ROK and Inter-Korean relations June 2010

ROK and Inter-Korean relations

June 2010

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The Cheonan Sinking and a New Cold War in Asia
Policy Forum Online 10-034: June 29th, 2010 By Wooksik Cheong To keep the Cheonan tragedy from leading to a new Cold War in Northeast Asia three things must be resolved. First we must reinvestigate the cause of the Cheonan sinking. Not only North Korea but also China and Russia are raising questions on the results of the Lee Administration’s investigation. In this situation, the matter will get worse if the US, South Korea and Japan proceed with sanctions against the North. Some have recommended a joint investigation team between North and South Korea, the US, and China. Second we must normalize inter-Korean relations as soon as possible. The DMZ is a ‘divided line’ across the Korean peninsula and represents ‘the line of the balance power in Northeast Asia’. In this sense, it is geopolitically impossible to say that peace and stability in Northeast Asia can be maintained without stabilizing inter-Korean relations. Third the Six Party Talks must resume at the earliest possible time. There has to be continuous investigation for the truth of the Cheonan incident and it will take a long time to get the conclusive result through a four nation investigative team. Thus dealing investigation of Cheonan now and Six Party Talks later is not an appropriate approach. The Cheonan sinking demonstrates the necessity of building a peace regime and resuming the Six Party Talks to denuclearize the Korean peninsula. Now is the time to find the way to prevent a conflict on Korean peninsula and a new Cold War in Northeast Asia. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Strategic incoherence] [Buildup]
DPRK proposes north-south military talks over sinking of S. Korean warship
English.news.cn 2010-06-27 19:09:16 South Korean Navy patrol combat corvettes stage an anti-submarine exercise off the western coast of Taean on May 27, 2010. (Photo: Chinanews.com) PYONGYANG, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday proposed holding high-level military talks with South Korea over the investigation of a sunken South Korean warship, the official KCNA news agency reported. The head of the DPRK delegation to the DPRK-U.S. general-level talks sent a telephone message to the U.S. side on Sunday, rejecting the U.S. proposal to hold DPRK-U.S. general-level talks over the sinking of warship Cheonan, the KCNA reported. The DPRK military official rebuffed the U.S. proposal as ridiculous, calling the Military Armistice Commission that the United States set in motion to conduct the investigation "a bogus mechanism" which had already been "defunct." The DPRK proposed opening north-south high-level military talks to discuss the results of the investigation. "If the South Korean authorities respond to our proposal, we will promptly come out for a working contact for the opening of the military talks," the KCNA quoted the official as saying. "The working contact will discuss the issue of sending the inspection group of our National Defense Commission to the spot of South Korea for successfully ensuring the proposed high-level military talks, the time and venue for opening the talks, the composition of delegations of both sides and other working matters," it said. [Cheonan] [Evidence]
Rights Body Stuck Over Propaganda Broadcasts to N.Korea
The National Human Rights Commission on Monday failed to endorse the resumption of anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts across the military demarcation line. The discussion was postponed when members could not reach agreement. Kim Tae-hoon of the NHRC, a proponent of the proposal, said, "North Korea is a violent regime that restricts freedom of information. I submitted the proposal to help North Koreans regain their own human rights by supplying them with information." Kim mentioned dissemination of propaganda leaflets and resumption of propaganda broadcasts and electronic billboards. "The North Korean regime will apparently feel the most pain when it sees news of the outside world brought into the North in such a way," he said. But some members were against. Cho Guk, a professor of law at Seoul National University, called the measures "anachronistic." "Wary of such things, the North Korean regime will put pressure on North Koreans instead," he said. The North protested furiously on June 12 against the South's installation of loudspeakers for propaganda broadcasts, which came in response to the sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan. It threatened "all-out war" and warned it will fire at the loudspeakers. [Psychowar]
Scientists question Cheonan investigation findings
Experts have stated that their own studies differ from the findings of the joint civilian-military investigation team that investigated the sinking of the Cheonan Scientists have been questioning the findings of the joint civilian-military investigation team that investigated the sinking of the Cheonan. Controversy is expected as the scientists raised issues regarding the analysis of materials adhering to the vessel’s hull and a torpedo fragment, a central piece of evidence in the team’s conclusion that the sinking resulted from a torpedo attack. During an interview with the weekly Hankyoreh 21, to be published Monday, Dr. Panseok Yang, manager of the Microbeam Laboratory in the Department of Geological Sciences at Canada’s University of Manitoba, said that the material adhering to the Cheonan was “not the aluminum oxide (Al2O3) you would expect in an explosion.” Previously, Professor Seung-Hun Lee of the Physics Department at the University of Virginia in the U.S. pointed to errors in the team’s analysis findings on the substance, based on his own experimental results. [Cheonan] [Evidence]
New spy planes to be deployed by 2014
Signal, communications intelligence from NK missile, nulcear sites to be monitored By Jung Sung-ki Staff reporter South Korea plans to deploy two new reconnaissance aircraft to be used in gathering North Korean signal intelligence by 2014, a year before taking over wartime operational control of its troops, defense and procurement officials said Monday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) will release a request for proposals next month to local and foreign bidders who wish to participate in the integration of the new "Baekdu" signal-intelligence (SIGINT) planes. Final bidders will be selected by year's end. [Military balance]
Cheonan credibility gap widens
By Donald Kirk SEOUL - The sinking of the Cheonan - or rather the result of the explosion that sank the South Korean corvette on March 26 - is proving a tough sell for South Korea's conservative leaders. So many theories are floating around about how it happened that it's beginning to seem possible nothing happened at all, that the ship never exploded, that the two great pieces they hauled up from the Yellow Sea were all cardboard fabrications like North Korean satellites. And the torpedo they dredged up? In this industrialized society, couldn't someone have twisted and painted that thing to look ugly and bent and rusted in any body shop? As for the Hangul script that said "No 1" on the propeller housing, forget it - it might as well have been the handiwork of "investigators" wielding big fat marking pens. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
Kim Jong-il 'Showing Signs of Dementia'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who suffered a massive stroke in 2008, has been displaying signs of memory loss and occasionally talks nonsense, National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon apparently told the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee in a closed-door meeting. "Kim has been exhibiting memory loss and saying things that do not make sense during his field visits," Won was quoted by lawmakers as saying. According to the NIS, Kim said during a recent field inspection at a potato farm, "People should not live on potatoes alone. They need to have rice, too. We should send them rice." (sic) The NIS attributes Kim's odd comments to the aftereffects of his stroke. South Korean intelligence officials said North Korean officials are worried about Kim's deteriorating condition. [Kim Jong Il] [Health] [Takeover] [Media]
Blind sacrifice in a faceless war
[The Korean War remembered] 21 As the number of casualties mounts, student soldiers are sent in to fight We were at such a critical and desperate juncture that we began to send in student soldiers as replacements without training them properly. June 28, 2010 Last week, General Paik acquired five new rocket launchers that finally enabled him and his troops to destroy 10 of the enemy’s Soviet-made tanks. American B-29 Superfortress bomber aircraft fly during a carpet bombing mission of the North Korean troops west of the Nakdong line. Provided by the U.S. Army Enemy forces showed no signs of slowing down as we got closer to National Liberation Day. In trying to follow Kim Il Sung’s orders, North Korean troops had set the initial goal of seizing Busan by Aug. 15, 1950. Although that goal was rendered impossible due to the valiant efforts of ROK and U.S. troops, the enemy had set a new goal of seizing Daegu by the same date and continued to forge ahead with their aggressive attacks.
Those involved in North Korea’s first line of attack survived the bombing mission unscathed. This was because many had already crossed the Nakdong River and were involved in battles with ROK troops. However, North Korea’s supporting troops west of the Nakdong River were hit hard. More importantly, it was highly demoralizing for the North Korean troops. I later heard from a North Korean prisoner of war that the bombing mission was not only detrimental to their psyche but also destroyed their morale. Due to the carpet bombing mission, North Korea lost most of their troops, artillery, ammunition and equipment, and they lost the ability to carry on fighting on a long-term basis. Nevertheless, the first line of determined North Korean troops continued to pour over the mountain ridges.
60 years with the military, by Paik Sun-yup Translation by Jason Kim [jason@joongang.co.kr] [Korean War events] [Client]
Rev. Han Sang Ryol Attends Service at Chilgol Church
Pyongyang, June 27 (KCNA) -- Rev. Han Sang Ryol of south Korea attended Sunday service at Chilgol Church today. Present there were officials of the Christian Federation of Korea and believers of Chilgol Church. Pastor Hwang Min U of Chilgol Church officiated the service. [Religion]
[Editorial] A disgraceful attempt to silence the press
Cheong Wa Dae senior secretary for public affairs Lee Dong-kwan refuses to let go of his bad habit of trying to distort and manipulate the facts. Now he is brazenly attempting to impose a “reporting embargo” on the press and pressuring those news outlets that do not comply. At the National Assembly two days ago, Lee denounced a Hankyoreh report stating that the issue of postponing the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea would be on the table at the South Korea-U.S. summit this weekend. In his words, the Hankyoreh “broke the embargo.” Lee also stated that the accredited Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) journalists were not opposed to the embargo on discussing the wartime operational control issue. This statement is clearly false. When the Cheong Wa Dae requested an embargo, the Hankyoreh made it clear that it would not comply, and communicated this fact prior to printing the report. It is an established journalistic practice for an embargo to be decided upon with the agreement of the accredited journalists, so in this case, the embargo never existed to begin with. Lee twisted this common-sense fact.? [OPCON] [Human rights]
Generation Gaps Seen in Perception of Foreign Countries
The Korean War was not only a national tragedy but also part of an international conflict that pitted the U.S. on South Korea's side against the Soviet Union and China. A survey shows a clear gap in perceptions of those countries between the war and post-war generation. Overall some 71.6 percent of respondents chose the U.S. as the foreign country they feel most friendly toward. China came in second, but its approval rating stood at a mere 6.4 percent. The U.S. also topped the list at 71.9 percent as the nation respondents believe will give strategic help in South Korea's efforts for reunification and security. China once again came second at 14 percent in this category. But the generations clearly have different views when it comes to more particular issues, with those in their 30s and 40s more skeptical of the continued U.S. military presence in South Korea. Some 15.3 percent of those in their 30s and 21.4 percent of those in their 40s said they believe that China will help South Korea in the future. But a mere 5.4 percent in their 60s agreed. A similar pattern was also evident in responses to the question "How long should the U.S. forces stay?" Some 34.3 percent in their 40s said the U.S. troops should withdraw gradually even before reunification. And 28.2 percent in their 20s and 28.9 percent in their 30s agreed. By contrast, only 16.1 percent of respondents in their 50s and 8.1 percent in their 60s approved of the U.S. troops' pullout before reunification. It appears that the gap in perceptions is due to different historical experiences. Those over 50 either experienced the war or lived through the Cold-War era. They witnessed the positive role the U.S. played in the process of South Korea's postwar reconstruction and industrialization. But those in their 30s and 40s had quite different experiences. Those in their 40s watched the Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980 and radical students' seizure of the USIS Library in Seoul in 1985. Those in their 30s witnessed the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the advent of a post-Cold-War era in 1991, South Korea's establishment of diplomatic relations with Russia in 1990 and China in 1992, and an unauthorized visit to North Korea by a student activist in 1989. As it turns out, those in their 30s and 40s have a little stronger antipathy toward the U.S. than older generations, but a little friendlier feelings toward former communist countries. By Jeon Yong-joo, a professor of political science at Dongeui University [Public opinion] [SK attitude US]
Lee Myung Bak Group Accused of Its Moves for Second Korean War
Pyongyang, June 24 (KCNA) -- The frantic moves of the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors to escalate the confrontation with the DPRK are a dangerous adventure to push the situation on the Korean Peninsula to a catastrophe and an unpardonable criminal act to launch another war, says Rodong Sinmun Thursday in a signed article. The puppet forces' moves to ignite a new war have reached an extreme phase since the outbreak of the recent "Cheonan" case, a hideous conspiratorial farce, the article notes, and goes on: They are working with bloodshot eyes to ignite a war while crying out for "retaliation" and "punishment" of someone with the "Cheonan" case as a momentum. They totally suspended the inter-Korean cooperation, kicked off a racket to tighten international sanctions against the DPRK, stepped up massive arms buildup in the areas along the Military Demarcation Line, resumed the "anti-DPRK psychological warfare" and keep staging large-scale joint military exercises with the U.S. imperialist aggression troops. [Cheonan] [Lee Myung-bak] [Buildup]
Korean War Still Divides Minds 60 Years On
People flee across a destroyed bridge over the Daedong River in Pyongyang in December 1950 during the Korean War as UN troops bombarded the bridge to halt the advancement of the Chinese army. /Courtesy of U.S. National Archives and Records Administration South Korean society is a long way from agreeing about the Korean War 60 years after it broke out, a poll published Thursday suggests. The belief, for instance, that the division of the Korean Peninsula became permanent by the Incheon Landing of UN forces under Gen. Doublas MacArthur has proved persistent. In the poll conducted on June 14 by Gallup Korea for the Chosun Ilbo and the Korean Association of Party Studies for the 60th anniversary of the war, 54.7 percent of respondents said the Incheon Landing prevented South Korea from falling under communist rule. But 26.2 percent believed the operation cemented the peninsula's division.
Korean war 60 years on: Haven in South for young defectors from North
A government-funded school near Seoul prepares youths who have fled poverty and repression for a new life without family (51)Tweet this (24) Justin McCurry in Anseong The Guardian, Friday 25 June 2010 Article history Defectors from North Korea attend the Hangyeore school, 80km south of Seoul. Photograph: Justin McCurry Perched nervously on the edge of a chair in the principal's office, a hole visible in one knee of his uniform, Kim Yong-hee visibly relaxes when he talks about his recently discovered talent for table tennis and love of martial arts films.
[Editorial] A lasting scar and uneasy peace 60 years later
It has been a full 60 years since the Korean War erupted, but our minds are not at ease. Not only is the partition system ongoing, but there have also been insufficient internal efforts to overcome the situation. The recent instability in the political situation on the Korean Peninsula clearly shows the danger of rash behavior by North Korean and South Korean authorities based on the negative legacy of the past. The war ended after three years, but its scars have yet to heal 60 years later.
North calls for no-sail zone in west, may lob missile
June 25, 2010 North Korea appears to be preparing a missile shoot along the west coast, a military source said yesterday, a move that could further raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The source told the JoongAng Ilbo that Pyongyang called for a ban on sailing in the area off the west coast near the border(sic) with South Korea. “North Korea has designated four of the northwestern (sic) areas in the Yellow Sea as a no-sail zone between June 19 and June 27,” said the source. “That appears to be a step prior to the firing of a short-range missile.”
The move comes as South Korea and the U.S. are finalizing the timing of a joint naval drill in the Yellow Sea, which Seoul intends as a protest against the sinking of its warship Cheonan in the same sea on March 26. A multinational investigation last month concluded that North Korea destroyed the Cheonan with a torpedo, killing 46 South Korean soldiers. “The designation of a no-sail zone seems to be a reaction to the joint military drill,” [Joint US military]
Young People Less Inclined to Blame N.Korea for Shipwreck
Although 70 percent of the South Korean public believe North Korea was behind the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan, the proportion is only 60 percent among people between the ages of 20 and 40, a survey suggests. Marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security conducted a poll of 1,000 middle and high school students as well as adults about their attitudes to national security and found that 75.4 percent of adults and 73.4 percent of teenagers believed North Korea was responsible for the sinking in March. The poll shows that younger Koreans, especially those in their 20s, are suspicious of accusations against North Korea. When asked which country they did think attacked the ship, only 64 percent of them said it was North Korea. Some 5.6 percent said the U.S. and some even pointed to Japan (3.3 percent) and China (1.9 percent). Twenty-five percent said they didn't know. Among those in their 30s, 75.1 percent said North Korea was behind the sinking, and among 40-somethings 69.7 percent. The proportion rose to 85.3 percent among people in their 50s or older. The percentage of those in their 20s who pointed to North Korea was lower than among high school students (75.4 percent). When asked about the likelihood of another provocation by North Korea, 16.6 percent of teenagers said "very high," compared to 32.3 percent of those in their 50s or older, a more than two-fold difference. But 73.5 percent of adults and 73.4 percent of teenagers said the chances of another provocation are "very high" or "high." Compared to a survey last year, more people saw North Korea as an enemy, with 60.9 percent as against 38.9 percent last year. Only 35.4 percent in this year's survey described the North as a "cooperative partner" or "positive competitor." Meanwhile, 36.3 percent of adults and 85.7 percent of teenagers did not know when the Korean War broke out. And 20.4 percent of adults and 36.3 percent of teenagers did not know that North Korea started the war by invading the South. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Public opinion]
Antics Mar Resolution Over Cheonan Sinking
The National Defense Committee passed a resolution on Wednesday condemning North Korea for attacking Navy corvette Cheonan and urging strong measures in response to the provocation. The resolution says the attack against the Cheonan was a "clear act of aggression and a crime" and demands from North Korea a "sincere apology, punishment for those responsible, compensation and a pledge not to repeat such acts." The resolution also contains the resolve of South Korean lawmakers to make concerted efforts with the South Korean public in dealing with the Cheonan incident. But in reality, it was anything but concerted. The main opposition Democratic Party continued to insist that the resolution was "premature" because the public still has suspicions about the results of the multinational inquiry into the sinking. Yet it was passed by the committee because its head, Grand National Party lawmaker Won Yoo-chul, announced its passage after an hour-long debate without giving the DP members time to raise objections. It was a concerted effort only in the stenographic record, while in reality it was only endorsed by the GNP. The National Assembly will convene on Monday to put the resolution to the vote. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
N.Korea 'to Get $32.3 Billion After Kim Jong-il Dies
'The international community could spend US$32.3 billion over 10 years to aid North Korea after the death of Kim Jong-il, researchers claim. According to a paper by Cho Young-key, a professor of North Korea studies at Korea University, for the Korea International Trade Association, international financial bodies and related countries are expected to provide North Korea with financial support of up to $18.8 billion if the North stays more or less the same following Kim's death. However, if Pyongyang improves relations with the international community, the amount is expected to rise to $38 billion. The figure of $32.3 billion was calculated given the report's prediction that the North Korean regime is likely to remain the same for the first five years rather than improve drastically. [Aid weapon] [Personalisation] [Takeover]
Defense Committee Passes Resolution on Cheonan Sinking
The National Assembly's Defense Committee on Wednesday passed a resolution accusing North Korea of torpedoing the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan. It took 89 days since the ship sank in the West Sea on March 26. Both the U.S. Congress and European Parliament were quicker to react by passing relevant resolutions on May 14 at the Senate and May 26 at the House of Representatives and on June 17 in Strasbourg. The resolution is now expected to pass a full session of the National Assembly on June 28. The main opposition Democratic Party is expected to make no attempt to block its passage, although it is calling for doubts about the findings of an inquiry into the sinking to be cleared up first. The committee passed the resolution in a session attended by seven ruling Grand National Party lawmakers, four DP lawmakers, and one Liberty Forward Party lawmaker. DP lawmakers presented opposing views for about 40 minutes. Committee chairman Won Yoo-chul did not put it to a vote but asked, "No objection?" and struck the gavel. DP lawmakers shouted protest, saying the resolution had been "railroaded through." The resolution says the torpedo attack by the North was a "blatant military provocation" in violation of the armistice agreement, the basic inter-Korean agreement, and the UN Charter. It strongly urges the North to apologize, punish those responsible, make reparations, and promise to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents. It also urges the government to take firm steps against all provocations by the North. Some of the content could be revised in the process of adoption. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Human rights]
N.Korea's War History Is Mirror Opposite World View
South Korea and the rest of the world this month are commemorating the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. Most of the world agrees on when that war started, and who started it. But North Korea has its own, unique version of the story. It was on June 25, 1950 that assault divisions of the North Korean army streaked across the 38th parallel that divides the Korean peninsula. They captured Seoul within days. South Korea, along with virtually every other nation on earth, recognizes that attack as the start of the three-year Korean War. But Pyongyang sees it differently. [Korean War cause] [Softpower]
Leftist pastor blames Lee for ship tragedy
June 24, 2010 A progressive South Korean pastor on an illegal visit to North Korea blamed the Lee Myung-bak administration - not Pyongyang - for the deadly sinking of the Cheonan warship, according to published reports and government sources. “One thing is clear, that Lee Myung-bak is to blame for the incident,” the Associated Press reported Han Sang-reol said, referring to the sinking of the Cheonan warship. [Cheonan] [Human rights]
Han Sang Ryol Interviewed
Pyongyang, June 22 (KCNA) -- Rev. Han Sang Ryol, a pro-reunification champion of south Korea, was interviewed at the People's Palace of Culture on Tuesday. Present there were media persons in the city of Pyongyang and foreign correspondents. Members of the North Side Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration and those of the north headquarters of the Pan-national Alliance for Korea's Reunification and the Pan-national Alliance of Students and Youth for Korea's Reunification were also present there as observers.
