VANTAGEPOINTimg.yonhapnews.co.kr/basic/article/en/PDF/20150306... · 2015. 3. 6. · visiting...

COVER STORY Kim Jong-un’s Diplomatic Debut? 2If Kim travels to Moscow, it would provide the outside world with a rare look at the young leader revered at the center of an intense personality cult at home.

SOUTH KOREA’S POLICY REVIEWSeoul’s Flexibility on N.K. Sanctions 10“South Korea is prepared to roll back a set of sanctions on North Korea if conditions are met through dialogue,” Seoul’s unification minister said.

NEWS FOCUSStiff Confrontation between North Korea and U.S. 14The U.S. turned down the North’s offer to stop a nuclear test in return for a promise to stop annual South Korea-U.S. military drills.

China’s Objection of THAAD Deployment in S. Korea 18“The Seoul government should decide how it would act when the U.S. officially requests the deployment of the missile-defense system.”

Ex-President’s Memoir and Pyongyang’s Response 22Experts say there is concern that a memoir penned by the former president would bring negative impact on future South-North Korean relations.

TIP ON NORTH KOREANorth Korea’s Submarine Capabilities 25North Korea has 78 submarines, ranking No. 1 in the world although their efficiency is far behind that of Western countries’ subs, according to a U.S. media.

OPINION By Andrei LankovRussia’s Limited Support for North Korea 27Russia is not going to become a sponsor for Pyongyang and it has no intention to spend its hard-earned petro-dollars on keeping North Korea from collapsing.

STUDIES By Kang Dong-wanA Study of North Koreans’ Views on Unification: Based on Interviews with 100 North Koreans in China 31

MAJOR DEVELOPMENTSInternal Affairs / External Affairs / Inter-Korean Affairs / Foreign Tips 41

PEOPLE & CHRONOLOGICAL REVIEW 61

CONTENTS

Vol.38 No.3

VANTAGE POINT DEVELOPMENTS IN NORTH KOREA

March 2015

COVER PHOTO : A ceremony to kick off a submarine command is held at a naval base in South Korea’s southern port city ofJinhae on Feb. 1. The launch made South Korea the sixth nation in the world with a sub command after theU.S., France, Britain, India and Japan. The fleet of the command, led by a rear admiral, is composed of 13 sub-marines under the Ninth Submarine Flotilla. (Yonhap)

COVER STORY Vantage Point March 2015

2

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is likely to visit Russia in May inwhat would be his first trip abroad since taking power in late 2011.His trip, if realized, would give the world a rare chance to see him onthe international stage.

Russia has invited many world leaders -- including Kim and the presidentsof China and South Korea -- to a ceremony in Moscow on May 9 to celebratethe 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World WarII. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Jan. 28 that Moscowreceived a positive signal from Pyongyang over the invitation of Kim.

The selection of Moscow for his first overseas trip would be a strong indi-cation of the direction Kim wants to take his country, according to analysts. Itwould also provide the outside world with a rare look at the young NorthKorean leader who is revered at the center of an intense personality cult athome.

The North has recently turned to Russia in search of a breakthrough in itsisolation, deepened by its adherence to nuclear programs and dire humanrights record. After Russia was isolated internationally following its militaryincursions in Ukraine last year, its relations with North Korea notablyimproved.

In the three years since he assumed power, Kim has shown a style of lead-ership devotedly in line with the policies of his father, Kim Jong-il, andadhered to military-first politics. The communist country has openly andrepeatedly stressed it will simultaneously pursue economic development and anuclear program.

Kim Jong-un signaled a change in his leadership style and a deviation fromhis hermit-like predecessors when he said in a New Year’s address on Jan. 1that he would “proactively” expand and develop diplomatic relations whilemaintaining the nation’s dignity and interests.

North Korea is seeking to deepen both diplomatic and economic ties withRussia at a time when its political relationship with China remains frosty amid

Kim Jong-un’s Diplomatic Debut?If Kim travels to Moscow, it would provide the outside world with a rare look atthe young leader revered at the center of an intense personality cult at home.

■ By Lee Kwang-ho


3

international pressure over its nuclear ambi-tions and dismal human rights record.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is alsoeager to bolster ties with North Korea in anapparent move against America’s pivot toAsia.

Initially, Putin invited Kim to attend the cer-emony during a meeting with Kim’s specialenvoy, Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, inNovember.

Speaking at a press conference after meet-ing Choe on Nov. 20, Russian ForeignMinister Lavrov said the meeting showed that“Russia is prepared to have contact at variouslevels with North Korea, including meetings atthe highest level, at a time agreed upon byboth sides.” Lavrov’s comments raised thepossibility that Kim Jong-un’s first summitmay be with Russian President Putin.

If a summit does take place, China may alsotry to mend ties with North Korea after fallingout in recent years. The North’s positivestance over Russia’s invitation of Kim appearsaimed at prompting China to try to movetoward warmer relations with Pyongyang,diplomatic sources said. Kim Jong-un’s prede-cessors have never chosen Russia over Chinaas their first destination for an overseas trip.

Russia’s War Victory Ceremony

Moscow also supported Pyongyang’s posi-tion for resuming the bogged-down six-partytalks on the nuclear issue. However, Russiahas made no secret of its determination not totolerate a nuclear-armed North, because itshares the interests of other nuclear-armedcountries, including the United States, inmaintaining the nuclear nonproliferationtreaty.

Since 1995, Russia has hosted large-scalecelebrations on May 9 each decade to markthe end of World War II, which it uses as anopportunity to bring world leaders together.

In 2005, 53 nations were invited to mark theanniversary in Moscow that year and leadersin attendance included then South KoreanPresident Roh Moo-hyun, then ChinesePresident Hu Jintao and then Japanese PrimeMinister Junichiro Koizumi. Former NorthKorean leader Kim Jong-il was not present.

South Korean officials took note of theKremlin’s revelation but they were still cau-tious about whether Kim will actually appearat the Moscow ceremony.

They did not rule out the possibility thatNorth Korea may send Kim Yong-nam, presi-dent of the Presidium of the Supreme People’sAssembly and the North’s nominal head ofstate, to Russia. “When you refer to NorthKorea’s leader, it’s ambiguous at times. Underthe North’s Constitution, Kim Yong-nam rep-resents the socialist country in external rela-tions,” a South Korean unification ministryofficial said.

Still, questions remain over whether Kimwould choose Russia, not China, as his firstdestination for a foreign trip. Senior Chinesediplomats have privately acknowledged agrowing need to improve the relationship withNorth Korea in the wake of closer tiesbetween North Korea and Russia.

China is North Korea’s main economicbenefactor, but political ties between the alliesremain strained, particularly after the North’sthird nuclear test in early 2013. Their ties havealso grown increasingly strained since Kimexecuted the second-most powerful man in thecountry, his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, in late2013.


4

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a statevisit to South Korea last year, breaking a long-standing tradition by Chinese heads of state ofvisiting Pyongyang before Seoul. The princi-ple of North Korea-China relations, endorsedby the North’s late leader, Kim Jong-il, andthen Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 2001,had not been seen in China’s official state-ments over the past year.

Xi’s participation in the Moscow event inMay would likely become an awkward situa-tion. “If Kim visits Russia and attends the cer-emony, it would be an odd situation whereKim and Xi sit together at the table set byPutin. China would feel uncomfortable withsuch a situation,” a diplomatic source said.

“The most obvious reason for North Koreato reach out to Russia is to move away fromoverdependence on China,” Georgy Toloraya,director of Korean programs at the Institute ofEconomy at the Russian Academy ofSciences, wrote on 38 North, a website devot-ed to analysis of North Korea. “The state ofRussia-North Korean relations is nowapproaching the possibility of discussingmany projects, especially economic projects.”

However, China sounded positive aboutKim’s possible visit to Russia, with theChinese foreign ministry saying, “Suchexchanges between North Korea and Russiawill contribute to the peace and stability of theregion.”

In the latest sign that China seeks to mendfences with North Korea, Beijing publiclyconfirmed in early January that it sent a raremessage of best wishes for the birthday ofKim.

China’s foreign ministry spokesman, HongLei, said Beijing will “move forward” towarmer relations with North Korea based on

the principle of “traditional friendship andcooperation with North Korea in keeping withthe principles of carrying on the tradition.”

Kim’s Debut at Bandung?

But it is too early to say whether Kim Jong-un’s diplomatic debut will take place inMoscow. There is speculation that Kim maydebut on the international diplomatic scene inIndonesia this spring.

South Korean officials raised the possibilitythat Kim will head first to Indonesia for theAsian-African Conference, or the BandungConference, in April. If Kim does so, it wouldbe his debut on the international diplomaticscene as the isolated nation’s leader.

Indonesia’s Kompas news agency reportedon Jan. 27 that Mochamad Ridwan Kamil, themayor of Bandung, where the conference isheld, said that world leaders, “including KimJong-un, plan to attend the 60th anniversaryceremony of the Bandung Conference.” Kamiladded, “If Bandung becomes the destination ofNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s first over-seas visit, Bandung will once again go downin history.”

An Asia-Africa Summit will be held inJakarta on April 22 and 23 and celebrate the60th anniversary of the Bandung Conference.The Indonesian government is expected tosend invitations to the leaders of the twoKoreas and other related countries.

The communist North apparently makesmuch of the Bandung Conference, from whichthe nonaligned movement emerged. Pyongyanghas often sought to use it for diplomatic cam-paigns.

