ROK and Inter-Korean relations September 2010

ROK and Inter-Korean relations

September 2010

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Seoul Should Not Fall for N.Korea's Old Tricks
North Korea during Red Cross talks on Friday insisted that the resumption of package tours to the Mt. Kumgang resort precede fresh reunions of families separated by the Korean War. North Korean officials said that since all South Korean-owned facilities in the Mt. Kumgang resort have been confiscated and frozen, the tours "must resume first so that the inter-Korean meeting center there can be open for the event." [SK NK policy]
Cheonan Conspiracy Theorists Are Shooting Themselves in the Foot
Jeong Woo-sang Even after the final report of an international inquiry into the sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan was published, conspiracy theories keep flying around. But the paradox these conspiracy mongers overlook is that they do not help their cause: if these people want six-party nuclear talks to resume and Seoul to give aid to North Korea, Pyonyang will have to apologize for the sinking, but the more traction these conspiracy theories gain, the less incentive the North has to do so. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Public opinion]
NIS Agrees N.Koreas Has Massive Rice Stores for Military
The National Intelligence Service on Monday backed Grand National Party floor leader Kim Moo-sung's recent claim that North Korea's military has 1 million tons of rice squirreled away in the midst of a food crisis. A senior NIS officer was quoted by several members of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee as saying the claim is "well-founded," citing intelligence reports.
110 favorable walking locations in Seoul
The 110 favorable walking locations selected by Seoul City will be introduced on the Ecological Information System homepage (ecoinfo.seoul.go.kr) starting Sept.17, a city spokesman said Thursday. The selected locations are largely divided into five, including 42 wood paths, 12 streamside paths, 17 park paths, 17 historical and cultural paths, and 22 forest touring paths.
Analysis of NK Post-Succession Situation Begins
SEPTEMBER 27, 2010 08:34 The North Korea Situation Index, which the Unification Ministry in Seoul has been developing since early this year, is a measure to gauge stability, transition and crisis levels in the North. The index is expected to spark strong protest from the North since it constitutes South Korea`s preparation of an analytical framework for predicting swift changes in the North`s situation, including signs of internal collapse in recognition of instability in Pyongyang. Based on materials on the index that The Dong-A Ilbo acquired Sunday, the ministry will devise categorical and general indexes by developing detailed ones that show the trends of the North`s situation in four areas: politics and foreign relations, economy, military, and society and culture. The ministry defined stability of the communist regime, trends of transition and crisis levels as barometers for its assessment. Of these elements, transition generally refers to a socialist country`s shift into a capitalist regime. As such, the ministry is apparently seeking to measure the penetration of market economics in the North to gauge the possibility of a transition there. In a related move, the ministry`s North Korea Security Index development team acquired indexes to measure the transition of Eastern European nations from communism to capitalism in the early 1990s by visiting the U.S., Canada, China, Japan and Russia. Analysts say the North Korea Security Index could also consider the situation after the North`s transition. The development of the index is being done by a consortium of the Korea Institute for National Unification and Myongji University in Seoul. The ministry secured 1.8 billion won (1.6 million U.S. dollars) in budget for the project this year, and requested 2.65 billion won (2.3 million dollars) for next year to the Strategy and Finance Ministry. The Unification Ministry completed development of the "stability" category and will hold a briefing on the results in November. [Takeover] [Succession]
South: Reunion deal may be dead
Gov’t insists tourism won’t be tied to talks September 27, 2010 The South Korean government is adamant: it will not agree to reunions for families separated by the Korean War until the issue of cross-border tourism is resolved (sic). “If North Korea keeps connecting the resumption of cross-border tourism with the family reunions, we will not hold the reunions at all,” said a senior Blue House official yesterday. [SK NK policy] [Buildup] [Media]
Korean economist at Cambridge slams capitalism
Chang Ha-joon, a Korean-born professor who now teaches at Cambridge University, has rolled out a new book and it’s becoming controversial, meaning it sells well. Chang’s new release, “23 Things they don’t tell you about capitalism,” is a sequel to his previous bestseller “Good Samaritans,” which was a harsh critique on capitalism which is based on neo-liberalism. The new release is one that takes one step further in that direction. In South Korean society, attacking capitalism is a good way to invite a “leftist” label. Chang, however, brushes aside such simplistic view. “During the Cold War era, the term ‘capitalism’ was a leftist vocabulary. There are some in South Korea who still believe so. But that’s a very unique Korea’s societal circumstance,” said the professor in an interview with JoongAng Ilbo newspaper on Saturday. “Criticizing free market system doesn’t necessarily mean rejecting capitalism. Capitalism remains as the most viable economic system. As long as you acknowledge it, you can still criticize capitalism,” he said.
