News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs
1. Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: Early June (Korea)
2. Remarks by President Moon Jae-in Leaving Cornwall after G7 Summit
3. North Korean defector says 'even North Korea was not this nuts' after attending Ivy League school
4. Unification minister puts U.S. trip on hold amid uncertainty over inter-Korean relations
5. Minister vows efforts to resume stalled talks with N. Korea on summit anniv.
6. How can Korea make the best of the G7 summit?
7. Border to get robot cameras, AI monitoring (Korea)
8. Entire border patrol unit in North Hamgyong Province placed into quarantine following "paratyphoid" outbreak
9. Why Does the Gov't Disregard Veterans? (South Korea)
10. Japan nixed meeting between Suga, Moon at G7
11. South Korea-Japan ties sour amid fresh military drills near disputed islands
12. North Korea: Why the Kingdom of Kim Jong Un Can Never Be Normal
1. Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: Early June (Korea)
FDD · Korea: David Maxwell and Mathew Ha
Previous Trend: Positive
The positive effects of the summit between President Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are still being felt. The two leaders’ mutual commitment to protecting the rules-based international order led China to warn South Korea about siding with the United States. With the conclusion of its Korea policy review, the Biden administration has made it known it is ready to conduct diplomacy with the North, but that the ball is in North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s court. There are reports of “significant communication” between North and South Korea beginning around the time of the summit, leading to speculation about possible North-South engagement activities, but no details have emerged. Pyongyang will exploit such engagement, so the Moon administration should reconsider its support. Despite this communication, the ROK Ministry of Defense now assesses the Kim regime is focused on internal affairs. The North continues to struggle with its failed economy, COVID-19 mitigation measures, the effects of natural disasters, and sanctions. Pro-engagement Korea watchers interpreted a reported change to the Workers’ Party of Korea’s rules as an indication Pyongyang would no longer seek to unify Korea through revolution, even though the North’s constitution insists on it. Their hopes were quickly dashed when Pyongyang’s Propaganda and Agitation Department issued a clarification saying unification via revolution remains the objective.
2. Remarks by President Moon Jae-in Leaving Cornwall after G7 Summit
english1.president.go.kr · June 13, 2021
I wonder if there had been at least a "pull-aside “discussion between President Moon and Prime Minister Suga if these remarks would have been edited differently. But these two historical events are very much worth remembering and considering when the international community is faced with complex problems, especially among those who value and respect sovereignty and self determination.
Excerpts: “My first face-to-face encounter with Prime Minister Suga of Japan was a precious moment that could have marked a new beginning in bilateral relations, but I regret that it did not lead to an official meeting.
While participating in the G7 Summit, two historical events lingered in my mind. One was the International Peace Conference held in The Hague in 1907. The patriotic martyr Yi Jun, a secret emissary of our Emperor, arrived there via the Trans-Siberian Railway to call attention to imperial Japan’s deprivation of Korea’s diplomatic rights, but he couldn’t even enter the conference room. The other was the Potsdam Conference, through which the Korean Peninsula’s division was decided. We were not even able to speak up as our fate was determined by the major powers of the day.
Today, the Republic of Korea has become one of the world’s 10 largest economies and a country where people – with unrivaled civic awareness – act in unison for democracy, epidemic prevention and control and carbon neutrality. Now, we have become a nation that can determine our own destiny and engage in mutual support and cooperation with other countries.
3. North Korean defector says 'even North Korea was not this nuts' after attending Ivy League school
foxnews.com · by Teny Sahakian
Yeonmi Park pulls no punches. There is a 7 minute video at this link.
4. Unification minister puts U.S. trip on hold amid uncertainty over inter-Korean relations
en.yna.co.kr · by 고병준 · June 15, 2021
Does this indicate north-South communications and that something may be brewing.
We should also note, the Unification Minister has no counterpart in the US.
5. Minister vows efforts to resume stalled talks with N. Korea on summit anniv.
en.yna.co.kr · by 고병준 · June 15, 2021
Again, can we read between the lines here and assess that there are ongoing communications between north and South? Is something in the offing?
6. How can Korea make the best of the G7 summit?
The Korea Times · by Ahn Ho-young · June 15, 2021
Important guidance and recommendations from Ambassador Ahn.
Excerpts: “Now, almost 10 years later, Korea has again attended a G7 summit. My hope is that it will prove to be more than a one-time event and serve as another opportunity for Korea to enhance its stature on global issues.
There are several points we have to reflect on for that to happen. First of all, we must understand the changes the G7 went through over the years. The intervening years saw many important changes in the strategic, economic, technological, environmental and even health conditions around the world, such that we often talk about today being a time of global uncertainty.
