News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.
1. New virus cases spike to near 400 as KCDC warns of nationwide pandemic crisis (South Korea)
2. Seoul to mandate masks starting Monday; gov't says this week is crucial in anti-virus fight
3. Kim Jong-un dead and sister poised for North Korea takeover experts say after clue spotted
4. North Korea's Kim Jong-un In a Coma? History Cries Out to Be Skeptical.
5. North Korea's nuclear weapons pose a greater threat than meets the eye
6. Strange Developments Afoot in N.Korea
7. S. Korea ‘on brink of nationwide pandemic’
8. ‘Clear willingness to kill’ - Extent North Korea will go for world domination
9. Interview: 'From an Overall Safety Point of View, There is Not a Huge Concern' About Flooding at Yongbyon
10. China, South Korea vow to further develop bilateral ties, uphold multilateralism
11. Time for South Korea to Build Nuclear Submarines?
1. New virus cases spike to near 400 as KCDC warns of nationwide pandemic crisis (South Korea)
en.yna.co.kr · by 김한주 · August 23, 2020
I am confident Korea will get a handle on this. Again, we can learn from this.
2. Seoul to mandate masks starting Monday; gov't says this week is crucial in anti-virus fight
en.yna.co.kr · by 이치동 · August 23, 2020
So again, is this a second wave?
3. Kim Jong-un dead and sister poised for North Korea takeover experts say after clue spotted
Express · by Ciaran McGrath · August 23, 2020
There is not a grain of salt big enough for this "report." A lot of "speculation" in this with not much analysis. I think this all stems from one NIS briefing to the South Korean National Assembly and one politician talking out of school.
4. North Korea's Kim Jong-un In a Coma? History Cries Out to Be Skeptical.
The National Interest · by Daniel R. DePetris · August 22, 2020
I certainly agree with Mr. DePetris. We need to be skeptical.
That said, North Korea is the hardest target and it is difficult for us to know what is reality happening inside Pyongyang. So we should be skeptical but we also should be wary and these reports should remind us that we need to have contingency plans for what might come next in north Korea. We should be able to answer this question: When we learn that Kim Jong-un is dead what actions are we prepared to take immediately? Have we thoroughly wargamed hit out from an alliance perspective?
5. North Korea's nuclear weapons pose a greater threat than meets the eye
Washington Examiner · by Cory Evans · August 23, 2020
The author's bottomline: "It remains a vital national security interest of the U.S. to limit, to whatever extent we can, North Korea’s nuclear enrichment program." And this is a critical conclusion: "Given the critical security threat posed by its clandestine nuclear program, suspending sanctions against North Korea would be a grave strategic mistake. Let’s hope the next administration avoids it."
6. Strange Developments Afoot in N.Korea
It is still too soon to know with any certainty that these changes have taken place. We need to keep in mind the regime's ruling system is based on one man (or woman) rule. There is no provision for "splitting" duties and responsibilities. If these developments are in fact happening, then we need to be on guard for mistakes and miscalculation.
7. S. Korea ‘on brink of nationwide pandemic’
asiatimes.com · by AT Contributor · August 23, 2020
8. ‘Clear willingness to kill’ - Extent North Korea will go for world domination
Express · by Joel Day · August 22, 2020
World domination? Sounds like something out of Team America. However, I will say the regime does want to dominate the Korean peninsula. That is the key objective of the regime's strategy.
9. Interview: 'From an Overall Safety Point of View, There is Not a Huge Concern' About Flooding at Yongbyon
rfa.org· by Sangmin Lee
Perhaps some good news. An interview with Olli Heinonen.
10. China, South Korea vow to further develop bilateral ties, uphold multilateralism
chinadaily.com.cn · by 刘明
This is a view from China. There should be no doubt that China seeks to drive a wedge between the ROK and US and is actively trying to bring the ROK into its sphere of influence.
11. Time for South Korea to Build Nuclear Submarines?
The National Interest · by Sanghoon Kim · August 22, 2020
This is not a new idea and will continue to be debated in the ROK. The author points out a number of problems with this.
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"Propaganda seeks to destroy art in order to sanitize culture."
- Mary Karr in The Art of Memoir
"So the realm of strategy is one of bargaining and persuasion as well as threats and pressure, psychological as well as physical effects, and words as well as deeds. This is why strategy is the central political art. It is about getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest. It is the art of creating power."
- Lawrence Freedman, Strategy: A History
"There is simple ignorance, which is the source of lighter offenses,
and double ignorance, which is accompanied by a conceit of wisdom; and he who is under the influence of the latter fancies that he knows all about matters of which he knows nothing."
- Plato