World Policy Blog - North Korea's Future?

North Korea and the Exit from Totalitarianism

August 29, 2012 - 11:42am | admin

By Mark P. Barry
Will Kim Jong Un’s North Korea be reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s early perestroika of 1986? Is there impending economic restructuring in the North that is comparable to what China undertook in 1979? It’s possible that a process may have recently begun whereby North Korea could eventually shift from totalitarianism (or total control of public and private life) to authoritarianism (with minimal pluralism and autonomy in private life), drawing from the recent experiences of China. But in North Korea, structural reforms will not be the only requisite of change. Behind the scenes, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) will also need to negotiate its exit from totalitarianism and seek the support of its neighbors, especially South Korea, Japan, and the United States.

Many Asian affairs analysts are taking the measures adopted by North Korea under its new leader in the past two months seriously. One of the most significant appraisals has been from Andrei Lankov, a noted Russian-born Korea specialist teaching in Seoul. Lankov is a long-time skeptic that North Korea would ever be capable of lasting reforms. However, earlier this month, he surprised his readers by admitting that “[r]ecent news from Pyongyang seemingly indicates that for the first time the start of a reform process is a real possibility.” He outlines minor changes that seem trivial at first but really reveal substantive reforms.

Eating Our Future

A disturbing evaluation of where we are as a nation, and one to be heeded no matter which political party you support.

Eating America’s Seed Corn
We have chosen to imperil the future out of greed and foolishness.

 

By Victor Davis Hanson

As gas prices climb back toward $4 a gallon, the Obama administration — facing a tough reelection campaign and rising Middle East tensions — is once again considering tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. For years, administrations have bought and stored oil for emergencies, in fear of a cutoff of imported oil, as happened during the Arab embargo of 1973–74.

But since 2009, the U.S. government has declared most federal lands off-limits to new oil and gas exploration — despite vast recent finds of energy and radically new means to tap it. President Obama also canceled the most vital sections of the Keystone pipeline, a proposed conduit from the Canadian oil fields into the heart of the oil-consuming U.S., while preventing production on existing oil and gas reserves in northern Alaska and offshore. In the midst of a crop-killing drought, we are diverting about 40 percent of our shrinking corn crop to produce high-cost ethanol fuels.

Apparently, Americans are not willing to produce enough new available oil to meet our always growing gasoline appetites. Yet to keep gas prices manageable in an election year, we will surely tap what our predecessors banked for us.

Read full article by click on the title.

Typhoon to hit South Korea

South Korea braces for 'super-strong' typhoon

SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has been put on maximum alert and issued school closure and evacuation orders Monday, as Typhoon Bolaven, expected to be the strongest storm to hit the nation in a decade, rapidly approaches the peninsula.

   The typhoon, named after a plateau in Laos, was moving north-northwest at a speed of 34 kilometers per hour from waters some 460 kilometers off South Korea's southern island of Jeju as of noon, according to the Korea Meteorological Agency (KMA).

  

The typhoon is forecast to make landfall on the Korean Peninsula starting with Jeju Island at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, and will move northward along the west coast until it hits Seoul at 2 p.m. later the same day, the KMA said.

   The storm has somewhat weakened compared to earlier Monday morning but maintained a central pressure of 940 hectopascals and a maximum wind speed of 50 meters per second, the KMA said. A typhoon with a maximum wind speed of 44 meters per second is classified as "super strong" and powerful enough to move large rocks. (Click title for link to full Yonhap article)

China hits a Slump

Chinese Manufacturing Is Crashing

by Gordon G. Chang 

Beijing reported that China produced a record amount of steel in July, but prices are plunging and steelmakers have been defaulting on agreements to purchase iron ore. (Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife)

The HSBC Flash Purchasing Managers’ Index for August crashed, falling to 47.8, well under the final July reading of 49.3.  The dismal result, the first indication of China’s economy for this month, was far below 50, which divides expansion from contraction.  The final PMI will be released September 3, but it is now clear that August will be the 10^th-straight month of decline for the vitally important manufacturing sector in China.

Thursday’s release of the Flash PMI stunned analysts.  Earlier, most of them had confidently predicted China would show signs of growth in July because of Premier Wen Jiabao’s late-spring stimulus program.  There was, however, no uptick last month.  In fact, July’s indicators were extremely disappointing.  China watchers then thought August would be a time of recovery.  The Flash PMI, however, suggests this month will be even worse. (Read full Forbes article by clicking title link)

Women In North Korea

Women in North Korea

Korean women circa 1900 pressing the laundry

By Andrei Lankov

In most post-socialist nations, the collapse of the state socialist system had a rather ambiguous impact on the social and economic position of women.

