ROK and Inter-Korean relations
August 2011
Return to Asian Geopolitics indexpage
Return to ROK and Inter-Korean relations page
-
Careful Aid for N.Korea Is the Best Policy
Han Sung-Joo North Korea recently lobbed artillery rounds south of the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas, even after the government informed Pyongyang it would send food and medicine to the North amid plans to ease sanctions that were imposed after the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan in May 2010. And effective Aug. 21, the regime froze South Korean property in the North's scenic Mt. Kumgang resort. That raises the question whether it is wise to resume aid to the North, and whether there is any point in trying to engage with it.
[Aid weapon]
-
Does the Cabinet Reshuffle Signal Change in N.Korea Policy?
President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday replaced Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, who was singled out by politicians as responsible for strained ties with North Korea. But Cheong Wa Dae stressed that its North Korea policy remains unchanged. Yu Woo-ik, who previously served as Lee's chief of staff and ambassador to China, will succeed Hyun.
[SK NK policy]
-
GNP moves away from Lee’s ultra-hardline N.Korea policy
Eying next year’s elections, the GNP has looked to adopt a more mainstream stance
» Hong Joon-pyo
By Hwang Joon-bum
Grand National Party Chairman (GNP) Hong Joon-pyo stated Tuesday, “The time has come to show a more forward-thinking approach on inter-Korean relations.”
Speaking at a special talk in Incheon for the Hannara Incheon Forum and party member workshop for Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, Hong said, “Why did South Koreans not vote for the Grand National Party in last year’s local election even after the Cheonan situation occurred? The Grand National Party keeps getting painted as being anti-reunification.”
Regarding a South Korea-North Korea-Russia gas pipeline currently being pushed by the government, Hong said, “My understanding is that the three parties, South Korea, North Korea, and Russia, are going to hold negotiations some time around November.”
[Russia1108] [Lee Myung-bak] [SK-NK policy] [Spin]
-
Unification minister-nominee to seek flexibility on NK
By Kim Young-jin
Newly appointed Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik said in his first public comments since being named to the post Wednesday he would take a steady, yet adjustable approach toward North Korea.
"I plan to maintain the government's stance toward the North in a consistent manner,"
[SK NK policy]
-
Is pragmatic inter-Korean policy bearing fruit?
By Lee Tae-hoon
President Lee Myung-bak outlined the principles of the new administration’s inter-Korean relations in April 2008, declaring an end to his predecessor’s “Sunshine Policy” of engaging North Korea.
He made it clear that Seoul would stop offering economic aid to Pyongyang with no strings attached. The CEO-turned president also pointed out that he would seek inter-Korean projects that benefit both South and North Korean economies in return for the latter abandoning its nuclear program.
Many doubted his reciprocal policy would work but now, more than three years later, some observers have begun to see Lee’s patience and his pragmatic policy toward North Korea finally bear fruit.
[SK NK policy] [Inversion]
-
N.Korea Desperately Seeking Cutting-Edge Weaponry
North Korea is going all out to secure armaments, as the presence of North Korean Air Force Commander Ri Pyong-chol on leader Kim Jong-il's visit to Russia indicates. Kim wrapped up his visit to Russia and returned to North Korea via China on Saturday.
During one visit to China in May last year, Kim brought along Ju Kyu-chang, the first vice-director of the Ministry of Defense Industry, and on his next visit in August, he brought Ju as well as Pak To-chun, Workers Party secretary for munitions.
A North Korean source said Kim "probably wanted China's help" in modernizing his country's aging weapons.
[Arms sales] [Military balance]
-
Defense Ministry Plans to Increase Spending by 2016
The Defense Ministry laid out a five-year-plan from 2012 to 2016 to the National Assembly Defense Committee on Friday.
It includes increasing spending on national security by an average of 5.5 percent per year. Out of this, the ministry plans to gradually expand the proportion spent on defense capability from the current 30.9 percent to 33.8 percent by 2016.
The ministry says the aim is to build up South Korea's military strength against current and potential threats from North Korea and plans to invest more in military preparedness.
[Buildup] [Military balance]
-
[ed] Trans-Siberia gas pipeline
NK must stop confiscation of Mt. Geumgang assets
The proposal for building a trans-Siberia gas pipeline linking the two Koreas is nothing new. South Korea and Russia signed the agreement in 2008. This week, North Korea also inked the same accord. The project is economically attractive but politically infeasible.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il endorsed the project during their summit Tuesday. The accord comes three years after President Lee Myung-bak signed the deal with the Russia leader. It is meaningful that the North is proactive in the deal.
The project has been up in the air since the Kim Dae-jung administration in 1998
[Gas] [Russia1108]
-
For composer Jung Choo, love of country despite 65 years of exile
Although Jung has faced scrutiny from both N.Korea and S.Korea, he says he hopes to be buried in a unified country
By Ahn Kwan-ok, Gwangju Correspondent
Jung Choo, a 86-year-old renowned composer recently visited his hometown of Gwangju after 65 years of living overseas with an invitation from Gwangju Cultural Foundation. Jung is a former professor at Almaty National University in Russia who went into exile for his opposition to Kim Il-sung’s personality cult. His famous compositions include “A Song of the Raft” that was presented by Soviet officials to celebrate the historic first manned spaceship mission. More than 60 of Jung’s compositions are now included in Kazakhstan school textbooks. His name recognition, however, has faded in South Korea not because of his work, but because of his perceived political stance. Jung had been both viewed as a disgraced defector to communist North Korea by Seoul and an anti-Kim Il-sung dissident by Pyongyang.
-
S.Korea Indicts 5 Men Accused of Spying for North
South Korean prosecutors say they have indicted five men on charges of spying for North Korea.
The prosecutors said Thursday the five belonged to an anti-state organization named after a North Korean mountain, and have been passing sensitive information to North Korea's intelligence agency for more than a decade.
