' of countries that committed war crimes

4. N. Korea holds meetings to discuss follow-up measures for policy goals

5. FM Cho discusses cooperation with New Zealand counterpart amid N. Korea-Russia ties

6. US ambassador visits HD Hyundai Heavy's shipyard in Ulsan

7. Young North Korean defectors speak out: from secretly watching K-dramas to life in the South

8. U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander suggests that S. Korea could acquire nuclear submarines if needed

9. How SECNAV’s claims about S. Korean, Japanese shipbuilders do and do not line up

10. ＜Inside N. Korea＞Crackdowns intensify on people taking photos and videos with their cell phones…”We can’t take even one photo with their phones”

11. Young North Koreans increasingly favor wealth over loyalty to state

12. South Korea says North's release of burning leaflet photos 'very unusual'

13. Is Kim Jong Un taking his luxury yacht out for vacation?

1. Meet Na Kyung-won, the Woman Who Could Start a Whole New Nuclear Standoff

I cannot emphasize this enough: Na Kyung Won is supporting Kim Jong Un's political warfare strategy.

As I note below in the article: We are all walking into KIm Jong Un’s political warfare trap. Neither US nuclear weapons in the ROK or the ROK’s development of its own nuclear weapons will significantly contribute to deterrence. Instead Kim is looking at these debates with pleasure because they support his major objective of dividing the alliance. This is the issue we should be focusing on: how to protect the alliance. Those calling for nuclear weapons in the ROK are supporting KJU’s political warfare strategy and are actually contributing to the weakening of deterrence.

Anyone who seriously recommends nuclear weapons on South Korea - either South Korean produced or US weapons redeployed should be able to answer some basic questions.

What deters Kim Jong Un? This is critical. I can assure the mere presence of nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula will have little to no effect on Kim. He will simply exploit their presence for his own political warfare campaign. to undermine and subvert the ROKG and society. He will exploit them by generating widespread anti-nuclear protests wherever these weapons are located. If they are US nuclear weapons he will also generate aggressive anti-American demonstrations. Such protests will make the THAAD demonstrations pale in comparison.

What is the concept of employment for nuclear weapons stationed on the Korean peninsula? How does the ROK plan to employ their organic nuclear weapons? Will there be a first use or pre-emptive strike?

What targets in north Korea must be absolutely struck with nuclear weapons? Or what target cannot be sufficiently destroyed with conventional weapons?

What is the command and control process for nuclear weapons? Who has release authority?

The bottom line is those who call for nuclear weapons merely because they think the presence of nuclear weapons will deter Kim Jong Un must be able to answer these basic questions. If they have not thought through these issues then their calls for nuclear weapons should not be heeded

Meet Na Kyung-won, the Woman Who Could Start a Whole New Nuclear Standoff

ROCKET MAN SHOWDOWN

South Koreans no longer trust the U.S. to keep them safe, and new presidential hopeful Na Kyung-won is leading the charge to bring in their own nukes.

Donald Kirk

Published Jul. 14, 2024 5:22AM EDT

The Daily Beast · July 14, 2024

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty/Reuters

In the face of threats from Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, many South Koreans now want to go nuclear.

That’s regardless of enhanced “guidelines for nuclear deterrence” signed by U.S. and South Korean officials on the sidelines of this week’s NATO summit in Washington, at which South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned against Russia providing “advanced technology” for North Korean weapons capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The White House said President Biden pledged “the full range of U.S. capabilities including nuclear” while Yoon promised the Republic of Korea would “greatly contribute to the Alliance’s combined defense posture.” The new guidelines, said the South’s Yonhap News, were designed “to help assuage deepening security concerns in South Korea and reaffirm Seoul’s commitment to the non-nuclear proliferation regime,”

The carefully crafted verbiage was not likely, however, to head off fears that Donald Trump, if he returns to the White House, will undermine the U.S.-Korean alliance while sucking up to Russia’s President Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

“The anxiety level in Korea about the reliability, staying power, and deterrence commitment of the U.S. is high,” said Evans Revere, a former senior U.S. diplomat in Seoul and Tokyo. “At its core, the concern is about Trump and the possibility he would abandon the ROK,” as threatened during his presidency. “At the least,” Revere told The Daily Beast, he might “unilaterally draw down U.S. forces,” about 28,500 troops, mostly soldiers and airmen, while the new Russian-North Korean treaty makes the North “a de facto permanent nuclear power.”

Against the nuclear threat posed by the North, one South Korean woman, Na Kyung-won, is running for leader of the ruling People Power Party, and fighting for South Korea to develop its own nukes. Meanwhile, Trump is threatening to pull out U.S. troops if elected in November and Putin is providing expertise and technology for North Korean missiles capable of dropping warheads on the South.

A former judge who is married to a judge, Na is marshaling a campaign that polls indicate has rising support among South Koreans, to whom Trump represents almost as much of a security threat as Putin.

Sure, the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea, “is functioning as a deterrent,” she said while announcing her candidacy for party leadership, “but it cannot guarantee changes in the future security environment.” She wants the U.S., which has blocked South Korea from developing nukes for anything other than energy, to jettison that policy.

That’s a polite way of expressing widespread misgivings about Trump, who during his first term demanded that South Korea pay $5 billion a year to cover the cost of American troops defending South Korea. That demand jeopardized the future of America’s largest U.S. base overseas, Camp Humphreys, 40 miles south of Seoul, and nearby Osan Air Base. The Biden administration got the South to agree to pay $1 billion, as originally proposed.

It was on June 25, the 74th anniversary of the North Korean invasion of the South, that Na “kicked a hornets’ nest that shows no signs of dying down” by declaring that South Korea should become a nuclear power. NK News, a Seoul-based website that tracks both Koreas, reported her as saying, “Now we have to arm ourselves with nuclear weapons too.” Conservatives “rallied behind Na’s position,” NK News said, “reigniting a debate about nuclear weapons that had largely faded into the background since the allies sought to nip the issue in the bud last year.”

