News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs
Happy Birthday U.S. Army.
1. G-7 calls for 'complete' denuclearization of Korean Peninsula, welcomes Washington's readiness towards Pyongyang diplomacy
2. Moon signs on to Biden's statement on freedoms
3. Ordinary Pyongyang residents have not received government rations since mid-April
4. N.K. leader sends birthday gift to miner to emphasize 'self-reliance'
5. Moon says S. Korea will push for COVID-19 vaccine supplies if North Korea agrees
6. South Korean shipbuilders unveil competing carrier designs
7. North Korea tries to accelerate building of walls and fences along border with China
8. Korea to conduct Dokdo defense drill this week
9. Japan-South Korea Spat at G-7 Shows Biden’s Challenge With China
10. Soured ties between Korea, Japan exposed at G7
11. Korea's Balancing Act Is Getting More Precarious
12. “S. Korean agents are painting Chinese banknotes with coronavirus and sending them.” Kim Jong-un gives direct orders to clean up money transfer brokers.
13. Worker’s Party of Korea Central Committee Plenary Session: No Details Yet
1. G-7 calls for 'complete' denuclearization of Korean Peninsula, welcomes Washington's readiness towards Pyongyang diplomacy
en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · June 14, 2021
It seems the ROK and US have gotten every major organization (Quad, G7, UN) and major countries to support denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Everybody but north Korea!
2. Moon signs on to Biden's statement on freedoms
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com · by Ser Myo-Ja · June 14, 2021
human rights and democratic rule of law
We have to wait and see what kind of blowback there is for South Korea from China.
3. Ordinary Pyongyang residents have not received government rations since mid-April
dailynk.com · by Seulkee Jang · June 14, 2021
Not a good sign. When the public distribution throughout the north collapse during the arduous march of 94-96 the people developed markets to survive. But with the crackdowns due to COVID and the closure of the Chinese border, the citizens of Pyongyang have no relief valve. What happens when we begin to see unrest in Pyongyang? (I am sure that there will be an immediate crackdown and anyone found resisting will be sent to the gulags (with three generations) if they are not executed).
4. N.K. leader sends birthday gift to miner to emphasize 'self-reliance'
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · June 14, 2021
An interesting development.
Excerpts: “The KCNA praised Ko and his team members as "heroes" for contributing to increased mineral production and for reaching their goals ahead of schedule for the first year of the five-year economic plan unveiled at a party congress in January.
It is rare for Kim to deliver such a gift to an ordinary miner on his 60th birthday. Such a gift has usually been granted to independence fighters and those aged 100 or older.
The North appears to be stressing the achievements of miners from the Komdok region that have helped build a more self-reliant economy during the 1970s by exporting minerals.
5. Moon says S. Korea will push for COVID-19 vaccine supplies if North Korea agrees
en.yna.co.kr · by 이치동 · June 14, 2021
IF north Korea agrees. That is a big "if."
When would north Korea be ready to ask for help? How bad will it have to get inside north Korea?
Excerpt: "We are not aware of whether North Korea has taken any position with regard to that and there is relevant data (on its coronavirus situation)," he said. "In case of any signal from North Korea (for requesting help), we will of course help."
6. South Korean shipbuilders unveil competing carrier designs
Defense News · by Brian Kim · June 12, 2021
Excerpts: “The shipyard displayed a 1-to-400 scale model of its proposed carrier, which would be 270 meters long and 60 meters wide. The carrier, with its twin island superstructures, would have a displacement of 30,000-35,000 tons and a full-load displacement of 450,000-500,000 tons, according to an HHI spokesman.
“This new design suggests a flight deck 30 percent larger than the former design and an optional ski jump ramp over the bow with a view to improve operational capabilities of fighter jets onboard,” the spokesman told Defense News on June 11. “The modular ski jump could be removed and the flight deck could be modified to accept a catapult.”
The carrier would be able to carry up to 16 short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing aircraft on its flight deck and a further eight in its hanger, he said. The ski jump-styled takeoff ramp would permit jets without the STOVL capability to more easily launch from the ship. In addition, some 24 helicopters could be flown with the CVX.
The proposed model has an auxiliary deck at the stern for operating small rotary-wing drones and an adapted well deck from which to deploy unmanned surface vehicles or unmanned underwater vehicles.
The spokesman revealed his company has a contract with U.K.-based Babcock International for consultancy services related to the basic design of the CVX. Babcock is a member of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, which built both the Prince of Wales and Queen Elizabeth carriers.
7. North Korea tries to accelerate building of walls and fences along border with China
dailynk.com · by Ha Yoon Ah · June 14, 2021
As Frost wrote: "good fences make good neighbors."
8. Korea to conduct Dokdo defense drill this week
Bloomberg · by Jon Herskovitz · June 14, 2021
This will not help Korea-Japan relations.
9. Japan-South Korea Spat at G-7 Shows Biden’s Challenge With China
Bloomberg · by Jon Herskovitz · June 14, 2021
Not a good sign:
“The two sides couldn’t even agree on why the meeting didn’t take place. The Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency on Monday quoted an unnamed South Korean Foreign Ministry official as saying Japan broke a tentative agreement for the two leaders to have a longer meeting. But when the South Korean side tried to follow up, they received no response from Japanese officials, the report said.
That official told Yonhap that Japan didn’t want to talk because of Seoul’s plans to hold military drills this week on and around islets that Koreans call Dokdo, which are claimed by both countries but occupied by South Korea. Previous drills around the islands that Japan calls Takeshima have been met with protests from Tokyo and caused strains in ties.
Katsunobu Kato, the Japanese government’s top spokesman, denied there was any tentative agreement for a meeting, adding at a news briefing Monday such a report was “extremely regrettable.” He also said Tokyo has called on Seoul to cancel the military exercises.
Whatever the situation may actually be, it’s a problem that isn’t going away for Biden.
10. Soured ties between Korea, Japan exposed at G7
The Korea Times · by · June 14, 2021
I think we all thought (or at least hoped) some kind of meeting would take place despite all sides appearing to manage expectations before the G7.
Excerpts: “Claiming that Korea was worsening the situation, Suga also demanded that Moon resolve the issues involving wartime forced labor and sex slavery, over which the two countries have ongoing disputes.
Meanwhile, according to Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper, the Japanese government told U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson that it did not want to expand the G7. Korea, along with Australia, India and South Africa, were invited to the G7 Summit as guest countries.
Japan's opposition to the expansion is seen as an effort to remain Asia's lone G7 member country.
When former U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned a possible G7 expansion to include Korea, last year, the Japanese government made clear its opposition to Korea participating in the group of advanced economies.
In fact, the expansion of the G7 was not discussed during the summit at all, although it is not known whether Japan's voice was an influencing factor.
11. Korea's Balancing Act Is Getting More Precarious
I expect we will see some Chinese retaliation against South Korea in some form of political and economic warfare.
12. “S. Korean agents are painting Chinese banknotes with coronavirus and sending them.” Kim Jong-un gives direct orders to clean up money transfer brokers.
QAnon does not have a lock on conspiracy theories.
13. Worker’s Party of Korea Central Committee Plenary Session: No Details Yet
The National Interest · by Eli Fuhrman · June 13, 2021
But we have to observe for indicators that the regime may try to "externalize" its domestic problem.
----------------
"I am a Soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight."
- George S. Patton
“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”
- Richard Grenier while discussing the works of George Orwell
"American soldiers in battle don't fight for what some president says on T.V., they don't fight for mom, apple pie, the American flag...they fight for one another."
-Hal Moore