They said the information they passed included satellite photos of South Korean military bases, U.S. military field manuals and information on South Korean politicians.
A conviction under South Korea's national security law carries the possibility of capital punishment.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
[Espionage] [Human rights]
-
Five arrested in Mount Wangjae espionage case
Allegations that North Korea ordered opposition party unity have led to accusations of a politically-motivated investigation
» Prosecutors present the results of a mid-level investigation, Aug. 25. (Photo by Kim Tae-hyoung)
By Noh Hyun-woong
Prosecutors and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) arrested and indicted five people implicated in the Mount Wangjae espionage case, charging them with forming and operating an underground party under North Korean orders.
The NIS and the first public security division of the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office announced Thursday that five people had been arrested and indicted on charges of espionage according to the National Security Act for reporting on the South Korean political situation and military intelligence under orders from Bureau 225 of North Korea’s Workers’ Party of Korea and carrying out infiltrations and other operations within the central political framework. Among those arrested were the organization’s 48-year-old main officer, a 46-year-old local official in Incheon, and a 48-year-old local official in Seoul, respectively identified by the surnamed Kim, Lim, and Lee.
Prosecutors said that after being recruited by North Korea in the early 1990s, Kim established an underground organization called Mount Wangjae, bringing in younger activists from Jusapa, a faction that espoused Kim Il-sung’s juche ideology, self-reliance or self-dependence, and engaged in espionage activities for the next decade or so, primarily in Seoul and Incheon.
The investigation found that Kim met personally in August 1993 with then North Korean leader Kim Il-sung and received orders to “establish a local leadership for a South Choson, Korea, revolution,” which were subsequently carried out. Prosecutors are charging that the individuals in question attempted to create disorder in the domestic political situation by putting Lee to work as secretary for a leading politician, as well as to recruit progressive politicians, including a district office head in the Incheon area.
Prosecutors said that a wide-ranging search and seizure effort secured evidence including 28 written orders from Bureau 225, 82 reports to North Korea by Mount Wangjae, and 230 other communication documents.
Prosecutors discovered instructions for operations aimed at grand progressive and reformist unity among the North Korean orders, which is expected to cause political controversy.
Regarding the prosecutors’ announcement, the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) said the prosecutors’ decision to leak the investigation content at a time when progressive party integration efforts are in their final stages appeared to have the aim of disrupting unity among progressives.
“They are painting the false picture that opposition party unity is taking place under [North Korean] orders,” the party said.
The New Progressive Party (NPP) said it was impossible to trust the prosecutors’ announcement completely because it was an “indiscriminate public security case” and that “the entire case appears to be politically motivated.”
Indeed, the portrait of Mount Wangjae activities painted by prosecutors comes merely from the documents exchanged. Currently, a total of 10 people have been identified as members of the organization, including the five people arrested as well as five others who are under investigation but have not been detained. While a report to North Korea stated, “The organizational capacity that can be motivated in the event of emergency is around 200 people,” even this is merely an assertion. The size of the organization falls well short of being able to execute plans successfully.
[North wind] [Human rights]
-
Construction, protests and arrests intensify Jeju naval base standoff
With more police and civic involvement, stakes have risen for the base that is unpopular with local residents
» Police arrest Father Moon at Gangjeong Village.
By Hurh Ho-joon, Jeju Correspondent
On Aug. 25, Seogwipo Police Station in Jeju Island applied for arrest warrants for Gangjeong Village Mayor Kang Dong-kyun and two other people on suspicion of obstructing work at the construction site of a naval base at the village. They also detained and investigated Father Moon Jung-hyun, who protested the applications.
[Human rights] [Bases]
-
Oh’s lunch referendum invalidated with 25.7 pct. turnout
Attention is focusing on Oh’s resignation, the date of which will impact next year’s general elections
By Lee Tae-hee, Staff Writer
Seoul’s Aug. 24 referendum on the provision of free school meals has come to naught after voter turnout failed to reach the 33.3 percent mark required for validity.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who staked his position upon the outcome of the vote, is now in a position where his resignation is imminent, a fact that adds a new and unexpected dimension to the political scene ahead of next year’s general and presidential elections.
As soon as the vote was over, Oh said he would “accept the result with humility,” but failed to mention when he would resign, saying only through a close associate that he would “make a statement within one or two days.”
Given that the election of a new mayor will have a considerable influence on the results in the metropolitan region of next April’s general election, it appears the ruling and opposition parties will hold a fierce campaign battle
-
Park Geun-hye outlines more balanced N.Korea policy in Foreign Affairs
The policy has been met with skepticism by observers unsure of how it will be put into practice
By Seong Yeon-cheol
Former Grand National Party (GNP) Chairwoman Park Geun-hye outlined a new North Korea policy of “trustpolitik” and an “alignment policy” on Tuesday. In introducing the policy, Park remarked on the need to realize new developments in North Korean policy, saying policymakers in Asia and the international community must “adopt a bolder and more creative approach.”
Park’s contribution, titled “A New Kind of Korea,” was published Tuesday in the U.S. foreign policy bimonthly journal Foreign Affairs. In the article, Park offers balanced policy as a strategy for bringing trust-based diplomacy into inter-Korean relations
[Park Geun-hye] [SK NK policy]
-
NK’s ongoing survival calls for 'realpolitik'
Bernhard Seliger
By Kim Young-jin
The decades-old debate over whether North Korea will survive or collapse is reheating, stoked by hints that change is brewing in the isolated country.
Those who predict collapse cite greater information permeating its borders, an increasingly tech-savvy populace and a tricky power transfer underway from leader Kim Jong-il to his youngest son.
In contrast, Bernhard Seliger, a Korea-based expert on German unification and Korean affairs, believes that while the situation remains unpredictable there is a strong possibility of regime survival.