The North’s founding leader, Kim Il-sung,joined a 1965 ceremony to mark the 10th


5

anniversary of the birth of the conference. Thelate leader Kim Jong-il accompanied him.“For Kim Jong-un, who models himself afterKim Il-sung, the Bandung meeting will be anoteworthy diplomatic schedule,” a SouthKorean government source said

Traditionally, North Korea and Indonesiahave maintained cooperative relations. Thehistory of the two countries’ relations goesback to 1964, when Indonesia’s foundingPresident Sukarno visited North Korea.

Then North Korean leader Kim Il-sung paida return visit the next year for the 10thanniversary of the nonaligned BandungConference. Since then, the two countrieshave further strengthened their relationshipwhen then Indonesian President MegawatiSukarnoputri visited the North in 2006 andmet Kim Jong-il.

The first large-scale Asian-African or Afro-Asian Conference was a meeting of Asian andAfrican states, most of which were newlyindependent, which took place on April 18-24,1955, in Bandung, Indonesia. The 25 countriesthat participated in the Bandung Conferencerepresented nearly one-quarter of the Earth’sland surface and a total population of 1.5 bil-lion people at that time.

The conference’s stated aims were to pro-mote Afro-Asian economic and cultural coop-eration and to oppose colonialism or neocolo-nialism by any nation. The conference was animportant step toward the Non-AlignedMovement. The conference reflected what theorganizers regarded as reluctance by Westernpowers to consult with them on decisionsaffecting Asia in a setting of Cold War ten-sions.

Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia,portrayed himself as the leader of this group of

states, naming it NEFOS (Newly EmergingForces). The conference was followed by theAfro-Asian People’s Solidarity Conference inCairo in September 1957 and the BelgradeConference in 1961, which led to the estab-lishment of the Non-Aligned Movement. Inlater years, conflicts between the nonalignednations eroded the solidarity expressed atBandung.

If Kim Jong-un and Chinese President XiJinping both attend the Bandung conference,the two leaders would likely hold a Sino-NorthKorean summit before Kim’s visit to Moscowin May. South Korea has participated in theAsia-Africa Conference. In 2005, then SouthKorean Prime Minister Lee Hai-chan attendedthe meeting, where he met with North Korea’sceremonial head, Kim Yong-nam.

Whether Kim will enter the diplomatic spot-light or be treated as an outcast by othernational leaders is up to Kim’s behavior, andhow his regime does in the run-up to his firsttrip abroad, analysts said. That is because the

This file photo, taken on Nov. 18, 2014, shows Choe Ryong-hae (R) meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin as a spe-cial envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at theKremlin in Moscow. (KCNA-Yonhap)


6

current regional atmosphere can hardly bemore disadvantageous for Kim.

Since taking the helm of the impoverishedcountry more than three years ago, Kim isregarded to have successfully solidified hisgrip on power, and even improved its dire eco-nomic situation a bit.

Overseas, however, North Korea’s pariahstatus has increased amid its tug-of-war withthe United States over the release of the film“The Interview” and allegations that it wasresponsible for a hacking attack on SonyEntertainment, which made the movie.

Most unbearable for the communist regimeand its inexperienced leader might be the unre-lenting pressure from its archenemy, America.U.S. President Barack Obama hinted that hisadministration would resort to “cyberwar”instead of military options, in forcing the iso-lated regime to collapse under the power of anawakened population through the Internet andother means of delivering information.

President Park’s Diplomatic Schedule

Under the situation, what’s certain for Kimand his coterie is the need for them to improverelations with the North’s two nearest neigh-bors -- South Korea and China -- to both easethe U.S. pressure and effectively play itsRussian diplomatic card.

But observers said that nothing would bemore awkward for the North Korean leader tomeet South Korean President Park Geun-hyeand Chinese President Xi Jinping -- assumingthat the two leaders also accept Russia’s invi-tation and visit Moscow -- for the first time inthe Russian capital, as Pyongyang’s relation-ship with Seoul and Beijing is at one of itslowest points.

South Korea’s presidential office CheongWa Dae has reportedly yet to decide whetherto accept Russia’s invitation. Some lawmakersin Seoul insist that Park should visit Moscowto conduct what she describes as “unificationdiplomacy,” even if many Western leaders,including Obama, are likely to avoid the com-memorative event because of Russia’s inter-vention in the Ukrainian conflict.

North Korea watchers in Seoul also saidthat Park needs to practice what she preachedduring her New Year’s address, when she saidthat Seoul would push ahead with inter-Korean rapprochement despite frictionbetween Washington and Pyongyang.

They said the foreign ministry must makeperfect preparations to prevent the SouthKorean leader from being a stalking horse inthe Moscow-Pyongyang show of socialistalliance. This year, the two Koreas mark the70th anniversary of the division of the penin-sula following its liberation from Japan’s 35-year colonial rule.

A North Korea analyst said that PresidentPark may also be eager to visit Russia to breakthe deadlock with the North, but the absenceof U.S. President Obama is a sticking point fora possible Moscow trip.

The U.S. has hinted that Park should notattend either. A senior White House officialsaid Feb. 9 that U.S. allies should join in theU.S.-led sanctions against Russia. “In terms ofour allies around the world, I think the keypoint we’ve made is that it’s important for theworld to speak with one voice on behalf of theprinciple of respect for sovereignty and territo-rial integrity, and the notion that biggernations should not be able to bully smallerones, to redraw maps,” Deputy NationalSecurity Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters in


7

Washington.He continued, “So it is

important, I think, for allcountries to be speaking withone voice on behalf of thoseinternational principles.“There is a rule, I think, forevery country to speak up forthose basic principles.”

In this situation, NorthKorea made an attempt topurchase advanced fighterjets from Russia by sendinga special envoy last year. Asenior South Korean militaryofficial said on Jan. 8, “ChoeRyong-hae, who visitedMoscow as a special envoy of North Koreanleader Kim Jong-un in November, askedRussian President Putin to provide Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets.”

“The North produces many weapons sys-tems domestically, but it appears to havesought Russia’s help because building fighterjets requires more complex technologies,” saidthe official. “But because of internationalsanctions imposed on the North, Russia won’tlikely sell it readily.”

It is unknown how many jets the Northattempted to acquire. During Choe’s visit toRussia, his delegation visited Khabarovsk inthe Far East, where a major factory producingSukhoi jets is located.

It is not the first time the North asked forRussia’s support to upgrade its fighting capa-bilities in the skies. The late leader Kim Jong-il reportedly sought to acquire advanced fight-er jets from Russia when he visited the coun-try in 2011.

North Korea operates a fleet of aging and

obsolete Soviet and Chinese aircraft. TheNorth Korean air force is comprised of SovietMiG fighters and some early versions of theSukhoi jets, which are hardly a match for thewarplanes of the South and the U.S. 7th AirForce based in South Korea.

There is also news on China’s provision ofaviation fuel. After a yearlong halt in provid-ing aviation fuel to North Korea, Chinaresumed its supplies at the end of last year,said a high-ranking South Korean governmentofficial. The move was seen as a Chineseeffort to restore relations with North Korea.

“Last year, Beijing provided Pyongyang aconsiderable amount of oil for free withoutlisting it in North Korean and Chinese traderecords,” the official said, adding, “Then, nearthe end of the year, China provided 80,000tons of air fuel all at once.”

China’s sudden supply of aviation fuel alsoenabled the North Korean army to resume airdrills it had been delaying. As soon as the sup-ply was resumed, flights resumed and the

In this Yonhap file photo, taken on Nov. 13, 2013, South Korean President ParkGeun-hye (R) meets with her visiting Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, at thepresidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. The talks were the second of their kind,following one in Moscow just about two months ago. (Yonhap)


8

North Korean leader has been regularly visit-ing air force units.

Analysts in the South say that after theprocess of taming Pyongyang, China might beentering a period of placating the North. It islikely that China is in the process of restoringrelations with North Korea.

N. Korea’s Pro-Russian Policy

North Korea is also busy pursuing a pro-Russian policy, having conducted a trial run ofthe Rajin-Khasan project, which includes theconstruction of a 54-kilometer railway fromthe Russian city of Khasan to the NorthKorean port of Rajin and the opening of a newtrans-shipment terminal.

Moreover, Russia and North Korea alsohave high hopes for Victory, a joint projectwith $25 billion worth of investments that willmodernize North Korea’s railways over thenext 20 years, and North Korea’s participationin development projects promoted by Russia.Victory is a project that aims to sell the rightsto develop North Korea’s abundant under-ground resources to Russian businesses so thatthe North can modernize its railways with thetakeaway from the sale.

The joint projects with Russia will certainlyhelp to reduce North Korea’s economicreliance on China in the long run. However,Russia cannot become North Korea’s econom-ic patron or the largest trading partner in placeof China. This is clear from the fact thatRussia and North Korea aim to achieve a tradevolume of $1 billion by 2020, which is lessthan one-sixth of the $6.6 billion achieved byChina and North Korea in 2013.

Moreover, the Russian economy is in crisisnow. It suffers from plummeting oil prices, the

dwindling value of the ruble and sanctionsfrom Western countries. International oilprices dropped to $80 per barrel from $110 in2014, and the value of the ruble dropped 40percent. Russia is on the verge of a financialcrisis.

