News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Riley Murray.
1. S. Korea, U.S. may cancel summertime combined exercise due to COVID-19: sources
2. Otto Warmbier's Parents Chase North Korean Assets in Eastern Europe
3. WORDS OF WARNING Kim Jong-un's powerful sister makes chilling threat to Donald Trump saying 'North Korea will never stop building nukes'
4. Kim Jong Un Is Taking a Hard Pass on a Third Summit With Trump
5. US envoy, after Seoul visit, reassures Japan of alliance
6. 'Virus Free' North Korea Fires Health Officials for Quarantine Failures
7. North Korea asks for 'sacrifices' as coronavirus concerns rise
8. N.K.'s newspaper says anti-virus efforts more important than economic achievements
9. North Korea gearing up for hard times
10. North Korea's Chemical and Coal Liquefaction Industries: The Difficult Path Ahead to Self-Reliance
11. Rich Phone Brokers Caught in North Korean Crackdown Escape Harsh Sentences
12. Over 500 Coronavirus Deaths Suspected in N.Korea
13. Inside Korea's Weird New Infowar
14. S. Korea reports 35 new virus cases, number down for 4th straight day
15. Four lessons New York learned from COVID-19 crisis (A South Korean Assessment)
16. Mayor's case shows scale of South Korea sexism: activists
1. S. Korea, U.S. may cancel summertime combined exercise due to COVID-19: sources
en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · July 11, 2020
We should not be surprised. The commanders are going to have to weigh the benefits and the risk to the force. Yes, we need to train. However, if there is an outbreak among the entire ROK/US Combined Forces Command staff it will have a debilitating effect on more than readiness. We do not need the combined headquarters to be combat ineffective.
Despite quarantining those coming from off the peninsula to augment the exercises with staff, observers, and controllers, etc., all it would take is one person already on the peninsula to carry the coronavirus into the command post and infect the thousand or so people that will be working there at close quarters for two weeks.
I would not be surprised is the exercise was postponed (if possible as it is a logistical, scheduling, and financial nightmare to do) if the commanders deem the risk of infection of the combined headquarters to be too high. We would be more ready if everyone did a staff review of all the defense plans without being able to conduct an exercise than we would if a significant number of the of the commanders and staff became infected and a percentage of them suffer from debilitating effects over time.
2. Otto Warmbier's Parents Chase North Korean Assets in Eastern Europe
voanews.com – by Kim Young-gyo, Eunjung Cho – 10 July 2020
Despite the horrible tragedy the Warmbiers have suffered they are doing important work. And they are not doing this really for personal gain. They are doing it to try to punish the evil Kim family regime and Kim Jong-un. As Greg Scarlatoiu notes the Warmbiers are going after the two things Kim Jong-un cares about: the pocketbook and international legitimacy. If the parents of a murdered child can do this and achieve some success imagine what a concerted effort by a coalition of like-minded governments could do around the world to target the regime's illicit activities.
3. WORDS OF WARNING Kim Jong-un's powerful sister makes chilling threat to Donald Trump saying 'North Korea will never stop building nukes'
The Sun · by Tariq Tahir · July 10, 2020
It is interesting to read reports of the same events and statements from different news sources and they interpret the same statements and focus on such different aspects, some more sensational and others that might support certain agendas. Of course, sometimes it is just the different headline editors and what they chose to focus on and emphasize.
4. Kim Jong Un Is Taking a Hard Pass on a Third Summit With Trump
Vice · by Greg Walters
The understanding everyone needs to take from these various interpretations of Kim Yo-jong's and regime statements is that it is Kim Jong-un who refuses to allow negotiations. The US has never said no to negotiations and has always been ready and will be ready should the regime decide to conduct substantive working level negotiations. Of course, summits are a different story. Kim cannot have a summit unless he is guaranteed to receive sanctions relief - he cannot afford another failed summit. And I do not think any US president should ever meet with a Kim until there have been working level negotiations that conclude an agreement for the leaders' approval.
5. US envoy, after Seoul visit, reassures Japan of alliance
The Washington Post · by Mari Yamaguchi | AP
Korea is the linchpin and Japan is the cornerstone to our alliance system in Northeast Asia. But the focus of this article on Kim Yo-jong's Friday statement.
6. 'Virus Free' North Korea Fires Health Officials for Quarantine Failures
rfa.org – by Hyemin Son - 9 July 2020
Another indication that the virus may be in the north. But I hope these are not the Anthony Fauci equivalents.
7. North Korea asks for 'sacrifices' as coronavirus concerns rise
upi.com – by Elizabeth Shim – 10 July 2020
Another indicator. And I am sure the regime is very concerned.