The prospect, he says, makes it imperative that the international community continue to engage Pyongyang whether it wants to or not.
“The elements of statehood are in place so there is a realistic possibility that (the regime) goes on,” said Seliger, who heads the Korea office of the Hanns Seidel Foundation that promotes peace-building.
[Collapse] [NGO]
-
S.Korean TV 'Can Now Be Watched in Remotest N.Korea'
A Korean TV set is seen in a North Korean official's house in the Rajin-Sonbong special economic zone (file photo). South Korean TV programs can now be watched even in the northernmost part of North Korea if the channels are adjusted secretly, according to Open Radio for North Korea.
The belief so far was that South Korean channels can be watched in areas close to the South Korean border, such as Hwanghae Province, but the radio station claims it is possible as far North as Onsong, North Hamgyong Province, which is just across the Duman (or Tumen) River from China.
-
Can Park Geun-hye's N.Korea Policy Work?
Park Geun-hye, the former head of the ruling Grand National Party, wrote in the U.S. magazine Foreign Affairs that it is now time for "a new kind of Korea" and proposed a "trustpolitk" or policy of trust, and an "alignment policy" with the communist country.
[Park Geun-hye] [SK NK policy]
-
Korea Becomes a Tough Place for the Elderly
Korea is becoming the most inhospitable place in the world for senior citizens, data suggest. One out of two senior citizens lives in poverty, while one in three to five suffers from abuse from their children or neighbors. And 160 out of every 100,000 senior citizens kill themselves to escape these conditions.
[Ageing society] [Human rights]
-
S.Korea Must Bolster Its Defense Against N.Korean Artillery
The South Korean military's firefinder radar systems to respond to surprise attacks by North Korean long-range artillery are not only lacking in terms of number, but are prone to breakdowns.
North Korea has deployed 340 long-range artillery pieces including 170 mm self-propelled howitzers and 240 mm multiple rocket launchers along the western frontline near the demilitarized zone, and the weapons are aimed directly at Seoul and other metropolitan areas. But out of the 20 anti-artillery radar systems the military has, six Arthur radars imported from Sweden broke down 78 times last year, while the U.S.-made TPQ-36 and 37 malfunctioned 98 and 60 times over the past five years. Experts say at least 10 more radars are needed in order to put up an effective defense.
[Buildup] [Military balance]
-
S.Korea Lacks Radar to Detect N.Korean Artillery
The South Korean military's artillery firefinder radar systems failed to detect the North Korean artillery shells when they fell in waters near the Northern Limit Line close to Yeonpyeong Island on Aug. 10.
The Seoul area is threatened by about 340 long-range artillery pieces with a range of 54-65 km, including 170 mm self-propelled howitzers and 240 mm multiple rocket launchers, which the North has deployed along the western frontline near the demilitarized zone.
[Shelling110810] [Buildup]
-
N.Koreans Love S.Korean Variety TV Shows
Hit South Korean variety TV programs like "Happy Sunday: 1 Night 2 Days" and "The Unlimited Challenge," are hugely popular in North Korea as well.
Lee Joo-chul, a researcher with terrestrial broadcaster KBS, in a meeting on Thursday said defectors report that high-ranking North Korean officials are especially fond of South Korean TV.
[Culture war] [Softpower]
-
GNP Accepts Opposition Demands over N.Korea Rights Bill
The government and ruling Grand National Party have given in to demands from the main opposition Democratic Party to rewrite the North Korea human rights bill so it stipulates aid to the North. If the DP accepts the new version, the government and GNP plan to pass the epically delayed bill during the extra session of the National Assembly in August.
[Aid weapon]
-
Bomb Shelters on Yeonpyeong Island Still in Disrepair
Residents of Yeonpyeong Island sit in a dilapidated shelter during North Korea's shelling of the western island on Nov. 26, 2010. Bomb shelters on Yeonpyeong Island have remained neglected for the last nine months despite urgent calls to reinforce them and ensure islanders' safety after North Korea shelled the island in November.
According to islanders, most of the 19 shelters on the island were unusable on Aug. 10, when the North Korean coastal artillery again shelled waters off the island, because they were submerged and power supply was cut off in the wake of downpours.
On Aug. 10, "no evacuation announcement was made. Worse, residents found the floor of some shelters filled with water," said Kim Jae-sik (49), the chairman of a Yeonpyeong islanders' committee. "One shelter that was in better condition was so packed with the families of military officers that it was difficult for ordinary islanders to squeeze in."
"Since the North's attack last November, the government has worked out various responses, but it's failed to maintain the bomb shelters properly despite the urgent need to restore them," said islander Kim Young-sik (60). "With the floor flooded by rain, there's no single foam mat in the shelters, let alone emergency supplies like bottled water and pot noodles."
The local government is building 42 new bomb shelters on the five northwestern-most islands in the West Sea, including Yeonpyeong, with a budget of W53 billion (US$1=W1,075) from central government. The new shelters will be furnished with heating and cooling systems, bathrooms, kitchens, public-address booths, and power generators.
But it a mere W14.6 million was allocated to Yeonpyeong to maintain and repair the old dilapidated shelters.
[NLL] [Buildup]
-
Truth about Shelling Fabricated by S. Korean Military Warmongers Exposed
Pyongyang, August 10 (KCNA) -- The south Korean military warmongers are faking up again the burlesque that the army of the DPRK committed shelling "provocation" in the waters around Yonphyong Island and kicking up an anti-DPRK racket by mobilizing major media including KBS, MBC and Yonhap TV.
The head of the north side to the north-south military working-level talks gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA today in this connection:
At a time when a dynamic drive is making successful progress to build a thriving nation in all parts of the DPRK, there was normal blasting in the area of South Hwanghae Province close to the five islands in the West Sea of Korea on August 10 as part of the brisk construction of a gigantic object aimed at improving the standard of people's living,
Frightened by this, the south Korean military warmongers spread misinformation that the army of the DPRK perpetrated a shelling "provocation." They went the lengths of militarily reacting to this under that pretext.
