Tag: North Korea

This is a nice troll response by the Ukraine Defense Ministry to news that the Russians are buying munitions from the North Koreans:

Russia has been forced to buy military hardware from North Korea as sanctions squeeze Moscow’s ability to supply its military, the US says.

A US official revealed Moscow is the process of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from Pyongyang for use in Ukraine.

And they said that Russia could be forced to buy additional North Korean weaponry as the war dragged on. 

Buying from North Korea is a sign of “severe supply shortages”, they added.

The intelligence was first reported by the New York Times. Ukraine’s defence ministry tweeted a mocking response to the report, saying that it showed “Soviet weapons” had “exhausted their potential”.

The ministry said the while Ukraine was switching to Nato standards, Russia was heading in the direction of North Korean standards – be it in the field of “weapons, politics or standard of living”.

BBC

You can read more at the link.

The findings from this poll are easy to believe because from my experience as well, many South Koreans have just become numb to the North Korean threat:

Almost thirty years, more than a hundred missile launches and six nuclear weapons tests later, Pyongyang’s state media still issues apocalyptic threats to “completely annihilate” Seoul — but South Koreans appear to tune them out, while South Korean military officials respond to every North Korean provocation with the now predictable refrain: “Our military maintains a constant state of readiness.”  
   
So are South Koreans genuinely not concerned about North Korea — and are they confident they will be protected should the unthinkable happen?  
   
   
Do South Koreans even think about North Korea?   
   
On the surface, South Koreans appear less concerned about what goes on north of the DMZ and more preoccupied with domestic issues, like those surrounding real estate policy and the economy.  
   
Despite a flurry of North Korean missile tests in the lead-up to the March presidential election, two out of three South Koreans surveyed in a Feb. 3-4 poll of 1,006 adults by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) and the Kukmin Ilbo newspaper said the North Korean missile launches over the previous month would not influence their choice for the country’s next president.  
   
“Who has time to worry about North Korea? I think we’re all just busy trying to make ends meet,” said Lee Young-sun, a 50-year-old restaurant chef, when asked about how often she thinks about North Korea.  
   
Lee, who described herself as politically apathetic, said, “If I have to pick one issue that I thought about during the election, it would be unemployment and real estate prices.”  
   
Kim Dong-min, a 28-year-old IT worker, described a similar set of priorities. “I was worried mostly about economic policy during the lead-up to the presidential elections,” he said, adding that “things have been tough for millennials.” 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

This seems like a good assessment, another possibility would be an ICBM launch towards the U.S. that lands in the ocean to demonstrate that the Kim regime can target the U.S. if it wants to:

Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won said Monday that North Korea will likely conduct a nuclear test ahead of November’s U.S. midterm elections to show off its nuclear capability.

“They are going to do it in order to demonstrate a threat that its missile can fly to the U.S. carrying a miniaturized and lighter warhead, and to deal a blow to the Joe Biden administration ahead of the midterm elections,” Park said on KBS Radio. 

Park also said the North could undertake provocations in protest of military exercises that South Korea and the U.S. kicked off Monday.

“Chairman Kim Jong-un is not going to overlook it as if nothing happened,” he said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is a really interesting read from a North Korean defector that had a very different upbringing from most defectors:

It has been said “Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.” My name is Lee Seo-hyun. I am a North Korean escapee who gave up the certain opportunity to thrive in hell, and instead fled my native country to face certain uncertainty.

My experience as a North Korean escapee might surprise you. I did not grow up in extreme poverty; I was not coerced into human trafficking; nor do I have horrific stories of being a political prisoner. My father was a senior-level government officer for the North Korean regime, and his loyal commitment to the nation and the leader allowed our family to live in the capital Pyongyang, a privilege as North Koreans. 

Like most people in North Korea, I had no doubts about the regime because I was brainwashed. I truly believed what our leader said: “Our country is the envy of the world!” Yes, I was living in a bubble. Not of my choosing ― I wasn’t even aware of it ― but a bubble, nonetheless. 

What about you? Have you ever even considered the possibility that you may be living in a bubble, regardless of your politics or religion, regardless of the color of your skin or your perceived status in life?

What if the ‘Bubble’ ― the truth I had accepted without question ― is in some way no different from yours ― although yours probably doesn’t include political oppression and torture? 

Korea Times

I highly recommend reading the whole thing at the link.

This is really a continuation of long standing ROK policy of maintaining the status quo which has allowed South Korea to continue to be a prosperous country. Seeking regime change that would lead to a massive war with a possible nuclear exchange and humanitarian crisis is clearly not in the ROK’s national interest:

President Yoon Suk-yeol said, Wednesday, that South Korea will not pursue any efforts for regime change or any other intervention that can alter the current political system of North Korea, adding that Seoul is not in a position to guarantee Pyongyang’s security. 

The president also ruled out the possibility of South Korea acquiring its own nuclear weapons against evolving North Korean nuclear threats, saying the country is committed to the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.

He made the remarks during a press conference held to mark the 100th day of his presidency. 

“Guaranteeing the security of the North Korean regime is not something that South Korea can provide,” Yoon told reporters. “But neither I nor the government wants the status quo changed unreasonably or by force in North Korea.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

North Korea provided some fireworks for President Yoon’s 100th day in office:

North Korea test-fired two cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, a South Korean military official said, as President Yoon Suk-yeol held a press conference to mark the 100th day since taking office.

“(The military) has detected two cruise missiles launched by North Korea from Onchon, South Pyongan Province, into the Yellow Sea early this morning,” the official said on the customary condition of anonymity without providing further details, including the exact type of missiles and time of the firing.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but with the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise kicking off this month expect more provocations from North Korea.

President Yoon has to know the Kim regime is not going to denuclearize for any amount of economic aid. However, they would happily pretend to denuclearize for economic aid like they have done in the past:

President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged Monday to swiftly improve relations with Japan based on a 1998 joint declaration between the two countries while offering to significantly rebuild North Korea’s economy if Pyongyang takes steps toward substantial denuclearization.

Yoon made the remarks in a Liberation Day speech marking 77 years since Korea’s independence from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule. (…….)

Yoon also laid out the details of his “audacious plan” to improve North Korea’s economy in the event it takes steps to denuclearize, an offer he first made during his inauguration speech in May.

He said North Korea’s denuclearization is “essential” for sustainable peace on the peninsula, in Northeast Asia and around the world.

“The audacious initiative that I envision will significantly improve North Korea’s economy and its people’s livelihoods in stages if the North ceases the development of its nuclear program and embarks on a genuine and substantive process for denuclearization,” Yoon said.

“We will implement a large-scale food program; provide assistance for power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure; and carry out projects to modernize ports and airports for international trade.”

Yoon also offered to help enhance North Korea’s agricultural productivity, modernize its hospitals and medical infrastructure, and implement international investment and financial support initiatives.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.