News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.
1. Scholte’s concern with punishment against activists distributing leaflets to N. Korea
2. No response to Trump slamming Moon: Cheong Wa Dae
3. What does Korea’s new deal with Pfizer mean for future of AstraZeneca vaccine here?
4. Washington holds key to Seoul’s vaccine supply issue
5. Bookstore chain pulls memoirs of N.K. founder over controversy
6. Jailed Samsung chief’s effort to secure 20m more Pfizer vaccinations in spotlight
7. Korean chipmakers facing a big problem called China
8. Moon’s lucky bewilderment
9. Every Olympic venue built in north Korea will likely be built with slave labor.
10. The Silencing of North Korean Defector and Author Lee Ju-seong For His Book about North Korean Forces Deployment to South Korea
11. More Koreans immigrated to foreign countries under Moon than Park - OKN
12. U.S. Government Seizes Oil Tanker Used To Violate U.S. And U.N. Sanctions Against North Korea
1. Scholte’s concern with punishment against activists distributing leaflets to N. Korea
donga.com · April 24, 2021
Excerpts: “During a phone interview with the Dong-A Ilbo on Thursday (local time), Chair of North Korea Freedom Coalition and the host of the event Suzanne Scholte said she is very excited . “We expect human rights in North Korea and conditions for activities to protect human rights in the country to improve under the Biden administration. We will search more actively for ways to help North Korean residents.
“I am concerned about my friends and the members of human rights groups who distributed leaflets to North Korea,” said Scholte on potential punishment against them in accordance with the law banning the distribution of propaganda leaflets to North Korea. “The South Korean government belatedly released guidelines with an exception for activities in third countries, but what third countries are they talking about?” she said, adding that China and Russia are too dangerous to engage in human rights activities. “President Moon Jae-in is responsible for creating this situation.”
2. No response to Trump slamming Moon: Cheong Wa Dae
The Korea Times · April 25, 2021
Nor should they. The terrible and idiotic words should not be dignified with a response.
3. What does Korea’s new deal with Pfizer mean for future of AstraZeneca vaccine here?
koreaherald.com · by Kim Arin · April 25, 2021
4. Washington holds key to Seoul’s vaccine supply issue
donga.com · April 24, 2021
Excerpt: "All things considered, it is Washington that holds the key to the vaccine supply issue as it can enable stable access to vaccines as one of the world’s major fabricators and distributors. Amid the ever-growing risks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Quad plays a bigger role as a consultative body in the vaccine supply market. Indeed, the United States leads vaccine development while Japan and Australia provides it with financial support. India chips in to mass-produce jabs. If Seoul continues to walk on eggshells between Washington and Beijing in the diplomatic arena, it is likely to be ostracized from the vaccine alliance and suffer from chronic shortages. Being cornered during negotiations on a vaccine swap agreement, the government, in expectation of businesses’ role to play, abruptly refers to semiconductors and vehicle batteries as a condition for swapping. However, it should be noted that it is the government that is to blame for poor vaccine supply. Seoul is supposed to use every tool at its disposal to produce tangible outcomes in the forthcoming R.O.K-U.S. summit talk next month."
5. Bookstore chain pulls memoirs of N.K. founder over controversy
en.yna.co.kr · by 이민지 · April 25, 2021
Excerpts: "Considering a Supreme Court ruling that found that readers who purchase books violating the National Security Act can also be punished, we decided not to receive new orders to protect customers," a company official said.
The official, who explained that the decision was focused on protecting the customers rather than being affected by the political controversy, said the company will decide on resuming sales after decisions are made by the court or a national publication agency.
The bookseller on Thursday removed three volumes of the series from its bookstores in central and southern Seoul, as well as its logistics center, and returned them to a publishers' association that is responsible for its distribution.
6. Jailed Samsung chief’s effort to secure 20m more Pfizer vaccinations in spotlight
koreaherald.com · by Song Su-hyun · April 25, 2021
The power and importance of Samsung.
7. Korean chipmakers facing a big problem called China
Koreajoongangdaily.com · by Park Eun-Jee · April 25, 2021
Excerpts: “The Departments of State and Commerce should work with the governments of the Netherlands and Japan to align the export licensing processes of all three countries regarding high-end semiconductor manufacturing equipment, particularly extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and argon fluoride immersion lithography equipment, toward a policy of presumptive denial of licenses for exports of such equipment to China,” read the report released last month.