[Buildup]
-
Korean-Chinese woman booked for smuggling N.Korean art
Seoul police said Wednesday that they have booked an ethnic Korean woman from China for allegedly smuggling North Korean paintings into South Korea, selling them to local consumers and sending some of the profits to the North.
The 46-year-old woman, surnamed Kim, was accused of bringing in about 1,300 paintings by some well-known North Korean artists in violation of a law regulating the flow of goods between the two Koreas, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said.
Police also booked three others for allegedly helping Kim peddle the smuggled artworks.
Kim is suspected of smuggling in 1,308 artworks, mostly landscape paintings created by North Korean artists, between May last year and July this year, and pocketing 30 million won ($27,943) after selling 1,139 of them to local galleries and over the Internet, police said.
Police said the North Korean artists include some famous names who were authorized by the Pyongyang regime and affiliated with the communist country’s top-notch Mansudae art community widely known to be peddling (sic) artwork overseas as a means of earning foreign currency.
(Yonhap News)
[Sanctions][SK NK policy] [Media] [Spin]
-
Private Sector Will Have to Bear 70% of Unification Costs
An expert has estimated that if the two Korea's are reunified, it will cost around W480 trillion, and the government will need the private sector to bear 60 to 70 percent of that burden (US$1=W1,072).
The estimate comes from Ahn Sung-ho, a professor of political science and international relations at Chungbuk National University.
Ahn added the money will be needed to develop 240 new cities in North Korea, assuming each city of 100,000 people costs about $1.9 billion.
He said the most realistic way to raise the money is to levy a direct tax of about $190 per year on every citizen, while raising the current rate of value-added tax.
Last year, President Lee Myung-bak proposed a special tax to pay for reunification.
[Unification cost]
-
German unification and Seoul’s short-lived 'Sunshine Policy'
Ruediger Frank, expert on N. Korea at the University of Vienna
By Sunny Lee
VIENNA — The German unification experience clearly shows that a policy of economic engagement and reconciliation is the right mojo to bring North Korea down. Yet South Korea’s two previous administrations didn’t do a good job of effectively marketing the idea to the domestic voters, a fatal mistake that led to a “premature” termination of their flagship Sunshine Policy, observed a German expert on North Korea.
“I grew up in East Germany, watching West Germany’s television, receiving various kinds of goods from my West German relatives who visited us. We also exchanged letters,” said Ruediger Frank, a German expert on North Korea who teaches at the University of Vienna, in an interview.
Those pretty ordinary activities of exchange between the two Germanies had extraordinary consequences: the collapse of communism in East Germany. When asked whether South Korea’s Sunshine Policy had been accomplishing the same goal, he answered, “Definitely.”
[Takeover]
-
Supersonic Cruise Missile in Development
South Korea is developing a supersonic cruise missile that can be used to attack aircraft carriers, Aegis ships and up-to-date destroyers.
"Think tanks like the Agency for Defense Development have been developing a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile for some years now. They're expected to complete development in three to four years at the earliest," a government source said Tuesday.
[Military balance] [China confrontation]
-
On espionage and a Moonlight Fairy album
By Jeong Yong-il, Managing Editor, Minjog 21
It has been 23 years. Did I meet some great love from my past? Revisit a forgotten childhood home? I wish! No, the 23 years mark the time since a news outlet was “shaken down,” when the Hankyoreh editing bureau was subjected to a search and seizure and Lee Young-hee arrested for “daring” to attempt coverage in North Korea.
It happened at around 6 p.m. on July 24, when most everyone would have been whiling away a leisurely holiday afternoon. Around 20 investigators from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) descended on my home, brandishing a search and seizure warrant. I was stunned. At first, I misinterpreted the situation, suspecting there had been some misunderstanding. But when they proceeded to search not only the house but also the editing office at Minjog 21, I found myself wondering just what on earth was going on.
[Human rights] [Lee Myung-bak]
-
Korea to deploy sub-killer torpedoes
Korea is likely to deploy Hongsangeo (Red Shark) submarine-killing torpedoes to the Navy’s King Sejong the Great-class Aegis destroyer late this month.
"The Navy installed a torpedo launch system on the King Sejong late last month and began the final sea acceptance test from Aug. 8," said a press release by Song Young-sun of Alliance of Future Hope at the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee.
"It'll be possible to deploy the torpedoes on the destroyer sometime late this month if there is nothing strange in the test outcome."
The Red Shark has been in development since 2000 as a submarine killer by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and will be deployed on another Aegis destroyer, the Yulgok, late this year, following the deployment on the King Sejong, according to military sources.
The missile is launched vertically to avoid detection by enemy submarines and to increase its range. It is dropped by parachute near the intended target. After release, the torpedo falls into the water and independently searches for the target.
“It is very meaningful that Korea will deploy the submarine killer on the destroyers as it covers about 30 kilometers and it can attack enemy submarines pre-emptively,” said lawmaker Song.
[Military balance]
-
Smugglers of NK paintings busted
By Lee Hyo-sik
Police booked four fraudsters Wednesday on suspicion of smuggling over 1,300 North Korean paintings and selling them through art galleries here and on the Internet.
They are suspected of sending some illegal gains to the North, police said.
An international crime unit at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said a 46-year-old Korean-Chinese woman, surnamed Kim, illegally brought 1,308 paintings by some well-known North Korean artists into the country from May 2010 through July this year.
[Sanctions] [Bizarre]
-
N.Korea 'Wanted to Shoot Down S.Korean Defense Chief's Chopper'
Kim Kwan-jin North Korean military units talked about the possibility of shooting down a helicopter carrying Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin during his visit to a frontline unit in July, officials here said Monday. Intelligence agencies have started investigating whether the North Koreans actually tried to shoot down Kim's helicopter and how they got hold of his frontline tour schedule.
