cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/22770231

South Korea convened an international summit on Monday seeking to establish a blueprint for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military, though any agreement is not expected to have binding powers to enforce it.

More than 90 countries including the United States and China have sent government representatives to the two-day summit in Seoul, which is the second such gathering.

The first summit was held in The Hague last year, where the United States, China and other nations endorsed a modest "call to action, opens new tab" without legal commitment.

"The DPRK is continuously cast as a villain in international politics. The “hermit kingdom” is painted as tyrannical, repressive, and dynastic. In this essay, I want to argue the opposite: North Korea is a deeply democratic country, and this is reflective of its socialist values."

Absolutely love the DPRK Explained channel, can only recommend!

March 21st marks the 50th anniversary of taxation abolition in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), making it the first state in history to do so.

This move, enacted by the Supreme People’s Assembly on March 21st, 1974, completely eliminated the tax system, which had been gradually phased out since the mid-1960s.

President Kim Il Sung emphasized that this decision aligned with the socialist system's principles and liberated the working class from exploitation.

Unlike in capitalist nations, where taxes continuously rise, DPRK's unique socialist approach prioritized people's welfare by eliminating taxation entirely. This bold step underscores the DPRK's commitment to socialism.

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/3966387

A few months ago when I was sifting through the garbage dump r/EuropeanSocialists (Once in a while they have good translated DPRK resources otherwise very hard to find) I came across a mention of a site called Yaegihaja. The name means "Let's Talk" in Korean and apparently it was a forum which claimed you could talk with actual north Koreans. It also claimed to be affiliated with the DPRK government. The site has also been mentioned on a few youtube channels, such as one called "SunhiPlays" which posts music videos and one just called "Yaegihaja" which uploaded a DPRK movie. Apparently the URL used to be yaegihaja.com but the website is now shut down and the Wayback Machine's latest snapshot of the website is from April 2022, only showing the home page. Such a place existing is so bizarre and I can't find more information on what it actually was. If you've heard of Yaegihaja please tell me everything you know because I am very curious about this matter.

Also apparently Uriminzokkiri had a Discord server? The DPRK rabbit hole goes deep.

WEBSITES:

•Explore DPRK: https://exploredprk.com/

•Korean Friendship Association (KFA): https://korea-dpr.com/

•Rodong Sinmun (The official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea): http://rodong.rep.kp/en/

•Media Ryugyong: http://mediaryugyong.com.kp/movie?lang=ko

•KoreanBooks: http://www.korean-books.com.kp/en/

YOUTUBE CHANNELS:

•PhuongDPRKDaily: https://youtube.com/@PhuongDPRKDaily?si=NCAdxY-dckm_DlVH

•Jaka Parker (lives and works in DPRK part time): https://youtube.com/@jakaparker?si=nxj8Ep_PZSVSq5C7

•Songun007: https://youtube.com/@SONGUN007?si=S-TtbaiTFbiNFmux

•Explore DPRK (Youtube): https://youtube.com/@ExploreDPRK?si=AIam3xAu9yQAHN2y

•DefendKorea: https://youtube.com/@DefendKorea?si=Wy7lIf8XTVb9YVxA

•Juche Gang: https://youtube.com/@shanelawrence86?si=mUzTU7RrafDq-HdA

•DPRK News Room: https://youtube.com/@dprknews1912?si=jelvzKW2L_Sjbp1x

RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTARIES:

•My Brothers and Sisters in the North, 2016 (incredible documentary, my favorite): https://youtu.be/IBqeC8ihsO8?si=tPxzw3hts1Bjpu7g

•Loyal Citizens of Pyongyang in Seoul (really interesting interviews of defectors): https://youtu.be/ktE_3PrJZO0?si=_GX1jS6-uxtMI5MX

•We went to North Korea to Get a Haircut, 2017 (This one is short, hilarious, and enlightening): https://youtu.be/2BO83Ig-E8E?si=0imYM0n9kvureN3k

•An African American's Journal Inside North Korea ,1994: https://youtu.be/NTi5Ma1F7zM?si=_7XMaRX9cLPHzy4h

•My socialist country, 1992 (DPRK made documentary): https://youtu.be/EBDubna1oro?si=O1E34SYTQXOzEVtI

BOOKS & OTHER REPORTS:

•In North Korea: First Eye-Witness Report (1949) -Anna Louise Strong https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/strong-anna-louise/1949/in-north-korea/index.htm

GOOGLE DOC SOURCE DUMP:

• Notes on the DPRK: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1ewrcRerI8lyXpykMX11EyMoCFii1Hafakq7t0976eYQ/mobilebasic

Alternative link for "Notes on the DPRK": https://pdfhost.io/v/zkfDlL45e_NOTES_ON_THE_DEMOCRATIC_PEOPLES_REPUBLIC_OF_KOREA_Google_Docs

BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s top leader Kim Jong Un on Monday jointly designated 2024 as the China-DPRK Friendship Year and launched a series of activities.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Kim, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, made the announcement in their exchange of New Year greeting messages.

