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Quotes of the Day:
"At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."
~Abraham Lincoln
"All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership."
– John Kenneth Galbraith
"The very essence of a free government consists in considering offices as public trusts, bestowed for the good of the country, and not for the benefit of an individual or a party."
– John C. Calhoun
1. South Korea restarts blaring propaganda broadcasts to retaliate against North's trash balloon flying
2. US, Japanese, South Korean military leaders send message to ‘regional threats’
3. South Korea in the Maelstrom: East Asia’s Geopolitical Upheaval Brings Danger
4. The 2 Koreas’ Cold War Measures Destabilize the Korean Peninsula
5. North Korean elites make money with cheap gold
6. S. Korea to continue to blast propaganda broadcasts in response to N.K. balloons
7. North Korea’s Kim in military talks with Russian vice defense minister
8. ＜Interview＞ 'Even Mattress Metal Springs Are Not Allowed' China's Unexpectedly Strict Economic Sanctions on N. Korea
9. State Dept. says 'no surprise' over N.K. diplomat's defection
10. 10. Moon administration's diplomatic push faces backlash after ex-CIA analyst indictment
11. Political blame game intensifies in Seoul over Sue Mi Terry row
12. New photos show N. Korea continues to violate international sanctions
13. Detained ship carrying 4,500-ton of N.Korean coal: Seoul
14. S. Korea-U.S. alliance has 'tremendous bipartisan' support: Goldberg
1. South Korea restarts blaring propaganda broadcasts to retaliate against North's trash balloon flying
There should not be tit for tat. The ROK needs to broadcast into the north because it's the right thing to do. The isolation of and the denial of information to the Korean people in the north is a human rights abuse.
South Korea restarts blaring propaganda broadcasts to retaliate against North's trash balloon flying
South Korea says it has restarted anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts across the border in response to North Korea’s resumption of trash-carrying balloon launches
The Washington Post · by Hyung-Jin Kim | AP · July 19, 2024
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said Friday it has restarted blasting propaganda broadcasts into North Korea to retaliate against the North’s latest round of trash-carrying balloon launches, a resumption of Cold War-style tactics that are raising animosities between the rivals.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it used front-line loudspeakers to blare anti-Pyongyang broadcasts over the border between Thursday evening and Friday morning. It said the South Korean military turned on loudspeakers again later Friday as it found out the North was preparing to fly more balloons.
The broadcasts were the first of their kind in about 40 days. The contents of the broadcasts were not immediately known, but previous ones last month reportedly included K-pop songs, weather forecasts and news on Samsung, the biggest South Korean company, as well as outside criticism of the North’s missile program and its crackdown on foreign video.
The South Korean broadcasts could trigger an angry response from North Korea because it is extremely sensitive to any outside attempt to undermine its political system. In 2015, when South Korea restarted loudspeaker broadcasts for the first time in 11 years, North Korea fired artillery rounds across the border, prompting the South to return fire, according to South Korean officials. No casualties were reported.
South Korea’s military said North Korea must be blamed for heightened tensions because it ignored South Korea’s repeated warnings and continued its “despicable” balloon campaigns. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the South Korean military will conduct loudspeaker broadcasts in a fuller manner and other stronger steps if North Korea continues provocations like balloon launches.
South Korea’s military earlier said North Korea’s launch on Thursday afternoon was its eighth balloon campaign since late May. About 200 North Korean balloons were found on South Korean soil as of Friday morning, and they mostly carried waste papers, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Previous North Korean-flown balloons carried scraps of cloth, cigarette butts, waste batteries and even manure, though they caused no major damages in South Korea. North Korea said they were sent in response to South Korean activists sending political leaflets to the North via their own balloons.
South Korea responded by suspending a 2018 tension-reduction deal with North Korea, conducting propaganda broadcasts for two hours on June 9 and front-line live-fire military drills at border areas.
Earlier this week, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hinted at flying rubbish-carrying balloons again or launching new countermeasures, saying South Korean balloons have been found again at border and other areas in North Korea. In her statement Tuesday, Kim Yo Jong warned that South Korean “scum” must be ready to pay “a gruesome and dear price.” That raised concerns that North Korea could stage physical provocations, rather than balloon launches.
South Korea’s military said Wednesday it has boosted its readiness to brace for any provocation by North Korea. It said North Korea may fire at incoming South Korean balloons across the border or floating mines downriver.
It wasn’t immediately known whether groups in South Korea have recently scattered leaflets in North Korea. For years, activist groups led by North Korean defectors have used helium-filled balloons to drop anti-North Korean leaflets, USB sticks containing K-pop music and South Korean dramas and U.S. dollar bills in the North.
North Korea views such activities as a serious security threat and challenge to its ban on foreign news for most of its 26 million people. In 2020, North Korea destroyed an unoccupied South Korean-built liaison office on its territory in a furious response to South Korean civilian leafleting campaigns. In 2014, North Korea fired at balloons flying toward its territory and South Korea returned fire, though there were no casualties.
Tensions between the Koreas have heightened in recent years because of North Korea’s missile tests and the expansion of U.S-South Korean military drills that North Korea calls invasion rehearsals. Experts say North Korea’s expanding ties with Russia could embolden Kim Jong Un to stage bigger provocations, particularly ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November.
North Korea’s state media said Friday that Kim met a visiting Russian delegation led by Vice Defense Minister Aleksey Krivoruchko. During the meeting, Kim stressed the need for the two countries’ armies to unite more firmly to defend international peace and justice, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
In June, Kim met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang and signed a deal requiring each country to provide aid to the other if it is attacked and vowed to boost other cooperation. Analysts say the accord represents the strongest connection between the two countries since the end of the Cold War.
The Washington Post · by Hyung-Jin Kim | AP · July 19, 2024
2. US, Japanese, South Korean military leaders send message to ‘regional threats’
US, Japanese, South Korean military leaders send message to ‘regional threats’
Stars and Stripes · by Seth Robson · July 18, 2024
South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo, left, shakes hands with Japanese Joint Staff chief of staff Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida during their meeting with top U.S. military leaders at Camp Ichigaya, Tokyo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
TOKYO — The highest-ranking military officers from the U.S., Japan and South Korea gathered here Thursday to talk cooperation amid rising challenges from China, North Korea and Russia.
The meeting marked the second trip to Japan since November for Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown after becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“I expect that the three of us sitting here in Tokyo today sends a message to the regional threats, but also globally on the strength of the relationship, our alliance and the work that we do,” Brown told reporters while sitting next to his Japanese and South Korean counterparts at Camp Ichigaya, headquarters of Japan’s Ministry of Defense.
Air Force Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attends a trilateral meeting of military leaders from the U.S, Japan and South Korea at Camp Ichigaya, Tokyo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Alongside him were Japanese Joint Staff chief of staff Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida and South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo.
The trio were joined by the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Paparo; U.S. Forces Japan commander Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp; and U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Paul LaCamera.
Chinese aggression in the East and South China seas, North Korean missile tests and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are among the challenges faced by the three democracies.
The United States has long encouraged its allies to cooperate on security, but those efforts have been frustrated by historical disputes stemming from Japan’s rule over Korea before and during World War II.
The commander of U.S. Forces Korea, Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, attends a trilateral meeting at Camp Ichigaya, Tokyo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Nevertheless, their military cooperation has surged since President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held their first summit together in August at the Camp David, Md.
The leaders pledged to boost their military ties to confront North Korean “threats that affect our collective interests and security.”