Clearly the advent of the market economy brought with it some advantages, especially in those countries where its introduction brought an economic boom. Women often have far more choice, freed from the necessity of queuing for hours to get what they and their families need and they can enjoy the new delights of political and cultural freedom.

However, there is also a pretty unsavory downside. Whatever you think of the socialist system, it took gender equality quite seriously and enforced numerous laws and regulations which meant that the special needs of women in the workplace were taken into account. Most of these regulations unfortunately disappeared together with monthly indoctrination sessions, labor mobilizations and other less attractive features of the same system.

In all of this though, North Korea is an exception. In spite of all the official rhetoric, North Korea can be seen nowadays as a post-socialist country where most of the population makes a living in the growing private sector. In the countries of post-socialist Europe, the new economy is dominated exclusively by men, but this is not the case in the North. Somewhat surprisingly, North Korean grassroots capitalism has a female face. (Click title above for full article or wait for headline to appear in the banner.)

FYI for nandupress readers

Greetings.

For those of you that follow nandupress, I have just created a feed that lists the recent articles by Andrei Lankov. Lankov is without a doubt one of the key commentators for issues related to the Two Koreas. He currently writes for the Korea Times and his latest articles will automatically be linked to nandupress. Other links and blogs remain as they are listed and I will follow with individual articles as I find their importance relevant to nandupress's interest in human rights in Asia. The Links I have listed her are key to understanding current social and political events in Korea, as well, in the case of ROKDrop, issues that also include US military subjects in Korean news and in US news outlets. I hope these links add to your awareness of current events in Northeast Asia. Other news feds will be at the bottom of the page.

Islands in the Stream...

(3rd LD) S. Korea to send back Japan PM's letter over Dokdo

SEOUL/TOKYO, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will send back a protest letter on Thursday from Japan's prime minister to President Lee Myung-bak over his visit to the easternmost South Korean islets of Dokdo, citing "incorrect and unjust" claims regarding Dokdo in the letter, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

   Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young also lodged a "strong protest" against Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba's Wednesday remarks that described South Korea's control of the islets as an "illegal occupation," calling on Tokyo to immediately stop laying an "unjustified claim" to Dokdo.

   "Our embassy in Tokyo will meet with the Japanese side today to return the letter of Prime Minister Noda to Japan's foreign ministry," Cho told reporters. (read full article here)

Korea & China News

Korea, China Hold 3rd Round of FTA Talks

The third round of free trade negotiations between Korea and China kicked off in the city of Weihai, China, on Wednesday. During the three-day meeting, trade officials are expected to discuss the terms for trade in goods, services and other areas.

China is Korea's largest trade partner, and the two-way trade volume between them has risen for three consecutive years. Economists say the FTA, once implemented, will not only expand exports, but may also lead to greater market integration.

The possible trade deal comes as welcome news for some 23,000 Korean companies operating in China. However, the trade pact faces heavy opposition from Korean farmers and fishermen, as it is expected to boost Korean imports of farm produce from China by nearly US$11 billion, while reducing the country's output by 15 percent over 10 years.

Arirang News / Aug. 23, 2012 10:04 KST

World Affairs - Gordon Chang

Around Asia

Gordon G. Chang

How Anti-Japan Protests in China Spell Trouble for Communist Party

21 August 2012

Over the weekend, anti-Japanese protests erupted in major cities across China. The noisy demonstrations followed the return of 14 activists who had sailed to Uotsurishima, one of the islands of the Senkaku chain in the East China Sea. Seven of them landed and planted a Chinese flag on August 15th, the 67thanniversary of Japan’s surrender in the Second World War. Tokyo deported the intruders two days later, after Beijing demanded their release.

inSha

The Senkakus, called the Diaoyus by China, have been at the center of a series of incidents between the two nations in the last several years. The US returned the islands to Japan in 1972, a year after China laid a claim to them. Previously, Beijing had, in effect, acknowledged Japanese sovereignty.
Japan’s release of the Chinese activists had seemed to end the latest controversy, which threatened to turn ugly after state media had stoked tensions. When the activists were on their way to the islands last week, the Global Times, controlled by the Communist Party’s People’s Daily, ran an editorial stating China would have to send warships if Japan stopped the Chinese. Soon after, People’s Daily itself entered the fray with an inflammatory commentary advocating China’s use of force.

Many Chinese, wherever they may live, vividly recall Japanese crimes against China in the first half of the last century, and these attitudes have been passed down from parents to children. In the People’s Republic of China, however, the Communist Party has institutionalized this process. Especially since the early 1990s, authorities have encouraged hatred of Japan with unrelenting indoctrination in the schools and incessant propaganda in society.