The environment surrounding the reclusiveNorth Korea is not favorable. South Korea andthe United States threw strong punches at theNorth by holding joint military drills anddeliberating a plan to deploy a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense missile system. Russia,however, cannot sit idly by with folded arms.

Some North Korea watchers say thatPresident Park needs to decide to travel toRussia because her potential meeting with theNorth Korean leader will help her breakthrough current diplomatic difficulties.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with his Russian counterpart, SergeyLavrov, on Feb. 8, on the sidelines of theMunich Security Conference, and Lavrovexpressed the hope that Park would visit for the70th anniversary of the end of World War II inEurope, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry.

Yun responded that Seoul has been reflect-ing on the invitation comprehensively, itadded. “President Park’s attendance will bedecided at the very last phase in the run-up tothe ceremony,” Yun told reporters there.

Despite the opportunity, President Park isnot likely to easily commit to the trip becausethe U.S. president is unlikely to travel toRussia. “As Washington is not on good termswith Moscow due to the latter’s annexation ofthe Crimean peninsula from Ukraine, Parkmay have to consider the situation behind theSouth Korea-U.S. alliance,” said an analyst.“In addition, the U.S. probably does not wantthe South to get closer to Russia.” (Yonhap)


9

Yonhap Interview

N. Korea’s Kim May Not Visit China if No Progress in Denuclearization

North Korean leader Kim Jong-unmay not be able to visit China onhis first foreign trip if there is noprogress in diplomatic efforts to per-suade the North to give up itsnuclear ambitions, South Korea’sambassador to China said on Feb.11.

Amb. Kwon Young-se was alsocautious when talking about thepossibil i ty of a visit by Kim toRussia in May, saying it is too earlyto conclude that Kim’s trip to Russiawould take place.

Kim took the helm of the authori-tarian state in late 2011 after hisfather, Kim Jong-il, died. China isNorth Korea’s ideological ally and economic lifeline, but their political ties remain strained, particu-larly after the North’s third nuclear test in early 2013.

Russia has said that Kim would be among those attending the May 9th ceremony marking the70th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

“I believe that a visit by Kim Jong-un to China is connected to the issue of denuclearization,”Kwon told Yonhap News Agency in an interview in Beijing.

“From the perspective of China, there is a clear aspect that it would be burdensome to conduct ahighest-level exchange with North Korea at a time when North Korea shows no progress in thenuclear issue,” Kwon said.

Asked about the possibility of Kim’s visit to Russia in May, Kwon replied, “No one can speak con-clusively.”

Analysts say North Korea won’t give up its nuclear weapons program because it would prolongthe Kim regime and help obtain political and economic benefits from the international community.

With China cold-shouldering the nuclear policy of North Korea, Pyongyang is seeking to deepenboth diplomatic and economic ties with Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been under intense pressure over the conflict inUkraine, is also eager to bolster ties with North Korea in an apparent effort against America’s pivotto Asia.

Kwon said China is “firmly committed” to achieving the goal of denuclearizing North Korea. “As for North Korea’s nuclear issue, South Korea and China have been in close communication,”

Kwon said. (Yonhap)

Kwon Young-se, South Korea’s ambassador to China, speaks duringan interview with Yonhap News Agency at the South Korean Embassyin Beijing on Feb. 11. (Yonhap)

SOUTH KOREA’S POLICY REVIEW Vantage Point March 2015

10

Seoul’s Flexibility on N.K. Sanctions“South Korea is prepared to roll back a set of sanctions on North Korea if con-ditions are met through dialogue,” Seoul’s unification minister said.

■ By Kim Tae-shik

South Korea’s top unification policymaker has indicated the possible removal of a set of com-prehensive sanctions against North Korea, saying that the dialogue between the two Koreascould be an occasion for the removal of the sanctions, which North Korea has persistentlydemanded.

“South Korea is prepared to roll back a set of sanctions on North Korea if conditions are metthrough dialogue,” Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae said in a Seoul forum on Feb. 6. “Once talksare held between the South and the North, I believe it can serve as a chance for lifting the May 24thMeasure,” he said. Ryoo said his government has already completed a relevant “study” about the 5-year-old measure.

His remarks indicated the Park Geun-hye administration is flexible about the sanctions imposedby the previous government of Lee Myung-bak. It is the first time that a unification minister openlyindicated the possibility of the removal of the May 24th Measure.

The May 24th Measure is a key punishment against the communist nation for its 2010 torpedoattack on a South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, which killed 46 sailors.

It has effectively suspended all inter-Korean economic cooperation, except for the KaesongIndustrial Complex.

The South wants the North to take responsible measures with regard to the Cheonan incident,while Pyongyang calls for the lifting of the sanctions as a precondition for dialogue with Seoul,including working-level talks for reuniting families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

The minister, however, admitted that the government will come under growing pressure to ease orremove the May 24th Measure if the South’s trilateral logistics project with North Korea and Russiamoves forward.

The South aims to sign a formal contract on the Rajin-Khasan project, in which the South’s topsteelmaker, POSCO, will bring in Russian coal via the North’s port of Rajin.

In a landmark pilot operation, a Chinese-flagged ship carrying 40,500 tons of Russian coalarrived in the South Korean port of Pohang on Nov. 29 last year after a 33-hour journey from NorthKorea’s Rajin, giving South Korea the green light for its participation in the Rajin-Khasan project.The burgeoning project is expected to become another economic cooperation project between the

two Koreas although it takes the form of three-way business with Russia in order to bypass thegovernment’s May 24th Measure, which pro-hibits South Korean businesses’ investment inNorth Korea.

The government, Ryoo said, plans to allowsocial, cultural, religious and sports exchangeswith the North as much as possible this year, the70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation fromJapan’s 35-year-long colonial rule.

Seoul’s Appeal for Dialogue

The minister’s comments came amid theNorth’s refusal to accept the South’s repeatedoffer of high-level dialogue.

South Korea has called on the North to holdhigh-level talks to discuss all pending issuesbetween them, such as the May 24th Measure.Seoul made its latest overture for talks inDecember 2014.

Instead of accepting the South’s offer for talks, North Korea on Feb. 4 called on Seoul to take“practical measures” to resume dialogue, criticizing Seoul for not having the will to break the pro-longed deadlock in inter-Korean relations.

The North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea also blamed U.S. “interference”for the current stalemate, saying that it will not believe the South’s will for dialogue if the currentsituation continues.

“To talk about dialogue without taking practical measures is not an attitude to truly settle the issueof the North-South relations,” the committee said in a statement carried by the official KoreanCentral News Agency (KCNA).

It added that there are many unresolved issues between the two Koreas, but there is not a singleissue that the South Korean government can resolve without “the U.S. interference,” saying that it iscritical to “setting right the abnormal master-servant relations with the U.S.”

The statement comes after the South Korean government proposed high-level talks with the Northlate last year to help resolve pending issues, including family reunions.

The North’s committee later responded by demanding that Seoul first lift its sanctions on thecommunist country imposed following the North’s torpedoing of the South Korean Navy corvetteCheonan in March 2010.

The committee claimed that Pyongyang is ready for dialogue with Seoul, but the fate of the futuredialogue depends “entirely” on the South Korean government.

SOUTH KOREA’S POLICY REVIEWVantage Point March 2015

11

Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae gives a special lecture onthe government’s unification policy at a Seoul forum on Feb.6. (Yonhap)

SOUTH KOREA’S POLICY REVIEW Vantage Point March 2015

12

“As we have repeatedly clarified our stand, we are fully ready to bring about a fresh landmarkphase in the North-South relations,” the committee said. “The prospect of the North-South relationsentirely depends on the attitude of the South Korean authorities.”

In another show of a flexible gesture, South Korea said it will continue efforts to improve tieswith the North, despite the stand-off between Pyongyang and Washington.

“There is no change in the government’s basic stance that in separation (with the situation) it willstrive to build trust between South and North Korea through dialogue and cooperation and develop-ing inter-Korean relations, as well as bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula and establishing theground for reunification,” unification ministry’s spokesman, Lim Byeong-cheol, said at a pressbriefing on Feb. 4.

In recent weeks, the Pyongyang-Washington relations have been soured more than ever beforewith Washington’s fresh sanctions against the North regarding the hacking on Sony Pictures andPresident Barack Obama’s remarks that the Pyongyang regime is doomed to collapse.

The National Defense Commission, North Korea’s top ruling organ, stressed Pyongyang is notinterested in talks with Washington, which it claims is bent on bringing down the communist regimeon Feb. 4 and declared a “retaliatory” campaign against the United States, threatening to use minia-turized nuclear weapons and cyber-warfare means.

The world is paying keen attention to whether the secretive North has actually developed thetechnology to mount a nuclear bomb on a missile. It has conducted three known undergroundnuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. It also succeeded in sending a long-range rocket into orbit inlate 2012.

The North’s cyber threat is another serious concern for the international community, with the U.S.saying its regime was behind a recent hacking of Sony Pictures.

The commission stressed Pyongyang is not interested in talks with Washington, which it claims isbent on bringing down the communist regime.

“Now that the gangster-like U.S. imperialists’ military strategy toward the DPRK (North Korea)is inching close to the stage of igniting a war of aggression, the just counteraction of the army andpeople of the DPRK will be focused on inflicting the bitterest disasters upon the United States ofAmerica,” it said in an English-language statement.

