ROK and Inter-Korean relations
July 2020
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Gov't to Inspect Defector Groups
By Kwon Soon-wan
July 16, 2020 13:38
The government is threatening to look into the activities of all North Korean defector groups registered with the Unification Ministry, according to sources on Wednesday.
The measure comes after it filed a police complaint against two defector groups and took steps to revoke their charitable status for sending propaganda flyers across the border. The North Korean regime flew into a rage over the flyering campaign and blew up the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong.
One of the two is Fighters for a Free North Korea led by Park Sang-hak, the most prominent leaflet campaigner. The government accuses it of "inciting cross-border tensions" and violating security laws.
A source said that the ministry recently notified registered defector groups that it will visit them next month to inspect if they are operating according to their stated purposes.
The ministry claimed this is an "across-the-board inspection of all registered organizations," which number over 400.
Defectors were dumbfounded. Seo Jae-pyong, the director of an activist group in Seoul, said, "This the first time that I've ever heard of such an inspection since I began working here 11 years ago."
If their charitable status is revoked, activists will have difficulty collecting donations because that will make them unable to open bank accounts in the name of their organizations and provide tax benefits for their donors.
"We could understand it if it was a regular audit. But they've never done this before," another activist said. "It seems that they're attempting to cut off all sources of funding for defector groups that float leaflets across the border."
A ministry official admitted that this is not a regular audit but claimed defector groups "aren't the only targets."
[Defector industry] [Provocation] [Tension] [Covert] [US funding]
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Factory Lockdown Delays Space Rocket Launch
By Lee Young-wan
July 06, 2020 12:12
A three-stage space rocket under development by Korea could be delayed by another six months from the scheduled February, 2021 launch date due to glitches in parts manufacture.
The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2 (KSLV-2), also known as Nuri, has been under development since 2010 with a view to sending a satellite into orbit in 2021.
Cho Sang-yeon at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute said in a meeting with science reporters on July 3 that the first and second stages of the Nuri have entered the final test stage, but domestic suppliers have yet to meet the requirements for some parts because the coronavirus lockdown hampered production.
"We will discuss another launch schedule with experts," Cho added.
KARI has spent W1.96 trillion on the project so far (US$1=W1,200). According to the original schedule, two tests were planned, one in February and the other in October next year.
All three stages of the rocket are being made with home-grown technologies. For the two-stage rocket Naro that was launched in 2009, Russia manufactured the first stage.
"We have encountered problems in the production schedules of some components of the Nuri and it looks like the new schedule will be drawn up in a September meeting led by the government," KARI said.
One rocket scientist said, "Considering that all risk factors must be resolved to ensure a successful launch, the test launch could be postponed by up to six months."
[KSLV-2] [SLV] [Coronavirus]
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Koreans 'to Become Extinct in 2750'
By Kim Dong-seop
August 25, 2014 09:22
Korea's population faces extinction by 2750 if the present low birthrate continues, according to one forecast.
The National Assembly Research Service on Friday said should last year's birthrate of 1.19 children per woman continue, Korea's population of 50 million will shrink to 10 million by 2136 and become extinct by 2750.
The projection is based on a simulation at the request of New Politics Alliance for Democracy lawmaker Yang Seung-jo.
David Coleman of Oxford University warned back in 2006 that Korea's low birthrate is so serious that it could become the first nation in the world to become extinct.
[Demographics] [Hysteria]
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N.Korea 'Suspends Military Action' as Spy Planes Fly over
By Yu Yong-weon
June 24, 2020 10:44
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un broke his silence Tuesday to call off "action plans" against South Korea. The official Rodong Shinmun reported Wednesday Kim called off its military action plans against Seoul in the meeting of the Workers Party.
The 11th-hour de-escalation comes after North Korea ratcheted up tensions by threatening retaliatory steps over propaganda leaflets being sent across the border by South Korean activists.
[Propaganda balloons] [Suspension]
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