[Buildup]
-
Seoul to stay course on NK policy
President Lee Myung-bak, third from left, presides over an emergency Cabinet meeting for the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) drill in an underground chamber at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. The war game first took place in 1975 to enhance interoperability between the militaries of Korea and the United States. The drill continues until Aug. 26. / Yonhap
By Kim Young-jin
The Lee Myung-bak administration is not likely to make brisk moves towards reconciliation with North Korea, analysts said Tuesday, a day after a major presidential speech that touched only lightly on Pyongyang.
In his Aug. 15 Liberation Day speech, Lee offered no new proposals on the North, stressing only the importance of building trust and peace while focusing mainly on the economy.
Last year, he used the platform to boldly propose a special tax to help shoulder the cost of eventual unification, drawing the ire of Pyongyang.
“The message was clear,” Choi Jin-wook of the Korea Institute for National Unification said. “He is going to stick with his principles and doesn’t want to make any big political event such as an inter-Korean summit. The status quo is acceptable.”
-
Seoul to Deploy Sub-Killer Torpedoes
The Navy will deploy Korean-made Hongsangeo (Red Shark) "submarine-killer" torpedoes on the Navy's top-end Aegis destroyer this month, it emerged on Sunday.
"The Navy installed a torpedo launch system on the King Sejong the Great late last month and began the final sea acceptance test on Aug. 8," a military source said. "The tests are going well, so it'll be possible to deploy the torpedoes on the destroyer sometime late this month."
The Hongsangeo is an anti-submarine missile that is launched vertically to avoid detection by enemy submarines and to increase its range. It is dropped by parachute near the intended target. After release, the torpedo falls into the water and independently searches for the target.
[Military balance] [ASW]
-
Hope Rally in Seoul will be collective call for change
Organizers expect over 100,000 from opposition parties, civic organizations, religious groups, academia and labor
By Seok Jin-hwan
The two day, one night Hope Rally to be held starting Aug. 20 in the plaza in front of Seoul City Hall has drawn particular attention due to the en masse participation of opposition parties, the labor sector and civic organizations. In particular, with the five opposition parties and civil organizations coming together in one place over the Lee Myung-bak administration’s labor policy, some are forecasting the rally could become a springboard for opposition unity and policy alliance.
-
Seoul dismisses North shell claims
Pyongyang says artillery fire was actually noise from construction
August 12, 2011
Seoul yesterday dismissed North Korea’s accusation that it fabricated reports of Northern artillery fire landing in waters near South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island the day before.
Pyongyang, in a statement sent to the South yesterday morning, said the sounds of artillery fire were “explosions made during construction.”
Earlier in the day, the North’s Korean Central News Agency reported that “regular blasts” from “brisk construction of a gigantic object” in South Hwanghae Province “near the five islands on the Yellow Sea” had been ongoing for some time.
[Buildup] [Shellng110810]
-
S. Korean Military's Anti-DPRK Confrontation Racket Slammed
Pyongyang, August 12 (KCNA) -- The Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea today issued information bulletin No. 978 denouncing the south Korean military for kicking off the anti-DPRK conspiratorial moves while blustering in a far-fetched manner that the DPRK fired shells into the waters near Yonphyong Island.
The information said:
As already reported, the puppet warmongers have kicked off another anti-DPRK conspiratorial confrontation racket such as opening fire all of a sudden, while groundlessly asserting that the DPRK shelled the waters near Yonphyong Island.
[Buildup] [Shelling110810]
-
Truth about Shelling Fabricated by S. Korean Military Warmongers Exposed
Pyongyang, August 10 (KCNA) -- The south Korean military warmongers are faking up again the burlesque that the army of the DPRK committed shelling "provocation" in the waters around Yonphyong Island and kicking up an anti-DPRK racket by mobilizing major media including KBS, MBC and Yonhap TV.
The head of the north side to the north-south military working-level talks gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA today in this connection:
At a time when a dynamic drive is making successful progress to build a thriving nation in all parts of the DPRK, there was normal blasting in the area of South Hwanghae Province close to the five islands in the West Sea of Korea on August 10 as part of the brisk construction of a gigantic object aimed at improving the standard of people's living,
Frightened by this, the south Korean military warmongers spread misinformation that the army of the DPRK perpetrated a shelling "provocation." They went the lengths of militarily reacting to this under that pretext.
It was preposterous in the age of science when latest detecting and intelligence means are available that they mistook the blasting for shelling and they proved shells fell in the waters around the "northern limit line" though no shells were fired. It was a tragicomedy that they indiscriminately reacted to what happened with counter-shelling even without confirming the truth about the case in the sensitive waters of the West Sea of Korea.
[Buildup] [Shelling110810]
-
N. Korea demands cancellation of South-U.S. military drill
SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Saturday repeated its call for the cancellation of an upcoming South Korea-U.S. military drill, saying Seoul was deliberately trying to ruin the atmosphere of dialogue on the Korean Peninsula "in collusion with outside forces."
South Korea and the U.S. plan to hold their annual joint military exercises, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Guardian, in the Yellow Sea off the west coast of Korea. The South's defense ministry said the 11-day drills, which kick off Tuesday, will simulate destroying weapons of mass destruction.
[Joint US military]
-
Funeral of Lee Han-yeol, 1987.7.9, Seoul, South Korea
On June 9, 1987, Yonsei University student Lee Han-yeol participated in demonstrations against the Chun Doo-hwan dictatorship in South Korea. Riot police fired a tear gas canister at his head, penetrating his skull. His fellow students took him to Yonsei's Severance Hospital, where he remained in critical condition. The resulting public outcry was an essential part of the June Democracy Movement, which brought down Chun Doo-hwan's regime and established democracy in South Korea. On July 5, Lee Han-yeol died.
