News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.
1. Gwangbokjeol - Korean Independence Day, August 15th
2. Military gears up propaganda machine to celebrate August 15
3. Pompeo sends well wishes for Korean Liberation Day
4. War games prove why America cannot afford a second Korean War
5. North Korean soldier jailed for listening to Radio Free Asia broadcasts
6. North Korea’s Office 39 diverts electricity to gold production
7. The right question, the right to question: Thae Yong-ho versus Lee In-young
8. The Thae-Lee brouhaha: an American diplomat’s perspective
9. Moon says gov't ready to discuss wartime forced labor at any time with Japan
10. South Korea, US to stage joint summertime exercise behind schedule amid coronavirus: sources
11. New virus cases reach 5-month high, guidelines toughened for Seoul, Gyeonggi area
12. New book reveals Kim Jong-un’s deep bond with Trump
13. How is Korea faring in its battle against coronavirus?
14. U.S. conducting anti-dumping, countervailing duties probe on S. Korea steel pipes
15. N. Korean, Russian leaders pledge stronger ties on Liberation Day exchange
16. ICAS Polling XI (“The weakest link in the iron-clad US-SK alliance is Moon and Trump…”)
17. North Korean hackers target Israeli defense companies
18. How Joe Biden will take on North Korea
1. Gwangbokjeol - Korean Independence Day, August 15th
Asia Society · August 15, 2020
2. Military gears up propaganda machine to celebrate August 15
Daily NK · by Jeong Tae Joo · August 13, 2020
Kim Il-Sung developed the myth that he liberated Korea from Japan. He did not. It is a myth. But the legitimacy of the Kim family regime is built upon this myth. I recommend to anyone who wants to understand the myth: read Syd Seiler's book, Kim Il-Song, 1941-1948: The Creation of A Legend, The Building of A Regime
3. Pompeo sends well wishes for Korean Liberation Day
KBS World Radio · August 14, 2020
4. War games prove why America cannot afford a second Korean War
National Interest · by Michael Peck · August 14, 2020
The RAND report can be downloaded here.
5. North Korean soldier jailed for listening to Radio Free Asia broadcasts
New York Post · by Yaron Steinbuch · August 14, 2020
I often hear people say radio broadcasts do not make into the North due to jamming by the regime. We can overpower their jammers.
An interesting anecdote: a soldier listening to RFA on a military radio in a government ministry radio. But then she was caught by failing to change the frequency and was discovered and someone turned her in. She also seemed to be in a relatively important position.
6. North Korea’s Office 39 diverts electricity to gold production
Radio Free Asia · by Eugene Whong · August 12, 2020
Office (Department, Bureau, Room) 39 is one of the most important organizations to the Kim family regime. Everything it does is to support Kim Jong-Un and the Kim family regime, even diverting electricity to produce gold.
7. The right question, the right to question: Thae Yong-ho versus Lee In-young
38 North · by Aidan Foster-Carter · August 14, 2020
8. The Thae-Lee brouhaha: an American diplomat’s perspective
38 North · by Lynn Turk · August 14, 2020
The author thinks this is much ado about nothing.
9. Moon says gov't ready to discuss wartime forced labor at any time with Japan
Yonhap News Agency · by lcd@yna.co.kr · August 15, 2020
Two key points from President Moon's speech on Independence Day: 1) his confidence that Japan/South Korea relations can be built through further mutual respect of individual human rights; and 2) his overtures towards the North with regard to achieving long-term peace and stability through a unified Korean peninsula.
10. South Korea, US to stage joint summertime exercise behind schedule amid coronavirus: sources
Korea Times · by aoshima11@koreatimes.co.kr · August 15, 2020
Note the two day delay, as a member of ROK Army – who was exposed to more than 160 personnel –tested positive for the coronavirus. Yes, this is only training. However, our adversaries look at this and wonder what effects they could achieve if they unleashed a bio-weapon. We are going to have to learn to "fight through" this pandemic and the next week as well as be prepared for a future bio attack. As part of this training and during the two day delay, I recommend that commanders ask this question of staff and subordinate units: what preparation, plans, and procedures can we put in place to be able to fight through both a pandemic and a bio-attack, especially since we might not initially be able to tell the difference? This issue brings another problem set to the indications and warnings challenge: what if we misread a real attack and instead think it is a pandemic?
11. New virus cases reach 5-month high, guidelines toughened for Seoul, Gyeonggi area
Yonhap News Agency · by odissy@yna.co.kr · August 15, 2020
12. New book reveals Kim Jong-un’s deep bond with Trump
Korea Herald · by Choi Si-young · August 14, 2020
The book is to be published on September 15th. I pre-ordered it on Amazon for the sole purpose of reading these letters (which is probably what the publisher intended). But we only have Kim's letters to understand the "deep bond." It is too bad that Woodward could not go to Pyongyang to interview Kim Jong-Un to get the real truth about how he feels about Trump. Perhaps that will be in his next book?
13. How is Korea faring in its battle against coronavirus?
Korea Herald · by khnews@heraldcorp.com · August 15, 2020
Some very interesting data well presented for the layman (like me).
14. U.S. conducting anti-dumping, countervailing duties probe on S. Korea steel pipes
Korea Herald · by Yonhap · August 15, 2020
More friction in the alliance.
