Foreign Media Monitor # 2: Weds September 2
CHINA
NEWS: Zhangzhou port accepts first shipment of North Korean anthracite
Note: China has quarantined or refused other North Korean shipments of anthracite earlier this year.
Zhangzhou's Zhaoyin Dock received a North Korean freighter carrying anthracite coal from North Korea valued at $300,000. This is the first time Zhangzhou has imported anthracite from North Korea. The coal was reportedly imported by Xiamen Dippon Trade Co., Ltd., and is to be sent to a cement plant near the city of Zhangping, in Fujian Province. North Korea is one of China's major sources for anthracite because it is abundant, cheap and of good quality. Zhangzhou relies primarily on coal for electricity generation, and its main sources for coal include Australia, Indonesia and Russia. After the ship docked, Zhangzhou Inspection and Quarantine carefully examined the coal before it was unloaded. – China Quality News Network, August 25, 2015
NEWS: China pressured North Korea behind the scenes, promoted peace agreement
The Hong Kong media outlet Oriental Daily has reported that China pressured North Korea behind the scenes during its recent negotiations with South Korea. Additionally, China scored a diplomatic victory by securing participation from both North and South Korea in its upcoming World War II victory anniversary celebration after negotiations concluded. For this role, the Oriental Daily referred to China as a “bomb-defusing expert.” Analysts speculated from clues in China Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying's speeches about the Korean Peninsula situation that China was pressuring North Korea. In her speech on August 21, Hua expressed China's desire for “(the) relevant sides to keep calm, exercise restraint ... and to stop any action that could lead to an escalation of tensions” on the Peninsula. However, on former occasions, the Chinese government often used the phrasing “(the) relevant parties,” which has more of a nationalist context, in reference to situations on the Korean Peninsula. In these cases, China placed more equal weight on restraint from North and South Korea. South Korean government sources believe this change to be a clear indicator of Chinese pressure on North Korea. –China News, August 26, 2015
NEWS: North Korea seeks foreign investment to build brewery
North Korea is seeking $39 million in foreign capital to construct a brewery valued at $52 million in the Wonsan tourism promotion area. The brewery's estimated construction period is 20 months, and upon completion its planned annual capacity is expected to amount to 500,000 100-liter units of beer. The area, located near North Korea's eastern coast, will cater mostly to Chinese tourists, but it could also be used to promote North Korean beer exports. The Mount Paektu Cultural Exchange Association, founded by Michael Spavor, is promoting the investment opportunity. Because foreign investors will enter into joint ventures with North Korean companies, any exported beer will be sold under a domestic brand. Spavor is leading a group of interested investors on a trip to North Korea from September 18-25, during which time they will visit North Korea's most famous brewery, the Pyongyang Taedonggang Co. Ltd. Due to a shortage of breweries and bottling facilities, beer is in short supply in North Korea. The brewery is expected to balance the needs of the Wonsan area, which is also to include hotels, restaurants and bus stops, as well as provide an attractive foreign investment destination. – China Food and Technology Online, August 24, 2015
ANALYSIS/OPINION: China concerned over Korean Peninsula, but will not be 'kidnapped' by it
It was a confusing weekend on the Korean Peninsula; on one hand, the two Koreas reached an agreement at Panmunjom, but at the same time, it did not provide any remission from military confrontation. North Korea also verbally opposed the “restraint” called for by China, which remained unnamed in its statement. Many analysts believe that the recent tension on the Korean Peninsula is directly related to the upcoming World War II victory anniversary celebration in China. (North Korea) wants so badly for Park Geun-hye not to attend the celebration that it will cause the deterioration of the situation on the Peninsula. China is deeply concerned about the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and it does not respond passively to the situation there, but there are many other factors at play. China hopes that its celebration will not face interference, which would be of no benefit. China has good relations with both Koreas, wants peace and stability on the Peninsula, and is opposed to any party deliberately creating tension. China will use its stature and position to promote peninsular peace for the good of the region; however, as a great nation, China will not be kidnapped by any forces. – Editorial, Global Times, August 23, 2015
ANALYSIS/OPINION: Why is Kim Jong Un deliberately countering China?