It strongly criticized President Barack Obama for introducing a set of additional sanctions onPyongyang and publicly saying the isolated nation is doomed to collapse.

The United States announced retaliatory sanctions on North Korea on Jan. 2 in response to thecommunist nation’s alleged cyber-attacks on Sony Pictures Entertainment, warning the actions arejust the “first aspect” of its response.

President Obama signed an executive order authorizing additional sanctions on North Koreanindividuals and entities in response to the North’s “ongoing provocative, destabilizing, and repres-sive actions and policies, particularly its destructive and coercive cyber-attack on Sony,” the WhiteHouse said in a statement.

Despite Seoul’s flexible gesture, North Korea repeated its habitual behavior of shifting the respon-sibility for the stalemate in South-North relations to South Korea, describing the South’s proposal for

dialogue as a mere play of words and urged Seoul to cancel the planned two major joint military drillswith the United States, which Pyongyang argues are war rehearsal against North Korea.

The annual Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises, which South Korea and the U.S. say are defen-sive in nature, are scheduled to begin in early March.

North Korea also denounced the participation of a nuclear-powered submarine in a South Korea-U.S. joint naval drill in early February.

The USS Olympia (SSN-717), a Los Angeles-class submarine, carrying some 120 sailors, arrivedin the southern port city of Jinhae, 410 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 30 to participate in thejoint Seoul-Washington three-day naval drill starting Feb. 5, a South Korean naval officer said onFeb. 2, requesting anonymity.

“The submarine will join a South Korean fleet to launch the drill focusing on detecting enemies’submarines and surface vessels in waters near the Korean Peninsula in order to boost interoperabili-ty between the two nations and to check joint readiness,” the officer said.

“It is not unusual for a nuclear-powered submarine from the U.S. to come here for the drill. Lastyear, the USS Colombia was here and took part in the annual Seoul-Washington exercise of FoalEagle,” he added.

Pyongyang’s Response

In an article on Feb. 10, the Rodong Sinmun, the North’s mouthpiece newspaper published by theWorkers’ Party of Korea, said the inter-Korean relations again remain tense and dialogue failed totake place entirely because of the U.S. harsh hostile policy toward the DPRK and the South Koreanauthorities’ “treacherous act of toeing the U.S. line.”

The Rodong Sinmun article goes on: “How can dialogue open between the north and the southand trust and unity be promoted under the situation in which the U.S. and South Korea are conspir-ing with each other in provocations against the DPRK while going against the broad-minded pro-posal of the DPRK for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.

“The reality goes to prove once again that the south Korean authorities’ dependence on foreignforces is a stumbling block lying in the way of improving the inter-Korean relations and nationalreunification.”

“The south Korean authorities should not pay lip service to ‘dialogue’ and ‘improved relations’and shift the blame for the failure to open dialogue onto others but create conditions and climate foropening dialogue in practice.

“What is essential is to settle the national issue, reunification issue from an independent stand freefrom the U.S. control.”

Meanwhile, the unification ministry said Ryoo’s remarks do not mean an automatic removal ofthe May 24th measure when North Korea attends the high-level talks, adding that there has been nochange in the government’s position that responsible measures from North Korea regarding the 2010torpedo attack on the Cheonan should come first before lifting the sanctions.

North Korea has not admitted its responsibility for the deadly attack. (Yonhap)

SOUTH KOREA’S POLICY REVIEWVantage Point March 2015

13

Amid the stalled inter-Korean dialogue,North Korea has been stepping up itsvirulent rhetoric against its archene-my, the United States, which it claims is benton bringing down the communist regime.

Basically, Pyongyang’s angry reactionstems from Washington’s harsh sanctions onthe socialist country for its nuclear and missileprograms. The North is also frustrated with thefailure of dialogue with South Korea and theU.S. for the North’s denuclearization.

Tensions further escalated in January asPresident Barack Obama imposed fresh sanc-tions on North Korea following a damagingcyber attack on Hollywood studio SonyPictures that Washington blamed onPyongyang. In particular, the U.S. has infuriat-ed North Korea with President Obama’s recentsharp criticism of the reclusive state and hisprediction of the North’s eventual collapse.

On Feb. 4, the North’s top military body, theNational Defense Commission (NDC) headedby leader Kim Jong-un, ruled out resumingdialogue with the “gangster-like” U.S., andvowed to respond to any U.S. aggression withnuclear strikes and cyberwarfare.

Over the past weeks, the North has citedU.S. plans to begin annual joint military drillswith South Korea on the Korean Peninsula inMarch as a token of its hostile policy. InJanuary, North Korea offered to temporarily

stop its nuclear tests if Washington and Seoulhalted their joint annual military drills.

In addition to the harsh rhetoric, the Northalso showed military demonstration off its eastcoast recently. On Feb. 8, it test-fired fiveshort-range missiles into the East Sea as a topU.S. diplomat arrived in Seoul. The U.S. offi-cial was on a trip to three Asian nations --South Korea, China and Japan -- to discusssecurity issues in the region and specificallythe North’s nuclear weapons program.

North Korea has long used missile launchesas an expression of anger toward the outsideworld, and the latest firings were seen as ashow of force in the run-up to annual jointU.S.-South Korean military exercises thatPyongyang condemns as a rehearsal for inva-sion of the country.

New U.S. Deputy Secretary of State,Antony Blinken, is the latest in a recent seriesof high-level U.S. officials to visit Seoul,including Wendy Sherman, U.S. undersecre-tary of state for political affairs, and RoseGottemoeller, U.S. undersecretary of state forarms control and international security.

This marks the allies’ efforts to step up poli-cy coordination as Seoul seeks inter-Koreandialogue in the face of escalating tensionbetween Pyongyang and Washington. The topAmerican diplomat stressed the significance ofsanctions in reining in the communist regime’s

NEWS FOCUS Vantage Point March 2015

14

Stiff Confrontation between North Korea and U.S.The U.S. turned down the North’s offer to stop a nuclear test in return for apromise to stop annual South Korea-U.S. military drills.

■ By Lee Kwang-ho

nuclear development and bringing it back tothe negotiating table with a commitment todenuclearization.

While Washington remains open to dia-logue, North Korea should express its sinceritytoward denuclearization, he said, calling forthe Kim Jong-un regime’s resolve.

The day before, Pyongyang trumpeted thetest-firing of a new “ultra-precision anti-shiprocket” under the watchful eye of leader KimJong-un. North Korea has developed the newanti-ship cruise missile to be deployed soon atits naval units following a recent successfultest-firing, its state media said on Feb. 7.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “watcheda test-firing of new type of an anti-ship rock-et” to be equipped at naval units “beforelong,” the North’s official Korean CentralNews Agency (KCNA) said in a report.

Blinken’s visit comes weeks before thelaunch of the annual joint U.S.-South Koreamilitary exercises that regularly see North-South Korean relations go into a deep con-frontation. Pyongyang views the drills asprovocative rehearsals for invasion, whileSeoul and Washington insist they are defen-sive in nature.

Pyongyang’s Offer

In January, North Korea had offered to sus-pend any further nuclear tests if this year’s jointexercises were canceled -- a proposal the U.S.State Department described as a “non-starter.”

“It’s a non-starter because North Koreadoesn’t have the right to bargain, to trade or toask for a payoff in return for abiding byinternational law,” Assistant Secretary of StateDaniel Russel told a press briefing inWashington ahead of Blinken’s trip to Seoul.

“That’s not how it works,” Russel said, reiter-ating Washington’s stance that it will only consid-er negotiating with Pyongyang when it shows atangible commitment towards denuclearization.

North Korea has conducted three nucleartests -- most recently in February 2013 -- andits moratorium offer was seen in Washingtonas an “implicit threat” to carry out a fourth.

The U.S. urged North Korea on Feb. 8 tostop threats and take steps toward denu-clearization after the communist nation fired abarrage of short-range missiles in a move seenas a protest against upcoming U.S.-SouthKorea military exercises.

But the North accused the U.S. of disturbingthe improvement of inter-Korean relations.Referring to recent visits to Seoul by U.S. high-ranking officials, the North’s official KCNAsaid the U.S. is driving a wedge between theKoreans by openly pressing the South Koreanauthorities not to make haste to improve theinter-Korean relations under the pretext ofnuclear issue. “This is little short of rubbing saltin the wounds of the Koreans who have suf-fered pain due to seven decades-long division.”

NEWS FOCUSVantage Point March 2015

15

Defense Minister Han Min-koo (R) poses with visiting U.S.Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the defenseministry in Seoul on Feb. 10. Blinken said that Washingtonremains open to talks with North Korea. (Yonhap)

“It is the scenario of the U.S. troublemakersto stem the trend towards the improvement ofthe inter-Korean relations and escalate the ten-sion on the Korean Peninsula and in theregion,” the news agency said. “The U.S. willnever succeed in its sinister scenario to domi-nate the world, keeping the Korean nation splitinto two and putting the peninsula under itspermanent control.”

On Feb. 9, the North’s main newspaperRodong Sinmun reaffirmed that the North willnot sit at a negotiating table with the U.S.“imperialists” to discuss bilateral issues underthis situation.

The daily blasted that President Obama wasreported to have blustered that North Koreawas the “most isolated, most sanctioned andmost cut-off dictatorial state on earth and overtime you will see it collapse.”

Obama also cried out for bringing down it asearly as possible through cyberwarfare, thedaily said. “The wolf-like U.S. imperialistsworking with blood-shot eyes to hurt the DPRKwill surely have to pay a very high price for it.”