15. N. Korean, Russian leaders pledge stronger ties on Liberation Day exchange
Yonhap News Agency · by odissy@yna.co.kr · August 15, 2020
Remember that Kim Il-Sung was a guerrilla fighter leading the 1-88th Special Independent Sniper Brigade of about 200 men under the control of the Soviet Red Army. He was not fighting for Korea. It is a myth that he liberated Korea. He was fighting (in the one little skirmish he had with some Japanese police along the Korean-Russian border) for the USSR. Someone has to undermine the myth of Kim Il-Sung as the great leader conducting anti-Japanese partisan warfare. But, like all the great propagandists (from Stalin to Mao to Hitler and Goebbels) know: if you tell a lie enough times people will believe it. And if you tell the big lie people will believe it even more. We should be exposing these lies through effective information and influence activities.
16. ICAS Polling XI (“The weakest link in the iron-clad US-SK alliance is Moon and Trump…”)
ICAS, Inc. · August 14, 2020
The Excel spreadsheet with the survey data in bar graphs and pie charts can be accessed here.
17. North Korean hackers target Israeli defense companies
FDD · by Mathew Ha · August 14, 2020
From my colleague, Mathew Ha. We need the political will to aggressively target North Korea cyber activities.
18. How Joe Biden will take on North Korea
National Interest · by Joseph R. DeTrani · August 15, 2020
I was asked by a journalist to also comment on Biden policy for North Korea. Specifically, I was asked if Biden will the adopt progressive positions of Representative Ro Khanna and Senator Bernie Sanders. This is my take:
I will be happy to comment on such areas, but I will not take a partisan position.
I think a fair question to ask regarding whomever wins, whether it is Trump or Biden, is will the unconventional, experimental, top-down, pen pal diplomacy with Kim Jong-Un continue? Will Trump’s relationship with Kim be damaged by the release of Bob Woodward’s book that will apparently have the 25 or so letters between the two published? If a Sanders position is adopted regarding direct talks, would Kim be willing to meet with Biden and would Biden be able to establish some kind of positive relationship with Kim?
Regardless of who wins, Kim will demand sanctions relief at least in part, if not complete, before he agrees to move forward. He has failed to “play” Trump and Moon, despite raised expectations that both would be willing to make a deal, and this has put Kim under enormous pressure in Pyongyang. He is going to have to deliver after the election so he will be making demands that must not be met. He will be resorting to his blackmail diplomacy, which is to conduct provocations and raise tension in order to gain political and economic concessions. We cannot give in to those concessions, because to do so will simply prove to Kim Jong-Un that his blackmail diplomacy works, and he will never negotiate in good faith as he knows he can make the US give in to his demands.
I do not have any insights into the Biden-Harris Foreign policy positions, but if they are going to adopt some of the position espoused by Representative Ro Khanna, then it will have a very damaging effect on US interests in Northeast Asia and security on the Korean peninsula.
Rep Khanna advocates for a peace treaty with North Korea. This plays into the hands of Kim Jong-Un and his long-term strategy to split the ROK/US alliance and get US forces off the Korean peninsula (sadly, this also seems to be a Trump desire as well). Ending the alliance, getting US troops off the peninsula, and ending extended deterrence and the nuclear umbrella over the ROK and Japan is what Kim calls for to prove that the US “hostile policy” has ended. This is what he means by a security guarantee from the US. He does not mean words or an agreement. He means concrete action by the US to remove what he perceives as a threat to him and the only obstacle standing in the way of him dominating the peninsula under the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.
Rep Khanna and his allies in various think tanks seem to think that sanctions should be lifted. First of all, neither Trump nor Biden as President has the power to unilaterally lift sanctions as the UN Security Council must lift UN sanctions and the UK and France have shown that they oppose such a move and will likely use their vetoes even if the US advocates to do so. They would also not have the power to lift US sanctions without US approval. Korean issues are arguably the only real bipartisan foreign policy issues and there will likely remain very strong support for keeping sanctions in place until a substantive agreement and concrete action toward denuclearization is taken by Kim Jong-Un.
We should also keep in mind two things. First, Kim could get sanctions relief if he would make the policy decision to comply with the requirements of the sanctions.
Second, those who advocate lifting of sanctions without compliance must be asked what North Korean horrific behavior do they wish to condone by Kim Jong-Un and the Kim family regime? Do they support the continued nuclear and missile development? Do they support the continued proliferation of weapons around the world contributing to instability in the Middle East and Africa? Do they support the ongoing cyber attacks around the world? Do they support the global illicit activities such as counterfeiting, drug trafficking, and the employment of overseas slave labor? Do they condone the gulags in North Korea and the brutal human rights abuses and crimes against humanity being committed against the Korean people living in the north? All those who advocate for sanctions relief without compliance by the North must be asked those questions and they must provide answers and specify with behaviors they wish to condone.
In conclusion, I do not know what positions a Biden administration will adopt, but if it includes a peace treaty, removal of US troops, continued direct diplomacy without progress from Kim Jong-Un, and sanctions relief without compliance with the requirements of sanctions, then US interests in Northeast Asia will be at risk as will the security of our two allies, the ROK and Japan. Ironically, if Trump is elected for a second term some of this might describe his policies as well since he has said he will make a “quick deal” if he is re-elected.
"It is the nature of every person to error, but only the fool perseveres in error."
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
“We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. Be peaceful, therefore, in warring, so that you may vanquish those whom you war against, and bring them to the prosperity of peace.
- St. Augustine
“Without a word this uniform also whispers of freezing troops, injured bodies, and Americans left forever in foreign fields. It documents every serviceman’s courage, who by accepting this uniform, promises the one gift he truly has to give: his life. I wear my uniform for the heritage of sacrifice it represents and more. I wear my uniform with pride, for it represents the greatest nation of free people in the world.”
- Captain Karen Dorman Kimmel