Since then, the three nations have held unprecedented trilateral drills involving their air forces, navies and coast guards.
Last month, for example, they carried Freedom Edge, training near Japan and South Korea that involved multiple aircraft and ships. It focused on missile, air and cyber defense, anti-submarine warfare, maritime interdiction and search and rescue.
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success,” Brown told his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, quoting 19th century American author Edward Everett Hale. “The three of us have a responsibility to ensure the momentum continues.”
The Tokyo meeting aimed to advance what was agreed upon at Camp David and in June at Singapore, he said.
Top military leaders from the U.S., Japan and South Korea, including Air Force Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meet at Camp Ichigaya, Tokyo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and South Korean National Defense Minister Shin Won-sik agreed on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in the Southeast Asian city state to develop a cooperation framework that would include information sharing and more trilateral exercises.
Efforts to change the status quo by force in the East and South China seas, Russian aggression in Ukraine, a deteriorating situation in the Middle East and military cooperation between Russia and North Korea were challenges outlined by Yoshida ahead of the Tokyo meeting.
“It’s extremely important for us three nations to demonstrate our unity to ensure regional stability,” he told reporters.
As Yoshida and Kim shook hands, Yoshida said: “I’m looking forward to talking with you to further develop trilateral security cooperation to ensure peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific.”
The head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Paparo, left, and the commander of U.S. Forces Japan, Air Force Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp, attend a trilateral meeting at Camp Ichigaya, Tokyo, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Japan’s Joint Staff, in a statement issued after the meeting, said the leaders also visited Yokota Air Base, USFJ’s home in western Tokyo. There, they reaffirmed cooperation for real-time trilateral missile warning data sharing to counter North Korean threats.
“They condemned [North Korea]’s continued development of its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs and provocations as well as the growing military cooperation between [North Korea] and Russia,” the statement said.
It noted “escalatory, dangerous, and aggressive behavior supporting unlawful maritime claims by [Beijing] in the South China Sea and throughout the region,” adding that the military leaders reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait
Top military officers from the three nations plan to meet in South Korea next year, the statement said.
Stars and Stripes · by Seth Robson · July 18, 2024
3. South Korea in the Maelstrom: East Asia’s Geopolitical Upheaval Brings Danger
Beware. We have been warned.
Excerpts:
“Even without Putin’s support, Kim has ample motivation to escalate provocations,” Cho told The Diplomat. “But with Kim now emboldened, the prospect of unconventional acts like terrorist attacks on South Korean infrastructure and civilians, or one mirroring the 2010 Yeonpyeong bombardment and sinking of the Cheonan battleship, is a real possibility.”
Cho noted, “As Victor Cha says, North Korea’s sending trash-filled balloons is a form of ‘soft terrorism.’ Reportedly, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service also confirmed North Korea has been preparing for terrorist attacks against South Korean embassy staff or citizens living abroad.”
The specter of irregular attacks is partially driven by North Korea’s evolving domestic political situation and efforts to combat foreign interference. And they are unfolding amid echoes of the tumultuous events in 2010.
“In my view, what’s really threatening for the Kim regime is South Korea’s resumption of information operations and President Yoon’s focus on North Korea’s human rights violations,” Cho said. “For the last three years, new laws such as ‘The Law on Ensuring Education of Young People’ and ‘The Law of Protecting the Cultural Language of Pyongyang’ were enacted under Kim Jong Un to suppress foreign influence and prohibit South Korea’s ‘reactionary’ culture from being consumed by the public.”
South Korea in the Maelstrom: East Asia’s Geopolitical Upheaval Brings Danger
thediplomat.com · by Kenji Yoshida
“With Kim now emboldened, the prospect of unconventional acts like terrorist attacks on South Korean infrastructure and civilians is a real possibility,” says Dr. Cho Sung-min.
By and Jason Morgan
July 18, 2024
The ROK Army’s 17th Division conducts a training exercise at Jangdo Comprehensive Training Center, Incheon on June 21, 2024.
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East Asia is witnessing seismic geopolitical shifts. The June summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, culminating in a heightened military partnership, sent shockwaves across the globe. In the lead-up to the meeting, North Korea steadily increased hostilities in the region while abandoning its long-time pursuit of reunification with South Korea.
So far, South Korea’s response has been fighting fire with fire. President Yoon Suk-yeol has implemented decisive measures to strengthen military cooperation with the United States and Japan to curtail Kim’s reckless pursuits. The Yoon administration remains steadfast in supplying weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Caught in the whirlpool, China faces a delicate situation reconciling its leadership ambitions and hegemonic aspirations. Beijing’s decision – whether to mediate global conflicts or leverage them for regional dominance – could ultimately redefine the contours of the emerging world order.
In an interview with The Diplomat, Dr. Cho Sung-min discussed East Asia’s precarious geopolitical landscape and its influence on the Korean Peninsula. Formerly a professor at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies under the U.S. Department of Defense, Cho will assume a tenure-track position in the Department of Political Science at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea, starting this September.
Tensions along Korea’s demilitarized border spiked in May and June as North Korea launched hundreds of trash-filled balloons into the South. In June, on at least two occasions, North Korean soldiers crossed the demarcation line, prompting South Korean forces to fire warning shots. These incidents have heightened anxiety over further aggravation.
While North Korea’s military drills, missile launches, and nuclear tests are expected to persist, Cho says a greater concern lies elsewhere.
“Even without Putin’s support, Kim has ample motivation to escalate provocations,” Cho told The Diplomat. “But with Kim now emboldened, the prospect of unconventional acts like terrorist attacks on South Korean infrastructure and civilians, or one mirroring the 2010 Yeonpyeong bombardment and sinking of the Cheonan battleship, is a real possibility.”
Cho noted, “As Victor Cha says, North Korea’s sending trash-filled balloons is a form of ‘soft terrorism.’ Reportedly, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service also confirmed North Korea has been preparing for terrorist attacks against South Korean embassy staff or citizens living abroad.”
The specter of irregular attacks is partially driven by North Korea’s evolving domestic political situation and efforts to combat foreign interference. And they are unfolding amid echoes of the tumultuous events in 2010.
“In my view, what’s really threatening for the Kim regime is South Korea’s resumption of information operations and President Yoon’s focus on North Korea’s human rights violations,” Cho said. “For the last three years, new laws such as ‘The Law on Ensuring Education of Young People’ and ‘The Law of Protecting the Cultural Language of Pyongyang’ were enacted under Kim Jong Un to suppress foreign influence and prohibit South Korea’s ‘reactionary’ culture from being consumed by the public.”
During the previous Moon Jae-in administration, sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets to the North, often accompanied by USB drives containing South Korean dramas and songs, were banned. But with the resuming of these activities, North Korea has intensified crackdowns and imposed harsh punishments against lawbreaking citizens.
Cho contends that the Kim regime’s decision to abandon reunification should not be viewed as a mere tactical or rhetorical maneuver but as a continuation of these internal struggles.
“Kim Jong Un didn’t need to renounce [the] reunification goal to achieve his security objectives,” Cho said. “But the surprise decision to relinquish his father and grandfather’s historic mission of Korean unification underscores broader identity politics in play within North Korea.”
“In 2010, Pyongyang launched attacks on Yeongpyong Island and sank the Cheonan battleship during the power transition from Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un. What concerns me now is that the current domestic political situation in North Korea could lead to similar unconventional attacks.”
