News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.
1. Biden's speech signals better ties with Seoul, less drama with Pyongyang
2. South Korea's President Moon: 'America Is Back'
3. Moon vows close cooperation with Biden for Korea peace process
4. Foreign Ministry's top priority is talks with Pyongyang
5. Sovereignty and alliance cannot be haggled (Korea)
6. Unification minister vows to restart Korea peace process in cooperation with Biden administration
7. Defense ministry vows push for regular inter-Korean military talks, swifter OPCON transfer
8. Analysts weigh in on Moon-Biden partnership
9. Blinken says U.S. is 'better positioned' to deal with N. Korea when working with allies
10. Moon Sacks Loyal Foreign Minister
11. Blinken indicates changing course in North Korea policy
12. Understanding N. Korean capabilities important part of intelligence: DNI nominee
13. N. Korea tightens antivirus campaign as party congress, military parade end
14. U.S. expert voices skepticism over N.K. push for nuke sub
15. Restrictions on movement in North Korea are causing "severe side effects"
16. North Korea allows some people with relatives overseas to write letters asking for help
17. Seoul to procure enough COVID-19 vaccines for North, South Korea
1. Biden's speech signals better ties with Seoul, less drama with Pyongyang
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · January 21, 2021
This is quite an interpretation. We should note that President Biden did not mention a single foreign country (that jumped right out to my wife as we watched the speech). South Korean media parses every word (or omitted word) for meaning for and impact on Korea.
2. South Korea's President Moon: 'America Is Back'
Barron's · by AFP - Agence France Presse
President Moon wins the award for the best tweet by a foreign leader.
We should remember that the only OpEd President Biden wrote in the foreign press during the election process was published by Yonhap and it discussed the ROK/US alliance and the Korean peninsula. That made a statement more than the words in any speech. "Special contribution by U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden" https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20201030000500325
3. Moon vows close cooperation with Biden for Korea peace process
en.yna.co.kr · by 이치동 · January 21, 2021
Peace at any cost. President Moon is doubling down on his peace vision and working to shape the information environment to influence the Biden administration to support a vision which is based on the false assumption that Kim Jong-un shares his vision and will seek peace on mutually acceptable terms. Kim Jong-un only wants peace on his terms and that means that he dominates the Korean peninsula.
I think President Moon is misguided if he thinks the Biden administration will support concessions and sanctions relief without any substantive action from the regime. But the most important thing for the ROK ?US alliance is to re-examine strategic assumptions and ensure they are sufficiently aligned. They were not sufficiently aligned during the Trump administration and they are not now during the Biden administration.
4. Foreign Ministry's top priority is talks with Pyongyang
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com· by Sarah Kim
The ROK will double down on its peace vision. Peace at any cost.
Excerpt: In the report, the Foreign Ministry outlined its plans to continue diplomatic efforts to realize peace on the Korean Peninsula, play a role as a middle power to bring together countries globally and practice people-centered diplomacy.
5. Sovereignty and alliance cannot be haggled (Korea)
donga.com · January 20, 2021
A critical Oped.
Conclusion:
“Such a nonsensical comment was made because President Moon has not shaken off the illusionary feelings about the summit in Pyongyang three years ago. He said Kim still has a clear willingness for peace, dialogue, and denuclearization. This is why the president gave a naïve answer that all can be resolved when the peace process becomes successful in response to North Korea’s threats to enhance its nuclear capabilities. The efforts for dialogue and military exercises share the same goal. However, the two should go together. If one of them is neglected, it will lead to submission or dissolution.
6. Unification minister vows to restart Korea peace process in cooperation with Biden administration
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · January 21, 2021
Who is in charge of the "peace process" with north Korea -Foreign Affairs or Unification? Who is in charge of denuclearization negotiations: Foreign Affairs or Unification?
And of course one of the issues in the ROK/US alliance is there is no US counterpart for the Ministry of Unification which makes things complicated when the Minister makes these kinds of statements:
7. Defense ministry vows push for regular inter-Korean military talks, swifter OPCON transfer
en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · January 21, 2021
I wish the press would get this right. There is no OPCON transfer. There is no transfer of OPCON front he US to the ROK. The US does not have OPCON of US forces and when the transition process is complete with a general officer assuming command of the ROK/US CFC the ROK will not have OPCON of US forces. Both governments will provide forces to the ROK/US CFC (should they choose to).and the commander of the ROK/US CFC will answer to both nations through the MIlitary Committee and the Security Consultative process. Both countries have established the ROK/US CFC and have tasked it with the mission to deter north Korean attack and if the north does attack it is charged with the defense of the ROK and the defeat of the nKPA. But as long as the bi-national ROK/US CFC exists it will answer equally to both countries through the Military Committee. So there is no transfer of OPCON from Washington to Seoul.
This is also, why we need a comprehensive information campaign to inform political leaders, pundits, the press, and the public about what is OPCON transition and how it works.
8. Analysts weigh in on Moon-Biden partnership
Another example of the ROK's shaping operation for the Biden Administration. However, these are some interesting statistics among foreign affairs experts:
“However, according to a group of 34 foreign affairs and security experts surveyed by the JoongAng Ilbo, only one responded that the Biden administration could consider partially easing sanctions on North Korea without progress in its denuclearization for the sake of improving inter-Korean relations.