In his message, Xi pointed out that China and the DPRK are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, saying that the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK was forged by the older generation of leaders of the two parties and two countries, cemented in the revolutionary struggle, and continuously deepened in the course of socialist construction.

In recent years, Xi said, the traditional friendly cooperation between China and the DPRK has entered a new historical period with joint efforts.

The two sides have maintained close strategic communication, deepened practical cooperation, strengthened coordination and collaboration in multilateral international affairs, pushed forward the continuous development of China-DPRK relations, safeguarded the common interests of the two countries, and maintained regional peace and stability, Xi added.

Under the new situation in the new era, the CPC and the Chinese government have always viewed China-DPRK relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and it is China's unwavering policy to maintain, consolidate and develop the long-standing friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries, Xi said.

China is ready to work with the DPRK to take the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations and the China-DPRK Friendship Year as an opportunity to carry forward the long-standing friendship, deepen strategic mutual trust, enhance exchanges and cooperation, and ensure that bilateral ties move forward with the times for greater development so as to better benefit the two peoples, and continuously make new contributions to safeguarding regional peace and stability, Xi stressed.

In his message, Kim noted that 2024 is a significant year marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and China, saying that socialist construction in the two countries has at the moment entered a new stage of progress and the international situation is undergoing complex changes.

The two parties and governments have decided to designate this year as the China-DPRK Friendship Year, and further promote the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the two sides in accordance with needs of the times, which conforms to the common expectation and desire of the people of the two countries, Kim added.

The unbreakable DPRK-China friendship, forged and consolidated in the struggle for socialism, will be fully displayed this year, he said.

Through the activities during the friendship year, the two parties and governments will further promote exchanges in all fields, including politics, economy and culture, further deepen the bonds of friendship and unity, and step up cooperation in the joint efforts to safeguard regional and global peace and stability, thus writing a new chapter in DPRK-China relations, Kim said.

I have a few questions:

1. Is the grad available in the DPRK.
2. How do I travel to DPRK from the Philippines? I plan going there once I get enough cash.

Link includes Japanese original text and photograph of the article. English version:

This is a short article from 1939 where a Japanese abductee escaped captivity from Korean Communist Guerrillas to tell the Japanese police in Ranam, Korea about meeting Kim Il-sung and his comrades, many of whom were women.

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo June 3, 1939

Astonished by Female Bandits

Kim Il-sung was a Gentleman

A Kidnap Victim Shares His Experience

[Telephone Report from Ranam] On the 22nd of last month, a person who had been kidnapped by bandits in the jurisdiction of the Samjang Police Station returned and spoke about the interesting inner workings of the bandits, based on his experiences of living with them deep in the mountains for over ten days.

One surprising thing was the presence of many female bandits among them, not just men as he had initially thought. These people are primarily ethnic Koreans from the Gando region and usually handle cooking and sewing for the bandits.

It was unique that they cook rice in a washbasin, but it was also surprising that they skillfully made Western clothes and combat hats using a proper hand-operated sewing machine. All of them uniformly expressed nostalgia for their homeland and said they wanted to return to Korea as soon as possible.

He met the leader who introduced himself as Kim Il-sung. Kim was a fair-skinned, good-looking man in his thirties, about 5 shaku and 5 or 6 sun tall (167 to 170 cm tall). He was bald, wore a combat hat, dressed in brown woolen clothes, and wore jika-tabi footwear.

KIM SON GYONG:

"The reason why the UN Security Council fails to fulfill its important duty to ensure global peace and security and get rid of its malfunction can be clearly seen in the 'joint statement of 10 countries' issued by the U.S. and its followers.