It is not surprising, therefore, that the demonstrations this weekend reflected an ugly nationalism. Symbols of Japan, like Japanese cars, were damaged along with Japanese-themed stores. One protest banner screamed, “Even if China is covered with graves, we must kill all Japanese.”
The Japanese, however, are not the only ones who have to be worried about the volatility in Chinese society. In China’s past, anti-Japan demonstrations have turned anti-government. The reason is simple: the government does not allow protests against its rule, so the Chinese take to the streets against the only permitted target: foreigners. Anger, however, is hard to direct indefinitely.
The Chinese government is a master of containing popular discontent. The authorities this weekend largely let the street protests run their course, and many China watchers believe anger will quickly cool as people finish venting emotions. The weekend expression of anti-Japan sentiment, most predict, will soon be forgotten.

The party, however, is creating the conditions for further disturbances. For one thing, it is doing little to relieve pressure in society, shunning both fundamental restructuring and even cosmetic change. Chinese leaders, in particular, are allowing corruption to run out of control.
At the same time, Beijing continues to provoke Japan. It’s not clear whether China’s officials were behind the sailing of the activists, who had left from Hong Kong, but Beijing is ensuring continuing instability by increasing its own probing of the Senkakus. As Major General Luo Yuan said last week, as he expressed sentiments prevalent in government circles, “Next time we should send 100 boats to the Diaoyu Islands.”

We are bound, therefore, to see more Chinese provocations against Japan and more anti-Japan street protests in China. And in the future, during one of those disturbances, that rage in society could be directed against the Communist Party itself.

Photo Credit: HongQiGong

• Gordon G. Chang's blog

Yonhap News Reporting

(Yonhap Interview) China expects N.K. economic ties to help stability on peninsula

SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's deepening economic reliance on China is expected to help maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula and Beijing hopes to continue to play a constructive role for Seoul and Pyongyang in improving relations through reconciliation, Beijing's ambassador to Seoul said Monday.

   In a written interview with Yonhap News Agency marking the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Seoul and Beijing, Ambassador Zhang Xinsen also called for both South Korea and China to make efforts to build a relationship of mutual respect, mindful of oft-strained ties over North Korea, history issues and illegal fishing near the Yellow Sea.

   "The economic cooperation between North Korea and China not only helps develop North Korea's economy but also helps with peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Zhang said.

   "It is China's long-standing stance that dialogue and negotiation are the only and right way to resolve relevant issues on the Korean Peninsula and achieve lasting peace."

   Zhang made the remarks days after Chinese President Hu Jintao met the powerful uncle of North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-un last week in Beijing, in a display of support for the North's new leadership.

and then one day later...

N. Korea repeats threats against South-U.S. military drills

 

SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korea threatened use of force on Tuesday as the country ramped up its vitriolic campaign against the ongoing joint military exercise by the South and the U.S.

   The North has long denounced the annual military drills, which kicked off in South Korea on Monday for a 12-day run.

   The annual war game mobilized some 56,000 South Korean troops and about 30,000 U.S. soldiers this year. The Combined Forces Command here said it informed the North the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise is "defensive in nature," but Pyongyang has insisted it is "drills for a war" against the North.

   "The war drills ... prove that the U.S. is the harasser of peace and provoker of a war in the new century that upsets the stability on the Korean Peninsula," said a statement by the Panmunjom Mission of the Korean People's Army, carried by the (North) Korean Central News Agency.

   "As it has become clearer that the nation's sovereignty and peace which are more valuable than one's own life can be guaranteed only by arms, the army and people of the DPRK will take physical counteraction any moment, unhindered, to safeguard its sovereignty and peace," the English-language statement reads.

   "The DPRK can not but take the resolve to use force," the North noted, referring the military drills as "an actual war scenario." DPRK is the initials of the North's official name Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

   Seoul vowed earlier in the day that it will take much stronger actions than usual in the event of North Korea launching an artillery attack during the war exercise. The two Koreas have often fired artillery shells near the sea border a few days prior to the start of the annual military event.

   pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)

Capt Talps, LBJ Riot.

 Long Binh Jail Riot During the Vietnam War

 "Around midnight, Colonel Johnson and Lieutenant Ernest B. Talps entered the compound (of the Long Binh Jail) in an attempt to calm the rioters. While he was addressing the mob, Johnson was viciously attacked, sustaining severe head wounds before he and Talps escaped."