The party, though, is fractured for other reasons. Na has fallen out with President Yoon for joining in criticism of Yoon’s wife for accepting a $2,200 Dior handbag as a gift—and for supporting a scheme that did not have his approval, for rewarding couples for having babies. Since South Korea’s constitution bans a president from serving more than one five-year term, however, she will not have to run against him for their party’s nomination for president in 2027.

At 60, Na has earned her conservative credentials battling through the maelstrom of Korean politics, failing twice to become mayor of Seoul but being elected five times to the National Assembly, most recently in April when the opposition Democratic Party gained considerably more assembly seats than her People Power Party.

The first woman to head the assembly’s foreign affairs committee, Na is all for the war games with the Americans that President Yoon has enthusiastically endorsed, and for improving South Korea’s relations with Japan. She faced criticism for attending a Japanese reception in Seoul to mark the anniversary of Japan’s military establishment, known as the Self-Defense Forces, and has called for an end to the controversy over Koreans forced to serve as “comfort women” for Japanese soldiers in World War II. Na, whose daughter has Down syndrome, has led Korean organizations for those with disabilities and chaired the Korean Special Olympics.

The debate over South Korean nukes picked up steam when Trump discussed his great relationship not only with Putin but also with Kim, with whom he professed to have fallen “in love” at their summit in Singapore in June 2018.

Among the worst concerns is that a future President Trump might try to get Putin to settle for holding on to what he’s got in Ukraine in return for ending the war—and relief from sanctions. Trump, according to this scenario, would resume his love affair with Kim while bargaining for a deal to scale down or even end war games and missile tests.

Experts debate, however, the degree to which a nuclear arsenal would contribute to the defense of the South. “We are all walking into Kim’s political warfare trap,” David Maxwell, a retired army colonel who served five tours in South Korea with the special forces, told The Daily Beast. “Neither U.S. nuclear weapons in the ROK nor the ROK’s development of its own nuclear weapons will significantly contribute to deterrence.”

Kim “is looking at these debates with pleasure because they support his major objective of dividing the alliance,” Maxwell said. “Those calling for nuclear weapons in the ROK are supporting KJU’s political warfare strategy and are actually contributing to the weakening of deterrence.”

Maxwell is just as skeptical about the return to South Korea of American nukes, which then President George H.W. Bush withdrew in 1991, as he is of the South making its own nuclear weapons. Kim, he believes, “will simply exploit their presence for his own political warfare campaign… generating widespread anti-nuclear protests wherever these weapons are located.”

Right now, according to a detailed study by Victor Cha, a leading Korea expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, South Koreans are fearful of the international repercussions of going nuclear, including the fallout from withdrawal from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. A Trump victory in November, however, could bring about a shift that would persuade the South it had to match the North’s nuclear stockpile, estimated at 100 warheads, with nukes of its own.

“If Trump wins and pulls out troops or cuts an ICBM deal with Kim that decouples from short and medium range ballistic missiles,” Cha told The Daily Beast, “then strategic elite opinions could change” and “policy could shift swiftly.”

The shift has been underway ever since Kim and Putin hugged at the Vostochny Cosmodrome near the Amur River in Siberia last September and Putin agreed to sell the Russians millions of artillery shells, plus other munitions, for Russian forces in Ukraine.

“After a lull, South Korea is suddenly talking about going nuclear again,” reports NK News. “Leading conservatives are endorsing nukes to defend against North Korea, reigniting debate about reliance on US military.”

Pressure to go nuclear gained urgency after Putin and Kim signed a mutual defense pact in Pyongyang last month, promising to fight for each other in a future war. Assuming Russia “is providing technology” for the North’s satellite program, writes Korea expert Angela Stent at the Brookings Institution in Washington, “Russia may well assist Kim in further developing his nuclear weapons program”—a matter “of great concern to China, South Korea, the United States, and other Asian and European countries.”

Revere sees the confrontation cutting both ways.

“A lot of domestic polling in the ROK suggests strong popular support for either a nuclear-armed South Korea or the re-introduction of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons into the ROK,” he told The Daily Beast. “There is a vocal domestic constituency in South Korea that is pushing for the country to go nuclear.”

Trump “has made his contempt for Korea and his anti-U.S.-ROK alliance views clear,” Revere observes, and “has spoken positively about his relations with those three dictators”—Kim, Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping. Thus, “one can understand why the anxiety level among South Koreans is high.”

However, Revere notes, “None of the polling that I’ve seen asks Koreans the tough questions about the implications of going nuclear, including the need to withdraw from the NPT, the implications of such a move on South Korea’s international standing, the fact that this would effectively put an end to the goal (however remote) of denuclearizing North Korea.”

Then, Revere adds yet another hazard—“the possibility that anti-alliance MAGA forces”—that is, Trumpsters allied around the slogan, Make America Great Again—“would seize on this move to reduce the U.S. military commitment or even end the alliance, arguing that Korea can now take care of itself.”

Trump, however, is hardly inspiring confidence in the U.S. commitment to defend the South in a second Korean War.

“Some believe that the establishment officials in Washington would prevent Trump from pulling US troops from the Korean Peninsula and making other moves that he hinted at,” a former South Korean ambassador to Russia, Wi Sung-lac, told the Korea Herald. “ That may have been the case during the first-term Trump administration,” he said, “but if Trump is back in the White House, things are going to be quite different.”

The Herald reported “conservative leaders” as “joining the hitherto fringe club of politicians calling for South Korea to get its own nuclear weapons to counter growing North Korean and other security threats facing the country.” Or, as one national assembly member, Yu Yong-woon, put it in careful understatement, “securing potential nuclear capabilities.”

The Daily Beast · July 14, 2024

2. S. Korea warns against possible launch of additional N.K. trash balloons

I do not think the regime understands how foolish these balloon launches make them look. But they see the political divisions that they cause in the South and that makes Kim believe his political warfare strategy is working.

