Kim Myongsung’s Inside North Korea
· South Korea to Accept All North Korean POWs Wishing to Settle
· North Korea Criticizes U.S. Commander's ICBM Threat Remarks
· North Korea Ranks Second in Watch Exports to China, Each Watch Sold for Just 11 Cents
Kim Myong-sung
The South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo published a pair of interviews with two North Korean POWs, surnamed Ri and Paek, on 19 and 20.In Wednesday's interview, Ri — who was captured by the Ukrainian military last month — said he was a member of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, an elite North Korean unit usually tasked with intelligence missions.
He said he left his homeland in early October last year, trained in Vladivostok in the Russian Far East, and was deployed to the battleground Kursk region of western Russia in mid-December.In the interview, Ri expressed his intention to defect to South Korea.
“First, I plan to apply for refugee status and go to South Korea," he said. "If I apply for refugee status, will they accept me?”Ri went into battle thinking he was fighting South Korean soldiers, having been deceived by a North Korean security agent who said that Ukraine's drone pilots "were all South Korean soldiers.
"One or two agents from North Korea's Ministry of State Security were assigned to each battalion of about 500 soldiers to enforce ideological discipline, he said.
Since Ri could not contact home for three months before deploying to Russia, his parents didn't even know he had been sent.Asked if he had been ordered to blow himself up, he said that in the North Korean army, "being a prisoner is like being a traitor” and that he might have blown himself up if he had a grenade.In Thursday's interview, Paek — a 21-year-old rifleman sent to Russia as part of North Korea's "Storm Corps" special forces unit last December — also said he was considering defecting to South Korea.
On the 15th, after the U.S. Northern Command chief suggested North Korea could soon produce ICBMs, North Korea called the remarks proof of U.S. hostility and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its nuclear defenses.
The director of the Ministry of Defense's Policy Office stated that enhancing self-defense capabilities is crucial to deter enemy provocations and ensure national security, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
He voiced strong concern, accusing the U.S. military of justifying its aggressive ambitions by exaggerating a non-existent "threat" from North Korea to gain a military advantage in the region.
Earlier, on the 13th, U.S. Northern Command Chief General Gregory Guillot told the Senate Armed Services Committee that North Korea might soon start producing ICBMs capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. He stated that he was losing confidence in the U.S.'s ability to defend against such threats.
The North Korean policy director highlighted recent events, including the U.S. nuclear submarine's public entry into the Korean Peninsula, missile detection cooperation between the U.S. Space Force and Japan, joint space drills, and the upcoming continuation of the U.S.-South Korea "Freedom Shield" exercise in March.
He argued that all these actions provide ample justification for strengthening North Korea's defense capabilities in response to the growing military threats from adversary nations.
He stated, "If the U.S. truly worries about its homeland's safety, the only solution is to abandon its military threats and hostile policies toward sovereign nations." He stressed that enhancing self-defense is a legitimate right of any sovereign state.
North Korea Condemns Trump’s Gaza Remarks, Pledges Stronger Nuclear Forces
North Korea criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's proposals, including the "Gaza plan," the U.S. territorial claim over Greenland, and the assertion of control over the Panama Canal, calling him a "ruthless plunderer.“
In a commentary titled "Ruthless Plunderer, This is the U.S.," the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on the 12th pointed out that the current U.S. administration stated that if Palestinians in Gaza were relocated, the U.S. would take control of the area.
It continued, "The U.S.'s survival has always depended on slaughter and plunder, driven by its hegemonic ambition for world domination—something clearly evident in the situation in Gaza today."
On the 4th (local time), after a summit with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Trump unilaterally announced that the U.S. would take control of Gaza and develop it into the "Riviera" of the Middle East, causing widespread controversy.
KCNA criticized the U.S. administration, accusing it of trying to annex Greenland, claiming control over the Panama Canal, and proposing to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Americas Gulf," disregarding international law and principles.
This also targets President Trump’s statements in his inauguration speech on January 20th, where he said, "China is operating the Panama Canal. We will take it back," and "We will rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Americas Gulf.“
President Trump repeatedly claimed before and after his inauguration that he would make Greenland a U.S. territory.
KCNA stated, "The U.S. is a ruthless plunderer that tramples on the rights of other nations, seizing their territories and sovereignty for its own gain." It added, "A nation's sovereignty, self-determination, and territorial integrity can never be a bargaining chip for the U.S."
This commentary by KCNA is North Korea's first public criticism targeting President Trump's actions and statements since his re-election.
On the 18th, North Korea, in response to the U.S.-South Korea-Japan foreign ministers' statement on "complete denuclearization," reiterated its commitment to strengthening its nuclear capabilities.
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, in response to the joint statement on "complete denuclearization" issued after the U.S.-South Korea-Japan foreign ministers' meeting in Munich, stated, "We will continue to follow the nuclear strengthening path outlined by our leader."
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