On Feb. 4, North Korea’s NDC declared a“retaliatory” campaign against the U.S.,threatening to use miniaturized nuclearweapons and cyberwarfare means. Citing U.S.plans to begin annual joint military drills withSouth Korea, the NDC said, “It is the decisionof the army and people of the DPRK to haveno longer the need or willingness to sit at thenegotiating table with the U.S.”

Pyongyang’s Threat of Nuke Strike

The North’s military will ratchet up its “retal-iatory action of justice” by use of every possi-ble means, including the nation’s “smaller, pre-cision and diversified” nuclear striking means

and cyberwarfare capabilities, it added. The U.S. “should be mindful that the time

of nightmares is coming nearer when they willmeet the most disastrous, final doom on theU.S. mainland,” the commission warned, say-ing that the NDC statement was issued at “theauthorization,” apparently meaning theinstruction, of leader Kim Jong-un.

South Korea said it will continue efforts toimprove ties with the North, despite the stand-off between Pyongyang and Washington.“There is no change in the government’s basicstance that in separation (with the situation) itwill strive to build trust between South andNorth Korea through dialogue and cooperationand developing inter-Korean relations, as wellas bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula andestablishing the ground for reunification,” uni-fication ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said at a press briefing.

The world is paying close attention towhether the secretive North has actuallydeveloped the technology to mount a nuclearbomb on a missile. It has conducted threeknown underground nuclear tests in 2006,2009 and 2013. It also succeeded in sending along-range rocket into orbit in late 2012.

In Seoul on Feb. 3, the U.S. ambassador toSouth Korea called on North Korea to change itsstance on the nuclear issue, saying Washingtonremains open to talks with Pyongyang.

In a breakfast meeting with a group of SouthKorean lawmakers from both ruling and oppo-sition parties, Mark Lippert said North Koreacannot simultaneously pursue both a nuclearweapons program and economic developmentand that the North should return to the multilat-eral denuclearization talks or face continuedsanctions and isolation, according to attendants.

Lippert said Pyongyang will face growing


16

costs if it continues to stick to its nuclearweapons program. His remarks came as theU.S. slapped fresh sanctions on North Koreaearlier in January following its suspectedhacks on Sony Pictures over a comedy filmdepicting the assassination of North Koreanleader Kim Jong-un. Pyongyang has categori-cally denied any involvement.

Pyongyang’s renewed strong threat camedays after the two sides lost a chance for dia-logue. The U.S. offered bilateral talks in a thirdnation while its chief nuclear envoy, Sung Kim,was on a trip to Northeast Asia in late January.Instead, the North proposed that Kim visitPyongyang, which was rejected by Washington.

An unnamed spokesman for North Korea’sforeign ministry said on Feb. 1 thatPyongyang invited Ambassador Sung Kim,the U.S. special representative on North Koreapolicy, to visit the North during his trip toAsia, the KCNA said in a report.

“However, the U.S., in disregard of this, isworking hard to shift the blame onto theDPRK, misleading public opinion by creatingimpression that dialogue and contacts are notrealized due to the latter’s insincere attitude,”the spokesman said.

The spokesman’s remarks come two daysafter Kim told reporters in Beijing that he wasdisappointed not to hold a meeting with theNorth Koreans during the trip. The diplomathad traveled to Japan and China later.

“It is preposterous and a height ofAmerican-style shamelessness and hypocrisyto claim that the U.S. keeps the door of dia-logue with the DPRK open,” KCNA quotedthe spokesman as saying.

Washington has been under criticism fortaking too hard a stance on Pyongyang andrefusing even to hold talks with the country.

Supporters of engagement have called for theU.S. to hold at least unofficial or exploratorydiscussions with the North over how to reopenthe formal six-party talks.

Kim Jong-un’s Threats

Under the situation, North Korean leaderKim Jong-un has made repeated threatsagainst the U.S., saying, “the worst disasterthat the history has never known will beinflicted to the main land of the U.S., the baseof all evils.” At the time, he was commandinga drill simulating an attack on a U.S. aircraftcarrier with fighters and submarine fleets.

On Jan. 31, North Korea’s official mediaquoted Kim Jong-un as saying, “We are nolonger willing to sit face to face with maddogs (the U.S.),” after watching his military’sexercises to sink a U.S. aircraft carrier. It wasa preemptive demonstration of the North’sarmed forces aimed directly at an imaginaryAmerican target.

The North has already staged two rounds ofair force and army drills earlier in January. But itheightened the level to a joint naval and air forcedrill involving fighters and torpedoes this time.

Amidst growing tensions between NorthKorea and the United States, Pyongyang issuedon Feb. 2 yet another threat that it will destroyenemies with suicide attacks by its military pilots.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met witha group of fighter jet pilots who showed out-standing performances during the first combatexercise of this year, the North’s KCNAreported. During the meeting, the pilotspledged their commitment to “completelydestroy the enemies with the most powerfulweapons -- their commitment to guard theleader with suicide attacks.” (Yonhap)


17


18

While North Korea’s nuclear andmissile threats remain unabated,defense ministers from SouthKorea and China had a rare meeting in Seoulin early February. They discussed a widerange of security issues involving the twocountries, including North Korea’s nuclearweapons development and the possible U.S.deployment of an advanced anti-ballistic mis-sile-defense system in South Korea.

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Chinese counterpart, ChangWanquan, confirmed their position on thedenuclearization of the Korean Peninsula andagreed to settle the problem through dialogueand cooperation. Han asserted that the Northshould abandon its nuclear development.

During the two-hour meeting on Feb. 4 at theMinistry of National Defense in central Seoul,the two countries also agreed to establish a mil-itary hotline in a significant development thatcould help prevent accidental military clashes.

But drawing special attention during themeeting is that Chang expressed concernabout the possible deployment of America’sadvanced anti-ballistic missile-defense (MD)system in South Korea. The deployment of aTerminal High-Altitude Area Defense(THAAD) missile battery was not an agendaitem that the two countries had previouslyagreed to, but the Chinese defense head raised

the issue at the meeting.

Beijing’s Objection of THAAD

Beijing made it clear that it is opposed tothe U.S. deployment of an advanced anti-bal-listic missile-defense system in South Korea.In response, Defense Minister Han reaffirmedSeoul’s position that the U.S. neither made adecision on the deployment nor made arequest to South Korea. He also confirmedthat there had been no discussion on the issuebetween Seoul and Washington.

The deployment of a THAAD missile batteryhas been a sensitive issue because both Chinaand Russia have claimed that it is against theirsecurity interests. The two giant countries haveshown sensitive reactions to the X-band radarof the THAAD system designed to detect, trackand identify ballistic missile threats at long dis-tances and at very high altitudes.

China has made numerous protests aboutthe possible deployment of the advanced mis-sile-defense system, but this is the first timethat the Chinese defense minister has officiallyexpressed such concerns to Seoul -- proof thatthe world’s most populous country has astrong interest in the issue. Beijing views thatthe anti-missile system is designed to shootdown missiles using a hit-to-kill approach andequipped with a radar system that can cover

China’s Objection of THAAD Deployment in S. Korea“The Seoul government should decide how it would act when the U.S.officially requests the deployment of the missile-defense system.”

more than 1,000 kilometers.It is the first time that a ranking Chinese

official has raised the THAAD issue to SouthKorea publicly. Critics also say it is part of abroader U.S. attempt to get the Asian ally tojoin its missile-defense system and couldspark tensions with the neighbors.

Despite the contentious issue, the defenseministers also reaffirmed their zero-tolerancepolicy toward North Korea’s nuclear weaponsprogram and agreed to resolve the tricky prob-lems “via dialogue and close cooperation.”

Minister Han made clear to Chang thatSouth Korea will retaliate against any NorthKorean provocations.

The defense ministers’ talks coincided withthe meeting of the two countries’ nuclearenvoys in Beijing in apparent efforts toexplore ways to restart the six-party talks at atime when ties between the U.S. and NorthKorea have deteriorated.

South Korea and China also agreed to estab-lish a military hotline between their defenseministers “at the earliest possible date” in orderto boost their bilateral military cooperation.

Last year, the two sides signed a memoran-dum of understanding to set up the hotline, but

it has yet to be finalized. The two have beenoperating telephone hotlines between theirnavies and air forces since 2008.

Establishment of Military Hotline

Discussions about a minister-level militaryhotline between Seoul and Beijing began in2007, with China reportedly having beenreluctant to proceed, apparently wary of harm-ing relations with North Korea.

As one official of the South Korean DefenseMinistry put it, “establishing a military hotlinewith China that can exercise influence on theNorth Korean military will contribute a greatdeal to maintaining stability on the KoreanPeninsula.”

“To expedite the establishment, the twocountries will launch a working-level meet-ing,” defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said. “We are aiming at opening the hot-line within this year at the latest.” The chan-nel, if completed, will be Seoul’s thirdDefense Ministry hotline, following ones withthe United States and Japan.

During the talks, South Korea also pledgedto repatriate in March 68 sets of remains of


19

South Korean Defense MinisterHan Min-koo and his visitingChinese counterpart, ChangWanquan, hold talks over issuesinvolving the Korean Peninsula atthe defense ministry in Seoul onFeb. 4. (Yonhap)

Chinese soldiers killed during the 1950-53Korean War to their homeland in a symbolicgesture of friendship toward its former battle-field foe. The Seoul government returned thebodies of 437 Chinese soldiers last year onhumanitarian grounds. Since then, it hasunearthed more remains.