To be sure, there are similarities with 2010, but also crucial differences. In 2010, the United States’ military commitments in East Asia and its ability to come to allies’ aid were largely taken for granted. However, things have changed dramatically in a decade and a half. Elevated regional tensions and ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have caused a growing number of South Koreans to scrutinize the United States’ extended deterrence.
Particularly worrying to South Koreans is the nuclear asymmetry on the Korean Peninsula, where Pyongyang actively expands its nuclear capabilities while Seoul is left out. The angst is reflected in the numbers. In a 2023 poll, over 76 percent of South Koreans advocated securing nuclear weapons, even if it meant pursuing indigenous development. The question remains whether the South Korean government is willing to align with public sentiment.
“If Donald Trump wins the election in November, a dialogue in that direction is possible,” Cho predicted. “But it would first require revising the South Korea-U.S. Nuclear Agreement to enable nuclear fuel reprocessing and production of necessary materials.”
While Washington often dismisses the idea of South Korea obtaining its own nuclear weapons, Cho says a gradual shift within U.S. policymaking circles and scholarly communities may bring a renewed opportunity for South Korea. He identifies three primary reasons for this shift.
“First, with North Korea’s advancing nuclear capacity and missile technologies capable of penetrating our defense systems, the regional balance has been disrupted. Next, both China and Russia are enhancing their nuclear capabilities, bringing the threat of nuclear conflict closer today. Finally, Trump’s potential return could open the door to renegotiation. In discussions over defense cost-sharing, Seoul could assert its need to balance power dynamics by acquiring nuclear weapons capabilities or even nuclear submarines.”
With the U.S. presidential elections closing in, the future of U.S. military deployment in South Korea is also becoming a subject of heated debate. Although it remains uncertain whether Trump is serious about withdrawing U.S. troops from the Peninsula, Cho asserts that the sudden vacuum such an action would create in East Asia, coupled with cultural and economic implications, would likely prevent it from happening.
Even if South Korea goes nuclear, Cho argues that from a security standpoint, the U.S. presence remains necessary. “Experts suggest that developing nuclear weapons [in South Korea] could span anywhere from six months to five years. South Korea faces a need for deterrence against potential surgical strikes on its nuclear facilities in this period,” he explained. “Moreover, maintaining a regional balance of power necessitates the continued presence of U.S. forces.”
“If South Korea were to acquire nuclear weapons, a huge assumption here is that Seoul would do it under the agreement with Washington,” Cho continued. “However, South Korea’s road to nuclear armament does not lead to the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Korea. In truth, it’s the opposite.”
Of course, the U.S. military is only one of many factors contributing to security calculations on the peninsula. Notably absent from expert discourse is Beijing’s perspective on the swiftly changing geopolitical situation.
“Subtle signals reflect Beijing’s dissatisfaction with the recent Putin-Kim Summit and reluctance to fully endorse it,” Cho said. “But given China’s economic struggles and the provisions of Taiwan’s TSMC, it’s improbable that Beijing will seize the current situation to invade Taiwan or impose a military blockade.”
As Cho noted, the semiconductor giant TSMC, based on Taiwan, is a hub of major global commerce. Disrupting a major semiconductor supply chain could have economic consequences in China that far outweigh the gains realized by subsuming the island. In a nutshell, Cho said, “It’s like shooting itself in the foot.”
That said, in a scenario of simultaneous conflict erupting in both the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait, Cho suggests that South Korea would be ill-prepared to handle a two-front war and be restricted to offering rear-area support for the United States. Nevertheless, this does not imply South Korea’s outright passivity. According to Cho, Seoul’s current stance on a Taiwan contingency is “not a denial of South Korea’s involvement but rather a deliberate policy of ambiguity.”
He cautioned that delving into hypothetical scenarios could disrupt the status quo and potentially accelerate the onset of crises.
“Let’s say Seoul makes a full and clear commitment to the defense of Taiwan. It’s about a future scenario, but Beijing will most likely retaliate today. Then Seoul has to respond, and Washington would support it. This way, an actual crisis can unfold today due to worries about a potential crisis tomorrow.”
Authors
Guest Author
Kenji Yoshida
Kenji Yoshida is an associate correspondent with JAPAN Forward based in Seoul, South Korea.
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Guest Author
Jason Morgan
Jason Morgan is an associate professor at Reitaku University.
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thediplomat.com · by Kenji Yoshida
4. The 2 Koreas’ Cold War Measures Destabilize the Korean Peninsula
This may be a problematic recommendation given the recent indictment.
Excerpt:
While recalibrating its policy on North Korea, Seoul should also activate its networks in Washington to connect with those who might be in charge of Northeast Asian security in the second Trump administration, assuming Trump wins in the elections in November.
The 2 Koreas’ Cold War Measures Destabilize the Korean Peninsula
thediplomat.com · by Mitch Shin
How should South Korea handle balloon clashes against the backdrop of Trump’s possible re-election?
By
July 19, 2024
South Korean army soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence in Paju, near the border with North Korea, Thursday, June 27, 2024.
Credit: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
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On May 28, North Korea made its first attempt at launching balloons carrying garbage toward the territory of South Korea. Pyongyang was responding to the launch of balloons carrying USB drives and a number of $1 bills by South Korean activists who are North Korean defectors. The USB drives contain documents and videos elaborating the brutal dictatorship of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and how South Korea has developed under freedom and democracy since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Since that first launch in May, Pyongyang has sent more than 2,000 trash-carrying balloons to the South, which were mostly found in regions near the inter-Korean border. Due to the risk of debris falling onto private buildings and people, the South Korean military has not shot the balloons down even after it detected them. There were some concerns that the balloon launches could be the North’s attempt to commit chemical or biological terrorism, but the South Korean authorities confirmed that only garbage – like shoes, cigarette butts, plastic water bottles, and manure – has been found.
On July 14, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, claimed that “dirty leaflets and things of scum” were found again, referring to balloons launched from South Korea. She implied that Pyongyang will launch trash-carrying balloons toward the South again, but with a different style.
“We have fully introduced our countermeasure in such situation. The clans will be tired from suffering a bitter embarrassment and must be ready for paying a very high price for their dirty play,” Kim said.
On July 18, North Korea again launched balloons, believed to be laden with trash like before, toward the South.
When the liberal Moon Jae-in government was in power in South Korea, between 2017 and 2022, the balloon launches by North Korean defectors were not welcomed, as inter-Korean dialogue had resumed. South Korea’s National Assembly passed a law banning balloon launches near the inter-Korean border for the safety of South Korean residents living nearby the one of the most heavily-armed borders in the world.
However, South Korea’s Constitutional Court struck down the law last year, calling it an unconstitutional infringement on the freedom of speech. Since then, North Korean defectors turned South Korean civil activists have resumed launching balloons toward the North, with the expressed intent of undermining Kim Jong Un’s regime. These provocative activities caused Pyongyang’s immediate reaction in the past few months.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen in the wake of the balloon clashes between Seoul and Pyongyang. Also, since South Korea formally expressed its intention not to abide by the 9.19 Military Agreement, which was signed to defuse tensions near the border during the inter-Korean summit in 2018, the two Koreas have not hesitated to conduct military drills near the inter-Korean borders. These activities could break out unexpected military clashes; already South Korea’s military has reported firing warning shots at North Korean troops who (apparently inadvertently) crossed the border on at least three occasions.
