News and Commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and Published by Riley Murray.
1. From the Jerusalem of the East to a Totalitarian Regime: North Korea’s History Behind Christian Persecution
2. National Security Directive on United States Global Leadership to Strengthen the International COVID-19 Response and to Advance Global Health Security and Biological Preparedness
3. N. Korea has consistent direction, changing tactics to develop nukes: U.S. official
4. N. Korean nuclear activities pose serious threat to peace: Psaki
5. North Korean Defectors Want Biden to Be Forceful with Kim Jong Un
6. 'No likelihood of North Korea collapse with Kim in complete control'
7. Ex-ambassador to S. Korea Sung Kim appointed acting assistant secretary of state
8. Why Does Gov't Persist in Peddling N.Korea Fantasies?
9. Singapore deal Moon wants Biden to inherit was flawed: US experts
10. North Korea sees talks as way to advance nuclear program, says US intel official
11. North Korea Directs Companies to Eliminate ‘Import Disease’ and Pursue Self-Reliance
12. North Korean Trade Officials Scramble to Import Chinese Construction Materials
13. North Korea diplomacy is only used to advance nuclear programme, says top US official
14. Opinion | Kim Jong Un likes to provoke new U.S. presidents. Biden’s team should be prepared.
15. Post-Party Congress Clean-up in Pyongyang
16. Kim Yo Jong Stays in the Picture
1. From the Jerusalem of the East to a Totalitarian Regime: North Korea’s History Behind Christian Persecution
nkhiddengulag.org – 21 January 2021
Excerpt: There are multiple reasons as to why the Kim regime would feel particularly threatened by Christianity. Along with its historically strong connection with North Korea’s enemy, America, Christianity has had a transformational effect on Korea both politically and ideologically along with the promotion of social change on the peninsula.
2. National Security Directive on United States Global Leadership to Strengthen the International COVID-19 Response and to Advance Global Health Security and Biological Preparedness
JANUARY 21, 2021 • STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
Excerpt:
(c) COVID-19 Sanctions Relief. The Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of HHS and the Administrator of USAID, shall promptly review existing United States and multilateral financial and economic sanctions to evaluate whether they are unduly hindering responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide recommendations to the President, through the APNSA and the COVID-19 Response Coordinator, for any changes in approach.
I am concerned about the above paragraph and what it might mean for north Korea. It is possible that the White House could decide to lift sanctions for humanitarian reasons based on NSD-1. I recommend against that because as I have mentioned the Korean people in the north are suffering because of the deliberate policy choices Kim Jong-un has made and continues to make. He has sufficient resources to relieve the suffering but he has prioritized resourcing the military over the welfare of the people. He provided evidence to this effect on October 10th at the military parade for the 75th anniversary of the Korean Workers Party and during the 8th Party Congress that took place last week. He showed us the modern military equipment he has chosen to invest in. I would also argue that the regime is sanctioned because of its malign activity - its nuclear and missile programs, its proliferation activities, its global illicit activities, its cyber activities, and its human rights abuses and crimes against humanity. If we lift sanctions on any of these activities we are no longer holding the regime accountable for that malign activity. I would ask anyone who advocates lifting sanctions to state which of these activities do they wish to condone? And of course, Kim could have sanctions lifted if would simply comply with the requirements of the sanctions. The bottom line is it is Kim who is causing the suffering of the Korean people in the north, not the US or international sanctions.
3. N. Korea has consistent direction, changing tactics to develop nukes: U.S. official
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · January 23, 2021
Good analysis from our National Intelligence Officer for north Korea.
At the party congress, Kim said the country has successfully developed "tactical" and submarine-launched nuclear weapons.
"What we see in the eighth party congress readout is a strategic snapshot of what we have been seen all along," said Seiler. "It really doesn't give us, you know, extremely helpful insight into what the next provocation is, or what the timing of Kim's next diplomatic outreach reach might be, but we can see in it that the fundamentals of North Korea aren't really changing."
He also noted the North's new "tactical" nuclear weapons pose a direct threat to South Korea.
4. N. Korean nuclear activities pose serious threat to peace: Psaki
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · January 23, 2021
As an aside I am really enjoying the White House press briefings.
Key point: Psaki said the administration will come up with a strategy to deal with the North, but will first review available options, including diplomacy, through consultation with U.S. allies, including South Korea.
However, I do have criticism for Ms. Psaki. Her comments about the north Korean nuclear threat are of course correct; however, by making those comments we are reinforcing the legitimacy of Kim Jong-un. He interprets those comments as the world fears him as the leader of a nuclear power. Obviously, we have to talk about the nuclear threats. But whenever we do talk about the threat, we also need to balance that with comments that Kim Jong-un is the worst human rights violator in the modern era and that he denies the human rights of the Korean people in the north solely to remain in power. and it is his pursuit of nuclear weapons that is causing the great suffering inside north Korea. He has chosen to prioritize nuclear weapons over the welfare of the people. Such comments will be picked up by VOA and RFA (as they conduct their mission to explain US policy to populations in information denied areas) and broadcast into north Korea for the Korean people. It is important that the human rights message be repeated over and over again and every time we talk about the nuclear program we need to talk about the crimes against humanity Kim Jong-un is guilty of.
5. North Korean Defectors Want Biden to Be Forceful with Kim Jong Un
voanews.com · by Hyun Suk Kim, Yanghee Jang – 21 January 2021
We should pay attention to escapees.
6. 'No likelihood of North Korea collapse with Kim in complete control'
The Korea Times · January 22, 2021
By all accounts Kim is in control. But given the current conditions that could change and we must be vigilant for the indicators of potential instability. The actions Kim is taking to ensure he remains in power could result in blowback like there has never been such blowback before.