The 'joint statement,' signed by some permanent member states of the UNSC gripped by extreme prejudice and double-standards and some UN member states accustomed to blindly follow the U.S. instruction instead of considering whether it is right or wrong, is nothing but a conspiratorial document without any effect in the light of international law and political influence.

The DPRK's reconnaissance satellite launch is a legitimate and just exercise of the right to self-defense aimed at correctly seeing through and thoroughly coping with the grave military moves of the U.S. and its followers, which are becoming more undisguised in their aggressive nature.

If the reconnaissance satellite 'Malligyong-1' brought to space is a 'threat' to the signatories of the 'joint statement,' are the nuclear carriers, nuclear strategic submarines and nuclear strategic bombers deployed on the doorstep of the DPRK by the U.S. 30-odd times this year 'apostles of friendship and peace'?

Do the 'ten countries,' which accused the DPRK of using ballistic missile technology in launching the satellite, launch their satellites by rubber balloon or null gravity, not by a carrier rocket using the same technology as ballistic missile?

Such brigandish idea of the U.S. and its vassal forces that the DPRK is not allowed to exercise its due right to space exploration, a right belonging to all UN member states, is a typical expression of the most hideous and brazen-faced violation of sovereignty that denies the justification of the existence of the DPRK, before being the mere issue of partiality and double-standards.

Our stand is clear.

The U.S. finds its main interest and hobby in encroaching upon the sovereign rights of independent countries through high-handed practice and threat, but what the DPRK is interested in is its full exercise of the universal sovereign rights common to all countries like satellite launch.

No matter what critical statements and harshest-ever sanctions the U.S. and its vassal forces may issue or impose, they can neither check the DPRK's exercise of its sovereign rights nor get what they want.

To make it crystal-clear that the U.S. and the West's outrageous and illegal interference in the internal affairs of independent sovereign countries and employment of double-standards against them can never work, the DPRK will squarely, unhesitatingly and perfectly exercise its sovereign rights including satellite launch, and this will contribute to the establishment of a just and equal new international order.

If the U.S. and its vassal forces again seek to violate the sovereignty of the DPRK under the pretext of the utterly unlawful 'resolution' of the UNSC, they will be held wholly accountable for any consequences to be entailed by it."

Press statement by Vice-Minister for International Organizations of the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Son Gyong, Pyongyang, November 27, 2023.

Source: KCNA

Pyongyang, November 17 (KCNA) -- The Russian government delegation led by Alexandr Kozlov, minister of Natural Resources and Ecology, left here on Nov. 16. It took part in the 10th meeting of the Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy, Science and Technology between the governments of the DPRK and the Russian Federation.

The flags of the DPRK and the Russian Federation were fluttering at the flagstaffs of Pyongyang International Airport.

The Russian delegation was seen off by Yun Jong Ho, minister of External Economic Relations of the DPRK, Im Chon Il, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, officials concerned, Charge d'Affaires ad Interim Vladimir Topeha and staff members of the Russian embassy here. -0-

Photos

Like Palestine, Korea’s history is one of war, occupation, and division. The Korean War was the first “proxy war” of the Cold War. Nearly 5 million Koreans were killed, entire cities were turned to ashes, and our country was divided in two. The Korean War shows us that a ceasefire does not end an occupation. Despite the ceasefire in 1953, our homeland remains divided and at war today. The ceasefire did not end the war — it only gave it new life. Therefore, as Koreans, we know that we need more than just an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. We need an end to the Zionist occupation of Palestine, once and for all.

We denounce the ongoing genocide in Palestine and extend our love and solidarity to the Palestinian people. And we put forward the following demands to the government of the United States:

• Support an immediate ceasefire to put a stop to the killing so that the people of Gaza can focus on rescuing the living and mourning the dead.
• Immediately cut all foreign aid to Israel, which currently amounts to more than $3 billion per year from the U.S.
• Lift the 16-year siege of Gaza and allow crucially needed medicine, food, fuel, water, power, and other supplies to reach people before it’s too late.

Note: This is machine translation of selected quotes from the articles. Additionally, several photos of the events are available in the linked articles.

November 4th Palestinian solidarity rally and march condemning Israel: Participants of various nationalities come together

2023-11-04

On November 4, a rally and march condemning Israel and solidarity with Palestine were held near the Israeli Embassy in Korea. This was the 6th rally.

There was great anger because the rally was held immediately after Israel bombed the Jabilia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Palestine for three days.