S. Korea warns against possible launch of additional N.K. trash balloons | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · July 15, 2024

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korea would be held responsible for any damage incurred by its trash balloon campaign, South Korea's military warned Monday, a day after the North said South Korea should be ready to pay "a very high price" for sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) issued the warning in response to a statement by Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, that claimed "dirty leaflets and things" had been discovered in 17 places in the border region and other areas of her country, and condemned such an act as "dirty play."

"I once again emphasize that all responsibility lies in North Korea should South Korean citizens suffer any damage from the North's trash-carrying balloons," JCS spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun told a regular briefing.

Noting a rare photo released by the North's state media that showed leaflets flown in from South Korea being burned, along with a pack of cold medicine, Lee said it simply depicts how North Korea is reacting to supplies that were sent for humanitarian support.

Since late May, North Korea has sent more than 2,000 trash-filled balloons into the South, in a tit-for-tat move against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by North Korean defectors in the South. South Korea responded by blaring anti-Pyongyang broadcasts through its border loudspeakers.

On whether to resume the loudspeaker broadcasts, the JCS spokesperson said the military will take a "flexible" approach, based on unspecified strategic and operational circumstances.

A balloon carrying garbage, presumably sent by North Korea, is seen floating on the Han River in Seoul on June 9, 2024, in this photo provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · July 15, 2024

3. N. Korea slams Kishida's visit to Germany as 'collusion' of countries that committed war crimes

N. Korea slams Kishida's visit to Germany as 'collusion' of countries that committed war crimes | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · July 15, 2024

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Monday denounced Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's recent visit to Germany aimed at boosting security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, calling it military collusion between two countries that committed war crimes, according to the North's state media.

On Saturday, Kishida met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, and the two countries signed an agreement on simplifying the process of sharing food, fuel and ammunition between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the German military.

North Korea said Japan and Germany, two countries that were defeated in World War II, "colluded" to engage in war exercises that have escalated regional tensions, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

North Korea further claimed that Japan is betting its survival on strengthening military ties with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), apparently due to its fears of shrinking global power by the United States.

North Korea has denounced NATO's move to expand cooperation with countries in the Indo-Pacific region, such as South Korea and Japan, amid Russia's prolonged war in Ukraine and burgeoning ties between North Korea and Russia.

Pyongyang has also accused the U.S., South Korea and Japan's move to strengthen security cooperation of being an attempt to establish the Asian version of NATO.

On Saturday, North Korea bristled at the NATO summit declaration that condemned its weapons exports to Russia, casting it as an "illegal" document and warning of strong "strategic counteraction."

This AFP photo shows Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (L) shaking hands with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on July 13, 2024 (local time). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

khj@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · July 15, 2024

4. N. Korea holds meetings to discuss follow-up measures for policy goals

(failed) policy goals.

N. Korea holds meetings to discuss follow-up measures for policy goals | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · July 15, 2024

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has held Cabinet and provincial committee meetings to discuss follow-up measures to implement policy goals set forth during a recent key party meeting, state media reported Monday.

The Cabinet and regional committees, including those in Pyongyang and across the country, held meetings from Friday to Sunday to discuss policy performances in the first half and strategies to achieve this year's important goals in the second half, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The meetings came in a follow-up to last month's plenary meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea, where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed his satisfaction with the country's first-half economic performance, stating that the economic situation was markedly improving.

North Korea also held a plenary meeting of the Party Committee of the Cabinet on Sunday, attended by Premier Kim Tok-hun and Vice Premier Pak Jong-gun, the KCNA said.

The meeting adopted supplementary decisions to "unwaveringly" implement the policy tasks presented to the Cabinet and national economic guidance agencies, it said.

North Korea appears to be emphasizing the improvement of party officials' work attitudes, a pressing issue highlighted during the plenary meeting.

During a recent visit to oversee a major development project in the northern city of Samjiyon near Mount Paektu, Kim Jong-un reprimanded senior officials for their "irresponsibility," blaming them for causing financial losses.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) gives "field guidance" to officials in the northern city of Samjiyon, at the foot of Mount Paektu, during his recent visit, in this photo released by the North's Korean Central News Agency on July 14, 2024. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

khj@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · July 15, 2024

5. FM Cho discusses cooperation with New Zealand counterpart amid N. Korea-Russia ties

FM Cho discusses cooperation with New Zealand counterpart amid N. Korea-Russia ties | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · July 15, 2024

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with his New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, on Monday and discussed ways to bolster bilateral cooperation amid burgeoning ties between North Korea and Russia, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

The luncheon meeting between Cho and Peters, who doubles as the deputy prime minister, was held in Seoul to discuss high-level exchanges, practical cooperation in the economic sector, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other major regional issues, the ministry said in a press release.

Both sides agreed that North Korea's continued provocations and the close ties between Pyongyang and Moscow pose a threat not only to the Korean Peninsula but also to global peace and stability.

The two stressed the importance of a unified response and cooperation from the international community and agreed to continue working closely together, the ministry said.

They also acknowledged the significance of a joint statement issued by the leaders of South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand at last week's North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit.

The statement strongly condemned North Korea's weapons exports to Russia, casting them as an "illegal" action and warning of strong "strategic counteraction."

Furthermore, the two agreed on the shared vision of peace, stability, prosperity, resilience and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region and decided to explore ways to strengthen solidarity in the future, the ministry said.

This image, provided by the foreign ministry, shows Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (R) shaking hands with his New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, prior to their meeting in Seoul on July 15, 2024. (Yonhap)

khj@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · July 15, 2024

6. US ambassador visits HD Hyundai Heavy's shipyard in Ulsan

US ambassador visits HD Hyundai Heavy's shipyard in Ulsan | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kang Yoon-seung · July 15, 2024

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. ambassador visited a shipyard of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. on Monday and discussed plans on cooperation between the U.S. and the world's largest shipbuilder, company officials said.

Ambassador Philip Goldberg visited the shipyard in Ulsan, 299 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to explore possible areas of cooperation, the company said in a statement.