7. Ex-ambassador to S. Korea Sung Kim appointed acting assistant secretary of state
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · January 22, 2021
I cannot imagine too many people more qualified than Sung Kim for EAP.
Excerpt: Still, it was not clear whether Kim would be formally nominated to become the assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, which requires Senate approval, or if he is temporarily filling the post vacated by David Stilwell, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump.
8. Why Does Gov't Persist in Peddling N. Korea Fantasies?
Fantasies? Simply erroneous strategic assumptions about the nature and objectives of the Kim family regime. The Moon administration assumptions have been proven wrong time and again over the past four years. When your assumptions are wrong you have to change your policy and strategy.
9. Singapore deal Moon wants Biden to inherit was flawed: US experts
koreaherald.com · by Choi Si-young · January 22, 2021
We should look at the Singapore agreement through the lens Syd Seiler describes. The regime uses negotiations to advance its nuclear program. Every agreement will be less than perfect of course. We must recognize the Kim is conducting his form of political warfare and we need to conduct a superior form of it.
Here is my summary of the regime's political warfare strategy that I think was reaffirmed at the 8th Party Congress:
•Political Warfare
•Subversion, coercion, extortion
•“Blackmail diplomacy” – the use of tension, threats, and provocations to gain political and economic concessions
•Example: Kim Yo-jong threats in June – ROK anti-leaflet law in December
•Negotiate to set conditions - not to denuclearize
•Set Conditions for unification (domination to complete the revolution)
•Split ROK/US alliance
•Reduce/weaken defense of the South
•Exploit regional powers (e.g, China and Russia)
•Economics by Juche ideology – the paradox of “reform”
•Illicit activities to generate funds for regime
•Deny human rights to ensure regime survival
•Continue to exploit COVID threat to suppress dissent and crack down on 400+ markets and foreign currency use
•Priority to military and nuclear programs
•For deterrence or domination?
So when we want to tout the Singapore deal (and we should hold it up to Kim Jong-un to remind him of his commitment to denuclearize as Frank Aum recommends) we need to understand how Kim uses it to support his political warfare strategy.
10. North Korea sees talks as way to advance nuclear program, says US intel official
The Korea Times · January 23, 2021
The National Intelligence Officer speaks and the Korean press listens and parses every word!
11. North Korea Directs Companies to Eliminate ‘Import Disease’ and Pursue Self-Reliance
This is why I call Kim Jong-un's policy "economics by Juche."
Some descriptions of Juche:
Han S Park. ed. North Korea: Ideology, Politics, Economy, (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall,1996), p. 15 in which Han S. Park describes Juche as theology. See also the Korea military news paper “KuK Pang Ilbo” editorial on 15 MAR 99, p. 6. Chuje’s (Juche) basic concept is this: “Man rules all things; man decides all things.” “The Kim Il Song Chuche ideology is based on these precepts: In ideology Chuche (autonomy); in politics, self-reliance; in economics, independence; and in National Security: self-defense.” See also Mattes Savada, ed., North Korea: A Country Study (Washington: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 1994), p. 324., “Kim Il Sung’s application of Marxism-Leninism to North Korean culture and serves as a fundamental tenet of the national ideology. “Based on autonomy and self-reliance, chuch’e has been popularized since 1955 as an official guideline for independence in politics, economics, national defense and foreign policy.”
12. North Korean Trade Officials Scramble to Import Chinese Construction Materials
Hardly an example of self-reliance.
13. North Korea diplomacy is only used to advance nuclear programme, says top US official
The Guardian · January 23, 2021
Again, Syd Seiler's comments are getting a lot of press (and that is a good thing). Every US and ROK official needs to commit these words to memory and put them in the forefront of their minds when they are developing policy and strategy toward north Korea.
Excerpts:
Sydney Seiler, the US national intelligence officer for North Korea, told the Center for Strategic and International Studies thinktank earlier that Pyongyang’s weapons development had been a consistent policy for 30 years.
“Every engagement in diplomacy has been designed to further the nuclear programme, not to find a way out … I just urge people not to let the tactical ambiguity obstruct the strategic clarity about North Korea that we have,” he said.
In my words: we must understand and deal with north Korea's political warfare strategy.
14. Opinion | Kim Jong Un likes to provoke new U.S. presidents. Biden’s team should be prepared.
The Washington Post · by Editorial Board · January 22, 2021
It is interesting the Washington Post Editorial Board chooses this as the subject two days after the inauguration and when the initial focus of the Biden Administration must be on COVID-19 and the economy. Perhaps they are Sun Tzu acolytes: "Never assume your enemy will not atack, make yourself invincible."
15. Post-Party Congress Clean-up in Pyongyang
38north.org · by Martyn Williams · January 22, 2021
16. Kim Yo Jong Stays in the Picture
38north.org · by Martyn Williams · January 22, 2021
A key point: "The Party Congress, along with other political events during the last half of 2020, is shifting North Korean policy priorities away from foreign affairs and diplomatic engagement toward bolstering the country’s defense industry and the developing missiles and WMDs."
Not mentioned in this good analysis is her continued role in the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD) and the Propaganda and Agitation Department. I would argue that she has more power in the OGD than she would derive from a Politburo title.
"Insurrection by means of guerrilla bands is the true method of warfare for all nations desirous of emancipating themselves from a foreign yoke. It is invincible, indestructible."
- Giuseppe Mazzini
"In such a society as ours the only possible chance for change, for mobility, for political, economic, and moral flow lies in the tactics of guerrilla warfare, in the use of fictions, of language."
- Kathy Acker
"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence - true friendship is a plant of slow growth."
- George Washington