Today's rally was notable for the diversity of race and nationality of the participants. People of various races and nationalities marched through downtown Seoul, listening to remarks and shouting slogans in unison despite their different religious and political backgrounds.

“We're all Palestinians!”

At this rally, 37 organizations in Korea expressed support and solidarity. There were 9 more places than the rally a week ago.

[...]

At the end of the rally, various participants, including workers, college students, and doctors, representing the solidarity groups that prepared for today's rally, read a resolution pledging to further foster and continue solidarity.

“The resistance of Palestinians who have fought to protect their lives, their homes, and their right to live like human beings is completely justified. … Palestinian resistance is not isolated. Israel is already facing resistance, and will face more resistance in the future.

“Although the Israeli government, which is afraid of the truth, mobilized fake news and various Western governments that support Israel have tried to interfere, righteous movements in solidarity with the Palestinian people’s resistance have continued all over the world.

“Israel, stop the massacre right now! Israel's unjust force will never be able to bring down the legitimate resistance of the Palestinian people. Solidarity with Palestine!”

Palestine Solidarity Campaign Takes First Step in Busan

2023-11-02

On November 1, a campaign was held in Seomyeon, Busan, to condemn Israel and show solidarity with Palestine.

Even though the campaign plan was announced on social media only a day or two in advance, many people gathered. In addition to Koreans, people from various countries including Palestine, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United States participated. These were people who could no longer tolerate Israel's atrocities. Everyone welcomed this campaign and thanked each other for taking action in solidarity with Palestine.

Palestinian international students also participated in the campaign that day. He is said to have lost contact with his family in Gaza. He complained that it was difficult to bear because his heart was always sore. He expressed gratitude to those who participated in the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

The campaign attracted the attention of downtown Busan citizens. There were many people who looked closely at the photos and cartoons that conveyed the reality of Palestine.

Several workers from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions who were holding other rallies and marching nearby also expressed solidarity by raising their fists toward the Palestine solidarity campaign.

The voice of Palestinian solidarity must and can become louder.

“I'm with Men's Solidarity” Man in his 20s arrested for assaulting female employee at convenience store - Nov. 5, 2023 (article in Korean)

[Machine translation + slight editing]

A man in his 20s who assaulted a woman in her 20s working at a convenience store was caught by the police. He told the police, ‘I am a member of the Men’s Solidarity. He is said to have said, “Feminists must be beaten.”

Jinju Police Station in Gyeongsangnam-do announced on the 5th, “We have applied for an arrest warrant for Mr. According to what the police said, Mr. A was drunk at around 0:10 a.m. on the 4th and acted unruly, including throwing items he had chosen at a convenience store in Hadae-dong, Jinju.

It is said that a female employee in her 20s who worked at a convenience store stopped him, but the throwing of objects continued. Mr. A took the mobile phone of an employee who was trying to report it to the police, put it in the microwave, and beat the employee who tried to stop him from doing so. Mr. A even assaulted a customer in his 50s who tried to stop him. The police responded to the scene following a report from a passerby and arrested Mr. A.

The police said, “Mr. A, who was being investigated, said, ‘I saw that (the convenience store employee) had short hair and thought she was a feminist. “I said, ‘I am a member of the men’s solidarity and you should be beaten,’” he said.

“Why does a woman have short hair?” A 20-year-old who indiscriminately assaulted a part-time worker at a convenience store. (article in Korean)

[Machine translated excerpts]

A man in his 20s who indiscriminately assaulted a female part-time worker at a convenience store because of her short hair was caught by the police.

Mr. A is accused of assaulting Ms. B, who was in her 20s and was working part-time at a convenience store in Hadae-dong, Jinju, by punching and kicking her

He assaulted Mr. C, a customer in his 50s who tried to stop the assault, several times, and also hit him with a chair provided in the store.

As a result of Mr. A's crime, Ms. B suffered a sprain, ligament damage, and an ear injury, and Mr. C suffered fractures in his shoulder, forehead, and nose.

At the time of the crime, he was found to have made remarks to Mr. B, saying, "When I see a woman with short hair, I see a feminist" and "I am a Men's Solidarity member, feminists should be beaten."

Excerpts:

Strengthening cooperation with China is the only way to minimize the damage dealt by strategic and tactical cooperation between North Korea and Russia

In an essay published in Foreign Policy on Sept. 12, Siegfried Hecker, a longtime observer of North Korea, characterized Kim’s overture toward Russia as “neither tactical nor desperate” but a “result of a fundamental shift in North Korean policy, finally abandoning a 30-year effort to normalize relations with the US.”