The increased tensions come at a sensitive time internationally. Since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, Washington’s bid to re-engage in nuclear talks with Pyongyang has not worked at all. As Biden has focused on other major international crises – such as the withdrawal of U.S. military troops in Afghanistan, the Russia-Ukraine War, the Israel-Hamas War and the rising power of China – Pyongyang has not attempted to negotiate with the U.S. administration. Instead, Kim has seized the moment to advance North Korea’s military development.
For Kim Jong Un, the current international security environment creates ideal conditions for him to develop more advanced nuclear weapons, as Russia reflexively vetoes all U.S.-led attempts to impose additional sanctions against North Korea’s ballistic missile tests in the U.N. Security Council. Moscow has also effectively killed the U.N. Panel of Experts designed to monitor compliance with existing sanctions, making it easier for Pyongyang to skirt the restrictions already in place.
Also, as Russia seems to have provided economic aid to North Korea in exchange for Pyongyang supplying munitions for Moscow’s war with Ukraine, North Korea has no reason to return to the nuclear talks and dismantle its nuclear weapons in exchange for lifting up the economic sanctions against it.
Amid this dramatically changing international security environment, former U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be the favorite in the upcoming presidential elections. His rival, incumbent president Biden, faces declining approval ratings, particularly after a poor debate performance. After Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 13, it seems the possibility of his re-election is even higher than before as his strong image perfectly contrasted with perceptions of Biden’s declining cognitive and physical ability.
Considering Trump’s re-election, there are speculations that Pyongyang may seek dialogue with the second Trump administration. After all, Trump was the first sitting U.S. president to meet with a North Korean leader in history. However, given the circumstances, Pyongyang will continue to seek strengthening cooperation with Moscow, according to experts in Washington and Seoul – unless Trump, as he vowed, ends the Ukraine War after he takes office.
In a bid to effectively deter North Korea’s growing aggression and its missile threats, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol has constantly sought to strengthen ties with the United States and Japan. Since he took office in May 2022, South Korea has conducted not only ramped up bilateral military exercises with the U.S. but also trilateral drills involving the two allies as well as Japan. As North Korea perceives the drills as an invasion rehearsal, it will continue to up the ante in its response – up to and including a potential seventh nuclear test. Analysts agree preparations are complete and such a test can be conducted any time Kim Jong Un desires.
Unfortunately, there is no chance that Seoul can defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula and halt the North’s provocative actions on its own. At the time of the inter-Korean engagements in 2018, there were no major international crises equivalent to today’s Russia-Ukraine War. Today, the U.S. is distracted and engaged in fierce geopolitical competition between Washington on one side and China and Russia on the other. As a result, North Korea’s neighbors to the north have little incentive to seek a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, as they perceive this would only serve U.S. interests.
In this context, South should widen its role in the international stage rather than appearing to the world as merely a loyal U.S. ally. Seoul should engage in dialogue with Beijing as much as possible, as Pyongyang cannot survive without China’s economic pipeline.
While recalibrating its policy on North Korea, Seoul should also activate its networks in Washington to connect with those who might be in charge of Northeast Asian security in the second Trump administration, assuming Trump wins in the elections in November.
Rather than exploiting relations with the U.S. as the only antidote to resolve security conflicts on the Korean Peninsula, it is time for Seoul to enhance its self-defense and diplomatic capabilities so as to make Pyongyang treat Seoul as a legitimate partner on the issue of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Authors
Contributing Author
Mitch Shin
Mitch Shin is a chief correspondent for The Diplomat, covering the Korean Peninsula. He is also a research fellow at The Institute for Peace & Diplomacy and a columnist for The Korea Times.
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thediplomat.com · by Mitch Shin
5. North Korean elites make money with cheap gold
North Korean elites make money with cheap gold
Radio Free Asia obtained footage of North Korean residents digging holes in streams and sifting through sand to extract gold.
https://www.rfa.org/korean/news_indepth/gold-07122024144248.html/ampRFA?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1WIDZmZuf_YWxp2AfTzlI43Bw4S5Io5zRLvJQo4pcaAprmxyehCvAy8NY_aem_eAcu7ju5nIep9c9j5h0btw
- WASHINGTON-Seo Hye-jun seoh@rfa.org
- 2024-07-12
A North Korean man pans for gold at a stream in South Hwanghae Province, North Korea, on May 1, 2023. /RFA PHOTO
Anchor : Radio Free Asia obtained footage of North Korean residents digging the ground near streams and sifting through sand to extract gold. It is said that the number of North Korean residents extracting gold to make a living increases especially in April and May when the barley harvest begins.
The gold mined in this way is sold cheaply to party officials and others, and then sold to China at a high price, becoming a means of financial investment for North Korea's high-ranking officials. Reporter Seo Hye-jun reports.
During the barley harvest season , the number of people mining gold increases.
[ Conversation in the video ]
[ Male 1] There are a lot of people hunting for gold .
[ Male 2] Because the price of gold has gone up …
This is a conversation between two men in a video that shows North Korean residents panning for gold in Pyongsong County and Kangryong County, South Hwanghae Province, in April and May 2023, respectively.
In this video obtained by Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 2nd, two North Korean men wearing boots and masks are seen sifting sand with a pickaxe (a long wooden handle attached to a pole) to pan for gold in a stream.
Another man is digging diligently through a dry riverbed, the depth reaching his waist.
The reason they dig for gold by the stream even under the scorching sun is to sell even a small amount to make a living.
Kim Il-hyuk, a defector who filmed the footage in North Korea, told RFA that April and May are when many people die of starvation in North Korea because the barley harvest begins, and that many people pan for gold during this time to make a living.
When asked “How much does gold cost?” a North Korean man in the video replied that one gram of pure gold costs 400,000 North Korean won (about 50 US dollars).
The man also said he panned 0.02 to 0.03 grams of gold a day, which is equivalent to about 8,000 North Korean won or about 1 US dollar.
In this regard, Kim explained that since personal gold trading is illegal in North Korea, most of the gold mined by ordinary citizens is sold to Workers' Party officials.
[ Kim Il-hyuk ] In North Korea, individuals cannot touch gold . Since it is illegal, most of the time, it is high-ranking officials who do this ( gold trading ) . If this is cracked down on and it is revealed where and from whom the gold was purchased , ( the person who sold it ) could be put to death . So, for safety, they sell gold to households with authority and power .
Kim, who actually made a lot of money through gold trading in North Korea, added that “party officials buy gold from residents at a low price and then sell it to China at a high price.”
[ Kim Il-hyeok ] If you collect all the gold from the Workers' Party 's Room 39 and donate it , the gold is sold ( to China and other countries ) and converted into cash . They need money there too, so they circulate it . The party also does large-scale business .
According to Mr. Kim, even though ordinary citizens know that they can get a higher price if they sell gold directly to China, the reality is that it is too risky, so they have no choice but to secretly trade gold at ridiculously low prices.
[ Kim Il-hyeok ] First of all, there is no freedom of movement in North Korea . So it is not easy to carry gold on your person and go to the border .
North Korean Resident: “How do foreigners buy and sell gold?”
North Korean High-ranking Officials Prefer Good Quality Chinese Gold
Lee Hyun-seung, a defector from North Korea's elite class, also told RFA on the 10th that gold in North Korea is controlled by the state, so internal circulation and exports are very strictly controlled.
[ Lee Hyun-seung ] Room 39 of North Korea's Geumgang General Bureau monopolizes gold exports . They monopolize production and exports . Individual sales are absolutely prohibited , and if you get caught, you'll go to jail . In North Korea, they say they " accept purchases, " so if you bring gold to stores, they'll exchange it for goods . Usually, the North Korean regime sets the value .
