Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"Our nation is founded on the ideal of independence, and the quest for freedom and democracy is our eternal endeavor."

– Syngman Rhee

“The difference between force and persuasion is a subtle one not to be drawn by formulas, by force, by science, or textbooks but by men skilled in the art of ruling”

– Crane Brinton, The Anatomy of Revolution

"Of our political revolution of '76, we all are justly proud. It has given us a degree of political freedom, far exceeding that of any other nation of the earth. In it the world has found a solution of the long mooted problem, as to the capability of man to govern himself. In it was the germ which has vegetated, and still is to grow and expand into the universal liberty of mankind."

– Abraham Lincoln

1. “I want to prepare for North Korea’s future”

2. N. Korea sends some 500 trash balloons into S. Korea earlier this week

3. N.K. trash balloon lands on presidential office compound

4. Balloons carrying trash from North Korea fall inside US Army base in Seoul

5. China says to appoint 'appropriate' person as its next ambassador to S. Korea: Seoul official

6. Editorial: Political distortion hinders N. Korean human rights efforts in S. Korea

7. South Korea's tech giants losing ground to global competitors

8. US sanctions China-based individuals, entities accused of supporting NK missile, space programs

9. N. Korea presumed to have sent over 5 mil. artillery shells to Russia: minister

10. Ex-North Korean diplomat becomes first escapee to be a vice minister in South Korea

11. North Korea trash balloons disrupt flights in Seoul, cause rooftop fire

12. N. Korea, Belarus' top diplomats have 'in-depth' exchange on regional, international issues

13. North Korean hacker got hired by US security vendor, immediately loaded malware

14. Sloppy spycraft? The indictment of a former CIA analyst embarrasses South Korea

15. North Korea ‘Does Not Care’ What President Trump Has To Say About Prospects for Another Meeting

16. Shock, then silence: What Washington thinks of the charges against Sue Mi Terry

17. Hong Kong a Major Hub for Illicit Transfer to Rogue Nations, Report Finds

18. 3 Army brigades tapped for fall rotations in Europe, South Korea and CENTCOM

1. “I want to prepare for North Korea’s future”

Please read this article about my good friend and colleague Hyun Seung Lee and the important work he is doing leading the North Korean Young Leaders Assembly (NKYLA).

He and his sister are doing incredible work and these escapees from north Korea are providing tremendous insights about the north and the potential for change. They desperately want to create change in north Korea. They are dedicated and committed and they are inspiring. They will be the leaders of the revolution and they will be among the founding mothers and fathers of a future United Republic of Corea). ("Unifying Korea: A New Strategy for Dealing with Kim Jong Un," https://nationalinterest.org/blog/korea-watch/unifying-korea-new-strategy-dealing-kim-jong-un-211677)

We are thankful to the Global Peace Foundation for fully funding and supporting this effort for the second year. (we have now built a cadre of 20 members of the NKYLA).

This is a google translation.

“I want to prepare for North Korea’s future”

http://dc.koreatimes.com/article/20240724/1523260

Comment 1

2024-07-24 (Wed) Reporter Yoo Je- won

Event for North Korean defectors in their 20s and 30s in Washington from the 24th to the 30th

Lee Hyun-seung

Chairman Lee Hyun-seung (39) defected in 2014 with his father, Ri Jeong-ho, who was a high-ranking official in Room 39 of the North Korean Workers' Party. He came to the United States in 2016 via South Korea, and at the time, the Washington Post described them as "North Korea's top 1% elite." He graduated from Pyongyang Foreign Language School and Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies in North Korea, studied abroad at the Northeast University of Finance and Economics in China, and worked in trade before defecting. He completed a master's degree in public administration at Columbia University this year, and is currently a researcher at the Global Peace Foundation. Last year, he organized the "North Korea Youth Leaders' Conference" and served as its chairman.

North Korean defectors, who were born and raised in North Korea but defected with their parents when they were young and were educated and raised in a completely different system, have a different identity from first-generation Korean-Americans, just like second-generation Korean-Americans. Having experienced very unique and different systems firsthand, these people, who were born in North Korea but were educated and raised in South Korea and the United States, are offering new perspectives and fundamental solutions to the North Korean issue. They will gather together for a week from the 24th to the 30th under the name of the North Korean Young Leaders Assembly (Chairman Lee Hyun-seung, pictured).

Ten North Korean defectors from South Korea and the United States will participate, and starting with a visit to the White House on the 24th, they will meet with Julie Turner, the State Department’s special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, have a discussion with the Brookings Institution, have a discussion with the Hudson Institute, and will also brief aides at the Congressional delegation and attend the Armistice Agreement Commemoration Ceremony at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the 27th. Afterwards, he will visit Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, the Seo Jae-pil Museum, and other places. On the 29th and 30th, he will meet with the US Ambassador to the UN in New York, hold a meeting with the Korean Permanent Mission to the UN, give a leadership lecture at Columbia University, meet with the Vice President of the Asia Society, and visit West Point. Chairman Lee Hyun-seung, who organized the general meeting and runs the event, visited our newspaper on the 20th to introduce the purpose of the event and future plans.

- What is the ‘North Korean Youth Leaders’ General Meeting’?

▲This is an independent annual program created to discover and foster young North Korean defector leaders. Our goal is to develop diverse international perspectives by contacting the U.S. government, policy research institutes, and international organizations, and through this, to foster leadership in young North Korean defector leaders. We expect that the program will be comprised of experts from various fields, and we will be able to provide advice on the future of the Korean Peninsula and the direction of North Korea policy as suggested by North Korean defector youth leaders, breaking away from the existing narrow-minded perception of North Korean defectors.

-Who will participate in this event?

▲The oldest member, of which I am the chair, is my younger sister Lee Seo-hyun (Columbia University), who is an activist for North Korean human rights; Kim Geum-hyeok, a policy advisor for the Unification Future Planning Committee; Ahn Seong-hyeok (Syracuse University) and Jang Eun-sook (Brandeis University) who studied abroad as Fulbright scholarship recipients; IT experts Harry Kim and Lee Shin-gil, software engineers; Bush Foundation scholarship recipient Danny Lee; reporter Nam Jeong-yeon; and CEO Jeong So-yeon. The program will be attended by North Korean defector youth with at least a master’s degree and who are worthy of being next-generation leaders.

- Didn’t you have any identity confusion growing up in a completely different system?

▲ Having left North Korea at a young age, we were able to objectively compare the differences between the South and the North based on our own experiences, without any preconceptions, even though we grew up in different systems. Therefore, even though North Korea is criticized by the international community, it is a hometown that defectors miss, and even in a poor environment, we have memories and friends we used to play with. That’s why I hope that my friends in North Korea can enjoy everything that I enjoy now. We, young defectors who share the same goal, have gathered to put the longing and regret that remain in our hearts into action.

- What do you want to do together?

▲ Most of the testimonies of defectors so far have been about the miserable reality they experienced in North Korea. However, our young leaders want to talk about the future of North Korea, not the past. We were born and raised in North Korea, but like other young people in South Korea, we have entered various fields and are living successful lives. We now want to suggest potential solutions to the North Korean issue and share our experiences and perspectives. We expect to serve as a bridge connecting a freely liberated North Korea and the international community while preparing for the unification that will come someday. When Ambassador Hwang Jun-kook visited the UN last year, he said, “I felt the change in North Korea when I saw North Korean defectors who had been educated in the United States proposing the future of the Korean Peninsula in English.” In the future, we will present solutions that will change North Korea, not just a momentary emotion that ends in tears.

2. N. Korea sends some 500 trash balloons into S. Korea earlier this week

The ROK should not be conducting loudspeaker broadcasts in a tit for tat response. It should be providing information to the frontline nKPA forces to help them overcome their isolation from the outside world. It should provide information because the regime is abusing the human rights of the Korean people by denying them access to information. That should be the sole motivator and rationale for providing information to the north, not tit-for-tat.

Also, the regime is sending these balloons as well as executing Koreans in the north to blame the escapees in the South for sending information to the north. They are trying to send the message that people are dying in the north and people are receiving filth balloons in the South because of the escapee information being sent to the north. This theme and message must be countered by the ROK and the US. Senior officials as well as escapees should be calling out the regime's political warfare strategy.

Recommendations:

• Public Diplomacy/Information campaign – focus on the three target audiences: regime elite, 2d tier leadership, and the Korean people in the north so they can know the future opportunities as well as to learn how to resist and take individual collective action.

o The five principles of information: (1) massive quantities of information from news to entertainment; (2) practical information from market activity to organization for collective action; (3) facts and the truth about north Korea and the outside world; (4) understanding of the universal human rights for all people; (5) Examples from successful Korea escapees in their own voices.

o Major theme: Kim’s strategy has failed to achieve his objectives.

o To counter nK propaganda we must recognize the Kim family regime’s strategy(s), understand the strategy(s), EXPOSE the strategy(s) to inoculate the Korean and American publics and the international community, and attack the strategy(s) with a superior form of political warfare (led by information).

공공 외교/정보 캠페인 – 세 가지 목표 청중에 집중: 정권 엘리트, 2차 리더십, 북쪽 한국 사람들, 미래의 기회에 대해 알리고 저항 방법과 개인적 집단 행동을 배우도록 한다.
정보의 다섯 가지 원칙: (1) 뉴스에서 오락까지 대량의 정보; (2) 시장 활동에서 집단 행동 조직까지 실용적인 정보; (3) 북한과 외부 세계에 대한 사실과 진실; (4) 모든 사람을 위한 보편적 인권 이해; (5) 성공적인 한국 탈출자들의 목소리로부터의 사례.
주요 주제: 김정은의 전략이 그의 목표를 달성하는 데 실패했다는 것.
nK의 선전을 반박하기 위해 김정은 정권의 전략을 인식하고 이해하며 공개하여 한국 및 미국 대중과 국제 사회를 면역화하고, 우월한 정치 전쟁 형태(정보 주도)로 전략을 공격해야 한다.

N. Korea sends some 500 trash balloons into S. Korea earlier this week | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · July 25, 2024

SEOUL, July 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's latest round of its balloon campaign involved around 500 balloons carrying scrap paper and plastic sheets, including those that fell on the presidential office compound in the capital, South Korea's military said Thursday.

In what marked the second of its kind this week alone, North Korea launched the trash-carrying balloons the previous day, as the South Korean military blared anti-Pyongyang broadcasts in full scale through its border loudspeakers in response to the repeated balloon launches.

Some 480 balloons fell mostly in Seoul and the northern area of nearby Gyeonggi Province, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, while an analysis of the fallen objects showed they did not present a danger. As of 8 a.m., there had been no balloons detected floating midair, it added.

Military personnel collect the contents of a trash-carrying balloon floated by the North that fell in Incheon, west of Seoul, on July 24, 2024. (Yonhap)

Wednesday's launch came just three days after the North floated around 500 similar balloons Sunday as part of its balloon campaign that began in late May in a tit-for-tat move against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by North Korean defectors and activists in the South.

In response, South Korea briefly conducted propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts on June 9 for the first time in six years before turning them off in an apparent bid to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.

After partially resuming the loudspeaker operations last week, the military has conducted the propaganda broadcasts on all the fronts in a stepped-up approach.

North Korea has bristled against the loudspeaker campaign, 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.

Last week, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North's leader, warned of "gruesome and dear" consequences over continued leaflet campaigns.

In 2014, the two Koreas exchanged machine gun fire across the border after the North apparently tried to shoot down balloons carrying propaganda leaflets critical of North Korea.

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · July 25, 2024

3. N.K. trash balloon lands on presidential office compound

And the former US Army base at Yongsan next door to the Presidential offices

N.K. trash balloon lands on presidential office compound | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · July 24, 2024

SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- A trash-carrying balloon sent by North Korea landed on the presidential office compound Wednesday, the Presidential Security Service (PSS) said.

The PSS said it discovered fallen trash on the grounds of the presidential compound while monitoring the latest batch of balloons flown by the North earlier in the day.

North Korea has sent thousands of trash-filled balloons toward South Korea since May in protest of anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent by activists in South Korea across the border.

"An investigation by the chemical, biological and radiological response team showed the objects did not present a danger or contamination, so they were retrieved," the PSS said. "We are continuing to monitor in cooperation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

Presidential office (Yonhap)

hague@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · July 24, 2024

4. Balloons carrying trash from North Korea fall inside US Army base in Seoul

Balloons carrying trash from North Korea fall inside US Army base in Seoul

Stars and Stripes · by Yoo Kyong Chang and Jeremy Stillwagner · July 24, 2024

The U.S. Army's Yongsan Garrison in Seoul, South Korea, is pictured on April 2, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — Balloons carrying trash from North Korea fell Wednesday on the South Korean presidential compound and Yongsan Garrison in Seoul.

The Yongsan Fire Station responded to a 7:33 a.m. report of trash-laden balloons on the U.S. Army base, a firefighter told Stars and Stripes that day by phone. A Presidential Security Service officer said similar balloons fell in the presidential compound, but none landed on the Presidential Office Building.

None of the trash at the presidential compound contained hazardous waste or contaminants, according to a news release from the security service. The waste was collected by 9 a.m., said a spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Government officials in South Korea customarily speak to the media on condition of anonymity.

U.S. Forces Korea did not respond Wednesday to requests by phone and email for further information.

A spokesman for the crime prevention and response section at the Yongsan Police Station said sentries prevented local police and firemen from entering Yongsan Garrison, much of which is vacant following the Army’s relocation to Camp Humphreys farther south.

Troops at Yongsan later said they would clean up the trash balloons on their own, the police spokesman said by phone Wednesday.

The contents of several balloons were also discovered in Itaewon, a city district near Yongsan and the South Korean government offices, according to a report Wednesday by News 1, a South Korean news agency.

Since May 28, North Korea has sent thousands of balloons carrying bags of trash and manure across its southern border.

On June 3, a balloon carrying black plastic bags filled with trash and cloth landed near the elementary school on Osan Air Base. The trash was deemed not a threat.

Pyongyang says the balloon campaigns are retaliation against South Korean human rights activists who sent their own balloons containing money, rice, radios and anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.

The balloon campaigns resulted in South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol suspending a military deconfliction agreement with the North on June 4.

The balloons discovered Wednesday arrived days after South Korea announced it will expand loudspeaker broadcasts at the border with North Korea, according to The Associated Press that day. The loudspeakers blare propaganda, world news and K-Pop, according to an NBC News report Sunday.

North Korea has not officially responded to the broadcasts, but Kim Yo Jung, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned that South Korean “scum” must be ready to pay “a gruesome and dear price” for their actions, according to AP.

North Korea has taken advantage of the wind direction to fly the balloons to South Korea, and some balloons in past launches had timers that may be used to pop the bags of trash midair, according to the report.

The balloons have caused no major damage, but they have raised concerns that North Korea could use them to drop chemical and biological agents, the AP reported.

Yoo Kyong Chang

Yoo Kyong Chang is a reporter/translator covering the U.S. military from Camp Humphreys, South Korea. She graduated from Korea University and also studied at the University of Akron in Ohio.

Jeremy Stillwagner

Jeremy Stillwagner is a reporter and photographer at Yokota Air Base, Japan, who enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2018. He is a Defense Information School alumnus and a former radio personality for AFN Tokyo.

Stars and Stripes · by Yoo Kyong Chang and Jeremy Stillwagner · July 24, 2024

5. China says to appoint 'appropriate' person as its next ambassador to S. Korea: Seoul official

Will he or she be a practitioner of wolf diplomacy?

China says to appoint 'appropriate' person as its next ambassador to S. Korea: Seoul official | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · July 25, 2024

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, July 25 (Yonhap) -- China has said it will appoint an "appropriate" and "excellent" person as the next top envoy to Seoul, as South Korea is an important country for Beijing, an official at the foreign ministry said Thursday.

The Seoul official cited the remarks made by the Chinese side during high-level strategic talks between the vice foreign ministers of the two countries on Wednesday, as Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming left the post earlier this month.

Xing came under fire over his negative comments about the Yoon Suk Yeol government's foreign policy. The Chinese envoy said in June last year that "those who bet" on China's defeat in its rivalry with the U.S. "will definitely regret it.

At Wednesday's talks, the government emphasized that the role of a new Chinese envoy is important during the "crucial time of frequent and close communication between South Korea and China," the Seoul official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

In response, the Chinese side said that Beijing will "appoint an appropriate and excellent candidate through internal procedures," as it recognizes South Korea as an important country.

But a Chinese official refrained from commenting on further details, such as whether Xing's successor has been tapped, the Seoul official said.

On Wednesday, First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun met with his Chinese counterpart, Ma Zhaoxu, in Seoul, marking the first such high-level talks since December 2021.

The talks came amid growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia following Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to Pyongyang last month for summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Next week, South Korea and China will hold a director-general level of talks on economic cooperation in Beijing.

First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun (R) and his Chinese counterpart, Ma Zhaoxu, pose for a photo before their meeting at the foreign ministry building in Seoul on July 24, 2024. (Yonhap)

khj@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · July 25, 2024

6. Editorial: Political distortion hinders N. Korean human rights efforts in S. Korea

He appears to be a model actor/activist contributing to the issue of north Korean human rights. He was very well received at the conferences (NED and CSIS) and the receptions by all those who know his work in Korean film. He not only speaks out on human rights but he develops content to advocate for human rights using his own resources.

Editorial: Political distortion hinders N. Korean human rights efforts in S. Korea

https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion-en/2024/07/24/GPEXUQ7245DI7HQ6MJFQYPACLE/

By The Chosunilbo

Published 2024.07.24. 08:55

Updated 2024.07.24. 15:08

South Korean actor You Ji-tae delivered a six-minute speech in English at the “2024 International Dialogue on North Korean Human Rights” held in Washington, D.C., on July 22. He attended the event as the South Korean government’s ambassador on North Korean Human Rights. This event was co-hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of Unification and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in the United States.

In his speech, he said, “It is not injustice itself, but our indifference that nurtures injustice. I hope our actions can heal the painful wounds of the North Korean people.” You emphasized that while the issue of North Korean human rights is often framed as a political matter, it should focus solely on the “people.” He stated, “What we aim to discuss are the ‘people’ within North Korea. I urge you to extend your hands to the darkest of places.” His comment reflects the reality that North Korean human rights, a major concern for progressives and leftists worldwide, is attacked by some factions only in South Korea, the country directly involved.

South Korean actor You Ji-tae, currently serving as a government ambassador on North Korean human rights, speaks at "2024 International Dialogue on North Korean Human Rights" in Washington D.C., co-hosted by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and South Korea's Ministry of Unification./Yonhap News

You has been consistently active in the North Korean human rights movement over many years. He has met with North Korean defectors over the past decade and personally wrote the script for a webtoon based on their stories. A few years ago, he received the first “Good Donor Award” from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of South Korea for supporting underprivileged children both domestically and internationally for over 10 years. His charitable activities have since extended to the North Korean human rights movement. Similarly, South Korean actor Cha In-pyo, known for his philanthropic work, organized rallies and concerts in 2012 to oppose the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors, encouraging the participation of many fellow artists.

In South Korea, the issue of North Korean human rights often faces not just indifference but political distortion. Although the National Assembly passed the North Korean Human Rights Act in 2016 to investigate human rights violations in North Korea and establish the North Korean Human Rights Foundation, the foundation has yet to be launched due to obstruction by the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which has held the majority since the 20th general election. Some DPK members have derogatorily referred to defectors as “traitors” and “garbage.” The DPK argues that addressing North Korean human rights could provoke the North Korean regime and harm its people. However, the atrocities faced by North Korean residents have far surpassed the point where such logic holds. The primary goal of North Korea’s human rights abuses is to maintain Kim Jong-un’s power. Ignoring these issues only supports Kim Jong-un’s tyranny. It is time for the DPK to move beyond outdated reasoning.

7. South Korea's tech giants losing ground to global competitors

South Korea's tech giants losing ground to global competitors

https://www.chosun.com/english/industry-en/2024/07/25/KXFKQWVZCBGJLLSDH267J64JQY/

By Ahn Sang-hyun,

Park Su-hyeon

Published 2024.07.25. 11:12

Naver and Kakao, South Korea’s leading IT platform companies, are facing significant challenges. On the surface, the crisis appears to stem from Naver’s “LY Corp. incident” and the arrest of Kakao’s founder. However, industry experts point to a deeper issue: a lack of innovation to counter the aggressive push from global tech giants like Google and Meta, which are leveraging advanced AI technologies.

Naver and Kakao have uniquely positioned themselves as the only local platforms in South Korea, unlike the rest of the world dominated by American big tech platforms, except for the closed-off Chinese market. Recently, both companies have seen a decline in market share in the search engine and messaging markets. Kakao’s stock price has plummeted to a quarter of its value over the past three years, and Naver’s stock has dropped by more than 60 percent during the same period. A domestic industry insider warned, “There is growing concern that the South Korean platform market could be completely overtaken by foreign big tech companies, much like in Europe.”

Illustrated by Yang In-sung

For Naver and Kakao, which have thrived by dominating the local market, the only way to overcome this crisis is by exploring new business ventures and expanding globally. However, their efforts have yet to yield significant results.

Piccoma, Kakao’s subsidiary that dominated the Japanese manga app market and was considered its most significant overseas achievement, withdrew from the French market in May due to “sluggish market growth.” Additionally, Kakao has yet to launch its much-anticipated AI technology, KoGPT. In 2023, Kakao’s operating profit decreased by 11 percent compared to the previous year, with its commerce and advertising business on KakaoTalk being the only stable sources of revenue.

Similarly, Naver’s major overseas success, LY Corp. in Japan, faces difficulties in market expansion due to friction with the Japanese government, which is wary of foreign platforms. Even Naver’s core e-commerce business is experiencing slower growth in domestic market due to competition from Chinese e-commerce giants like AliExpress and Temu. Naver’s total commerce transaction volume grew by only 6 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, lagging behind the overall online shopping growth rate of 9 percent.

One of the biggest dilemmas for Naver is its AI technology. Despite investing over 1 trillion won, Naver’s language model HyperCLOVA X has yet to produce significant results and is at risk of becoming a costly misadventure. Naver’s cloud division, responsible for its AI solutions, only generated 117 billion won in revenue in the first quarter. Considering Naver invests over 700 billion won annually in AI hardware, there is still a long way to go. Due to the poor performance of the cloud division, Naver’s operating profit margin fell from 20 percent in 2021 to 15.4 percent in 2023. An industry expert noted, “Competing with the massive AI models developed by companies like OpenAI and Google, which involve astronomical investments, is inherently challenging.”

Amid the lack of a clear future strategy, even Naver’s dominant position in the domestic search engine market is being threatened. A decade ago, Naver had a market share of over 80 percent, but it has now dropped below 60 percent. According to Internet Trend, Naver’s search engine market share in July is 55.9 percent, with the gap with second-place Google (35.6 percent) steadily narrowing.

As more young people use messaging features on platforms like YouTube and Instagram, KakaoTalk is also losing ground to foreign platforms. KakaoTalk, which boasted over 47 million users and the highest monthly active users in South Korea, lost over 2 million users in 2023. For the first time in December, it was overtaken by YouTube, which had 45.65 million users.

8. US sanctions China-based individuals, entities accused of supporting NK missile, space programs

US sanctions China-based individuals, entities accused of supporting NK missile, space programs

The Korea Times · July 25, 2024

This Nov. 22, 2023, file photo carried by the Korean Central News Agency, shows a rocket carrying the North Korean military spy satellite Malligyong-1 lifting off from a launching pad in North Pyeongan Province. Yonhap

The United States on Wednesday slapped sanctions on a China-based network of six individuals and five entities for their alleged involvement in the procurement of items supporting North Korea's ballistic missile and space programs.

The Treasury Department issued the sanctions after Pyongyang's persistent launches using ballistic missile technology, including a failed attempt at a military spy satellite launch in May, in breach of U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

The department stressed that the new sanctions reaffirm that relevant UNSC resolutions remain "in full force" and reiterate the U.S.' "commitment to countering sanctions evasion and strengthening efforts for enforcement."

"The DPRK's continued development and proliferation of its ballistic missile technologies — in violation of U.N. sanctions — is both irresponsible and destabilizing for both the region and the international community," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The United States remains committed to using our tools to enforce these international sanctions, including disrupting the illicit procurement networks that provide key inputs for these technologies and holding accountable those who seek to enable these activities," the official added.

Among the five entities are Beijing Sanshunda Electronics Science and Technology, and Shenzhen City Mean Well Electronics. The six individuals include Chen Tianxin and Du Jiaxin, according to the department.

In a press release, the department said that the North's ballistic missile and space programs rely on foreign-sourced materials and components, and that the North uses an extensive network of overseas agents to procure those materials and components,

"The DPRK also leverages foreign-incorporated companies to purchase items in support of its ballistic missile and weapons production," it said. "These companies consolidate and repackage items for onward shipment to the DPRK, concealing the true end-user from the manufacturers and distributors of the items."

The new sanctions came amid concerns that the disbandment of a U.N. sanctions-monitoring panel in April would weaken international efforts to identify and prevent Pyongyang's sanctions violations and evasion. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · July 25, 2024

9. N. Korea presumed to have sent over 5 mil. artillery shells to Russia: minister

The regime has Ukrainian blood on its hands.

N. Korea presumed to have sent over 5 mil. artillery shells to Russia: minister

The Korea Times · by 2024-07-24 08:06 | North Korea · July 24, 2024

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik speaks during a meeting at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan District, Seoul, in this picture provided by the Ministry of National Defense, July 17. Yonhap

North Korea is believed to have sent containers that can carry more than 5 million artillery shells to Russia, South Korea's defense chief has said, amid persistent concerns over deepening military cooperation between the two nations.

Among shipments presumed to have been delivered to Russia from North Korea as of July 15 were containers that can hold some 5.2 million artillery shells as well as scores of short-range ballistic missiles, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said in an interview published in the Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper earlier in the day.

Shin reaffirmed South Korea's stance that its possible provision of arms supply to Ukraine would hinge on the level and details of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, such as transactions of weapons and military technology.

Noting how Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, threatened of "gruesome and dear" consequences against anti-Pyongyang leafleting by activists groups in South Korea and hinted at a change in its response, Shin said the North may attempt to strike locations where such leaflets are launched.

NK's top diplomat vows to expand relations with Belarus comprehensively

"We are closely monitoring the situation as there is a possibility of (North Korea) shooting down leaflet-carrying balloons sent from the South, or shooting or shelling locations where the balloons are floated," Shin was quoted as saying.

In 2014, the two Koreas exchanged machine gun fire across the border after the North apparently tried to shoot down balloons carrying propaganda leaflets critical of North Korea.

North Korea has bristled against anti-Pyongyang leaflets and South Korea's propaganda broadcasts near their tense border on fears that an influx of outside information could pose a threat to the Kim Jong-un regime.

North Korea has launched more than 3,000 trash-carrying balloons across the border over 10 occasions since late May in a tit-for-tat move against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by North Korean defectors and activists in the South.

Shin emphasized that trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan against North Korea's threats has never been more important, and said the three nations are in the final stage of arranging a joint document that institutionalizes such efforts.

The envisioned document will encompass details on high-level exchanges as well as overall principles for their trilateral multidomain "Freedom Edge exercise" that was held for the first time in late June, according to Shin.

Shin is set to visit Tokyo for a trilateral meeting with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts slated for Sunday. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · by 2024-07-24 08:06 | North Korea · July 24, 2024

10. Ex-North Korean diplomat becomes first escapee to be a vice minister in South Korea

We just spent a week in Mongolia with our friend Kim Dong Su earlier this month. It is great to see these former high ranking party members from north Korea serving in important capacities in the ROK.

Ex-North Korean diplomat becomes first escapee to be a vice minister in South Korea

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/thae-yong-ho-defector-turned-lawmaker-becomes-south-korean-vice-minister-escapee-north-korea-diplomat-07242024160423.html

He defected in 2016, joined South Korean assembly in 2020, and now joins a presidential advisory council.

By Kim Jisu for RFA Korean

2024.07.24

Thae Yong Ho, center, former North Korean diplomat, who defected to South Korea in 2016 and a candidate of the main opposition United Future Party, reacts after he was certain to secure victory in the parliamentary election in Seoul, South Korea, April 16, 2020.

Choi Dong-jun/Newsis via AP

Former high-ranking North Korean diplomat Thae Yong Ho, who defected to South Korea in 2016 and became a lawmaker in 2020, has blazed another trail.

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed Thae, 62, as secretary general of the country’s Peaceful Unification Advisory Council on July 18, making him the first defector to hold a vice-ministerial position in the South Korean government.

Thae was born in Pyongyang in 1962, graduated from Pyongyang Foreign Language Institute and Pyongyang University of International Relations, and was a professional diplomat who worked at the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While working as an attaché at the North Korean Embassy in the UK in 2016, he defected to South Korea with his family.

Four years later, Thae won a seat in the National Assembly, representing Seoul’s wealthy Gangnam district. He became the first North Korean escapee who had previously served in the North Korean government to join the legislative body.

Tae Yongho, a former minister of the North Korean Embassy in London who fled to South Korea in 2016, speaks to the media in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 19, 2019. (Lee Jin-man/AP)

“North Korean residents are also proud citizens of the Republic of Korea,” he said on social media, using the official name of South Korea. “North Korean escapees can hold any position for the country and people without any discrimination or prejudice.”

He said the appointment was meaningful in that it shows the North Korean people that those who have escaped can achieve success in the South.

Since the division of the two Koreas more than 34,000 people have fled the North to resettle in the South, according to statistics from the South Korean Ministry of Unification.

North Korea trash balloons disrupt flights in Seoul, cause rooftop fire

channelnewsasia.com

South Korean officials clean up the contents of a trash-carrying balloon sent by North Korea after it landed on a street in Seoul on Jul 24, 2024. (Photo: AFP/Yonhap)

25 Jul 2024 02:03PM (Updated: 25 Jul 2024 02:16PM)

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SEOUL: North Korea has sent about 500 balloons laden with trash into South Korea's air space over the past 24 hours, officials in the South said on Thursday (Jul 25), disrupting flights and igniting a fire on the roof of a residential building.

The balloons are part of an ongoing propaganda campaign by Pyongyang against North Korean defectors and activists in the South, who regularly send balloons carrying items such as anti-Pyongyang leaflets medicine, money and USB sticks loaded with K-pop videos and dramas.

A suspected balloon suspended take-offs and landings at Seoul's Gimpo Airport on Wednesday evening for two hours, an official at the Korea Airports Corporation said.

Balloons have affected traffic at South Korea's main international airport, Incheon, several times in recent weeks.

In Gyeonggi, a province near Seoul, a balloon caught fire on top of a residential building. Fire fighters extinguished the blaze, an official at the Gyeonggi Northern Fire and Disaster Headquarters said.

South Korea's military said some trash balloons were equipped with timed poppers that could cause fires.

"A timer is attached to the trash balloons, which has the effect of popping the balloons and spreading the trash after a certain period of time has passed," Lee Sung-jun, a spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a briefing.

Lee said 480 balloons had landed mostly carrying paper and plastic trash in South Korea as of Thursday.

On Wednesday, North Korean balloons had landed in the vicinity of the heavily guarded presidential office in Seoul.

12. N. Korea, Belarus' top diplomats have 'in-depth' exchange on regional, international issues

The axis is expanding.

N. Korea, Belarus' top diplomats have 'in-depth' exchange on regional, international issues

The Korea Times · July 25, 2024

This handout picture released by the Belarus Foreign Ministry shows Belarus' Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov, left, and his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui meeting each other in Pyongyang on July 24. AFP-Yonhap

North Korea's top diplomat has met with her visiting counterpart from Belarus, and discussed regional and international situations, North Korea's state media reported Thursday, amid speculation that the nations would strengthen trilateral cooperation with Russia.

Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui held talks with Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Vladimirovich Ryzhenkov in Pyongyang on Wednesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The Belarusian diplomat arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday for a four-day visit.

They had "in-depth exchanges of views on regional and international affairs," the KCNA stated.

The KCNA did not provide further details, but given the countries' deepening ties with Russia, the top diplomats might have discussed Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine.

Belarus, led by an authoritarian president for 30 years, has been supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is considered one of Russia's strong allies. It is also among the countries to which North Korea has sent its workers in the past, in violation of U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions against the North's nuclear and weapons program.

During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last September, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko suggested that Belarus could join Russia and North Korea in three-way cooperation.

North Korea's external economic relations minister Yun Jong-ho also held talks with Ryzhenkov, the KCNA said, without providing other details.

The talks focused on exploring ways to develop bilateral economic cooperation in areas "not limited" by UNSC resolutions, such as food security, education and health care, the Belarusian Telegraph Agency reported Thursday.

The news agency said Belarus wants to provide Belarusian-made food to North Korea and import cosmetics from North Korea. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · July 25, 2024

13. North Korean hacker got hired by US security vendor, immediately loaded malware

We may think of north Korea as a backward country stuck with the technology of the mid 20th century but they have many highly competent people capable of getting hired by a US company. We underestimate north Korea at our peril, especially in the cyber domain.

North Korean hacker got hired by US security vendor, immediately loaded malware

KnowBe4, which provides security awareness training, was fooled by stolen ID.

JON BRODKIN - 7/24/2024, 4:53 PM

Ars Technica · by Jon Brodkin · July 24, 2024

Enlarge / On the left, a stock photo. On the right, an AI-enhanced image based on the stock photo. The AI-enhanced image was submitted to KnowBe4 by a job applicant.

KnowBe4

KnowBe4, a US-based security vendor, revealed that it unwittingly hired a North Korean hacker who attempted to load malware into the company's network. KnowBe4 CEO and founder Stu Sjouwerman described the incident in a blog post yesterday, calling it a cautionary tale that was fortunately detected before causing any major problems.

"First of all: No illegal access was gained, and no data was lost, compromised, or exfiltrated on any KnowBe4 systems," Sjouwerman wrote. "This is not a data breach notification, there was none. See it as an organizational learning moment I am sharing with you. If it can happen to us, it can happen to almost anyone. Don't let it happen to you."

KnowBe4 said it was looking for a software engineer for its internal IT AI team. The firm hired a person who, it turns out, was from North Korea and was "using a valid but stolen US-based identity" and a photo that was "enhanced" by artificial intelligence. There is now an active FBI investigation amid suspicion that the worker is what KnowBe4's blog post called "an Insider Threat/Nation State Actor."

KnowBe4 operates in 11 countries and is headquartered in Florida. It provides security awareness training, including phishing security tests, to corporate customers. If you occasionally receive a fake phishing email from your employer, you might be working for a company that uses the KnowBe4 service to test its employees' ability to spot scams.

Person passed background check and video interviews

KnowBe4 hired the North Korean hacker through its usual process. "We posted the job, received resumes, conducted interviews, performed background checks, verified references, and hired the person. We sent them their Mac workstation, and the moment it was received, it immediately started to load malware," the company said.

Even though the photo provided to HR was fake, the person who was interviewed for the job apparently looked enough like it to pass. KnowBe4's HR team "conducted four video conference based interviews on separate occasions, confirming the individual matched the photo provided on their application," the post said. "Additionally, a background check and all other standard pre-hiring checks were performed and came back clear due to the stolen identity being used. This was a real person using a valid but stolen US-based identity. The picture was AI 'enhanced.'"

The two images at the top of this story are a stock photo and what KnowBe4 says is the AI fake based on the stock photo. The stock photo is on the left, and the AI fake is on the right.

The employee, referred to as "XXXX" in the blog post, was hired as a principal software engineer. The new hire's suspicious activities were flagged by security software, leading KnowBe4's Security Operations Center (SOC) to investigate:

On July 15, 2024, a series of suspicious activities were detected on the user beginning at 9:55 pm EST. When these alerts came in KnowBe4's SOC team reached out to the user to inquire about the anomalous activity and possible cause. XXXX responded to SOC that he was following steps on his router guide to troubleshoot a speed issue and that it may have caused a compromise.

The attacker performed various actions to manipulate session history files, transfer potentially harmful files, and execute unauthorized software. He used a Raspberry Pi to download the malware. SOC attempted to get more details from XXXX including getting him on a call. XXXX stated he was unavailable for a call and later became unresponsive. At around 10:20 pm EST SOC contained XXXX's device.

“Fake IT worker from North Korea”

The SOC analysis indicated that the loading of malware "may have been intentional by the user," and the group "suspected he may be an Insider Threat/Nation State Actor," the blog post said.

"We shared the collected data with our friends at Mandiant, a leading global cybersecurity expert, and the FBI, to corroborate our initial findings. It turns out this was a fake IT worker from North Korea," Sjouwerman wrote.

KnowBe4 said it can't provide much detail because of the active FBI investigation. But the person hired for the job may have logged into the company computer remotely from North Korea, Sjouwerman explained:

How this works is that the fake worker asks to get their workstation sent to an address that is basically an "IT mule laptop farm." They then VPN in from where they really physically are (North Korea or over the border in China) and work the night shift so that they seem to be working in US daytime. The scam is that they are actually doing the work, getting paid well, and give a large amount to North Korea to fund their illegal programs. I don't have to tell you about the severe risk of this. It's good we have new employees in a highly restricted area when they start, and have no access to production systems. Our controls caught it, but that was sure a learning moment that I am happy to share with everyone.

Ars Technica · by Jon Brodkin · July 24, 2024

14. Sloppy spycraft? The indictment of a former CIA analyst embarrasses South Korea

Sloppy spycraft? The indictment of a former CIA analyst embarrasses South Korea

Los Angeles Times · by Max Kim · July 23, 2024

SEOUL —

Meals at Michelin-starred restaurants. Designer handbags from Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton. More than $37,000 in cash in “covert funding” to an account that she controlled at a think tank.

These are some of the perks that Sue Mi Terry, a naturalized U.S. citizen who worked for the CIA before establishing herself as a foreign policy pundit, received in return for secretly aiding spies from South Korea, federal prosecutors alleged in a 31-page indictment unsealed last week.

Many of her alleged activities — which included helping her handlers gain access to U.S. officials and promoting talking points they gave her — were no different from those of the many foreign lobbyists working in the United States. What got her in trouble was her failure to identify herself as such with the government, as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The case, which could land Terry in prison for 10 years, has put Washington’s foreign policy world on edge.

But in South Korea, the indictment has the government and intelligence experts wondering how the country’s spies could have been so sloppy.

In a meeting with South Korean reporters, an official in the office of President Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative, accused Yoon’s liberal predecessor of staffing the country’s National Intelligence Service with amateurs.

“This is a situation that calls for an audit or accountability measures against the Moon Jae-in administration,” the official said.

But as Yoon’s opponents have pointed out, Terry’s alleged offenses spanned a decade and aligned with three consecutive South Korean administrations, including that of Yoon, who took office in 2022.

: :

That allies spy on one another is an open secret. Scandal erupts only when indiscretions spill into public view.

Among the lesser-known revelations in the 2013 leak by Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor, were documents suggesting that the U.S. was spying on the embassies of its allies, including South Korea.

Another controversy broke last year with a leak of classified Pentagon documents indicating the U.S. may have been eavesdropping on South Korea’s presidential office.

The aircraft carrying South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol taxis on the tarmac on July 10, 2024, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Yoon was attending the NATO summit in Washington.

(Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)

In truth, most of the work that spies do in allied countries is boring, said Chae Seong-joon, a former South Korean intelligence officer.

“It’s more or less a mutually agreed exchange of personnel,” he said. “For example, CIA agents here in South Korea might publicly be listed as employees of the U.S. Embassy, but the South Korean government knows who they really are.”

Unlike spies who are sent into hostile territories with fake identities, they operate under the assumption that they are being monitored by local law enforcement at all times. As such, they spend most of their time staying abreast of local developments and gathering insights from sources in ways that won’t attract too much attention from their hosts.

Terry, 54, who has held influential positions at foreign policy think tanks and frequently wrote op-eds for U.S. publications, including the Los Angeles Times, would have been an especially attractive source.

Born in Seoul and raised in Hawaii and Virginia, she worked as an analyst for Korean affairs at the CIA from 2001 to 2008, according to her since-deleted biography at the Wilson Center, a think tank in Washington where she was employed from 2021 to 2023. She has also held senior roles at the National Security Council and National Intelligence Council.

That background gave her public credibility and access to high-level U.S. officials.

As recently as last year, the indictment alleged, Terry was writing articles at the direction of her South Korean handlers.

These include a piece published last year in Foreign Affairs that argued that the U.S. should bring in “more nuclear-capable U.S. weapons systems into South Korea, such as B-52s and F-35s,” and establish a nuclear “consultative group” — ideas that federal prosecutors say reflected the Yoon administration’s policy preferences.

In a statement, Lee Wolosky, Terry’s lawyer, said the U.S. government has made “a significant mistake.”

“The allegations are unfounded and distort the work of a scholar and news analyst known for her independence and years of service to the United States,” he said, adding that Terry has not held a security clearance for over a decade.

“In fact, she was a harsh critic of the South Korean government during times this indictment alleges that she was acting on its behalf,” the statement said.

The Council on Foreign Relations, Terry’s current employer, has placed her on unpaid administrative leave, according to her biography on its website.

: :

Terry’s desirability as a source to South Korean agents was apparent to American officials as early as 2014.

FBI agents warned her that November that South Korean intelligence officers might try to approach her. During that meeting, Terry “became visibly nervous, changed her speech pattern, and began to stutter and shift in her seat,” the indictment said.

Recruiting such an obvious source was the first mistake of the South Korean agents, said Nam Sung-wook, a North Korea expert at Korea University in Seoul and former director of the South Korean spy agency’s research arm.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, center right, and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, wave the national flags during a ceremony to mark the 74th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War in Daegu, South Korea, on June 25, 2024.

(Ahn Young-joon / Associated Press)

“She was someone they should have specifically avoided,” he said. “This is what happens when you send out poorly prepared agents with little English fluency: They end up trying to work only Korean-born sources who can speak Korean. Of course that’s going to draw the attention of the FBI.”

Chae, the former intelligence officer, said Terry’s handlers failed to take basic steps to cover their tracks.