On July 9, 1987, over one million people participated in Lee Han-yeol's funeral, one of the most important events in South Korea's political history.
I took pictures of the event and present them here.
[Democracy]
-
N.Korea Denies Shelling S.Korean Waters
This undated photo shows a hostile artillery location system or HALO, which was deployed on Yeonpyeong and Baeknyeong islands in July. /Courtesy of SELEX Galileo North Korea on Thursday denied shelling of waters near the Northern Limit Line close to Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea the previous day. They were not artillery shells but blasting noises from routine construction work in an area in South Hwanghae Province, the regime claimed.
This claim was made by the head of a North Korean delegation to cross-border military talks in a message to his South Korean counterpart. "The South fabricated the case in a bid to ruin the atmosphere of dialogue and damage inter-Korean relations," he wrote.
-
More Estimates of Unification Cost Offered
If South and North Korea are reunified 20 years from now, the cost of integration is estimated to range from US$51 billion to $229 billion. But the Unification Ministry on Thursday said it will cover only the first year of reunification, which means the total cost could be much higher.
Recent data released by Hyundai Research Group suggest that the economic benefits of reunification will outweigh the costs as South Korean capital and technology combines with cheap North Korean labor and rich natural resources, turning the reunified country into an economic powerhouse.
Last year, President Lee Myung-bak proposed a special tax to fund reunification.
[Unification cost]
-
North Korea denies firing artillery in spat with South near disputed area
Global Times | August 12, 2011 04:22
A new row between the two Koreas will not have an impact on the resumption of stalled Six-Party Talks, a Chinese analyst said Thursday, as the two sides engaged in a war of words over a brief military exchange near a disputed sea border.
North Korea issued a statement Thursday denying it had fired any shots toward the border area and said that they were just normal blasts from construction work, Reuters reported.
Pyongyang also slammed Seoul's decision to fire warning shots in the area of the West Sea of Korea, saying the response was "preposterous."
The statement came after South Korea returned fire Wednesday after it said North Korea had fired artillery shells in the disputed border.
According to the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief news statement that "an artillery round believed to be from a North Korean shore battery landed in waters near the border at about 7:46 pm, to which our side fired three warning shots."
Yang Bojiang, a professor at the University of International Relations, told the Global Times that the truth needs to be determined before judgments can be made. South Korea's reaction reflects the sensitive period the Korean Peninsula finds itself in, he added.
Firstly, North Korea has called for the resumption of Six-Party Talks, and also for talks between the two Koreas, the US and China, a proposal that the four nations have not reached a consensus on, Yang said. Secondly, the South is about to hold presidential elections.
Domestic political change in South Korea has always affected inter-Korean relations, and political change would also affect foreign policy towards the North, Yang added.
Thursday, Washington called on Pyongyang to show restraint and a commitment to denuclearization after the exchange between the two Koreas.
-
Park Geun-hye’s leadership challenge
Park’s family links and unwavering principles will be assessed in next year‘s presidential elections
By Seong Han-yong, Senior Staff Writer
Can the daughter of a former military dictator who seized power in a coup d’etat serve as president in this era? Will her leadership be authoritarian or democratic?
The underlying factor figuring into general assessments of former Grand National Party (GNP) Chairwoman Park Geun-hye is that she is the daughter of former President Park Chung-hee. For the five years after the death of her mother in 1974, when she was 22, Park served in her mother’s place as First Lady, assisting her father at the Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House). When she entered politics in 1997 at the age of 45, she enjoyed the benefits of her status as Park Chung-hee’s daughter.
[Park Geun-hye]
-
South Korea returns 7 North Koreans after their fishing boats drift south
By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, August 12, 1:13 PM
SEOUL, South Korea — Seven North Koreans were returned home on Friday after their fishing boats drifted to South Korea across the tense maritime line between the countries, officials said.
On Thursday, South Korea’s military rescued four North Koreans facing drowning in the Yellow Sea after their two damaged boats were found near a South Korean island. Separately, three other people on a different boat were found but they were returned to the North after the South provided them fuel early Friday morning.
-
North Korea disputes South Korea’s claim of artillery exchange near tense maritime line
By Associated Press, Published: August 11
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Thursday denied it fired shells near a disputed maritime line, saying a frightened South needlessly retaliated after mistaking “normal blasting” from a construction project for artillery.
South Korea, which fired three shells in what it said was an exchange of artillery on Wednesday, did not immediately respond to the unexpected yet mundane explanation by Pyongyang. But the widely different versions of the event highlight the knife-edge tensions between the two Koreas despite a recent easing of animosity.
South Korean marines returned fire Wednesday after North Korea launched artillery shells into waters near the disputed maritime line that separates the two rivals, South Korean defense officials said.
.“It was preposterous in the age of science when latest detecting and intelligence means are available that they mistook the blasting for shelling,” an unnamed North Korean representative to inter-Korean military talks said in a statement released by the official Korean Central News Agency.
“It was a tragicomedy that they indiscriminately reacted to what happened with counter-shelling even without confirming the truth about the case in the sensitive waters,” the official said.
South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said three North Korean shells originally fired near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea prompted the South to fire three shells back. Another ministry official, who refused to be named because of office policy, said North Korea fired more rounds later in the day and that South Korea responded.
All the shells landed in the water, South Korea said, and there were no reports of casualties.
South Korean forces have been on high alert in the area since a North Korean artillery attack killed four people, including two marines, in November on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong island. Wednesday’s artillery exchange was near that island, South Korea said.
It follows a recent easing of animosity between the Koreas and comes ahead of joint U.S.-South Korean military drills set for next week. Last month, a senior North Korean diplomat met with U.S. officials in New York to negotiate ways to restart long-stalled international talks aimed at persuading the North to abandon its nuclear weapons aspirations. The meeting came after the Koreas’ nuclear envoys held cordial talks during a regional security forum in Indonesia.
