South Korea and the United States will conduct a joint military drill aimed at demonstrating the allies’ strong deterrence against North Korean provocations in the wake of the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan. But the exercise will take place in the East Sea, not the widely reported West Sea where the Cheonan sank. The plan was finalized on July 20 during the meeting of South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in Seoul. Dubbed “Invincible Spirit,” the maritime and air exercise will be held for four days starting July 25. It will be the largest in scale, with the participation of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington, South Korea’s navy ship Dokdo and the newest U.S. fighter jets. The government stresses that South Korea and the U.S. will continue to hold joint military exercises ten more times off the west or south coast in the months to come, starting with the East Sea drills. Here’s Baek Seung-ju, head of the Security Strategy Research Center at the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis, to explain why the upcoming drill is different from the annual joint exercises between the two countries.

With the goal of bolstering our defense posture, South Korea and the U.S. have held joint military drills regularly so they can carry out military operations properly in case of emergency. The drills include “Eulji Focus Lens,” “Reception Staging Onward Movement and Integration,” and “Foal Eagle.” These joint drills have been staged ten times or so each year. Following the sinking of the Cheonan navy vessel, South Korea and the U.S. are seeking a larger-scale military exercise. As the government said, the purpose is to demonstrate the two allies’ combined military readiness against North Korea and to send a strong signal of deterrence to the North in a move to prevent a reoccurrence of such military provocations. The components of the massive drill have been opened to the media to some degree, putting significant pressure on North Korea.

The government stresses that it was an independent decision to hold the exercise in the East Sea. Defying the government’s explanation, however, many experts speculate that the venue was changed to the east coast because of strong protests from China, which was opposed to the South Korea-U.S. military drill in the West Sea. They point out that the original purpose of the joint military exercise in the West Sea is one countermeasure against North Korea in the wake of the Cheonan incident. As such, moving the drills to the East Sea has somewhat diluted their impact, in a similarly disappointing way as the U.N. Security Council’s adoption of a lower-level presidential statement on the Cheonan case, instead of issuing a formal resolution.

When planning a joint military drill with the U.S., South Korea never aimed at China. It had the sole purpose of sending a strong message of deterrence to North Korea. But Beijing’s sensitive reaction turned this issue into another diplomatic concern in Northeast Asia, and South Korea and the U.S. made some adjustments in the training venue. For Washington, a diplomatic friction with China at this point in time will significantly hinder security cooperation between the two countries in other regions. That is, it will be hard for the U.S. to elicit cooperation from China when controlling Iran’s nuclear proliferation and creating peace in Gaza, a flashpoint of regional conflict between Israel and Palestine. So the U.S. seems to have concluded that it would be inappropriate to cause any unnecessary friction with China. The U.S. apparently took into account China’s position, and sought a diplomatic compromise by adjusting the venue for the joint military drill with South Korea.

China’s protest against the South Korea-U.S. military drill seemed to be abating to some extent, but North Korea’s traditional ally has begun stepping up its offensives again. On July 19, China’s state-run CCTV network announced training exercises for the nation’s submarine fleet, bragging that it has built another Great Wall of China under the sea. The TV did not disclose the time and venue of the training. Also, on July 17 and 18, China conducted a maritime rescue and transportation drill off the coast of Yantai, Sandong Province, near the West Sea of South Korea. After that, Maj. Gen. Zhu Chenghu of the People’s Liberation Army and professor at the National Defense University criticized the military drill between South Korea and the U.S. China voiced opposition to the South Korea-U.S. joint military drill as many as five times this month alone. Why is China opposing the move so vehemently?

China’s strong, explicit opposition to the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise is explained in terms of international politics in Northeast Asia. As far as regional security is concerned, China is highly sensitive about the defense posture and the alliance between South Korea and the U.S. Beijing appears to view the upcoming training as a means of strengthening the South Korea-U.S. alliance. Also, China is testing the Obama administration. In other words, China is carefully examining Obama’s leadership amid the waning influence of the U.S. triggered by the financial crisis. In regards to China’s policy concerning the Korean Peninsula, it seeks to reinforce its status at the military level so it can gain more influence over regional issues. China’s diplomatic position and its national interest are strategically reflected in its strong opposition to the South Korea-U.S. military drill.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates met with their South Korean counterparts in Seoul on Wednesday, July 21, at the unprecedented “two-plus-two” meeting of foreign and defense ministers from the two countries. In a joint statement, the ministers from both sides said North Korea’s military provocation, like the Cheonan attack, is a grave threat and urged the North to take responsibility. The allies then warned that North Korea would face serious consequences if it launches additional provocations or commits an irresponsible act. The two sides also agreed to maintain a robust combined defense posture to deter any threats from North Korea through a series of joint military drills to be held in the East and West seas. Mr. Baek now talks about the significance of the 2+2 security meeting.