Referring to the case of the sinking of warship "Cheonan", he noted that this case is no more than a fabrication jointly orchestrated by the U.S. and Lee Myung Bak. The U.S. tried to seize the initiative in south Korea through tightened alliance among south Korea, Japan and the U.S. while Lee tried to use it for winning in the "elections", he pointed out. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Human rights]
S. Korea Accused of Their Moves to Mislead Public Opinion
Pyongyang, June 22 (KCNA) -- The south Korean puppet authorities were reported to have made riff-raffs of the "civilian-military joint investigation team" brief on June 15 representatives of member nations of the UN Security Council on the "results of investigation" based on the fiction that warship "Cheonan" was sunk by "a torpedo attack of the north" and "evidence". Rodong Sinmun Tuesday observes in a signed commentary in this regard: The above-said action taken by the puppet authorities is nothing but a despicable treacherous charade to justify and make a fait accompli the case of the warship sinking by every means and method and mislead the world public opinion in a bid to incite atmosphere of confrontation with the DPRK on an international scale and realize their wild ambition to stifle fellow countrymen through sanctions and pressure. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
'40% of youngsters would flee from war'
By Bae Ji-sook Staff reporter About four out of every 10 youngsters here said they would seek refuge further south from the border if a second Korean war broke out, a survey showed Wednesday. Only 15.5 percent said they would join the army to fight. The Korea Institute for Defense Analyses asked a total of 1,000 males and females aged between 15 and 60 last month what their reaction toward a possible war on the Korean peninsula would be, and detected sharp distinctions between different age brackets. The younger generation, aged 15 to 29, mostly said they were willing to support the army but would not participate in the war. They said they would move to other parts of the country or even overseas to escape the war. Only 15.5 percent of teenagers and 27 percent of 20-somethings said they would enlist in the military to fight. They were also lukewarm toward unification through war. Nearly 60 percent of teens and 72.3 percent of those in their 20s said the South should absorb the North even if it involves a long war. The portion rose to 76.3 percent among 30-somethings, 82.5 percent for those in their 40s and 85.8 percent among 50-somethings. Many young people said tales or episodes about the Korean War do not move them, but older respondents said the stories inspired them. Kim Kwang-shik, who led the research, said, "Young people are less passionate about national security and their contribution to the nation. The difference of perceptions could become a possible conflict over the country's security agenda." bjs@koreatimes.co.kr [War]
KAL Bomber Believes Kim Jong-il Ordered Cheonan Sinking
Kim Hyun-hee (file photo) The surviving bomber of Korean Air flight 858 is convinced that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il gave orders to sink the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan in March. Kim Hyun-hee, now rehabilitated and living in the South, was speaking to the Monthly Chosun. "To those who still claim that the result of the investigation was fabricated, the truth doesn't matter. Rather, they're afraid of the truth that North Korea did it, and they just don't like it." She pointed out that the North still denies its involvement in the bombing of the Korean Air flight 858. "North Korea still claims that I'm a liar and tries to destroy evidence. It thinks constantly denying something will make it go away. The Cheonan sinking made me realize that North Korean strategy hasn't changed." [KAL858] [Cheonan][Defector report]
Marines testified Cheonan water column was lightning
This confirmation by the BAI audit once again draws attention to the findings of the joint military-civilian investigation team » The stern of the Navy vessel Cheonan rests at the dock of the second fleet headquarters of the Navy at Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, April 19. Marine guards on duty at Baengnyeong Island reportedly told the military during its own investigation that they did not witness a water column at the time of the sinking of the Cheonan the night of March 26, and they presumed that it was thunder and lightening. This stood in stark contrast to the military’s announcement that Marine guards on duty on Baengnyeong Island witnessed a water column at the time of the sinking of the Cheonan. The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) learned this during their audit of the Cheonon incident, but since the cause of the sinking was not the subject of the audit, it was omitted from the BAI’s interim audit announcement on June 10. According to explanations by military officials, two Marines at a maritime guard post on Baengnyeong Island, some 2.5 kilometers from the sight of the sinking, heard a “bang” like thunder and saw a white flash like lightning at around 9:22 p.m. on March 26. One of the Marines, identified as a Corp. Park, said in his testimony that while he was on patrol, he heard a crash and looked out to sea, where about 4 kilometers away he saw a white flash about 100 meters high and 20-30 meters in width, which disappeared about 2-3 seconds later. The other Marine, Corp. Kim, said the white flash spread out around the surroundings and dissipated. In several military investigations, they reportedly consistently testified that they judged the flash and sound to be lightening and thunder and reported it as such. One source said it was impossible to draw a conclusion about the nature of the flash that the Marines saw on patrol, but no marine stated that they witnessed a water column for certain. He pointed out that the military’s announcement that marines on patrol observed a water column was just the military’s judgment, and not a true fact. The existence of a water column was an important basis presented by the joint civilian-military investigation team that concluded that the Cheonan sank after being hit by a torpedo from a North Korean submarine. Opposition parties and civic organization People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) have raised questions about the existence of the water column, claiming that the evidence of a great water column, which would have been caused by a torpedo attack, was weak. The joint civilian-military investigation team, however, have refuted this, claiming that first that Marines on patrol on Baengnyeong Island witnessed the water column, and second that the faces of sailors on lookout on the port side of the Cheonan were splattered with water, which was consistent with a water column caused by an underwater explosion. Surviving sailors testified at a press conference held at an Army hospital in Seoul on April 7 that they did not witness a water column, and that they not did they get wet. In response, the Ministry of National Defense said that since the sailors on lookout were at the bow of the vessel, they did not initially understand what was happening, but when they later thought about it, they testified that they believed they were in fact doused with water. The ministry also disagreed with claims that if there was no water column, there could not have been a torpedo attack. [Cheonan] [Evidence]
Family tragedy indicative of S.Korea’s remaining war wounds
Kim Gwang-ho is waiting for the government to apologize for state crimes committed against his father and grandfather » Kim Gwang-ho, the president of the National Korean War Surviving Family Members’ Association shows a picture of his grandfather and father’s documents at his home. As he told his story, fifty-eight-year-old Kim Gwang-ho’s eyes became bloodshot. “When I look back the lives of my late grandfather and father, all I can do is sigh,” he said. The tragedy experienced by Kim’s family could be called a condensed version of modern Korean history, going from the violation of national sovereignty and Liberation to war and on to military dictatorship. His great-grandfather, Kim Jong-il (b. 1861, date of death unknown), was a wealthy man in the Gimhae region. When a severe drought struck the region in the late 19th century, he used his own fortune to aid the people, earning him a commendation from Emperor Gojong.
Scholars call for end to PSPD witch-hunt
The group of scholars have called for a transparent debate about the sinking of the Cheonan » Members of far-right organizations hold a protest to voice opposition to the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) in front of the PSPD headquarters, June 18. A group of professors and other intellectuals have begun to voice demands that conservative groups stop their witch-hunt of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) in regards to the sinking of the Cheonan. In a statement released Monday, about 200 professors with the National Association of Professors for Democratic Society said the PSPD had performed its innate duty and right as a civic group, and called for conservative groups to end their irrational and backward attacks on PSPD. The professors stressed that South Korean society needs not “blame and attacks,” but a transparent debate on the sinking of the Cheonan. They said that knowing, as the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) pointed out, that there were serious problems with the military reports themselves, suspicions about the investigation results could only grow, and stressed that if a full-scale debate and investigation regarding the Cheonan did not take place, the attacks on PSPD would be regarded as a maneuver to cover up the truth. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Human rights]
[Editorial] Rectifying the Office of the Prime Minister’s lawless investigation
It has been confirmed that a citizen who uploaded onto his blog a video criticizing President Lee Myung-bak has been illegally investigated by the Prime Minister’s Office. This investigation included pressure to suspend his bank transactions to ruin his business. In the end, he was also reportedly forced out as head of the business he was running. In short, the Lee Myung-bak administration has created a completely lawless world where neither law nor procedure any longer have meaning. This matter, which began in the fall of 2008, was carried out from start to finish through illegal measures in evasion of the law. First, the Prime Minister’s Office public ethics office strangely intervened in a matter completely unrelated to official ethics to illegally investigate a civilian. [Lee Myung-bak] [Human rights]
SKorea, Japan activists fly leaflets toward NKorea
By CLAIRE LEE The Associated Press Wednesday, June 23, 2010; 3:30 AM CHEORWON, South Korea -- South Korean and Japanese activists flew hundreds of thousands of leaflets toward the border with North Korea on Wednesday to condemn the country's government amid tensions over the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship. [Buildup] [Psychowar]
Activist blames SKorea's leader for ship sinking
The Associated Press Tuesday, June 22, 2010; 10:37 AM PYONGYANG, North Korea -- A South Korean activist on an unauthorized trip to North Korea on Tuesday blamed his country's conservative president - not the communist North - for the deadly sinking of one of Seoul's warships. Rev. Han Sang-ryol is a member of a small-but-vocal minority of South Korean activists and religious groups who are sympathetic to North Korea and call for unification of the two countries. North Korea has embraced Han's visit, which began June 12, according to the country's state media. Seoul, however, has said that Han did not have permission to travel to the northern neighbor and that the government will handle his case according to a law that can put him in prison for up to three years. Han, who works for Seoul-based Korea Alliance Progressive Movements, gave a rare news conference Tuesday in Pyongyang, criticizing South Korean President Lee Myung-bak for allegedly discarding past rapprochement accords with North Korea and raising tension by staging joint military exercises with the United States. Lee has taken a harder line on North Korea than his liberal predecessor, linking aid to North Korea's denuclearization, and relations between the two Koreas have worsened as a result. "One thing is clear, that Lee Myung-bak is to blame for the incident," Han said, according to video footage from APTN in Pyongyang, referring to the sinking of the Cheonan warship, which South Korea says sank due to a North Korean torpedo attack in March, killing 46 sailors. [Cheonan]
SOUTH KOREA - Cheonan incident: disclose information to public!
Tuesday, 15 June 2010 FORUM-ASIA member People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) released its position paper on 4 June 2010 upon the final investigation report on the Cheonan and the countering measures of the Lee Myung-bak administration. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Human rights]
Does the National Assembly Have a Sense of History?
The National Assembly Policy Committee finally adopted a resolution on Monday seeking to honor foreign veterans and countries who fought for South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. The resolution, which marks the 60th anniversary of the war, expresses deep gratitude for the soldiers and countries that participated in the Korean War and urges the government to come up with concrete measures to honor them. But the National Assembly has yet to schedule a plenary meeting to put the resolution to the vote even though the anniversary is this Friday. [Korean War events]
Sixty years after war broke out, Korean peninsula still in limbo
By Tom Lasseter | McClatchy Newspapers NEAR THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE, South Korea — The tourists were bunched together on an observation deck, their faces pressed against binoculars to get a glimpse of North Korea.
I don't believe that North Korea is a threat," he said. "I read the articles in the newspapers, but I don't buy it." In fact, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak appears to have suffered politically for pushing the Cheonan issue and taking a hard line toward the North. During elections earlier this month, Lee's conservative Grand National Party won only six of 16 local races that were widely considered a referendum on his handling of the Cheonan sinking. Voter turnout reportedly was the highest for local elections in 15 years. South Koreans born after the war seem uninterested in confronting the North. "Most of the younger generation has a similar opinion, that North Korea is a political issue, not a security issue," said Lee Kyung-sung, a 33-year-old office worker sitting at Starbucks in an upscale Seoul shopping mall. And the Cheonan? "They just want to use the North Korea issue for political purposes," Lee said, as he sipped on a frozen strawberry drink. A few steps away, sitting on a bench near a Gap store, 21-year-old college student Lee Yong-ju clutched a pink cell phone and said she doesn't spend time thinking about the North. "I just feel sorry for those people living there," she said. Even the issue of reunification, which strikes a deep chord of Korean national yearning, is met with some apathy. Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/21/96276/sixty-years-after-war-broke-out.html#ixzz0rYfcIbXO [Cheonan] [Public opinion] [Threat]
Who'll replace 'Dear Leader'? Reports baffle South Koreans
By Tom Lasseter | McClatchy Newspapers SEOUL, South Korea — The reports this year from the court of Kim Jong-il, North Korea's emperor-dictator, were cryptic as always: One senior official died of heart attack, a second was killed in a car wreck, a third was dismissed and a fourth promoted. South Koreans are still trying to divine the meaning of the series of official news reports from the darkness of the "Hermit Kingdom." Since Kim was reported to have had a stroke in 2008, speculation has swirled abroad about his health and who'd take his place.
"By sinking the Cheonan, they didn't gain anything," said Andrei Lankov, a Russian-born expert on North Korea who teaches at Seoul's Kookmin University. Then why did North Korea do it? What does it mean? "It signals something which is a well-known medical fact — strokes do not improve your analytical abilities," he said. That said, Lankov cautioned that while the Korean Peninsula is less stable than usual, no one is going to war, and Kim Jong-il isn't leaving office "unless he dies." Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/21/96275/wholl-replace-dear-leader-reports.html#ixzz0rYgP40PG [Cheonan] [Motive] [Media] [Succession]
OECD Warns of Widening Gap Between 2 Koreas
The OECD has warned against the widening economic and social gap between the two Koreas, suggesting a possible jump in the cost of reunification sometime in the future. In its latest report on the Korean Peninsula, the group of wealthy countries emphasizes that there is a need to expand bilateral trade in the private sector, citing the significant difference in the GDP of South and North Korea. In 2008, South Korea's 48.6 million populace posted a GDP of US$929 billion, while North Korea with less than half the population at 23.3 million recorded a total GDP just short of $25 billion. The communist country's trade volume was worth $3.8 billion in the same year, a mere 0.4 percent of South Korea's $857 billion. The reclusive state had low production rates in electricity and steel but it did fairly well in annual productions of cement, fertilizer and grain. The OECD report also raises concerns about the high infant mortality rate and the low life expectancy among women in North Korea. It found more than 14 babies out of every 1,000 are believed to have died in 1993 but the rate surged to 19 in 2008. Forecasting that such a big difference in the quality of life between South and North Korea will likely drive up the cost of economic and social integration, the OECD urged Seoul to be more selective in its economic cooperation with Pyongyang. [Unification cost] [Sanctions]
NK defectors undergo 6-month debriefing
By Kang Hyun-kyung Staff reporter Due to recent changes in regulations those who have escaped North Korea for the South will be required to undergo a minimum six-month debriefing before being allowed to live here as new settlers.
Currently, there is no rule concerning the length of the questioning period aimed to distinguish genuine defectors from potential spies. The stricter rules come amid a recent flood of North Koreans who escaped their home country to live in South Korea. Approximately 20,000 people who left the North after the 1990s currently live in the South. [Refugee reception] [Espionage]
Here comes draft 'makgeolli' to go
By Kim Tae-gyu Staff reporter The conventional image of drinkers of "makgeolli" is that they tend to have Korea's traditional rice wine all day long in an old-fashioned restaurant, in particular on wet weather, together with some side dishes. As the milky white alcohol gains popularity even among young adults, however, people are consuming it like a Starbucks coffee ? Domestic manufacturers have brought out a takeout version of makgeolli. Baesangmyun Brewery, the maker of one of the leading brands of makgeolli, said that it has opened a micro-brewery in southern Seoul around its head office where visitors can buy and take out fresh makgeolli. The Seoul-based outfit plants to establish around 10 more miniature breweries at the capital by the end of 2010 where the takeout makgeolli will go on sale just like the Starbucks outlets. "We will rebuild breweries just like those a century ago. They will represent culture regarding Korean alcoholic beverages," company CEO Bae Young-ho told a press conference. "Furthermore, we plan to introduce environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes, which require minimum use of water while enabling the recycling of some by-products." Bae added that it would release third-generation makgeolli, which will last about one month and a half. Currently, the expiry date of the thick rice wine is around a week and this has been touted as the biggest downside of makgeolli. Makgeolli had been the go-to alcohol for ordinary Koreans for so long thanks to its rich taste and affordable price before its popularity waned in modern times due to West alcoholic beverages such as beer and spirits. Yet, Koreans seemingly found a fresh attraction to makgeolli in the mid 2000s after producers started to use higher quality ingredients to overcome the drawback of terrible hangovers the day after a drinking session. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries estimates that the makgeolli market rocketed from 300 billion won ($249.5 million) in 2008 to about 420 billion won last year. Its exports also expanded from $2.9 million in 2007 to $4.4 million in 2008 and $6.2 million last year despite the global financial distress. The upward pace is expected to continue for the time being, according to market watchers. The ministry proposed the cloudy wine as an official beverage of the G-20 summit for this November although it remains to be seen whether it would be picked as such at the high-profile gathering.
National Heroes and Monuments in South Korea: Patriotism, Modernization and Park Chung Hee’s Remaking of Yi Sunsin’s Shrine
Saeyoung Park With “history’s bloodiest century” growing distant, twenty-first century scholars have become preoccupied with the fraught moral and political dimensions of memory.1 ‘Memory wars’ have become commonplace in discussions over postwar compensation or in anxious debates over national identity in an era of shifting geopolitical realities. In East Asia, one only needs to look at the sore points of Korean-Japanese relations—contested sovereignty over the Dokdo islands, textbook treatments, questions of official visits to the Yasukuni shrine—to realize the centrality of memory in articulating deeply divergent national narratives.2 As servants of collective memory and as guardians of the dead, shrines have served as one focal point for this emerging terrain of historical enquiry. Like museums, statues and other sites of commemoration, shrines exemplify the exercise of power over the past through the state’s symbolic possession of space. However shrines, and in particular East Asian shrines, often have an early modern genealogy that distinguishes this kind of memorial from other commemorative platforms. In the imperial Chinese and early modern Korean Confucian traditions, for instance, shrines have long served as venues for state-building and postwar commemoration and reconciliation.3 Such developments suggest that the monuments of today did not emerge in a barren commemorative landscape. This paper proposes that by analyzing the transformation of shrines into national monuments in the twentieth century, we can begin to dissect the claims of historicity and authenticity that have made shrines such effective agents within the cultural politics of remembrance. To this end, this article examines the remaking of a Hyonch’ungsa, a Choson (1398-1910) shrine honoring a sixteenth century Korean admiral, Yi Sunsin (1545-1598) in the twentieth century.
