CINA

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Some of the most interesting parts of the recently released WikiLeaks ("The US embassy cables") concerns the - probably uneasy - relationship between Beijing and Pyongyang.

Today's Al-Jazeera reported the following (making the "Dear Leader" possibly a bit unhappy, resp. just pissed off!!):

China 'backs Korean reunification' 
 

Chinese leaders privately support a unified Korea and would not stop the North's collapse, according to leaked US cable

Chinese officials increasingly doubt the usefulness of neighbouring North Korea as an ally and would support the reunification of the peninsula if the communist state were to collapse, according to leaked US diplomatic cables.

The latest documents released by the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks on Tuesday detail conversations between US officials and Chinese diplomats, as well as a senior South Korean official's discussion with his Chinese counterparts.

Cheng Guoping, the Chinese ambassador to Kazakhstan, was reported to have told Richard Hoagland, the US ambassador, that "China hopes for peaceful reunification in the long-term, but he expects the two countries to remain separate in the short-term".

The remarks were made during a three-hour dinner in Astana, Kazakhstan's capital, in June 2009, according to documents published on WikiLeaks website.

Cheng was quoted as telling Hoagland that China's objectives in North Korea were to ensure they honour their commitments on non-proliferation, maintain stability, and "don’t drive [Kim Jong-il] mad".

Pyongyang's protector

The cable said that Cheng suggested that Kim Jong-il's decision to anoint his youngest son as his successor was driven more by Kim's deteriorating health than any carefully planned strategy.

"They had no time to plan for this," he was quoted as saying, adding that Kim Jong-il's announcement was designed to send a message to the military that he held the power.

Beijing has long been considered Pyongyang's protector, as seen during the recent crisis over the shelling of a South Korean island close to a disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea.

In the aftermath of the incident, which left at least four people dead and saw both nations increase their military readiness, Washington appealed to Beijing to rein in the North. China responded by calling for a meeting of world powers to diffuse tensions.
 

But in another cable from Seoul, South Korea's capital, the country's then vice-foreign minister was quoted as telling Kathleen Stephens, the US ambassador, that two high-level Chinese officials told him they "believed Korea should be unified under ROK [South Korea] control".
 

Chun Yung-woo, now the national security advisor to South Korea's president, said that the younger generation of Communist leaders in Beijing did not regard North Korea as a useful or reliable ally and would not risk a renewal of armed conflict on the Korean peninsula, the cable said.

Those younger leaders, Chun said, "would be comfortable with a reunited Korea controlled by Seoul and anchored to the United States in a benign alliance".

He reportedly dismissed the prospect of Chinese military intervention in the event of North Korea's collapse, noting that China’s strategic economic interests now lie with the United States, Japan, and South Korea, not with North Korea.

Chun was quoted as saying that he believed that the North would cease to function as a state within three years of Kim Jong-il's death and said Beijing had "no will" to use its economic leverage to change the country's political policies.

Chinese 'conundrum'

Andrew Leung, the chairman and CEO of International Consultants Limited in Hong Kong, told Al Jazeera China was in a "conundrum" over the future of North Korea.

"China doesn't want to cause an immediate collapse of the regime and force reunification because a divided Korea could at least provide a possible buffer against encirclement," he said.

"An immediate collapse of North Korea could also not be good for South Korea. If you look at the unification of the two Germany's, you have got to wait until the conditions are right and it could drag down the economy in South Korea quite dramatically."

The diplomatic memos were released as North Korea announced details of an expanded nuclear programme, saying it has thousands of working centrifuges in a new uranium enrichment plant. 

In the cable from the US ambassador to Kazakhstan, China's Cheng described the North's nuclear programme as "very troublesome". He said that China "opposes North Korea's nuclear testing and is working to achieve peace and stability on the Korean peninsula," the cable said...