On the evening of August 21, amid tension on the Korean Peninsula and following calls by China for restraint, the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that it “would not hesitate to go to full-scale war” and claimed that “for decades, we have maintained restraint. Now, the ... ‘restraint' (advocated by) others will once again be of no help to the situation.” This was considered an allusion to China. North Korea created a dangerous atmosphere of war, in protest of China, with the objective of forcing dialogue with South Korea and the US. North Korea never intended to go to war. Kim Jong Un's willingness to launch provocations so soon before China's World War II anniversary victory celebration betrays North Korea's disregard for this event. Kim dared to do so for three reasons: First, the North possesses nuclear weapons, military advantages and enjoys diplomatic support from Russia. Second, North Korea has no substantial desire to improve relations with China, which has lost confidence in North Korea since its leadership transition and Kim's purges of pro-China officials. Third, China's support has accordingly tilted more in favor of South Korea. Faced with the situation on the Korean Peninsula, China needs a complete re-assessment of its peninsular policy. – Ding Dong, Business Insight, August 25, 2015
JAPAN
NEWS: Japanese wife who lived in N. Korea urges for talks
Hiroko Saito, 72, is a Japanese citizen who married a North Korean living in Japan and in 1961 they moved with their family to North Korea. After the famine in the ’90s that killed most of her family, Ms. Saito decided to flee from North Korea through China. "Making the sanctions more rigorous leads to nothing. We need a way to rescue all Japanese," Ms. Saito said of the negotiations between Japan and North Korea over abductions, which to date have produced no results. According to her daughter, who still lives in North Korea, most of the Japanese wives have either died or are very old. The investigation shouldn't only focus on those who were abducted, but also on those Japanese who are still living in North Korea. – Oita Press, August 25, 2015
NEWS: Japan-U.S. cooperation over NK issues confirmed
Japanese Prime Miniser Shinzo Abe received a phone call from President Obama on August 26 and they discussed recent events on the Korean Peninsula for 40 minutes. Both leaders were relieved that the crisis had come to an end and that the conflict didn't escalate. They also have confirmed that the U.S. and Japan will continue to cooperate together in dealing with North Korea. Apart from that, President Obama apologized to Abe for spying on the Japanese government, as recently revealed by Wikileaks, and promised that activities leading to a loss of trust between Japan and U.S. will be stopped. – NHK, August 26, 2015
NEWS: Japanese Red Army members spend 40 years in N. Korean ‘Japanese village’
It has been 45 years since the members of the Japanese Communist League stole a Japanese plane traveling from Tokyo to Fukuoka and took it to North Korea – an incident known in Japan as the Yodogo Hijacking. Fortunately, all the passengers and pilots were released and no one was hurt. The kidnappers asked North Korean authorities for asylum and some of them are still living with their families in North Korea. They live 25 kilometers from Pyongyang's center in a small building complex called the "Japanese Village.” In the past the community amounted around 36 Japanese, when the children and wives of the kidnappers were included. Now, only six of them are left, as many of the children have been allowed to go back to Japan. Even though those who remain live in North Korea, they not only have a satellite dish for watching CNN and NHK, but also unrestricted internet access, which they use to communicate with their supporters and journalists from Japan. Even though they have earned the trust of the North Korean regime, they say that they would like to go back to Japan one day. – Tocana, August 26, 2015
ANALYSIS/OPINION: North Korea ‘totally lost’ game of chicken
After 43 hours of negotiations amid escalating tensions, both Koreas were able to come to an agreement. But will this help to ease the tensions in the future? This time North Korea has abandoned the game of chicken first, by expressing "regret” over the landmine incident that injured South Korean soldiers. What's more, it's a complete failure, as North Korea didn't get anything in return. On top of that, South Korea now knows that the loudspeakers are an effective tool to deal with its neighbor. However, in order to restore good relations both Koreas have to overcome four barriers. First are the economic sanctions that placed on North Korea after the sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010. Second are the joint military exercises by Americans and South Koreans. Third are civic groups in South Korea that send balloons with anti-North Korean propaganda over the border. And the last are the North Korean nuclear and missile programs. All these issues have been shelved for the time being in order to resolve recent tensions. However, they are sure to come back soon. – Pyong Jin Il, The Page, August 28, 2015