STOP Oppression & Prosecutors’ Investigation on PSPD
Urgent Letter to Friends, Human Rights Defenders and Peace Activities from PSPD?
Dear Friends, Human Rights Defenders and Peace Activities People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), a watchdog NGO in South Korea established in 1994, urgently appeals to the international community for support and solidarity. PSPD has been oppressed and threatened by the Lee Myung-bak government. PSPD sent a report ‘PSPD's Stance on the Final Investigation Report on the Cheonan’ to the members of the UN Security Council on June 11, 2010. The report raised questions, which still need answers and clarifications, on the government investigation result and called upon the UN Security Council to make a decision heavily prioritizing peace on the Korean Peninsula. As all of you are well aware, NGOs’ consultation and communication with the UN is a right stated in the UN Charter, and NGOs like everyone are granted to exert fundamental rights such as the freedom of opinion and expression. However, the Lee Myung-bak government is accusing PSPD as unpatriotic and PSPD’s report as ‘against national interest and security.’ It is also arguing that PSPD’s letter to the UN Security Council is benefiting the enemy, North Korea, which denies its involvement in the Cheonan incident. In addition, it fallaciously asserts that it is out of the ordinary that an NGO holds a position contrary to its government. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Human rights]
84% of Korean War Veterans Remain Proud of their Role
Of Korean War veterans, 83.9 percent say they are proud of their participation in the war. Some 28.1 percent ticked "very proud" and 55.8 percent "proud." Some 2.1 percent replied they are not so proud and 0.5 percent did not take pride in it at all. The remaining 13.4 percent said "so-so." [Korean War events]
Applicants for Navy decrease
By Lee Tae-hoon Staff reporter The Navy is suffering from a considerable drop in the number of applicants for enlistment, following the sinking of a warship that took the lives of 46 sailors in March, a lawmaker said Sunday. Rep. Shin Hak-yong of the main opposition Democratic Party said the number of applicants has decreased by half over the past few months in the aftermath of the Cheonan sinking by a North Korean torpedo in the West Sea. The lawmaker said during the January-March period, the Navy saw 7,974 prospective seamen apply for 2,787 vacancies, or an average of about 2.87 people for each opening for enlisted servicemen. The competition rate, however, dropped to 1.48 during the second quarter, in which only 2,352 applied for 3,471 available positions. The competition rate stood at 1.49 in April, 1.63 in May and 1.3 in June. In 2009, the competition rate in the first quarter was 2.6 and that of the second quarter, 2.12. "The figures refute the Navy's claim that the Cheonan incident is not attributable to a drop in the number of applicants," Rep. Shin said. "The military should urgently address the growing tendency to avoid joining the Navy." [Cheonan]
Inter-Korean summit and years of 'Sunshine' policy
This is the 25th in a 60-part series featuring 60 major events in Korea's modern history from 1884 till now. The project is part of the 60th anniversary of The Korea Times, which falls on Nov. 1. By Michael Breen Korea Times columnist In June 2000, when the leaders of the two Koreas, Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il, embraced at Sunan Airport, expectations that this first-ever summit would lead to reconciliation ran high in South Korea and around the world. Koreans were glued to their TV sets, feeling the ghosts of ancestors run shivers up their back, hoping against hope that 50 years after the war, and after a decade of isolation in the post-communist world and a famine which claimed hundreds of thousands of victims, the North had finally seen the light. [Summit00]
Police Brutality in North (sic) Korea
Undated video clip from South Korea [Media] [Image]
Far-right groups launch violent protests against PSPD
Experts say the Lee government’s forceful emphasis on patriotism and nationalism has cultivated an environment for extremist action On Thursday morning, an official from the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) entered the pressroom of the PSPD’s headquarters in the Seoul neighborhood of Tongin. He told the reporters they should leave since they could be mistaken for PSPD members and harmed. Some of the reporters who had been covering the PSPD had already been cursed at by members of the Seoul chapter of the Korean Veterans Association, who had been protesting for four days in front of the headquarters. PSPD has received a number of terror threats by conservative groups since June 15. They cannot work due to consistent threatening phone calls, and it has been difficult to enter and leave the office. Inside the office, which is surrounded by about 200 police officers, an announcement has been posted for people to close their blinds and for officials to refrain as much as possible from leaving the building. The conservative groups, who took turns protesting from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., shouted derogatory expletives at female PSPD members as they left the office, telling them to “Go into the arms of Kim Jong-il!” About 200 members of the Korean Agent Orange Veterans Association, who held a demonstration in front of the PSPD headquarters, shouted, “Let’s wipe out the PSPD, an enemy group,” while pasting the building with water bottles and eggs. Attempting to enter the building, they struggled with police, and were even stopped by police when they sent a car laded with 10 soju bottles full of paint thinner and LPG canisters at the building. On Wednesday afternoon, conservative groups surrounded PSPD Policy Committee Director Kim Ki-sik as he left the office, grabbing him by the collar and striking him across the face. Citizens and civic organizations have criticized the Lee Myung-bak administration, ruling Grand National Party (GNP) and conservative groups for intentionally witch hunting PSPD. This is not unconnected to said groups experiencing a backlash in the June 2 local elections when they tried to use the Cheonan sinking politically, and the fact that their “Cheonan diplomacy” has failed to yield clear results. “China and Russia have continued to show a lukewarm response to the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution,” said PSPD Deputy Secretary General Lee Tae-ho. “If the Lee administration’s diplomacy fails, it is highly possible it will try to shift the blame onto PSPD.” There are also those who see ominous signs of returning to a barbarous past in the attacks on PSPD by conservative groups. “The government is going ‘all in’ in diplomacy regarding the Cheonan sinking to escape responsibility for the failure in the local elections, responding with a Cold War mentality of stressing patriotism and nationalism,” said Cho Dae-yeop, professor of sociology at Korea University. “The government’s moves go against the global trend moving to a post-Cold War mentality.” Cho also said, “It is very unfortunate that the police and conservative groups have contributed to this.” “It seems conservative groups, who have developed a strong hostility towards North Korea and progressive forces over the last decade, have determined that with the launch of the Lee Myung-bak administration, a political and social environment has been created that allows for extremist action,” said Shin Jin-wook, professor of sociology at Chung-Ang University. “The current administration and ruling party, conservative media and New Right groups themselves say they do not deny democracy, but are encouraging ‘far-right terrorism’ by constantly throwing out issues that allow far right groups to engage in radical action.” Meanwhile, in response to the illegal demonstrations in front of the PSPD, police say they will sternly deal with violations of demonstration laws. An official with Jongno Police Station said they have been in the process of acquiring photos of the people who brought dangerous materials, including gas canisters, and threw eggs at the building. He also said in the case of assault, they will investigate if they receive a complaint, and will measure the sound level and punish everyone for violations of protest laws if the noise goes beyond a certain level. [Cheonan] [Human rights] [Buildup]
The Cheonan Incident and Its Impact on the Six-Party Process
Posted Date : 2010-06-04 (IFES Forum No. 10-06-04-1) by Tae-Hwan Kwak, Ph. D (Professor Emeritus, Eastern Kentucky University/ Former President,Korea Institute for National Unification, ROK) The sinking of the Cheonan warship on March 26, 2010 had profoundly negative effects on the peace process on the Korean peninsula and peace and stability in Northeast East Asia. This article aims at evaluating the Cheonan incident and its impact on the six-party process. The Cause of the Cheonan Sinking Incident The ROK’s 1,200-ton naval warship, the Cheonan, broke in two by an explosion, and sank near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea on March 26, killing 46 sailors. Although ROK President Lee Myung-bak initially did not blame North Korea (the DPRK) for the sinking, he vowed to find the cause of the sinking, harshly criticizing Pyongyang amid a growing suspicion in South Korea that the Cheonan might have been hit by a North Korean torpedo. From the beginning, the DPRK has denied any involvement in the Cheonan incident. Since the Cheonan incident, a new “Cold War” has come back to the Korean peninsula. The DPRK was angered by President Lee’s inappropriate comment on a display of fireworks on April 15, the birthday of Kim Il Sung, a national holiday in North Korea. The DPRK on April 23 confiscated five facilities owned by the ROK at a jointly operated Mt. Keungang resort -- a spa, a cultural center, a fire station, a duty-free shop and a reunion center for families separated by the Korean War, and called President Lee a “traitor” and accused him of defaming Kim Il Sung’s birthday. The ROK finally made public on May 20, the findings of a multinational probe into the Cheonan incident in cooperation with experts from five countries -- the U.S., Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and Sweden. The international team which had investigated the cause of the Cheonan sinking for 55 days concluded that the Cheonan sinking was caused by shockwave and bubble effects due to underwater explosion of a North Korean-made medium-sized sonar-tracking torpedo laden with 250 kg of high explosives. While the DPRK has consistently denied any involvement in the incident, the multi-national investigation provided “scientific and objective” evidence supporting North Korean responsibility for the sinking of the Cheonan. In retrospect, the ROK should have included Chinese and Russian experts in the multilateral probe team to support the findings. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
Impartial Discussion on "Cheonan" Case Urged
Pyongyang, June 18 (KCNA) -- The south Korean People for Achieving Peace and Reunification with an organization of Koreans in the United States on June 14 sent a joint letter to the member nations of the UN Security Council requesting an impartial discussion on the case of warship "Cheonan" sinking. It recalled that the opposition parties, many civic and public organizations and non-governmental experts of south Korea are now repeatedly refuting and raising doubts about the "results of investigation" published by the Lee Myung Bak "government" as regards the case. The letter cited facts to prove the injustice of the "story about a torpedo attack," in particular. The letter went on: South Korean non-governmental experts assert that the warship's stranding was the main factor of its sinking as the military authorities reported right after the incident took place. In the West Sea of Korea, the scene of the warship sinking, a submarine of the U.S. navy once collided with a fishing boat, the letter noted, adding that the south Korean people keep expressing suspicions that the warship "Cheonan" might collide with a submarine of the U.S. forces. Recalling that the DPRK is urging the south Korean "government" to accept its proposal for dispatching its inspection group, the letter continued: As even those concerned with the six-party talks are expressing their divergent views on the case, it is a natural order of work to make a scientific and objective clarification of the cause of the case if the UNSC is to discuss the said case. If the UNSC adopts a resolution or a presidential statement and others critical of the DPRK without scientific and objective grounds, this will seriously infringe upon its impartiality and result in disturbing peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the rest of the world, the letter stressed. On June 11, the south Korean Citizens' Solidarity for Democratic Society also sent a similar letter to the UNSC. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
"Cheonan" Case Dismissed as Charade
Pyongyang, June 18 (KCNA) -- Foreign media are bringing the truth about the sinking of warship "Cheonan" into bolder relief, dismissing it as a conspiratorial farce and charade orchestrated by the United States and the south Korean group of traitors to ridicule the world. The Japanese Asia-Pacific newspaper posted on Internet an article titled "Who sank warship 'Cheonan'" on May 24. It said that there happened strange sinking of a submarine near the waters where "Cheonan" sank almost at the same time, noting that the United States and south Korea are busy to keep the sub case into oblivion. Referring to the reason the U.S. is linking the case of "Cheonan" with the DPRK, the article said: The U.S. is in fear of having the trumps it is holding in settling the issue on the Korean Peninsula being taken away following the 2012 transfer of the "right to command the wartime operations" of the U.S. forces in south Korea. The U.S. munitions enterprises do not want to see the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from south Korea leading to the loss of the U.S. supremacy over East Asia but seek to create favorable atmosphere for launching a new war in Korea by taking the advantage of the case of "Cheonan". The recent farce, by all accounts, is aimed to deteriorate the inter-Korean relations and keep the U.S. armed forces in south Korea for an indefinite period. The Russian History Prospect Fund in commentaries posted on Internet on May 31 and June 1 made concrete analysis and estimation of the falsity of "material evidence" presented by the south Korean authorities and impossibility of the "torpedo attack by the DPRK". On June 1 the Russian Internet News Pravaya quoting a U.S. journalist said that the case of "Cheonan" sinking was a sheer charade orchestrated by the United States. The French Internet paper Asia Times in its commentary on June 2 noted that the aim sought by Lee Myung Bak through the case of "Cheonan" sinking was to win "perfect partnership" with the U.S. and use the UN Security Council as a platform for discussing the Korean issue instead of the six-way talks. It also sought to use the case for arousing public interest in his "government" ahead of the "elections to local self-governing bodies" and, furthermore, create "security crisis" and thus secure a pretext of arms buildup and boost "strategic alliance" with the U.S. On June 5 the paper also carried an article dedicated by a U.S. correspondent in Seoul. The article said that the conspiratorial nature of the case of "Cheonan" sinking is being brought to light with each passing day, proving it to be a farce orchestrated by the south Korean authorities. The majority south Korean people dismiss the "conclusion" drawn by the "investigation team" as a sheer lie, considering it as part of Lee Myung Bak's hostile policy toward the DPRK, not a case which was caused by a "torpedo attack" by it, the article noted, adding: There is also a suspicion that the members of the "investigation team" were ordered to keep mum about the case. Also problematic is why "Cheonan" sank at a time when the U.S. and south Korean forces were staging joint military exercises. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
Major eruption of Mt. Baekdu ‘possible’
The crater lake, Cheonji, meaning “sky lake” in Korean, nestles on the top of Mt. Baekdu, the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula. A number of experts raise concerns about a possible eruption of the now dormant volcanic mountain, pressing the South Korean government to prepare itself for such a scenario. / Korea Times file By Park Si-soo Staff reporter The government is paying attention to the possibility of a major eruption of Mt. Baekdu, the 2,744-meter dormant volcano on the border between North Korea and China, which experts here and in China claim has shown signs of becoming active. “Comprehensive countermeasures will be drawn up this year,” a high-ranking official at the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) told The Korea Times, Friday. “To that end, we will soon convene a meeting of volcano experts and officials at related ministries. Plus, we will study volcanoes in China and Japan to enhance our knowledge of the issue.” The official, who declined to be named, added, “The plan will soon be reported to the President.” This is the first time that the KMA has commented on dealing with a possible volcanic eruption of the tallest mountain on the Korean peninsula that could devastate the ailing North Korean economy and have a great impact on South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.
South Korean Navy Unveils the Son Won-il Submarine
By GI Korea on October 22nd, 2008 at 7:09 am » by GI Korea in: ROK Military Another line of defense to sink any Japanese research vessels thinking of invading Dokdo: Lawmakers of the National Assembly Defense Committee aboard the next-generation Korean submarine “Son Won-il” at the port of Pohang Tuesday. They also visited the easternmost islets of Dokdo as part of efforts to inspect the country’s defense posture. [Korea [Military balance]
KSS-II: South Korea Orders 6 More U-214 AIP Submarines
03-Jan-2010 10:01 EST Related Stories: Asia - Other, Contracts - Awards, Engines & Propulsion - Naval, Europe - Other, New Systems Tech, Other Corporation, Submarines Sohn Won-Yil & Nimitz )The German Type 214 was selected by Korea over the French/Spanish Scorpene Class that has been ordered by Chile, India, and Malaysia. Some would argue that U-214s are the most advanced diesel-electric submarines on the market, with an increased diving depth of over 400 meters, an optimized hull and propeller design, ultra-modern internal systems, and an Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system that lets the diesel submarine stay submerged for long periods without needing to surface and snorkel air. [Military balance]
The DP Needs to Grow Up
The EU parliament plans to adopt a resolution on Thursday condemning North Korea for sinking the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan. A draft resolution prepared by the conservative European People's Party and the center-left Socialists and Democrats points out that the torpedo attack against the Cheonan was a provocation that damages peace on the Korean Peninsula. And in the last few weeks, twelve U.S. senators and representatives, including 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain and 2004 Democratic presidential contender John Kerry, issued separate statements saying that North Korea's attack against South Korea is unacceptable. Their statements came on top of a House and Senate resolution regarding the sinking of the Cheonan. Countries in Asia and Latin America have also issued resolutions or statements denouncing North Korea for the attack. Only South Korea's own National Assembly has so far been unable to announce any kind of position on the attack, even though 80 days have passed since the Cheonan sank, because the main opposition Democratic Party is saying that it is not yet 100 percent sure of the results of the multinational investigation and that all suspicions about the sinking must be resolved first. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Human rights] [Softpower]
Military, public getting spooked by North threats
June 18, 2010 Two small security scares reported by the military yesterday demonstrate that South Korea is getting jumpy about threats of war by North Korea. Some critics say that’s what the government wants. A military source told the Joong-Ang Ilbo that the military, together with the police, mobilized a special task force early yesterday morning after it received a report from a resident living in Ansan, South Chung-cheong, that 40 to 50 flying objects resembling parachutes descended on a mountain the previous night. The resident told the military that human movements were also sensed in the area where the objects fell. The military checked radar systems but found nothing, the source said. But in case North Korea was trying to infiltrate, officials sent the report up the chain of command to Defense Minister Kim Tae-young. Kim and Lee Sang-eui, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, then ordered a military task force formed. Lee, who tendered his application for retirement after being accused of drinking heavily on the night of the sinking of the warship Cheonan in March, remains on duty until his successor is confirmed. The source said the flying objects turned out to be balloons from a nearby kindergarten.
That the military and public are worried about an invasion from the North may be what the government wants, some civic groups said. “The government seems to want to control the public and make it easier to pursue its hard-line stance against North Korea,” said an official of the Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea. [Buildup]
SK letter on sinking of Cheonan
Dear Editor Subject: What does it take to go to war? Very Little!! We must prevent a war at all cost..
- Accompanying illustrations
  Click on ppt file
A peek into North Korean spies in courtroom
By Park Si-soo Staff reporter Two men wearing ivory-colored prison uniforms stepped into the courtroom, Wednesday, handcuffed and escorted by seemingly somewhat nervous police officers. Asked of their jobs by presiding Judge Cho Han-chang, one answered in typical North Korean dialect, "I'm an agent of the state Reconnaissance Bureau (in Pyongyang)." The other sitting next to him nodded and said: "Me, too." They were Tong Myung-gwan and Kim Myung-ho - North Korean spies who were caught by South Korea's intelligence agents early this year while attempting to enter Seoul with fake identities as defectors on a mission to assassinate Hwang Jang-yop, the highest ranking defector here who crafted the North's official state ideology "Juche."