During the Korean War, China foughtalongside North Korea against the U.S.-backed allied forces. Historical records showthat more than 1 million Chinese soldiers werekilled in the three-year conflict.

Chang is the first Chinese defense ministerto visit Seoul since 2006. The two countrieshad their last defense ministerial talks inBeijing in 2011. The ministry explained hisvisit is in reciprocity for Han’s predecessor,Kim Kwan-jin, Cheong Wa Dae’s nationalsecurity chief, who traveled to Beijing in2011. Chang took office in 2013.

Chang’s trip to Seoul signals an elevatedlevel of cooperation, a senior South KoreanDefense Ministry official said. “Since he tookthe position in 2013, Chang decided to visitthe South before going to the North,” the offi-cial said. “This is meaningful.”

While economic and social exchangesbetween South Korea and China have grownrapidly over the recent decades, military talksbetween the two countries are less frequent.

After the meeting, Chang also met PresidentPark Geun-hye at Cheong Wa Dae. Park calledfor Chinese cooperation in laying the ground-work for unification between the two Koreas.

In a reflection of the friendship betweenPark and Chinese President Xi Jinping, thetwo countries have stepped up efforts to widentheir political cooperation. During a summit inSeoul in July, Park and Xi agreed to bolsterbilateral military ties.

But there are some reports that Xi alsoexpressed concerns about the deployment ofTHAAD during his state visit to Seoul in July.Xi asked Park to turn down any U.S. requestto deploy an advanced anti-ballistic missilesystem in South Korea, a senior defensesource told a local newspaper on Feb. 5

“If the United States attempts to deployTHAAD in the South Korean territory with thejustification of protecting the American troopsstationed here (in South Korea),” the source quot-ed Xi as telling Park, “South Korea, as a sover-eign country, should exercise its right to expressits opposition and the THAAD issue will not be aproblem between South Korea and China.”

China, Russia’s Claim

Both China and Russia claim it is againsttheir security interests and may be used as amethod of surveillance against them. The twocountries may be especially sensitive to theAN/TPY-2 -- a high-resolution, rapidlydeployable X-Band radar designed to detect,track and identify ballistic missile threats atlong distances and at very high altitudes,including space, for the THAAD system. Thiscan put China and Russia in range.

South Korea has said it will build its ownshield, the Korea Air and Missile Defense(KAMD) system. Differently from THAAD, itfocuses on a terminal-phase, low-altitude mis-sile defense. But pressure from Washington hasbeen consistent, according to military sources.

Xi’s request to Park came shortly after Gen.Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander of U.S.Forces Korea, said he had proposed thedeployment to counter growing North Koreanthreats. The comment was made during a lec-ture hosted by the Korea Institute for Defense


20

Analyses in Seoul on June 3. Another diplomatic source in Seoul said

Chinese minister Chang’s mission for his tripto Seoul was to more clearly express China’sposition on the missile-defense issue.

“I was told that the summit in July wentovertime because Xi read a long, preparedstatement and it included the remarks concern-ing THAAD,” a China expert said. “At thetime, President Park explained that Korea’sown missile-defense system is different fromthat of the U.S. missile defense and is aimed atcountering the North’s threats, not China.

Because of the proximity of the two Koreas,the North’s shorter-range missiles, not ballisticmissiles, are threats to the South.

The National Defense Authorization Act forFiscal Year 2015, passed by the ArmedServices Committees of the U.S. Senate andHouse of Representatives in December, statedthat the U.S. defense secretary should form anindependent survey commission to create areport on missile-defense cooperation mea-sures with South Korea and Japan and submitit to the Congress before the end of this year.

Experts said, however, that the time hascome for South Korea to be more proactive onthe THAAD issue. An expert said that as theNorth’s missile technologies are improving,South Korea should accommodate a THAADbattery and then should push it forward,regardless of China’s concerns.

Saying that it is inappropriate for Beijing tomount diplomatic pressure on a matter that hasnot been formally discussed, the expert said,“Whether Korea hosts a THAAD battery is upto us to decide, as it is a sovereign affair.”

Although Seoul has denied that there was adiscussion with Washington on the issue, U.S.Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work

said last year that the U.S. conducted site sur-veys and was working with the South to makea decision on the deployment.

Seoul’s Stance on Missile Defense

Still, South Korean officials exerciserestraint in their official comment. “Our stanceis that the U.S. has not made a decision andhas not made any official request for theTHAAD deployment on the KoreanPeninsula,” foreign ministry spokesman NohKwang-il told a regular press briefing recently.“No consultation (between Seoul andWashington) has been made, either.”

He also stressed that key U.S. officials,including outgoing Secretary of Defense ChuckHagel and the top U.S. envoy to Seoul, MarkLippert, also officially confirmed the fact. “Torespond to North Korea’s missile threats, wewill build our own Korea Air and MissileDefense suitable for the strategic circumstancesof the Korean Peninsula,” the spokesman said,adding that such a stance has been delivered toChina through multiple channels.

Nevertheless, all of this raises the need forthe Seoul government to decide how it wouldact when the U.S. officially requests thedeployment of the missile-defense system inSouth Korea and how it could convince Chinaof the inevitability of the deployment.

For a long time, North Korea has accusedthe U.S. of exacerbating the security situationon the peninsula by pushing for the establish-ment of the THAAD system. Pyongyang’sstate-controlled media also claimed the moveis part of Washington’s military strategy aimedat destroying the “strategic balance” in theregion and overpowering other countries.(Yonhap)


21

After two years of his retirement fromthe presidency, former South KoreanPresident Lee Myung-bak aroused abig ripple by revealing accounts behind inter-Korean contacts for a third summit betweenthe two Koreas during his tenure from 2008-2013.

North Korea proposed holding inter-Koreansummit talks several times around 2010, but itblew its chances by asking South Korea for ahuge amount of economic aid in return, Leesaid in his memoir published in earlyFebruary.

In reaction to the memoir, North Korea bit-terly condemned the former president for dis-torting the truth and claimed it was Lee who“begged” to send a special envoy toPyongyang and hold a summit. South Korea’spolitical circle, not only the opposition politi-cal party but the incumbent government andthe ruling party as well, expressed negativeviews to the former president’s detailed disclo-sure of secret contacts saying that it was notdesirable at this moment.

In the book on his five-year term, Lee saidNorth Korea made proposals for a summitmore than five times through various channels.

According to the book, the North’s thenleader, Kim Jong-il, first expressed his hope

for a summit in August 2009, leading the twoKoreas to begin behind-the-scene discussionson the issue.

Kim Ki-nam, secretary of the North’s rulingWorkers’ Party of Korea (WPK), conveyed theproposal when he visited Lee at the presiden-tial office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Aug.23 that year. Kim visited Seoul to lead theNorth’s condolence mission for the death offormer South Korean President Kim Dae-jung,who had the first summit meeting between thetwo Koreas with Kim Jong-il from June 13-15,2000. The second summit talks were heldfrom Oct. 2-4, 2007, between South KoreanPresident Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Jong-il.

Five days later after the North Korean dele-gation returned to Pyongyang, Kim Yang-gon,the North’s top official in charge of inter-Korean affairs, sent a message to then-SouthKorean Unification Minister Hyun In-taekproposing an inter-Korean summit.

Economic Aid for Summit Talks

“North Korea demanded that Seoul offer theNorth 100,000 tons of corn, 400,000 tons ofrice, 300,000 tons of fertilizer as well asasphalt pitch worth US$100 million and $10billion to fund its establishment of a national


22

Ex-President’s Memoir and Pyongyang’s ResponseExperts say there is concern that a memoir penned by the former presidentwould bring negative impact on future South-North Korean relations.

■ By Kim Tae-shik

development bank,” Lee said in hisbook titled “A President’s Time2008-2013.”

South Korea made it clear that itcould not provide the North with anyeconomic aid in exchange for inter-Korean dialogue, while stressing thatkey issues such as how to resolve theNorth’s nuclear issues and the repa-triation of Korean War prisoners andabductees should be on the table, hesaid.

Lee’s book also confirmed muchrumored negotiations between topofficials in charge of the inter-Koreanaffairs in the two sides in Singaporein October 2009, two months afterthe North’s first summit proposal wasmade.

During the contact between South Korea’sLabor Minister Im Tae-hee and North Korea’sKim Yang-gon in Singapore, the North’s sidedid not mention the repeal of its nuclear armsbut said it can discuss the matter as a commoneffort for the denuclearization of the KoreanPeninsula and can send a couple of KoreanWar prisoners to visit their homeland in theSouth instead of repatriating them to theirhome country permanently. The North alsodemanded a promise for large-scale economicassistance in order to create an atmospherefavorable for the summit talks, according toLee’s memoir..

Lee said he thought this should not go onand ordered Unification Minister Hyun to stopIm’s negotiation with Kim Yang-gon.

The two sides held working-level officials’talks in the North Korean border town ofKaesong twice in November, but the talks heldon Nov. 7 and Nov. 14 were ruptured as North

Korea again demanded the South to provide itwith 100,000 tons of corn, 400,000 tons of rice,300,000 tons of fertilizer, pitch worth US$100million and $10 billion as capital for establish-ing its national development bank as conditionsfor holding the inter-Korean summit talks.

