Korea Officials Hold Tariff Talks With Lutnick as Deadline Looms
Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo attended a two-hour meeting with Lutnick at the Commerce Department, according to a text message from Korea's finance ministry. The talks are part of a broader push by Seoul to strike a deal before President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff on imports of Korean products rises to 25% on Aug. 1.
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Miami Herald
32 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Who is Kim Yo Jong, sister and 'right hand' of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un?
SEOUL, South Korea - Since taking office in January, President Trump has expressed an interest in restarting talks with Kim Jong Un, whom he met for a series of unsuccessful denuclearization summits in 2018 and 2019. But throwing cold water on the latest hopes of a Round 2 is none other than Kim Yo Jong, the powerful younger sister of the North Korean leader. In a statement published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, she said that a precondition for any sort of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang was U.S. acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear state. "Any attempt to deny the position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state which was established along with the existence of a powerful nuclear deterrent and fixed by the supreme law reflecting the unanimous will of all the DPRK people will be thoroughly rejected," she said in the statement. While adding that the personal relationship between Trump and her brother Kim was "not bad," she warned against trying to leverage this into Pyongyang's denuclearization, a scenario she called "a mockery of the other party." Here's what to know about Kim Yo Jong, who has variously been described as Kim's mouthpiece and a potential successor: Born in either 1987 or 1988, Kim Yo Jong is Kim's only sister, and one of the five children born to Kim Jong Il, who ruled North Korea from 1994 to 2011. She is the vice director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department at the Korean Workers' