04/02/2021 News & Commentary – Korea

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.

1. Denuclearization will be at center of new N. Korea policy: State Dept.

2. U.S. 'very much open' to feedback from allies on N. Korea policy

3. Reaching Underground Believers & Guiding Others in Flight: Silent Partners Assist North Koreans under Caesar’s Sword

4. North Korea’s Dangerous Pursuit of Tactical Nuclear Weapons

5. Cheong Wa Dae seeks Moon-Biden summit in April: sources

6. South Korea, Japan reaffirm trilateral cooperation with US for peninsula peace

7. N. Korea demands Japan's apology, compensation for wartime atrocities

8. Kim Jong Un’s Long Game Starts With Short-Range Missiles

9. North Korea Tops Agenda for US-Japan-South Korea Meeting

10. Open Letter to President Moon Jae-In from Seoul Peace Prize Laureate

11. Report: Pyongyang left secret agents, smugglers in Malaysia after diplomatic withdrawal

12. About half of foreign embassies closed in N. Korea amid COVID-19 restrictions: Russian Embassy

13. North Korean hackers are now using a fake security company to target researchers

14. Korea Foundation Sponsors N.Korean Propaganda Art Show

15. Younger generations turning away from liberal ruling party

16. North Korea Can Put Nuclear Warheads on Its Missiles: Report

17. Pompeo regrets Trump administration ‘didn’t make more progress’ with North Korea

18. When It Comes to Nukes, Is It the North Koreans Who Are Irrational—Or Us?

19. North Korea’s “tactical-guided” ballistic missile test is no joke for Biden and South Korea

20. Prioritizing Humanitarian Aid in the Era of Denuclearization

1. Denuclearization will be at center of new N. Korea policy: State Dept.

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · April 2, 2021

Yes, denuclearization of north Korea has to be an organizing principle for our policy for many reasons. Of course the pundit class is already criticizing this and we can see among them who is willing to appease the regime and allow them to be a nuclear power.

But the real question is how to denuclearize the north? As I written time and time again: We must solve the "Korea question" (para 60 of the Armistice) and lead to the only acceptable durable political arrangement that will protect and advance US and ROK/US alliance interests: A secure, stable, economically vibrant, non-nuclear Korean peninsula unified under a liberal constitutional form of government with respect for individual liberty, the rule of law, and human rights, determined by the Korean people.  In short, a United Republic of Korea (UROK)

The bottom line is the only way we are going to see an end to the nuclear program and threats as well as the human rights abuses and crimes against humanity being committed against the Korean people living in the north by the mafia-like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime is through achievement of unification and the establishment of a United Republic of Korea that is secure and stable, non-nuclear, economically vibrant, and unified under a liberal constitutional form of government based on individual liberty, rule of law, and human rights as determined by the Korean people. Again, a United Republic of Korea (UROK).

We must have a policy and strategy that is not myopically focused on denuclearization and instead must be broadly focused on the full spectrum of the Korea challenges from provocations and proliferation to illicit activities and human rights while always prioritizing deterrence and defense against the very real possibility of a north Korean attack.

2. U.S. 'very much open' to feedback from allies on N. Korea policy

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · April 2, 2021

The administration is putting its money where its mouth is: Alliances are the priority in US foreign policy.

Key point: (and this is important because the policy cannot be static and must be adjusted based on continuous assessment of the strategic assumptions and the geopolitical and security conditions. And most importantly it will require coordinated execution so close consultation is paramount.)

Excerpt: “Still, the administration official said the U.S. will continue to consult closely with its Asian allies even after its ongoing North Korea policy review comes to a conclusion.”

3. Reaching Underground Believers & Guiding Others in Flight: Silent Partners Assist North Koreans under Caesar’s Sword

hrnkinsider.org · by Committee for Human Rights in North Korea

Reverend Tim A. Peters discusses Pyongyang’s systemic suppression of its Christian population and how silent external partners provide them assistance and hope. The event was moderated by HRNK Executive Director Greg Scarlatoiu.

See the 1 hour and 13 minute video here:  

Below is a detailed article by Tim about the work being done in north Korea. This is outside testimony that supports many of the conclusions not only in the UN Commission of Inquiry from 2014 but also the recent State Department report on human rights in north Korea.

4. North Korea’s Dangerous Pursuit of Tactical Nuclear Weapons

19fortyfive.com · by Eli Fuhrman · April 1, 2021

We should never forget the ultimate objective of the regime - to dominate the Korean peninsula and if necessary it will use force to do so. The regime believes its WMD are merely tools for warfighting and will be employed to achieve its strategic objectives.

5. Cheong Wa Dae seeks Moon-Biden summit in April: sources

en.yna.co.kr · by 이치동 · April 2, 2021

Competition with Japan.

6. South Korea, Japan reaffirm trilateral cooperation with US for peninsula peace

theedgemarkets.com · April 1, 2021

This is critical to the outcome of the north Korean problem and for security in Northeast Asia.

7.  N. Korea demands Japan's apology, compensation for wartime atrocities

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · April 2, 2021

No surprise here: A key theme and message from the north's Propaganda and Agitation Department. And if there are ever talks between the north and Japan this will be one line of effort to extort money from Japan in return for the very little information it has to offer about what happened to Japanese abductees.

8. Kim Jong Un’s Long Game Starts With Short-Range Missiles

WSJ · by Andrew Jeong and Timothy W. Martin

Yes these are useful for provocations below the threshold that will generate a catastrophic response from any of the regional countries to include Russia and China. But we need to understand the regime is developing weapons to be able to fight a war. These weapons are designed specifically for the north Korea named "fat target" (Camp Humphreys. Osan Air Base, and Cheongju Air base). This is why deterrence and defense must be the foundation of ROK/US alliance strategy. We must not be complacent because we have deterred a resumption of hostilities since 1953.

Unfortunately this conclusion sums up our collective challenge with a new policy to deal with north Korea: “At the end of this cycle, there will be a stalemate with North Korea again, said Cho Tae-yong, a former South Korean deputy foreign minister, who worked as the counterpart to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken when the latter served in the Obama administration.”

9. North Korea Tops Agenda for US-Japan-South Korea Meeting

voanews.com · Steve Herman · April 1, 2021

I am curious why Annapolis is the venue for this meeting. Is there any significance? 

10. Open Letter to President Moon Jae-In from Seoul Peace Prize Laureate

english.chosun.com · by Suzanne Scholte

From my friend and fellow board member of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Suzanne Scholte. She does not pull her punches when it comes to human rights.

Human rights is a moral imperative and a national security issue. It must be a major line of effort of ROK/US alliance policy and strategy.

11. Report: Pyongyang left secret agents, smugglers in Malaysia after diplomatic withdrawal

malaymail.com · by Ashman Adam · April 2, 2021

Of course they did. Who would expect otherwise?

12. About half of foreign embassies closed in N. Korea amid COVID-19 restrictions: Russian Embassy

en.yna.co.kr · by 우재연 · April 1, 2021

Another data point for the indications and warnings list.

13. North Korean hackers are now using a fake security company to target researchers

siliconangle.com · by Duncan Riley · April 1, 2021

The regime's all-purpose sword continues to evolve its tactics, techniques, and procedures.

14. Korea Foundation Sponsors N.Korean Propaganda Art Show

english.chosun.com · April 2, 2021

What is the Korea Foundation thinking? I guess it was not. It relied on the art director.

15. Younger generations turning away from liberal ruling party

The Korea Times · April 2, 2021

Changing politics in Korea. Is this sufficient for substantive political change?

16. North Korea Can Put Nuclear Warheads on Its Missiles: Report

The National Interest · by Stephen Silver · April 1, 2021

17. Pompeo regrets Trump administration ‘didn’t make more progress’ with North Korea

foxnews.com · by Morgan Phillips

It is because north Korea has a vote and it will be exercising that vote with the Biden administration as well.

18. When It Comes to Nukes, Is It the North Koreans Who Are Irrational—Or Us?

Esquire · by Jack Holmes · April 1, 2021

So easy to criticize especially when you are not the man in the arena.

Actually in my opinion neither are irrational. We need to understand the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime. Given the nature of the regime its objectives and strategies are not irrational. And if we would approach north Korea with the deep understanding necessary we would not be irrational. We need to devise our policy based on the reality of north Korea and as we would wish it to be. To do otherwise would be irrational.

19. North Korea’s “tactical-guided” ballistic missile test is no joke for Biden and South Korea

thebulletin.org · by Duyeon Kim · April 1, 2021

Important analysis from the always thoughtful Duyeon Kim.

20. Prioritizing Humanitarian Aid in the Era of Denuclearization

nkhiddengulag.org  · by Sophia Hapin · April 1, 2021

Excellent essay from an HRNK intern.

Conclusion: “In terms of national security interests, engaging in the call for relief can also support change within the regime. According to Ambassador Robert R. King, former Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues and HRNK Board Member, exposing North Korean civilians to humanitarian officials will “increase the flow of information about the outside world,” thereby challenging North Korean propaganda’s antagonistic image of the United States.[20] Even the slightest influence grants the possibility for a civil society to emerge and demand the protection of all human rights.

Denuclearization strategies against North Korea must remain intact, especially as the regime seeks to provoke President Biden with increased missile tests and nuclear developments. However, the United States and its allies as well as the UN must additionally uphold their own moral obligations as champions of the UN Declaration of Human Rights to promote security and protect all lives, not just those of the citizens in their own countries, but also of the individuals who endure daily oppression and abuse under Kim Jong-un’s regime.

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When (John F.) Kennedy became president, the Special Forces numbered about 2,000 and had as their primary mission the organization of guerrilla units behind enemy lines during conventional war. BY the late 1950s, the Special Forces mission had begun to take on certain features of counterinsurgency. Kennedy accelerated this transformation, upgraded the Special Warfare Headquarters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to the Special Warfare Center under a brigadier general, authorized the wearing of the green beret, and increased Special Forces strength to about 12,000 by 1963. He also insisted that Green Berets be trained not only in counterguerrilla operations but in civic action, engineering, communication, sanitation, medicine, and a variety of other skills that would win the allegiance of the people in countries requiring Special Forces assistance. The president pushed through these measures over the objectives of many U.S. officers who found elite units distasteful and who believed any well-trained soldier could perform the unconventional tasks assigned the Green Berets.

 - Lawrence W. Yates

"History is like philosophy teaching by examples."

- Dionysius

"If every prospective writer on international affairs in the last twenty years had taken a compulsory course in elementary strategy, reams of nonsense would have remained unwritten." 

- E.H. Carr, The Twenty Year Crisis, 111.