During the visit, Goldberg said that he believes the U.S. and HD Hyundai have potential to build partnerships in the commercial and naval vessel sectors, according to the company.

Goldberg also toured the construction site of next-generation Aegis destroyers, as well as other key facilities, it added.

The visit came after the shipbuilder signed the Master Ship Repair Agreement with the U.S. Navy in July, paving the way for the company to enter the U.S. naval ship maintenance, repair, and overhaul market.

Ambassador Philip Goldberg (3rd from L) and HD Hyundai Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun (4th from L) pose for a photo in Ulsan, 299 kilometers south of Seoul, on July 15, 2024, in this photo released by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

colin@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kang Yoon-seung · July 15, 2024

7. Young North Korean defectors speak out: from secretly watching K-dramas to life in the South

Young North Korean defectors speak out: from secretly watching K-dramas to life in the South

South Korea vows to improve support for North Korean defectors on North Korean Defectors' Day

https://www.chosun.com/english/north-korea-en/2024/07/15/JBFWU44HBRGDTBBMSLN3A3LQ4M/

By Kim Min Seo,

Lee Jae-eun

Published 2024.07.15. 10:21

Updated 2024.07.15. 10:36

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during the commemoration of the inaugural North Korean Defectors' Day on July 14, 2024. / Newsis

South Korea celebrated the inaugural North Korean Defectors’ Day on July 14. According to the Ministry of Unification, the number of North Korean defectors who resettled in South Korea amounted to 34,078 as of last year. The South Korean government is paying particular attention to the younger generation of North Korean defectors, often referred to as the MZ generation in Korea and commonly known as Millennials and Gen Z in the West.

“North Korea’s MZ generation is known as the ‘Jangmadang generation,’ who grew up fending for themselves without relying on state rations,” said a government official. “Younger North Koreans grew up secretly watching South Korean dramas, imitating the way South Koreans speak while evading Pyongyang’s crackdowns. They could potentially serve as a catalyst for undermining Kim Jong-un’s regime.”

The Chosunilbo interviewed three North Korean defectors from Pyongyang. The three women, all in their 20s, defected together in 2022 while studying abroad in Europe. Jung Yoo-mi, 24, and Shin Ji-eun, 23, have enrolled in South Korean universities this year. Han Ji-min, 24, is preparing to enter university. For privacy reasons, they used pseudonyms and requested that their faces not be published, as they still have family in Pyongyang.

How popular were South Korean dramas in Pyongyang?

Han: “I would watch them under the covers with earphones so no one could hear. It was the best thing in the world. I liked ‘A Gentleman’s Dignity’ the most. The thrill of doing something forbidden made me so happy.”

Shin: “All my friends talked about South Korean movies and dramas at school. Everyone watched them. It was just a matter of getting caught or not. I bet even Kim Ju-ae (Kim Jong Un’s daughter) watches K-dramas.”

How did you come across South Korean dramas in the first place?

Jung: “When I was ten, I went over to a friend’s house and her older sister was watching a drama. At first, I didn’t realize it was a South Korean drama because it had Chinese subtitles, and the volume was very low. But I heard phrases like ‘gomawoyo’ (a form of ‘thank you’ that is not used in North Korea) and ‘gwenchanayo’ (a form of ‘it’s okay’ that is not used in North Korea). It sounded like Korean, but I had never heard those expressions before, so I was very surprised.”

Han: “Until high school, my mom wouldn’t let me listen to the sound of the dramas because she was afraid I would start imitating the South Korean accent. The first South Korean drama I watched in high school was ‘Dream High,’ which had a lot of dancing and singing scenes. It was really exciting and fun. Since then, I’ve watched almost every South Korean drama.”

Did you watch Korean Central Television or Rodong Sinmun? (Each a state-owned TV service and newspaper)

Jung: “No, they’re boring. Most people don’t watch them. Everyone knows that everything they say is a lie.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently banned people from using South Korean expressions.

Shin: “They banned people from saying ‘annyeong’ (South Korean way of saying hello) and even ‘gwenchanha’ (it’s okay). Banning us from using South Korean expressions left us with barely any words to use. We couldn’t dye our hair, wear shorts, or speak in certain ways. It’s so liberating to be in South Korea without those restrictions.”

Jung: “It makes no sense to kill people for watching a drama. I hope there will be a riot someday. People are too scared to speak out because if they say the wrong thing, they disappear the next day. If only someone would take the lead...”

Have you ever been caught by one of North Korea’s crackdowns?

Han: “When I was in the third grade, a security officer caught me outside with my sister’s mobile phone. My sister had saved a friend’s number with a nickname, and the officer took that as a problem. They said we weren’t allowed to use nicknames. I remember crying a lot because they wouldn’t let me go home.”

Han: “If you got caught watching South Korean dramas ten years ago, you were able to resolve it with a bribe of $30 to $50. But those costs have now surged. People jokingly say, ‘If you want to watch a South Korean drama, you need to have ten thousand dollars ready.’”

What was school like?

Han: “They taught us ‘The Revolutionary History of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.’ We had to memorize all these useless things. We had to memorize events from the past during the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il eras, which we didn’t know well and had never experienced.”

What do you think about Kim Jong Un frequently bringing Kim Ju-ae out in public?

Jung: “People don’t like it. It’s odd to see high-ranking military officials, who are old enough to be her grandfather, kneeling while talking to a child.”

Shin: “There aren’t many kids in North Korea who are as well-fed as Kim Ju-ae. Even if Kim Jong Un says he eats ‘rice balls,’ North Koreans wouldn’t believe it.”

What do you think about North Korea sending trash-filled balloons?

Jung: “It doesn’t feel good to think that in a country where even paper is scarce, they gathered people who have lives to take care of to do something so unnecessary [like gathering trash to fill in a balloon]. I’m sure people my age were mobilized for this particular event.”

How has it been living in South Korea?