As Captain, E.B. Talps would assume command of the 249th MP Detachment and the Eighth Army Confinement Facility, early winter of 1973 and he remained as the CO until the late winter of 1975. Anyone with personal stories of Capt Talps or military episodes may please send them to me or record them hear for others to read and enjoy. You may also go to the Talps page here and leave a comment. Your help is and will be appreciated.

World Affairs

Bitter Harvest: China’s ‘Organ Donation’ Nightmare

Ethan Gutmann

When Wang Lijun made his break for the US consulate in Chengdu on the night of February 6th, he was in a unique position to reveal a series of damaging stories about his superior, Bo Xilai: Bo’s familial connection to the suspected murder of British businessman Neil Heywood, siphoning of Chongqing’s public funds, and shakedowns of local criminal and triad elements. As former head of the Chongqing Public Security Bureau, Wang also knew that Bo, as Chongqing party secretary, had engaged in surveillance of Politburo members, potentially implying that Bo and other players aligned with Jiang Zemin’s faction—most prominently, Zhou Yongkang, secretary of the powerful Political and Legislative Affairs Committee (PLAC)—were thinking about seizing power. Faced with the complexity of China’s leadership transition crisis, most Western editors played up the Sopranos aspect of the sordid tale, fixing on the alleged Heywood murder, essentially the same interpretation being relentlessly pushed by the Chinese Communist Party–controlled media, and allowed an even more sinister story to slip by virtually unnoticed. On March 23rd, China’s vice minister of health, Huang Jiefu, publicly declared the country’s intention to end “organ donations” from executed prisoners. Yet the euphemism didn’t conceal the reality, for on the night of February 6th, Wang was in a unique position to reveal one more story—specifically, how the party has been harvesting the organs of their political enemies for years. (Read full article by clicking on the title.)

Put this guy on your Korea reading list - A. Lankov

Welcome signs of change

By Andrei Lankov

The present author has to start with an admission: for the last two decades I have been highly sceptical every time the international media talks of imminent reform within North Korea. I was not merely sceptical ― in many cases I enjoyed mocking those who prophesied that in the near future North Korea would finally do the right thing and become a mini-version of economically thriving China.

There has been no shortage of such predictions over the past 25 years but my scepticism has yet to let me down so far. However, this time I am not so sure whether I should stick to this well-tested approach. Recent news from Pyongyang seemingly indicates that for the first time the start of a reform process is a real possibility.

Many of the changes appear purely symbolic at first glance ― like, for instance, the explicit endorsement of the first American popular music concert in Pyongyang by Kim Jong-un himself. On the same level is his truly unprecedented decision to grant real public prominence to his wife Ri Sol-ju who has been seen next to him quite a few times.

These minor changes are by no means trivial. The open endorsement of Americana is a highly unusual for a country where the United States is (and has been for 60 years) a byword for evil. The appearance of the first lady of the “Supreme Leader” is also very unusual, since North Koreans have known for decades that they risk being sent to a prison camp should they discuss the personal lives of their leaders.

There are signs of substantive change as well. In agriculture, a major restructuring of the management and incentives system has begun and this echoes the early stages of the Chinese reforms undertaken in the late 1970s. There is talk of pending reforms in industry as well ― according to some rumours (admittedly not coming for particularly reliable sources) ― that Kim Jong-un has begun to limit the power of the military in foreign trade and the economy in general.

Reforms have clearly not begun in earnest as yet, nonetheless early signs are relatively unambiguous: the young leader certainly wants to change ― if not reform ― his country. Perhaps his ideal is a developmental dictatorship more or less similar to present day China or Vietnam (or for that matter, South Korea of the 1970s). But what are the chances of him being successful?

There are two obstacles to be overcome by the North’s would-be reformers. First, they must suppress resistance from conservatives and hardliners in the leadership who believe that reform may be potentially destabilising and dangerous. This group sees reform as an act of collective suicide and they will do all they can to reverse or hamper change.

If Kim and his supporters are able to overcome the resistance of this group they will face another, far more serious challenge, which they may still under-appreciate ― the growing radicalization of the North Korean public.
Hardliners are not necessarily paranoid in their wholesale rejection of reform. Like it or not, in the North’s unique position, reform could indeed become destabilizing.

The major issue is the existence of a successful and free South Korea. Reforms will necessitate a certain relaxation of social controls and information flowing inside the North. Very soon, North Koreans will be exposed to stark images of the South’s prosperity which still remains beyond many of their imaginations.

This exposure will make many North Koreans think that all economic difficulties that they currently face can be overcome by immediate reunification with the rich South ― on South Korean terms, if necessary. If such ideas begin to spread, the transforming North Korean government will soon discover that its public cannot be satisfied with partial change but will rather demand much more than what the elite reformists are prepared to give them.