In its statement Thursday, the North repeated its call for the cancellation of the U.S.-South Korean drills and said South Korea was deliberately trying to ruin “the atmosphere of dialogue in the Korean peninsula.”
On Wednesday, the United States urged North Korea to exercise restraint and take steps to allow the six-nation disarmament talks to resume.
“This incident is now over, and we now need to move back to the main business at hand,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters in Washington.
The North’s shelling took place unexpectedly, South Korean officials said, and neither side was conducting firing drills at the time.
Violence often erupts in the contested slice of sea. Three deadly naval clashes since 1999 have taken a few dozen lives.
Kim said one North Korean artillery shell is believed to have fallen south of the maritime line.
The maritime line separating the countries was drawn by the U.S.-led U.N. Command without Pyongyang’s consent at the close of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with a truce, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula still technically in a state of war. North Korea routinely argues that the line should run farther south.
Baek Seung-joo, a military analyst at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in South Korea, said the North appears to be rattling its sabers ahead of the annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises.
On Monday, a North Korean military spokesman released an open letter that called the joint exercises “hideous provocations.” He warned that the North has access to a “nuclear deterrent powerful enough to protect” itself.
The North has conducted two nuclear tests since 2006.
___
Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.
[Buildup] [Joint US military] [Media]
[US global strategy] [China confrontation] [Energy]
-
[Urgent] Seoul returns fire after NK shell falls near western sea border
South Korea fired three shots towards the tense western sea border after one North Korean shell apparently fell near there, the military here said Wednesday.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the South's Navy heard North Korea fire three artillery shots toward the Northern Limit Line (NLL) around 1 p.m. Wednesday, and then responded around 2 p.m. with three warning shots.
"We estimated that one North Korean shell dropped near the NLL," a JCS official said. "We haven't noticed any particular movements in the North Korean military but we're maintaining a defense posture." (Yonhap)
[Buildup]
-
Middle Class Fear for Their Livelihoods
Korea's middle class is dwindling, according to figures from Statistics Korea on Tuesday. The proportion peaked at 76.3 percent in 1992 but dropped to 67.5 percent last year. Some 9.23 million households are in danger of dropping out of the middle-class bracket.
-
Ex-President Spills Beans About Political Slush Funds
Former presidents Roh Tae-woo (left) and Kim Young-sam (file photo) Former president Roh Tae-woo gave W300 billion to presidential candidate Kim Young-sam during the 1992 election, he revealed in his memoirs out on Tuesday (US$1=W1,086). Roh also admits he spent W200 billion for his presidential bid in 1987, including W140 billion provided by his predecessor Chun Doo-hwan, and W50 billion from his party.
The two-part memoirs published by Chosun News Press contain behind-the-scenes stories from his term in office, including political funds and dealings with North Korea. "I did not make any comments after vowing before I went to jail in November 1995 to take sole responsibility for everything," Roh said about political slush funds. "But I decided it would be best to reveal key information in order for the historical record."
[Corruption] [Democracy]
-
South Korea returns fire on North in disputed waters
South Korean forces retaliate after North Korea fires three artillery shells in latest clash in Yellow Sea
Share113 reddit this Associated Press
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 10 August 2011 08.34 BST Article historySouth Korean forces returned fire after North Korean artillery shells fell into waters near the tense maritime line that separates the two rivals Link to this video South Korean forces returned fire after North Korean artillery shells fell into waters near the tense maritime line that separates the two rivals, according to a South Korean official.
North Korea fired three shells near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, prompting the South to fire back three shells, said the defense ministry spokesman, Kim Min-seok.
[Buildup] [Media]
-
Denuclearization was pre-emptive move against Pyongyang: Roh
Former President Roh Tae-woo
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Former President Roh Tae-woo disclosed that the announcement of the joint declaration of denuclearization was a pre-emptive move intended to put the provocative North under control.
In his memoir released this week, Roh, 80, recalled he was motivated to push for the joint statement shortly after learning in 1991 that the United States was going to withdraw its tactical nuclear weapons deployed in South Korea.
“I thought we needed to do something to prevent North Korea from going for a nuclear program, and take the initiative in denuclearization on the Korean peninsula,” the former president said regarding the reason of pushing for the joint statement with the North.
-
Seoul denies NK’s plot to kill defense chief
By Lee Tae-hoon
Officials denied a report Wednesday the Defense Ministry has beefed up security for Kim Kwan-jin after receiving intelligence that North Korea has sent agents to assassinate him.
Citing multiple anonymous sources, the JoongAng Ilbo reported that Defense Minister Kim is taking extra precautions because a group of North Korean agents are trying to kill him.
[Media] [Buildup]
-
South Korea Returns Fire After North Shells Disputed Waters
By CHOE SANG-HUN
Published: August 10, 2011
SEOUL, South Korea — The South Korean military returned fire on Wednesday after North Korean artillery shells fell in waters near a South Korean island the North attacked last year with a lethal artillery barrage, Defense Ministry officials said.
South Korean marines based on the island, Yeonpyeong, 75 miles west of Seoul, detected three artillery shots from a North Korean island around 1 p.m. Wednesday, the officials said.
[Buildup] [Media]
-
W50 Trillion to Be Set Aside for Reunification
The government is preparing to raise W50 trillion over the next 10 to 15 years for reunification with North Korea (US$1=W1,060). This amount is one-sixth of South Korea's annual budget of W300 trillion.
A member of a Unification Ministry taskforce said, "We're looking at a scenario where Korea may be reunited in 10 to 15 years, and we’ve estimated some W50 trillion would be needed to cover the costs."
The government will have to raise between W3 trillion and W5 trillion every year to achieve that aim.