China’s Effort for S-N Summit

In a similar period on Oct. 10, China’sPremier Wen Jiaobao advised Lee to hold asummit with North Korea saying the latterwanted it on the sidelines of the tripartite sum-mit talks between South Korea, China andJapan in Beijing, the book said.

In July 2010, four months after the North’sdeadly attack on a South Korean warship, theCheonan, a high-level official of Seoul’s spyagency visited Pyongyang at its request, and hedemanded the communist country apologize forthe attack and come up with measures to pre-vent recurrences before any inter-Korean sum-mit could take place, according to the book.


23

Kim Doo-woo, who served as senior public relations secretary for formerPresident Lee Myung-bak, introduces Lee’s memoir “A President’s Time”during a news conference at the Press Center in Seoul on Jan. 30, 2015.The 800-page book, which was released on Feb. 1, tells the story of Lee’spresidency from 2008-2013. (Yonhap)

“North Korea again demanded 500,000 tonsof rice for aid,” he recalled, adding thatPyongyang said it would express regret as abrethren country, not as an aggressor, for cour-tesy’s sake.

The North’s torpedoing of the navalcorvette Cheonan along the tensely guardedYellow Sea border killed 46 South Koreansailors, while Pyongyang has denied anyinvolvement.

In December 2010, a North Korean delega-tion involving a high-ranking official and mili-tary officers made a secret cross-border visitand made substantial progress toward holdingtalks between the leaders of the two Koreas.

“In early 2011, I heard surprising news fromthe United States and China that the NorthKorean official who visited Seoul was pub-licly executed. Some said he was eliminatedby Kim Jong-un, who was prepared to inheritpower from his father and the military,” Leesaid.

In May that year, Chinese Premier WenJiabao suggested that Lee hold a summit meet-ing with Kim Jong-il during a tripartite sum-mit of South Korea, China and Japan inTokyo, but Lee replied that there would be nosummit without North Korea’s apology.

Seven months later, the communist coun-try’s current leader, Kim Jong-un, took officeupon the death of his father, Kim Jong-il.

During Lee’s five-year term, tensions withNorth Korea constantly weighed on the Southas the communist nation sought to shake Seoulwith a series of provocations in an attempt toforce Lee to soften his hard-line policy towardPyongyang and resume unconditional aid.

Meanwhile, North Korea lashed out at Leeon Feb. 5 for his memoir disclosing details ofsecret contacts between the two Koreas while

he was in power and expressed deep concernfor the possibility of discussions of importantnational issues with South Korea.

Pyongyang’s Reaction

In its first formal response to the book,Pyongyang claimed its contents are misleadingand distorted, loaded with Lee’s self-praise onwhat he did during his presidency.

Calling him a “traitor to the nation,” theNorth said it was Lee who “begged” to send aspecial envoy to Pyongyang and hold a sum-mit.

“We have every evidence to reveal all relat-ed truth,” the Committee for the PeacefulReunification of the Fatherland (CPRK),which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs, saidin a statement.

“Lee Myung-bak, a traitor to the nation,should have been severely punished by thenation and thrown into the dumping ground ofhistory. However, he published his memoirrecently in which he misinterpreted the courseof the informal north-south contacts in a bid todare hurt the DPRK (North Korea),” theEnglish-language statement said.

“We can elaborate on what happened. Butwe would like to just recall that whenever hefound himself in deepening ruling crisis dur-ing his tenure of office, Lee reached out to theDPRK in a bid to seek a way out, talkingabout ‘dispatch of a special envoy’ and‘summit.’ He pretended to do some favor forthe North each time,” the statement said.

“The DPRK cannot but express serious con-cern about whether it will be possible to dis-cuss the important issue of the nation withreckless guys of South Korea as brazen-facedas Lee.” (Yonhap)


24

TIP ON NORTH KOREAVantage Point March 2015

25

North Korea’s submarine capabilitieshave become a matter of keen interestamid reports of North Korea’s moveto boost naval capabilities by developing sub-marines capable of firing submarine-launchedballistic missiles (SLBM).

South Korean intelligence said the commu-nist country is believed to be developing theSLBM and the U.S. website 38 North recentlyassessed that Pyongyang has built a new teststand on its eastern coast to research anddevelop such missiles.

The 38 North said on Jan. 8 that NorthKorea appears to be trying to equip a subma-rine with missiles, warning such hard-to-detect, missile-capable submarines would posesignificant threats to South Korea.

The 38 North, run by the U.S.-KoreaInstitute at the Johns Hopkins School ofAdvanced International Studies, said itreached the assessment based on commercialsatellite imagery taken of the Sinpho SouthShipyard on the North’s east coast betweenJuly and December last year.

Imagery from Dec. 18 shows a rectangularopening, about 4.25 meters long and 2.25meters wide, on top of the conning tower of asubmarine, and the opening is believed to bedesigned to house one to two small verticalmissile launch tubes, the website said, citingan analysis by Joseph Bermudez, an expert onsatellite imagery.

The imagery also showed workers movingaround the area, equipment stored on the deckand a heavy-lift construction crane, the websitesaid, adding that the only reasonable explana-tion for the crane’s presence is “continuing towork on fitting out the submarine.”

“North Korea’s development of a subma-rine-launched missile capability would eventu-ally expand Pyongyang’s threat to SouthKorea, Japan and U.S. bases in East Asia, alsocomplicating regional missile defense plan-ning, deployment and operations,” the websitesaid. “Submarines carrying land-attack mis-siles would be challenging to locate and track,would be mobile assets able to attack from anydirection, and could operate at significant dis-tances from the Korean Peninsula.”

It is unclear what missile system would beused in a ballistic missile submarine, but pos-sibilities include a shorter naval version of theMusudan intermediate-range ballistic missile,a Rodong medium-range ballistic missile andnaval versions of the solid-fueled KN-02short-range ballistic missile, it said.

North Korea is believed to have developedadvanced missile technologies through a seriesof test launches. In its latest rocket launch,conducted in late 2012, the North succeeded inputting a satellite into orbit aboard a long-range rocket.

The test sparked fears that the North hasmoved closer to ultimately developing

North Korea’s Submarine CapabilitiesNorth Korea has 78 submarines, ranking No. 1 in the world although their effi-ciency is far behind that of Western countries’ subs, according to a U.S. media.

TIP ON NORTH KOREA Vantage Point March 2015

26

nuclear-tipped missiles that could potentiallyreach the mainland U.S. The country has sofar conducted three underground nuclear testsin 2006, 2009 and 2013.

Pyongyang is believed to have over 70 sub-marines, including about 20 1,800-ton Romeo-class submarines under the wing of the EastSea Fleet Command and the West Sea FleetCommand. The communist country is alsobelieved to be building a new submarine capa-ble of firing missiles, according to the sourcesin South Korea and the U.S.

According to Business Insider, a U.S. onlinemedia, North Korea has 78 submarines, rank-ing No. 1 in the world although their efficiencyis far behind that of Western countries’ subs.The U.S. has 72 submarines, including nuclear-powered ones, followed by China with 69 subsand Russia with 63. Iran has 31 submarineswhile Japan has 16 and South Korea has 13.

Other data from the IHS Jane’s FightingShips 2012-2013 showed North Korea has 84submarines, including 23 Romeo-class subs,38 Sang-o class (281 tons) subs and 23 Yugo-class (112-ton) submarines.

A Romeo-class submarine, the main forceof the North Korean sub fleet, measures 76.6meters in length, 67 meters in width and 5.2meters in height, and can sail at a maximumspeed of 13 knots underwater with 54 crewmembers aboard. It can carry eight SAET-60torpedoes and 28 mines.

A Sang-o class submarine measures 35.5 by3.8 by 3.7 meters and can cruise at a speed of8.8 knots with 25 crew members and sixdivers while a Yugo-class submarine measures20 by 3.1 by 4.6 meters and can cruise up to 8knots with 11 crew members and six divers. ASang-o class sub can be armed with two tofour torpedoes and 16 mines while the Yugo-

class submarine can carry two torpedoes.North Korea first introduced seven Romeo-

class submarines from 1972 to 1975 and pro-duced 15 submarines from 1976 to 1999

Military experts said the size and capabilityof the North’s submarines are not very compe-tent, but they will pose a big threat once theyare transformed for attack use.

South Korea’s Sub Command

Meanwhile, the South Korean Navy on Feb.1 inaugurated a submarine command as part ofefforts to bolster its underwater capabilitiesand combat readiness against North Korea.

The fleet of the command, based in the south-ern port city of Jinhae and led by a rear admiral,is composed of 13 submarines under the NinthSubmarine Flotilla, the Navy said in a statement.

The Navy operates nine 1,200-ton sub-marines and four 1,800-ton subs, while plan-ning to add five more 1,800-ton submarines tobe built by 2019. In addition, it plans todeploy nine 3,000-ton submarines capable oflaunching ballistic missiles, starting in 2020.

The launch made South Korea, which com-missioned its first submarine from Germany in1992, the sixth nation in the world with a sub-marine command after the United States,Japan, France, Britain and India.

The Navy said the submarine force commandwill take charge of submarine-related activitiesranging from operations, education and trainingto maintenance and logistical support.