Seoul holds 'modern-war scenario' contest
Seoul City will hold a contest for best "modern-war scenarios" by its residents to "promote a public sense of security" as tensions mount over North Korea's attack of a South Korean warship in March, a move raising eyebrows of some civic activists. In a notice put up on its Web site, the city government Thursday asked interested students, adults and public officials to send in their scenarios by June 30 on "what might happen in a modern war." "We planned this contest to enhance a sense of security among citizens, adolescents and civil servants, and use suggestions in future Ulchi drills," the notice said, referring to the annual South Korea-U.S. military maneuver. [SK NK policy] [Buildup]
N.Korea 'Has 180,000 Special Forces Ready to Cross into South'
North Korea operates 40,000 special forces troops, including the 11th or "Storm" Corps whose mission is to infiltrate South Korea and create havoc in case of war. It also has around 10,000 naval special forces and around 5,000 air force soldiers who can cross the border if a war breaks out. The figures were revealed in a speech by former South Korean commander of special operations Kim Yun-suk to fellow veterans at the War Memorial in Seoul. Kim said the Storm Corps, which has been trained to stir up confusion behind enemy lines, is composed of four light infantry, seven airborne and three sniper brigades. And the 4th Corps special forces, stationed on the Ongjin Peninsula close to South Korea's Baeknyeong Islands in the West Sea, consists of 600 scout troops, 600 naval reconnaissance soldiers and around 1,800 naval forces. The North also operates a large amphibious landing force in the region similar to South Korea's Marines [Military balance]
Police investigate humanitarian workers who visited N.Korea in 2007
The workers had received official permission from the government » Kang Hee-rak, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, glances over documents in preparation for a hearing at the National Assembly, March 18. It has been confirmed that police are investigating a number of civilians and public officials who visited North Korea for humanitarian purposes during the Roh Moo-hyun administration after being granted official permission. In December 2009, prosecutors investigated four city council members in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on charges of making a silent prayer in front of a statue of Kim Il-sung. However, this marks the first time civilians and public officials have been investigated after visiting North Korea for humanitarian reasons. The Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency’s security division announced Tuesday that it was investigating 27 members of an Ulsan delegation that visited North Korea from March 16 to 20, 2007, to attend the completion ceremony for a noodle plant in Pyongyang’s Moranbong District. The individuals in question are being investigated for possible violation of positive law, including the National Security Act and Inter-Korean Exchanges and Cooperation Act, the security division said. [Human rights] [SK NK policy]
Conservatives accuse PSPD of anti-state move
Groups ask for prosecutors’ probe after letter to UN June 16, 2010 Three conservative groups yesterday urged a probe into the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy after the progressive nongovernmental civic organization sent a letter to the UN Security Council questioning Seoul’s investigation of the Cheonan disaster. Right Korea, Korean Disabled Veterans’ Association for Agent Orange and the Association of the Korean War Victims’ Families said yesterday that they jointly sent a petition to the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office to demand an investigation into the PSPD. The groups said that in sending the letter, the NGO obstructed the South Korean government’s diplomatic efforts at the UN Security Council to hold North Korea accountable for its provocation in March. The conservatives said the letter benefited the North, an action tantamount to anti-state activity in the South. The PSPD denies the charge. “We will also urge the prosecution to look into the Solidarity’s fund-raising activities,” said Bong Tae-hong, the head of Right Korea. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Human rights]
Supporters of Kim Dae-jung call for upholding inter-Korean accord
By Lee Tae-hoon Staff reporter Followers of the late former President Kim Dae-jung Tuesday called on South and North Korea to avoid any words and actions that may further escalate tension on the Korean Peninsula. In a resolution they adopted during a seminar in Seoul to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the June 15 Inter-Korean Joint Declaration, they also urged the administration to uphold the inter-Korean agreement signed between Kim and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000. [Summit00]
PSPD urges UNHRC pay a special attention on human rights situations in the ROK
Activities/UN Advocacy : 2009/09/01 21:24
The PSPD submitted a written statement to the 12th of the UN Human Rights Council on agenda item4. ‘human rights situations that require the Council’s attention.’ The PSPD showed the serious violations of the human rights and the right to freedom of opinion and expression of public servants, media journalists and human rights defenders under the Lee Myung-bak government in the republic of Korea (South Korea). [Human rights]
The PSPD's Stance on the Naval Vessel Cheonan Sinking
PSPD Issue Report IR-20100601 PSPD Center for Peace and Disarmament, June 1. 2010 written by Junghye Kwak , Huisun Kim , Taeho Lee
Contents Article 1.` p3 The PSPD's Stance on the Final Investigation Report on the Cheonan and the countering measures of the Lee Myung-bak administration Article 2. p10 Eight Questions Needing Answers on the Investigation of the Sunken Naval Corvette Cheonan Article 3. p21 Six Problems on the Investigation Process of the Cheonan Sinking [Cheonan] Coverup] {human rights]
[Cheonan Warship Report3]
Six Problems on the Investigation Process of the Cheonan Sinking [Cheonan] [Coverup]
[Cheonan Warship Report2]
Eight Questions Needing Answers on the Investigation of the Sunken Naval Corvette Cheonan [Cheonan] [Coverup]
N.Korean culpability or fuzzy politics?
Anthony DiFilippo, Professor of Sociology, Lincon University Taking place near the disputed waters surrounding the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea, the sinking of the Cheonan tragically took the lives of more than forty South Korean sailors. Two days after the Cheonan sank, a senior South Korean official stated that it did not appear that North Korea had been responsible for the tragedy; at the time, Washington concurred. At least one report immediately after the Cheonan met its horrible fate was that a South Korean Coast Guard captain involved in the rescue operations was told by his command to head to the site because the warship had run aground. However, very soon after the tragedy, speculation was rife that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) deliberately launched the attack that brought down the Cheonan.
None of what has been said here is meant to contend that Pyongyang was not responsible for sinking the Cheonan. What is being said is that North Korea really had nothing to gain by committing such an egregiously aggressive act. [Cheonan] [Evidence] [Motive]
Unification minister to skip event commemorating inter-Korean summit
Attendance by key officials at the annual event has been steadily dropping off since the beginning of the Lee administration » Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, center, enters the press conference hall at the Ministry of Unification, May 24. Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, the chief government official handling inter-Korean relations, made the decision not to attend an event Tuesday commemorating the tenth anniversary of the June 15 inter-Korean summit. This marks the second time a Unification Minister has not attended a June 15 commemorative event since the Lee Myung-bak administration came into office. The June 15 Inter-Korean Summit 10th Anniversary Commemorative Event Committee plans to hold an academic conference and dinner Tuesday afternoon at Seoul’s Grand Hilton Hotel, with the motto, “Let Us Return to June 15.” During a briefing Monday morning, Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said, “Due to previously scheduled events, the minister and vice minister Uhm Jong-sik are currently unable to attend the June 15 Joint Declaration tenth anniversary commemorative event organized by the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center.” [Summit00] [SK NK policy] [Lee Myung-bak]
[Editorial] Time for reflection over the state of inter-Korean relations
The June 15 Joint Declaration greets its 10th anniversary with an unprecedented degree of deterioration in inter-Korean relations. The situation is so critical that, far from holding an inter-Korean event to commemorate the day, we instead must worry about the possibility of the outbreak of warfare. This situation urgently calls for a change in frame of mind of North Korean and South Korean authorities, and in particular the South Korean government, which holds the key to improving relations. The June 15 Joint Declaration was an historic document, the first signed in a direct meeting between the leaders of North Korea and South Korea since the Korean War. It provided the foundation for transcending a half-century’s worth of distrust and antagonism and ushering in a new era of reconciliation and cooperation. [Summit00] [SK NK policy] [Lee Myung-bak]
Outgoing general Lee sues newspaper for libel
06-14-2010 15:36 South Korea's top military officer said Monday he filed a libel lawsuit against a newspaper for carrying a report alleging he falsified a document to avoid responsibility for the deadly sinking of a warship blamed on North Korea. The suit by Gen. Lee Sang-eui, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came a day after he submitted his application for retirement amid criticism that he allegedly neglected some of his duties when the 1,200-ton Cheonan was attacked. "Even after I retire, I will sternly deal with this matter," Lee told reporters. "I filed the complaint in court today," he said, without identifying the name of the newspaper that he says defamed him. [Cheonan] [ROK military]
Politics in Command: The "International" Investigation into the Sinking of the Cheonan and the Risk of a New Korean War
John McGlynn
Introduction On May 20, South Korea's defense ministry made public a short statement on the "international" investigation into the sinking of the South Korean warship, the Cheonan, on March 26, which left 46 sailors dead. U.S. South Korean officials, along with major western news organizations, have been describing this statement as a "report," but since a) the authors of the document describe it as a "statement," b) the document's contents consist of several pages of description of physical evidence (visual aid supplements relating to the evidence are not included in the document but have been made available separately by South Korea's defense ministry) along with unverifiable assertions and conclusions, and c) only the 5-page document rather than a rumored 400-page version has been made public, "statement" seems a more accurate description than "report" and will be used in this article.
However, the section of the 5-page statement that blames North Korea for the Cheonan sinking suggests that Sweden did not endorse this conclusion, and in absenting itself, required that a new group be constituted. However, the section of the 5-page statement that blames North Korea for the Cheonan sinking suggests that Sweden did not endorse this conclusion, and in absenting itself, required that a new group be constituted.
Eccles: "The international team in close cooperation with the Republic of Korea Joint investigative group worked both in a collaborative way, very closely together, and also employing our separate tools and methods so we were able, before the torpedo debris was found, If this comment is accurate, Eccles is saying the international team, including the U.S. representatives, did not work with the torpedo evidence. Rather, they completed their investigation before the torpedo debris was found. The second section of the 5-page document describing North Korean responsibility for the Cheonan’s sinking rests heavily on the torpedo evidence. Since the international team did not have access to the torpedo debris, we can only conjecture on the basis for its findings. In the end, it seems the international team merely rubber stamped a South Korean conclusion of North Korean guilt. But since Sweden was not one of the rubber stamping countries, possibly because it dissented from the guilty finding, the MCITF may have been contrived to bypass Swedish objections and at the same time preserve an aura of international impartiality. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
Cheonan Investigators: N.Korean Torpedo Caused Cheonan's Sinking
The joint civilian-military investigation group has concluded that a torpedo attack by North Korea caused the South Korean naval ship Cheonan to sink in the West Sea this March.
Interview : Admiral Thomas Eccles, US representative Cheonan Investigation Team] "The international team in close cooperation with the Republic of Korea Joint investigative group worked both in a collaborative way, very closely together, and also employing our separate tools and methods so we were able, before the torpedo debris was found, to analyze the evidence with experts, eyewitness and calculated and analytical methods, in all of those, we found an agreement, both within the Republic of Korea and all of the international team." [Cheonan] [Coverup]
How South Korean ship was sunk
Page last updated at 10:44 GMT, Thursday, 20 May 2010 11:44 UK By John Sudworth BBC News, Seoul Teams have salvaged the wreckage of the Cheonan from the sea bed It might seem odd that it has taken a six-week-long investigation to produce proof of something as catastrophic as a torpedo strike on a warship. When it finally came, it was in dramatic form. A few bits of rusty scrap metal, unveiled in front of the assembled reporters at a press conference marking the publication of the investigation report. Ever since the South Korean warship, the Cheonan, was split in half by an explosion and began sinking in the darkness with the loss of 46 lives, North Korea has been the prime suspect. But why has it been so difficult to prove?
So the fact that North Korea was not caught in the act has meant that the investigation team has had to embark on a painstaking and slow process, attempting to piece together what happened by examining the shattered wreck of the ship, salvaged in two pieces from the sea bed.
The investigation itself was given an added air of impartiality by the presence of 24 foreign experts from America, Australia, Britain and Sweden. They are all said to support the conclusions reached. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Media]
Anti-Base Movements in South Korea: Comparative Perspective on the Asia-Pacific
Andrew Yeo Much recent discussion on anti-base opposition in the Asia-Pacific has focused on island-wide protests against the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma.1 By uniting in mass demonstrations against the construction of a new U.S. base, and by staging a multi-year round the clock demonstration at the proposed site of the new base, Okinawans put pressure squarely on Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to keep his campaign pledge to move Futenma air base off the island.2 However, shortly after the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan, which South Korea and the U.S. charge was the work of a torpedo launched by a North Korean submarine, Hatoyama reversed his pledge. The Japanese government bowed to U.S. pressure, agreeing to move forward with earlier plans to relocate Futenma within Okinawa to smooth over U.S.-Japan relations. Recent scrutiny of U.S.-Japan base realignment and Okinawan anti-base opposition has overshadowed U.S. military issues in South Korea. As others have argued, the struggle in Okinawa represents only one facet of the larger global struggle against U.S. bases.3 While this article focuses on U.S. base issues in South Korea, base relocation issues in the Asia-Pacific are linked together by U.S. strategic plans for the region, and more broadly, U.S. global force posture and realignment.4 They are also linked by the growing international network of anti-base forces that has spread across the Pacific and beyond. It thus makes sense to put South Korean anti-base movements in comparative perspective with ongoing base issues in Okinawa and Guam. This article is divided into three sections. The first section provides an overview of two major South Korean anti-base movement episodes of the past decade. The second section compares the effectiveness of the two campaigns. The third section then assesses anti-base movements and U.S. military issues in light of other developments taking place in the Asia-Pacific. [US global strategy] [Imperialism] [Bases]
Girl Bands to Assist in 'Psychological Warfare'
The Defense Ministry is apparently minded to use songs and music videos by manufactured girl bands such as Girls' Generation, Wonder Girls, After School, Kara and 4minute in so-called psychological warfare against North Korea. An official in charge of psy ops at the Joint Chiefs of Staff said no decision has been made so far. "It will take months to set up the big screens to use in psychological warfare operations and a wide range of contents will be shown," the official said. "I don't know whether songs by girl groups will be included, but there is that chance since pop songs were used in the past." But he added the content of propaganda broadcasts will not be limited to girl bands. [SK NK policy] [[Psychowar]
Uncertainties Hobble S.Korea's Response to Cheonan Sinking
South Korea's response to North Korea's sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan is being increasingly blunted after encountering resistance on all fronts. President Lee Myung-bak announced a list of steps against North Korea over the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan in an address to the nation on May 24, but counter-threats from North Korea and lack of support from China have thrown a spanner in the works. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
Leftwing Activist Defies Law to Visit N.Korea
The Rev. Han Sang-ryeol (center) hugs a North Korean official on arrival at Sunan Airport in Pyongyang on Saturday. /[North] Korean Central News Agency-Yonhap A leftwing activist pastor arrived in North Korea on an unauthorized trip Saturday. North Korea's official KCNA news agency said the Rev. Han Sang-ryeol, a "pro-unification activist," was welcomed at Pyongyang airport by members of North Korea's Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration led by chairman An Kyong-ho "with compatriotic love." [Human rights] [Religion]
Former first lady hopes to meet with Kim Jong-il
Lee Hee-ho, widow of late President Kim Dae-jung, says Lee Myung-bak and Kim Jong-il should adhere to the June 15 Joint Declaration Lee Hee-ho, the 88-year-old president of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center and widow of the former South Korean president, has stated that if possible, she would like to travel to Pyongyang to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. During a special interview Friday at her home in the Donggyo neighborhood of Seoul’s Mapo District, held to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration, Lee said, “I wish to say that it would be good if Chairman Kim Jong-il observed the terms of the agreement” in regards to the June 15 Joint Declaration of 2000. [Summit00] [Lee Myung-bak]
S.Korean activist visits Pyongyang despite government ban
Reverend Han Sang-ryeol traveled to N.Korea to commemorate the June 15 Joint Declaration and discuss inter-Korean relations » Reverend Han Sang-ryeol, standing advisor of the Korea Alliance for Progressive Movement, receives flowers upon arrival in Pyongyang to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration, June 12. Han traveled to Pyongyang in violation of a government ban. Although the Lee Myung-bak administration has banned South Koreans from visiting North Korea with the exception of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and Kumgang Mountains, Reverend Han Sang-ryeol, standing advisor of the Korea Alliance for Progressive Movement, visited Pyongyang Saturday without government permission. [Peace efforts] [Human rights]
Serious missteps in response to Cheonan sinking require an apology
[Editorial] It has come to light that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lee Sang-eui was severely intoxicated on the evening of the Cheonan’s sinking. This revelation has raised serious doubts about the military’s crisis response posture and discipline, and naturally demands a thorough investigation and disclosure of the facts, as well as a stern reprimand.? [Cheonan] [ROK military]
Beer, 'makgeolli' duke it out
By Kim Tong-hyung Staff reporter The increasing sales of makgeolli, the cloudy Korean traditional rice wine, had beer producers raising their pints in misery. However, the FIFA World Cup, the raging global party that comes once every four years, now appears to have the companies back in high spirits. The country's major beer brands, including Cass, OB and Hite, are competing to introduce new products and engage in lavish marketing campaigns to exploit the lucrative window provided by the planet's most-watched sporting event.
N.K threatens to destroy S.K loudspeakers, turn Seoul into 'sea of flame'
June 12, 2010 North Korea's military threatened Saturday that it will destroy South Korean propaganda loudspeakers along its border and may even turn Seoul into a "sea of flame," in the strongest warning yet against Seoul's plan to resume anti-Pyongyang broadcasts.
S. Korean pastor arrives in N. K. on unauthorized trip
2010-06-12 21:44 A South Korean pastor arrived in North Korea Saturday to attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of a historic inter-Korean summit, the North's media said, a trip unauthorized by Seoul, according to news reports. The reverend, Han Sang-ryeol, apparently flew into Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, by way of Beijing, Yonhap News reported. The South Korean was greeted by members of North Korea's Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration, including committee chairman An Kyong-ho, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, referring to a joint statement leaders of the two Koreas issued after a 2000 summit. Han and many other South Korean activists had requested government permission for a trip to Pyongyang for an annual joint ceremony commemorating the first-ever summit, but Seoul refused to give clearance after an international probe concluded that the communist nation torpedoed a South Korean warship in March, killing 46 sailors. Under national secuirty law, all South Koreans need government permission for a trip to North Korea. [Summit00] [Human rights] [Religion]
Netizens Question Cause of Cheonan Tragedy
Online media challenge claims that North Korea is responsible for sinking the Cheonan Ronda Hauben (netizen2) Email Article Print Article Published 2010-06-08 11:49 (KST) The South Korean government headed by Lee Myung-bak is trying to dispel criticism that its accusation that North Korea is responsible for the sinking on March 26 of the Cheonan warship is politically motivated and a cover-up or possible false flag operation. On May 20, the South Korean government presented as incontestable fact its conclusion that the warship Cheonan split in two and sank because of hostile action by North Korea. Online discussion seriously challenged that presentation. Perhaps not coincidentally, May 20, the day of the presentation coincided with the date when campaigning for the June 2 provincial and local elections was to officially begin. The military communication logs show that the first message from the Cheonan of trouble said "aground on rocks". The ship was in shallow waters. Similarly, numerous early statements by both South Korean and US officials assured the public that North Korea was not involved with the incident. [Cheonan] [Coverup] .