[Unification cost] [Takeover]
-
Pyongyang Hands Over Body of South Korean
North Korea on Friday handed over the body of a South Korean found drifting in its waters. The corpse passed hands at 11 a.m. at the truce village of Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border.
-
Seoul working on details of 'unification tax': sources
By Kim Young-jin
South Korea is speeding up efforts to introduce a special tax in preparation for the possible reunification with North Korea, according to officials at the Ministry of Unification.
“We are mapping out details on how to help finance the massive costs of potential unification with the North,” a senior official has said.
The move for the unification tax in the South has brought about protest from North Korea, claiming Seoul has been seeking the tax in its bid to absorb its northern neighbor.
[Unification cost] [Takeover]
-
KLA announces opposition to Rhee documentary
The group objects to portraying Rhee as ‘founder of the republic’
» Civic organization members in front of the KBS building in Seoul holding a banner that reads, “Apologize for and End the Broadcasts Glorifying Japanese Collaborationists Paik Sun-yup and Rhee Seung-man,” June 29. (Photo by Lee Jong-keun)
By Choi Sung-jin
The Korea Liberation Association (KLA), activists for liberation from Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945) and their descendants, announced Friday that it would launch an intensive battle if KBS depicts former President Rhee Syngman as a “founder of the republic” in a documentary titled “People Who Made the Republic of Korea Move: First President Rhee Syngman and the First Republic” that is scheduled to be broadcast on Aug. 15. The planned measures include the return of Order of Merit for National Foundation medals.
[Syngman Rhee] [Japanese collaborator]
-
NK purges 30 negotiators of inter-Korean talks'
By Han Yoon-ji
North Korea has purged 30 officials involved in talks with South Korean negotiators, a news report said Friday.
“It has been confirmed that 10 people have been executed by firing and another 20 by manipulated traffic accidents,” the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper quoted a South Korean government official as saying. “Because the North now has no negotiators to talk with the South, inter-Korean relations will change drastically.”
[Media]
-
Inheritance for N.Koreans Opens Pandora's Box
A Seoul district court has ordered that children left behind in North Korea by a man who came to the South during the 1950-53 Korean War deserve an equal share of his inheritance. The children in the North filed a suit against their stepmother and half-siblings in South Korea.
The court did not reveal the amount of inheritance the two sides must agree to share. If they agree, the court order gains the same binding effect as a ruling. The North Korean children filed the lawsuit through their oldest sister, whom their father brought with him when he came to the South some 60 years ago, and a pastor in the U.S. They sent samples of their hair and fingernails to South Korea via the pastor to verify their relationship with their father.
The court order marks the first instance where the inheritance rights of children left behind in North Korea were recognized in South Korea. An estimated 5 million North Koreans came to the South during the Korean War. An organization estimates that some 8.3 million of such people and their children and grandchildren are living here, and their families and descendants left behind in the North are also estimated in the millions. The court order is expected to lead to similar lawsuits against parents or half-siblings living in South Korea. Even the grandchildren of North Korean escapees could sue.
-
Indonesia to Buy 50 Korean Fighter Jets
Indonesia will get 50 South Korean KF-X fighter jets under a cooperative agreement between the two countries, Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said in Jakarta on Monday.
Korea Aerospace Industries' KF-X is a program to develop an advanced multipurpose fighter for the Air Force. It is South Korea's second fighter development program following the T-50 Golden Eagle.
[Arms sales]
-
Early Picture of KAL Bomber Released /Courtesy of the National Intelligence Service
A newly released photo taken by a Yomiuri Shimbun photographer shows Kim Hyun-hee (in red circle), the surviving bomber of Korean Air flight 858, with other North Korean girls delivering bouquets to a South Korean delegation in 1972.
The picture undermines conspiracy theories saying Kim was not a North Korean agent.
englishnews@chosun.com / Jul. 13, 2011 13:01 KST
[KAL 858]
-
Former marine says subculture and beatings must change
Marine Corps reform has been under the spotlight since a shooting spree at a Marine base July 4
By Lee Soon-hyuk
The Marine Corps has become a central issue in South Korean society in the wake of a July 4 shooting spree and suicides occurring soon after. The Hankyoreh met with a former Marine who reported working both in the Marine Corps Command and at a checkpoint on the front lines in the early 2000s. The former Marine emphasized, “This situation needs to serve as an occasion for ridding the Marine Corps of its deep-seated problems,” but also repeatedly affirmed his love for the corps.
Hankyoreh: What unit were you part of?
Marine: I worked at a lot of different places, including at the 2nd Marine Division and Marine Corps Command and in Seoul.
H: What do you think needs to change in the Marine Corps?
M: To put it bluntly, it is the beatings and the subculture. The beatings and brutality are too severe, and there is a unique Marine Corps subculture behind it. Since it is made up of volunteers only, there are a lot of tough guys. The macho-ism is intense. In my case, I had a very rough time because I was from Seoul, from one of the so-called “elite universities.”
H: What kind of problems are there with regions and schools?
M: With all the toughness there, people from Seoul were viewed as being “like girls.” I remember the day I moved into a unit, when one of the older guys in the internal affairs group asked me, “Where are you from?” I told him Seoul, and he told me, “Brace your mouth.” And then he punched me. As far as the university went, they would make sarcastic remarks like, “Since when are the Marines letting in these bookworms?”
I remember one thing that happened at the thermal observation device (TOD) checkpoint. An older soldier tried to get a younger one to perform oral sex on him, and the younger guy refused. The older guy cursed the younger guy and threatened him, and finally the younger guy couldn’t take it any more and started hitting the older guy. He really let the guy have it, and finally the older guy passed out. There was no response, and he got scared and deserted. The alarm went up in the unit, and finally both of them were arrested. The younger guy was charged with mutiny and desertion, the older guy with sexual misconduct and inducement to action
Return to ROK and Inter-Korean relations page