The Turtle House

Tuesday, 12 May 2015

China-Russia naval drill symbol of deepening cooperation

China Voice: China-Russia naval drill symbol of deepening cooperation

English.news.cn | 2015-05-11 18:48:32 | Editor: huaxia

BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming China-Russia joint naval drills, slated for May 11 to 21 in the Mediterranean Sea, signal deepening relations and cooperation between the two countries.
Nine surface ships from both navies will be involved in the "Joint Sea-2015" drills, the fourth since joint China-Russia sea drills began in 2012.
A focus on maritime defense, replenishment and escorting will hone security capabilities on both sides.
According to Defense Ministry spokesperson Geng Yansheng, the drills will deepen friendly and practical cooperation, and boost response operation capabilities in the event of security threats at sea.
Both sides have unequivocally stated that the upcoming operation will not target any third party.
China and Russia have been working to strengthen the interaction and exchanges between the two countries' armed forces in recent years.
In addition to the annual naval drills, the two countries also conducted anti-terror drills and joint multilateral exercises under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) framework.
As military ties are representative of state-to-state relations, military cooperation between China and Russia also symbolizes growing mutual trust, and is an important component of a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Prior to the drills, Chinese President Xi Jinping joined his Russian host, Vladimir Putin, at the grand Victory Day parade in Moscow.
China's guards of honor, consisting of 102 members, joined the parade and marched through the Red Square.
The two countries plan to hold more celebrations this year to remember the victory of World War II, honor those that have fallen in war and promote communication.
These moves also clearly demonstrate that both countries will work with each other to safeguard peace and post-war international order.
To those suspicious of such cooperation, the upcoming drills will go someway to prove how closer China-Russia relations can contribute to a better world.

North Korean officials 'publicly executed for watching South Korean soap operas

According to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), Pyongyang has purged about 10 officials from Kim Jong-un’s Workers’ Party for watching South Korean soaps.

The officials, who also faced charges of bribery and womanising, were thought to be close to Kim’s executed uncle, Jang Song-thaek, Yonhap news agency reported.

All television and media is under strict state control and access to the internet is limited but despite a harsh crackdown, banned foreign shows and films have been gaining popularity in recent years.

Some are believed to be secretly streamed over the internet, while others are smuggled into the country on DVDs, video cassettes of memory sticks sold on the black market.

A tearful announcer dressed in black announces the death of North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il on North Korean State Television in this still image
from video. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died on a
train trip, state television reported on Monday, sparking immediate concern over who is in control of the reclusive state and its nuclear programme. The announcer dressed in black said the 69-year old had died
on Saturday of physical and mental over-work on his way to give

A state television presenter crying while announcing the death of Kim Jong-il in 2011

A North Korean defector calling himself “Mr Chung” revealed North Korea’s preferences in a Channel 4 documentary last year.

He smuggles radios, USB sticks and DVDs of soap operas and entertainment shows into the North, posing as a mushroom importer.

“The men prefer watching action films,” he said. “Men love their action films! I sent them Skyfall recently. The women enjoy watching soap operas and dramas.

"The more people are exposed to such media the more likely they are to become disillusioned with the regime and start wanting to live differently.”

Kim Kyong Hui Still Alive, NK Sources Confirm

Lee Sang Yong | 2015-05-12 18:11

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Contrary to a CNN report claiming North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un had his aunt Kim Kyong Hui poisoned, a Daily NK source in Pyongyang reported that she is alive and receiving treatment for a nerve disorder in the North’s capital, asserting that her overall health is on the path to recovery.

“Kim Kyong Hui is going back and forth between Sobaeksu Villa in Samjiyon, Yangkang Province and Pyongyang’s Ponghwa Treatment Center to receive treatment and recuperate; she is not dead,” the source told Daily NK on Tuesday, adding that a high-level official in the Central Party confirmed that she is still very much alive.

“(Following the execution of Jang Song Thaek) her preexisting nerve disorder grew much worse, so she has received a great deal of subsequent treatment. During this process, Kim Jong Un even personally asked the doctors to treat her well,” the source said. “Kim has made personal visits to the treatment center to check in with the medical staff to track her recovery.”

Claims from a defector CNN interviewed claiming the aunt was poisoned by the leader are “outrageous” the source said, given his excessive displays of affection for his aunt; so much so, in fact, the young leader's love for this aunt has garnered attention from those around him.

“Seeing this strong bond, high-level Party cadres make frequent comments among themselves about how Kim Jong Un and Kim Kyong Hui still communicate well,” she said. “Some have speculated the aunt may still be wielding influence from behind the scenes, but this role would be significantly diminished due to her prolonged treatment and the general instability of her health.”

Following the execution of her husband Jang Song Thaek, ordered by his nephew Kim Jong Un in December 2013, Kim Kyong Hui is said to have become further dependent on alcohol and prone to nervous breakdowns. “Not only that, I’ve heard a lot of morphine has been used as part of her treatment, so a lot of times her state of mind is really abnormal,” she said. This effect, according to the source, is at times so pronounced that Kim Kyong Hui appears “totally removed” from reality.

As to reason why the aunt has yet to step into the public eye, despite marked improvements in her health, the source cited Jang’s death as the primary factor involved.

“Here in the North, people don’t think of you individually; you’re lumped in with your family. It’s pretty much general opinion among Party cadres that she shouldn’t (be active) since her husband was deemed a traitor by the state,” she explained. “They would be worried that by being active she would create confusion among the public.”