Wide-ranging incompetence and cover-ups took place night of Cheonan sinking, audit reveals
A number of observers believe that the announcement of audit results only presented an abbreviated version of the findings It has come to light that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lee Sang-eui was heavily intoxicated on the night of March 26 when the sinking of the Cheonan took place. This represented an effective surrender of his command responsibilities. It was also revealed that military authorities willfully revised the time of the incident in order to avoid criticisms about an improper early response and edited only a portion of its thermal optical device (TOD) videos for disclosure to the media in order to justify the erroneous announcement of the time. The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) released an interim announcement Thursday on the findings of its inspection of the response to the sinking of the Cheonan. [Cheonan] [ROK Military]
[Editorial] Uncovering the truth about the Cheonan
Yesterday, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) announced the findings of its inspection of the response to the Cheonan sinking. While BAI did expose issues with the military’s response, the audit only raises the question of whether it is avoiding key issues and attempting to bring the incident to a neat close. The findings were a disappointment that prompt one to question the BAI’s overall genuineness and responsibility. According to the announcement, not one of the core command organizations - the Navy Second Fleet Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or the Defense Ministry -fulfilled its proper function according to rules and regulations at the time of the incident. All of them made mistakes, such as being slow in reporting and failing to communicate the entire extent of the situation. Moreover, the soldiers in these command positions routinely lied and willfully altered the time and cause of the incident. If such problems exist in the military command, the people cannot expect the military as a whole to demonstrate proper operational capabilities. The command’s lying and story changing are even more worthy of censure. Given that the government carried out its investigation into the cause of the sinking with the military at the helm, leaving this very command in place, it stands to reason that skepticism over the findings would continue unabated. Assuming the government’s investigation into the cause was accurate in its findings, the key question is what the military was doing up until a North Korean submersible infiltrated South Korean waters with the military might of South Korea and the U.S. spread far and wide engaged in joint training exercises. In other words, taking precedence over the follow-up measures after inspection, it was a determination of inspection to investigate why the overall failure in alertness occurred and where responsibility lay. However, BAI concluded the problem was “failing to exercise appropriate measures, including strengthened antisubmarine capabilities, with the Cheonan and its inadequate submersible response capabilities positioned near Baengnyeong Island.” This is truly incomprehensible. The Cheonan had equipment such as sound detectors on board and specialized in antisubmarine operations. BAI simply accepted the military’s self-exculpatory claim that the Cheonan’s response capabilities were inadequate. This is why it appears to many that BAI was trying to express a neat resolution the incident rather than determine the truth. As a result, BAI excluded the captain of the Cheonan from its list of people to receive disciplinary action. This goes against the general principle of holding the entire upper command line to account, including the head of the unit in question, when there has been a failure in alertness. In light of this, one cannot help drawing the conclusion that political considerations played a part in the Cheonan inspection. There have even been allegations that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lee Sang-eui was unable to fulfill his role as military commander properly because he was intoxicated at the time of the accident. This still remains a question in spite of the BAI’s announcement. In the immediate wake of the incident, President Lee Myung-bak personally handled the rescue operation and national security response posture, presiding over four meetings of national security-related ministers. But there was a severe problem of inefficiency, as rescue equipment and workers were not dispatched promptly. Even though inadequacies were revealed in the response of the president, the commander-in-chief of the military, and in the national crisis management system linking the Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) with the relevant organizations, the BAI inspection steered clear of making any mention of this. Far from determining the truth about the incident and the distribution of responsibility, this inspection has actually left us with more questions and unresolved issues. In essence, every problem that was dreaded since the time the BAI embarked on this inspection has come to the fore. In light of such an inept response, one cannot expect to glean any lesson that could stop similar incidents from happening in the future either. We cannot simply accept these findings and move on. A National Assembly special committee, or a body of that nature, should carry out a thorough examination of the both the BAI’s inspection findings and the findings of the joint civilian-military team’s investigation into the cause of the sinking. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [ROK military]
The general, booze and the Cheonan
June 12, 2010 Was the nation’s top military commander drunk on the night of the Cheonan’s sinking? The Hankyoreh newspaper reported yesterday that General Lee Sang-eui, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, abandoned his post because he was too intoxicated when the Navy warship sank near the inter-Korean border on March 26. Following the report, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Board of Audit and Inspection said yesterday that General Lee had, indeed, consumed alcohol, but managed to be in control. [Cheonan] [ROK military]
JCS chief accused of faking document on ship sinking
State auditors Friday accused Gen. Lee Sang-eui, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), of being absent from the defense ministry's main command and control center on the night of March 26 when a South Korean Navy ship sank in the West Sea. The JCS chief is also suspected of pretending that he was present at the control center throughout the night using a falsified document, according to officials at the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI). [Cheonan] [ROK military
A New Emphasis on Operations Against South Korea?.
By Joseph S. Bermudez Jr
During the past twenty years, North Korea’s intelligence and internal security community’s organization has undergone numerous changes, most designed to secure the power and position of Kim Jong Il and to deal with increasing levels of unrest and corruption within the civilian population and the military. Recent changes during 2009-2010—the most dramatic reorganization in years—seem to have been implemented to unify all the intelligence and internal security services directly under the National Defense Commission (NDC) and to secure the position of Kim Jong Il’s son, Kim Jung Un, as his successor. In a 38 North special report, “A New Emphasis on Operations against South Korea: A Guide to North Korea’s Intelligence Reorganization and the General Reconnaissance Bureau,” Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. offer his insights into the North’s restructuring of its intelligence community, with specific focus on the bureau thought to be responsible for the sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan. [MISCOM] [Intelligence] [Cheonan]
South Korean Clown College Now In Session on Cheonan Sinking Pathetic.
China Hand
That's the only word to describe the Board of Audit report on the Cheonan sinking response.
I think the audit is pathetic. I'm willing to believe that a North Korean mini-sub shadowed by a full-sized sub sank the Cheonan, even though the attack occurred against a modern ASW corvette, allegedly offshore of a joint U.S.-ROK ASW base, in waters with currents so violent that half of the Cheonan wreck was swept almost four miles away before it hit the bottom. I'm also willing to believe that the South Korean military had a less-than-slam-dunk evidentiary case, and wouldn't be above using what bent cops in the U.S. call a "throwdown piece"--pitching a North Korean torpedo screw in the ocean to put the onus on the NORKs. I do not believe that, in the aftermath of the sinking of an ROK naval vessel that claimed 46 lives, the Second Naval Command would suppress the story that its ship had alertly shelled a retreating submarine and instead lie to their Joint Chiefs of Staff that they idiotically fired on a flock of birds. The audit looks more like an effort to plug some embarrassing holes in the official narrative and provide some pre-emptive sunshine inoculation to some questionable actions--including the ROK military's apparently serial enthusiasm for falsifying crucial records. Add to chain-of-custody issues rumors that the survivors of the Cheonan have been sequestered to keep them from talking to the press, and the fact that the fuel is continually added to "friendly fire" allegation by shifting stories on the status of the Foal Eagle joint US-ROK military exercise (I believe the most recent reports have operations going on 75 miles away--just over the horizon, darn it!-- on the night of the incident), the South Koreans do not have a particularly sweet-smelling dossier to hand over the UN Security Council. I wonder if the ROK report on the Cheonan would stand up to intense, critical scrutiny--of the kind that Israel's assault on the Mavi Marmara would receive--at the UN Security Council. Maybe that's why South Korea isn't asking for censure or condemnation and may just settle for a grumpy letter from the president of the UNSC--their case is far from airtight. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
S.Koreans Banned From Attending 6.15 Event in NK
Write 2010-06-09 16:53:19 Update 2010-06-09 19:47:44 The Unification Ministry is prohibiting South Koreans from going to North Korea to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the signing of the June 15th Joint Declaration. The ministry recently rejected a South Korean group's request to travel to the North to attend the ceremony marking the signing in Pyongyang. The ministry said it could now allow the trip due to heightened inter-Korean tensions over the sinking of the Cheonan. Representatives from South and North Korea and overseas Korean communities had planned to hold a joint ceremony in Pyongyang after holding working-level contacts in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong in May. [Summit00] [Lee Myung-bak]
The Military Needs to Be Knocked into Shape
The Board of Audit and Inspection has recommended that 25 people, including 13 high-ranking military officers, face disciplinary action. The Navy corvette Cheonan was attacked by a torpedo at 9:22 p.m. on March 26, but the BAI probe reveals that the sinking was not reported to the Joint Chiefs of Staff until 9:45 p.m., while the head of the JCS was informed at 10:11 p.m. and the defense minister at 10:24 p.m. It took 23 minutes until the incident was reported to the JCS, 49 minutes until it reached the head of the JCS and 62 minutes until the defense minister was told. The JCS then claimed that the attack took place at 9:45 p.m., and omitted to mention that an explosion was heard on Baeknyeong Island near the scene of the incident. The Second Naval Command was told by the captain of the Cheonan that the ship appeared to have been hit by a torpedo but did not mention this to officials higher up in the chain of command. At around 11 p.m., the Cheonan's sister ship Sokcho, which had been dispatched to the scene, fired scores of rounds at a fast-moving object in the water and reported that it appeared to be a new type of North Korean semi-submersible. But the command ordered the Sokcho crew to say in their report to the JCS that they had fired at "a flock of birds." The BAI said the command disobeyed regulations stipulating that the initial situation report must not contain assumptions or omissions. The BAI said the facts were distorted because officials were afraid of being punished for failing to respond properly. [Cheonan] [Evidence] [ROK military]
Watchdog Blasts Military Over Handling of Cheonan Sinking
An inquiry into the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan has revealed that military brass distorted or concealed information in reporting the incident, thereby contributing to a confused response and fanning suspicion among the public. The 2nd Naval Fleet Command was first informed by the captain of the Cheonan at 9:53 p.m. on March 26 that the ship appeared to have been hit by a torpedo, but it failed to pass this information to the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the headquarters of the Navy's operations command, the Board of Audit and Inspection said Thursday. The captain made his report 31 minutes after the Cheonan began to sink at 9:22 p.m. based on observations by the crew. But the 2nd Naval Command deliberately omitted the information in its report to the JCS and Naval operations command, resulting in erroneous decisions in the early stages of the attack. The omission also gave way to widespread rumors that the Cheonan crashed into a reef or split in half due to metal fatigue. The JCS in turn distorted crucial information in its briefing to Defense Minister Kim Tae-young. Having been informed by the Navy's operations command that a sailor aboard the Cheonan had "heard an explosion," it omitted to mention this in its briefing to the defense minister and the media. The explosion would have pointed to a torpedo attack, but the minister had to act without that information. The JCS also told the defense minister the ship sank at 9:45 p.m., even though it was told by the Navy operations command that it happened at 9:15 p.m. The Cheonan actually began sinking at 9:22 p.m. "Military officers deliberately left out or distorted key information in their report to senior officials and the public because they wanted to avoid being held to account for being unprepared," a BAI official said. The BAI asked the defense minister to take disciplinary action against 23 military officers and two high-ranking Defense Ministry staff for failing to ensure combat readiness and other mistakes in reporting and dealing with the situation. The results of the audit, conducted at the request of the defense minister, will be reflected in next week's promotions of top officers. [Cheonan] [Evidence]
Watchdog Sees No Merit in 'Flock of Birds' Story
The Board of Audit and Inspection on Thursday said there is no very good reason to believe that the Sokcho, the nearest warship to the scene of the sinking of the ill-fated corvette Cheonan, fired at a flock of birds rather than a submarine on the day the Cheonan sank in the West Sea. The military said the Sokcho had initially thought its target was a North Korean submarine fleeing after attacking the Cheonan and fired 135 shots with 76-mm cannon. However, the military claimed close investigation of the radar tracking device revealed that the shape sailors saw was a flock of birds. The BAI's assessment is apparently based on testimony of sailors that the Second Naval Command ordered them to change their stories. The Sokcho initially reported to the Second Naval Command that sailors saw what appeared to be a new type of North Korean submarine, but the command ordered officers to change their testimony to a flock of birds in a briefing to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on March 27. The BAI pointed out that military regulations ban speculation, addition or omission in initial reports to higher authorities. "Even during the audit, officers on the Sokcho did not change their opinion that it was a submarine and insisted that the radar tracking device did not show the image that could seen as a flock of birds," a BAI official said. "It is hard to understand how the change was made in reporting procedure." He added the board believes the command acted out of fear of punishment over failing to take proper action in the initial stages after the sinking. [Cheonan] [Evidence]
Military found inept, lying in responding to Cheonan
Audit board’s withering report withholds certain facts June 11, 2010 Lee Sang-eui The military leadership’s reactions on the night of the Cheonan’s sinking in March were shoddy and sloppy and it tried covering up its bungled crisis management, according to an audit board investigation announced yesterday. Not only was the military unprepared to counter a provocation, it also omitted a crucial piece of information about a suspected torpedo attack when reporting the incident up the chain of command, the Board of Audit and Inspection said in its report. The report criticized the military’s slow and flawed responses and its careless disclosure of confidential information. [Cheonan] [Evidence] [ROK military]
N.Korea 'beauty' in propaganda video hot on Internet
Park Jin-joo, who introduces herself as a student of Pyongyang Teachers’ University in a propaganda video clip circulating online, is seen in this photo captured from a website. By Lee Hyo-sik Staff reporter An online video clip featuring an attractive female university student from North Korea promoting the communist regime's propaganda, has been drawing attention among the Internet community here. They are not interested in the content of the North's propaganda slogans that she speaks about. Instead they are making many comments about her looks, calling her North Korea's "eoljjang" or top beauty.
Seoul Treads Softly in Resuming Cross-Border Propaganda
The military reinstalled loudspeakers for propaganda broadcasts across the demilitarized zone to North Korea at 11 locations by Wednesday, mostly in places where they cannot be seen from the North Korean side. A military source said the loudspeakers were installed chiefly at night in locations that cannot be clearly seen from North Korean guard posts given the North's threat to fire at them. "Some people are worried that it has become too difficult to resume the propaganda broadcasts at all," another source said. "But while we're definitely going to resume them, the programs will focus on content like music that will not upset the North too much." The Army has put AN-TPQ 36 and 37 artillery radars and K-9 self-propelled guns with a range of 40 km on emergency standby in case the North attacks the installations. In that case the military aims to strike the North Korean bases or artillery batteries that have fired at loudspeakers. Authorities plan to install loudspeakers in about another 20 locations. [SK NK policy]
[Column] A chance to eliminate North Wind politics
Kim Ji-seok, Chief Editorial Writer The outcome of the June 2 regional elections has summoned winds of change greater than some general elections in terms of major policies, the power structure and institutions of democracy. Directly speaking, core policies of the Lee Myung-bak administration such as the Sejong City Development Plan revisions and the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project are now the subject of debate. Also noteworthy, however, is the collapse of the “national security politics” framework uncritically rehashed time and time again over the past several decades. The words “No North Korea effect was observed” do not fully capture the extent of the change. Many voters not only avoided allowing themselves to be swayed by the “Cheonan storm” the administration tried to foment, they actively rejected it. The attitude among voters was as unprecedented as the tragedy that befell the Cheonan. The message sent by the voters of South Korea was twofold. On one hand, it reflected a careful determination regarding claims about the North Korea threat. Even if North Korea did attack the Cheonan, it does not change the reality of the already enormous difference in national might between North Korea and South Korea. [Cheonan] [Manipulation] [Military balance] [Threat] [North wind]
- [Viewpoint] Confusion marked local election
  Voters were confronted with information overload, which affected the outcome of the local election. June 07, 2010 Last Wednesday was extremely long. The nail-biting ballot count that kept election watchers up all night was as dramatic as any action film and as tense as a down-to -the-wire sports game. The election results were surprising in all aspects. They confounded expectations of a low turnout as 54.5 percent of registered voters went to the polls, while they dashed the predictions of political analysts and opinion surveys. The circumstances had pointed to a sure win for the ruling conservative party due to security concerns in the wake of North Korea’s attack on the naval warship Cheonan and relatively weak solidarity among opposition candidates. As a result, the election outcome was seen as a defeat for the conservative ruling party and a triumphant comeback for the liberal opposition camp. The same political pundits and media that bet on a landslide victory for the Grand National Party now lashed out at the GNP for its failure. They accused the GNP of expecting a free ride on the “North wind” of national security concerns and for discounting the unfathomable loyalty of voters to the late President Roh Moo-hyun. [North wind] [Roh Moo-hyun]
- Eyes on local polls, parties squabble over ‘north wind’
  May 25, 2010 The main opposition Democratic Party criticized President Lee’s Myung-bak’s response to the North’s attack on the Cheonan as a bid to influence the June local elections. Liberal-leaning civic groups also criticized the president’s televised address while conservative groups urged the government to be strong against the North. DP chairman Chung Sye-kyun said the president is trying to fan the so-called “northern wind,” or anti-North Korea sentiment, “just nine days before the elections.” [Cheonan] [North wind]
- [Viewpoint] Don’t let history repeat itself
  History is there to be learned. We should not repeat the vain factional dispute that destroyed the Joseon Dynasty. May 24, 2010 The government officially declared that our naval warship Cheonan was sunk in a North Korean torpedo attack, backing it up with overwhelming forensic evidence. Now we can finally put an end to the dispute over this whodunnit and seek ways to make North Korea apologize and promise never to attempt such a provocation again. And yet we can’t shake off the sinking feeling that the investigation and its conclusion will rekindle arguments that will unsettle our society because the announcement came as the campaign for the upcoming local elections reached its peak. There are many candidates who have been vigorously protective of North Korea and are campaigning against connecting the Cheonan sinking to the North. In principle, a country’s security affairs are a common goal of all citizens which shouldn’t be exploited for electioneering purposes or political advantage. But some say the conservative Grand National Party will benefit from the so-called “northern wind,” or anti-North Korea sentiment inflamed by its act of aggression. [Cheonan] [North wind]
- [Viewpoint] Jump off this bandwagon
  Koreans can be prone to take false ideas and run with them. In the case of the Cheonan, we must wait for facts. May 20, 2010 Do you remember the name Kim Dae-eop? It took me a while to recall him. Kim is the man who stirred up the wave of political madness at the time of the 2002 presidential election. The craziness began five years before that, when Lee Hoi-chang ran for president as the Grand National Party’s candidate. Following accusations that his two sons had dodged the draft, Lee’s popularity plummeted, and he lost the election.
  Rumors have swirled since the Navy warship Cheonan was sunk on March 26, but the government has been insistent that rather than jumping to conclusions, the public should wait for the results of the international probe. Those results are expected today. And yet, some have long tried to point in a strange direction for the cause of the naval tragedy.
  The Democratic Party has said the probe was controlled by the government and it will not accept the outcome. A member of the investigation team recommended by the opposition party fabricated rumors that the Cheonan had hit another ship, which would likely be identified as a U.S. warship. He also said the Cheonan sunk due to a serious shock because it tried to sail backward after it was destroyed. The investigative team had made interim announcements disclosing its findings that explosives found in the debris indicated that the Cheonan was destroyed by an external explosion. So why was a member of this same team making this fiction public? An opposition candidate for the Gyeonggi governorship was another who claimed that the Cheonan had not been destroyed by an explosion, and insisted that some newspapers were reporting false information in order to stir up public fear of North Korea. Who is writing these fictions? The people who blazon fabrications regarding the Cheonan’s sinking and spark a new madness are clearly a dark force. As long as there are those who try to instigate political madness, Korean society won’t be able to make a step forward. [North wind] [Cheonan] [Coverup]
- Blown down by a north wind
  May 19, 2010 The Cheonan case poses a dilemma for the left, caught between the need for bipartisanship to address the security crisis and the haunting memory of North Korea turning the tide in elections. Liberals have reason to fear a “North Korean wind,” whether natural or artificial.
