Opinion - The Korea Times

N. Korea hunkering down

By Tong KimIt was a good thing that Iran and the United States backed down from the verge of war, after a U.S. drone strike killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, a known mastermind of terror who killed many Americans. It was a tragedy that Iran mistakenly shot down a Ukraine airliner, killing all 176 aboard, most of whom were Iranians.Soleimani's death also prompted speculation of what impact it may have on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Was he scared? Was he hiding in a bunker for fear of a potential U.S. strike? He may have been scared, but he was not hiding. He was back on the road to give “on-the-spot guidance” to staff at a fertilizer plant.Does the U.S. have the capability to take him out? Probably, yes. The question is what happens next? The North has enough lethal capability to retaliate to such an attack and inflict an unbearable degree of damage to the U.S. forces in the South. Will the U.S. termination of Soleimani soften North Korea's posture on nuclear weapons? No, it is likely to harden their position to accelerate the development of nuclear weapons

Jan 13, 2020By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

N. Korea's new strategy

By Tong KimThis column was written before North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's New Year's announcement that will impact the prospect of nuclear diplomacy and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula for 2020. Christmas passed without any onerous gift that North Korean officials threatened to deliver.North Korea may have missed the Christmas mark. But they were winning in the psychological war against the United States. Last week, a false alarm went off regarding North Korean provocation on a U.S. Army post in South Korea, and the Japanese NHK filed a false missile launch.Guarding against a possible missile launch, the U.S. has mobilized the most advanced surveillance aircraft on and around the peninsula. Some American generals were talking about revisiting military options prepared for the height of tensions in 2017. CNN reported that the U.S. forces were “authorized” in advance to use force in response to an actual provocation: not a very credible report.In the lead up to Christmas, the media outlets were inundated with analyses of just what that Christmas gift might

Dec 30, 2019By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

Back to tensions on peninsula

By Tong KimA familiar pattern of harsh rhetoric between North Korea and the United States is back ― literally, a war of words that does not help resuscitation of nuclear talks. The rhetoric from both sides appears to be backed up by mutual demonstrations of military might.Recently at a NATO summit in London, Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “a Rocket Man” again, and instantly Kim's representatives called Trump “a deranged dotard.” (Kim is the original author of Trump's moniker.) While claiming his relations with Kim were still good, Trump said he “would use force on the North, if he will have to” in reaction to Kim's escalating provocations.For a month now, representatives of North Korean organizations ― including the foreign ministry, the military and the academy of sciences ― have issued a string of statements signaling that the North was on the verge of embarking on a “new path” to a fully-fledged nuclear state, regardless of U.S. objection, and without a peace settlement or improved relations with the U.S.In Washington a

Dec 16, 2019By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

N. Korea's shifting demands

By Tong KimLast April North Korean leader Kim Jong-un set a year-end deadline for U.S. flexibility to accept Pyongyang's demands. Last week Stephen Biegun, top U.S. nuclear negotiator and a nominee for deputy secretary of state, said the deadline was “an artificial one” ― an implication that the U.S. won't make a major policy adjustment to meet the deadline and that the current stalemate may pass over the year-end.Announcing the deadline, Kim said he would take a “new path” if the deadline is missed. North Korean officials have suggested, as foreign observers speculated, that a “new path” points to resuming nuclear and ICBM tests, terminating negotiations and returning to confrontation and tension.The North conducted another test of “a super-large multiple rocket launch system” Nov. 28 ― the fourth one since August ― firing two projectiles 30 seconds apart toward the East Sea. The system is known as a hybrid of ballistic missile technology that carries four large rockets. Some news outlets called the firing a Thanksgiving reminder to Wa

Dec 2, 2019By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

Volatility on Peninsula

By Tong KimSouth Korea is again facing multiple challenges to its security and peace from friends and foes alike, including the U.S., Japan, North Korea, and China. Not a surprise from the viewpoint of history and its geopolitical destiny.Washington is pressuring Seoul to revive an information sharing agreement with Tokyo called the GSOMIA in support of a trilateral alliance between the South, Japan and the U.S. However, Tokyo is reluctant to lift trade restrictions that led to Seoul's decision to terminate GSOMIA from Nov 22.Last Friday, President Moon said “no” to visiting U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper who had hoped for a revival of GSOMIA. Moon's “no” may be seen as a legitimate exercise of sovereign right or as a risky reaction that could jeopardize the alliance with the United States.Washington is also pressuring Seoul to pay $5 billion, roughly five times the amount that it is paying now, for defense cost-sharing with the U.S. Asking for an increase in the share, Secretary Esper repeated Trump's words, “South Korea is rich and it should pay