Han: “Living here, I realized that North Korea wasn’t a socialist country but also ‘capitalist,’ as in we had to fend for ourselves and make money in the markets, and the state didn’t provide anything. I regret not defecting at a younger age.”

8. U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander suggests that S. Korea could acquire nuclear submarines if needed

If needed.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander suggests that S. Korea could acquire nuclear submarines if needed

https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2024/07/15/WGBFR2SGTREGNKQUPVYDCKVXR4/

By Yang Seung-shik,

Lee Jung-soo

Published 2024.07.15. 16:06

Admiral Samuel Paparo's recent statement about the potential for South Korea to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, made during a meeting with South Korean reporters, has sparked significant interest and debate amid growing public opinion favoring enhanced national defense capabilities. /Newsis

Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, stated that South Korea could consider acquiring strategic nuclear submarines (SSBN) if needed.

On Jul. 11t (local time), during a meeting with South Korean reporters at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, Admiral Paparo stressed the significance of continuously seeking the most effective and efficient methods for the U.S. and South Korea to integrate their forces and enhance their defense capabilities as allies and security partners.

It’s uncommon for a senior U.S. military official to publicly discuss the possibility of S. Korea acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. This remark comes amid growing public opinion in S. Korea that the country should develop its own nuclear capabilities, particularly in light of the close ties between North Korea and Russia. The S. Korean government is likely closely monitoring this statement from a high-ranking U.S. official due to its significance.

Admiral Paparo expressed that everyone desires North Korea’s denuclearization. He emphasized that North Korea’s nuclear advancements are a matter of concern for all parties involved. He explained that if an analysis of submarine operations concludes that it would be effective for S. Korea to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, then this is an option that could be pursued in the future.

Additionally, he pointed out that the U.S. and S. Korea, as equal and strategic partners, established the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) following the Washington Declaration in April of the previous year. This high-level, permanent strategic consultative body has been holding confidential discussions to find strategic solutions to address North Korea’s nuclear threats.

Professor Park Won-gon of Ewha Womans University said, “If the current policy of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which values the S. Korea-U.S. alliance, continues, it can be interpreted that the U.S. might cooperate with S. Korea in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.”

The acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines is currently blocked by the U.S.-South Korea Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation, which prohibits the development of nuclear technology for military purposes. Among non-nuclear-armed states, Australia is the only country permitted to acquire nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. cooperation, achieved through the AUKUS trilateral security pact formed in 2021 by the U.S., U.K., and Australia.

9. How SECNAV’s claims about S. Korean, Japanese shipbuilders do and do not line up

Hmmmm.... protect the primes.

How SECNAV’s claims about S. Korean, Japanese shipbuilders do and do not line up - Breaking Defense

Experts tell Breaking Defense that while Asian shipbuilders have become renowned for good reason, it’s apples and oranges comparing them to the US Navy’s staple prime contractors.

breakingdefense.com · by Justin Katz · July 15, 2024

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro departs the JS Izumo (DDH-183) during a trip to Japan. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ashley M.C. Estrella/Released)

WASHINGTON — In late June, South Korean conglomerate Hanwha, and its shipbuilding arm Hanwha Ocean, announced plans to purchase a controlling stake of Philly Shipyard. And there were likely few people in Washington cheering them on more publicly than Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.

Philly Shipyard does not build combatant ships, also called “gray hulls,” for the US Navy’s fleet and in fact, until Hanwha’s bid is finalized, the yard is owned by a Norwegian industrial investment group. Nonetheless, the announcement was welcomed by the secretary, who said he anticipates Hanwha “will change the competitive U.S. shipbuilding landscape.”

Del Toro, in fact, has spent most of 2024 praising South Korean and Japanese shipbuilders and encouraging them to invest in American shipyards, while separately admonishing US industry for failing to invest in their own facilities and accusing them of “goosing” their stock prices.

At a surface level, his support for Asian companies seem warranted. A Hudson report published in May states that Japan (389) and South Korea (231) each built significantly more ships in 2023 than the United States (48). In 2022, it was a similar story.

But, experts tell Breaking Defense, the secretary’s praise obscures a more nuanced reality about the differences between how the US Navy’s staple shipbuilders stack up against the biggest names in Asia. Chiefly, they say, the strict requirements instituted by the Navy combined with the instability of annual congressional budgeting makes a one-to-one comparison apples and oranges.

It doesn’t mean that Del Toro is wrong with many of the points he has made in favor of how America’s allies in East Asia do business. But analysts are skeptical that the secretary’s calls to action would result in the sort of widespread reforms his statements about Hanwha predicted.

“By all accounts South Korean and Japanese shipbuilders are good,” said Steve Wills, a fellow at the Center for Maritime Strategy. “Would they be willing to abide by [US Navy shipbuilding requirements] and would they be able to deliver a product at the same cost as they would if they built it for the South Korean or Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force navies? That’s hard to say.”

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea. (Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images.)

Where Del Toro Gets It Right

One of the chief claims Del Toro has made about why Asian shipbuilders outperform their American counterparts focuses on how they’ve incorporated high technology into their facilities — hence, the secretary’s own jabs at American industry for, in his view, not always investing to the benefit of the US Navy. And on this claim, analysts said Del Toro is right.

“Japanese and Korean shipbuilders lead in adopting advanced technologies, such as automation and AI,” Robert Khachatryan, CEO of Freight Right Global Logistics, told Breaking Defense. “These innovations significantly enhance efficiency and reduce production times. Digital twin technology, widely used in Korea, improves design accuracy and maintenance predictability, reducing downtime.”

Del Toro has also praised these shipbuilders’ ability to forecast construction schedules with pinpoint accuracy down to the day a vessel will be delivered. Again, analysts concurred.

One shipbuilding industry source familiar with the Asian markets said that during the height of the coronavirus outbreak, South Korean yards spent extra resources ensuring their commercial programs would stay on track to avoid costly damage claims by international customers; post-COVID, those commercial efforts have continued moving forward. And while some government programs were late, South Korean industry received leeway from their government on account of the problems the coronavirus caused, similar to measures taken by the US Navy and its own contractors.