  During the 1987 presidential election campaign, a North Korean terrorist attack on a Korean Air passenger jet hit opposition candidates Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung hard. Ten years later, the Agency for National Security Planning attempted to cook up a northerly wind by claiming candidate Kim Dae-jung received political funds from North Korea. The opposition weathered that fake storm well. But now a new wind blows from the North, and the opposition must steer a careful course between its hope for reconciliation and the reality that we are still technically at war. If it keeps its eyes on reality and is guided by reason, it will be able to ride out the turbulence. But so far, its approach to the crisis has been disappointing. It has denied North Korea’s role from the beginning, even as evidence turns against them. Representative Kim Hyo-suk, who chairs the Democratic Party’s special fact-finding committee on the Cheonan case and leads the resistance against the northerly wind, said that the party won’t accept the conclusions of a joint civilian-military team to be released Thursday because the team was led by the government. Why did the party recommend a member in the first place? The team has civilian and military experts, including specialists from the United States, Australia and Sweden. How can it be branded as government-led? Does the party also suspect the foreign community? Rhyu Si-min, aide of the late President Roh Moo-hyun and opposition candidate for Gyeonggi governor in the June 2 elections, claimed reports of an attack on the Cheonan were fiction. The investigation team tentatively concluded the Cheonan was sunk by external explosives, but Rhyu still claimed it was a conspiracy. He then attacked the government, saying the authorities must be accountable if North Korea is found to have been involved. He blamed the government, not the party that actually carried out the attack. Voters will determine whether this is a conspiracy or liberals are simply shaking in fear from a real northern threat. The Cheonan crisis is already a turning point for inter-Korean relations. It will be another tragedy if we allow it to divide our society - exactly what the enemy wants. The government and ruling party, too, must not be tempted to use this political momentum. If the team on Thursday exaggerates the findings, they will bring friction in society and scorn from the global community. All sides must accept scientific evidence and let reason guide them. [Cheonan] [North Wind]
Military spy gave away U.S.-Korean war blueprint
June 10, 2010 Top military secrets, including a U.S.-South Korea war plan to counter a North Korean invasion, may have been given to Pyongyang by a South Korean Army major general spy, according to an investigation by military authorities. The major general, only identified as Kim, was being questioned by military authorities on charges of providing top confidential information to North Korea. The Defense Security Command asked the military’s General Court Martial to issue a detention warrant against Kim on Tuesday. Among the information that Kim may have leaked was parts of “Operational Plan 5027,” the detailed battle plan of the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command to defend the South from a “second Korean war.” The plan, which maps out how the U.S. and South Korean forces would fight against the North, is modified every one or two years since the first version was created in 1974. Kim is suspected of leaking the top secrets from 2005 to 2007. The plan is reportedly in five phases, starting with a speedy augmentation of U.S. forces in Korea, strategic bombing of North Korean targets, operations to march on the North, establishing military control over the North and eventually the unification of the two Koreas. [OPLAN 5027] [Espionage]
Opposition lawmaker fined W1 mil. for disturbance at Roh's funeral
A Seoul court fined an opposition legislator with a 1-million-won ($790) fine for causing a disturbance at a state funeral for former President Roh Moo-hyun. Rep. Baek Won-woo, of the Democratic Party (DP) who was a close aide to Roh, shouted at President Lee Myung-bak to apologize as he was about to offer flowers at the altar. [Roh Moo-hyun] [Lee Myung-bak]
25 SKoreans face punishment over sinking of ship
By KWANG-TAE KIM The Associated Press Thursday, June 10, 2010; 4:00 AM SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's audit agency told the defense minister to punish 25 top military officials for failing to ensure combat readiness ahead of the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on North Korea, an official said Thursday. A team of international investigators concluded last month that a torpedo from a North Korean submarine tore apart and sank the vessel near the two Koreas' disputed sea border on March 26, killing 46 South Korean sailors. It was one of South Korea's worst military disasters since the 1950-53 Korean War. The Board of Audit and Inspection said Thursday it told Defense Minister Kim Tae-young a day earlier to "take appropriate steps, including disciplinary action" against the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 22 other senior officers and two civilian ministry officials for negligence. Park Soo-won, a senior BAI official, said that the military had expected that a North Korean submarine or submersible vessel could secretly attack a South Korean ship near the sea border following a naval skirmish in November that left one North Korean soldier dead and three others wounded. However, the navy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not take appropriate countermeasures and neglected combat readiness, Park said. The audit agency also blamed the military for delaying its first report on the incident to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, its chairman and the defense minister. The military also did not correctly relay information to its higher commands, the agency said. ]Cheonan]
Keynote Address - Lee Myung-Bak
The 9th IISS Asia Security Summit The Shangri-La Dialogue Singapore Friday 04 June 2010
Vision for a Global Asia and the Role of the Republic of Korea
Defense chief calls Internet rumors on Cheonan 'cyber terrorism'
By Kim Deok-hyun SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said the government needs to deal swiftly against those who spread Internet rumors questioning the results of an international probe blaming Pyongyang for torpedoing a South Korean warship, calling their acts "cyber terrorism." "There are continued attempts of cyber terrorism in our society which distort the truth and slander the government and military," Kim told a military conference on cyber security. A multinational probe concluded last month that a North Korean submarine fired a torpedo and split the patrol ship Cheonan in two on March 26, killing 46 sailors. Some young Internet users and left-leaning online media raised doubts at the probe results, however, dismissing them as fabrication and offering conspiracy theories. The police and the prosecution said they will track down the origin of cyber rumors. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Human rights]
N.Korea Remains an Unpredictable Neighbor
In a rare extra parliamentary session on Monday, North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly promoted leader Kim Jong-il's brother-in-law Jang Song-taek to vice chairman of the National Defense Commission, the top policy-making body. Jang was promoted again only a year and two months after he joined the NDC.
Two Koreas Fall in Global Peace Index
The Korean Peninsula has become less peaceful than last year as tensions have increased, a report shows. The U.K. Institute for Economics and Peace and the Economist Intelligence Unit released their latest Global Peace Index of 149 countries on Tuesday. South Korea ranked 43rd this year, down from 33rd last year, while North Korea fell 8 notches to 139th. [Media]
Cheonan tragedy: is there an exit strategy?
By Sunny Lee Korea Times correspondent BEIJING ? It's time for Seoul to consider an exit strategy for the Cheonan incident, however, finding one that is reliable and executable may be easier said than done. "I am not sure whether there is an ideal solution," said Mike Chinoy, a former CNN senior Asia correspondent and the author of "Meltdown: the Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis," which now has a Korean-language edition. [Cheonan] [Lee Myung-bak] [Military option]
Reshuffle of top military commanders due next week
A large-scale reshuffle of top military commanders is expected next week over the sinking of the Navy warship Cheonan on March 26, a government source said Tuesday. The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) will send results of its investigation into the military's handling of the sinking to the Ministry of National Defense this week, the source said on condition of anonymity. Based on the results, the military will carry out a large-scale reshuffle as early as next week, the source said. A team of international experts concluded last month that a North Korean submarine had infiltrated South Korean waters near the West Sea border and attacked the 1,200-ton ship with a torpedo. The tragedy took the lives of 46 sailors. The BAI probe, conducted at the request of Minister of National Defense Kim Tae-young, centered on not only when and how the ship sinking was reported to military leaders, but also whether the military's rescue efforts were quick and effective. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
10th anniversary of the June 15 north-south joint declaration
Dear friends, Warm greetings from the Korean Committee for Solidarity with the World People! We are sending this letter on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the June 15 north-south joint declaration. As you know well, the June 15 joint declaration adopted on June 15, 2000, has opened a wide avenue of dialogue, reconciliation, visit and cooperation based on the idea of “By our nation itself”. This helped to remove distrust and misunderstanding between the north and south and dynamically promote reconciliation and unity.
Lee Myung Bak Condemned for Referring "Cheonan" to UN
Pyongyang, June 6 (KCNA) -- The south Korean puppet group referred the case of sinking of warship "Cheonan" to the UN on June 5. The case has been blamed as extremely provocative conspiratorial charade. The Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea in its information bulletin No. 956 on Sunday denounced this farce as another unpardonable grave provocation to the DPRK and a blatant challenge to the internal and external opinions. Despite the strong denunciation at home and abroad, the puppet group hastily referred the case to the UN, it said, adding: This is a last-ditch effort of those who are driven to a tight corner censured inside and outside. The puppet military masterminded the case and riff-raffs who can hardly be called experts in the field or representatives orchestrated the case in league with the U.S. imperialists in a back room. The puppet military should have been put in the dock for the direct responsibility for the case. The reference of such case to the UN, therefore, can not but be a mockery and insult to it. By "referring the case to the UN", the puppet group seeks to clear itself of the shame it suffered at home. The group should understand that gone are the days when the U.S. lorded it over the UN. The army and people of the DPRK will never remain an on-looker to the treacherous crimes committed by the Lee group by staging the anti-DPRK conspiratorial farce even at the UN. Should the group persist in smear campaign to escalate confrontation with the DPRK, it will not be able to escape stern punishment by the army and people of the DPRK and stronger protest by the south Koreans. The UN should not be disgracefully abused by the U.S. and the south Korean puppet group. [Cheonan] [UNUS]
Military Leaks Must Stop Once and for All
A two-star Army general is being investigated for leaking military secrets to North Korea. Among the top secret information that was apparently leaked is a joint South Korea-U.S. defense plan in the event of a war with North Korea that includes information such as troop deployment plans, key North Korean targets, strategies for a military strike at the North and military control of facilities in the North. In other words, the document, named OPLAN 5027, contains information that could put the lives of people in South Korea in danger if it falls into the wrong hands. It is hard to believe that a general leaked such information to North Korea. The general has been deeply involved in operational strategies in the South Korean military and had access to top secret information. He apparently leaked OPLAN 5027 while he was chief of staff at an Army corps during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. Investigators must leave no stone unturned to find out what classified information was leaked. If North Korea got its hands on OPLAN 5027, then South Korea's entire operational strategy is now useless. The military must waste no time in coming up with a way to plug such information leaks. Bits and pieces of OPLAN 5027 were leaked before. In 2005, an error by a young officer caused 73 pages of the plan to be exposed on the Internet, while last year other parts were stolen by a hacker who was traced to an IP address in China. There is no military in the world that takes such poor care of top secret tactical information. It is simply appalling to see that North Korean agents can now cajole a South Korean general to obtain the whole operational plan. The military must urgently revamp the way it handles top secret information and deal with troop discipline, starting at the top. [OPLAN 5027]
Chosun Ilbo faces lawsuit for distortions in mad cow disease article
The article stated that a number of individuals critical of Lee Myung-bak administration policies about U.S. beef import during the candlelight vigil demonstrations of 2008 have since changed their positions The controversy over possible distortions in the Chosun Ilbo’s article “Two Years After the Mad Cow Disease Candlelight Protests” now appears to be headed to the courtroom. The Seoul Central District Court said Sunday that former Agricultural Minister Kim Sung-hoon had filed a suit for 300 million Won ($243 thousand) in damages against the Chosun Ilbo and called for a correction, claiming he had suffered damages from what he claimed was the Chosun Ilbo’s distorted special report. In the complaint, Kim said the Chosun Ilbo changed his original statement, in which he said that he had tried an environmentally friendly hamburger from In-N-Out Burger. The restaurant uses Mad Cow Disease-free meat from free-range cows and cows fed safe grass, as they were popular, citing them as an example of American sensitivity towards beef-related diseases. The Chosun, however, reported the statement as if he was now eating burgers and traveling to the U.S. despite having spoken previously about mad cow disease issues. He claimed that as a result of the report, he has been labeled “two-faced.” Kim stressed that unlike the Chosun Ilbo report, the fact that Americans go to environmentally friendly places like In-N-Out Burger is direct evidence that Americans, too, consider American beef dangerous. [Media]
Editorial] Time to end fruitless hardline measures against N.Korea
The once uniform hardline response to the Cheonan sinking has begun to show signals of change. First and foremost, there has been a change in approach from the U.S., which abruptly postponed large-scale joint exercises with South Korea that would have taken place in the West Sea on Tuesday. The explanation given was that the exercise would be postponed until the end of the month for preparation reasons, but the tone of an awe-inspiring show of force against North Korea has already begun to dissipate. Since the exercises were planned to be led by the South Korean military with support from the U.S. forces, the U.S. appears to have taken a full step back. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates indicated that the U.S. would first wait to see results from the U.N. and consider follow-up measures afterward. He also mentioned of “additional measures” against North Korea, but stated nothing concrete about what the measures would entail. The change in intensity of the initial decisive response is evident. This situation was in some sense a foregone conclusion. As Gates stated, a military response on the Korean Peninsula must be ruled out, but there are unlikely to be any other effective sanctions against North Korea. The countries involved also share the understanding that it would be inadvisable to drive North Korea into a corner with extreme sanctions and generate additional provocations.
The U.S. remains forced to concern itself with the possibility of tensions with China as a result of this situation. China, with its emphasis on the peninsula’s stability, and the U.S., with its emphasis on a nuclear-free world, are both more interested in getting the six-party talks going again as soon as possible than in having tensions stretch out into the long term. The limitations of Seoul’s approach, centering on pressure on North Korea and an antagonistic posture, were always apparent. The Lee Myung-bak administration should not try to deny this reality. At present, it does not appear that U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea will go through as the administration had hoped. Even if it attempts to push for an ordinary resolution or a U.N. Security Council Presidential Statement rather than a new sanctions resolution, it does not appear likely to establish conclusively that the Cheonan’s sinking was North Korea’s doing. This likely stems from the fact that its efforts to persuade the international community to accept its investigation results on the Cheonan did not go as originally planed [Cheonan] [Coverup] [US China] [Client]
'There will be no full-scale war between Koreas'
By Kim Se-jeong Staff reporter President Lee Myung-bak said Saturday that chances for a full-scale war on the Korean Peninsula are nonexistent, despite rising inter-Korean tensions in the wake of the sinking of a South Korean Navy ship in March. There is no chance of a full-scale war at all, the President said in a meeting with business leaders in Singapore, adding he will try to prevent the recurrence of a skirmish between the two Koreas, according to Presidential spokesman Park Sun-kyoo.
Honor the Cheonan Dead with Peace
Paul Liem | June 3, 2010 Published on ZNet South Korea elections update: Widely viewed as a referendum on President Lee's hardline policies towards North Korea, his handling of the Cheonan investigation in particular, and general mid-term performance, the ruling Grand National Party suffered major setbacks winning only 6 of 16 major gubernatorial and mayoral races while losing many key local elections in major cities and provinces across the country. Commenting on the elections, which drew the largest voter turnout in 15 years (54.5%), the leader of the major opposition Democratic Party, Chung Se-kyun, said that President Lee Myung-bak should "abandon his confrontational policy on North Korea and ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula."
But the air of secrecy enveloping the evidence, and the effort to silence dissent has left the South Korean public divided over the team's conclusions. Although a recent poll indicates that 70% of the population accepts the government's conclusions, only half of those polled in the age group 20 to 40 accept the findings and of those with college educations, only one third.
The NNL has no legal basis in the Korean War Armistice Agreement, and the West Sea has been the most likely site for outbreaks of fighting with loss of life. All joint U.S.-South Korea military activity in the West Sea should cease immediately, the Obama administration should support the South Korean public's call for transparency in vetting their government's findings on the Cheonan incident, urge the Lee Myung-bak administration to invite North Korea as well as China to conduct independent assessments of the evidence, and support the 2007 North-South Summit agreement to demilitarize the West Sea. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [NLL]
[Editorial] A time for reflection and reform in the Democratic Party
Following the June 2 regional elections, there have been only bright expressions on the faces of the main opposition Democratic Party leadership. It is also possible to read a mood of satisfaction with the election results and quiet boasting of accomplishments and contributions. It is impossible to erase the feeling that they completely misreading something. During the campaign, the DP, rather than contributing, revealed endemic limits and incompetence. Despite the ruling party’s decision to twist the Cheonan sinking to create an oppressive political national security situation, the DP’s response was inconsistence. They could not fully commit to arguing for doubts in the investigation results and the ruling government’s incompetence in security issues, nor could that change the situation through a different point of contention. Even despite Seoul mayoral candidate Han Myeong-sook raising the “anti-war” slogan, the DP was too cautious. The DP did not cooperate, thus Han’s candlelight campaigning at Gwanghwamun Square was made up mostly of Democratic Labor Party (DLP) members. Despite having had to strengthen their identity in the direction of progressive reform, the DP lost confidence even in its existing platform and was hesitant.??
The core of the DP, however, still lacks dynamism. This is why they are filled with figures that give the impression of being the same old party leaders. The voters know these issues well. Despite this, in order to place a verdict on the Lee Myung-bak government, they necessarily voted for the largest opposition party [Cheonan] [Manipulation]
FM Spokesman on Attempt to Refer Warship Sinking to UN
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry gave the following answer to the question put by KCNA on Friday as regards the U.S. and its followers' attempt to refer the case of warship "Cheonan's" sinking to the UN Security Council after linking it with the DPRK: As already clarified by the DPRK, the "results of the investigation" into the case announced by the U.S. and the south Korean authorities are a sheer fabrication. If they are true, there will be no reason for them to refuse to receive the inspection group of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK as already proposed by it to have those "results" confirmed objectively. What is essential for settling this case is for the DPRK, a victim of the case, to verify the "results". [Cheonan] [Evidence]
136 teachers to stand trial simultaneously
By Kang Shin-who Staff reporter The Seoul Central District Court will simultaneously deliver its verdict on 136 unionized teachers and civil servants, indicted for illegal political activities. The court split the 272 teachers and civil servants being charged into two groups of 136. It is unprecedented that a group of more than 100 accused to appear in a courtroom for trial and receive a verdict at the same time. They are accused of paying dues to the Democratic Labor Party [Human rights]
Urgent Fwd from Korea: A Letter to Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of state: There was no Explosion. There was No Torpedo.
Friday, May 28, 2010 [Cheonan] Coverup]
Showing newest posts with label Cheonan navy ship
No base stories of Korea
Army General Held for Spying for N.Korea
A two-star Army general is in custody on suspicion of leaking military secrets to North Korea. The man is the first active-duty general arrested on spying charges in decades. A government official on Thursday said the general is "under investigation by the Defense Security Command and the National Intelligence Service. He was arrested on charges of handing military operational plans and field manuals over to the North through a third person for several years." The inquiry now focuses on whether there are more connected moles working in the military, the official added. He "was regarded as an outstanding officer and was thought to be in line for promotion to Army corps leader." The general was reportedly recruited by the North during the Roh Moo-hyun administration through a junior officer who was placed on the reserve list in 1997 after he was found to be involved in what became known as "Heukgemseong" case. The case was one of several campaigns orchestrated by the Agency for National Security Planning, the NIS's predecessor, to engineer the defeat of Kim Dae-jung in the presidential election in 1997. After being discharged from the active service, the junior officer frequently traveled to North Korea and China on business and is suspected of having delivered military secrets which he received from the general. He is also being interrogated. "Nobody can rule out that important military secrets about the movement of Navy ships were leaked to the North that led to the sinking of the corvette Cheonan in March," the official said. "We're drastically boosting security alertness inside the military to establish discipline." [Espionage] [Democracy]
S.Korea Refers N.Korea to UN Security Council
South Korea has referred North Korea to the United Nations Security Council over the sinking of a South Korean warship that Seoul says was attacked by a North Korean submarine. The action was announced Friday by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, during a visit to Singapore. [UNSC] [Cheonan]
Seoul refers Cheonan case to UNSC
By Kang Hyun-kyung Staff reporter South Korea officially requested the United Nations Security Council to come up with a coordinated international action against North Korea after a multinational investigation team blamed it for the sinking of the naval warship Cheonan, Friday. The move signaled the beginning of the Seoul-led campaign to force the North to face the consequences of its armed attack which killed 46 sailors near the maritime border in the West Sea on March 26. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is eying two pillars of Cheonan diplomacy ? working with the international community to take a coordinated action against the North to prevent a recurrence and cooperating with allies such as the United States to take measures aimed at causing "pain" to the North Korean regime by cutting cash inflow to the reclusive country. [Sanctions] [UNSC] [Cheonan]
South Korean voters opt for 'reason over confrontation' with the North
By Blaine Harden Saturday, June 5, 2010 SEOUL -- The pre-election narrative seemed certain to win hearts, minds and votes. An explosion at sea ripped apart a South Korean warship, killing 46 sailors and outraging a nation. An international investigation concluded that a North Korean torpedo had sunk the ship. This Story Opting for 'reason over confrontation' with the North South Korea seeks U.N. response in sinking of warship With elections looming, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak told his countrymen he would no longer tolerate such brutality. He severed trade links with the government of Kim Jong Il and vowed: "North Korea will pay a price." But the fervor petered out as quickly as it arose. Voters did not rally round their president in Wednesday's local and regional elections. There was no Korean version of the "9/11 effect" that many had predicted. Instead, Lee's ruling Grand National Party was clobbered, stunned party bosses quit in shame and North Korea pronounced itself pleased. [Cheonan] [Manipulation] [Media]
Why Were Election Forecasts So Wrong?
