News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs
1. U.S. Forces Korea aide calls into question OPCON plans
2. Denuclearization will bring prosperity of N. Korea, not end of regime: O'Brien
3. Instead of learning from South Korea’s coronavirus example, Trump is lying about it
4. Xi renews commitment to firming up relations with N. Korea 'generation after generation'
5. Roundtable highlights media's role in fighting 'infodemic' amid COVID-19 | Yonhap News Agency
6. Kim Jong Un: A Meticulous Leader
7. Digital Entanglement: Lessons Learned from China’s Growing Digital Footprint in South Korea
8. N.K. slams top S. Korean security official over remarks about inter-Korean ties
9. More North Korea workers receive no pay amid sanctions, survey says
10. Senior diplomats of S. Korea, U.S. hold phone talks on WTO chief selection
11. Statement from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on the WTO Director-General Selection Process
12. Xi's war anniversary speech strengthens case for South Korea-US alliance: Korea Herald
13. Time to Accept North Korea As a Nuclear Weapons State?
14. North Korea Has at Least 6,000 Hackers (And Might Strike the U.S.)
15. Analysis: With improved leverage, North Korea leader Kim awaits winner of U.S. vote
16. No post-US election party for South Korean policymakers
17. Using Proactive Information Campaigns to Break the North Korean Regime’s Information Suppression
18. Seoul Won't Back UN Resolution on N.Korea Rights Violations
19. Soldiers Injured as North Korea Deploys Landmines at Sino-Korean Border to Stop Escapees
20. What Trump and Biden get wrong about North Korea - Responsible Statecraft
21. South Korea's high court upholds ex-president's 17-year prison sentence
22. N. Korean authorities crackdown on homemade alcohol production
1. U.S. Forces Korea aide calls into question OPCON plans
upi.com· by Elizabeth Shim· October 27, 2020
Who is this person Ham Ji-min, a USFK assistant chief of staff? Is he a serving officer? What he is proposing is one of the original plans for OPCON transition which was the dissolution of the ROK/us cfc into separate commands with the ROK warfighting command as the supported command and the US Command (which had been proposed to be named the Korean Command or KORCOM) would be the supporting command. ROK and US military leaders determined separate commands were not effective for deterrence and defense and for warfighting.
Note: when I posted this on twitter I received this response from a senior advisor at USFK. It looks like Elizabeth Shim and UPI (and Mail Business) may have been the victims of some disinformation. I could not find the article on Mail Business.
2. Denuclearization will bring prosperity of N. Korea, not end of regime: O'Brien
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · October 29, 2020
The NSA reaffirms our policy - if north Korea makes the right strategic decision it can have a brighter future.
However I think Kim Jong-un would disagree with him about the end of the regime. Out policy is actually a dual threat to the regime. Kim believes he must have nuclear weapons to survive - not only to deter an attack (the belief the US will not attack another nuclear armed state) but it is also key to blackmail diplomacy which is key to near term survival while supporting the long term strategy to dominate the peninsula under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State. Kim has no intention of giving up his nuclear weapons.
Counterintuitively perhaps for some, a brighter future is also a threat to the regime's survival. The brighter future means economic development and economic engagement with means an inflow of contact with and information from the outside world. We should never forget that Kim Jong-un fears the Korean people most of all which is why he must systematically deny the human rights of all Korean people in the north.
So while our policy is logical and makes perfect sense to the entire world but from Kim Jong-un's perspective it is a threat to him and his regime and rule.
Kim is not going to give up his nuclear weapons. He will continue to conduct his political warfare strategy and prepare to use force when the conditions are right. This is a summary of his strategy: It is a seven decades old strategy of subversion, coercion-extortion (blackmail diplomacy), and use of force to achieve unification dominated by the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State in order to ensure the survival of the mafia like crime family cult known as Kim family regime
Therefore, while we do not seek regime change in the Iraq and Libya models, the strategy we need is to solve the "Korea question" (para 60 of the Armistice) which must lead to the only acceptable durable political arrangement that will bring peace and stability to the Korean peninsula: A secure, stable, economically vibrant, non-nuclear Korean peninsula unified under a liberal constitutional form of government with respect for individual liberty, the rule of law, and human rights, determined by the Korean people. In short, a United Republic of Korea (UROK).
3. Instead of learning from South Korea’s coronavirus example, Trump is lying about it
The Washington Post · October 27, 2020
Secretary Azar's comments are ignorant and ill-informed and unhelpful to our alliance. As we know, South Korea did not lockdown the nation and its economy is now recovering with third quarter growth.