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/11/2010113034727624560.html

 
MUST READ! The Guardian (UK) has some more detailed articles about the issue:

☞ Wikileaks cables reveal China 'ready to abandon North Korea'
☞ WikiLeaks cables: How China lost patience with North Korea
  

Related article:

☞ Unhappy China Seeking "Not to Drive Kim Mad" (DailyNK, 11.30)


 

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1. Some of today's headlines regarding the current situation on the Korean Peninsula:

Danger of War in Asia - South Korea Threatens the North
(Die Welt, German conservative newspaper)
North Korea in 'semi state of war'
Seoul vows naval, air strikes on NK
(K. Times)

Related articles:

☞ South Korea: despatch from the frontline of World War Three (Telegraph, 11.28)
☞ S. Korea deploys more artillery, rockets on Yeonpyeong Island (K. Herald, 11.29)
☞ South Korea cancels Yeonpyeong island drills (Guardian, 11.29)

2. As you probably know '2MB' (aka the S. Korean president) addressed the S. Korean public this morning regarding N. Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeong-do. Here you can read the full text of Lee's "address to the nation".

3. While since the end of last week thousands of S. Korean conservative/reactionary 'activists'(^^) are protesting...

...against the "ongoing pacifism" of the S.K. gov't and its military, the S. Korean 'peace movement' is - once again - in the state of shock.

Y' day evening in downtown Seoul: only 150, according to Tongil News (VoP: 300), 

'peace activists'(^^) demonstrated (or just prayed??)  for a "peaceful

coexistence on the Korean Peninsula"

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Saturday(11.27) afternoon in Ulsan: 5000 workers (well, a few days ago KCTU called for a "national workers rally"!!) and some supporters demonstrated their solidarity with the strike of Hyundai Motor's 'irregular' workers...

More reports (incl. pics) you can check out here:

☞ 전국노동자대회 "이번만큼은 반드시 승리하자" (NewsCham, 11.28)
☞ 현대차 비정규직 정규직화 쟁취! 전국노동자대회 (KCTU, 11.27)
☞ 울산에 모인 노동자 연대의 함성 "비정규직 철폐하라!" (VoP, 11.27)

Related article:

☞ Union leaders decide to start dialogue with Hyundai Motor (K. Herald, 11.28)

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SOLIDARITY WITH HYUNDAI MOTOR'S 'IRREGULAR' WORKERS!

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Today's "left-liberal" (according to wikipedia "nationalist"/"pro-NK" according to the S.K. conservatives..) Hankyoreh newspaper published the following remarkable editorial related to Tuesday's KPA attack (i.e. terror bombing!!) against the civilian population on Yeonpyeong-do:

Time for Pyongyang to take responsibility for attack

It has finally emerged that civilians were indeed killed in North Korea’s artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island. Yesterday afternoon, a joint investigative team conducting recovery efforts at the scene discovered the bodies of two people who perished at a construction site during the shelling. Workers there had fled the scene after a shell fired by the North Korean forces landed on the site, but two of them ultimately lost their lives. It is truly a tragic development.

North Korea’s attack is unacceptable, for the obvious reason that it is the first attack on South Korean soil since the armistice that ended the Korean War, but even more so because artillery was fired indiscriminately on civilian residential areas. This is a truly inhumane and barbaric outrage that cannot be justified on any grounds. And it ultimately produced the worst-case scenario of civilian fatalities.

In spite of this, North Korea seems not to understand the gravity of the situation. Yesterday, the United Nations Command proposed a general-level meeting with the North Korean military to investigate the incident, but it has not yet received a response. Judging from its current attitude, Pyongyang does not appear likely to agree to talks readily. Observers had already predicted this type of attitude.

In a report the evening before last, the Korean People’s Army Supreme Command said, “Beginning at 13:00 on Tuesday, the South Choson puppets carried out the military provocation of artillery fire on our territorial waters in the area around Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea, in spite of our repeated warnings.”

This is the typical false accusation and refusal to take responsibility. This brazen attitude from North Korea is nearly as infuriating to South Korea’s citizens as the unexpected military provocation itself.

If Pyongyang really wishes to pass responsibility on to Seoul, it should provide irrefutable evidence of the so-called military provocation. According to the Defense Ministry, the South Korean military’s artillery firing exercises were directed toward the southwest, away from North Korea. If North Korea is confident of its claims, it should appear at general-level talks and present evidence to back them up. It is cowardly to reiterate charges about a military provocation by South Korea without presenting any clear evidence to support them.

Beyond everything else, North Korea should at least make its position clear regarding firing artillery at civilians. It needs to clarify whether civilian residential areas were always a target, whether the target deviated, or whether this was the result of willful negligence regarding the possibility of civilian casualties. Attacks on civilians constitute a serious crime that is prohibited by international law. When civilian fatalities occur, even during war, the proper response is to apologize to the other nation and the international community and promise that such an incident will not happen again. Feigning ignorance after dropping bombs on civilian residential areas in broad daylight and killing people is something that simply cannot be passed over in silence.