South Korea and the U.S. agreed to continue discussing global security and peace issues through mutual cooperation. This is the core of the agreement on the strategic vision for the bilateral alliance. The agreement should be respected, of course, and the U.S. and other involved countries expect the agreement will influence security conditions in Northeast Asia positively. North Korea should be afraid of strong cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. in the military and security areas. Washington’s message is clear: an attack on a South Korean warship or South Korea will be recognized as an attack on the U.S. and the two allies will make a joint military response to any provocation. North Korea should understand exactly what that means and never commit a provocative act again.

It marked the first time the top officials in defense and foreign affairs from South Korea and the U.S. sat down together at one table. And the massive joint military drill between the two countries will be the largest in 34 years. Regional diplomacy has now entered a new phase. It is hoped that the series of diplomatic and military activities won’t cause renewed conflict, but will play a positive role in securing peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.



[Interview] Social Enterprise of N. Korean Refugees Opens Delivery Go-Between Service
An apartment building in Seoul resounds with the cheerful voice of a woman named Kim Tae-young, who works at a delivery goods storage office in Hagye-dong, in northern Seoul. “Working NK Refugees,” is a social enterprise consisting of North Korean defectors who opened the Jung-gye No.1 branch of a delivery mediation service in the Jugong Apartment Complex Number 9 on July 6. Here’s Yu Seok-hyeon, secretary general of the organization to explain what exactly the workers are doing at the newly opened office.

The number of married working couples is rising, and it’s increasingly difficult for such households to receive delivery goods at home. In general, security guards at apartment complexes receive their packages while they are absent. Our new service will ease the guards’ workload to some degree. We receive delivery goods on behalf of absent receivers. When the receivers are at home, we deliver the goods. When they are not at home, we temporarily store the packages and deliver them later. Workers from delivery companies don’t have to visit empty houses again and again, so they can provide better services to other regions. The people who staff this go-between office are selected from among North Korean refugees and local residents who live in the neighborhood. Employment promotion is one major purpose of this office.

Established in September last year, The “Working NK Refugees” program has provided job training and loans to North Korean newcomers who want to start their own businesses. The organization has recently jumped into the delivery mediation business, noting that the demand for delivery continues to rise while storage space at apartment complexes dwindles. But it wasn’t easy to start the delivery business with the North Korean newcomers.

The most difficult part was to connect different ministries. The Unification Ministry, for example, has its own support program for North Korean defectors. The Small and Medium Business Administration, the Korea Land & Housing Corporation and Seoul City have their respective programs. These resettlement programs are fine, of course, but it’s not always easy for the defectors to participate in those programs. So we chose the merits in each program and asked the government agencies to provide support to launch this delivery business. Another problem is that the newcomers from the socialist North find it hard to adjust to the capitalist South. It was hard to make them understand a market economy. For example, they feel confused about why they must earn money because they had learned money-making is a sort of sin in North Korea. It’s urgent to provide them with relevant education.

Local residents can receive packages more conveniently, while North Korean defectors can maintain a stable job. In this way, the delivery go-between service is mutually beneficial.

Frankly speaking, it’s almost impossible for the North Korean defectors to use their past career skills here in South Korea. I felt pressured and I actually faced many difficulties since I had to find out what I could do in a new environment. While receiving a business education at this organization, I thought I could do something. The delivery service is fun, although it’s not always easy to do this job. Some receivers thank me for delivering goods in this hot weather and offer me something cold to drink or ice cream. I find my job interesting and rewarding.

At this go-between office in northern Seoul, a North Korean newcomer was given on-the-job training. Planning to open another branch office in a different region, he was trying to deliver goods himself and learning the management system. But the most valuable lesson he learned at the office was the courage and enthusiasm of the employees who are nurturing their hopes in accordance with their firm beliefs. The dreams of the “Working NK Refugees” and the defector employees do not end here.

# Yu : Most North Korean newcomers reside in rented apartments. We’re planning on opening some 300 delivery mediation offices to help the newcomers achieve economic independence. The 300 offices, when opened, will create 1,200 new jobs. This is my dream.

# Kim : I hope a second and a third branch will open soon. I also hope my fellow North Korean expatriates will see me doing this job successfully and regain confidence. I’ll try my best until the number of branches will reach 100 and even 1,000.

Local residents can receive packages more conveniently, while North Korean defectors can maintain a stable job. In this way, the delivery go-between service is mutually beneficial. Here’s hoping the business will become more prosperous and the defectors’ hope of opening 1,000 new branches will come true some day soon.