The local elections on Wednesday were filled with upsets as candidates who were widely expected to win based on the opinion polls either lost or barely scraped a victory. In some regions the shifts in support for the leading candidate and the runner-up was up to 20 percentage points, leading to considerable debate how forecasts of a landslide victory for the ruling Grand National Party could have been so wrong.
Experts also say the anti-North Korean atmosphere following the sinking of the warship Cheonan may have caused many supporters of the opposition camp to hide their true feelings in opinion polls but rally at the last minute because they worried what might happen if the ruling party swept the election. [Cheonan] [Manipulation] [Bizarre]
Followers of late former President Roh return to politics
06-03-2010 17:25 By Lee Tae-hoon Staff reporter Followers of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun returned to domestic politics with a much stronger-than anticipated performance in Wednesday's local elections. Many political observers said the golden days of Roh's close aides were over, especially after the then-governing Democratic Party's defeat in the 2007 presidential election and the prosecution's investigations into the ex-President and his aides on bribery charges. Much to everyone's surprise, however, Lee Kwang-jae, 45, who was often referred to as Roh's right-hand man, was elected as the first liberal to become governor of Gangwon Province. Kim Doo-kwan, 51, dubbed "little Roh" due to his common career background with his former boss, won the gubernatorial race in South Gyeongsang Province, home turf of the governing Grand National Party (GNP [Roh Moo-Hyun]
Attack Bares South Korea’s Complex Links to North
By MARTIN FACKLER Published: May 29, 2010 MUNSAN, South Korea — Like many South Koreans, Choi Byung-wook said he felt outrage over the North Korean attack that sank the warship Cheonan and killed 46 sailors. But he also said that he did not expect the hostilities to get any worse and that his nation must continue to engage the North. Like many South Koreans, Choi Byung-wook has mixed feelings about North Korea. “Inside, we are furious,” said Mr. Choi, 46, a government employee who shopped on a recent afternoon at a mall in this city just a few miles from the South’s heavily fortified border with North Korea. “But even with 46 dead, cutting off North Korea is not an option for us.” Mr. Choi’s views are typical in this affluent nation. [Media] [Cheonan] [Public opinion]
South Korean general questioned in spy case
By KWANG-TAE KIM The Associated Press Friday, June 4, 2010; 3:18 AM SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's military is investigating a general suspected of leaking secrets to a former spy for Seoul who then sold the information to North Korea, officials and media reports said Friday. The army general, who wasn't identified, allegedly handed over a military operations plan for coping with emergencies in North Korea drawn up by South Korea and the U.S., the mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo newspaper said. The security breach apparently occurred a few years before the current spike in tensions over North Korea's alleged sinking of a South Korean warship in March which killed 46 sailors. The former spy, who worked for South Korea in the 1990s, has been arrested and accused of passing military secrets to the North between 2005 and 2007, the newspaper said. [Espionage] [Takeover]
Comments on the Announcement of the Joint Civilian-Military Investigation Group’s Conclusion
"Nothing is covered up that will not become known" Luke 12:2
We, PROK, who have been praying for democracy, peace, and life of Korean society, raise some points responding to the JIG’s announcement of the conclusion of its investigation that says South Korean Navy ship Cheonan sank by a North Korean submarine attack with a heavy torpedo. First of all, we point out that JIG’s investigation cannot be fair and objective from the beginning. The Ministry of National Defense and the military, which are the most responsible for the incident took control over the whole investigation. They also made a hasty announcement to meet the first day of the campaign for the coming election on June 2, which left suspicions about the background. If there is any intention to take advantage of 46 young sailors’ deaths for any political purpose, it will kill them again. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Manipulation]
Voters Fire Warning Shot at Government
Ruling and opposition candidates for mayors fought a close race in Seoul, while in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province -- traditional strongholds of the Grand National Party -- opposition candidates either won more votes than GNP candidates or were able to secure the support of some 40 percent of the public. This is seen as a widespread desire to keep the incumbent government in check.
Analysts were predicting another proof of the political adage that local elections reflect voter resentment toward the government. But the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan changed the situation. People stand in line to cast their votes in a polling station in Jamsil, Seoul on Wednesday. As tensions with North Korea heightened, calls to keep the Lee administration in check appeared to lose support. But although they supported the government's response to the sinking of the Cheonan, voters also warned the Lee administration not to overdo it. Comments by key ruling party officials warning North Korea of war had adverse effects, while the opposition party's move to play up the public's fear of war worked in many parts of the country. [Cheonan] [Manipulation]
Seoul Needs to Strengthen Its Cyber Defenses
South Korean intelligence agencies say North Korea has launched a cyber campaign using stolen IDs of South Koreans to plant propaganda claims on South Korean portals. Posts made under the names of South Koreans accusing their "traitorous" government of fabricating evidence linking North Korea to the sinking of the Cheonan are more or less identical to a statement by the North's National Defense Commission posted on a website operated by the propaganda apparatus. Intelligence services say North Korea is trying to make it appear as if people in the South are questioning the evidence presented by the government. North Korea is believed to have trained between 500 to 600 hackers and deploy them in cyber operations against South Korea. A so-called massive denial of service attack in July last year crippled not only major websites in South Korea for days but also the homepages of the White House and the New York Stock Exchange. Intelligence officers believe North Korean hackers stole the personal information of some 1.6 million prominent South Koreans over the last five years. North Korea has been cornered and faced with international condemnation following the presentation of concrete evidence by an international inquiry linking the North to the sinking. Seeking to escape, the North has been contacting its allies and making ludicrous claims that the U.S. is responsible for the sinking of the Cheonan, only to be pressed to present solid evidence proving such a claim. Against this backdrop, it is quite plausible that Pyongyang also launched a cyber campaign to make it appear as if there are many South Koreans who support its claims. Claims by some opposition lawmakers and leftwing intellectuals in the South that the Cheonan hit a reef or had crashed into a U.S. warship must have been music to North Korean ears. North Korea's latest cyber operation has once again demonstrated the weaknesses inherent in South Korea's computer defense system. The authorities must find out the source and facts behind the latest cyber attack and fix the weak links. And they must ensure that young South Koreans, who are the most frequent visitors of websites, are not swayed by North Korean propaganda. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Cyberwar] [Public opinion]
In stunning turn, opposition parties secure significant victory in elections
The win has been viewed as a major referendum on Lee Myung-bak government policies
In a startling victory in the June 2 regional elections, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) won seven mayoral and gubernatorial races among 16 districts while the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) won six races. During the previous elections in 2006, the GNP secured 12 mayoral and gubernatorial posts. In 228 races for municipal government head, the DP won 91 districts while the GNP won 83 in comparison. The DP also won 21 of 25 posts for heads of municipal governments in Seoul. The GNP, who swept all 25 municipal government head posts in Seoul in 2006 secured only 4 this year.
The Lee Myung-bak government pushed to use the sinking of the Cheonan to secure a win on a drummed up national security platform, but were defeated by the opposition’s push for a judgment on administration policies and criticism of the response to the ship’s sinking. Voter turnout was estimated at 54.5 percent, signaling a 15-year high in voter participation.
Main opposition heading for stunning victory in local elections
June 03, 2010 South Korea's main opposition party looked set for a surprise victory in local elections, dealing a blow to President Lee Myung-bak's reform drive and tough stance on North Korea
‘N.K. leadership an easy target for precision air strikes’
2010-06-02 17:24 Voiceware Text Renault, Mahindra seen leading Ssangyong bid N. Korea says it wants to keep Gaeseong park Lee discusses ship sinking with U.S. Senator Webb KT to enhance wireless network KT to launch Google smartphone [News Analysis] Seoul cautiously positive on China Emerging economies key to reforms, new order Korean economy can withstand geopolitical tensions: Moody’s Seoul active on N.K. human rights Ministry adopts dubious national fashion agenda The 2003 war in Iraq has clearly revealed the abilities of the U.S. military to mount precision attacks on key enemy leadership targets. Similar operations may be applied should war break out on the Korean Peninsula, analysts here say. With tensions being ratcheted up in the wake of the March 26 sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan, attention has been drawn to how South Korea-U.S. combined forces would carry out their operations to bring down the hostile forces in the event of war. Some officials here said that it would take only a matter of hours to find the location of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and his inner circle, and launch the precision attacks on them. “Intelligence officials here have been keeping close tabs on the movements of the North Korean leader day and night. It would take only a matter of hours to find his whereabouts and attack his hideouts,” said a military official on condition of anonymity. “After his location is verified, the military would make a stealthy nighttime infiltration and launch precision attacks. If he is located underground, a raft of bomb attacks will be made.” The South, equipped with cutting-edge military assets overwhelmingly outweighs its communist neighbor, particularly in terms of its Air Force capabilities. [Personalisation] [Assassination] [Military balance]
S. Korea’s Governing Party Surprised by Election
By CHOE SANG-HUN Published: June 2, 2010 SEOUL, South Korea — President Lee Myung-bak’s governing party suffered a surprising setback in local elections that had been widely viewed as a referendum on Mr. Lee’s handling of the sinking of a South Korean warship, according to election results released on Thursday. Candidates of Mr. Lee’s Grand National Party had hoped that outrage in South Korea over the sinking of the Cheonan, which led to the death of 46 South Korean sailors, would help them ride a conservative wave to a sweeping victory. Mr. Lee’s government has formally accused North Korea of attacking the ship with a torpedo from a submarine. “The election results were far less than we had expected and hoped for,” Cho Hae-jin, a spokesman for the governing party, told reporters. The party’s chairman, Chung Mong-joon, an important ally of Mr. Lee, said he was stepping down over the poor results. [Cheonan] [Manipulation]
President's party takes hits in South Korean midterm elections
By Blaine Harden Thursday, June 3, 2010 SEOUL -- North Korea's apparent torpedoing of a South Korean warship has weakened the political coattails of the South's pro-American president, according to the results of Wednesday's midterm elections. Candidates supporting President Lee Myung-bak, who has worked closely with the Obama administration in responding to the ship's sinking, won six out of 16 races for metropolitan mayor and provincial governor, according to the National Election Commission. The main opposition Democratic Party -- which accuses Lee of using the ship's sinking for political gain, and whose leaders have stridently criticized an investigation that blames the incident on North Korea -- won seven major races, returns showed. [Cheonan] [Manipulation]
Opposition party wins local polls
By Kang Hyun-kyung Staff reporter The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) won seven of the 16 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial posts in Wednesday’s elections, defeating the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) that took only six.
military commentator in connection with the incident of the sinking of “Cheonan”.
Dear Friends in the Asia Pacific, Recently, as regards to the sinking of south Korean warship “Cheonan”, the Lee Myung Bak regime of traitors made public so-called “ investigation result” which was totally fabricated by attributing the cause of the sinking to the “ torpedo attack of north”, deliberately linking this incidents with us. Through the press statements and important announcements, the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, the National Committee for Peaceful Reunification, the General Staff of the KPA and the Foregin Ministry of the DPRK, had clarified solemnly the principled stand of our army and people as the Lee Myung Bak regime of traitors inventing the “story about torpedo attack of north”, thus take it excuse to plot the reckless maneuvers towards us.
The incident of the sinking of “Choenan” is a planned machinations and unprecedented out-sized concoction and farce for the Lee Myung Bak regime of traitor to sustain its miserable doomed days on the verge of collapse.
We enclosed herewith the article of KCNA military commentator in connection with the incident of the sinking of “Cheonan”. If you adopt solidarity message or issue a statement or press release in this regard having a correct understanding about the grave situation prevailing on Korean peninsular, it will be an expression of your great support and inspiration for our Republic’s principled and decisive stand. Yours sincerely,
Korean Committee for Solidarity with the World People Societies for Friendship with the Asia Pacific People Korea-Asia Pacific Exchange Pyongyang, June 1, 2010 [Cheonan] [Coverup]
The Cheonan sinking ... and Korea rising
By Peter Lee The Cheonan incident has emerged as a potentially major gambit in South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's efforts to distance his country from China, establish it as America's full geopolitical partner in North Asia, and substitute the United Nations Security Council for the six-party talks as the primary venue for international engagement-cum-confrontation with North Korea.
The Cheonan incident has emerged as a potentially major gambit in South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's efforts to distance his country from China, establish it as America's full geopolitical partner in North Asia, and substitute the United Nations Security Council for the six-party talks as the primary venue for international engagement-cum-confrontation with North Korea. China, for its part, apparently prefers that the Cheonan incident does not impede the current movement toward economic integration with South Korea. As for the United States, it welcomes a manageable security crisis in North Asia. If the issues are economic, the US is on the outside looking in. But when North Korea misbehaves, the 7th Fleet, 29,000 troops in South Korea, and US shuttle diplomacy look like essentials, not anachronisms. Even so, the Barack Obama administration is moving cautiously, happy to assert its indispensability but trying not to upset the Asian applecart. Meanwhile, North Korea, the alleged perpetrator of the Cheonan outrage, is almost lost in the shuffle - although its post-Kim Jong-il future is probably the key factor underlying the calculations of Beijing and Seoul in their handling of the affair. Increasingly, North Korea does not represent a threat. Instead, it represents East Asia's last frontier, an untapped treasure-house of human and mineral wealth to be exploited by the regional and world powers that are able to guide its integration into the global economy.
The Cheonan incident remains rather murky. The investigative team claims evidence of North Korean responsibility is indisputable. However, the bizarre circumstances of the attack, even when viewed in the context of North Korea's opaque security doctrine and chaotic command and control structure, provide ample grist for skeptics.
What is indisputable is the determination of the Lee Myung-bak administration to exploit the geopolitical opportunity presented by the sinking.
Beyond using the incident as a 9/11-type opportunity for galvanizing public opinion in favor of his administration and policies in the run-up to local elections - and unleashing a full-court media and legal effort to rebut, sideline, intimidate, and even sue critics of the Cheonan investigation - Lee is using the security crisis to build a consensus favoring its longstanding desire to confront North Korea and strengthen his nation's strategic alliance with the US as a counterweight to China's growing economic influence. [Cheonan] [Manipulation] [Lee Myung-bak]
South Korea to Unveil Evidence of North Sinking Navy Ship
* 3 comments Posted by David Martin A crane salvages part of the sunken South Korean naval ship Cheonan off Baengnyeong Island, South Korea, April 15, 2010. (Credit: AP Photo/Yonhap) Later tonight - Thursday morning in Asia - the South Koreans are expected to drop a long-expected shoe and unveil the evidence that a North Korean torpedo sank a South Korean patrol ship last March, killing 46 sailors. North Korea has already denied it, but the evidence recovered after the sunken ship was raised from the bottom of the Yellow Sea is compelling. Traces of explosives and shards of metal match the materials used in a North Korean torpedo that fell into South Korean hands several years ago. The U.S., Britain and Australia - all of which helped in the investigation - are all prepared to back up the findings. Only Sweden, which also sent investigators, is a reluctant partner in blaming the North Koreans. [Cheonan] [Evidence] [Sweden]
(2nd LD) Main opposition heading for stunning victory in local elections
By Lee Chi-dong SEOUL, June 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's main opposition party looked set for a surprise victory in local elections, dealing a blow to President Lee Myung-bak's reform drive and tough stance on North Korea
The elections came as military tension was running high on the peninsula after South Korea accused the communist North of sinking one of its warships with an unprovoked torpedo attack in March. Forty-six sailors died in the incident. How to deal with North Korea is a traditionally hot election issue in the ideologically divided South. Lee announced a set of retaliatory steps including the suspension of all but inter-Korean exchanges, and Pyongyang responded with threats of war. The DP claimed Lee and his conservative party have put national security at risk by taking a confrontational approach towards Pyongyang [Cheonan] [Manipulation]
(News Focus) Election defeat casts gloom over Lee administration, ruling party
By Yoo Cheong-mo SEOUL, June 3 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition party's stunning victory in Wednesday's local elections is expected to present a major setback to the Lee Myung-bak government's push for a hard-line approach to North Korea, controversial infrastructure projects and administrative and economic reforms, political analysts said Thursday. [Cheonan] [Manipulation]
Fred Hiatt interviews South Korean President Lee Myung-bak
Monday, April 12, 2010 Editorial page editor Fred Hiatt interviewed President Lee Myung-bak in Seoul on April 7. A translation and transcript of President Lee's remarks were provided by his staff: Q: What do you hope to accomplish on your trip to Washington? A: I think President Obama convening the very first nuclear summit meeting in Washington, D.C., is very significant. . . . I believe it's going to contribute a lot to bringing about global security and safety, especially [as] we are all concerned about the development of, let's say, small, suitcase-sized nuclear weapons, because the threat is very real that these materials or weapons can proliferate to terrorist organizations or rogue states, so to speak. So the threat is real and I think President Obama's nuclear security summit will reaffirm to people around the world of this danger. For us, this security summit is going to contribute a lot, in terms of preventing the real threat that we face. In terms of North Korea, with Iran, and I think it may go a long [way] in preventing such states from wanting to acquire nuclear weapons capability.
It's been said that you have among the best relationships with President Obama of any Asian leader. Well, thank you. Let me just say that we welcome the return of the United States resuming its global leadership role and for that President Obama must really be commended for his efforts to reengage with the world. And when it comes to Asia, the American government and President Obama have shown their commitment and resolve to reengage with the Asian partners. And I'm just very happy to be working together with him here in Asia and with him in the United States, so that we could work together to really further strengthen this vital partnership. [Lee Myung-bak
A Sunken Battleship: the World Attempts a Response
June 2, 2010 A Sunken Battleship: the World Attempts a Response by Nicole Finnemann (nmf@keia.org) In the last two weeks, the varied international responses to the South Korean government-led multinational team’s report that the sinking of Navy Corvette Cheonan was caused by a North Korean torpedo have dominated headlines. Pyongyang’s response has been ratcheting up tensions to their highest levels since the Cold War. Actions and reactions between stakeholder countries have begun to pile up and there has been a proliferation of commentary on how the world should react. Here, we simply offer a recap of what has transpired since the investigation results were announced. In other articles in this edition of Insight, KEI takes a specific look at the economic implications of current inter-Korean tensions, including a glimpse at North Korea's effect on the value of the South Korea’s foreign exchange and stock markets.
