News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs
1. Both sanctions and diplomacy critical to denuclearizing N. Korea: Kritenbrink
2. N.K. leader opens key party meeting to discuss how to cope with 'current international situation'
3. North Korea Has Been Importing Chinese COVID-19 Vaccines Since Early May
4. A reunified Korea could be a formidable power in East Asia – Responsible Statecraft
5. Why is hunger getting worse in June? This is the worst in the Kim Jong-un era.
6. ＜Breaking News Inside N. Korea＞ Soaring Food Prices Cause Market Confusion. 2.4 times the price of corn: "The market is screaming in pain.”
7. North Korea Has Been Importing Chinese COVID-19 Vaccines Since Early May
8. U.S. supports provision of COVID-19 vaccine to N. Korea
9. Police deployed at South Korea THAAD base as U.S. seeks upgrades
10. Kim warns of ‘tense’ food situation, longer COVID lockdown
11. Kritenbrink pledges efforts to strengthen alliance, denuclearize Korean Peninsula
12. Vice FM stresses human rights-based approach to new digital technologies
13. JCS chairman visits military units on western border island
14. NATO calls for ‘complete, verifiable, irreversible’ denuclearization of N. Korea
15. Ruling party chief proposes small modular reactors as energy aid to North Korea
16. North Korea's economic desperation
17. Korea’s ‘innotech’ economy maddens analog Japan
18. List of assets owned by Japan in Korea is ordered
19. North Korea’s Kim Jong-un isn’t a K-pop fan anymore
20. Ministry of State Security continues to conduct random arrests of illegal cell phone users near border
21. New research center formed to develop "personal security equipment" to protect Kim Jong Un during on-the-spot inspections
1. Both sanctions and diplomacy critical to denuclearizing N. Korea: Kritenbrink
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · June 16, 2021
Ambassador Kritenbrink has effectively outlined some of the key elements the Administration's Korean policy:
- Denuclearization in accordance with all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions
- Practical diplomacy and deterrence ( or as President Biden said "stern deterrence")
- Enforcement of sanctions
- An alliance approach
2. N.K. leader opens key party meeting to discuss how to cope with 'current international situation'
en.yna.co.kr · by 고병준 · June 16, 2021
Again, does the "current international situation" mean that Kim is laying the groundwork and preparing the narrative to support Kim's "externalization" of his domestic problems? Are we going to see increased tensions, threats, and possible provocations?
3. North Korea Has Been Importing Chinese COVID-19 Vaccines Since Early May
rfa.org · by Hyemin Son, Jeongeun Ji and Myungchul Lee
An interesting development.
4. A reunified Korea could be a formidable power in East Asia – Responsible Statecraft
responsiblestatecraft.org · by Christopher Mott · June 15, 2021
The author does not share with us the paths to unification. What is the path" Reconciliation and merging to systems? A new nK leadership that seeks unification? War? Regime instability and collapse?
Frankly, the author does not seem to present an understanding of the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime and embarks magical mystery tour to get to unification.
While I agree unification will make Korea formidable it has to be a United Republic of Korea (UROK) The solution to all the problems on the Korean peninsula is to achieve the only acceptable durable political arrangement: 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).
But I think the essence or the basic intent of this article is to provide supporting fires to the position that there should be an end of war declaration. He wants to make it seem that if there is an end of war and denuclearzation we can then proceed down the path of unification that will result in a Switzerland like unification Korea (perhaps with a small amount of nuclear weapons).
Not only is this fantasy it requires appeasement of the Kim family regime and we should know where that will take us.
5. Why is hunger getting worse in June? This is the worst in the Kim Jong-un era.
Reporting from inside north Korea. More indicators that we must pay attention to observe for potential instability.
6. ＜Breaking News Inside N. Korea＞ Soaring Food Prices Cause Market Confusion. 2.4 times the price of corn: "The market is screaming in pain.”
More reporting and indicators from north Korea.
7. North Korea Has Been Importing Chinese COVID-19 Vaccines Since Early May
rfa.org · by Hyemin Son, Jeongeun Ji and Myungchul Lee
An interesting development.
8. U.S. supports provision of COVID-19 vaccine to N. Korea
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · June 15, 2021
9. Police deployed at South Korea THAAD base as U.S. seeks upgrades
UPI · by Elizabeth Shim · June 16, 2021
The ROK government has been unable to separate the professional agitators from the local population.
This problem will persist as long as these professional agitators are allowed to conduct their subversive activities (which consists of duping the local population).