In June 2022, after Terry attended a private “off-the-record” meeting that included Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, senior State Department officials and several other Korea policy experts, a South Korean agent in a car registered to the South Korean Embassy picked her up and photographed her handwritten notes, according to the indictment.

A few weeks later, Terry hosted a happy hour for congressional staffers that was funded by the South Korean spy agency and attended by one of her handlers posing as a diplomat, the indictment says. She allegedly described the move to FBI agents as “bringing the wolf in.”

“It was extremely careless for the agent to personally attend events like that,” Chae said. “That would be considered a violation of protocol even for activities on South Korean soil.”

The indictment also includes a photograph of Terry dining with alleged South Korean spies at an “upscale Greek restaurant” in Manhattan, unaware that they are being watched, as well as a still from surveillance video showing one alleged handler purchasing a $2,950 Bottega Veneta handbag and handing it to her in a store in Washington.

South Korean intelligence officers allegedly also rewarded Terry for her cooperation with checks from the South Korean Embassy totaling $37,035 that were deposited into an “unrestricted gift account” she controlled at the Wilson Center.

The Wilson Center declined to answer questions about the account or how the money was spent.

“The Wilson Center is not a target of the investigation and has cooperated fully with law enforcement authorities,” a spokesperson said in an email.

In Washington’s foreign policy circles, Terry’s indictment is being viewed as a warning for other foreign spies and their sources in the U.S.

“It feels like authorities chose to make a public example of her case because it was especially full of mistakes on both sides,” said a former fellow at the Wilson Center who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

And while embarrassing for the South Korean spy agency, experts said it is unlikely to upset relations between Washington and Seoul.

“This sort of trouble is always handled through back channels,” Nam said. “The intelligence officers associated with the case will likely be called back to Seoul. The two governments will have a talk, and that will be the end of it.”

Vice President Kamala Harris and South Koean President Yoon Suk-yeol tour the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on April 25, 2023, in Greenbelt, Md.

(Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

North Korea ‘Does Not Care’ What President Trump Has To Say About Prospects for Another Meeting

That’s the good news, as the 45th president insists that Kim Jong-un misses him.

DONALD KIRK

Tuesday, July 23, 202412:13:53 pmhttps://www.nysun.com/article/north-korea-does-not-care-what-president-trump-has-to-say-about-prospects-for-another-meeting

nysun.com

Don’t rule out another summit between President Trump and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, if Trump returns to the White House. That’s the message of a carefully worded North Korean commentary proclaiming officially, definitively, that North Korea simply “does not care” about whatever Trump has to say about the prospects for a fourth meeting with Mr. Kim.

Far from engaging in the usual nasty rhetoric reserved for commentaries about its enemies, this one remarked, in almost a reasonable, conciliatory tone, “It is true that Trump, when he was president, tried to reflect the special personal relations between the heads of states in the relations between states.”

The problem, the unsigned commentary quickly added, was that Trump “did not bring about any substantial positive change.”

That was North Korea’s almost polite, restrained way of acknowledging Trump’s remarks, in his acceptance speech at the Republican Party nominating convention in Milwaukee, that he “got along very well” with Mr. Kim in their three meetings, first in Singapore in June 2018, then at Hanoi in February 2019 and finally at Panmunjom on the North-South Korean line in June 2019.

Trump remarked, off-handedly but seriously, that he would “get along with him” when he’s back in the White House. “He’d like to see me back too,” he added, smiling. “I think he misses me.”

Far from deriding or belittling that remark, the North Korean commentary, which had to have been written with the full authority of Mr. Kim, almost lamented the ultimate failure of those meetings while raising a glimmer of hope for the future.

Sure, said North Korea’s state press agency, KCNA, “the international community” has concluded that America “is a perfidious country which does not fulfill its promises” — not exactly kind words but a lot lower key than some of the insults and invective the North has hurled at America.

Almost sadly, the commentary added, the DPRK, for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, “has keenly and fully felt what the dialogue brought to it and what it lost.”

Regardless of who wins, said KCNA, if “the political climate, confused by the infighting of the two parties, does not change. we do not care about this.”

South Korea, just as officially and anonymously, saw the KCNA commentary as acknowledging “the friendship” that Trump and Mr. Kim formed in their three meetings even if the North would not agree to give up its nuclear program, as Washington has been demanding for years.

The commentary, said the official, according to the South’s Yonhap News, suggests “that the future of U.S.-North Korea relations depends entirely on U.S. actions.”

Certainly that was the implication of what appeared as almost a warning but less than a threat from North Korea. “The U.S. had better make a proper choice in the matter of how to deal with the DPRK in the future,” said the commentary, “while sincerely agonizing the gains and losses in the DPRK-U.S. confrontation,”

There’s no doubt that Trump and Mr. Kim, not only in their personal meetings but in letters exchanged between them, kindled a special relationship in which Trump has said the two “fell in love.”

A former national security adviser in Trump’s presidency, H. R. McMaster anticipated that if Trump is elected, “what you’re going to see right away is Kim Jong-un trying to rekindle their bromance.”

Yonhap reported Mr. McMaster, at the Hudson Institute in Washington, as predicting that Mr. Kim would offer a deal in which American forces withdrew from the South while the North limited its nuclear program and halted its long-range missile program. Under the deal, he said, the North would keep “just a few nukes” — still not exactly what Washington is likely to want to accept.

nysun.com

16. Shock, then silence: What Washington thinks of the charges against Sue Mi Terry

Excerpts:

NK News contacted over 100 Korea experts based in and around Washington for comment on Terry’s case this week, but only five experts agreed to talk and just one on the record, an indicator of sensitivity over the topic.

...

“Judging by the deafening silence … I think this probably has people scared s—less in D.C. and beyond,” the expert said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. “They’re probably digging through their emails and messaging apps to see if they’ve done anything to run afoul of FARA.”

Patrick Cronin, the Asia-Pacific Security Chair at the Hudson Institute, attributed the community’s reluctance to comment on the case’s shocking nature and Terry’s prominence as “somebody from the group of 50 Korea watchers who matter.”

...

he senior Korea hand said South Korean intelligence officials are a pervasive presence at the country’s embassy in Washington, using innocuous titles like “minister counselor” or “political counselor” to obscure their true roles.

They described regularly meeting an openly intelligence-affiliated embassy official, often involving exchanges of policy-related information.

While many experts consider these kinds of interactions normal, the Korea hand admitted that the Terry case had made them anxious about such meetings.

“It made me question: What are the boundaries?” they said, explaining that they don’t share state secrets but, like Terry, had received suggestions about what to write about.

But the Korea hand said both sides benefit from such meetings and they’ve also learned helpful information from meetings with intelligence officials.

On the allegations that Sue Mi Terry hosted events to promote ROK policy positions, the human rights specialist said events that the South Korean government openly funds often have the same practical goal of promoting its position on different issues.

Recalling his experience in Washington, Van Jackson, an East Asia specialist at Victory University of Wellington, told NK Pro last week that Seoul’s “heavy hand” on U.S. policy is “seemingly legal but … also corrupt by any normal person’s standard of the common good.”

...

Major think tanks are likely to be more careful when holding events in the wake of the Terry allegations, the Korea hand said. “I think CSIS is really the litmus test because they do more than any other think tank in D.C. with these conferences.”

A South Korean expert who previously worked in D.C. expressed concern about the impact on young and aspiring foreign policy professionals, especially those of Korean or Asian descent.

The younger generation of Korean Americans (may now) have to go through a much more rigorous, maybe undeserving screening,” they said.

The long-time Korea hand wondered why the FBI decided to bring the case against Terry now after monitoring her for over a decade, stating that it makes them “distrustful” of the U.S. government’s motivations.

Shock, then silence: What Washington thinks of the charges against Sue Mi Terry

Indictment of North Korea expert has stunned policy community, spurring reflection on Seoul’s influence in DC

https://www.nknews.org/2024/07/shock-then-silence-what-washington-thinks-of-the-charges-against-sue-mi-terry/

Chad O'Carroll July 25, 2024

Sue Mi Terry during the Jeju Forum held at the International Convention Center Jeju | Image: YouTube, edited by NK News

Silence. That’s been the overwhelming response from Washington’s usually talkative North Korea experts to the bombshell indictment of Sue Mi Terry.

The former CIA analyst and National Security Council official stands accused of working for South Korean spies in exchange for luxury goods and lavish dinners, allegedly using her perch at prestigious think tanks to advance Seoul’s agenda in the U.S. capital.

But while the case has sent shockwaves through the foreign policy establishment, few Korea experts appear willing to weigh in on the indictment, perhaps spooked by the charges or wary of being ensnared in the unfolding legal drama.