It is difficult to even imagine what North Korea must have been thinking in perpetrating such an extreme act. There is no way of knowing whether it stemmed from an internal political need to solidify the Kim Jong-un succession system, the rogue actions of hardliners, or a high-intensity strategy to bring the United States to the table for bilateral negotiations. Whatever the intent was, however, what is clear is that such a provocative action in no way benefits North Korea. With the international community moving even farther away from the country, Pyongyang can no longer expect any of its help in sustaining its regime or resolving economic issues.

The problem that remains now is how to resolve the situation wisely in a way that does not escalate matters and further threaten security. This will require efforts from both North Korea and South Korea, but the greater responsibility lies with North Korea. It needs to show a readiness to fix the problem it created now that attack it initiated has led to civilian deaths. If necessary, it may be wise to resume the suspended inter-Korean general-level military talks. Now it is necessary to find a way to ensure that such an unfortunate incident does not happen again.

The ultimate responsibility for this incident lies on the shoulders of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Questions of whether he authorized the attack directly or failed to control the hardliners in the military are of no importance. He must assume full responsibility for a tragedy that took the lives of South Korean civilians and take active measures to resolve the situation. Feigning innocence amid such circumstances is not the attitude of a leader responsible for one half of the Korean Peninsula. We urge him to show resolution.

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_editorial/450650.html

Yesterday's Hankyoreh cartoon:

Inter-Korean peace on fire

North Korean heir apparent Kim Jung-un, general and vice chairman of the Workers Party of Korea’s Central Military Commission, points to the blaze on Yeonpyeong Island, and shouts, “Merciless retaliation!” as a North Korean military commander stands beside him.
   North Korean artillery shells cause casualties and set homes ablaze on the island that reads, “Peace between North Korea and South Korea.” (Hankyoreh , 11.24)

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“I was at my house and I suddenly heard a ‘bang,’” said a 35-year-old Yeonpyeong resident. "I went out to see what was going on and I saw all my neighborhood turned into a sea of fire..."

24 hours after KPA's attack Yeonpyeong village looked like Jabalia (refugee camp in Gaza/Palestine) after a massive strike by the IDF!

Today's Korea Times reported the following:

North Korea’s firing of artillery shells on Yeongpyeong caused severe property damage to the island community, as illustrated by photos of the devastated houses and buildings in the otherwise peaceful fishing island.

The artillery attack burned scores of houses to the ground...

With several wildfires continuing to rage on, due to a lack of fire-extinguishing equipment and personnel, more homes and other properties will likely be destroyed, inflicting significant monetary damage on the residents.

Firefighters and residents battled a wildfire caused by the North’s attack Tuesday, which burned substantial portions of the hills and farmlands on the island. But they were not able to contain the fire entirely because of a shortage of equipment and manpower.

A dozen homes were also unable to be saved, with some 1,700 island residents scrambling to either take shelter in an underground bunker or flee to the mainland.

The artillery attack left nearly 70 percent of the forests and fields on the rural island charred, according to Incheon Metropolitan City...

Related stuff:

☞ [Photos] N.K.'s bombardment on island (K. Herald/Yonhap)

☞ A ‘terror’ island, as residents take cover in shelling (JoongAng Ilbo)

☞ South Koreans wake up to possibility of attack on capital (Guardian)

☞ Koreas on 'brink of war' because of Seoul, Pyongyang says (CNN)

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Today's TOP STORY in the S. Korean and int'l media: Pyongyang's latest "Peace Initiative for the Korean Peninsula":

In one of fiercest attacks in decades, North Korea fires at least 200 artillery shells at South Korean island(*), killing two soldiers and setting dozens of villagers' houses ablaze, Reuters reported this morning (GMT).

 
Just few minutes after the attack a source from Beijing (cited in today's Guardian) reported the following:

The artillery attacks are a "totally justifiable act of self-defence" in response to the South's sea drills, an unofficial spokesman for North Korea has said, warning that nuclear war could follow "at any point" unless the exercises stop.
   "We repeatedly warned South Korea to stop its dangerous war games. If the South continues its dangerous behaviour, Seoul will be the next target. It will be a sea of fire. Nuclear war could start at any point," said Kim Myong-chol, executive director of the Centre for Korean-American Peace. He said it was fair to describe him as speaking on behalf of the North's government.