This is a dilemma which was once experienced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union of the late 1980s. He wanted to improve the state socialist project and revitalise the country’s economy but soon discovered that in the process of doing so he had unleashed forces which were completely beyond his control. This might well happen to North Korean reformers as well.

For us outsiders, the attempted changes in North Korea may create a win-win situation. If Kim Jong-un succeeds in making his country in a Chinese style developmental dictatorship, it will bring dramatic improvement in the lives of North Koreans and, concurrently, a significant reduction of tension in the region. But if the regime collapses in the process, unification with the peaceful, prosperous South is likely to happen. Both outcomes are seemingly preferable to the perpetuation of the current state of affairs.

Therefore, irrespective of whether Kim Jong-un is successful or not, his efforts should be welcomed and supported by the outside world.

Professor Andrei Lankov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and now teaches at Kookmin University in Seoul. You can reach him at anlankov@yahoo.com.

Rocks in the Sea

Diplomatic Tensions rise in Northeast Asia

President Lee Myung-bak urged Japan on Wednesday to take responsible steps to compensate women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II. In a televised speech marking Liberation Day, Lee said the sexual enslavement of women was a violation of "universal human rights and historic justice."

Earlier this month, Lee became the first Korean president to visit the easternmost islets of Dokdo and said on Tuesday that Japan's emperor should sincerely apologize for the country's colonial rule if he wants to visit Korea.

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba on Wednesday said Tokyo lodged a formal protest with the Korean government over Lee's comments about the emperor. On the same day, Jin Matsubara, the chairman of Japan's National Public Safety Commission, and Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Yuichiro Hata paid their respects at the militarist Yasukuni Shrine, which houses the remains of convicted war criminals among Japan's war dead. (Click title for full article.)

New Friends, Old Enemies...

Seoul, Beijing 'See Eye-to-Eye on N.Korea'

A high-ranking Cheong Wa Dae official on Thursday hinted that Seoul and Beijing have been frankly discussing Beijing's long-term troublesome ally North Korea.

The official told reporters relations between South Korea and China are the "best ever" and added "the nature and content" of the agenda of a recent bilateral summit were "unimaginable a few years ago."

"There is constant strategic dialogues between the two countries," he added.

President Lee Myung-bak went on a state visit to China in January and met with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao to discuss the political landscape of the Korean Peninsula after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's death. During the visit, the leaders agreed to start negotiations on a bilateral FTA.

At the time, Cheong Wa Dae said Lee and Wen had "in-depth discussion on how to induce reform and open-door policies in North Korea in the post-Kim Jong-il era."

The Global Times, a sister newspaper of China's People's Daily, in April urged North Korea to act prudently, and warned the regime of new leader Kim Jong-un not to misjudge China's stance on North Korea. The paper said the North "will pay for the consequences" if its strategy involves taking China "hostage."

englishnews@chosun.com / Aug. 17, 2012 13:02 KST

Escape or the Gulag

Happy Family?

One Free Korea

Irony Alert: North Korea Reveals the Truth about the Associated Press and Human Rights Watch (Updated)

March 22, 2012 AP Watch, Media Criticism 7 comments

I’d like to interrupt my advocacy of the violent overthrow of the North Korean government to thank the Korea Central News Agency, North Korea’s official “news” service, for being so much more transparent than the Associated Press has been about the new relationship between the two agencies. For the last few weeks, I’ve made a personal jihad of obtaining photographic proof that the joint photo exhibit by the AP and KCNA, which opened this week in New York, is not (as the AP justifies it) a window into everyday life in North Korea, but is instead (as the AP can’t quite manage to deny) a case of an ostensibly objective news service, one that touts itself as a fearless speaker of truth to power, prostituting itself to North Korea’s propaganda machine in exchange for preferential access to even more propaganda. It does so by co-sponsoring a photo exhibit commemorating the life of dead North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung, an exhibit that North Korea is justifiably touting as a propaganda triumph commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the elder Kim’s birth.(Read full article and watch videos at the link provide above One Free Korea.)

Changing of the Guard?

Kim Jong-un's Uncle Gains Control of N.Korea

Kim Ok (in white square), the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's fourth wife, attends a ceremony to celebrate the completion of an amusement park on Wednesday in this photo revealed the next day by the North Korean Central News Agency. /KCNA-Yonhap 

North Korea is now firmly under the control of Jang Song-taek, the eminence grise behind 20-something leader Kim Jong-un, following the purge of a rival group led by army chief Ri Yong-ho. Analysts say Jang has emerged as the sole power behind the throne, systematically dismantling a power structure put in place by former leader Kim Jong-il before his death in 2011.

In January 2009, when Kim Jong-il handpicked his son Jong-un to succeed him, he handed control of the military to Ri, of the State Security Department to its first deputy director U Dong-chuk, and of the Workers Party's Organization and Guidance Department to some officials close to Jang, according to an informed source. But no sooner was Kim dead than Jang set about eliminating Ri, U and other key officials.

"There'd be no reason for Kim Jong-un himself to dismantle after just seven months in office the support structure his father built for him," said Baek Seung-joo at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. "The shadow of Jang Song-taek looms large" over the young leader.

Related Material:

Kim Jong-un's Aunt Seen as Power Behind the Throne

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's aunt Kim Kyong-hui is the one wielding the real power in the Stalinist country now that her nephew has been named first secretary of the Workers party, experts believe.

Kim Kyong-hui

Kim Kyong-hui is the daughter of nation founder Kim Il-sung, which gives legitimacy to her status, and her experience in government is apparently making up for Kim Jong-un's lack of it.

"Kim Jong-un still doesn't seem to be making decisions by himself on important matters and consults with his aunt Kim Kyong-hui or his uncle Jang Song-taek," said a high-ranking government official here.

Kim Jong-un was tapped to succeed his father in January of 2009 and made his first official appearance in September of 2010. Kim Jong-il died less than three years after Kim Jong-un began training for the top job and ended up succeeding him without gaining full control of the military and government. North Korea watchers say this leaves Kim junior no choice but to lean on his aunt and uncle for advice.

North Korean leader's uncle heads to China for talks KCNA - Channel NewsAsia

North Korean leader's uncle heads to China for talks KCNA - Channel NewsAsia


Related Article:

Jang Song-taek Gains Control of Kim Jong-un's Guards

Jang Song-taek

Jang Song-taek, the uncle and patron of new North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has apparently put himself in charge of the top guard unit that protects Kim. "Despite being a civilian, Jang Song-taek began appearing dressed in military uniform adorned with four-star insignia on his epaulettes after the death of Kim Jong-il," a source familiar with North Korea said. "A close inspection of his uniform reveals that it is characteristic of the elite unit."

The source declined to elaborate citing security reasons.

"The Guard Command's status was recently elevated and it seems to have been reorganized," an intelligence official here said. "In the process, Gen. Yoon Jong-rin appears to have stepped down and been replaced by another official who is controlled by Jang." Besides being in charge of protecting Kim Jong-un, the command also quells public uprisings or attempted coups d'etat and handles security at the numerous retreats owned by the Kim family.

A three-layered security detail protects Kim during all his travels in North Korea. The outermost layer is supervised by the Ministry of People's Security (police), the second by the State Security Department (intelligence agency) and first layer by the Guard Command, which consists of around 30,000 troops. The number rises to more than 100,000 if the troops of the Pyongyang Defense Command are included.

"The elite Guard Command has tanks and armored vehicles with enough firepower to quell any uprising by a corps-level force," said the source.

Jang's grip on the Guard Command demonstrates his power, experts say. "This shows how much trust Kim Jong-un places in his patrons Jang Song-taek and aunt Kim Kyong-hui," a government official here said. "That also means that the fate of Kim's rule lies in their hands."

Since 2007 Jang has been the director of the Workers Party's Administration Department, which guides and controls North Korea's top security agencies. "If Jang has gained control of the Guard Command, that means he now has full control over all means to protect the regime," said one high-ranking North Korean defector. "This would be impossible unless Kim and Jang agree that their fates are intertwined."

Some experts recently said Jang's status is probably not as significant as others believed who saw him as the eminence grise of both the Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un regimes. The reason for that claim was that Jang's name did not appear on a list of top officials in the Workers Party Politburo, the highest decision-making organ within the party, during the last high-level party meeting on April 11.

But Ryu Dong-ryeol at the Police Science Institute said, "Don't believe what you see. Kim consults with Jang and his aunt on every important matter and completely depends on them."

Regarding the ascent of Choe Ryong-hae as the de facto No. 2 figure through his appointment as standing committee member of the Politburo and vice chairman of the party's Central Military Committee, Ryu said, "Jang has inserted his own puppet in order to help Kim Jong-un gain control of the military."

englishnews@chosun.com / Apr. 30, 2012 13:11 KST

Money War?