NK News contacted over 100 Korea experts based in and around Washington for comment on Terry’s case this week, but only five experts agreed to talk and just one on the record, an indicator of sensitivity over the topic.

Those who did agree to speak expressed their disbelief at the indictment.

One human rights specialist called the case “shocking, surprising, and really, really unexpected,” suggesting others in Washington likely feel the same.

“Judging by the deafening silence … I think this probably has people scared s—less in D.C. and beyond,” the expert said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. “They’re probably digging through their emails and messaging apps to see if they’ve done anything to run afoul of FARA.”

Patrick Cronin, the Asia-Pacific Security Chair at the Hudson Institute, attributed the community’s reluctance to comment on the case’s shocking nature and Terry’s prominence as “somebody from the group of 50 Korea watchers who matter.”

Cronin described a tight-knit expert community grappling with the allegations, saying he finds it hard to believe Terry intended to harm U.S. interests and may have thought she was helping both countries.

But another senior think tank expert who requested anonymity said the charges raise unsettling questions about the pervasiveness of Korean government influence in D.C., warning of how foreign influence can “mold and shape U.S. experts, institutions and policy.”

Image: United States District Court Southern District of New York

HOW ALLEGATIONS ARE SEEN

The 39-page indictment against Terry at times reads like a spy thriller, documenting how she allegedly traded information and access for luxury goods and clandestine payments to unrestricted think tank bank accounts. The document suggests she continued even after the FBI confronted her in 2014.

Cronin said the charges raise “two serious concerns” relevant to U.S. national security: an ally’s efforts to corrupt former officials and Terry’s alleged failure to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

He also noted that undisclosed National Intelligence Service (NIS) payments to think tanks appear to violate the law and ethics, amid a decade-plus think tank trend toward greater budget transparency.

But Cronin disputed the media framing of Terry as a spy. “She was helping the intelligence service of South Korea … but I don’t think she spied,” he said.

The senior think tank expert agreed, suggesting that “she made some poor choices” but questioning whether that constituted spying.

Cronin said he found the case perplexing given the relatively low value of payments and gifts that Terry received over more than a decade. He expressed anger at the South Korean government and NIS, as well as at Terry for “falling for it.”

“That’s why it’s so sad, because she didn’t need to do that,” he continued. “She was as successful as you could be. She could have raised money in so many different ways without even batting an eyelash.”’

And above all, Cronin thinks the whole alleged operation was unnecessary.

“I think there’s nothing that Sue Mi Terry wouldn’t have basically told them — as long as it wasn’t classified — without that compensation.”

Image: Pexels

A BLURRY LINE?

For some Korea experts in Washington, the allegations against Terry underscore an uncomfortable truth: Many in D.C. could also be accused of being too close to South Korean government money and intelligence officials.

The senior Korea hand said South Korean intelligence officials are a pervasive presence at the country’s embassy in Washington, using innocuous titles like “minister counselor” or “political counselor” to obscure their true roles.

They described regularly meeting an openly intelligence-affiliated embassy official, often involving exchanges of policy-related information.

While many experts consider these kinds of interactions normal, the Korea hand admitted that the Terry case had made them anxious about such meetings.

“It made me question: What are the boundaries?” they said, explaining that they don’t share state secrets but, like Terry, had received suggestions about what to write about.

But the Korea hand said both sides benefit from such meetings and they’ve also learned helpful information from meetings with intelligence officials.

On the allegations that Sue Mi Terry hosted events to promote ROK policy positions, the human rights specialist said events that the South Korean government openly funds often have the same practical goal of promoting its position on different issues.

Recalling his experience in Washington, Van Jackson, an East Asia specialist at Victory University of Wellington, told NK Pro last week that Seoul’s “heavy hand” on U.S. policy is “seemingly legal but … also corrupt by any normal person’s standard of the common good.”

Cronin suggested things aren’t as bad as Jackson claims but acknowledged that some think tanks have had cultures comparable to “soft corruption.”

He pointed out another gray area: “envelopes full of money” given to experts for speaking at events in South Korea.

“Anybody who goes to Korea and deals with a national security set knows that you are wined and dined,” he explained. “They try not exactly to entrap you, but they certainly try to get you to lower your guard and they try to build up a relationship.”

The human rights specialist echoed this sentiment and said many in D.C. have likely benefited from dinners, drinks and gifts from embassy officials.

Sue Mi Terry speaking at a conference | Image: New America via Flickr (April 9, 2018) (CC BY 2.0)

LOOKING AT THE RAMIFICATIONS

The indictment of Sue Mi Terry has raised questions among Washington’s Korea experts about the future of their work and relationships with South Korean officials.

“Because I know her personally, the first day or so, I felt very sorry for her and what had happened,” the long-time Korea hand said. “But after about 48 hours, I was also upset because I felt like this does damage to the reputation of the Korea policy community.”

The expert said the allegations will “make it harder for us to trust South Korean government officials or counterparts.”

Cronin suggested the case could even have broader implications for U.S.-South Korea relations.

“It means that if we can’t trust the Koreans on dealing with basic policy, how can we trust them with the really sensitive information that we would need to cooperate on in the Nuclear Consultative Group on nuclear technology or some other project,” he warned.

Major think tanks are likely to be more careful when holding events in the wake of the Terry allegations, the Korea hand said. “I think CSIS is really the litmus test because they do more than any other think tank in D.C. with these conferences.”

A South Korean expert who previously worked in D.C. expressed concern about the impact on young and aspiring foreign policy professionals, especially those of Korean or Asian descent.

The younger generation of Korean Americans (may now) have to go through a much more rigorous, maybe undeserving screening,” they said.

The long-time Korea hand wondered why the FBI decided to bring the case against Terry now after monitoring her for over a decade, stating that it makes them “distrustful” of the U.S. government’s motivations.

While the ramifications of the case may take years to unfold, the human rights specialist expressed concern about the future.

“The deeper implications of this would be that any future collaboration or offers of help from the ROK government would be turned down or viewed with great suspicion,” they said. “It certainly won’t help the Korea watchers and the cause.”

Sue Mi Terry declined to provide comment for this article, while South Korea’s foreign ministry told NK News that it would be “inappropriate to comment on matters currently under judicial proceedings abroad.”

Edited by Bryan Betts

17. Hong Kong a Major Hub for Illicit Transfer to Rogue Nations, Report Finds

The referenced report can be accessed here: https://www.thecfhk.org/post/beneath-the-harbor

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Hong Kong a Major Hub for Illicit Transfer to Rogue Nations, Report Finds

Report recommends series of harsh steps against the territory

https://www.asiasentinel.com/p/hongkong-hub-illicit-transfer-rogue-nations

JOHN BERTHELSEN

JUL 23, 2024

∙ PAID

Find the needle in the haystack

Since the takeover of Hong Kong by Beijing, the city’s financial and trade strengths have been co-opted to facilitate the transfer of money and restricted technology to Russia, Iran, and North Korea with the tacit agreement of the government, according to an explosive report published by the New York-based Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, which was established after China’s crackdown began in 2021.

The report, titled “Beneath the Harbor: Hong Kong’s Leading Role in Sanctions Evasion,” written by lawyer Samuel Bickett after a six-month investigation, seeks to detail the trade between Hong Kong and the sanctioned countries as well as the city’s role in providing Russia with dual-use technology for its war effort in Ukraine. Bickett, now in Washington, DC, was arrested in 2019 for allegedly interfering with a police officer who was beating a youth who reportedly had jumped a turnstile. Bickett was ultimately sentenced to four months and two weeks in jail.

The report recommends a series of harsh steps that throw the once-capitalist, pro-western city into enemy territory, including designating it a Primary Money Laundering Concern, that Congress act to increase resources and coordination for sanctions and export control enforcement, that the US, EU, and their allies focus more resources on targeting individuals as well as the associated entities facilitating sanctions evasion, that global financial firms enhance anti-money laundering (AML) procedures to capture data like customs, records, and suspicious vessel activity that the US, EU, and their allies increase enforcement and penalties against manufacturers and distributors of sensitive technologies including imposing strict civil penalties on companies that allow their products to be diverted to sanctioned countries.

“Our investigation shows that in many ways, Hong Kong is the hub and these countries are the spokes,” the report notes. Hong Kong, it says, plays an indispensable role in undermining sanctions and threatening global security and stability. “Simply put, Hong Kong has gone rogue, serving some of the world’s most brutal regimes and damaging international security interests by smuggling military technology, money, and prohibited commodities through the territory to flout sanctions.

Key Findings

Hong Kong exports to Russia initially dropped significantly after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but then almost doubled, with Hong Kong-based companies shipping billions of dollars of goods to Russia for its war effort. In August-December 2023 alone, US$750 million of the total US$2 billion in shipments to Moscow comprised goods on the US and EU list of “Common High Priority Items,” the advanced components most sought by Russia for its war effort.

“Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee’s statement in October 2022 that the territory would not enforce global sanctions on Russia gave a green light to illicit operators to set up shop in the city,” the report says. “Many have done so, from Russian tanker owners to Iranian exporters of drone technology.”

The government’s regulatory environment, “which provides for easy concealment of corporate ownership and rapid creation and dissolution of companies, has facilitated sanctions evasion. The slow and inconsistent enforcement of international sanctions by governments around the world has allowed evaders to adapt and continue their operations with relative impunity.”

Highlights of the findings:

Hong Kong company Piraclinos Ltd, which claims to be a fertilizer and charcoal seller, has shipped millions of dollars worth of integrated circuits to the sanctioned Russian company VMK. The company’s directors and owners frequently change, often listed under the names of individuals in Cyprus and Central Asia, masking its true beneficial owners.
After U.S. sanctions targeted Hong Kong company Arttronix International for reshipping drone parts to Iran, owner Li Jianwang swiftly applied to dissolve the company. Once the dissolution was complete, he re-established operations under a new name, ETS International, illustrating the ease with which sanctions evaders can resume business. Neither Li nor ETS has been targeted for sanctions.
HK Shipping Cooperation Ltd and HK Petroleum Enterprises Cooperation, sought to facilitate significant oil deals with Iranian oil company Sahara Thunder, including arranging vessels for ship-to-ship transfers and the sale of oil originating from Oman. HKSC and HKPEC share the same two shareholders, director, and secretary. Corporate records indicate these companies are part-owned by an EU citizen and resident, Hungarian Anett Szeplaki.
Hong Kong consignor Align Trading Co. Ltd purportedly shipped nearly US$2 million of integrated circuits produced by French military technology producer Vectrawave to AO Trek, a Russian company previously alleged by Ukraine to be supplying components for missiles and military aircraft.
Multiple Hong Kong companies have been involved in the illicit activities of the vessel previously known as New Konk involving a group of sanctions evaders that used the vessel under various names for illicit ship-to-ship oil transfers with North Korea, create fraudulent ship identities, and launder proceeds using shell companies. The New Konk and its series of Hong Kong front company owners have appeared repeatedly in the annual reports of the United Nations Security Council’s DPRK Sanctions Committee tracking sanctions evasion. Little media focus has been placed on Hong Kong’s central role in its movements.

Trading on a fading reputation

“Hong Kong continues to trade on the reputation for adherence to international standards that it built up in the final years of British colonial rule, which ended in 1997, and in the first decade of Chinese control,” the report continues.

“Most major international financial institutions have significant operations in the city, and until recently its market for IPOs regularly bested that of New York City and London. But this reputation no longer reflects reality. Following Xi Jinping’s rise to power in 2012, and more forcefully since massive pro-democracy protests in 2019, China has moved to assert near-total political control over Hong Kong, eliminate its democratic institutions, and steadily undermine rule of law. It introduced two national security laws that have seen it imprison political opponents and co-opt the previously independent legal system, while passing several constitutional ‘reforms’ to end free elections and curtail local autonomy.”

John Lee’s October 2022 statement against enforcing sanctions on Russia was offered in response to a mega-yacht docked in the city that belonged to a sanctioned Russian oligarch, the report notes, “a particularly visible symbol of the city’s embrace of sanctions evaders.”

The government has long flouted its legal obligation to enforce the U.N.’s North Korea sanctions against evaders, serving to make it clear that sanctions won’t be enforced.

Easy to open rogue company

It is simple and cheap to open a Hong Kong-based company and firms in the territory can buy goods produced by U.S. companies like Apple and Texas Instruments with little trouble, the report notes. “Once in Hong Kong, goods can be shipped with no questions asked to countries and companies under Western sanctions and trade controls. Hong Kong’s role in helping Russia continue its assault against Ukraine is startling in its growth and extent.”

Although following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Hong Kong’s semiconductor exports to Russia initially dropped, likely as officials assessed the situation, eight months later, “the same month that John Lee said that the territory wouldn’t enforce US sanctions, chip shipments had nearly doubled from their prewar levels. A substantial portion—nearly 40 percent of goods shipped from August to December 2023, for example—appear on the Common High Priority Items List and are likely fueling Russia’s production of military goods such as missiles and aircraft. Many of these shipments consist of goods purportedly made by Western companies such as Intel, Analog Devices, Apple, and Texas Instruments.

Iran, North Korea

The report finds that Hong Kong-based companies are also facilitating Iranian and North Korean efforts to trade in military technology as well as oil and other natural resources. “These efforts have enabled these countries to buttress their capabilities, prop up their regimes, and obtain much-needed cash.”

Hong Kong plays a central role in shipping drone and missile components to Iran, which Iran then provides to Russia and destabilizing militias across the Middle East such as the Houthis. Hong Kong has also played a key role in Iran’s use of complex shell company structures to sell its oil illicitly.

“One such network, known as Triliance, has thus far led the US to target 31 different Hong Kong companies over 10 rounds of sanctions.

For North Korea, Hong Kong acts as a hub for illicit shipping operations by which oil and natural resources are traded to and from North Korea in violation of UN sanctions and caps. Often, these transactions are carried out via ship-to-ship transfers at sea using vessels owned by Hong Kong companies. Many of these vessels, like the New Konk, regularly use laundered vessel identities and deactivate their transponders to mask their activities.”

The Hong Kong government’s regulatory environment has facilitated these evasion activities. Its geography is also crucial: it connects mainland China to the busiest shipping lanes in the world. “Its past capitalist, laissez-faire approach to transport and customs reflects its decades as a free port and the absence of taxes on most goods. Huge volumes make it impossible to check everything, even if the government wanted to, which it clearly does not.

Because Hong Kong is a major transport hub, with significant air, shipping, and rail lines that extend to China and from there to Russia, North Korea, and Iran, “it is the ideal hub for evading sanctions and transporting materials to these countries.

While in the US it takes months, if not years, to investigate and sanction a company, in Hong Kong, new companies can be set up in days. “The whack-a-mole strategy of going after individual firms can’t keep up with the ease with the rapid creation and dissolution of companies permitted by Hong Kong regulations.

“Successfully stemming these activities requires a new and forceful approach, the report notes. “Increasing the cost of inaction will get companies to take their compliance obligations seriously.”

18. 3 Army brigades tapped for fall rotations in Europe, South Korea and CENTCOM

Are rotational brigades really the right way to provide forces to the COCOMs?

Is a Stryker Brigade really the right force for Korea? (replacing the one currently stationed there - how has it performed and how would it perform if the north attacks?)

3 Army brigades tapped for fall rotations in Europe, South Korea and CENTCOM

Stars and Stripes · by Matthew Adams · July 24, 2024

ByMatthew Adams

Stars and Stripes •

Soldiers carry a tank roadwheel to simulate the necessities of emergency maintenance during training at Drawsko Combat Training Center in Poland on July 2, 2024. (Kimberly Blair/U.S. Army)

WASHINGTON — Three Army brigades will deploy to Europe, South Korea and the Middle East in the fall as part of regular troop rotations, the Army announced.

The 1st Armored Division’s 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team from Fort Bliss, Texas, will deploy to Europe to replace the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team to train alongside NATO forces.

The U.S. launched Operation Atlantic Resolve in 2014 after Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine when it annexed the Crimean Peninsula. The operation — meant to bolster NATO’s eastern flank and dissuade Russian forces from entering the alliance’s territory — grew larger after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The 2nd Infantry Division’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., will deploy to South Korea to replace the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. The 3rd Cavalry Regiment from Fort Cavazos, Texas, has been stationed there since February.

The 10th Mountain Division’s 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Drum, N.Y., will deploy to U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, to replace soldiers from the 44th Infantry Brigade Combat of the New Jersey National Guard. More than 1,800 soldiers deployed earlier this year to support Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led mission to defeat the Islamic State.

Matthew Adams

Matthew Adams covers the Defense Department at the Pentagon. His past reporting experience includes covering politics for The Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle and The News and Observer. He is based in Washington, D.C.

19.

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

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

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

Access NSS HERE

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More to Read

North Korea ‘Does Not Care’ What President Trump Has To Say About Prospects for Another Meeting

Shock, then silence: What Washington thinks of the charges against Sue Mi Terry

Hong Kong a Major Hub for Illicit Transfer to Rogue Nations, Report Finds

Report recommends series of harsh steps against the territory

3 Army brigades tapped for fall rotations in Europe, South Korea and CENTCOM