Differences emerge during inter-Korean Red Cross talks
Disagreement over the family reunion venue is likely to push back the date for the reunions By Son Won-je, Staff writer North Korea and South Korea held a second round of working-level Red Cross talks over the separated family issue at the Janamsan Hotel in Kaesong on Friday. The countries, however, were unable to reach agreement on the issue of resuming Mt. Kumgang tourism, which is connected to the issue of the reunion venue. They agreed to continue talks on the issue at the Janamsan Hotel on Oct. 1. After discussing the issue of the scale of the reunions in the morning, both countries, at North Korea’s request, agreed to hold separate talks for the venue. At these separate talks, held in the morning and afternoon, South Korea demanded the reunions be held at the family reunion center at Mt. Kumgang. North Korea, however, demanded that tourism to Mt. Kumgang resume as a precondition. North Korean representatives said that since all facilities in the Mt. Kumgang area have been frozen or confiscated, including the reunion center,tourism would have to resume with assets unfrozen in order to reuse them. South Korea previously suspended tourism after the fatal shooting of a South Korean tourist. South Korea countered by saying that the restart of tourism required three conditions: an investigation into the shooting of a South Korean tourist there, measures to prevent a recurrence and a guarantee of personal safety for tourists. They also demanded a resolution over the Cheonan issue. All of these demands were notable for being separate from the family reunion issue. [Pretext] [Buildup] [SK NK policy]
N.Korea 'Plotting Biochemical Attack' Kim Kyok-sik
North Korea is trying to launch a biochemical attack against the South prior to the G20 Summit in Seoul in November, a conservative activist claimed Thursday citing a North Korean source [Buildup] [Spin] [cbw]
Seoul Needs Better Intelligence About N.Korea
North Korea said Tuesday it will hold its first extraordinary congress of the Workers Party in 44 years next Tuesday. It was originally set for early September. The last such party congress was held in 1966 and the purpose of the latest gathering is to elect its highest officials. On Thursday, North Korea announced a reshuffle of senior officials and appointed Kang Sok-ju, first vice minister of foreign affairs, as vice premier, while Kim Kye-gwan, the North's chief delegate to the six-party nuclear talks, was named to fill Kang's slot at the Foreign Ministry. Ri Yong-ho, Kim's deputy in the nuclear talks, was appointed vice foreign minister to replace Kim. [Intelligence]
Inter-Korean Red Cross talks held to discuss family reunions
Attention is focusing on Mt. Kumgang tourism, which has been linked to the reunions By Son Won-je, Staff writer Working-level talks on family reunions between the North Korean and South Korean Red Cross are scheduled to continue Thursday at the Janamsan Hotel in Kaesong. As separate talks to negotiate the reunion venue are scheduled, attention is focusing on whether it will lead to concrete talks on the restart of tourism in Mt. Kumgang.
N.Korea and S.Korea to discuss pressing military issues this month
Inter-Korean military working-level talks will likely address escalating military tension and the sinking of the Cheonan By Kwon Hyuk-chul, Staff writer South Korean Defense Ministry sent a message to North Korea on Sunday afternoon regarding the North’s proposal to hold inter-Korean military working-level talks on Sept. 24. In its message, the Defense Ministry suggested holding the talks at the Peace House on the South Korean side in Panmunjom on Sept. 30, with the topic of responsible measures from North Korea on the Cheonan sinking as an item on the agenda. On Sept. 15, North Korea proposed holding these talks to discuss pending issues related to the execution of military agreements. [Overtures] [SK NK policy]
[Editorial] GNP’s unsubstantiated claims for hardline N.Korea policy
Seemingly out of the blue, key figures in the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) claimed that North Korea has stockpiled one million tons of rice in preparation for a potential war. After GNP floor leader Kim Moo-sung made this claim on Sept. 16, Chairman Ahn Sang-soon and government authorities echoed his line. This appears to be a concerted effort to develop a new hardline policy against North Korea. To date, there has been no official disclosure of the scale of North Korea's military rice stores within or outside the country. It is impossible for anyone to know precisely, as this is a key military secret even among the other North Korea-related intelligence concealed under a veil of secrecy. The fact that we do not even know why the Korean Workers’ Party meeting of representatives scheduled for early this month was postponed is an indication of Seoul’s intelligence capabilities and shortcomings. For the government to spread rumors that North Korea has one million tons of military rice stockpiled, without presenting any real evidence for this, cannot be seen as anything but a political move to quell cries for resuming rice aid to North Korea. Such an approach will only diminish public trust in government policy.
S. Korean Final Report on Warship Snubbed
Pyongyang, September 20 (KCNA) -- The south Korean puppet Ministry of Defense recently released a final report on the warship "Cheonan" case which claimed again that the ship was sunk due to "underwater explosion caused by the north's torpedo attack" and opened it to the public. Rodong Sinmun Monday observes in a signed commentary in this regard: This was a grave provocation to the DPRK and another charade of confrontation with the DPRK as it puts a damper on the public opinion at home and abroad aspiring after dialogue and detente. It proves that the south Korean authorities are not willing to stop their anti-DPRK confrontation racket kicked off by them under the pretext of the "Cheonan" case but are set to escalate it. The south Korean conservative group cooked up the above-said final report at a time when it adopted a "flexible deterrent strategy" calling for preempting an attack on the DPRK at the "meeting for overall state security review." Lurking behind this is a criminal attempt that should not be overlooked. In other words, by escalating the confrontation war racket against the DPRK the south Korean ruling quarters seek to recover from the bitter setbacks they suffered in the diplomacy over the "Cheonan" case, weather the serious ruling crisis caused by their domestic and foreign policy failures and calm down the strong voices demanding the improved inter-Korean relations. The situation, however, will never develop as desired by the south Korean authorities. The south Korean ruling quarters would be well advised to bear in mind the adage "Curses come home to roost." [Cheonan] [Coverup]
