News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Ahyoung Shin.
1. Joint Statement in Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Outbreak of the Korean War
2. The Korean War never technically ended. Here’s why.
3. ‘I didn’t know I was young:’ Remembering the Korean War 70 years later
4. 70 Years After the War, No Resolution in Korea
5. S.Korea Cautious About N.Korea's U-Turn
6. Why Pyongyang needs to dump on Seoul’s leftists
7. Why the American-South Korean alliance cannot be a simple bargaining chip with North Korea
8. Guns and Hunger (Korean War)
9. Bridges at Panmunjom
10. Thousands Taken: Kidnappings by North Korea's Kim Dynasty Continue for Half a Century
11. Families sue national archives for POW/MIA records on 70th anniversary of Korean War
12. N. Korea preparing mass gymnastics show for party anniversary
13. Chairman Kim Goes Back on Script
14. They gamed out war on the Korean Peninsula—Everyone lost
15. Kim Jong Un’s erratic behavior shows North Korea is stuck
16. North Korea lauds Harry Potter
17. Pyongyang General Hospital: the two towers reach full height
18. Pompeo cites 3 S. Korean companies in case against Huawei
1. Joint Statement in Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Outbreak of the Korean War
2. The Korean War never technically ended. Here’s why.
nationalgeographic.com · June 24, 2020
Today is the 70th Anniversary. It is not a forgotten war for those who still survive. Please remember them and never forget.
3. ‘I didn’t know I was young:’ Remembering the Korean War 70 years later
militarytimes.com · by Diana Stancy Correll, Zach England · June 24, 2020
My comments are in the conclusion of this article.
4. 70 Years After the War, No Resolution in Korea
WSJ · by Walter Russell Mead · June 24, 2020
There can be no reconciliation as long as the Kim family regime remains in power. For the North it is a zero sum relationship with the South.
Walter Russell Mead paints a grim picture for the alliance. He also calls Kim Jong-un one of the world's most unpredictable leaders. I would say perhaps he is tactically unpredictable (we did not see his countermanding of Kim Yo-jong's order coming so soon), but he is strategically predictable. He has not wavered from the strategic objectives of his grandfather nor strayed from the Kim family regime playbook. And his increased tension and violent provocation cycle remains a key part of his method of operation.
5. S.Korea Cautious About N.Korea's U-Turn
english.chosun.com · June 25, 2020
Yes, it must be cautious, the regime is masterful at denial and deception. As Sun Tzu said "all warfare is based on deception," both "kinetic" and political warfare.
The article also questions whether China influenced Kim to countermand his sister's orders so rapidly.
6. Why Pyongyang needs to dump on Seoul’s leftists
asiatimes.com · by B.R. Myers · June 24, 2020
This is a must read. It is a short article by one of the best non-Korean Korea scholars. B.R. Myers provides some very succinct analysis of the Kim family regime. I do think his points about South Korean understand the North's strategy which is why it stays the course should be challenged.
7. Why the American-South Korean Alliance cannot be a simple bargaining chip with North Korea
The National Interest · by Michael O'Hanlon · June 24, 2020
Yes Michael is right about the alliance. We must never forget that a key north Korean objective is to get US forces off the peninsula. The ROK/US alliance, with a US force presence, is key to deterrence.
I would also say that any peace treaty should be concluded between the two belligerents, the North and South and not the North and the US.
Lastly, Michael reminds us that despite the "streamlining" of the ROK military for demographic reasons, it is still the largest Army of any US alliance partner. I think we too often overlook that.
8. Guns and Hunger (Korean War)
wilsonquarterly.com · by Jean H. Lee
We never forget about the people affected by the war.
9. Bridges at Panmunjom
wilsonquarterly.com · by LT. COL. Sean Morrow
I had the honor of making two visits to Panmunjom over the past year and meeting with Lt Col Morrow (he was a great host).
This is a must read article as well. On the one hand it is a human interest story about relationships. Through that lens it provides some behind the scenes insights into the summits and meetings held at Panmunjom over the past two years.
I spent three years around the JSA in the 1980s when we used to have the American sector to patrol. I visited JSA many times and conducted coordination with the battalion there. This article provides a unique perspective that you do not often read about.