Jenny Town's comment is spot on: “South Koreans don’t comply with invasive contact tracing because they are Asian, they comply with it because they have been through pandemics before and they understand the severity of the danger,” said Jenny Town, a fellow at the Stimson Center, a nonpartisan policy research organization.
4. Xi renews commitment to firming up relations with N. Korea 'generation after generation'
en.yna.co.kr · by 고병준 · October 29, 2020
We should never forget that north Korea poses an existential threat to South Korea. South Korea should keep that in mind when it deals with China.
5. Roundtable highlights media's role in fighting 'infodemic' amid COVID-19 | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 박보람 · October 29, 2020
Hosted by Sputnik??? Well, it is very experienced at disinformation.
6. Kim Jong Un: A Meticulous Leader
leftreviewonline.com · October 28, 2020
"Left Review Online" is associated with the CCP's propaganda mouthpiece, the Global Times.
I wonder if the north Korean Propaganda and Agitation Department (PAD) ghost wrote this. This is the most favorable article about Korean Jong-un I have read from outside of north Korea (Of course there are many articles published around the world by the Korean Friendship Associations but I think those are written by the PAD.
7. Digital Entanglement: Lessons Learned from China’s Growing Digital Footprint in South Korea
cnas.org· by Kristine Lee, Martijn Rasser, Joshua Fitt and Coby Goldberg
Conclusion:
“The competition between Beijing’s 5G offerings and nascent democratic alternatives is playing out most consequentially in U.S. allied countries—such as South Korea—that already have deep economic and technological interdependencies with China. Thus far, the U.S. approach has been largely limited to a fierce, at times heavy-handed, global campaign about the dangers of Huawei. Meanwhile, U.S. investments in 5G research and international standard-setting bodies remain either meagerly funded or not yet fully enacted.
Talk is cheap but unwinding digital entanglement with China is not. Many American allies and partners perceive tough reassessments of Chinese technology companies as coming with serious costs to fix a problem that poses unclear risks. Persuading them otherwise will require a deep American investment in the technologies, governing mechanisms, commercial incentive packages, and private sector partnerships that undergird alliances—all of which are too often taken for granted. These investments should, of course, be coupled with a comprehensive communications and public diplomacy strategy. Without a nuanced policy approach calibrated to the domestic needs of allies most exposed to Chinese technological entanglement, the United States might find itself at the head of a shrinking coalition of the increasingly unwilling.”
8. N.K. slams top S. Korean security official over remarks about inter-Korean ties
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · October 29, 2020
The spin machine of the Propaganda and Agitation Department is in top form at work here.
9. More North Korea workers receive no pay amid sanctions, survey says
upi.com· by Elizabeth Shim· October 28, 2020
It is not the sanctions that are the cause. It is the policy decisions of Kim Jong-un. He is responsible for the people's suffering. He has prioritized his nuclear weapons over the welfare of the people. Every time someone blames sanctions they are giving Kim Jong-un a pass. He must be held accountable.
in the South." Analysts have said Kim could be signaling an interest in returning to talks.
10. Senior diplomats of S. Korea, U.S. hold phone talks on WTO chief selection
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · October 28, 2020
11. Statement from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on the WTO Director-General Selection Process
ustr.gov
The US supports the selection of South Korean Yoo Myung-hee for the head of the WTO.
12. Xi's war anniversary speech strengthens case for South Korea-US alliance: Korea Herald
straitstimes.com
And more than the ROK/US alliance. It should influence South Korea to align with not only the US but other like-minded democracies in the regions and around the world. I hope Xi's speech was a wakeup call for the Korean people and they pressure the Moon administration appropriately.
13. Time to Accept North Korea As a Nuclear Weapons State?
The National Interest · by Harry J. Kazianis · October 28, 2020
The one hour+ video is at this link:
I think more than a few people believe Kim Jong-un will not give up his nuclear weapons.
There is, however, a growing minority that argues Pyongyang will never accept denuclearizing in full, and that implicitly or explicitly, the U.S. and its allies must come to terms with decades of policy failures and work towards arms control with Pyongyang. That means either giving up on denuclearization entirely, or, taking the goal of a North Korea free of nuclear weapons and placing it far into the future when a peace accord on the Korean peninsula is fully established.
But that does not mean we have to accept and treat north Korea as a nuclear weapons state. There is still the long term course of action to solve the Korea question which is the only way we will see an end to the nuclear threat and the human rights abuses and crimes against humanity being committed in the north.
14. North Korea Has at Least 6,000 Hackers (And Might Strike the U.S.)
The National Interest · by Stephen Silver · October 28, 2020
Might? I think we know they already have struck the US.