What should South Korea’s next move be? As the details of the agreement made between North Korea and Russia have not been made public, various opinions are being put forth. Progressives say that “North Korea has emerged as a formidable actor on the international stage” (Cheong Wook-sik, director of the Hankyoreh Peace Institute) and are demanding that the Yoon Suk-yeol administration should “course-correct” its diplomacy, which is oriented toward blindly following the US and uncritically antagonizing North Korea (Park Noja, professor at the University of Oslo).

In contrast, conservatives are propounding the radical notion that Seoul’s principle against providing lethal weapons to Ukraine should be reconsidered, and scrapping both the Sept. 19 Pyongyang Declaration and the Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula should seriously be contemplated (Lee Yong-joon, chairperson of the Sejong Institute).

While the proposals from progressives seem to have a more cool-headed grasp on today’s international affairs, the Yoon administration will not accept them. Still, putting to practice conservatives’ suggestion to send weapons to Ukraine would also be difficult. Objectively, the tactical and strategic cooperation that Pyongyang and Moscow will carry out moving forward has become a painful diplomatic constant that Seoul can’t really do anything with.

Strengthening cooperation with China is the only way to minimize the damage.

During his meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Chinese President Xi Jinping also stated that Beijing would maintain a policy of “good-neighborliness and friendship toward South Korea,” conveying his intent not to come together with Pyongyang and Moscow in relatively straightforward language.

Closening ties between North Korea and Russia should be considered a seismic shift in geopolitics that unsettles regional affairs. Hence, maintaining the stability of South Korea-China relations has become an even more vital interest for Seoul than before.

Moreover, the outcome of next year’s presidential election in the US is hard to anticipate. South Korea shouldn’t stick its neck out across the battlefront of strategic competition between the US and China like a reckless rifleman. Yoon may go down in history as a figure who ruined South Korean diplomacy if he misreads the cards and destroys relations with China once again.

(Machine translation + slight editing)

The first rally in support of Palestine is held in Korea... The debate over the 'Israeli-Palestinian War' ignites

October 11, 2023

Since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Palestine (Israeli-Palestinian War), rallies in support of both sides have been held all over the world. Even in Korea, demonstrations in support of Palestine are being held led by civic groups, and related debates are heating up.

Workers' Solidarity and Korea Islam (Kore de Islam) held an emergency rally and march in solidarity with Palestine near Gwanghwamun, Jung-gu, Seoul around 12:30 pm on the 11th.

A total of 200 participants from Egypt, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan, including Koreans and Palestinians, participated in the rally. They held posters such as 'Israel must stop bombing the Gaza Strip' and 'We support the Palestinian resistance' and continuously shouted slogans such as 'Free Palestine'.

Palestinians and members of social civic groups are holding a rally in support of Palestine in relation to the Israel-Hamas war in front of the Seoul Finance Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 11th. 2023.10.11

The organizers claimed, “Ethnic cleansing and discriminatory oppression by the State of Israel against Palestinians have continued for decades since the founding of the State of Israel,” and “Israel is massacring innocent people.”

At the ensuing rally, Korean Islamic officials, including Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, gave speeches. In the speech, Mr. Amer, a Palestinian, was interviewed over the phone by an acquaintance in the Gaza Strip and said, "Food has been cut off, so there is a huge shortage, and even the means to provide treatment, such as water, electricity, and medicine, are now extremely lacking," he appealed.

The interview was interrupted due to poor connectivity due to the air raid.

Akela, an Egyptian who participated in the rally, unfolded a piece of paper with pictures of Palestinian children listed like a checkerboard in both hands and said, "It seems like the only language Israel uses is terror and oppression. Are the children in these pictures even the youngest terrorists?" raising their voice.

When the speech ended, these groups held a march around the Israeli Embassy from the steps of the Seoul Finance Center, where the rally took place, to Cheonggyecheon Buk-ro.

Initially, they planned to approach the Israeli embassy and deliver a letter of protest, but due to opposition from the police, they had to return to Musan and stop at reciting the contents of the letter near Cheonggyecheon-ro.

Those who participated in the rally appealed for recognition of the Palestinian people, but also appeared to support the airstrikes carried out by the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas against Israeli residents on the 7th.

