News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.
1. Cyber warrior’s glimpse into Kim’s Operation Chaos
2. U.S., South Korea Near a Deal Over Cost of U.S. Forces on Peninsula
3. North Korea using prison labor to defy sanctions, group says
4. Lazarus Targets Defense Companies with ThreatNeedle Malware
5. My mother was tortured by North Korean authorities
6. North Korea's informal loan networks can lead to gang violence, research says
7. North Korea has at least eight ICBMs, think tank says
8. North Korea's continued development of weapons poses threat to US and allies: Kirby
9. Active role for US unlikely in Korea-Japan row
10. North Korea’s economic crisis: Last chance for denuclearization?
11. North Korea’s Ever-Expanding Red-Light Camera and Traffic Light Network
12. A diplomatic mess (South Korea - Iran)
13. Accountability for the Murder of Jamal Khashoggi - United States Department of State (implications for South Korea??)
1. Cyber warrior’s glimpse into Kim’s Operation Chaos
asiatimes.com · by Andrew Salmon · February 27, 2021
Kim Jong-un's all purpose sword. Look for part 2 of this report tomorrow.
2. U.S., South Korea Near a Deal Over Cost of U.S. Forces on Peninsula
WSJ · by Gordon Lubold, Michael R. Gordon and Andrew Jeong
I hope we are close to resolution. I do hope the subtitle is right and it is a five year agreement. And I hope the action officers are putting together a supporting information campaign to inform the press, pundits, and populations in both countries why this agreement is good for tier countries.
3. North Korea using prison labor to defy sanctions, group says
Stars and Stripes· by John Herskovitz · February 26, 2021
As a reminder: The root of all problems in Korea is the existence of the most evil mafia- like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime that has the objective of dominating the Korean Peninsula under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.
4. Lazarus Targets Defense Companies with ThreatNeedle Malware
threatpost.com· by Elizabeth Montalbano · February 26, 2021
Excerpts:
“After attackers get into a system, they proceed to gather credentials using a tool named Responder and then move laterally, seeking “crucial assets in the victim environment,” according to the researchers.
They also figured out a way to overcome network segmentation by gaining access to an internal router machine and configuring it as a proxy server, allowing them to exfiltrate stolen data from the intranet network using a custom tool and then sending it to their remote server.”
5. My mother was tortured by North Korean authorities
The Korea Times · February 27, 2021
The brutality of the evil Kim family regime.
No child should ever have to experience this.
That said it is gratifying to see this student speak out and deliver this speech in English.
I hope all Americans who read this will be as moved as me about the courage of this mother, son, and family. (And saddened and disgusted by the nature of the Kim family regime.)
This is why we need a human rights upfront to north Korea. We cannot turn a blind eye to these crimes against humanity.
6. North Korea's informal loan networks can lead to gang violence, research says
upi.com · by Elizabeth Shim · February 26, 2021
Excerpts:
“Yang said mortgage loans for homes are on offer from North Korean entrepreneurs, known as "donju."
The donju, or "masters of money," do not finance home ownership, which is banned, but rather the acquisition of residential permits. Previous South Korean press reports have said North Korean buyers and sellers can trade their "right of residence" to housing units.
The informal nature of mortgage loans in North Korea means borrowers and lenders are unprotected and cannot seek legal redress. In worst-case scenarios, a borrower unable to repay a loan will refuse to vacate the home offered as collateral, setting the stage for an unmediated dispute.
"Eventually, there is no choice but to resolve the issue through negotiations among North Korean residents, and sometimes with the use of force" or violence, Yang said. "In North Korea, these masters of money sometimes hire gangs" to deal with uncooperative borrowers.
7. North Korea has at least eight ICBMs, think tank says
upi.com· February 26, 2021
Key point in the second paragraph of the excerpt below:
According to IISS, no certainties exist regarding North Korea's effectiveness or readiness against technologically superior opponents. North Korea's military training also does not reflect its operational capabilities, the think tank said.
North Korea's illicit weapons program has led to international sanctions against the country, but calls continue to grow in Seoul in favor of sanctions relief.
South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young suggested in an interview with the Financial Times sanctions could be eased to address the humanitarian crisis in the North. Lee also said strict border closures could be aggravating the situation, the report said.
8. North Korea's continued development of weapons poses threat to US and allies: Kirby
The Korea Times · February 27, 2021
The entire transcript of John Kirby's remarks are here.
Here is the complete Korean excerpt:
Q: Thanks, Mr. Kirby.