15. Analysis: With improved leverage, North Korea leader Kim awaits winner of U.S. vote
ca.reuters.com · by Hyonhee Shin
Kim Jong-un only has leverage if we allow him to have it. We must conduct a superior form of political warfare.
16. No post-US election party for South Korean policymakers
eastasiaforum.org · by Anthony Rinna · October 29, 2020
Whoever wins the election will have his work cut out for him to get us through the perfect storm the is engulfing the ROK/US alliance.
This excerpt gets to one of the most fundamental issues:
“Reflecting on this reality with unusual candour, South Korea’s Ambassador to the United States Lee Soo-hyuck asserted that Seoul may not always stand on Washington’s side, a comment pertinent in the context of Beijing’s economic leverage over the country. To be sure, Lee’s position is not necessarily reflective of official South Korean foreign policy, as his comments drew reproach from ROK foreign minister Kang Kyung-hwa herself. Nevertheless, amidst the fallout over Lee’s remarks, former ROK ambassador to the US Choi Sung-jin asserted that such frankness was acceptable is South Korea and the United States truly are equal partners.”
Going forward, is the ROK/US alliance going to be one of equal partners when it comes to strategy and action on the Korean peninsula?
17. Using Proactive Information Campaigns to Break the North Korean Regime’s Information Suppression
nkhiddengulag.org · October 27, 2020
I commend the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and their internship writing program. And those that read what I wrote know that I am especially appreciative that Junsoung "Steve" Kim is writing about information and influence activities.
We must emphasize this clear statement:
“Therefore, to promote democracy and advance human rights in North Korea, the inflow of information is crucial. The United States and its allies need to engage in operating information campaigns sharing the truth about the Kim regime by using lessons from Cold War information campaigns strategies.”
18. Seoul Won't Back UN Resolution on N.Korea Rights Violations
english.chosun.com
Disappointing.
19. Soldiers Injured as North Korea Deploys Landmines at Sino-Korean Border to Stop Escapees
rfa.org· by Sewon Kim · October 27, 2020
Mines are dangerous. But if soldiers are being injured imagine what will happen to smugglers trying to cross the border.
20. What Trump and Biden get wrong about North Korea - Responsible Statecraft
responsiblestatecraft.org · by Christine Ahn · October 26, 2020
I think this is more aptly titled what Christine Ahn gets wrong about Kim Jong-un.
Christine Ahn should be registered as a foreign agent. Her long time handler is Pak Chol from north Korea and the United Front Department. She is a long time north Korean apologist if not an agent of influence for the regime. You can read about her here: https://freekorea.us/2019/11/christine-ahn-pak-chol-and-the-united-front-department/. Those government officials dealing with her should be concerned with her direct connections to the department responsible for political subversion. My recommendation is that for security purposes no government official should engage with someone who is compromised.
How is a peace treaty or end of war declaration going to enhance the security of South Korea? South Korean faces the existential threat from the north. north Korea is postured for offensive operations and has the stated objective to dominate the Korean peninsula. This is what people like Ms. Ahn do not understand about north Korea.
21. South Korea's high court upholds ex-president's 17-year prison sentence
Los Angeles Times · by Associated Press · October 29, 2020
I fear the Moon administration is conducting rule by law to attack its political enemies. What is happening to former Presidents Lee and Park should give everyone pause.
22. N. Korean authorities crackdown on homemade alcohol production
dailynk.com· by Kang Mi Jin · October 29, 2020
Two points. A morale killer by the regime.
But second, this is an indicator there is either excess agricultural resources to contribute to this or the economic opportunities from selling moonshine are significant. If that is true then some of the population must have some discretionary income.
But perhaps the real point is the people need the diversion offered by alcohol to ease their pain and suffering (or mask the pain temporarily).
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“Virtue is a state of war, and to live in it we have always to combat with ourselves.”
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
"Americans fully understand the requirement of the football field or the baseball diamond. They discipline themselves and suffer by the thousands to prepare for these rigors. A coach or manager who is too permissive soon seeks a new job; his team will fail against those who are tougher and harder. Yet undoubtedly any American officer, in peacetime, who worked his men as hard, or ruled them as severely as a college football coach does, would be removed. But the shocks of the battlefield are a hundred times those of the playing field, and the outcome infinitely more important to the nation. The problem is to understand the battlefield as well as the game of football. The problem is to see not what is desirable, or nice, or politically feasible, but what is necessary.
- T.R. Fehrenbach
"Diplomacy without arms is like music without instruments."
- Prussian King Frederick the Great