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks to officers during an inspection of Korean People’s Army unit 552 in this undated photo released by the Korean Central News Agency, Aug. 7. Analysts say Kim is working to control the military’s grip on foreign currency. / Yonhap

North Korean leader, military waging ‘money war’

By Kim Young-jin

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has set some lofty goals since taking power in December, calling for better living conditions for the hungry populace and issuing orders that may provide autonomy over agriculture and business.

To deliver on these promises, analysts said Monday that Kim has some dirty work ahead of him: seizing control of the country’s shady foreign currency trade dominated by the powerful military and bolstering the influence of party bureaucrats.

Japan and North Korea to resume repatriation talks - Channel NewsAsia

Japan and North Korea to resume repatriation talks - Channel NewsAsia

Will Yale Fire Fareed Zakaria?

Will Yale Fire Fareed Zakaria?: pThere is now little question that Fareed Zakaria is guilty of plagiarism. He has admitted copying a portion of a New Yorker essay and apologized. Time, where Zakaria works as a columnist, has suspended Zakaria for a month, and CNN—owned by the same parent company—has suspended him pending an investigation. This represents a mere slap [...]/p

I have often read articles by Zakaria or watched his confused video essays on TV. I can't say that I am glad he is in the middle of such a public humiliation, but his condescending tone and political slant has never presented the issues with any balance, and that seems now, because he was borrowing his ideas from other places.

Change, or just a change of style?

North Korea

Loosen your belts

It is worth encouraging the signs of economic opening in the world’s ghastliest regime

Aug 11th 2012 | from the print edition of the Economist

TANTALISING hints of change have seeped out of North Korea in recent weeks. Not least, the callow Kim Jong Un has confounded Pyongyang-watchers who had predicted that he would slavishly follow his late father’s recipe for keeping an iron grip on power. The 20-something inherited the family dictatorship when Kim Jong Il died of a heart attack in December. The late Kim ran the state as a mafia racket, earning hard currency from drugs, counterfeiting and illicit-arms sales while using his nuclear-weapons programme to blackmail the rest of the world for aid. He diverted lavish resources to the army and to a tiny elite, and he ground nearly everyone else under his platform heel, dispatching perceived enemies to his prison camps in their hundreds of thousands.
In tone, the young Mr Kim has quickly signalled change from his father’s paranoid rule, and with unexpected verve. Last month he fired the army’s senior general, a hardliner, while a civilian was hastily promoted. One reading is that Mr Kim is retreating from his father’s “military-first” stance.

His public appearances are also different. He is often seen laughing with those around him. Where Kim Jong Il’s consorts were kept out of sight, a stylish young woman has recently appeared by the Great Successor’s side. Last month the couple graced the front row of a debut concert for the all-girl Moranbong Band, whose miniskirts, Disney cameos and foreign tunes (“My Way”) all broke new ground, for North Korea if nowhere else. In public speeches (Kim Jong Il’s were dubbed over by emotional commentary), Mr Kim says the years of belt-tightening are over. He calls for fresh economic thinking. (Click title for full article.)

Chinese Students Interested in Korean War

Interest in Korean War Leads Chinese Students to Incheon

An Ho, a Chinese graduate student studying in Korea, was too busy with his thesis to go traveling this summer. But as he was conducting research on the 1950-53 Korean War, his thesis topic, he learned of a museum dedicated to the war in Incheon and summoned his schoolmate Cheon Yega to pay a visit to the city.

They began their trip by heading to the Incheon Metropolitan City Museum. The nation's first public museum opened in 1946 and displays items related to the city's past and present, including those from the prehistoric period. Having looked around the museum, An said, "It's my first time to Incheon since I arrived in Korea. It was quite interesting to see the artifacts here showing the country's past and the way Koreans used to live." The museum provides guided tours and audio guides. (Click on title for full article.)

Agent Orange Cleanup - Vietnam

U.S., Vietnam Launch Agent Orange Cleanup

The United States and Vietnam's defense ministry have launched the first cleanup operation to rid a former air base of a toxic dioxin left from the Vietnam war. Although many people have welcomed the move, some say it is too little, too late to help generations of people suffering birth defects and diseases linked to the chemical.

The project, which started Thursday, aims to clean up soil and sediment contaminated with dangerous levels of toxin dioxin at a former U.S. Army air base in central Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, Da Nang airport was used to store the herbicide "Agent Orange" which was sprayed on vegetation used as cover by guerrilla forces.