The newspaper surveyed 34 Korean, American, Chinese and Japanese experts from Jan. 11 to 18 to gauge the Biden administration's views on key foreign affairs and security issues and prospects for cooperation with the Moon government.
The Biden administration could consider the lifting of certain sanctions with the dismantlement of North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex, as proposed by leader Kim during a Hanoi summit with Trump in February 2019, according to 23.5 percent of the respondents, or eight experts.
The second North-U.S. summit in Hanoi ended with no deal as the two sides clashed over the scope of denuclearization need for sanctions relief, with Trump demanding measures beyond the dismantlement of the Yongbyon nuclear complex in North Pyongan Province, which could include revealing undisclosed nuclear facilities or a more concrete roadmap for denuclearization.
Likewise, 55.9 percent of the respondents, or 19 experts, said that the Biden administration could consider partial sanctions relief if North Korea agrees to dismantle Yongbyon and more facilities, or commits to a denuclearization roadmap.”
9. Blinken says U.S. is 'better positioned' to deal with N. Korea when working with allies
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · January 20, 2021
A BFO, but an important BFO (BFO = blinding flash of the obvious).
10. Moon Sacks Loyal Foreign Minister
She has been loyal even if she has not always been as empowered as she might be. Again, this cabinet change is a clear indication that President Moon is doubling down on peace at any cost.
11. Blinken indicates changing course in North Korea policy
The Korea Times· by Kang Seung-woo · January 20, 2021
Assumptions about north Korea. It’s the assumptions, stupid. I am going to beat this horse.
I wonder who at State is working the SMA negotiation. I hope we can put a solid 5 year agreement in place soon.
12. Understanding N. Korean capabilities important part of intelligence: DNI nominee
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · January 20, 2021
To the press: And INTENT!! We must understand the nature of the Kim family regime and its objectives and strategy in addition to its capabilities.
I am sure your headline editor was limited in space but they should pay attention to what the DNI nominee said: "Understanding the capabilities and intentions of a country like North Korea is a critical responsibility of the intelligence community," Haines said in a written answer to questions from the Senate Intelligence Committee as part of her confirmation hearing
13. N. Korea tightens antivirus campaign as party congress, military parade end
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · January 20, 2021
They should have been wearing masks for the entire 8th Party Congress.
14. U.S. expert voices skepticism over N.K. push for nuke sub
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · January 20, 2021
We need to be skeptical but wary. Yes this is complicated technology. But the regime has surprised us with its advances so we should not remain complacent.
15. Restrictions on movement in North Korea are causing "severe side effects"
dailynk.com· by Mun Dong Hoi · January 20, 2021
What will be the short and long term effects of these restrictions? We must be on the lookout of indications of instability.
Excerpt: A source in North Pyongan Province informed Daily NK on Jan. 13 that, “Currently, people who need to travel to do business or to obtain food are absolutely incapable of traveling,” and that “the number of households suffering chronic food shortage has spiked for this reason.”
16. North Korea allows some people with relatives overseas to write letters asking for help
dailynk.com · by Jong So Yong · January 21, 2021
I imagine this is an intelligence operation. They will collect information on those communicating with defectors. Of course the letters coming into and going out of north Korea will be examined. If they can gather information on defectors they could target them for intelligence, for cyber attacks, or even for physical attacks.
And then of course if Koreans do receive resources officials will impose heavy "taxes" on the resources received.
This may be the north Korean equivalent of putting a homeless person on a street corner to beg for money. When they receive money corrupt officials will pocket part of it.
17. Seoul to procure enough COVID-19 vaccines for North, South Korea
upi.com · by Elizabeth Shim · January 21, 2021
- How will the Korean people in the South feel about this?
Would the regime accept this? Do we think this will influence north Korean behavior? Or will the regime interpret this as another successful line of effort to its blackmail diplomacy?
----------------
"Nobody can decide for himself whether he is going to be a human being. The only question open to him is whether he will be an ignorant, undeveloped one or one who has sought to reach the highest point he is capable of attaining."
- Robert M. Hutchins
From T.S. Eliot’s essay “The Perfect Critic” for the literary journal Athenaeum in 1920: The vast accumulations of knowledge - or at least of information - deposited by the nineteenth century have been responsible for an equally vast ignorance. When there is so much to be known, when there are so many fields of knowledge in which the same words are used with different meanings, when everyone knows a little about a great many things, it becomes increasingly difficult for anyone to know whether he knows what he is talking about or not. And when we do not know, or when we do not know enough, we tend always to substitute emotions for thoughts.
"The primary purpose of the Rolex is not as a timepiece but rather as a life insurance policy. When the situation goes pear-shaped and you've somehow made it to the airport, the Rolex buys you a seat on the last flight out of Heart of Darkness International Airport. As your aircraft circles the city, you look down at the rising columns of black smoke and imagine the scene downtown in the city square where they're chopping the few remaining Westerners up into monkey meat, you look at your wrist where your treasured timepiece used to be and you think 2 things: A) 'Well I guess the Rolex finally paid for itself,' and B) 'I can always buy another watch ... ’ "UnknownDave