Although the evidence was enough for South Korea and the United States to react by condemning North Korea, countries such as China and Russia remain skeptical. Russia has sent an investigation team to review evidence while China has yet to do so. [Cheonan] [Evidence]
Lee calls for unification-oriented policy despite ship sinking
2010/06/01 11:21 KST By Lee Chi-dong SEOUL, June 1 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak instructed his Cabinet Tuesday to come up with a long-term strategy for the reunification of the Korean Peninsula, despite heightened military tensions following the sinking of a South Korean warship in March. "National security has emerged as an important task since the Cheonan incident," Lee said at a weekly Cabinet meeting. "With regard to security, people usually think of confrontation. Fundamentally, however, we should draw up a strategy on security bearing reunification in mind." [Cheonan] [Takeover]
N.Korea in Clandestine Web Campaign Over Cheonan
North Korea has launched a cyber campaign denying all involvement in the sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan in the face of crushing evidence to the contrary. Using stolen IDs of South Koreans, the North is spreading claims on South Korean portal sites that the sinking was fabricated. A South Korean intelligence officer on Tuesday said Pyongyang is posting articles on major websites denying all accusations. "The North used stolen residence registration numbers and IDs of South Koreans," he said. The posts are broadly the same as a statement from the North's National Defense Commission, its top policy body. It was uploaded on the state-run North Korean website Uriminzokkiri. Another article which the North posted on a Korean-Chinese website under the title "Organizations that have benefited from the Cheonan sinking" has also found its way to some South Korean portal sites. Kim Sung-min, the president of Free North Korea Radio, said, "There has been a sudden increase in the number of posts calling the Cheonan incident a fabrication on our website. We suspect that there are systematic propaganda tactics behind these articles." The North seems to be using South Korean residence registration numbers and IDs stolen in past computer hacking attacks. South Korean intelligence believes that the North used mainly the personal details of elementary schoolchildren, housewives and elderly people. A security official said, "Ahead of the local elections slated for Wednesday in South Korea, the North has mobilized agencies handling South Korean affairs and media outlets almost every day to claim that the Cheonan sinking was a plot against the North. To make it look as if many South Koreans sympathize with the claim, they are spreading unfounded rumors by disguising themselves as South Korean web users." Last week, the North sent faxes and e-mails to some South Korean organizations such as the Buddhist Cheontae Order and the committee for the implementation of the June 15, 2000 joint North-South declaration. The faxes and e-mails merely parrot a statement by a spokesman for the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland which said that the findings of the international probe of the sinking were cooked up. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Manipulation] [Cyberwar] [Public opinion]
Koreans Go to the Polls
Koreans nationwide vote Wednesday to elect mayors, provincial governors, councilmen, and education superintendents. Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Each voter, except in Jeju, will be given no fewer than eight ballot sheets. Voters will elect a total of 3,991 officials, including 16 metropolitan mayors, provincial governors and education superintendents each. A total of 13,388 polling stations will open across the nation. Voters must present a photo ID such as a residence registration card, driver's license or passport.
The Threat of War Is Fading
Kang Chol-hwan A group of young students ask each other on the subway, "What are we going to do if war breaks out?" Fears among South Koreans of a war with North Korea have become more palpable these days, and such sentiments are understandable in the heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. There are those who blame the government's hardline approach. "Things were different during the days of the Sunshine Policy," they say. I grew up in North Korea, and based on that experience, I feel that the chances of war are actually smaller now than during the period of rapprochement. Isolated provocations by North Korea, such as the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan, may happen again. But the threat of an all-out war with North Korea has actually diminished. For a country to start a war, the balance of military power must be broken, allies have to support it, and the other side has to be caught off guard. [Cheonan] [Military balance] [Defector report] [Sunshine policy]
Police hunt for Cheonan rumors
By Park Si-soo Staff reporter Police are widening their investigation to apprehend those who spread "groundless rumors" about the sinking of the warship Cheonan. More than 1,000 leaflets challenging the government's conclusion that the Cheonan, was torpedoed by a North Korean submarine were found in residential areas and college campuses across Seoul, police said Tuesday. The fliers, whose producers have yet to be confirmed, commonly contain messages denouncing the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration for "capitalizing" on the tragic incident for today's elections. Nearly 300 leaflets that claim key evidence in the Cheonan incident was manipulated were collected near a subway station in eastern Seoul, police said. One side carries two messages "The result is a fabrication that is so ridiculous that even a puppy jeers at the scheme," and "Stop capitalizing the case for political purposes." The other side reads: "If you vote for No.1 candidates from the ruling party, a war will break out" printed on a photo of a smiling President Lee. Most candidates placed at the top of the ballot sheet are from the conservative ruling Grand National Party. A police investigation is focusing on two people in their 20s who were spotted by surveillance cameras near Wangsimni subway station. Dozens of leaflets with similar messages were also found in the northern and western part of Seoul in recent days, including college campuses, hospitals, department stores and shopping districts, according to police. Similar rumors are spreading on the Internet too, with countless posts about the outbreak of an inter-Korean clash emerging in online communities. One post even said, "President Lee has ordered the military in a closed-door meeting to make full preparations to carry out a preemptive strike against the North." The authorities called the allegations "totally groundless," claiming that anti-government activists are carrying out the illegal campaign to deal a blow to the ruling party in the elections. "Those spreading false information about the incident could be punished," said Lee Jin-han, a senior prosecutor at the Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office. "If they post either for or against a certain political party, they are subject to punishment for the violation of the Election Law." Breaking the Election Law can result in up to two years in prison or a four million won ($3,300) fine. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense will allow 20 Internet users to inspect the broken hull of the warship to rein in skepticism about the investigation results. The ministry will announce the randomly-selected participants Friday. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Human rights]
N. Korean leader wary of uncensored news
By Kang Hyun-kyung Staff reporter In a capitalist society, people take it for granted that information is power. But in some countries like North Korea, too much knowledge fills their leaders with worry. A veteran expert on military psychological operations (PSYOP) observed that the danger of citizens receiving uncensored information appeared to have caused North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to fret over South Korea's plan to resume military PSYOP. "Knowledge is dangerous to a dictator," Herbert A. Friedman, a retired Special Forces sergeant major and a lecturer on military propaganda, said in an e-mail interview with The Korea Times Saturday [Double standards] (see above article)
North Korea In Focus as South Koreans Go to Polls
By REUTERS Published: June 2, 2010 SEOUL (Reuters) - South Koreans voted in regional polls on Wednesday, a barometer of support for President Lee Myung-bak as he tries to push through business-friendly reforms, with North Korea a key issue for the first time in years. Voting for nearly 4,000 mayors, governors and local government representatives has been overshadowed by the March sinking of a South Korean naval vessel, which Seoul has blamed on the reclusive North, fuelling shrill rhetoric on both sides including threats of war. Lee's uncompromising stand on the sinking of the Cheonan has seen him and his Grand National Party (GNP) bounce back in opinion polls from a voter backlash after a decision to scrap a plan to shift a large part of the government from Seoul and rows over U.S. beef imports and a river-development scheme. GNP candidates in the key capital region races, including the governor for the Gyeonggi province and mayor for the giant port city of Incheon, have shown double-digit leads over Democratic Party opponents. "This will unlikely result in a landslide win for the GNP," said Choi Han-soo, a professor of Konkuk University in Seoul. "...The Cheonan ship incident could have given Lee a sweeping win, but sentiment to check the current government will deliver him a win by a narrow margin." Lee told Chinese and Japanese leaders at the weekend that Seoul was not afraid of war, but did not want it, projecting the image of a government confident of its power and mindful of how mounting tension could unnerve international investors. [Cheonan] [Manipulation]
The Lasting Significance of Kwangju
By Tim Shorrock, June 1, 2010 Last week marked the 30th anniversary of the Kwangju Citizens' Uprising in South Korea, a pivotal event that inspired the Korean democratic movement through its ultimate victory in the late 1980s. In Kwangju, where hundreds died in the uprising, the event was marked by solemn remembrances and the presence of political leaders from both left and right, including representatives of President Lee Myung-bak, South Korea's most conservative leader in over a decade. But the event drew hardly a passing glance in the United States, which is South Korea's closest ally. The silence is understandable, because Kwangju represents U.S. foreign policy at its worst. The uprising created the most severe crisis in U.S.-Korean relations since the Korean War ended in 1953 and was the largest challenge ever to the US-backed South Korean military, which had effectively controlled the country since 1961 and had fought alongside U.S. forces in Vietnam. Yet the U.S. administration of President Jimmy Carter, despite its public commitment to human rights and its vocal criticism of Korea's authoritarian government, chose the wrong side and supported that government's decision to put the rebellion down with lethal force [Kwangju] [Human rights] [Double standards]
Peace on the Korean Peninsula Cannot Be Secured by a Military Buildup and Sanctions
A comment on R.O.K. President Lee Myung-bak's statement of May 24, 2010, on the sinking of the Cheonan naval ship. By Women Making Peace, South Korea International Women's Day for Peace and Disarmament, May 24th, 2010 A series of events regarding the sinking of the Cheonan naval warship shows that peace and security on the Korean Peninsula is facing a serious threat even about 60 years after the Korean War. We express our deep condolences for the deaths of 46 sailors who died as a result of the sinking of a warship and we sincerely hope that this situation will not be repeated. It has been two years and five months since the inauguration of President Myung-bak Lee, and during the period we find that the inter-Korean relationship has worsened to the extent of being a "war crises." Only two years has passed since the leaders of the two Koreas agreed to convert the West Sea into the sea of cooperation and now it has became the "sea of animosity and confrontation." The governments of the two Koreas should be responsible for the current situation. The South Korean government's statement, released today, raises much suspicion in terms of the timing before June 2nd local election and the accuracy of its contents [Cheonan] [Evidence] [Manipulation]
An Important Lesson for the Conspiracy Theorists
Yoon Duk-yong, an honorary professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and head of a multinational team of investigators who probed the cause of the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan, staked his reputation as a scientist on the authenticity of the findings. "A scientist is aware of the fact that his research papers will be presented to the world and will be archived for generations to come," Yoon said in an interview with the Chosun Ilbo. "That is how I felt as I pursued the investigation into the Cheonan." Yoon has a PhD in applied physics from Harvard University and was chosen as a top scientist by the Roh Moo-hyun administration. He stressed that he regarded the Cheonan probe through the objective lens of a scientist. It found that a North Korean torpedo sank the Cheonan and killed 46 South Korean sailors. But opinion polls still show that some 30 percent of the public are skeptical of the findings. The Internet is seething with posts from self-proclaimed experts posting misinformation regarding the sinking, while so-called intellectuals, celebrities and even lawmakers running for office are fueling interest in this rumor mongering. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
German expert detects no indications of war mentality among N.Koreans
He believes S.Korea should accept N.Korea’s proposal to send a National Defense Commission review team to reinvestigate Cheonan sinking
» German-Korean Parliamentary Friendship Group Deputy Chairman Johannes Pflug talks about issues concerning North Korea following his visit to South Korea that took place from May 24 to 29. “Peace and international investment are urgently needed if we are to throw open the doors of a strong and prosperous nation in 2012.” “Inter-Korean relations have been set back ten years since the Lee Myung-bak administration took office. If the Grand National Party wins in the June 2 local elections, Inter-Korean relations could freeze entirely as the Lee Myung-bak administration’s hardline North Korea policy accelerates.” These remarks by senior North Korean officials conveyed by German-Korean Parliamentary Friendship Group Deputy Chairman Johannes Pflug on Monday during an interview with the Hankyoreh at the South Korean office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Seoul’s Jongno district following his visit to North Korea from May 24 to 29. Pflug also said, “I did not detect any sense that the people of North Korea were worried a war might break out or were preparing for a war.” Pflug, Social Democratic Party lawmaker and member of the German Bundestag’s political affairs committee, is an expert on the Korean Peninsula who has visited North Korea seven times and South Korea eight times to date. During his most recent visit, his party met with North Korean officials including Choe Tae-bok, Supreme People’s Assembly chairman, Ri Jong-hyok, vice chairman of the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee and chairman of the DPRK-Germany Friendship Parliamentary Group, Kim Chun-guk, director-general of the European affairs bureau in the North Korean Foreign Ministry, and Ri Jong-chol, deputy head of the International Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea. “It is common sense internationally to give everyone an opportunity to vindicate themselves,” said Pflug in regards to the South Korean government’s rejection of a proposal to send a North Korean National Defense Commission review team to look into the findings of the Cheonan investigation. “I cannot understand it.” Pflug also said, “North Korea and South Korea need to do whatever they can to avoid a war.” In regards to the South Korean government’s plan to resume loudspeaker broadcasts to North Korea and distribute propaganda leaflets, Pflug said it was a “childish and immature response.” “If you turn on the loudspeakers, this will just bother the animals living in the forests of the Demilitarized Zone,” he said. “The situation on the Korean Peninsula in recent years has been heavily influenced by the interests of the U.S. and China,” said Pflug. “I hope that North Korea and South Korea can find a solution while furthering their own interests, rather than those of the superpowers, just as Germany did in the past.” [Lee Myung-bak] [Cheonan] [Evidence]
Conflict emerges between fundraising committee and bereaved families over Cheonan condolence donations
A representative of the families says they are concerned that the proposed Cheonan Foundation will become politicized A total of 38 billion Won ($31.5 million) has been raised by citizens since the sinking of the Cheonan, of which 500 million will be given as condolence money to each bereaved family of a sailor lost aboard the Cheonan. The rest of the money has been discussed for designation to become part of a proposed “Cheonan Foundation,” but has been problematic, since some of the bereaved families have voiced opposition to creating a foundation from which they have been excluded. [Cheonan] [Manipulation]
Mass Meeting Held to Condemn Anti-DPRK Smear Campaign
Pyongyang, May 30 (KCNA) -- A Pyongyang mass meeting was held at Kim Il Sung Square on Sunday to denounce the U.S. imperialists and the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors for their smear campaign against the DPRK and the moves to escalate confrontation with it. Present there were Choe Thae Bok, Kim Ki Nam, Yang Hyong Sop and officials of party and power organs, public organizations, ministries and national institutions and officials of organs at different levels, industrial establishments and farms, working people from all walks of life and youth and students in the city of Pyongyang, more than 100,000 all told. Choe Yong Rim, chief secretary of the Pyongyang City Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, said in his report at the meeting that the inter-Korean relations have been driven into total collapse and a touch-and-go situation, in which a war may break out any moment, is prevailing in the Korean Peninsula due to unprecedented anti-DPRK moves and smear campaign escalated by the south Korean puppet warmongers in collusion with the U.S. and Japanese aggressors. The case of south Korea's warship sinking is an unpardonable treacherous and anti-reunification [Cheonan]
CPRK Condemns S. Korean Authorities' War Moves
Pyongyang, May 30 (KCNA) -- The group of conservatives in south Korea are rushing headlong toward the reckless military confrontation and war against the DPRK while persistently linking the case of the puppet navy's warship sinking with it. The Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea Sunday released its information bulletin No. 955 in denunciation of such moves. [Cheonan]
Seoul Rebuts N.Korean Denials in Cheonan Sinking
North Korea's National Defense Commission in its first ever press conference for the international media Friday challenged the findings of a multinational investigation into the sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan and accused the South of "fabricating" charges. South Korea's Defense Ministry and other government agencies immediately presented evidence to rebut North Korea's claims.
? Investigation Slanted Toward U.S. Allies The North also claimed the investigation team is compromised because it consisted solely of experts from countries allied to the U.S. But the team said besides experts from the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, there was also a contingent from neutral Sweden -- a fact the North chose to ignore although the experts all signed their names in support of the findings. [Cheonan] [Evidence]
N.Korean Denials Parrot S.Korean Conspiracy Theorists
Pak Rim-su, the director of the policy department at North Korea’s National Defense Commission, talks at a press conference about the sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan in Pyongyang on Friday. /[North] Korean Central News Agency-AFP A considerable portion of North Korea's denials over the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan at a press conference Friday sounded culled from the arguments of some South Korean politicians and websites rather than any brainwave the North experienced. North Korea closely monitors South Korean political debate with an eye to exploiting any chink in the structure. North Korea apparently sent diplomats to countries that condemned the Cheonan sinking to claim the U.S. Navy mistakenly blew up the ship during a joint South Korea-U.S. military drill. The hypothesis had spread quickly after a news agency reported it on March 29, and even though the agency later corrected it, the damage was done. The National Assembly at the time even asked the Defense Ministry to confirm the report. An alternative hypothesis which says a U.S. nuclear submarine collided with the Cheonan, accompanied by a picture of a nuclear sub being repaired in Hawaii, also went viral online. But both stories disappeared when international investigators found the remains of a North Korean torpedo. Then Chung Se-hyun, a former unification minister under the Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun administrations, cast doubt on the serial number found on the torpedo's propulsion shaft, saying the style of numbering "is not used in North Korea." At the press conference, the North Koreans duly picked up this point, claiming that the word for "number" on the torpedo “is used only for athletes." However, evidence to the contrary can be found on every page of the official North Korean newspapers, which use the same word to number anything from trains to individuals. The North Koreans also repeated a claim that dissenters in the international investigation team had been sidelined and civilian investigators excluded from some investigation processes, which was apparently taken verbatim from remarks by Shin Sang-cheol, a South Korean proponent of the fallacious numbering theory. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
Military Climbs Down Over Psychological Warfare
The military has decided to delay a plan to float propaganda leaflets across the military demarcation line as part of so-called psychological warfare. A government official on Sunday said the plan was put off last week because of bad weather, but the fresh delay comes for "political reasons." Chang Kwang-il of the Defense Ministry told reporters, "At the moment we're taking various situations into consideration. We'll launch the operation how and when we want after a comprehensive review of the situation." [Psychowar] [Softwar]
N.Koreans Rally to Accuse S.Korea of Conspiracy
North Korea mobilized some 100,000 people in Pyongyang on Sunday morning for a rally condemning the South Korean version of the sinking of the Cheonan as a conspiracy. The hour-long rally was timed to coincide with a China-Japan-South Korea summit in Seoul where the sinking featured high on the three leaders’ agenda, and broadcast nationwide in the afternoon. The protesters were said to be expressing "anger and indignation against the traitor group led by [President] Lee Myung-bak." [Cheonan]
Police probe mystery Cheonan letter
May 31, 2010 Local religious and civic groups have received a letter that claims that the results of the South Korean government’s probe into the sinking of the Navy ship Cheonan’s were fabricated, according to police on Saturday. Police are investigating whether or not the letter actually was sent by the North’s central committee for the Korean Buddhists Federation, as it purported. “We are investigating the exact source of this letter,” said a police official. “We think North Korea is trying to escape international criticism regarding the Cheonan sinking.” Authorities said the Cheontae Order of Korean Buddhism, National Council of Churches in Korea, the Taego Order, Jin-gak Buddhist Order and other groups were faxed or e-mailed a 15-page letter which said that the committee would sever any remaining ties with South Korea. It included a signature by the spokesperson for North Korea’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland. Using words including “traitor” and “puppet government,” the letter said South Korea linked the Cheonan’s sinking to North Korea without evidence and pushed international media outlets to believe its charges. [Cheonan]

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