However, Lee explained that because it has become widespread for individuals to directly sell gold they have mined in North Korea, there are cases where the State Security Department or party officials turn a blind eye to this in exchange for bribes.
[ Lee Hyun-seung ] The state controls all the gold and takes it . It’s not a system that distributes it . For coal, they paid wages and provided food to the people who produced it , but ( for gold ) demand is not guaranteed, so people mine and sell gold to meet their needs . But in gold mines and gold panning, it’s so common that people just turn a blind eye to it .
Meanwhile, it has been reported that the price of gold in North Korea fluctuates depending on international situations and internal circulation conditions.
According to Mr. Kim, during the coronavirus pandemic, the price of 1 gram of gold fell to 60,000 won in North Korean currency at one point, and because gold circulation was not smooth at the time, many people who mined gold also disappeared.
North Koreans dig a body-sized hole to find gold in another area of South Hwanghae Province, North Korea, April 19, 2023. / RFA Photo
[ Kim Il-hyeok ] Since the Corona outbreak, the sale of gold has been banned , and the price of gold itself has completely fallen . In the past, because it was circulated, the price of gold would rise and fall a little , but this means that the government has stopped this business ( gold trading ) . Since it is not circulated, no one is buying gold . Also, since there is no place to sell gold, many people stopped mining gold , and the price of gold has fallen .
However, even this suggests that the demand for and circulation of gold mined in North Korea may decrease as North Korea's upper class prefers high-quality Chinese precious metals.
[ Lee Hyun-seung ] ( In North Korea ) I know someone who bought gold and made a necklace . However, although the gold processing industry in North Korea is not developed , people who have only lived in North Korea think, ' This is good , ' but when they later go overseas to China or other countries, they find that it is much more developed, so they do not buy valuables produced in North Korea .
According to the Korea Exchange as of July 11, one don (3.75g) of pure gold is worth about 330 US dollars.
Meanwhile, international gold prices also hit their highest level in six weeks.
Moreover, although the international price of gold has continued to rise since mid-February, for ordinary North Korean citizens, gold remains a means of survival rather than an investment.
This is Seo Hye-jun of RFA Free Asia Broadcasting.
Editor Noh Jeong-min, Web Editor Kim Sang-il
6. S. Korea to continue to blast propaganda broadcasts in response to N.K. balloons
Consider the north's political warfare strategy. The north wants to subvert the south and the divisions over the South's response contribute to the north's strategy.
(3rd LD) S. Korea to continue to blast propaganda broadcasts in response to N.K. balloons | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · July 19, 2024
(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES first six paras with additional loudspeaker broadcast)
By Lee Minji
SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military said Friday it will continue to conduct propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea in response to the North's repeated launch of trash-carrying balloons across the border.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it began the broadcasts at 4 p.m. and continue them on a similar scale, not a full-scale broadcast, to the first broadcast conducted from Thursday evening to early Friday, which targeted areas where the balloons were launched.
The first round of broadcasts reportedly involved speakers installed near the western section of the heavily fortified border and continued for approximately 10 hours, beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday.
"Our military endured and through numerous warnings offered the North Korean military an opportunity to cease its own actions. It once again repeated such dirty acts at a time when both the South and North suffered substantial damage from heavy rains," the JCS said in a statement.
"We assessed this could no longer be overlooked amid signs of preparations for additional balloon launches," it added, calling the balloon campaign a clear violation of the armistice agreement that threatens the daily lives of South Koreans.
"Should North Korea ignore our warning and repeat such an action, our military will make sure to take all necessary measures for the North to rightly pay," the JCS said, warning of "more powerful" measures in the event of additional provocations.
This file photo shows loudspeakers being taken down at a western front-line unit in June 2004. (Yonhap)
The back-to-back broadcasts marked the first anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts near the border since June 9, when South Korea resumed blaring such broadcasts for the first time in six years in response to the North's balloon campaigns.
Since late May, North Korea has sent more than 2,000 trash-carrying balloons into the South over eight occasions in retaliation for North Korean defectors' sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets toward the North.
The JCS said it has detected around 200 trash-carrying balloons sent by the North since Thursday, with some 40 balloons landing in the northern area of Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul.
An analysis of the retrieved balloons showed they mostly carried scrap paper, the JCS said, adding there were no balloons that were in the air as of 9 a.m.
South Korea turned on loudspeaker broadcasts last month after it fully suspended the 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement in response to the North's massive sending of trash-carrying balloons.
The accord, signed under the former liberal Moon Jae-in administration, bans live-fire artillery drills near the border and other acts deemed hostile against each other.
One of the hundreds of trash-carrying balloons sent by North Korea overnight is found in a rice paddy in the northwestern border county of Ganghwa, in this June 10, 2024, file photo. (Yonhap)
North Korea has bristled against the loudspeaker campaigns, as well as anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by South Korean activists, on fears that an influx of outside information could pose a threat to the Kim Jong-un regime.
Following the June 9 broadcast, North Korea warned of "new responses" against such psychological warfare, calling it a "prelude to a very dangerous situation."
Earlier this week, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North's leader, threatened that South Korea will face "gruesome and dear" consequences if it lets North Korean defectors continue to send leaflets critical of North Korea.
A JCS official assessed the latest launch to have been "less effective," given the weather conditions, but said the military will stay vigilant against new forms of possible provocations, such as shooting down leaflet-carrying balloons floated by South Korean activists or floating land mines toward the South amid heavy rains.
The official did not elaborate on whether the military will conduct propaganda broadcasts every time the North launches trash-carrying balloons, saying the option is part of operational strategy.
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · July 19, 2024
7. North Korea’s Kim in military talks with Russian vice defense minister
North Korea’s Kim in military talks with Russian vice defense minister
Russian is the first known ranking military official to visit since a leaders’ summit last month.
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/north-korea-russia-military-talk-07192024041007.html
By Taejun Kang for RFA
2024.07.19
Taipei, Taiwan
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets Russian Vice Minister of Defense Aleksey Krivoruchko, in North Korea, in this photo released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on July 19, 2024.
KCNA via Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has discussed the “importance and necessity” of military cooperation with Russia’s vice defense minister to “defend mutual security interests,” the North’s state media reported on Friday.
Kim met a Russian military delegation, led by the vice minister, Aleksey Krivoruchko, in Pyongyang on Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA.
“The talk shared recognition of the importance and necessity of the military cooperation between the two countries to defend mutual security interests,” the KCNA said.
Kim reiterated his firm support and solidarity for Russia’s war with Ukraine and stressed the need for the militaries of the two countries to “get united more firmly” to develop bilateral relations, the news agency added.
Krivoruchko is the first known ranking Russian military official to visit North Korea since a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim.
The two met in Pyongyang for talks aimed at bolstering their economic and security relations and underscoring their shared defiance of Western sanctions. Under a new partnership treaty announced at their summit they agreed to offer each other military assistance “without delay” if either were attacked. Russia has been cozying up to North Korea since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The United States has accused North Korea of sending Russia weapons for use in its Ukraine war but both North Korea and Russia deny that.
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More balloons
The military in U.S. ally South Korea resumed propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea in response to the North’s latest launch of trash-carrying balloons into the South.
The broadcasts took place from Thursday evening to early Friday in areas near where the balloons were launched, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, or JCS, said on Friday.