“Its main duty will be maintaining combatreadiness capabilities against North Korea andstriking enemies’ strategic targets in case of anemergency,” a Navy officer said. “We expectmore effective underwater operations by uni-fying relevant duties.” (Yonhap)

OPINIONVantage Point March 2015

27

Recent events leave no doubt: relations between North Korea andRussia are improving fast. The last year has seen more official visitsbetween the two countries than at any year since the end of the ColdWar. Added to that, a number of economic joint ventures have launched --albeit the future of these undertakings remain rather uncertain. Finally, it haseven been confirmed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is likely to visitRussia in early May, in order to participate in the large-scale celebrations forVictory Day, Russia’s de facto major national holiday.

Thus, there is little doubt that relations between the two countries, whichhave remained essentially frozen throughout the last two decades, are on therise. However, one cannot agree with the oft-repeated statement that Russia ispositioned to replace China as the major sponsor of North Korea, or at thevery least, is to become one of its co-sponsors.

Economically Incompatible

One of the major reasons is the lack of a substantive economic basis to thisthaw in relations. Sino-North Korean annual trade has reached the level ofUS$6.5 billion. In spite of recent political issues and a cooling of relationsbetween the two countries, it continues to grow. Conversely, Russo-NorthKorean trade has remained stagnant at the $100-150 million level for the last20 years. The latter is not all that surprising: the two countries are not eco-nomically compatible, and politicking is not going to change this hard eco-nomic fact. In the end, Russia just does not have a market for the goods thatNorth Korea has to offer, and North Koreans have no money to purchase whatRussia has to offer.

Of course, things might change if the Russian government decides that theKorean Peninsula is a vital part of Russia’s national interests. However, given

Russia’s Limited Support for North Korea Russia is not going to become a sponsor for Pyongyang and it has no intentionto spend its hard-earned petro-dollars on keeping North Korea from collapsing.

■ By Andrei Lankov. professor of Kookmin University in Seoul

OPINION Vantage Point March 2015

28

both past experience and the current state ofRussian foreign policy, this is very unlikely tohappen.

Nowadays, many observers tend to seeRussia as a resurrected, if minor, version ofthe Soviet Union. This perception has becomemore common in the last couple of years, asRussia, rich with money from oil revenues,began to pursue a more assertive policy in thecountries of the former Soviet Union. Indeed,the annexation of Crimea provoked a majorcrisis, and foreign observers can be forgivenfor thinking of Russia as indeed being a latterday Soviet Union -- full of worldwide ambi-tions, ready to challenge the United Statesglobally, and ready to help allied forces insimilar endeavors.

However, while such a line of reasoningappears convincing, it is actually quite mis-leading. The Soviet Union was a global super-power with a clear-cut ideological agenda,namely to sponsor and lead the cause of globalcommunism. Present-day Russia does nothave any universalist ideological aspirations.

Russian Foreign Policy

Russian foreign policy goals are simple andas old as power politics itself. Above all, theKremlin wants to maintain a sphere of influ-ence along its borders in order to guaranteeRussian security and also increase the spacewhere Russia’s economic interests enjoy polit-ical protection. A sense of ethnic solidarityalso plays a role in Russian foreign policy:large ethnic Russian communities left abroadin the early 1990s after the collapse of theSoviet Union are often seen as being worthyof the Kremlin’s protection.

The Russian government is therefore quite

hostile toward all real or perceived attempts bythe United States (or, for that matter, other for-eign powers) to win a foothold in what onceused to be the lands of the Soviet Union. Theonly exception seems to be the three Balticstates (their affiliation with the West seems tohave been grudgingly accepted by Moscow).If any other post-Soviet state is found to haveexcessively cozy relations with the West, it isliable to find itself in trouble with Russia.

In short, Russia pursues a fairly standardvariety of foreign policy realism, a policy thathas been practiced by great powers for manycenturies or even millennia.

This means that Russia is a country that canbe considered assertive. Nonetheless, itssphere of influence and its national interestshave clearly defined limits that generally coin-cide with the former borders of the SovietUnion.

Commercial Interests

Outside the former Soviet Union, Russianforeign policy under President Vladimir Putinhas not differed much from his post-Sovietpredecessors. Russia has pursued foreign poli-cy as a tool by which to make money for theRussian economy, and improve the balancesheets of Russian businesses. At the sametime, neither the application of force, dis-guised or otherwise, nor significant invest-ments of money, have ever been instrumentsof post-Soviet Russian foreign policy outsidethe former borders of the Soviet Union. Inother words, while in the Soviet period foreignpolicy was the maidservant of ideologicalambitions, after the end of the communist rulethe foreign policy merely serves commercialinterests.

OPINIONVantage Point March 2015

29

Such pragmatic tendencies are liable tobecome yet more pronounced in the currentsituation. The recent collapse in oil prices hasproduced serious economic fallout in Russia.In just a few months, the ruble’s value hashalved. Even the most optimistic governmentleaders in Russia predict that the coming yearwill be blighted by recession, and the troublesare just beginning.

Since Putin’s rule has been marked byunprecedented economic growth, such anunfortunate change in economic fortunes mayundermine support for the current government,currently at record high levels. Therefore, dueto domestic political considerations, theRussian government will need money at home,and this alone will prevent Moscow frominvesting much outside the realm of what itsees as its sphere of legitimate interest. TheKorean Peninsula is clearly an area that liesoutside the aforementioned sphere.

Major Goals in Korea

What are Russia’s major goals in Korea? Inessence, over the last 25 years, Russia hasbeen a status quo power, and such an attitudemakes perfect sense.

The Russian government has never liked thenuclear ambitions of Pyongyang. Russia is alegally recognized nuclear power, a foundingmember of a highly exclusive club of nuclearnations. Like members of any exclusive club,it has no interest in letting non-members climbin through the window. Russia is also worriedabout the potential for nuclear terrorism, not tomention the possibility of local conflicts goingnuclear.

As such, Russia is quite like other powers inthe region. But unlike the United States,

Russia is not interested in applying much pres-sure to Pyongyang. This softness is not drivenby ideological sympathy toward Pyongyang(such feelings are entirely absent in Moscownow), but by cold-minded considerations. Anysignificant change in the peninsula is likely tobe detrimental to Russia’s long-term interests,though damage is likely to remain relativelyminor.

If, for instance, the North Korean govern-ment faced a grave domestic crisis, the mostlikely outcome would be unification under theSouth Korean banner or the emergence of apro-Chinese puppet state in the northern halfof the Korean Peninsula. Neither scenario willbe welcomed in Moscow. In the first case, aunified Korea is likely to remain a U.S. ally,and such a development is likely to favor theUnited States. The second option is likely toincrease Chinese influence in the region, andcontrary to what many might think, this is nota welcome outcome in Moscow -- no matterhow close its relations with Beijing may seemat first glance.

Therefore, as far as Russia is concerned, astable, divided and, preferably, non-nuclearKorea is the best situation. Of course, the’non-nuclear part’ of the equation is not likelyto happen any time soon -- and Moscow prob-ably understands this better than any othermajor player in the region.

Limited Support

However, Russia also will not go to anygreat lengths to maintain the status quo.Russia is not going to become a sponsor forPyongyang and it has no intention to spend itshard-earned petro-dollars on keeping NorthKorea from collapsing. The Russian state does

OPINION Vantage Point March 2015

30

not do that kind of thing nowadays, and nowthat oil prices have collapsed, those petro-dol-lars have to be spent on more immediate con-cerns.

What this means is that Russia is likely toprovide Kim Jong-un’s government with ameasure of support. But such support will belimited. Russia may vote in the U.N. and else-where in support of certain North Korean posi-tions. It may also try to shield North Koreafrom some, though not all, Western pressure.One can also expect that Russian companieswilling to operate in North Korea will getsome political support from Moscow.However, such companies are highly unlikelyto receive what they really need most: finan-cial subsidies and/or guarantees. Mostexchanges between the two sides are likely toremain commercial and reciprocal in nature.

It is telling how the most ambitious of thecurrent joint projects have been presented tothe Russian public in recent months. ThePobeda-Seungli project aims to repair thedilapidated North Korean rail network -- theproject is led by Mostovik, a large Russiancompany. In exchange, the North Korean gov-ernment promised the company access toNorth Korea’s allegedly plentiful supply ofrare earths as well as to some coal mines. TheRussian side will sell these resources and rein-vest some of the proceeds in repairing NorthKorea’s railways. The project is supposed tolast for 15 years, and its estimated cost is $2.5

billion (not $20 billion, which was reported bysome media outlets).

Tellingly, in his interview the Mostovikspokesman went out of his way to tell all whowould listen that this was a commercial pro-ject that came with iron-clad guarantees of areturn. This approach is likely to be typical,but it is also likely to be of great disappoint-ment to the North Korean side, which is usedto large amounts of free handouts. Given thesorry state of affairs in Mostovik headquarters(the company is now nearly bankrupt), onecannot be too optimistic about the project’sfuture, but even if it is going to survive, it willbe based on purely commercial foundations.

This is probably not what the North Koreangovernment, used to giveaways from its part-ners, expects -- even though it will probablytake a few years before the North Korean lead-ers will realize that their Russian contactsmean business wh

VANTAGEPOINTimg.yonhapnews.co.kr/basic/article/en/PDF/20150306... · 2015. 3. 6. · visiting...

Documents

Transcript of VANTAGEPOINTimg.yonhapnews.co.kr/basic/article/en/PDF/20150306... · 2015. 3. 6. · visiting...