Kim Jong-eun has plot to disrupt G20: RFA
North Korea recently held a meeting, presided by Kim Jong-eun, the heir-apparent of Kim Jong-il, to disrupt the upcoming G20 summit in Seoul, a report said Wednesday. Citing a high-level North Korean cadre, who recently visited Pyongyang to attend the Workers’ Party conference, Radio Free Asia said North Korea’s National Defense Commission, the North’s de facto most powerful organ, held an emergency meeting to compromise the G20 meeting, slated for Nov. 11-12 in Seoul. [Media]
Ruling Camp Quietly Shifting Opinions on NK Ties
SEPTEMBER 21, 2010 11:29 The government and the ruling party are known to have begun discussion of an exit strategy from the Cheonan sinking and improvement of strained inter-Korean relations. "If North Korea changes its stance in any of the issues like the nuclear issue, the Cheonan sinking, and the repatriation of South Korean POWs, the (South) Korean government will accept the various requests of the North," a ruling party source told The Dong-A Ilbo Monday. "If North Korea gives the South an appropriate cause, it can get what it wants." [SK NK policy]
Seoul not to describe Pyongyang as main enemy
By Jung Sung-ki This year’s defense white paper will not describe North Korea as the “main enemy” despite the sinking of the frigate Cheonan in March, an official at the Ministry of National Defense said Monday. But the biennial defense report will depict the North as posing a grave threat to the security of the South, the official said. The white paper, which is due out in October, would mark a contrast to last year’s paper, in which North Korea was described as a “direct and serious threat.” A 1995 defense white paper had described the North as the main enemy for the first time after the communist state threatened to turn Seoul into a “sea of flames” in military talks. But the description was deleted in 2004 when former President Roh Moo-hyun was trying to engage the North. [SK NK policy]
CPRK Spokesman Ready for S. Korea's Attempt at Preemptive Attack
Pyongyang, September 17 (KCNA) -- The south Korean puppet group recently disclosed its reckless scenario for invading the DPRK through a preemptive attack, talking about a "switchover in its military policy toward the north" and the like. A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea gave the following answer to a question raised by KCNA Friday in this regard: At the recent "meeting for overall state security review" the puppet group had a confab on adopting a flexible deterrent strategy calling for preempting an attack on the DPRK in advance when there is a sign of launching nukes and missile or a war from somebody as its "military policy toward the north". This is a serious military provocation and extremely dangerous war action against the DPRK as it proclaimed to make a switchover from "defensive strategy", which it advocated for mere form's sake in the past, to offensive strategy.[Takeover]
North-South Red Cross Working Contact Made
Pyongyang, September 17 (KCNA) -- An inter-Korean Red Cross working contact was made in Kaesong Friday. At the contact the DPRK side recalled that it actively proposed arranging the reunion of separated families and relatives on the occasion of the Harvest Moon Day, guided by noble compatriotism and the spirit of humanitarianism. This was an expression of the DPRK's good will to promote reconciliation and unity and its positive intention to open a new phase of peace and reunification by settling the serious situation prevailing between the north and the south and implementing the north-south joint declarations, it stressed. Then the DPRK side advanced a technical proposal regarding the date of arranging the reunion of separated families and relatives, its scope and the exchange of lists of those to be involved, etc. on the occasion of the Harvest Moon Day.
Koreas agree to hold family reunions in late Oct.
South Korea’s chief delegate Kim Eyi-do, center, and other officials depart for the North Korean city of Gaeseong at the customs, immigration and quarantine office in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, for inter-Korean talks on the reunion of separated families, Friday. / Korea Times File By Jung Sung-ki South and North Korea held Red Cross talks Friday to discuss the resumption of the reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, but failed to reach an agreement on the details of the meetings. Delegates from the two Koreas will meet again next Friday to iron out differences concerning the date and venue, according to the Ministry of Unification.
Joint Investigation Report: On the Attack Against ROK Ship Cheonan
The full ROK report [Cheonan] [Coverup]
Why Bring Up Reunification Now?
President Lee Myung-bak in a nationally televised speech on Sunday marking the 65th Liberation Day urged South Koreans to prepare for reunification with North Korea. "Reunification will happen. It is therefore our duty to start thinking about real and substantive ways to prepare for reunification such as the adoption of a unification tax," Lee said. "I ask that these and other issues related to this be discussed widely and thoroughly by all the members of our society." He said the two sides need to "overcome the current state of division and proceed with the goal of peaceful reunification" and proposed a three-stage reunification plan that starts with the creation of a "peace community" with the denuclearization of North Korea, followed by an "economic community" through comprehensive inter-Korean exchanges, and eventually the full integration. A sudden regime collapse in North Korea is no longer a distant possibility. North Korea has been in a virtual state of paralysis since the mid 1990s due to economic stagnation. By proposing to discuss the prospect of reunification, Lee is seeking to prepare the public for that eventuality. [Takeover] [Collapse]
Lee chooses audit board boss to be prime minister
Opposition parties may embrace, confirm Jeolla native September 17, 2010 Kim Hwang-sik Kim Hwang-sik, head of the Board of Audit and Inspection and a former Supreme Court justice, was named by President Lee Myung-bak to fill the prime minister vacancy in his embattled administration. “During his 38-year career as a public servant, Kim’s integrity and diligence have been highly respected,” Yim Tae-hee, presidential chief of staff, said yesterday. “We believe he is the best person to implement the administration’s manifesto of [making Korea] a fair society.” “I will do my best to assist President Lee in making Korea a strong, wealthy nation and a fair society with my 38 years of experience as a public servant, if my nomination is confirmed,” Kim said yesterday. “I will serve and communicate with the people with a humble attitude.”
Actions for Probing Truth behind "Cheonan" Case Urged in S. Korea
Pyongyang, September 14 (KCNA) -- The Solidarity for Democracy, People's Living, Peaceful Reunification and Sovereignty of south Korea made public an appeal on Sept. 9, declaring that it would turn out in the struggle to probe the truth behind the warship sinking case. The appeal said that if the people harbor any slightest expectation on the U.S. and the Lee Myung Bak "government" south Korea would be embroiled in a war anytime, and stressed the need to launch the vigorous anti-war struggle for peace of the Korean Peninsula. It is urgent to direct efforts on probing the truth about the "Cheonan" case full of doubts, before anything else, and deal a decisive strike at the U.S. and the Lee Myung Bak "government", it said. The appeal called for vigorous mass actions to probe the truth about the case. Underlining the need to steadily wage the struggle demanding repeal of the DPRK-targeted joint military exercises with the U.S., it declared that the solidarity would set the period for an intensive movement for peace of the Korean Peninsula from Sept. 8 to Oct. 4 and conduct a vigorous action. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Joint military}
South Korean leader has reunification plan
Video Koreas mark truce, but drills underscore tension North and South Korea Tuesday were marking the anniversary of the 1953 truce that ended the Korean War. But joint U.S.-South Korean military drills and the North's objections to them were underscoring continuing tensions in the region. By Chico Harlan Monday, August 16, 2010 TOKYO -- Saying that "unification will happen," South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Sunday proposed a three-step plan to unify the Korean Peninsula and a new tax to help his country absorb the enormous costs of integration. Unification talk, even hypothetical, is a delicate subject on the peninsula, especially at a time that North Korea is dealing with the poor health of its leader, Kim Jong Il, and a rushed succession process for his son, Kim Jong Eun. Analysts said Lee's proposal will probably draw a sharp backlash from the North. Lee is the first South Korean president to propose a tax to help with the costs of unification, and his remarks reflect the growing sentiment among South Koreans that they must plan for a North Korean collapse. Though he offered no specifics about his ideas, Lee called preparations a "duty." [Collapse] [Takeover]
'WEAPONS NEEDED TO NEUTRALIZE N.K. WMDS'
Korea Herald ( 2010/09/16) reported that the chief of a presidential committee on defense advancement said that ROK should secure weapons capable of incapacitating the DPRK's weapons of mass destruction to deal with its growing military threats. Lee Sang-woo of the 15-member committee made the remarks amid escalating public calls for military reform aimed at enhancing the country's defense capabilities against DPRK provocations. "Unless North Korea abandons its WMDs, South Korea, which has decided not to possess WMDs, has no way to be militarily superior to its communist neighbor," Lee said. "The South, which maintains a denuclearization policy, can prevent the North's military superiority only when it has the non-nuclear precision strike capabilities that could incapacitate its WMDs before they are put to use." [Military balance] [Buildup] [Threat]
[News Briefing] N. Korea proposes military talks with S.Korea
North Korea has proposed holding working-level military talks with South Korea, Seoul’s military officials reported Thursday. North Korea’s proposal was made on Wednesday via a faxed message using a military communications line over the tense Yellow Sea border, the officials said. In the message, North Korea’s military proposed talks “to discuss pending issues in the wake of implementing military agreements between both sides in the southern side of the truce village at Panmunjom on Sept. 24.” North Korea hopes to discuss the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto inter-Korean sea border on the west coast, and Seoul’s plan to fly anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the North, which it has insisted on, according to the official. South Korean officials said they were reviewing North Korea’s proposal, but some officials reacted skeptically. Although North Korea’s proposal could be another gesture to relax cross-border tensions, the proposed agenda does not look productive for South Korea. [Overtures] [SK NK policy]
Opposition calls for Cheonan reinvestigation
DP says 2 of 3 S.Koreans do not trust Cheonan report
By Lee You Ju-hyun, Staff writer Despite releasing its final report on the sinking of the Cheonan on Monday, the Lee Myung-bak administration has been unable to explain the number of questions that have been raised. Accordingly, there has been a flood of calls from lawmakers and civil society calling for a thorough reinvestigation into the sinking. Civic groups have issued strong calls for a reinvestigation into the sinking of the Cheonan. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Human rights]
The Sinking of the Cheonan Must Not Be Forgotten
Jeong Woo-sang "Is the sinking of the Cheonan a chapter in the country's history that needs to be wrapped up?" a high ranking South Korean government official asks. He said that is what he asks people who suggest that it may be time for South Korea to turn the page and prepare for the resumption of the stalled six-party nuclear talks. "The Cheonan incident is not over. It took the lives of 46 sailors," the official said. "We cannot just turn the page." Yet at the same time he was busy meeting officials in the U.S., China and other participating countries to discuss the resumption of the six-party talks. The governments of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan say North Korea must shift its stance about its sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette if it wants to resume six-party talks. [Cheonan] [Six Party Talks]
Family Reunions Will Form Yardstick of Inter-Korean Relations
The government will wait to see how North Korea responds to a proposal to hold reunions of families separated by the Korean War on a regular basis before it decides how to proceed in inter-Korean relations and whether to support a resumption of six-party nuclear talks. The Red Cross societies of both Koreas meet in Kaesong on Friday to discuss the reunions.
