News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.
1. Moon out of step with Biden ahead of Korea-US summit
2. US seizes Cameroon-flagged tanker for North Korea sanctions evasion
3. 'Salami tactics' vs. roadmap (north Korea)
4. Police clash with protesters over deliveries to Thaad base
5. North Korea’s Oil Procurement Networks
6. South Korea to push forward US-North Korea talks
7. More verifiable data needed to consider publishing report on N.K. human rights situations: official
8. Anti-China sentiment growing in Korea
9. Korea Must Not Kowtow to Chinese Bullying
10. N. Korea conducts successful tests of reconnaissance and offensive-use "mini unmanned drones"
11. Moon Must Stop Blaming Others for His Vaccine Failure
12. Amid growing signs of Sino-N. Korean trade restarting, Sinuiju customs office partially reopened
13. Defense ministry seeks to secure new firing ranges for USFK
14. Russian help sought in delivering COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea
15. Kim Jong Un 'has official executed for importing Chinese medical kit'
16. JCS chairman heads to Hawaii for talks with U.S., Japanese counterparts
17. North Koreans blame China for their viral woes
18. US Defense Department to cautiously approach N. Korea policy
19. North Korea Bans Criticism of China and Prejudice Towards Ethnic Chinese Residents
20. North Korea Says it Won’t Make Chinese Wigs and False Eyelashes Once Trade Resumes
21. Limits of Public Diplomacy and Soft Power: Lessons from the THAAD Dispute for South Korea's Foreign Policy
1. Moon out of step with Biden ahead of Korea-US summit
The Korea Times · April 28, 2021
I hope this reporting is inaccurate and I am sure it is. Otherwise if accurate this is not a good sign:
"Currently, there seems to be no active communication channels between the allies unlike previously when Lee Do-hoon, the former special representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun actively exchanged opinions on bilateral issues."
2. US seizes Cameroon-flagged tanker for North Korea sanctions evasion
lloydslist.maritimeintelligence.informa.com · by Michelle Wiese Bockmann
I have not seen other reporting on this. I looked through the Justice Department web site and could not find any reference to it.
But here is the bruised lede: “Taiwan is the centre in a black market for fuel sold illicitly to North Korea according to a joint report by US international defence and security think tank Royal United Services Institute, and C4ADS into North Korean subterfuge shipping.
Nine of the 50 foreign-flagged tankers observed visiting North Korea via satellite imagery in 2020 accounted for a third of all petroleum delivered to the republic, according to the report.
3. 'Salami tactics' vs. roadmap (north Korea)
The Korea Times · by Ahn Ho-young · April 27, 2021
Key point from Ambassador Ahn: “To meet that goal, we have to augment the combined allied capability for the four Ds: deter, defeat, defend and dissuade. At the same time, any action which may be interpreted as undermining the credibility of U.S. extended deterrence should be avoided. The "way station" ideas may be interpreted as decoupling the security interests of the U.S. from that of Korea and Japan, and thus undermine the credibility of extended deterrence.”
I think it would be very much worth re-reading Steve Biegun's speech at Stanford in 2019. My guess is that there will be parallels if not specific ideas incorporated into the new Biden Administration policy.
Here is the link to the 17 page transcript of his speech and the Q&A:
4. Police clash with protesters over deliveries to Thaad base
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com · by Ser Myo-Ja and Kim Jung-Seok
These US soldiers are living in terrible conditions because of the professional agitators who have radicalized the local citizens. These American soldiers are defending all of Korea from north Korean missile attack.
The Korean government has to solve this and ensure routine logistics support can be provided to these soldiers.
Excerpts: “Over the past years, the protesters and police have been repeating their confrontations whenever U.S. and Korean militaries tried to make shipments into the base. In addition to the Feb. 25 scuffle, violent clashes also took place on Jan. 22 and Nov. 27, 2020.
While food and other lightweight goods are transported through helicopters, construction materials are moved by trucks. There is only one road to the base.