Nov 18, 2019By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

N. Korea's pressure campaign

By Tong KimLast week, North Korea launched an all-out pressure campaign on South Korea and the United States on three fronts: (1) a decision to tear down hotels and other tourist facilities at Mount Geumgang ― all built with South Korean capital, (2) a diehard program for developing missiles and rocket launchers, and (3) a warning against U.S. complacency because of the good relations between its leader Kim Jong-un and President Trump.Inter-Korean relations are at their lowest point since the start of the Moon government two-and-a-half years ago. Kim defies his predecessor's policy of economic cooperation with the South. The outlook for nuclear talks with Washington does not bode well; and Pyongyang keeps threatening to return to tension on the peninsula.On Oct. 31, the North again demonstrated its capability to continue developing new weapons, by firing two projectiles from a “super-large multiple rocket launcher” three minutes apart. They flew 370 km across the country at a height of up to 90 km before plunging into the East Sea. It was the 12th test of new weapons sinc

Nov 4, 2019By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

Strange things happen in NK

By Tong KimLast Wednesday, Oct. 16, North Korea released a picture of its leader Kim Jong-un riding a white horse on the snow-covered top of Mount Paektu. The news agency reported that on horseback, Chairman Kim renewed his determination to build “a powerful and prosperous country against all headwinds” overcoming the “difficulties and hardships from sanctions and pressure from the hostile forces.”According to Pyongyang's storyline, his grandfather Kim Il-sung was riding a white horse, commanding “revolutionary guerrilla warfare against Japanese colonialists,” using Korea's highest mountain as his military base. The North's second ruler, Kim Jong-il, is said to have been born on the slope of the same mountain. Thus, began the legend of “Paektu bloodline” for the Kim dynasty.Average North Koreans may not believe this fairytale-like legend, but they do not publicly question its veracity. The symbolism of the legend serves to consolidate the support and unity of the people for their leader. There may be the legacies of superstitious shaman

Oct 21, 2019By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

Breakdown of N. Korea talks

By Tong KimLong-awaited U.S.-North Korea working-level talks that finally got underway in Stockholm Oct. 5 have broken down after the first day of meeting. The breakdown came as a surprise since they were expected to make some progress. Or it was not a surprise. It was doubtful anyway that the talks would be a breakthrough for North Korea's denuclearization.Kim Myong-gil, head of the North Korean working-level team, ended the talks because the U.S. side, he said, came to the table with nothing new, disappointing the North's expectation that the U.S. would come up with “the correct method of calculation to accelerate positive developments in DPRK-U.S. relations.” DPRK is the North's name for itself, standing for Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Despite the absence of details on what U.S. representative Stephen Biegun might have actually offered to the North, it is still clear it was not enough for the North to continue the talks. Kim Myong-gil said his country has no luxury of time to continue negotiations for the sake of negotiations. Kim said he suggested a realist

Oct 7, 2019By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

US-DPRK working-level talks

By Tong KimFollowing an uneasy period of uncertainty, the United States and North Korea are ready to start their working-level talks at the end of this month, or shortly thereafter, at a place yet to be determined.The next round of negotiations will be a re-starting point to discuss and explore new ways to implement the 2018 Singapore summit agreement ― to improve relations, to build a peace regime, and “to work for complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”The impending resumption of talks is attributed to President Donald Trump's sustaining political interest in making a nuclear deal with Kim Jong-un and the firing of his national security adviser John Bolton, as well as to North Korea's interest in survival through a renewed diplomatic attempt.On Sept. 20, Pyongyang announced its roving ambassador Kim Myong-gil will lead a DPRK negotiating team when it meets with a U.S. team for which Stephen Biegun is likely to serve as senior delegate.In a statement published by the KCNA, the newly appointed North Korean chief negotiator praised President Trump for making a

Sep 23, 2019By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

Uncertainty of nuclear talks

By Tong KimThe prospect of resuming nuclear talks between North Korea and the United States does not look good. Washington says it is ready to negotiate with Pyongyang on a working-level whenever they are ready. Two month ago, Trump said after his meeting with Kim Jong-un at Panmunjeom that Kim had agreed to hold working-level talks “in a few weeks.”The United States is still waiting to hear from the North on when or whether they will return to the table. A possible venue for such talks can be determined after the date is set. For logistical considerations (including travel cost), the North may prefer Panmunjeom for the talks. The problem is the North is not ready.In April, the North Korean leader set a deadline by the end of 2019 to wait and see “if the U.S. changes its method of calculation,” a proposition that the U.S. drops its position seeking an early big deal by which the North would denuclearize first in return for consequent sanctions relief and security guarantees.The big deal attempt was rejected and failed in Hanoi. But, Washington has not produced

Sep 9, 2019By Tong Kim

Tong Kim

Read more

N. Korea hunkering down

N. Korea's new strategy

Back to tensions on peninsula

N. Korea's shifting demands

Volatility on Peninsula

N. Korea's pressure campaign

Strange things happen in NK

Breakdown of N. Korea talks

US-DPRK working-level talks

Uncertainty of nuclear talks

Top 5 stories