Defectors in South fleeing to Europe
Discontent with life here, they fool U.K., Norway into granting asylum September 15, 2010 An increasing number of North Korean defectors, dissatisfied with life in the South, are seeking refuge in a third country even after they obtain South Korean citizenship, creating a diplomatic headache for Seoul, the JoongAng Ilbo has learned. Representative Hong Jung-wook of the Grand National Party said he obtained internal documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade detailing the defectors’ attempts to take asylum in Western countries by pretending they were still North Koreans. Hong shared the information with the JoongAng Ilbo yesterday. According to the ministry documents, the U.K. and Norway have discovered about 600 former North Koreans with South Korean citizenship who have applied for asylum. A January 2009 report from the South Korean Embassy in Oslo to the Foreign Ministry said that Norwegian immigration authorities and police cracked down on a shelter for North Korean asylum seekers in November 2008. The authorities found that 33 of the supposed refugees had South Korean passports and 22 had South Korean resident certification cards. Another 25 confessed that they had South Korean citizenship. The Norwegian government sent 20 back to South Korea. Middlemen who arranged their attempts to seek refuge in Norway were also arrested, the embassy reported to the ministry. Similar situations were reported in Britain. An internal ministry report showed that about 1,000 North Korean defectors have applied for refugee status there since 2004. The British government believes about 70 percent of them have South Korean citizenship. [Refugee reception]
Final Cheonan report released, leaves lingering questions
The final report failed to fully link the explosion with damage to the ship’s hull and crewmembers, experts said By Kwon Hyuk-chul, Staff writer The Ministry of National Defense released a full report Monday on the findings of the civilian-military joint investigation into the sinking of the Cheonan. The civilian-military joint investigation group’s (JIG)report concludes that the Cheonan sank due to an underwater explosion caused by a CHT-02D sound-guided torpedo fired by a small North Korean submersible. This was the final report of the JIG examining the Cheonan’s sinking. Overall, the content of Monday’s announcement was roughly the same as the JIG findings announced on May 20. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
Inter-Korean relations approach new crossroads
Experts say renewed discussions on inter-Korean humanitarian issues may signal increased cooperation By Son Won-je, Staff Writer Analysts have voiced cautious speculation that inter-Korean relations, which reached a peak of confrontation after the Lee Myung-bak government came to power, may have reached a turning point. The background to their claims comes from a series of positive actions and suggestions from North Korea related to humanitarian issues [Overtures]
[Editorial] Seeming indifference toward six-party talks
A new atmosphere has begun to transpire on the Korean Peninsula, but the South Korean government remains passive. It could fairly be called the most insensitive to these changes out of all of the countries taking part in the six-party talks. The naturally arising concern is that this stubborn approach will get in the way of real progress in issues related to the peninsula and greatly diminish the role of South Korea in the proceedings. [SK NK policy]
Latest report on Cheonan sinking: North is guilty
September 14, 2010 Books with the title “Joint Investigation Report: On the Attack Against the ROK Ship Cheonan” are displayed yesterday during a media briefing at the Defense Ministry in Seoul. The Cheonan, a ship that was believed to be torpedoed by North Korea, killing 46 sailors, sank March 26 off Baengnyeong Island, near the disputed sea border with the North. [YONHAP] South Korea yesterday released a full report into the deadly sinking of a warship blamed on North Korea, saying it was acting to quell “groundless” suspicions about who was to blame for the tragedy. The Ministry of National Defense report comes in at about 300 pages and reaffirms conclusions reached in May by international investigators that a torpedo attack by a North Korean submarine sank the ship and killed 46 sailors. The South announced reprisals after the initial report was published, including a partial cutoff of trade, triggering an angry response from the North, which continues to deny responsibility. Many South Koreans are also skeptical. A survey by Seoul National University’s Institute for Peace and Unification Studies showed that only three in 10 trust the findings of the international inquiry. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Public opinion] [Russia]
[Exclusive] Korean Air to develop UAV for division operations
A plastic model of the KUS-9 UAV to be developed by Korean Air By Jung Sung-ki Korean Air, the national flag carrier, has been selected as the preferred bidder to develop a domestic medium-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Monday. KAL defeated Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). The selection was made during DAPA's defense procurement meeting Sept. 7, an agency official said. About 30 UAVs will be deployed in the Army's division-level units beginning 2014, as part of efforts to boost the country's intelligence-gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in tandem with the planned transition of wartime operational control from the United States to South Korea in 2015. [Military balance]
Seoul reaffirms N. Korea’s torpedo attack in final report
By Jung Sung-ki A multinational team of investigators failed to find traces of explopsives on the propeller of a torpedo collected from the site of the sinking of the Cheonan ship in March, according to a head of the team. This, critics say, leaves lingering questions about the exact cause of the incident that killed 46 sailors. The Joint Civil-Military Investigation Group (JIG), released its final report of the Cheonan investigation both in Korean and English Monday, following its interim report announced May 20. The group included experts from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Sweden and Canada. The 300-page final report contains records of the incident, the raising of the wreckage, the collecting of evidence and simulations.
Maj. Gen. Yoon Jong-sung, head of the Ministry of National Defense’s Criminal Investigation Command, said the JIG had found a total of 36 traces of explosives consisting of RDX, HMX and TNT on the wreckage of the Cheonan. But there were no such traces on the pieces of a torpedo found at the site of the incident, Yoon admitted. The JIG has called the torpedo parts one of the “decisive” pieces of evidence that prove North Korea’s involvement in the naval disaster.
Critics have cast doubts about the authenticity of the evidence presented by the investigators. For example, the investigation team argued the “No. 1” inscribed in Korean on the propulsion section of the raised torpedo as conclusive evidence, but critics raised questions about how the lettering remained intact despite the heat of the explosion. gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr [Cheonan] [Coverup]
S. Korea to ease cap on citizens allowed to stay in N. Korea
South Korea will ease its months-long cap on the number of its citizens allowed to stay overnight at the joint Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea, an official said Tuesday. The number would increase to 900 from the current 600, the official said on condition of anonymity. [SK NK policy]
Korean reunification to cost over $3 trillion
Local economic experts believe the country needs to immediately start saving up for unification with impoverished North Korea that will cost at least 3,500 trillion won ($3 trillion), a recent survey of experts released Tuesday showed. Most of the experts also said the divided Koreas will likely be reunified within the next 30 years, according to the survey conducted by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), the largest business interest group in the nation. The questions raised by the FKI came after President Lee Myung-bak proposed introducing a new "unification tax," which he said will help lessen the financial burden of reuniting with the communist North. Sixty-three percent of the 20 experts surveyed said the reunification of the Korean Peninsula will cost more than that of Germany, about $3 trillion. The amount includes the initial costs of stabilizing the nation following a reunification, but also the costs of eradicating any economic and social disparities between the two Koreas. [Unification cost]
S. Korea releases full report on ship sinking, reaffirming N. Korea's responsibility
By Kim Deok-hyun SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea released on Monday the full results of a multinational investigation into the March sinking of a warship, reaffirming that it was sunk in a North Korean torpedo attack and providing more details that officials hope will quell doubts and questions leveled at interim probe results.