“Kim Kyong Hui herself has also probably determined that she would taint Kim Jong Un’s reputation and damage his leadership. That’s why she’s not showing herself,” she went on to assert.

A source in North Pyongan Province also weighed in on the situation, surmising that Kim Kyong Hui may still find it hard to personally meet with the man that ordered the execution of her husband, their love and care for one another notwithstanding.

EMP protection firm carves out Korean niche

Published : 2015-05-12 19:24
Updated : 2015-05-12 19:24

A local firm specializing in facilities to protect against electromagnetic pulse attacks is carving out a leading market position with a series of patents and its decades-old experience in the increasingly important defense field.

Established in 1989, YES EMP Research Center has five patents regarding EMP protection. It is the only local firm capable of designing, installing and maintaining EMP protection systems specifically tailored for each customer.

With its accumulated know-how, the firm has offered its advice on EMP protection to Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense and other organizations. EMP protection has emerged as a crucial defense area for the country, as North Korea’s military threats have persisted.

Chong Su-jin, head of YES EMP Research Center

The firm has constructed EMP protection facilities in the ministry and other military installations including those of the U.S. Forces Korea. It has also undertaken a series of private security projects to build systems to measure electromagnetic waves in major local firms.

“We have carried out seven EMP-related projects for the USFK, and also have various EMP engineering technologies,” said Chong Su-jin, head of the firm. “With our technologies certified by the state, we have successfully carried out various defense projects.”

What sets Yes EMP Research Center apart from the others is that the firm has strived to design protection facilities based on its exhaustive study of clients’ needs to address specific security conditions of each client, the company said.

EMP protection has been a core security area for military authorities and key public organizations as possible EMP attacks from the North could paralyze their operations.

EMP weapons unleash a high-intensity burst of electromagnetic energy that causes severe current and voltage surges to damage nearby electronic devices.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)

Kim Yong Nam, Putin discuss bilateral relations in Moscow: KCNA With the China-DPRK relationship rapidly cooling, Russia seems increasingly keen to take on the thankless job of being North Korea's principal foreign contact. Despite Kim Jong-Un's decision to skip Moscow's WWII victory parade to watch a missile test launch, the Russian leadership appears not to have taken offense, and is forging ahead with its diplomatic charm offensive. Visit NK News for more

Thai delegation in North Korea amid growing ties While most recent media attention has gone to North Korea's increasingly close relationship with Russia, the DPRK has also been quietly strengthening ties in Southeast Asia. North Korea already has strong economic relations with Thailand, importing a variety of goods from raw materials to luxury cars, and unlike many nations, the DPRK did not condemn last year's military coup. Visit NK News for more

recent executions in DPRK/North Korea

Residents Comment on Recent Executions

Seol Song Ah | 2015-05-11 12:58

Read in Korean

On April 29th, South Korea's National Intelligence Service revealed that 15 high ranking officials in North Korea were recently executed. In the face of this news, Daily NK has inquired as to the climate of opinion regarding Kim Jung Eun. In short, ordinary citizens generally view Kim Jung Eun as a two-faced leader who outwardly expresses "love for the people” and unhesitatingly executes anyone he dislikes.

We asked a contact in North Pyongan Province about whether ordinary citizens were aware of the executions, and if so, what were their opinions. The contact replied on May 8th that the news of the secret executions had been widely spread by word of mouth. Moreover, the "inside and outside of Kim’s politics is inconsistent insofar as Kim wields a knife with a smile on his face," she said.

“The executions at Kang Kon Military Academy were also supposed to be secret, but news of the incident spread by word of mouth--even to the rural areas--and remained a hot topic for a long time," she added. "Chosun Central TV [KCTV] released a video of Kim hugging and smiling at an orphan, portraying a figure who is warm and paternal; in reality, however, he's a ruthless dictator who orders public executions as frequently as a person eats a meal.”

She explained that Kim Jung Eun's consistent imitation of Kim Il Sung’s, at first mainly demonstrated by his hairstyle and clothing choices, has escalated into full-blown emulation of the latter’s political style. Whereas Kim Jong Il’s inhumane and icy personality was obvious and unconcealed, "Kim Jung Eun has a smile on his face and a sword in his hand--just like Kim Il Sung," she asserted.

Kim Il Sung advertised himself as a “son of the people,” attempting to buy the populace's loyalty with "rice and meat soup" while harboring far more nefarious traits, according to the source. "Someone suggested to Kim that the light industry should have preference for state support over the heavy industry in order to improve the living standards of people. That economist was then denounced as a member of a harmful sect, and summarily executed," she said.

Daily NK also spoke with a North Korean trader based in Dandong, China, who had similar comments to offer regarding the public executions of the Unhasu Orchestra members. “The members’ death is very similar to that of actress Woo In Hee, who was publicly executed in front of hundreds of fellow entertainers and Party members in the 1970s. Kim Jung Eun seems to have genetically inherited the tactic of executing enemies under fabricated criminal charges in order to solidify his power," he said.

This source added that as a result, North Korean traders and workers in China are taking more precautions after Kim Jong Eun came into power. "After the liquidation of Jang Sung Thaek’s close associates, we've been offering more bribes to the authorities to stay on their good side. The higher-ups in NK ordered the supervisors to put the workers--tasked with procuring foreign currency-- outside North Korea under greater scrutiny; now, because of this, many workers are toiling much harder than before," he concluded.