Since late May, North Korea has sent more than 2,000 trash-carrying balloons into the South in retaliation for the launch by anti-North Korea activists of balloons carrying propaganda leaflets towards the North.
“The military’s response going forward will fully depend on North Korea’s actions," the JCS said, without providing further details.
On Thursday, the JCS said the latest North Korean balloons appeared to be traveling toward the northern part of Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul, advising the public to not touch any fallen balloon and to report them to the military or police.
South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts last month as it fully suspended a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement in response to the North’s launch of waves of trash-carrying balloons.
Edited by Mike Firn.
8. ＜Interview＞ 'Even Mattress Metal Springs Are Not Allowed' China's Unexpectedly Strict Economic Sanctions on N. Korea
Interesting and unexpected reporting here.
＜Interview＞ 'Even Mattress Metal Springs Are Not Allowed' China's Unexpectedly Strict Economic Sanctions on N. Korea
asiapress.org
(FILE PHOTO) Trade vehicles on their way to Hyesan, North Korea. Photo by ASIAPRESS, July 2014
◆ Detailed Testimony from a Chinese Trade Intermediary
China has been strictly enforcing economic sanctions against North Korea. While investigating the situation at the trade passage between Jilin Province and North Korea's Yanggang Province, a somewhat "unexpected" fact came to light. The situation is not easy for the Chinese traders, so much so that the Chinese do not allow the customs clearance of metal products such as springs even for the export of mattresses. As a result, the North Korean government has been trying to find a way around this impasse through smuggling. In early July, ASIAPRESS interviewed "A," a trade broker in Jilin Province who is very familiar with the circumstances surrounding North Korea-China trade. (HONG Mari/ KANG Ji-won)
◆ Chinese Traders Lament the Strictness of Chinese Customs
ASIAPRESS had previously reported that smuggling was resuming through interviews with "A" in May and June. According to the investigation so far, the smuggling area is near Hyesan, Yanggang Province, upstream of the Yalu River, and Changbai County, Baeksan, Jilin Province, on the opposite side. The North Korean authorities do not allow smuggling by individuals and engage in "state smuggling," which is under-the-table trade completely controlled and managed by the state.
State Smuggling: Implemented by North Korean state-approved trading companies with Chinese smugglers. On the North Korean side, "official" procedures are conducted in the presence of customs officers, security officers (secret police), security officers (police), etc., at cordoned-off smuggling sites, and items and quantities are strictly controlled.
The following is the interview with “A.”
-- What is the status of official trade between North Korea and China?
Chinese authorities are strictly enforcing export sanction criteria, which is causing difficulties for traders. For example, sanctioned items include metal products, so in order to export mattresses, zippers and springs must be removed. Traders who have been in business since before COVID say there's no need for such meticulous inspections.
-- What is North Korea's position on this issue?
In the past, Chinese traders often provided assistance to North Korea (knowing their difficult living conditions), but now there is a policy of not accepting such assistance, so even if they try to help, North Korean traders won't accept it. Even attempts to provide aid (such as food) are rejected. They say that accepting aid would make them subject to investigation. North Korean authorities tell them that if they want to send something, they should sell it in China and make money instead.
-- What do they export to North Korea?
Mostly raw materials. They export raw materials for finished products, and China re-exports things that are processed in North Korea into eyelashes and wigs. Batteries, too.
Car and bicycle parts are smuggled (because they are sanctioned). They say products that could be sold directly in markets (like ready-made clothes) or items with English writing on them can't be exported (because North Korea cracks down on private business).
(FILE PHOTO) North Korean preparations for a nighttime smuggling operation on the upper reaches of the Yalu River. The buses are meant to carry customs officers and public security officials. Published with permission from a program filmed and broadcast by KBS in November 2019.
◆ North Korea Manages Smuggling... Chinese Traders Subjected to Identity Checks on the Riverbanks
-- Is smuggling still widespread?
Because Chinese customs inspections are strict, traders resort to smuggling. Some have sold cosmetic ingredients and received copper concentrate (raw material for copper smelting) in return. It's said that to receive 30 tons of copper concentrate (from North Korea) by car, they paid 30,000 yuan in bribes (to Chinese border guards).
※1 Chinese yuan is about 189 South Korean won.
-- What is exchanged in smuggling?
North Korea often demands cloth, food, auto parts, tires, raw rubber, and vehicles. Because they lack cash, they negotiate to pay with goods.
-- Has there been any impact from North Korea stepping up its state-led smuggling activities?
Chinese traders say it's getting harder because of increased monitoring and control of trade activities. People from three North Korean ministries come out and conduct identity and business checks on Chinese traders on the riverbanks. They're also calling traders one by one to check how they're shipping goods, and they're stopping transactions even for minor errors (in quantity, etc.).
◆ Chinese Authorities: 'We Cannot Help Even If Problems Arise from Smuggling'
-- How does North Korea pay for trade?
30% of the payment is made in China, and the rest is paid with profits from within North Korea. However, since North Korea does not have Chinese yuan, it appears that they pay with agricultural products, specialties, and minerals.
In cases where the Chinese can't get goods from North Korea as payment, they require North Korea to send workers to China and pay trade fees with the money the workers earn. For example, if a car costs 20,000 yuan, North Korea would send 10 workers to Chinese companies and pay the cost of the car with their earnings.
-- How are Chinese authorities responding to smuggling?
At the end of June, the Chinese authorities issued a notice saying, 'Do not smuggle with North Korea, because we cannot help even if problems arise. For Chinese traders, smuggling carries a lot of risk, so some are trying to avoid involvement as much as possible.
Through this series of ASIAPRESS investigations, it has been revealed that China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is still strictly maintaining economic sanctions against North Korea. This suggests that the relationship between the two countries cannot be described as particularly good.
Trade between Sinuiju and Dandong accounts for about 70% of all North Korea-China trade. In addition, the volume handled at Nampo on the west coast has increased rapidly since COVID. ASIAPRESS hasn't been able to confirm whether the Chinese authorities are strictly enforcing economic sanctions on these trade passages as well.
A map of North Korea (ASIAPRESS)
asiapress.org
9. State Dept. says 'no surprise' over N.K. diplomat's defection
State Dept. says 'no surprise' over N.K. diplomat's defection | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 19, 2024
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Yonhap) -- A State Department spokesperson said Thursday that it should be "no surprise" that North Koreans want to leave their homeland in search for basic human rights and freedom, after a North Korean diplomat was reported to have defected to South Korea.
Vedant Patel, the department's deputy spokesperson, made the remarks as South Korea's National Intelligence Service has confirmed that Ri Il-gyu, who had served as the counselor of political affairs at the North Korean embassy in Cuba, entered South Korea with his family in November.
"It certainly should come as no surprise that there are people in North Korea who want to leave the crushing oppression of the DPRK regime. Specifically though, I don't have anything to offer on that process," Patel said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"From our vantage point, it should be no surprise that there are members of the North Korean community who want desperately to be somewhere where their basic human rights are protected, where they have ease of access to democracy and basic human rights principles and freedoms," he added.
Ri's defection was the latest in a growing number of defections by North Korean elites -- a possible sign of their discontent with the North Korean regime bent on its weapons programs amid chronic food shortages.