As for Japan, William Schneider, who served in the Reagan administration as under secretary of state, wrote in the May report published by the Hudson Institute that Japanese commercial shipbuilding is second only to China. He too attributed that to Japan’s “history of revolutionizing shipbuilding technology.”

“The Japanese shipbuilding industry was the first to introduce automation to produce modern merchant ships at scale,” he wrote. “This significantly reduced manning levels, a crucial capability as navies face unsustainable manning requirements with current technology.”

US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro walks with officials from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. (Photo courtesy of US Navy.)

Where The Comparisons Fall Apart

Where most experts took issue with Del Toro’s comparisons were in fundamental differences between how US Navy shipbuilders, focused mostly on building warships, and Asian shipbuilders, who manage both commercial and military programs, do business. (A spokesperson for Del Toro declined to comment for this story.)

In the US, a handful of specialized shipyards take on the lion’s share of the US Navy’s work building warships. While they aren’t precluded from pursuing other business — many have explored ventures in unmanned systems and emerging technologies — it doesn’t alter the fact that their annual bottom lines are made or broken by the combatant ships the government buys that year. And from year-to-year, these shipyards are always subject to the whims of the congressional appropriations process, which can result in ships being added or cut unexpectedly.

The biggest names in South Korea and Japan have the advantage of building for both the military and commercial markets, which necessarily eases the workforce management issues faced by many American yards that must threaten layoffs if the Navy lets production lines go cold. They also enjoy routine subsidies from their governments that are not as systemic or consistent in the US.

“The volume that the Koreans and the Japanese get on their order books also makes the investments that they do make make more sense,” said Paula Zorensky, vice president of the Shipbuilders Council of America. That volume results in “economies of scale” that are rarely seen by American shipbuilders, she added, particularly from US Navy orders which usually consist of one or two ships per year.

Another issue sources brought up was that American military shipbuilders have to follow the lead of Naval Sea Systems Command, the service’s primary agency for buying, designing and building warships. Marine engineers have previously told Breaking Defense those regulations are unlike any other fleet in the world and that is partly due to the decades of experience — and numerous sailors’ lives lost — the service has in combat zones.

“Each regulation by itself was certainly well-intended,” said Wills. “The combination of these regulations and requirements however creates unintended complexity costs in building the ship, and potential delays in construction of which the Navy may not be fully aware.”

To demonstrate how Navy regulations can increase costs, Wills pointed to the Royal Danish Navy’s guided missile frigate Iver Huitfeldt, which had a rough cost of $355 million. For comparison, the US Navy’s first Constellation-class guided missile frigate is expected to cost more than $1 billion.

“That’s pretty amazing for a guided missile frigate,” Wills said of the Iver Huitfeldt. “What we later discovered was that the Danes built some of the ship in Poland, used recycled materials and weapon systems, and did not perform all of the combat systems integration until after the ships were commissioned. The [US Navy] pays for all of that up front.”

These kinds of differences in the details, experts said, is where Del Toro’s comparisons were not giving US industry a fair shake.

“We aren’t making excuses for anything. We work in the environment that we work in. We have to work with the regulations that are quite onerous, that are thousands of pages of regulations and compliance, and we’re happy to do that,” said Matthew Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America. “We work in the environment that we have to build in, so I think the comparisons [are] a little bit off.”

Where Do Investments Go From Here?

The bottom line of much of Del Toro’s praise for Asian shipbuilders has been that he wants them to invest in American shipyards, one component of what he calls “maritime statecraft,” a theory that proposes American and allied maritime power depends both on commercial and naval shipbuilding. But, experts said, it’s unclear whether the American market even offers the right opportunities for companies, like Hanwha, that are willing to bite.

Bryan Clark, a fellow at the Hudson Institute who has recently spoken to several Korean and Japanese shipbuilders exploring the American market, said the US has a dozen shipyards focused on building commercial vessels, or what he called “the Jones Act Fleet.”

The Jones Act is a law that dictates goods shipped between American ports must be transported on US-built vessels and operated by American crews. Clark said the types of ships that make up this fleet go through generational recapitalization, and the current cycle is close to ending.

“So the US shipyards that build ships for this fleet, the Jones Act Fleet, are all looking at sort of the end of that business and wondering, ‘Okay, how am I going to keep going until the next cycle?’” Clark said. “There’s about a decade where they really have to come up with alternative orders for their order books.”

And that is the position of Philly Shipyard, the yard currently owned by Norwegians and poised to be taken over by South Korea’s Hanwha. Assuming its bid passes regulatory muster, Clark predicted Hanwha will use its new US-based shipyard to compete for work rebuilding the Ready Reserve Fleet, a group of auxiliary ships the Navy and other government agencies rely upon for non-combat tasks, at least until the next tranche of commercial contracts building Jones Act ships comes around.

What success Hanwha has in that time could prove to be a test case for whether it will continue investment in American facilities. It could also influence the company’s interest in reviving its failed bid to purchase Australian shipbuilder Austal, whose subsidiary Austal USA is a key shipbuilder for the US Navy. (While the takeover bid was rejected, both companies appeared to leave open the possibility of future discussions.)

Clark added that while he agrees with Del Toro’s premise of maritime statecraft — that both naval and commercial shipbuilding will play a key part in American maritime power — the secretary’s solutions are where things get “muddy.”

“He’s arguing that these companies — these foreign shipbuilders should then invest in the US. It’s unclear what the benefit of that is. It’s unclear why they would do it from a business perspective,” Clark said.