Karim Hussein (31), an Egyptian who participated in the rally with his family that day, said, "As Muslims and human beings, we participated in the rally regardless of nationality." He added, "This Hamas airstrike is a 'reaction' to the long history that Palestine has experienced so far," he said.

Jeong Dong-seok (61), a member of the Workers' Solidarity Party, also argued that the cause of the war was, "I think the problem is that Israel has been expelling and massacring the native Palestinians for about 70 years."

The group plans to continue supporting Palestine by holding an additional rally in Incheon on the 13th.

Meanwhile, as the war between Palestine and Israel unfolds, rallies in support of Palestine and Israel are being held all over the world.

According to Reuters, on the 9th (local time), citizens in solidarity with Israel held a march in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Additionally, on the 10th (local time), a rally supporting Israel and Palestine was simultaneously held near the Israeli consulate in New York.

At the United Nations headquarters in New York, USA, thousands of pro-Israel protesters gathered to condemn the surprise attack by Hamas, while in Chicago, Illinois, on the 8th (local time), Palestinian Americans, mainly, showed solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Street protests were also held.

In addition, 4,000 citizens demonstrated in support of Palestine in Amman, the capital of Jordan, and movements in support of Palestine are seen in the Arab world, from Ramallah in the West Bank to Beirut in Lebanon, Damascus in Syria, and Cairo in Egypt.

However, some Western countries are wary of the spread of anti-Semitism and attempts at terrorism.

Three protesters were arrested at a demonstration in support of Palestine held in front of the Israeli Embassy in London on the 9th (local time). British Home Secretary Suela Braverman called for a strong response, saying, "Waving the Palestinian flag may not be lawful if the intention is to glorify terrorism."

In Marseille, France, about 200 Palestinian supporters protested despite a police ban, and some protestors were fined.

After a rally in support of Palestine was held in front of the Sydney Opera House on the 9th (local time) and an Israeli flag was burned, Australian police warned citizens not to attend the pro-Palestinian rally planned in Sydney this weekend, saying it had not been approved.

Summary: PDP gave a speech in front of US embassy in Seoul and a speech in front of the White House in Washington DC. The speech expressed that only when Palestine is liberated can the conflict be resolved, and that the "US and Israel are one body and it is public knowledge in the whole world that the US aggression forces are behind the indiscriminate bombing and aggression of the Palestinians" and "the imperialist powers led by the United States have turned the world into a powder keg of war" using Zionism in the Middle East, NATO in Europe, Japanese militarism and the formation of an "Asian version of NATO" in Asia, strengthening the war alliance against DPRK and plotting a war in East Asia.

The speech concludes: "the deeper imperialist aggression becomes, the stronger a unity of anti-US independent forces become. The Palestinian people, who seek independence and justice, will defeat the aggressive US imperialist and win their liberation. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!"

Link to English statement

This is a book review in Hankyoreh, south Korea's top center-left liberal paper.

Excerpts:

The book is “The Naked ROK-US Alliance,” written by Daegu University professor Kim Sung-hae, who completed a master’s in international affairs at the University of Georgia and a doctorate in journalism at the University of Pennsylvania.

As the book’s subtitle suggests, this book lists the “reasons for resolving to break up with America”

The first reason the author provides is the cost of the alliance. To maintain the alliance with the US, Korea must lend military bases free of charge, foot part of the bill for stationing US troops on the peninsula and be a major buyer of US-made weapons.

On top of these financial expenses are opportunity costs — the potential value of the numerous options Korea has had to forgo because of the alliance. Perhaps best-known was Korea’s decision to let the US deploy the THAAD missile-defense battery in 2016. That turned China, which had been Korea’s biggest trade surplus country since the two countries normalized their relations 30 years earlier, into a major trade deficit country.

Another reason cited by the author is that Korea’s duties as an ally could entangle it in an undesired conflict. There’s a growing danger of Korea being dragged into a war in Taiwan, should such a war occur.

The most serious issue, however, is that as Korea strengthens its alliance with the US, its enemies are growing more numerous, and stronger, too. It’s the US that defines those enemies, and Korea is left to passively follow its will.

The US may well view its rivals China and Russia as enemies, but Korea’s national interest is different from that of the US. There’s no inherent reason why Korea should be an enemy of China or Russia.

The author goes on to argue that Koreans are misguided in their belief that they owe the US gratitude for its role in defending them during the Korean War. While it’s true that the war began with North Korea’s invasion of the South, US actions strongly suggest it had been quietly hoping a war would break out, too.