ANALYSIS/OPINION: Need to rethink the policy against NK
As we have seen from recent events in Korea, the North Korean regime is not stable. With frequent changes of people in power and friction between the party and the army, there may be more hardship coming in the future. There is a high probability of repeating the same scenario that happened after the landmine incident. In this unstable situation joint crisis management by South Korea, Japan and America is required. First of all, Japan should support unification and peace on the Korean Peninsula and review its policy against North Korea. There are four points that are important in preparing this policy. Firstly, neighboring countries should avoid military intervention in case of North Korea's collapse. Secondly, there is a need to prevent the proliferation of North Korean nuclear weapons. Thirdly, in case of unification the decisions should be left to the Korean people and Japan should support the Korean-American defense treaty. Lastly, Japan should support a unified Korea in an effort to build a peaceful country through international cooperation. – Hitoshi Tanaka, The Huffington Post, August 26, 2015
SOUTH KOREA
NEWS: Chinese ambassador stresses Six-Party Talks with NPAD
On August 26, during the closed meeting with South Korean opposition party NPAD’s Rep. Moon Jae-in, the Chinese ambassador to Seoul expressed that “China believes that issues regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula should be addressed through Six-Party Talks in the future,” the NPAD’s spokesperson said. “We are keeping in close touch with the other five parties regarding future Six-Party Talks,” said the Chinese ambassador. “We are well-aware of the different point of views that the U.S. and North Korea have (on Korean Peninsular issues), and we are preparing a plan that both parties may accept.” – Yonhap, August 26
NEWS: President Park to participate in China's victory day parade
President Park Geun-hye has decided to participate in both the anniversary celebration and military parade of China’s 70th anniversary of Japan’s defeat at the end of World War II. Experts saw this as a move to build a more suitable international stance to use against North Korea when Korea and China have to deal with issues related to North Korea’s nuclear weapons and the unification of the Korean Peninsula. South Korean authorities have been pondering whether Park should attend the event, as many international countries saw it as China’s chance to show off their military power to the world, something that restrained President Obama from attending the event. According to Min Kyung-wook, the Blue House spokesperson, “This decision was made to strengthen the friendship and cooperation with the neighboring nation of China, and to wish for China to participate in the peace of the Korean Peninsula and in unification.” – Voice of America, August 28, 2015
ANALYSIS/OPINION: After agreement, a path to trust and reconciliation
Some may criticize President Park for not getting a clear apology from North Korea over the mine attacks and artillery provocations. But thinking realistically about negotiations between countries, it is impossible to only take what we want to take from the negotiations. North Korea also took the fruit of South Korea stopping the propaganda speakers, while accepting the terms of holding meetings of separated families, which South Korea proposed. In the future hopefully both South Korea and North Korea will not be bound to firm ground rules but show flexibility and achieve agreements. But the true negotiation starts from now – this recent meeting was quickly composed to resolve rising military tensions between two counties, not pre-planned from long ago to finish the bigger picture. – Editorial, The Kyunghyang Shinmun, August 25, 2015
ANALYSIS/OPINION: Citizens provided hidden support behind recent resolution
During the four-day marathon talks between the two Koreas, the hidden support behind the recent resolution came from our citizens. A mature sense of citizenship was shown that was astonishingly different from what was shown during past provocations such as sinking of Cheonan or propaganda leaflets. During those times progressives and conservatives argued over each other. But this time, even on the verge of war, our citizens did not run about in confusion or be shaken by rumors. When North Korea’s state media Uriminzzokkiri was spreading false rumors that South Korean society was shaking with immense fear of war and that department stores were filled with people trying to buy groceries such as ramen and potable water, many South Koreans just made fun of North Korea’s futile attempts by sharing the news on SNS. Also, despite the North’s claim that many South Koreans were fleeing the country in fear of war, many active service members decided to remain in military by extending the end of terms of service date. It is also significant that both ruling party and opposition party spoke of same voice, which rarely happens, and united the country with one strong voice. – Editorial, The Jungang Ilbo, August 26, 2015