8. N.K.'s newspaper says anti-virus efforts more important than economic achievements
en.yna.co.kr · by 고병준 · July 10, 2020
I really wonder what the assessments of the intelligence communities in the ROK and US are. I have to believe there is an outbreak in the north.
9. North Korea gearing up for hard times
nkeconwatch.com – by Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein -
Hard times coming. We have had our own hard time (See this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1yE932Vngw_ ) but as tough as they were for us I think they are exponentially worse in the north.
The north went through hard times in 1994-1996. I fear it could be worse this time because of how the Korean people evolved and developing coping mechanisms and resilience when the party could no longer provide for them. And of course the regime was helped immensely during the the Sunshine and Peace and Prosperity Policy period when hundreds of millions of dollars were transferred to the regime (that ended up helping to fund the nuclear weapons program). But the people survived because when the Public Distribution System (PDS) broke down and failed to provide they turned to the balck market and developed a market economy with more than 400 markets today. These markets are dependent on cross border trade, smuggling, foreign currency, and communications (cell phones) and transportation (the serv-cha). See this article about Yonho KIm's research here https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/hrnk-kim-yonho-03192019174215.html
The problem now is that because of the coronavirus the regime has closed off the borders to most legal trade and smuggling. It is cracking down on foriegn currency. It is cracking down on information flow. It is preventing the movement of people and goods. All of the market characteristics and functions that have helped the people cope and survive are being halted by the regime as part of its draconian population and resources control measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. It is also using the excuse of the coronavirus to crack down to further control the population. In addition because of existing sanctions South Korea is constrained from executing a sunshine Policy 2.0.
The combination of these conditions means, like the title says, hard times are coming.
10. North Korea's Chemical and Coal Liquefaction Industries: The Difficult Path Ahead to Self-Reliance
HTTPS://WWW.38NORTH.ORG/2020/07/BKATZEFFSILBERSTEIN070920/ - by Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein – 9 July 2020
As the previous article said and Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein wrote, hard times are coming.
11. Rich Phone Brokers Caught in North Korean Crackdown Escape Harsh Sentences
rfa.org – by Jieun Kim
Obviously, the corruption aspect of this is important.
But what is more important is how important the cell phone network is and recognition by the regime that it is a real vulnerability to its control. This is why we should be devising plans to exploit the internal cell phone network and the 6.5 million smart phones in the north. It could be an achilles heel of the regime.
12. Over 500 Coronavirus Deaths Suspected in N.Korea
english.chosun.com – 10 July 2020
This is still unconfirmed, but I think it is very plausible. And if this spreads to the military we could see very tough times ahead in terms of instability.
13. Inside Korea's Weird New Infowar
https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-koreas-weird-new-infowar?ref=scroll – by Donald Kirk – 10 July 2020
A good defense of our escapees who are doing important work trying to get information back in to the north and inform the Korean people in the north about the world and their situation.
Despite all the criticism (and north Korean bellicose rhetoric) it is not their work that hinders north-South relations or will prevent another Kim-Trump summit. They are the only ones who are really engaged in doing something substantive to help the Korean people living in the north (yes there are NGOs who try their best to provide humanitarian aid but it is information that is key to the people's future and especially in preparation for eventual unification - and yes VOA and RFA are doing critically important work as well).
And yes, there is criticism of the Moon administration in this. as well. It is interesting how Mr. Park characterizes the administration as having the Stockholm syndrome with "the affection that those who are abused may feel for those abusing them." The Kim family regime is most certainly the abuser in this relationship. We should never forget that Kim Jong-un is an abusive partner who will not and cannot change.
14. S. Korea reports 35 new virus cases, number down for 4th straight day
en.yna.co.kr · by 김광태 · July 11, 2020
Some good news. South Korea's efforts to contain this must be studied and learned from.
15. Four lessons New York learned from COVID-19 crisis (A South Korean Assessment)
donga.com – by Yong Park – 11 July 2020
16. Mayor's case shows scale of South Korea sexism: activists
sg.news.yahoo.com · July 10, 2020
But it will be sad to see the Mayor's situation and funeral overshadow the death of General Paik.
"Everybody wants to defend speech they agree with., only the truly principled will defend the speech of someone to say something they disagree with, and hate to listen or read."
- Cal Weyers
"The things you're looking for, Montag, are in the world, but the only way the average chap will ever see ninety-nine percent of them is in a book."
- Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
"Thanks to my reading, I have never been caught flat-footed by any situation, never at a loss for how any problem has been addressed (successfully or unsuccessfully) before. It doesn't give me all the answers, but it lights what is often a dark path ahead."
- General James Mattis