Related reports:

☞ North Korea fires on South Korea – live coverage (Guardian)

☞ 2 Koreas exchange fire across border (yNet/Reuters)

☞ North Korean shells aim to shock (Asia Times)

☞ N. Korea threatens additional attacks (Yonhap)

☞ S. Korea may strike N. Korea's missile base (K. Herald)  

* Yeonpyeong-do(island), the location of the...

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About one hour ago Yonhap reported the following:

A sit-in strike by temporary workers of Hyundai Motor, the nation's largest automaker, was gaining force as an umbrella union group with nearly 140,000 members pushed Monday for a general strike to join the protest in demanding formal employee status for the workers.

About 550 workers have taken over the automaker's main assembly line in Ulsan, 414 kilometers southeast of Seoul, since Nov. 15, clashing with riot police and partially crippling the factory's production...

The Korean Metal Workers' Union (KMWU), the country's largest industrial union in the automobile, steel, machinery and shipping sectors, said after a meeting of representatives Monday that it will call a general strike in early December unless Hyundai Motor's management agrees to open negotiations with the striking workers.

A total of 401 KMWU representatives attended the meeting and 302 of them, or 75.3 percent, approved the general strike plan, union officials said.

"If the prolonged strike makes it impossible to operate manufacturing lines normally, the company has no option but to shorten the operation and close the factory," Hyundai Motor's Vice President Kang Ho-don said in a letter to employees.

With the strike gaining momentum, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office vowed to sternly act against the extended walkout.

"The strike by irregular workers of Ulsan factories is illegal," Lee Young-nam, senior prosecutor in charge of public safety, said, expressing concern that the labor dispute could grow into a full-blown and long-lasting one if the temporary workers form an alliance with other labor organizations.

He added that his office is currently preparing criminal proceedings to hold protesters responsible for the damage claimed by the company.

Hyundai Motor filed a suit last week against 27 workers who led the walkout, seeking 3 billion won for financial damage, and Monday filed another suit against them seeking an additional 3 billion won, doubling the compensation amount.

According to the company, the strike is expected to cause more than 100 billion won in production losses by Tuesday morning if the walkout continues throughout the day. It is the biggest loss caused by a non-regular workers' strike, the company noted.

"If the Korea Metal Workers' Union joins the strike, prosecutors will consider a response at a national level accordingly," Lee said.

The dispute began when the irregular workers, hired by a Hyundai Motor subcontractor, urged the automaker to abide by a Supreme Court ruling in July that contract employees who have worked for more than two years should be considered permanent workers...

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2010/11/22/5/0302000000AEN20101122008500315F.HTML

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Since One Week: Hyundai Motor's Irregular Workers on Strike!

Yesterday's Yonhap reported the following: The non-regular workers union at Hyundai Motor's Co. clashed with management over employment conditions on Saturday, with one employee trying to set himself afire.

Company and police sources said 550 workers who have blockaded themselves at the company's main assembly line in Ulsan since Monday clashed with members of management who asked them to end the takeover.

"Vice President Kang Ho-dong tried to speak directly with workers and called for an end to the illegal strike, but union leaders blocked his entry, resulting in clashes and fights," a company source said.

(source of the pics: KCTU)

The source said several non-regular workers were injured while others, who were dragged out by company employees...

Police also said 170 non-regular workers tried to enter another Hyundai assembly line but were dispersed by management using fire hoses, while a 33-year-old worker tried to set himself on fire (but escaped serious injury, according to K. Times, 11.21) during a separate rally at the front gate of the carmaker's factory arranged by the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)...

 
Meanwhile, according to KCTU, KMWU is calling for a 'General Strike'. "It can’t be ruled out that Hyundai Motor's militant trade union for regular workers take collective action", today's K. Times reported.

Related articles:

☞ 현대차 비정규직 노동자 분신 (VoP, 11.20)
☞ 분신한 비정규 조합원 생명에는 지장 없어 (NewsCham, 11.20)
☞ 현대자동차 비정규직 노동자 집회 중 분신 (OMN, 11.20)
☞ 사측 퇴거통보서 들고 진입. 대규모 충돌 (KCTU, 11.20)

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