Latest on N. Korea’s provocations and diplomacy; what could the regime have in mind?

韓, 쿠바와 외교관계 수립 러북 협력 가속화될까? North Korea’s tough remarks and provocations continue with the regime test-firing a new surface-to-sea missile even quite recently. Kim Jong-un even added that North Korea would thoroughly defend it’s maritime sovereignty if an enemy intruded over the maritime border recognized by the regime itself --which is definitely not the Northern Limit Line --de facto border of the West Sea. Meanwhile, with Cuba formalizing ties with South Korea, many reports say North Korea is cornered given that it had had close “brotherly ties“ with the socialist regime for a long time. Would this lead to North Korea strengthening ties with Russia even more? For the latest on the Peninsula, we invite Professor Kim Young-jun from Korea National Defense University. Professor Kim, welcome. We also have Professor Ramon Pacheco Pardo from King’s College London. Good to have you with us, Professor Pacheco Pardo. (PACHECO PARDO) Q1. February 16th was Kwangmyongsong Day --Kim Jong-il’s birthday. Celebrations took place, but Kim Jong-un appears to have skipped a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun for the third consecutive year. What could be the reasons behind this? (KIM) Q2. Before we talk about diplomacy, I would like to tap on the latest provocations and remarks Kim Jong-un made. First of all, Pyongyang launched a new type of missile the ’Padasuri-6’ last Wednesday, which reportedly hit a target boat after flying over waters in the East Sea. What is this missile? (KIM) Q3. While supervising the test-firing of this new surface-to-sea missile, Kim ordered intensified “military preparedness“ in waters north of South Korea’s Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong islands, saying the Northern Limit Line is a “ghost“ one. What do these remarks hint at? (PACHECO PARDO) Q4. Given that North Korea mentioned that the regime would regard intrusion across its maritime border as an encroachment on its sovereignty, should we expect military clashes to take place near the five West Sea islands? (KIM) Q5. Shifting our gears to diplomacy, South Korea rebuilt formal diplomatic relations with Cuba recently, after secretive, steadfast efforts over several decades. As North Korea had been enjoying brotherly ties with Cuba, many say it would have been a serious shock to the regime. How would Pyongyang have seen this? (PACHECO PARDO) Q6. In response to the announcement, North Korea’s Kim Yo-jong suggested the possibility of improving ties with Japan, and since Kishida too is in dire need of some kind of event to raise his support, how do you see the possibility of a Kishida-Kim summit? (KIM) Q7. Meanwhile, some reports say now that North Korea is even more isolated since Cuba established bilateral ties with the South, the regime would feel much more need to strengthen its relationship with Russia and China. In what ways would North Korea do so? (PACHECO PARDO) Q8. Let’s turn our eyes to human rights situation in North Korea. Marking the tenth anniversary of the release of the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry report, South Korea’s unification ministry urged the North to make the “right choice“ of improving the human rights of its people. First of all, what contribution did this report make and compared to that time, how is the human rights situation right now? (PACHECO PARDO) Q9. Recently, South Korea has been touching on China’s forced repatriation of North Korean defectors, saying the government needs to help them move to a country of their choice. Do you believe China would in any way play its role? (BOTH) Q10. When FM Cho Tae-yul met with the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights in Seoul they agreed to step up efforts to enhance the North Korean human rights situation as South Korea, the U.S., and Japan currently all serve as members of the UN Security Council. In what ways could it be done? Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have for today’s edition. Thank you, Professor Kim and Professor Pacheco Pardo for your time and insights. We appreciate it. #SouthKorea #Cuba #NorthKorea #Diplomacy #Diplomatic_relation #대한민국 #쿠바 #북한 #외교 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2024-02-21, 18:30 (KST)