“The level of interest these foreign shipbuilders have in the US is, I think, driven mostly by a desire to, on their government’s behalf, to improve relations or maintain strong relations with the US more so than these companies individually seeing the business case,” he added.

breakingdefense.com · by Justin Katz · July 15, 2024

10. ＜Inside N. Korea＞Crackdowns intensify on people taking photos and videos with their cell phones…”We can’t take even one photo with their phones”

The decision to allow electronic devices among the population (some 8 million smartphones are in north Korea) may be identified as a major mistake that will eventually lead to instability,

＜Inside N. Korea＞Crackdowns intensify on people taking photos and videos with their cell phones…”We can’t take even one photo with their phones”

asiapress.org

A footless boy begs on the sidewalk next to a market. Such photos are powerful evidence of North Korea's human rights record. Photo by Kim Dong-chul (ASIAPRESS) taken in Pyongsong, North Pyongan Province, March 2013

As the number of mobile phone users in North Korea increases, authorities are strengthening their crackdowns on people taking video and photos with mobile phones. This appears to be a measure to prevent the domestic and international spread of videos and photos that the authorities want to conceal. (JEON Sung-jun / KANG Ji-won)

◆ Intensive investigations conducted on those who just store images of fires, fights, or arrests

The number of mobile phone users in North Korea is estimated to be around 4 to 6 million, although this varies by source. Since mobile phones began to spread significantly in 2008, the number of users has steadily risen.

As the number of mobile phone users grows and smartphones with the ability to shoot photos and videos and have access to the domestic intranet have become widespread, authorities seem to be tightening their crackdowns and control due to concerns over the spread of information through these devices.

In early July, a reporting partner residing in Ryanggang Province reported that crackdowns on people taking videos and photos with mobile phones have recently intensified.

"In the past, there were many crackdowns on people taking illegal videos and photos, and photos were inspected during searches. However, as incidents involving mobile phones have increased recently, the crackdowns have intensified. Although the exact details are unclear, there are rumors that during Putin's visit to Pyongyang, someone took a photo with a phone that included Kim Jong-un, which caused a significant issue."

The reporting partner said that on June 29, during a meeting of the Socialist Women's Union of Korea, a police official issued a warning:

"They announced that taking commemorative photos in front of important state facilities, shooting scenes of fires or disaster accidents, arrests, and social disturbances, or storing and distributing such videos, could lead to legal punishment. They advised mobile phone users to be cautious."

The reporting partner expressed frustration, saying, "Even if you have a mobile phone, you can't take a proper photo. If a photo includes military facilities, factory enterprises, shop price tags, or kotjebi (homeless people, usually children), the authorities suspect that it is intended for external distribution, and you’d be subject to intensive investigation."

North Korean smartphones. North Koreans call them "intelligent cell phones." Photo obtained by ASIAPRESS in 2020. (ASIAPRESS)

◆ Unprecedentedly intensified crackdowns, perhaps influenced by the “April 27 Directive”

The reporting partner recounted a recent case where members of a guchaldae confiscated and destroyed a person’s mobile phone on the spot for photographing them during a crackdown. The crackdowns are particularly harsh toward people who commit acts that could cause social issues.

※ Guchaldae: Civilian enforcement organizations formed to maintain social order and prevent "non-socialist" activities.

Additionally, the reporting partner said that not only taking sensitive photos but also filming, editing, and sharing everyday hobbies or sports activities are subject to crackdowns.

"Schools and the Socialist Patriotic Youth League are demanding stricter education on filming and sharing videos such as youth fights, acrobatics, and taekwondo performances, editing them, and distributing them on USBs or via mobile phones."

All this appears to be influenced by the “April 27 Directive,” which defined individual video production and distribution activities as “non-socialist.”

＜Inside N. Korea＞Crackdowns aren’t focused just on the “South Wave” anymore…Hands down the “April 27 Directive” to intensify crackdowns on the form of videos made by domestic individuals

In May 2023, a defector who came to South Korea via the West Sea filmed videos on their mobile phone of a homeless person collapsed on the street and a child begging while waiting for absent parents. These videos were first revealed at the United Nations in March this year, causing a stir. The exposure of North Korean society's flaws in front of the international community may also explain the unprecedently intensified crackdown by the authorities.

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

asiapress.org

11. Young North Koreans increasingly favor wealth over loyalty to state

Useful and important insights.

Young North Koreans increasingly favor wealth over loyalty to state

The Korea Times · July 15, 2024

gettyimagesbank

Defectors highlight lack of realistic discussions on unification

By Jung Da-hyun

A marked generational divide is emerging in North Korea, characterized by differing attitudes toward the accumulation of wealth and loyalty to the state, according to defectors.

However, views on unification remain largely consistent across generations, primarily because of the uniform education system in North Korea.

According to North Korean refugees in South Korea, while the older generations in the North remain deeply loyal to the regime, younger generations are increasingly prioritizing their own wealth and well-being, challenging and diverging from the traditional notions of loyalty.

"The older generation in North Korea believes that if tensions escalate and war breaks out, they should immediately take up arms and fight," Yoon Ae-ra, a defector in her 30s who has lived in the South for eight years, said during a talk show hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Friday.

"Unlike the older generation, the younger generation does not feel the same loyalty to the regime. They prioritize their survival instead."

Yoon explained that even younger North Koreans who rise to state executive positions view the roles merely as a means of earning money, rather than as acts of loyalty to the state.

"It’s just for a living, not a demonstration of loyalty," she said.

Young South Koreans and North Korean defectors share their thoughts and experiences during a talk show at Seoul Citizens Hall in central Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-hyun

Furthermore, the younger generation in North Korea is increasingly drawn to the outside world, particularly the freedom showcased in South Korean dramas, leading to growing cultural conflicts with the older generation.

"I was most excited about the freedom and absence of surveillance when I arrived in South Korea," said Roh Jin-hye, a high school student who defected five years ago.

"Since many of my mother's relatives were in South Korea, our family was constantly monitored in the North. Government officials would check our chimney, and if there was no smoke, they would come inside to see if we were trying to escape."

She highlighted that despite the challenges of living in the South, such as the competitive academic environment, it feels like a completely different world compared to the North.

But the defectors said, despite generational differences, a shared perception of unification persists across all age groups in North Korea.