The full report was published in a 289-page volume in Korean and a 313-page one in English [Cheonan] [Coverup]
2 Koreas 'Met Secretly in Kaesong'
Senior officials from South and North Korea met secretly in the North Korean city of Kaesong in mid-August, the Asahi Shimbun said Sunday. The Japanese daily said one North Korean participant was Jang Song-taek, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's brother-in-law and vice chairman of the National Defense Commission. On the South Korean side, it said "senior officials in the Lee Myung-bak administration" attended the meeting.
Final Report Confirms Cheonan Findings
The final report of an international inquiry into the sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan published Monday morning confirms the earlier conclusion that a North Korean CHT-02D torpedo was responsible for the attack. The final report repeats the conclusion of a mid-term report in May that the Cheonan sunk after being split in half by an underwater explosion and the resulting bubble jet effect from a torpedo attack and that the underwater explosion occurred around 3 m to the left of the gas turbine room at a depth of between 6 to 9 m. "The weapon was confirmed to be a North Korean CHT-02D torpedo manufactured and used in North Korea containing 250 kg of high explosives," it added. Based on seven tests by the International Maritime Organization, the report rules out alternative theories that a floating or submerged mine or a small torpedo modified from a mine placed near Baeknyeong Island during the 1970s was responsible. [Cheonan]
Inter-Korean relations approach new crossroads
Experts say renewed discussions on inter-Korean humanitarian issues may signal increased cooperation By Son Won-je, Staff Writer Analysts have voiced cautious speculation that inter-Korean relations, which reached a peak of confrontation after the Lee Myung-bak government came to power, may have reached a turning point. The background to their claims comes from a series of positive actions and suggestions from North Korea related to humanitarian issues.
[News Briefing] S. Korea releases full report on Cheonan sinking
South Korea released on Monday the full report of a multinational investigation into the Cheonan warship sinking, reaffirming that it was sunk in a North Korean torpedo attack and providing more details. Defense Ministry officials hope it will quell doubts and questions leveled at interim probe results, but it was judged by experts and media as falling far short of necessary for answering lingering questions. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
Inter-Korean relations approach new crossroads
Experts say renewed discussions on inter-Korean humanitarian issues may signal increased cooperation By Son Won-je, Staff Writer Analysts have voiced cautious speculation that inter-Korean relations, which reached a peak of confrontation after the Lee Myung-bak government came to power, may have reached a turning point. The background to their claims comes from a series of positive actions and suggestions from North Korea related to humanitarian issues.
[News Briefing] S. Korea releases full report on Cheonan sinking
South Korea released on Monday the full report of a multinational investigation into the Cheonan warship sinking, reaffirming that it was sunk in a North Korean torpedo attack and providing more details. Defense Ministry officials hope it will quell doubts and questions leveled at interim probe results, but it was judged by experts and media as falling far short of necessary for answering lingering questions. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
Entertainers draw fire with lies
By Kwon Mee-yoo Singer MC Mong, 31, has been booked without physical detention on suspicion that he plucked out healthy teeth as a means to dodge the mandatory military service. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said the singer, whose real name is Shin Dong-hyun, had postponed entering the military service seven times from 1999 to 2006 by providing various excuses. [ROK military]
Seoul reaffirms Pyongyang's responsibility in final Cheonan report
The government Monday reaffirmed that it was sunk in a North Korean torpedo attack in the final report on a multinational investigation into the March sinking of a warship. The 1,200-ton patrol ship Cheonan sank near the tense inter-Korean border on the night of March 26, killing 46 sailors aboard. The other 58 were rescued. A Seoul-led multinational team of investigators concluded in May that the vessel was sunk from the underwater explosion of a torpedo fired by a midget North Korean submarine that sneaked into South Korean waters. Investigators presented as evidence the propulsion device of the torpedo retrieved from the site of the sinking, marked with "No. 1" written in North Korean-style characters. The team also said the recovered torpedo parts point to a model shown in North Korea's pamphlet of its weapons. The full report contained some more details, including those on the explosion, to explain how the 73 investigators from South Korea, the United States, Britain, Australia and Sweden reached their outcome. "The detonation location was 3 meters to the port from the center of the gas turbine room and at a depth of 6 to 9 meters," it said. "The weapon system used was a CHT-02D torpedo with approximately 250 kilograms of explosives manufactured by North Korea." The book-length document also included communication records between the Cheonan's surviving captain, Cdr. Choi Won-il, and his immediate boss, Squadron Commander Capt. Lee Won-bo, at the time of the sinking. [Cheonan coverup] Investigators from four countries -- Australia, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S. -- signed the report. The findings of a brief investigation by Russian experts were not included. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Russia]
No. 1 torpedo remains source of controversy
Repeatedly changed stories about the torpedo from the civilian-military joint investigation group have called findings about the “conclusive evidence” into question » A propeller and steering gear of a torpedo reportedly made in North Korea were presented to the public by the civilian-military joint investigation group (JIG) as “decisive evidence” of North Korea’s role in the sinking of the Cheonan, May 20. (Photo by Shin So-young) By Kim Bo-keun The so-called “No. 1 torpedo” is at the heart of the debate over the sinking of the Cheonan. It is also the site of repeatedly changed stories by the civilian-military joint investigation group (JIG). The torpedo fragment made a dramatic entrance, salvaged by a pair trawler net just five days before May 20, which the Lee Myung-bak administration had firmly set as the announcement date for the JIG findings. The JIG said that it was the propeller of a CHT-02D, a North Korean torpedo manufactured for exportation, and presented it as “conclusive evidence” in the Cheonan incident. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Corrosion]
Defense Ministry alters explosive force in Cheonan report