“Because of the delivery hardships, Korean and U.S. soldiers on the Thaad base are living inside shipping container homes, not barracks,” said a Defense Ministry source. Currently, about 400 Korean and American soldiers are stationed at the base.
5. North Korea’s Oil Procurement Networks
thediplomat.com · by Mercy A. Kuo · April 27, 2021
Excerpts: “North Korea is completely dependent on foreign sources of fuel for its economy, military, and weapons program. The U.N. Security Council first imposed caps on North Korea’s fuel imports in 2017, but it has breached them every year since.
North Korea’s illicit oil supply chain relies on both foreign and North Korean tankers participating in a “shuttle system” in which fuel from onshore facilities is transferred over successive STS [ship-to-ship] transfers before being delivered directly to North Korea. Effectively, we’re seeing what anti-money laundering specialists call “layering” in financial transactions, where each successive step in the supply chain makes it harder for investigators to connect North Korea to the point of original sale on shore. Our analysis suggests that transnational smuggling syndicates orchestrate these complex deliveries, not only for North Korea but also for others in a vibrant regional black market for oil.
...
One of the leading institutions in this effort whose mission may benefit from greater information sharing and integration with publicly available information is the Enforcement Coordination Cell (ECC). The ECC is the multinational coalition led by the U.S. and its partner countries in the Five Eyes alliance (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the U.K.) as well as France, Japan, and South Korea that monitors DPRK maritime sanctions evasion, including tracking the tankers supplying illicit fuel to Pyongyang. The ECC generates a wealth of intelligence on fuel smuggling activities in the region, which should be regularly declassified to better inform non-member states (including China and Taiwan), the U.N., and stakeholders in the finance, shipping, and oil industries about the environment in which DPRK oil procurement networks operate. Given the complex and transnational nature of the problem, the flexibility offered by publicly available information can provide a powerful supplementary capability to governments to engage a broader range of stakeholders.
6. South Korea to push forward US-North Korea talks
The Korea Times · April 28, 2021
Again, I do not think the US needs a push. I think the new Biden Administration Korea policy will call for talks. The problem is Kim Jong-un who has refused to allow substantive working level talks for nearly three years.
However, I do not think President Biden (or any president) should meet with Kim until there is a substantive agreement worked out at the work level. On the other hand I doubt very much Kim would agree to a summit without a concrete promise that the US will lift sanctions in return for the north's promise to talk. We must not lift sanctions unless and until Kim Jong-un takes verifiably steps toward denuclearization.
7. More verifiable data needed to consider publishing report on N.K. human rights situations: official
en.yna.co.kr · by 고병준 · April 28, 2021
The recent US State Department report has a significant amount of data (). The Committee for Human RIghts in North Korea has a large amount of useful information and the State Department incorporates the committee's information into it report.
The problem is the ROKG is laboring under the misguided assumption that if it does not address north Korean human rights that it will be able to focus on the security situation and north-South engagement and it will cause Kim to somehow agree to negotiate in good faith.
8. Anti-China sentiment growing in Korea
The Korea Times · by Nam Hyun-woo · April 28, 2021
China's actions reveal its true nature and the Korean people are seeing China for the bully and threat it really is.
9. Korea Must Not Kowtow to Chinese Bullying
China's true nature.
10. N. Korea conducts successful tests of reconnaissance and offensive-use "mini unmanned drones"
dailynk.com · by Jeong Tae Joo · April 28, 2021
There should be no doubt of Kim's intention to improve his warfighting capabilities across the spectrum. It is not just nuclear weapons and missiles.
11. Moon Must Stop Blaming Others for His Vaccine Failure
I think the press will be unrelenting in its vaccine criticism.
12. Amid growing signs of Sino-N. Korean trade restarting, Sinuiju customs office partially reopened
dailynk.com · by Seulkee Jang · April 28, 2021
Excerpts: “The goods, however, have already been paid for by North Korean entities, which means that they are not considered “aid” from China.
Most of the goods are food items such as condiments, sugar, soybean oil, and flour – all products that witnessed price spikes in North Korea following the closure of the Sino-North Korean border in January 2020. Their import into North Korea will likely impact market prices for these items.