"People in North Korea are still taught that unification under communism will be achieved. In this regard, both the older and younger generations share the same perspective on unification," Yoon said.

"Some of my friends in the North don’t want unification because they are scared of war," Roh added.

In contrast, young South Koreans are educated about the importance of peaceful unification, but many seem to prefer maintaining the current status quo.

"Because of the long history of division, North Korea feels like a different country," said Kim Jeong-hyun, a 23-year-old student at the University of Seoul.

"To be honest, I've never seriously thought about unification because I've been preoccupied with achieving my current goals," said Byeon Ji-young, another 23-year-old university student.

Meanwhile, North Korean defectors highlight a lack of discussions about the actual challenges of unification.

"After living in South Korea for more than 10 years, I've realized that if peaceful reunification is achieved as South Korea claims, North Koreans will struggle to adapt to the social atmosphere," Lee Wee-sung, a defector in his 20s, said.

"If the time comes for real discussions on unification, we need to focus on everyday life issues rather than just the economy and politics."

The Korea Times · July 15, 2024

12. South Korea says North's release of burning leaflet photos 'very unusual'

Monday

July 15, 2024

dictionary + A - A

Published: 15 Jul. 2024, 18:39

South Korea says North's release of burning leaflet photos 'very unusual'

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-07-15/national/northKorea/South-Korea-says-Norths-release-of-burning-leaflet-photos-very-unusual/2090567

Materials believed to be anti-Pyongyang leaflets from South Korea burn after being discovered in North Korea, in this photo released by the North's Korean Central News Agency on Sunday. [YONHAP]

The South Korean government called North Korea's release of footage showing the incineration of anti-Pyongyang leaflets "very unusual."

"We find it very unusual that North Korea publicly revealed burning the leaflets sent" from South Korea, said Koo Byoung-sam, spokesperson for Seoul's Ministry of Unification, during a press briefing on Monday. "We will keep an eye on what intentions may lie behind this."

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement Sunday warning that South Korea would pay "a very high price" for sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. In an unprecedented move, she released a photo showing leaflets flown in from South Korea being burned alongside a pack of cold medicine.

"Today I was informed that dirty leaflets and things of the ROK scum have been found again in the border area and some deep areas of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," Kim's statement read, as carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in English. "[We threw] into fire and [disposed of] the found rubbishes according to the regulation of dealing with enemy-dropped objects."

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK, is North Korea's official name, while the ROK is the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

"The ROK clans will be tired from suffering a bitter embarrassment, and must be ready for paying a very high price for their dirty play," Kim added.

Alongside Kim's statement, the KCNA released photos showing objects being burned. This marks the first time North Korean authorities have publicly showcased anti-Pyongyang leaflets dropped in their territory amid the protracted inter-Korean tensions surrounding leaflets and trash balloons since May.

So far this year, North Korea has responded to leaflets sent by South Korean civic groups by sending balloons filled with trash across the border.

The released photos, however, have not yet appeared in domestic media consumed by North Koreans, such as the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's ruling party. This suggests the images are a threat directed at South Korea.

"The government has made it clear that it will take measures that North Korea will find difficult to endure in response to North Korea's nonsensical and crude provocations involving trash balloons," the South's Unification Ministry spokesperson said.

Despite these threats, the South Korean government continued to say it would not intervene in the activities of civic groups sending leaflets to the North.

"We approach the issue of sending leaflets in line with the Constitutional Court's decision to protect freedom of expression, and appropriate measures will be taken considering the circumstances on the ground if necessary," Koo explained. "The government maintains close cooperation with relevant agencies and is doing its best to manage the situation."

In response to a question about North Korea's recent food situation, Koo said the ministry has observed "a slight increase" in market food prices in the country.

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

13. Is Kim Jong Un taking his luxury yacht out for vacation?

Is Kim Jong Un taking his luxury yacht out for vacation?

Satellite photos show the Kim family’s 80-meter cruise ship out at sea.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/kim-jong-un-luxury-yacht-maybe-summer-vacation-07112024170141.html

By Cheon Soram for RFA Korean

2024.07.13

According to satellite photos taken by Planet Labs on June 27 and July 5, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s private luxury cruise ship operates near the Kalma Villa in Wonsan, Kangwon province.

Planet Labs, Image Created by Bruce Songhak Chung

Is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un taking a family vacation?

Satellite imagery shows that the Kim family’s 80-meter (262-foot) cruise ship – complete with a waterslide and an Olympic-sized swimming pool – is out at sea.

Some experts say Kim's recent public appearance on land makes it very unlikely that he was on board but others said he may have been.

According to satellite photos taken June 27 and July 5 by Planet Labs, an American commercial satellite imaging company, the luxury cruise ship was identified as sailing off North Korea’s east coast near Wonsan, Kangwon province.

Kim is known to use this ship for recreational activities with his family or to entertain foreign VIPs.

A luxury cruise ship reserved exclusively for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was recently identified as sailing between the ship repair dock at Wonsan Port and the exclusive Kalma Villa. The distance between the marina and Kalma Villa is about 4.5km (2.8 miles). Wonsan Villa can be seen across from Kalma Villa. (Google Earth, image production – Bruce Songhak Chung)

Bruce Songhak Chung, a researcher at the South Korea-based Korean Institute for Security and Strategy who analyzed the satellite photos, told RFA Korean that it is likely that either Kim himself, or his family, took the cruise ship to the family villa on the Kalma peninsula.

“Only North Korean leaders and their families exclusively use luxury cruise ships,” he said. “As the summer vacation season approaches, it is presumed that General Secretary Kim may have visited a private villa in Wonsan to spend the summer with his wife Ri Sol Ju and daughter Kim Ju Ae.”

Chung noted that there was no way to tell whether Kim was on board, but that he might have been, considering that he had just finished leading an important meeting of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party’s Central Committee.

The plenary meeting lasted from June 28 to July 1, and on July 2, Kim visited factories and other government institutions with government officials. This makes it less likely that he was on board on June 27.