This change is expected to call into question other findings that may no longer scientifically align with the scale of the explosion » An official from civilian-military joint investigation group (JIG) answers questions from reporters at an explanatory meeting for the press held at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, June 29. (Photo by Kim Myoung-jin) By Lee Choong-sin Sources reported Thursday that for its final report on the Cheonan sinking, scheduled for release on Sept. 13, the Ministry of National Defense changed the explosive force of what they have called the North Korean-made “No. 1 torpedo” (CHT-02D). The Defense Ministry changed the previously announced level equivalent to 250 kilograms of TNT up to the level of 350 kilograms of TNT, a 44 percent increase. As this reverses the findings announced on May 20 by the civilian-military joint investigation group (JIG), controversy is expected to flare up again over the reliability of government investigation findings. [Cheonan] [Coverup]
Pyongyang proposes reunion of separated families at Mt. Geumgang
North Korea's Red Cross on Saturday proposed to its Southern counterpart to hold a fresh round of temporary reunions for separated families for Chuseok, the Korean harvest holiday falling on Sept. 22, at Mt. Geumgang Resort in the North, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. ”The two sides had a good precedent of relieving separated families of their pain and promoting family relations through reunions of families and relatives on Chuseok before,” said Chang Jae-eon, chief of the North Korean Red Cross Society in a letter sent to Yoo Chong-ha, head of the South Korean Red Cross.“Let’s arrange a meeting of separated families and relatives at Mt. Geumgang Resort in the North around Chuseok this year, too. The two sides also arranged a session of reunions of separated families from Sept. 26-Oct. 1 last year on the occasion of Chuseok. [Overtures]
Activists Float More Leaflets to N.Korea
Some 200 members of the North Korean defectors' group Fighters for Free North Korea and conservative South Korean organizations sent 100,000 pamphlets attached to 10 helium balloons to North Korea on Thursday, the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of North Korea. [Destabilisation] [Buildup]
Pastor who visited North indicted
September 10, 2010 Han Sang-ryol A South Korean pastor who was arrested last month after making blistering critiques of his government during an illegal trip to North Korea was indicted on charges of violating the National Security Law, prosecutors said yesterday. Rev. Han Sang-ryol, a pro-North Korea activist, had been in the North for about 70 days, giving a series of speeches praising the Pyongyang regime and denouncing the Lee Myung-bak administration in the South. [Human rights] [National Security Law]
Most S.Koreans Skeptical About Cheonan Findings, Survey Shows
Only three out of 10 South Koreans trust the findings of an international inquiry into the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan that blamed a North Korean torpedo attack. According to a survey conducted by Seoul National University's Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, 32.5 percent of respondents were more or less convinced, saying they "completely trust" (6.4 percent) or "tend to trust" (26.1 percent) the findings of the inquiry. But 35.7 percent of respondents were not convinced, with 10.7 percent saying they "completely distrust" and 25 percent they "tend to distrust" the findings. The remainder said they did not know. IPUS interviewed 1,200 adults in 16 cities and provinces in July. The poll has a margin of error of 2.8 points and a 95 percent confidence level. Lee Sang-shin, a senior researcher at IPUS, said, "It appears that there is an even distribution of people who trust, distrust or are unsure about the probe results, but those who were unsure should probably be regarded as harboring suspicions about the investigation results." The findings differ markedly from a poll in June by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security of 1,000 adults and teenagers each, which showed that 75.4 percent of adults and 75.1 percent of teenagers believed North Korea attacked the Cheonan. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Public opinion]
N.Korea to release S.Korean fishermen
Analysts say this marks a step forward for the humanitarian level of tense inter-Korean relations By Son Won-je, Writer The announcement that North Korea would be repatriating sailors from the South Korean fishing boat Daesung has been interpreted as a fairly positive sign for inter-Korean relations. This is because it eliminates a stumbling block at the humanitarian level of inter-Korean relations. However, many observers have expressed that it is unlikely to significantly impact inter-Korean relations as a whole, as the sailors’ repatriation had been seen as only a matter of time. [Overtures]
North Korea extradites Hyundai Asan employee
As the country welcomes Yu back, the Association of Tenant Companies in Kaesong looks for signs of improvement in inter-Korean economic cooperation As the country welcomes Yu back, the Association of Tenant Companies in Kaesong looks for signs of improvement in inter-Korean economic cooperation detention since March 30. Chun Hae-sung, the spokesperson of South Korea’s Unification Ministry, said, “North Korean officials extradited Yu after releasing the results of their investigations.” Chun added, “Afterwards Cho Gun-sik, the president of Hyundai-Asan, took custody of him at 5:10 p.m. at the Kaesong Industrial Complex.” Chun added, “The South Korea government does not express an apology or regret regarding Yu’s release, nor have we given money to North Korea.” He also said, “I have heard that Hyundai-Asan has expressed regret and has made a pledge to prevent anything similar from happening in the future.” [Overtures]
[Editorial] Another insinuation about late President Roh
In a press interview two days ago, former Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Central Investigation Department chief Lee In-kyu opened up on the issue of a bank account allegedly registered to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun under an assumed name. Lee said that the allegations by Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) Commissioner Cho Hyun-oh were “neither correct nor incorrect.” Lee stated, “I don’t know that you would exactly call it a slush fund under a false-name account, but if there was actually a strange flow of money, then calling it that is not wrong, either.” In other words, there was no hard evidence of a false-name account, but there was activity that provoked suspicions. [Roh Moo-hyun]
South Korean government impeded Russian team's Cheonan investigation: Donald Gregg
Former U.S. ambassador to South Korea urges full disclosure of long-delayed report on navy warship's sinking By Kwon Tae-ho, Washington correspondent WASHINGTON — Current Korea Society chairman and former United States Ambassador to South Korea Donald Gregg, who raised doubts about the South Korean government's Cheonan investigation findings in a piece for the International Herald Tribune, claims that the South Korean government impeded an investigation by a Russian team of experts. In a telephone interview with the Hankyoreh on Friday, Gregg said that the South Korean government “must remove all doubts by announcing in detail the findings of the Joint Investigation Group” (JIG). In his International Herald Tribune contribution Wednesday, Gregg wrote that the Russian team "concluded that [the Cheonan's] sinking was more likely due to a mine than to a torpedo."