ANALYSIS/OPINION: The significance of Kim Jong Un’s positive feedback toward the resolution
On the 28th, Kim Jong Un stated that “the true value of the recent agreement between the South and North lies in the fact that anger was turned to into an opportunity; we have to preserve this valuable opportunity and turn it in to something fruitful.” It is quite meaningful that the leader of North Korea spoke such words himself, and this shows that the North’s main stream flows toward the path of dialogue, for the most part. But North Korea can flip-flop any time – just in 2013 Kim Jong Un canceled the meeting of separated families, only four days before Chuseok, one of the biggest Korean national holidays. Taking careful steps toward building trust between the two is the most important part of the inter-Korean relationships. – Editorial, The Chosun Ilbo, August 29, 2015
RUSSIA
NEWS: Expert: War not possible, N. Korea just ‘rattling’ weapons
The director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Igor Semivolos, believes that to date there is no indication of an impending conflict in Korea, despite the recent exchange of fire. "I do not think that the war between the Koreas is possible, as these exacerbations occur there from time to time,” Semivolos was quoted as saying in the latest edition of Gordon. “And the recent aggravation is due to the fact that South Korea has used their ‘megaphones’ to broadcast propaganda in the direction of North. It irritates them, and this is what the conflict centered on, " said the expert. Semivolos stressed that he sees no potential for a world war. "I do not see anyone at all that could support North Korea in this situation and how it can reach the level of a world war. If we talk about the exchange of fire in this area, on the 38th parallel, something similar happens there from time to time. This is not new, and the mobilization says only that North Korea is trying to rattle its weapons," he said. – GordonUA.com, August 21, 2015
NEWS: Expert: N. Korea ‘both laughed at and feared’
Military tension between the two Koreas ended as expected, with negotiations. "The talks between the two Koreas represent a kind of intermediate stage, an attempt to resolve the current crisis,” military analyst Igor Korotchenko told the TV channel LifeNews. “I do not think there is a direct interest among the parties to engage in armed conflict. Today, North Korea has the potential to directly attack Seoul and transform it into a sea of fire. All have become accustomed to the ultimatums that North Korea makes. Undermining the North Korean regime from within is impossible. The Kim dynasty transfers power from hand to hand, showing confidence and a historical optimism. The regime is both laughed at and feared.” – RIAFan.ru, August 22, 2015
OPINION & ANALYSIS: North Korea cancels its paramilitary position
North Korea has cancelled its paramilitary position, which it had instituted in connection with the aggravation of the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, the two Koreas said in a joint statement at the end of two days of talks, according to Reuters. The countries quickly announced the negotiations, aimed at the betterment of bilateral relations. It was earlier reported that Pyongyang and Seoul agreed to stop broadcasting propaganda and begin resuming meetings between separated family members. Tensions between North Korea and South Korea have risen dramatically in recent weeks after South Korean soldiers were wounded in a mine explosion. In response, South Korea utilized its speakers on the border, for the first time in 11 years, to criticize the North Korean regime. – Gazeta.ru, August 24, 2015
OPINION & ANALYSIS: South Korea, U.S. approve plan to suppress DPRK during crisis
Representatives of the military command in South Korea and the United States approved the updated plan to suppress the combat potential of the DPRK in case of aggravation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, reported the Yonhap News Agency on Thursday. The new strategy, codenamed OPLAN 2015, focuses on the neutralization of Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, missiles and biochemical weapons. Under the plan, the United States and South Korea intend pre-emptive attacks on the DPRK corresponding weapons in the event of an armed conflict that could well escalate into a full-scale war. "This year's (Ulchi Freedom Guardian) exercises give special priority to minimize damage in the event that the North will use biochemical weapons," said a South Korean Defense Ministry official. Several international experts also suggest that the army North Korea has a large number of toxic substances such as mustard gas and sarin. North Korea has not signed the international Chemical Weapons Convention. – RIA News, August 27, 2015
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