News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.
1. S. Korea, US near deal on sharing troop costs
2. N.K. workers stage pep rallies for new 5-year economic development plan
3. Harvard and former sex slaves
4. N. Korea's severe virus measures hinder humanitarian aid: State Dept.
5. New virus cases below 400 on fewer testing; virus curbs extended for 2 more weeks
6. North Korea’s mistranslated ‘shoot-to-kill’ border protection order
7. North Korean defector runs in UK election to defend ‘voiceless’
8. North Korea’s Missed Opportunity: The Unique, Dovish Moment of the Overlapping Trump and Moon Presidencies
9. Joe Biden Should Make a Peace Offer to North Korea
1. S. Korea, US near deal on sharing troop costs
koreaherald.com · by Choi Si-young · February 28, 2021
Good. Again, I hope the action ROK and US diplomats have crafted the right information campaign to inform the press, public, politicos and public on why this is good for the people of both nations.
2. N.K. workers stage pep rallies for new 5-year economic development plan
en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · February 28, 2021
Go team. Go team Kim Jong-un.
3. Harvard and former sex slaves
The Korea Times· by Mark Peterson · February 28, 2021
An interesting defense of Harvard while criticizing the professor's poor scholarship.
4. N. Korea's severe virus measures hinder humanitarian aid: State Dept.
en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · February 28, 2021
Again, to beat the horse more dead, these "severe" COVID measures are designed to further repress the Korean people to maintain control over them. The regime could make it easier for humanitarian assistance and of course it could choose to provide resources to care for the people but Kim Jong-un has made the deliberate policy decision to prioritize resources to develop nuclear weapons at the expense of the Korean people living in the north.
5. New virus cases below 400 on fewer testing; virus curbs extended for 2 more weeks
en.yna.co.kr · by 박보람 · February 28, 2021
Is South Korea applying a US lesson? To lessen the number of cases simply reduce testing?
6. North Korea’s mistranslated ‘shoot-to-kill’ border protection order
eastasiaforum.org · by Martin Weiser · February 26, 2021
Interesting analysis that illustrates the difficulty in analyzing north Korea. But it does not reduce my assessment of the evil nature of the Kim family regime. My bias remains: The root of all problems in Korea is the existence of the most evil mafia- like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime that has the objective of dominating the Korean Peninsula under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.
7. North Korean defector runs in UK election to defend ‘voiceless’
koreaherald.com · by Ahn Sung-mi · February 25, 2021
Excerpts:
“The 52-year-old is believed to be the first defector from the North to run for office outside of the Korean Peninsula. Park is standing as a candidate for the Conservative Party, which she joined in 2016.
She is aware that many people will question her alignment with the center-right party, which is viewed as more anti-immigration than others. “What is important to me is freedom, justice, family life and happiness, the very beliefs valued by the Conservatives,” she said. “These values are what North Korean people have always desired.”
If elected in May, Park, formerly a teacher in North Korea, would like to focus on bolstering the town’s education system and its environment. She believes educating young people is critical for the country’s future and its prosperity.
At the same time she would like to address human rights, based on her experience as a human rights advocate and her unique plight as a North Korean defector.”
8. North Korea’s Missed Opportunity: The Unique, Dovish Moment of the Overlapping Trump and Moon Presidencies
Interesting analysis from Professor Robert Kelly and Airus Derr. The 20 page journal article can be downloaded here.
It provides some interesting perspectives about the "failures" both administrations and concludes with this ominous assessment: "We argue that this failure will, at minimum, encourage the reemergence of establishmentarian, status quo policies under the new American administration of President Joseph Biden. Further, North Korea’s recalcitrance in this unique dovish period will likely push the “Overton Window” of acceptable counter-North Korea policy options rightward. Harsher measures will be considered in the wake of engagement’s failure."
9. Joe Biden Should Make a Peace Offer to North Korea
The National Interest · by Doug Bandow · February 27, 2021
I am 100% in support of peace on the Korean peninsula. But it cannot be at the expense of the security of the ROK or the sacrifice of US interests.
I would actually be in full support of a negotiation of a peace treaty between the north and South since they are the two belligerents of the Korean Civil War. This was recognized in UN Security Council Resolutions (82-85) in the 1950s and remain in effect today. They recognized the north as the aggressor who attacked the South and called on member nations to come to the aid of the South to help protect its freedom. The US came to the defense of the South through the United Nations. the US did not declare war on the north. China supported the north with it Chinese People's Volunteers and did not declare war on the South or the US.
One problem with this is neither north nor the South recognize each other and both claim sovereignty over the entire peninsula and all the Korean people. So for them to enter into a peace treaty they would have to recognize each other and require changes to their constitution. While it would be a challenge in the South to do this Kim Jong-un could easily direct a change. However, such a change would undermine the entire legitimacy of the Kim family regime and remove the fundamental strategic objective of the regime which is to complete the revolution and dominate the entire Korean peninsula under its rule in order to sustain the Kim family regime.
Furthermore, in any of the proposals for some kind of peace regime or declaration of the end of the Korean there are no proposals or thought given to reduce the threat to the ROK from the world's 4th largest Army that is postured to attack the South with 70% of its forces deployed between the DMZ and Pyongyang. A fundamental question is how will any peace regime protect the security of the ROK? A peace of paper will not prevent a north Korean attack.
That said, it took more than two years to negotiate an Armistice. It will take much longer to negotiate a peace treaty and even longer to get one approved by the requisite legislatures. That may not be a bad thing if they can use the negotiations to reduce tensions and the threats. Of course as shown with the 208 Comprehensive Military Agreement the regime has been unwilling to commit to agreed upon confidence building measures. It wis unlikely to do so as part of peace treaty negotiations. But I would be willing to try because such negotiations can continue to buy time to ward toward the resolution of the Korea question which must be the ultimate objective.
Lately, I would be very wary of the proposals from groups like 'Korea PeaceNow!" as they are not only making proposals that are favorable to the north, they will compromise the security of the South. Some members of this organization have personal connections to north Korean "handlers" from the United Front Department.
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"An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot."
- Thomas Paine
Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule -- and both commonly succeed, and are right."
- H.L. Mencken
“Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.”
- George Washington, George Washington's Farewell Address