...
As for how to make the best of this opportunity, Korea must not be timid in declaring its intention to join other democracies, to play a role commensurate with its capabilities, and to shed itself of the perception that Korea is becoming increasingly backward and inward-looking. In the wake of the May 14 Korea-U.S. Summit and its joint statement, I wrote in this column of my pleasant surprise, and the importance of implementing it. Let us hope that Korea's participation at the Cornwall Summit will serve as another timely juncture for Korea to move in that direction.
7. Border to get robot cameras, AI monitoring (Korea)
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com · by Michael Lee · June 15, 2021
Border (DMZ) operations require manpower. Technology can be a force multiplier but it cannot replace boots on the ground patrolling. This is I have long advocated returning US forces to patrolling the DMZ. However, rather than a US sector as we had in the past , US infantry battalions should rotate in with the ROK Divisions throughout the DM. Doing this would improve the amount of boots on the ground, supplement the ROK forces, demonstrate US commitment, improve US small unit training, and provide a morale boost to US rotational forces. But I do not think there is any will for this on the ROK or US side.
8. Entire border patrol unit in North Hamgyong Province placed into quarantine following "paratyphoid" outbreak
dailynk.com · by Kim Yoo Jin · June 15, 2021
Does "paratyphoid" outbreak provide a cover for a COVID outbreak? This bears watching.
9. Why Does the Gov't Disregard Veterans? (South Korea)
A sad commentary: "All countries reward veterans and the families of the fallen. But this populist government thinks that veterans' affairs are somehow a rightwing concern and must be spat on. The families of the Cheonan victims are weeping, and Korean War veterans do not have enough money to buy medicine. This is a travesty."
10. Japan nixed meeting between Suga, Moon at G7
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com · by Sarah Kim · June 15, 2021
11. South Korea-Japan ties sour amid fresh military drills near disputed islands
The Guardian · by Justin McCurry · June 15, 2021
And I would also expect China and/or Russia to penetrate the Korean ADIZ in the area in the near future in order to cause a ROK and Japanese reaction and create more ROK/Japan friction.
12. North Korea: Why the Kingdom of Kim Jong Un Can Never Be Normal
The National Interest · by Doug Bandow · June 14, 2021
Dangerous recommendations. Embarking on an arms control process would make Kim believe his political warfare strategy and blackmail diplomacy is success and rather than negotiate in good faith he will double down. To Kim, arms control negotiations mean he will keep hi nuclear weapons.
In regards to isolation, that is Kim's choice. He has had plenty of opportunities to open his country to economic development. But he has made the deliberate policy decision to keep his country isolated.
And lastly there is no mention of human rights in north Korea. Do we really want to provide economic development for the north in the hopes that the regime will change? We tried that for 10 years from 1997 through 2007 and Kim Jong-il exploited all of that aid to develop and test his first nuclear device in 2006.
Excerpts: “Most realistic would be a focus on arms control, with the hope of developing a relationship that might lead to denuclearization. Even such a more limited objective would be advanced by developing a broader and more normal relationship. Meaning diplomatic ties—officials contacts are especially important with potentially dangerous adversaries—cultural exchanges, and economic ties.
The question ultimately is, what makes for a safer Northeast Asia? An isolated, sanctioned, and impoverished North Korea, depending on a hostile PRC and possessing a swelling nuclear arsenal? Or a more prosperous, engaged, and connected DPRK, with economic and political ties well beyond Beijing, which might prove willing to negotiate away at least part of its potential arsenal?
The skeptics might be right, that Kim wants nukes for ill-use, such as a new war to unify the peninsula. However, isolation is the counsel of despair. That future would rapidly grow ever darker as the North increased its nuclear and missile arsenals.
Moreover, so far Kim has behaved differently than his predecessors in significant ways. Although no liberal, he appears to harbor no illusions about the difficulties facing his nation and therefore likely realizes the disastrous outcome of any conflict. Thus, Washington should test him by moving away from what North Korea calls today’s “hostile” policy.
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“Grand strategy is about marrying ends to means, about doing what you can, consistent with the nation's capabilities and resources.”
- Robert D. Kaplan, Earning the Rockies: How Geography Shapes America's Role in the World
"Every revolution has its counterrevolution that is a sign the revolution is for real. And every revolution must defend itself against this counterrevolution, or the revolution will fail."
- C. Wright Mills, Listen Yankee (1960), pp. 54.
"A boxer derives the greatest advantage from his sparring partner – and my accuser is my sparring partner. He trains me in patience, civility and even temper."
- Marcus Aurelius