The proposal is a step beyond existing sanctions that limit exports of EUV equipment, exclusively supplied by ASML of the Netherlands, to Chinese chipmakers.
If the government adds argon fluoride (ArF) immersion lithography equipment to the banned list, the move could affect the manufacturing of memory chips in China.
“The mainstream DRAM and NAND flash memory products are made based on the ArF technique,” said a source at a local memory chip maker.
“If the U.S. government extends the export restriction to include ArF immersion lithography, it is virtually impossible for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to expand memory chip production in China because they can’t bring in the equipment critical for the manufacturing,” he said.
Samsung Electronics may not prioritize expansion in China since NAND flash memory is not currently in short supply.
The company has enough land in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, where its P3 plant is already under construction, to build three more plants.
8. Moon’s lucky bewilderment
Koreajoongangdaily.com · by Lee Hyun-sang · April 25, 2021
Excerpts: “What the court’s ruling signifies is clear: in addressing international disputes, you must place reason over emotion and diplomacy over rage. The bench said it had to respect conventional law and Supreme Court precedents although it cannot deny the victims’ rights to claim compensation. Emotions and laws are different. A dichotomy between “you the evil” and “we the good” may work in domestic politics, but not in international relations or courts of justice. The Moon administration’s naïve hope that the world would revolve around us only led it to isolation from the rest of the world.
After the new ruling, progressives in Korea boisterously attacked the bench for being “pro-Japanese” — the expression of which has now escalated to “localized pro-Japanese forces.” The new phrase explicitly reflects a sad legacy of a once-colonized country. Any calls to untie the Gordian knot between the two neighbors with reason and sanity helplessly give way to the convenient branding of someone as a member of “localized pro-Japanese groups.” The powerful stigmatization of the liberals as “commies” lost its power long ago, but the witchcraft of labelling opponents “localized pro-Japanese forces” still works.
The 2015 Park-Abe deal on former sex slaves had its limits from the outset. But you cannot deny that the Japanese government used its own budget to establish a foundation to accept some level of responsibility for operating military brothels during WWII. Tokyo must be blamed for claiming that the money was not meant for “compensation” after the agreement. But the Moon administration also should be condemned for nonchalantly sitting on its hands over the past three years after deciding to dismantle the foundation. Only 15 registered victims remain alive.
It is uncertain what final ruling the Supreme Court will deliver. But certainly, Moon would not want to be remembered as a head of state who pushed bilateral relations to a point of no return. I hope the latest court ruling helps the two countries find a graceful exit from the diplomatic deadlock before it’s too late. Who knows whether the goddess of wisdom may smile at them at long last? “The owl of Minerva,” wrote Hegel, “spreads its wings only with the falling of the dusk.”
9. Every Olympic venue built in north Korea will likely be built with slave labor.
38north.org · by Timothy S. Rich · April 23, 2021
And yes, keep in mind this concluding section. Every Olympic venue built in north Korea will likely be built with slave labor.
Don’t Forget Human Rights
Lastly, there has been discussion of the United States and other countries boycotting the 2022 Beijing Olympics due to human rights matters in China. South Korea should remain aware that if a joint bid is accepted, concerns dealing with human rights issues in North Korea will probably surge and could potentially depress participation. The IOC says it does not want the Olympics to become political, but international politics have frequently influenced the decision to participate in the past. If the IOC wishes to avoid controversies regarding human rights issues in host countries, as reflected in apprehensions about the 2022 Winter Olympics, North Korea’s human rights abuses will likely put the joint bid out of the running.
10. The Silencing of North Korean Defector and Author Lee Ju-seong For His Book about North Korean Forces Deployment to South Korea
East Asia Research · April 23, 2021
This Is one of the real problems with South Korean domestic politics. There is a lot to unpack from this essay.
11. More Koreans immigrated to foreign countries under Moon than Park - OKN
onekoreanetwork.com · April 24, 2021
Voting with their feet?
12. U.S. Government Seizes Oil Tanker Used To Violate U.S. And U.N. Sanctions Against North Korea
justice.gov · April 23, 2021
Another "small victory." We need more.
---------------
"The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue."
- Edward R. Murrow
"As long as anger, paranoia and misinformation drive our political debate, there are unhinged souls among us who will feel justified in turning to violent remedies for imagined threats."
- David Horsey
"While information is the oxygen of the modern age, disinformation is the carbon monoxide that can poison generations."
- Newton Lee