The toxin, which has been linked to disease and birth defects, has remained a dark reminder of the war. U.S. Ambassador David Shear spoke at the opening ceremony in Da Nang. (Click on  title for full article)

More Nuke Testing? North Korea

N.Korea 'Could Conduct Fresh Nuke Test in 2 Weeks'

North Korea has the capability to conduct a third nuclear test within two weeks, U.S. nuclear experts claimed Monday. "North Korea appears to have an underground tunnel ready for testing," write Siegfried Hecker, the director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, and Frank Pabian, a senior nonproliferation analyst at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

"Commercial satellite imagery shows a recently excavated 'south portal' for a tunnel in Punggye-ri, situated very close to the tunnels for the first two tests" in 2006 and 2009, they add.

Something's in the Wind?

N.Korea Praises Vietnamese, Chinese Reforms

North Korea has been paying lip service to reforms in China and Vietnam in recent days. The president of North Korea's rubberstamp parliament on Tuesday expressed hope that Vietnam will share its experience in socioeconomic construction and development. Kim Yong-nam was speaking in a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Hanoi.

The English-language Viet Nam News on Wednesday quoted Kim as saying, "The achievements the country had made in socioeconomic development and national construction were an encouragement to [North Korea] in its national construction and development process." (Click title for full article.)

North Korea Terror Threat

N.Korean Terror Threat Should Not Be Taken Lightly

North Korea on Tuesday threatened to "hunt down" defectors as well as South Korean activist Kim Young-hwan, who was released recently after being detained in a Chinese prison for 114 days for helping them.

"We will in the future, too, never allow those abductors, terrorists and saboteurs who dare hurt the dignity of the supreme leadership of [North Korea], encroach upon its sovereignty and threaten the safety of its people to go scot-free even by scouring all parts of the earth," the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said in an English-language statement.

The North singled out as targets Kim Sung-min of Radio Free North Korea, Park Sang-hak of activist group Fighters for Free North Korea, Cho Myong-chol, a defector who became a Saenuri Party lawmaker, and Kim.

Chapter 7 of the UN Charter defines terrorism as "the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression." If an actual act of terror occurs, the UN Security Council passes a resolution and punishes the group that is responsible for that act. No fewer than 13 international conventions prohibit terrorism and require countries to impose sanctions against groups that commit it. But North Korea, which is a member of the UN, has pointed out specific South Korean citizens as targets of terrorism.(Click on the title to read full article from Chosun Ilbo)

Cattle Prod Torture

China Must Investigate Torture Claims

China on Tuesday flatly denied torturing a prominent South Korean activist who was detained in Dandong for 114 days for helping North Korean defectors. China claims no laws were broken during its investigation of Kim Young-hwan and his rights were not violated.

The claims contradict Kim's own account in an interview with the Chosun Ilbo on Monday, where he said he could smell his flesh burn as Chinese security agents tortured him with a cattle prod. (Click title for full article)

Needing a New Five Year Plan?

N.Korea Needs Bold Reforms to Feed Its People

North Korea has embarked on agricultural reforms, reducing basic farming units in some areas from the present 10 to 25 people to family units of just four to six, and increasing cash crops the farmers can sell in the market. These and other agricultural measures announced late last month appear aimed at boosting crop output through incentives.

There are unconfirmed reports that the agricultural reforms are being carried out on a trial basis in three provinces, with 30 percent of grain output being allotted to individuals. (Click title for full article)

Related article:

China's Fresh Crackdown on N.Koreans?

The announcement of a massive five-month crackdown on North Korean defectors by security forces in China's Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture has triggered a rush of speculation. The aim appears to be to choke off that escape route from impoverished North Korea once and for all.

Yanbian lies just across the Duman River from North Korea and has been the major transit route for North Korean refugees. Many starving North Koreans cross the border at the mid- or upper regions of the river which tend to be narrower than the lower reaches. In Yanbian they find clandestine work in restaurants, factories or farms.

The number of North Koreans in this region, which at one time was estimated to be over 30,000, has dwindled recently, and experts estimate there are fewer than 15,000 left. But North Koreans are constantly crossing the border, and recently some armed North Korean soldiers escaped and frightened local residents.

Terror Threat - Korea

N.Korean Terror Threat Should Not Be Taken Lightly

North Korea on Tuesday threatened to "hunt down" defectors as well as South Korean activist Kim Young-hwan, who was released recently after being detained in a Chinese prison for 114 days for helping them.

"We will in the future, too, never allow those abductors, terrorists and saboteurs who dare hurt the dignity of the supreme leadership of [North Korea], encroach upon its sovereignty and threaten the safety of its people to go scot-free even by scouring all parts of the earth," the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said in an English-language statement.

The North singled out as targets Kim Sung-min of Radio Free North Korea, Park Sang-hak of activist group Fighters for Free North Korea, Cho Myong-chol, a defector who became a Saenuri Party lawmaker, and Kim. (Click title for full article)