These goods will likely be sent to Pyongyang, Pyongsong, and other areas in the interior of the country after being transported through Sinuiju.
As such, it is likely that other types of Chinese food products being sold in North Korea will continue to trade at higher-than-normal prices for the time being.
Daily NK’s source also reported that the New Yalu River Bridge, which connects Dandong and Sinuiju, will open after June. “The road on the North Korean side is still unpaved,” he said, adding, “It appears [the authorities] will continue construction on the road.”
13. Defense ministry seeks to secure new firing ranges for USFK
en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · April 28, 2021
This is critically important. The north-South Comprehensive Military Agreement and civilian encroachment on training areas has reduced the ability of US forces to conduct adequate training to maintain certification and qualifications.
A long term solution sounds good but what are we going to do to meet the current readiness requirements?
Excerpts: “In a report presented to the National Assembly, the ministry said that it will push to secure large-scale training sites as replacements of the existing ranges as part of its longer-term plan to resolve ongoing conflicts between the USFK and residents.
Those new sites would have "a buffer zone" to help minimize noise and safety concerns, it added.
14. Russian help sought in delivering COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea
UPI · by Elizabeth Shim · April 28, 2021
15. Kim Jong Un 'has official executed for importing Chinese medical kit'
Daily Mail · by Michael Havis · April 28, 2021
I guess this is one way to hold acquisition officials accountable. I wonder if acquisition reform is as hard in north Korea as it is in the US?
The true nature of the Kim family regime. But what is interesting is that Chinese equipment is not good enough for Kim Jong-un. It has to be European.
Also remember the hospital was supposed to be completed by last October.
16. JCS chairman heads to Hawaii for talks with U.S., Japanese counterparts
m-en.yna.co.kr · by 최수향 · April 28, 2021
Another positive development in the trilateral relationship. If it was left up to the ROK, Japan, and US militaries there would be a very strong and effective trilateral military alliance. But you cannot separate the politics, particularly the domestic politics, from the situation.
17. North Koreans blame China for their viral woes
asiatimes.com · by Bradley K. Martin · April 27, 2021
For all those who really believe the PRC-DPRK alliance is closer than lips and teeth.
18. US Defense Department to cautiously approach N. Korea policy
donga.com · April 27, 2021
DOD cannot get out ahead of the Administration.
19. North Korea Bans Criticism of China and Prejudice Towards Ethnic Chinese Residents
rfa.org · Jeong Yon Park
Again there is no love between the Korean people and the Chinese.
20. North Korea Says it Won’t Make Chinese Wigs and False Eyelashes Once Trade Resumes
rfa.org · Jieun Kim
21. Limits of Public Diplomacy and Soft Power: Lessons from the THAAD Dispute for South Korea's Foreign Policy
keia.org · Maximilian Ernst · April 26, 2021
The 13 page essay can be downloaded here
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“Since 1945 there has been no Third World War. The development of nuclear weapons may prevent such a catastrophe. In the two World Wars words were one of a variety of weapons in the armory of the belligerent powers. In future, because of the advent of nuclear weapons, words may be the only arms which the super-powers can employ without risking annihilation.”
- Charles Roetter, The Art of Psychological Warfare, 1914-1945
“Discussion of psychological warfare remains controversial because reexamination of its record leads in short order to a heretical conclusion: The role of the United States in world affairs during our lifetimes has often been rapacious, destructive, tolerant of genocide, and willing to sacrifice countless people in the pursuit of a chimera of security that has grown ever more remote. Rethinking psychological warfare's role in communication studies, in turn, requires reconsideration of where contemporary Western ideology comes from, whose interests it serves, and the role that social scientists play in its propagation. Such discussions have always upset those who are content with the present order of things. For the rest of us, though, they permit a glimmer of hope.”
- Christopher Simpson, Science of Coercion: Communication Research and Psychological Warfare, 1945-1960
“The biggest wars are the wars of thought."
The Oldest Soldier
- Fritz Leiber, Night Monsters