The following is the text of the interview. Gregg’s responses are taken directly from the interview transcript. Q: What was the basis for the Russian team reaching that conclusion? A: Their conclusion was tentative. Because they were not given access to all of the material they wanted to see, and they were not allowed to conduct [simulation] tests. Q: So doesn't that mean that the Russian team's conclusion was uncertain? How did they reach the determination that it was a mine rather than a torpedo in spite of this? A: [According to the JIG’s announcement t]he Cheonan sank when it was broken in half all at once by a bubble jet originating from the launching of a torpedo. But, Russia, which is well aware of the situation in North Korea, determined that North Korea didn't access the very high technical weapon to bubble jet, bubble-likely destroy the ship and sink it. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Russia] [Motive] [Mean] [Opportunity
Lee rejects proposal of returning military service period to 2 years
By Na Jeong-ju President Lee Myung-bak rejected a proposal from the military to drop the ongoing plan to reduce the mandatory military service period to 18 months by 2014 and instead return it to 24 months, Friday, reasoning that the matter of curtailing the service period should be reviewed carefully. The country has been gradually reducing the service period under the “Military Reform Plan 2020,” mapped out in 2005 under the previous Roh Moo-hyun administration. The program calls for the military to cut the service period to 18 months by 2014, from the current average of 21 months. [ROK military] [Threat]
[Column] Awaiting the Cheonan Report
By Kim Bo-geun, Special content Manager
I hope that the Cheonan Report will come out today. But today, too, I must wait. The Defense Ministry had previously announced it would distribute the report by the end of August, the publishing of which had been delayed several times. However, it is now September and the report has yet to come out. There is talk that it will come out soon, but nobody knows when, exactly, that will happen.
The biggest reason why we await this report is because of the regret for the twisted situation on the Korean Peninsula. South and North have both turned their backs to one another and are facing their respective allies, the United States and China. It appears South Korea got hung up on America first. When sanctions on North Korea issued through the UN Security Council failed, South Korea reportedly urged the United States to enact independent sanctions. It seems the Lee Myung-bak administration thought that it could lose its place amongst its conservative base if it were to be abandoned by the United States after the UN. The price we have to pay to the United States, however, has been great. Cars and beef, the Afghanistan deployment, sanctions on Iran... what we have to give, one thing after another, is a lot. [Cheonan] [Coverup] [Tribute] [China NK]
S. Korea will widen debate on unification cost: Lee aide
By Sam Kim SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will continue to broaden national debate on ways to tackle the cost of reunifying itself with North Korea, a top presidential aide said Wednesday, despite Pyongyang's continuing allegations that Seoul is seeking to absorb the communist neighbor. On Aug. 15, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak proposed a "unification tax" that he said would help lessen the financial burden of uniting with North Korea if such a situation arises. The proposal, made amid strained relations between the divided nations still technically at war, drew a harsh reaction from North Korea, which accused Lee of hoping to topple Pyongyang by force. Kim Sung-hwan, Lee's senior secretary for foreign affairs and security, denied that the proposed tax was meant to suggest unification by absorption or a radical contingency in the North, but insisted that the debate on financial costs must continue. [Takeover] [Buildup] [Spin]
Seoul to delay fighter jet program
Budget constraints, post-Cheonan priority readjustment blamed By Jung Sung-ki A major fighter jet acquisition program originally scheduled for 2011 is likely to be pushed back by a year due to budget constraints and a readjustment of priorities in the wake of the sinking of the frigate Cheonan on March 26, according to defense officials Wednesday. [Military balance]
A New Paradigm for Trust-Building on the Korean Peninsula: Turning Korea’s DMZ into a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Seung-ho Lee Can an effort to make peace between humans and nature help bring peace among humans? For nearly two decades, the Six-Party states—the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia, and Japan—either bilaterally or multilaterally have attempted to denuclearize North Korea and make peace on the Korean peninsula.1 Many options considered by the US and its allies, including a preemptive military strike and coercive economic sanctions against North Korea, have proven ineffectual or ethically unsupportable. Political and diplomatic negotiations have lacked both mutual regard among the parties and faith in the process and have thus far proven to be useless.2 Today it seems apparent that the United States and its allies cannot accomplish what they want under the current negotiating scheme. A new paradigm is needed for building trust and for moving forward. Collaborative efforts to turn Korea’s Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a UNESCO World Heritage Site can provide a trust-building measure among the Six-Party nations. Environmental and cultural cooperation among the major adversaries, prompted by internationally neutral scientists and scholars, will provide a unique opportunity in the DMZ. The efforts to change human behavior toward the DMZ’s natural and cultural importance can help make peace among humans and serve as a new paradigm for creating peace on the Korean peninsula. [Naiveté]

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