I have a question about the North Korean nuclear issues. Recently, Secretary of State Blinken has mentioned that the priority is to resolve North Korea issues as much as missile launches and also WMD, weapons of mass destruction in North Korea. Will the DOD, Department of Defense, implement a strong policy toward North Korea or will it be concerned with diplomatic support? Which one you are -- DOD is – is it?
MR. KIRBY: Well, I -- and I won't get ahead of the State Department and -- and -- and their approach. As Secretary Austin has said literally from even before he was confirmed, that he believes our job here at the Defense Department is to support the work of diplomacy, and the President's been very clear that he wants diplomats in the lead and we're supportive of that here at the Defense Department.
But North Korea's continued development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction represents a threat to U.S. interests and the security of our allies and partners. We anticipate a review of the U.S. government's entire approach to North Korea, and of course the Department of Defense is going to support that review. We'll have a role in that, we'll have a voice in that and we'll take that seriously.
In the near time, we're going to work in close coordination with our allies and partners to seek to deter negative behavior from -- from North Korea. And, you know, as you and I have talked about many times, I mean, that -- that includes strengthening the alliance with the Republic of -- of Korea, which we believe is a linchpin of security in the region, and that also means working closely with our South Korean allies on making sure that our two militaries have the -- the capabilities and the readiness to -- to defend our interests on the -- on the peninsula.”
9. Active role for US unlikely in Korea-Japan row
The Korea Times· by Kang Seung-woo · February 27, 2021
But we need to try to reduce the ROK-Japan friction as best we can. We need sufficient trilateral cooperation.
10. North Korea’s economic crisis: Last chance for denuclearization?
The Brookings Institution · by Evans J.R. Revere · February 26, 2021
Evans Revere's 11 page report can be accessed in PDF here.
His conclusion: “Today, prospects for North Korea’s denuclearization are all but gone. But that goal may still be achievable if the United States, its allies, and partners recognize that Kim Jong Un and his regime are standing on shaky ground, and that now is the time to convince Kim that the trembling he feels is a sign that the regime’s days could be numbered.”
My comment: it is the internal pressure that is creating the shaky ground for the regime and it is only the internal threat that provides a chance that Kim may feel it is a great threat than any external one and therefore he might be willing to negotiate denuclearization of the north. It is a very longshot but it is the only condition that might cause him to agree to denuclearize.
The other side of that coin is if the regime is on shaky ground we should dust off our contingency plans for north Korean instability and regime collapse to prepare for one of the worst case scenarios on the Korean peninsula. (and remember that the conditions that lead to instability and potential collapse could lead to Kim making a decision to go to war as the only course of action to ensure regime survival (in his mind)).
11. North Korea’s Ever-Expanding Red-Light Camera and Traffic Light Network
38north.org · by Martyn Williams · February 26, 2021
I guess they expect running red lights to become a problem in the future:
“The expansion and upgrading of the traffic light network point to increasingly busy roads in Pyongyang and the need to regulate traffic and enforce rules. Foreign residents of the capital city have spoken about the increased road traffic over the past several years, which can also be observed via commercial satellite imagery and video footage. This trend now appears to be spreading into other provinces. While cities such as Hamhung, Sinuiju and Nampho aren’t as busy as Pyongyang, traffic volumes seem to be rising throughout the nation. At least for now, the system doesn’t appear to be an extra level of surveillance on citizens, but this trend should be monitored in the future.”
12. A diplomatic mess (South Korea - Iran)
A diplomatic mess
13. Accountability for the Murder of Jamal Khashoggi - United States Department of State (implications for South Korea??)
state.gov · by Antony J. Blinken
This could have implications for South Korea and its new ‘anti-leaflet” amendment to the national security law that prohibits escapees from north Korea (or anyone) from sending information back into north Korea. This theoretically could be applied to members of the Moon administration as well as national assembly members who passed the law. Of course, it will depend on the next Country Report and how State describes the South Korea law as it was just passed in December. But perhaps when our congress holds hearings on the law as some members plan to do, they could call on State officials to testify as to how they think the next report will treat the law (as the human rights and civil liberties violation that it is) and what that could mean for South Koran government officials.
Excerpt:
“I also have directed that the State Department fully report on any such extraterritorial activities by any government in our annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The United States will continue to shine a light on any government that targets individuals, either domestically or extraterritorially, merely for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
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"Let us, on both sides, lay aside all arrogance. Let us not, on either side, claim that we have already discovered the truth. Let us seek it together as something which is known to neither of us. For only then may we seek the truth, lovingly and tranquilly, if there be no bold presumption that it is already discovered and possessed."
- Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 AD
"We find comfort among those who agree with us— growth among those who don't."
- Frank A. Clark
"'Bias' is what somebody has when you disagree with his or her opinion."
-Hedley Donovan