The State Department in Washington (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · July 19, 2024
10. Moon administration's diplomatic push faces backlash after ex-CIA analyst indictment
Moon administration's diplomatic push faces backlash after ex-CIA analyst indictment
https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2024/07/19/3TGX2LGY3FGOVMOQVGDYZZ7XPI/
South Korean presidential office calls for inspection of former Moon Jae-in administration over Sue Mi Terry indictment
By Kim Jin-myung,
Lee Jae-eun
Published 2024.07.19. 10:45
Updated 2024.07.19. 14:03
Sue Mi Terry (left) was spotted dining with two senior officials from the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) at a high-end restaurant in Manhattan, New York. / U.S. Federal Prosecutors' Indictment.
Graphics by Yang In-sung, the Chosunilbo
The South Korean presidential office commented on the indictment of Sue Mi Terry, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, by U.S. prosecutors for allegedly working for the Korean government without reporting to the U.S. government. President Yoon Suk-yeol’s office stated, “The situation calls for an inspection of the former Moon Jae-in administration.” A senior official said, “The activities [of the National Intelligence Service] captured on camera occurred during the Moon administration,” suggesting that the former administration replaced seasoned NIS agents with less experienced operatives.
Terry, a former CIA analyst and U.S. foreign policy expert, was recently charged with acting as a foreign agent for South Korea after leaving the intelligence agency. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan accused her of disclosing information to Seoul’s intelligence officers in exchange for luxury goods and dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants in Manhattan.
The Moon administration’s ambitious diplomacy with the U.S. from 2019 to 2021, aimed at declaring the end of the Korean War, may have contributed to this incident, according to the indictment and sources familiar with the matter on July 18.
U.S. prosecutors allege that Terry arranged an “intimate roundtable” with several current and former senior U.S. national security officials in January 2019 at the request of the NIS during then-NIS director Suh Hoon’s visit to Washington, D.C. This meeting, held a month before the second U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi, was part of the Moon administration’s intensive efforts to declare the end of the Korean War. A former senior U.S. intelligence official at the meeting later told FBI agents that he considered the meeting to be highly abnormal and could not think of another instance in which he was invited to a think tank and met with the head of a foreign intelligence agency.
Terry did not always agree with Moon’s policies. In February 2019, she wrote that “declaring an end to the Korean War could open the door for Pyongyang and Beijing to demand the dismantling of the UN mission and eventually the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea.” Despite opposing views, her interactions with the NIS continued. In November 2019, an NIS agent gifted her a luxury coat and handbag, a practice continued by the agent’s successor in April 2021.
Around this time, Moon’s college acquaintance, a Korean-American known as Mr. C, spearheaded lobbying efforts for the end-of-war declaration on Capitol Hill. Mr. C, who connected Democratic Party of Korea members with the U.S. Congress, became the Vice-Chairperson for Americas at the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council(PUAC) in 2021. The Peaceful Unification Advisory Council(PUAC) is a constitutional institution of South Korea. Concerns arose within the Korean-American community about the potential violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) by a U.S. national working as a bridge between the Korean and U.S. political spheres.
The U.S. Department of Justice sent a “warning” to the South Korean government. “The department sent an advisory letter to the Korea Foundation (KF), which supports think tanks, advising them to register as a foreign agent if they wished to work for the South Korean government” said a source with knowledge of the situation. This occurred when Terry took on the role of ‘KF Korea Director’ at a Washington-based think tank funded by KF.
KF claimed it was an independent organization engaged in “cultural and academic exchanges exempt from FARA.” But the Department of Justice noted that KF’s director discussed “public diplomacy” and “promoting peace in the region,” making it subject to FARA. The Moon administration did not register KF as a foreign agent.
The fact that the U.S. Department of Justice sent an advisory warning to the KF was not well communicated to the Yoon administration, which took office in May 2022. The NIS agent who purchased luxury gifts for Terry was not replaced.
11. Political blame game intensifies in Seoul over Sue Mi Terry row
As her lawyer said, the only one pleased by all this is the Kim family regime in north Korea.
Political blame game intensifies in Seoul over Sue Mi Terry row
koreaherald.com · by Son Ji-hyoung · July 19, 2024
Former spy chief slams Yoon's office for internal strife
By Son Ji-hyoung
Published : July 19, 2024 - 13:42
Rep. Park Jie-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)
The recent indictment in the US of Sue Mi Terry, a North Korea expert who formerly worked for the US Central Intelligence Agency, is feeding the political blame game between the ruling bloc and opposition here over which administration is responsible for what is perceived as South Korea's spying blunder.
A South Korean liberal lawmaker who formerly served as the chief of South Korea's National Intelligence Service slammed President Yoon Suk Yeol's office for "creating an internal rift."
In a Facebook post Thursday, Rep. Park Jie-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea said the presidential office's possible audit of the spy agency would be "the worst out of the worst that does no good for the national interest," and instead would be "aggravating the problem."
"(Yoon's office) should refrain from creating an internal strife in the NIS that would undermine its intelligence capability," Park noted.
He also urged Seoul to examine the repercussions of the US indictment of Terry and prepare countermeasures, instead of "instigating the confrontation between the former Moon Jae-in administration and the incumbent Yoon administration."
Rep. Park Sun-won of the Democratic Party also said in a press briefing Thursday at the National Assembly that of all the alleged activities Terry was indicted for, 20 were during the Yoon administration, while 12 occurred under the Moon administration and eight took place during the prior Park Geun-hye administration. Park Sun-won was the first deputy director of the NIS under Park Jie-won's leadership.
Park Sun-won said in an interview with KBS on Friday that Terry's activities that allegedly breached US rules "significantly spiked" during the Yoon administration.
Park was responding to a comment by a senior official of the presidential office, who declined to be named Thursday, saying that Seoul may carry out an audit of the spy agency, while laying blame on the Moon administration that "removed experts and let amateurs fill in" in Seoul's spy agency during his five years in office to early 2022.
Terry is facing charges of acting as an unregistered agent for Seoul since at least 2013 in return for bribes, advocating for South Korea's policy positions and disclosing nonpublic US government information to South Korean intelligence officers.
koreaherald.com · by Son Ji-hyoung · July 19, 2024
12. New photos show N. Korea continues to violate international sanctions
New photos show N. Korea continues to violate international sanctions - Daily NK English
With Liaoning Province exports facing tighter Chinese controls, North Korea is increasingly importing sanctioned goods through Jilin Province
By Seulkee Jang - July 19, 2024
dailynk.com · by Seulkee Jang · July 19, 2024
Daily NK has obtained photos showing that the North Korean authorities are importing large quantities of sanctioned items through China.
Daily NK recently obtained several photos of items being imported from Hunchun in China’s Jilin Province to Wonjong Village, which is in the North Hamgyong Province city of Rason. The items North Korea is importing include electronics, steel and machinery, all of which are sanctioned.
The photos, taken in early July, show Chinese-made electronics (such as earphones, smart watches, and refrigerators) and motorcycle engines.
These electronics and machines entered North Korea through Hunchun, in China’s Jilin Province, at the beginning of the month. The items are, from top left and moving clockwise, a smartwatch manufactured in China, refrigerators for home use, motorcycle motors, supermarket carts, and tiles used as construction materials. There are indications that North Korea has recently been importing a considerable number of products subject to sanctions by the U.N. Security Council. (©Daily NK)
While the majority of items imported into North Korea are made in China, the shipments occasionally include Japanese-made products.
Currently, North Korean traders are removing smaller electronic goods from their packages and placing the products in shipping containers to make the imports less bulky. But larger electronics, such as refrigerators, are being shipped to North Korea with their packaging intact.