In the first phase of the war, the US ignored a UN resolution by pushing north of the 38th parallel, which brought Communist China into the war with devastating consequences for the Korean Peninsula. The US also bears responsibility, either directly or indirectly, for the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent people slaughtered in countless massacres, including the Bodo League massacre, the No Gun Ri massacre, and the Sinchon massacre.

And the Korean War’s impact on the US was not wholly negative. For example, the production of large amounts of military armaments throughout the war enabled the US to overcome the difficulties of an economic recession.

The author also asserts that the US was not the patron of Korean democracy and economic development that many Koreans believe it to have been. All the US wanted from Korea was a low level of modernization. Furthermore, the US was also happy to support dictatorial governments in Korea that butchered their own people so long as they helped block the communist threat. It’s a myth, the author says, that the US paved the way for Korea’s democratization and industrialization.

Another argument made in the book is that Koreans’ experience serving as “loyal subjects” of the Japanese empire during the colonial period prepared them for revering the US after Korea’s liberation.

In other words, Korea is honoring and obeying the US, just as it once did with the Japanese Empire. The fact that Korea has still not regained wartime operational control, or OPCON, of its own military illustrates its lack of autonomy.

While the US would only have control of 40,000 troops in NATO (as of February 2022), US Forces Korea with OPCON would be able to direct the 600,000 troops in the Korean military in the event of a war. Korea can hardly be regarded as having autonomy when it has put its entire military under American control.

For such reasons, the author asserts that Korea would be best served by dismantling its alliance with the US.

What alternatives are there? The author says the best option would be for South and North Korea to jointly adopt neutrality. Cracks in the US-led unipolar order, the international shift toward a multipolar system, and the international financial system’s move away from the US dollar are creating conditions favorable for such a change.

But setting aside the feasibility of that proposal, it’s worth pondering the author’s argument that if Korea is to achieve true autonomy, it must first wake from the stupor of blind obedience to the US.

This article is originally in Korean. These are some excerpts with machine translation and my slight additions:

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju April 3rd Peace Foundation announced that the identity of the missing April 3rd victim, whose fate was unknown, was confirmed in Golnyeonggol, Daejeon [Note: Several photos of violence and human remains are in that link], after 74 years.

The victims identified this time are 70 of the 1,441 remains excavated in Golnyeonggol through the first pilot project of 'Genetic identification of 4/3 victims from excavated remains from outside the province' conducted by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju 4/3 Peace Foundation.

The person whose identity was confirmed was the late Kim Han-hong, from Bukchon-ri, Jocheon-myeon, Jeju-si. During the April 3 Incident, he was hiding in a field away from the village to avoid punitive forces and armed forces. He came to the military at the end of January 1949 and surrendered himself on the rumor that he would be set free if he surrendered. The bereaved family said that after being detained in the distillery camp, no news was heard.

The list of prisoners shows that the victim was sentenced to seven years in prison on July 4, 1949 and served his sentence at Daejeon Prison.

On October 4, the remains of the victims went through a handover process with the bereaved families, the Jeju April 3 Victims' Families Association, the Sanae Incident Victims' Families Association, and officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in attendance, and a ritual was held at Sejong Eunhasu Park under the auspices of the bereaved families, and then cremated in October. They are scheduled to be repatriated to Jeju by plane on the 5th.

At the site where the remains of the victims are returned to their hometown, the bereaved families and officials, including Governor Oh Young-hoon, will greet them in person, and a ceremony to return the remains will be held afterwards. Subsequently, an identification briefing session will be held on the same day to commemorate the victims and comfort their bereaved families.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is in the process of collecting remains from 2,000 of the 3,900 remains temporarily enshrined in the Sejong Memorial House, including the remains of the Daejeon Golryeonggol victims, and is conducting genetic tests on bereaved families. is planned to be carried out.

Chairman [of the Daejeon Mountain Incident Victims' Families Associatio] Jeon Mi-kyung said, “How good would it have been if something like this had happened to the families of the massacred people while they were still alive?” and “It breaks my heart that many family members of the massacred people are still passing away while the genetic identification is delayed.”

The son of the late Kim Han-hong, whose identity was recently confirmed through genetic identification, died in 2020 without being able to identify his father's remains. However, fortunately, he was able to confirm his identity because he left behind DNA data through blood collection while he was still alive.___