10. Kim warns of ‘tense’ food situation, longer COVID lockdown
AP News · by Kim Tong-Hyung · June 16, 2021
And to continue to beat the dead horse: the suffering is caused by Ki Jong-un’s deliberate policy decisions to prioritize nuclear and missile development, military modernization, and support to the elite over the welfare of the Korean people living in the north.
We can expect the regime to exploit the suffering as rationale for demands for sanctions relief. Paradoxically Kim knows we are more concerned with the welfare of the Korean people living in the north than he is. He will try to play on our humanitarian nature as part of his political warfare strategy.
11. Kritenbrink pledges efforts to strengthen alliance, denuclearize Korean Peninsula
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · June 15, 2021
There should be no doubt that the Biden administration prioritizes alliance as a main effort in our foreign policy.
12. Vice FM stresses human rights-based approach to new digital technologies
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · June 16, 2021
No mention of north Korea? Why not? Think of what digital technologies would do for the Korean people in the north. South Korea should be leading the change to make the regime open up north Korea 'digitally." To follow the Vice FM's arguments the Korean people in the north have a right to digital access.
13. JCS chairman visits military units on western border island
en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · June 16, 2021
This is the traditional period for the "crab wars" of north-South confrontation in the West Sea.
14. NATO calls for ‘complete, verifiable, irreversible’ denuclearization of N. Korea
donga.com · June 15, 2021
I cannot recall any past NATO statements that include north Korea. The Biden administration has done a good job marshalling the international community to address Korean security issues.
15. Ruling party chief proposes small modular reactors as energy aid to North Korea
The Korea Times · June 16, 2021
Is this a new variation on the 1994 Agreed Framework? Do we think this will entice Kim Jong-un?
16. North Korea's economic desperation
The Korea Times · by Sandip Kumar Mishra · June 16, 2021
The responsibility for all suffering lies on Kim's shoulders.
Key point: “It is important to underscore that the economic performance of North Korea will have significant bearings on its strategic choices. The new U.S. administration of President Joe Biden has been in the process of unveiling its North Korea policy, and the moribund North Korean economy will restrict Kim Jong-un's negotiating positions.
17. Korea’s ‘innotech’ economy maddens analog Japan
asiatimes.com · by William Pesek · June 16, 2021
Excerpts: “Winnie Tang at the University of Hong Kong notes that the pivotal role of Pangyo Techno Valley, Korea’s answer to Silicon Valley, in morphing the nation into an “innotech” hub – a combination of innovation and technology development – deserves more attention.
First, she argues, Korea rebounded from the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis faster than its peers. Over the next two decades, Tang argues, GDP per capita doubled, K-Pop and Korea’s innotech “gained global renown,” while sectors from cosmetics to home appliances to mobile phones to food to clothing to automobiles made the nation a top player in global trade.
Now, though, things are going full circle, as innovative energy spreads far and wide afield of Pangyo Techno Valley sitting 21 kilometers from Seoul. Japan, by comparison, spent most of the last eight years obsessing over hosting the Tokyo Olympics, not relocating and reviving the economic mojo on display in 1964.
The worst news for Japan in the World Bank’s latest Ease of Doing Business index is not that Tokyo came in 24 places behind Seoul. It’s that at 29th Japan lags Russia, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Mauritius. In 2013, by the way, Japan was 24th. Since then, Korea has only enhanced its reputation as an economy on the move as Japan walks in place and falls further behind.
18. List of assets owned by Japan in Korea is ordered
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com· by Sarah Kim · June 16, 2021
I imagine this will upset Japan.
19. North Korea’s Kim Jong-un isn’t a K-pop fan anymore
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com· by Sarah Kim and Jeong Yong-Soo · June 16, 2021
Who does Kim fear more: the US or the Korean people? This is another indicator that he fears the Korean people more.
Excerpts: “The war against K-pop has spread since the collapse of a second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019
Last December, North Korea enacted a new law that called for up to 15 years in labor camps for people who watch or possess South Korean entertainment, according to Seoul lawmakers briefed by government intelligence officials.
"The phenomenon of capitalist culture spreading among North Korean youth has been around for a long time,” said Jeon Young-sun, a unification studies professor at Konkuk University. “North Korea's leadership is aware of it, but when there is a difficult external environment, there are more efforts to crack down on it in order to strengthen internal solidarity.”
20. Ministry of State Security continues to conduct random arrests of illegal cell phone users near border
dailynk.com · by Ha Yoon Ah · June 16, 2021
External information is an existential threat to the regime.
21. New research center formed to develop "personal security equipment" to protect Kim Jong Un during on-the-spot inspections
dailynk.com · June 16, 2021
Kim is afraid of the Korean people.
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