While not visible in the photos, sources say that a significant amount of sanctioned machinery, including auto parts and steel, is currently stored in the Chinese customs warehouse.
Sanctions Resolution 2397, adopted by the U.N. Security Council in 2017, prohibits North Korea from importing or exporting electronics and machinery. Yet North Korean authorities appear to be still importing items on the sanctions list.
North Korea’s top recent imports include tiles used in construction and supermarket shopping carts, neither of which are on the sanctions list. Photographs taken by Daily NK show that these products are actually stored in a Chinese customs warehouse.
Once these products clear Chinese customs and are transported to North Korea, North Korean customs officials examine the packaging and instruction manuals to ensure that the products were not manufactured in South Korea and are not labeled in the South Korean dialect.
A cargo truck is crossing over the Yalu River from Sinuiju, in North Korea’s North Pyongan Province, to Dandong, in China’s Liaoning Province, on a steel bridge known as the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge. (©Daily NK)
Products manufactured in China are sometimes labeled in Korean for export to South Korea. Because products labeled in fonts commonly used in South Korea are likely to be stopped at customs, importers are careful to destroy any manuals or packaging labeled in Korean before the products pass through Chinese customs.
Because Chinese customs officials have recently tightened controls on exports through Liaoning Province, North Korean authorities appear to be importing a significant amount of sanctioned products through Jilin Province instead.
In the past, the nexus of overland trade between North Korea and China was Dandong, Liaoning Province to Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province, but now large amounts of overland trade move through the corridors of Hunchun, Jilin Province to Wonjong Village, Rason, North Hamgyong Province, and Changbai County, Jilin Province and Hyesan, Yanggang Province.
The reason for shifting the main overland trade route from Dandong-Sinuiju to Hunchun-Rason and Changbai-Hyesan is that the Chinese customs officials in Dandong are very strict in inspecting goods imported into North Korea and also impose much higher taxes on the imported goods than the customs officials in Hunchun or Changbai.
In Dandong, both Chinese locals and foreigners can easily observe trains, trucks, and buses crossing the border into North Korea, making it fairly easy to determine what items North Korea is importing. Because the Chinese government wants to maintain the appearance of compliance with the sanctions regime, it monitors the export of sanctioned items through Dandong.
As a result, no sanctioned items are transported to North Korea on the Dandong-Sinuiju route, although freight trains and trucks frequently cross the border there. Most of the items entering North Korea through Dandong are reported to be non-sanctioned construction materials, as well as occasional small shipments of food.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com · by Seulkee Jang · July 19, 2024
13. Detained ship carrying 4,500-ton of N.Korean coal: Seoul
Detained ship carrying 4,500-ton of N.Korean coal: Seoul
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · July 18, 2024
South Korea permits Chinese national captain to leave country despite involvement in violating UN sanctions
By Ji Da-gyum
Published : July 18, 2024 - 17:25
The unflagged cargo ship DE YI is docked in waters near the city of Busan since June 20. (Yonhap)
South Korean authorities have concluded that a detained cargo ship was carrying 4,500 tons of North Korean-produced anthracite coal in breach of UN sanctions, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul announced on Thursday.
The unflagged cargo ship DE YI has been docked in South Korean waters since March 30 for investigation, following intelligence obtained by the South Korean government implicating the vessel in actions contravening UN Security Council resolutions.
"Our government has decided to take the measure of detaining the vessel DE YI based on the results of the joint government investigation," a senior official at the Foreign Ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed during a closed-door briefing.
The DE YI vessel received coal from the North Korea-flagged vessel Tok Song in March, in waters through a ship-to-ship transfer near Nampho Port in South Pyongan Province, the senior official explained.
The South Korean authorities have seen that the unflagged vessel was used primarily for the benefit of North Korea.
The DE YI vessel also notably departed from the port of Shidao in China on March 18 and navigated towards Nampho Port, turning off its automatic identification system to conceal its travel routes.
The vessel also loaded machinery, including electronic products, from the Chinese port and transferred them to another ship before receiving coal from the Tok Song vessel, The Korea Herald learned on background.
However, the South Korean investigation authorities have not reached a definitive conclusion regarding the destination of the North Korean coal, The Korea Herald also learned.
Satellite imagery captures the North Korean-flagged vessel Tok Song transferring North Korean-produced anthracite coal to the DE YI vessel via ship-to-ship transfer in the western waters near Nampho Port, South Pyongan Province, on March 21. (National Intelligence Service)
UN Security Council Resolution 2375 prohibits ship-to-ship transfers involving North Korea-flagged vessels, while UNSC Resolution 2371 bans the supply, sale and transfer of North Korea-produced coal.
However, controversy surrounds South Korea's decision to allow a Chinese national captain and most of the crew to leave, despite their involvement in violating UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea.
The unnamed Foreign Ministry official declined to provide details on the reasons behind the permit.
Instead, the official explained that the South Korean government imposed sanctions on Hong Kong-based HK Yilin Shipping Co Ltd. effective from Friday for possessing the DE YI vessel and "playing a pivotal role in actions violating UN Security Council resolutions."
Seoul also designated the Tok Song vessel for transferring North Korean-produced coal to the DE YI cargo ship, effective from Friday.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry explained that the Tok Song vessel is a used ship imported to North Korea in late March last year. Therefore, it also contravenes UNSC Resolution 2397, which prohibits the supply, sale and transfer of used vessels to North Korea.
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · July 18, 2024
14. S. Korea-U.S. alliance has 'tremendous bipartisan' support: Goldberg
S. Korea-U.S. alliance has 'tremendous bipartisan' support: Goldberg | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · July 19, 2024
By Kim Han-joo
SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- The top U.S. envoy in Seoul said Friday that there is "tremendous bipartisan support" for the South Korea-U.S. alliance, regardless of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election slated for November.
Ambassador Philip Goldberg made the remarks during a forum hosted by the foreign ministry and Rep. Kim Gunn of the ruling People Power Party at the National Assembly.
Emphasizing that he does not have a "personal opinion," the ambassador said such bipartisan support is deeply rooted in both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.
"There is tremendous bipartisan support in the United States for the alliance and for the partnership between the ROK and the U.S.," he said, referring to South Korea's full name, the Republic of Korea.
The remarks came in response to questions about the impact on the alliance of former U.S. President Donald Trump's potential reelection.
Goldberg also raised concerns arising from the burgeoning military ties between North Korea and Russia, following Russian President Vladimir Putin's first trip to Pyongyang in 24 years for summit talks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un last month.
"I'd like to discuss additional problems specifically about the increasing cooperation between the DPRK and Russia and how Korea and the U.S. can respond to it together with our international partners," he said, referring to North Korea by its official name.
The U.S. ambassador also emphasized the importance of joint efforts to resolve North Korea's nuclear issue and called for China's role in the process.
"The United States and the Republic of Korea, along with our like-minded partners, must continue to enforce sanctions compliance, seek dialogue where possible, and engage China to become a part of the solution," he said, referring to South Korea by its official name.
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, meanwhile, stressed the importance of making efforts to improve North Korea's human rights situation.
"No matter how much North Korea denies it, the fact that the North and South are one people can never change," Cho said in a written address.
U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg (2nd from L) speaks during a forum hosted by the foreign ministry along with Rep. Kim Gunn (3rd from L) of the ruling People Power Party at the National Assembly in Seoul on July 19, 2024. (Yonhap)
khj@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · July 19, 2024
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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