And again, on the human interest side, we should never forget the anecdote of how children in North Korea learn to count: "One American Bastard, two American Bastards, three American Bastards..."
10. Thousands Taken: Kidnappings by North Korea's Kim Dynasty Continue for Half a Century
japan-forward.com · by Melanie Kirkpatrick · June 24, 2020
Another aspect of the evil nature of the Kim family regime.
11. Families sue national archives for POW/MIA records on 70th anniversary of Korean War
powinvestigativeproject.org · June 24, 2020
Another tragic legacy of the Korean War. China, Russia, and North Korea are complicit.
I wonder why these records are still being withheld.
12. N. Korea preparing mass gymnastics show for party anniversary
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · June 25, 2020
If I were an advisor to Kim Jong-un I would ask him what is his intent for this show? What objectives is he trying to achieve? What target audience is he trying to influence? In short, why is this show being held?
I would also ask him that give the failed economy and the effects of the coronavirus is it really worth it to expend the resources to conduct this show when those resources could be more effectively employed to solve some of the critical problems in the country.
Of course, if I were such an advisor and asked such questions, I would end up in the gulag if not participate in a public execution (my own).
13. Chairman Kim Goes Back on Script
project-syndicate.org · by Kent Harrington · June 24, 2020
A sober analysis. I concur that no matter what happens in the North, Kim will not deviate from the Kim family regime strategy and its playbook.
I would also add that although Mr. Harrington did not explicitly state this, the reason for "failure" so far is due to Kim Jong-un and the nature of the Kim family regime. The one positive thing about President Trump's unconventional, experimental, top-down, pen-pal diplomacy and President Moon's "peace strategy" and his vision of peace and reconciliation is that we have tested Kim Jong-un and provided him with multiple opportunities to engage and change the regime's course and what we have confirmed is his unwillingness to do so. We should be under no illusion about the nature and strategy of the regime. President Trump and President Moon have been able to determine their strategic assumptions have been wrong. This means it is time to revise the strategy and look to implement a Plan B.
14. They gamed out war on the Korean Peninsula—Everyone lost
Forbes · by David Axe · June 24, 2020
One scenario to remind us of what might happen if hostilities resume on the Korean peninsula. But I have seen other outcomes though they all involve a high level of military and civilian casualties. This is why I advocate the most important task for the ROK/US alliance and the ROK/US Combined Forces Command (which was not mentioned in the article and is a terrible oversight because that is the warfighting command) is deterrence.
The North poses an existential threat to the South. It is in the US national interests to prevent war on the Korean peninsula because what happens on the peninsula will have direct effects on the US and the entire world.
15. Kim Jong Un’s erratic behavior shows North Korea is stuck
Bloomberg · by Jon Herskovitz · June 24, 2020
Yes, Kim is between a rock (ROK) and a hard place.
I think Kim is mistaken that he can put enough pressure on Trump to return to talks and get sanctions relief. It is a fool's errand.
And we must never go wobbly on sanctions. If we give in to Kim on sanctions, we will see North Korea's bad behavior continue for years to come.
16. North Korea lauds Harry Potter
koreaherald.com · by Park Han-na · June 24, 2020
All is well now. If North Korea accepts Harry Potter a tectonic cultural shift is taking place.
17. Pyongyang General Hospital: the two towers reach full height
38north.org · by Martyn Williams · June 24, 2020
North Korea continues to prepare for the coronavirus outbreak. I wonder if the hospital has its grand opening when the regime admits the first coronavirus patients.
18. Pompeo cites 3 S. Korean companies in case against Huawei
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · June 25, 2020
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"It is customary in democratic countries to deplore expenditure on armaments as conflicting with the requirements of the social services. There is a tendency to forget that the most important social service that a government can do for its people is to keep them alive and free."
- John Cotesworth Slessor, 1897-1979, British Air Force Marshall
"What a society gets in its armed forces is exactly what it asks for, no more and no less. What it asks for tends to be a reflection of what it is. When a country looks at its fighting forces it is looking at a mirror: if the mirror is a true one the face that it sees will be its own."
- General Sir John Hackett, The Profession of Arms
"A generation which ignores history has no past and no future."
- Robert Heinlein
"History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity."
- Cicero
"History is a vast early warning system."
- Norman Cousins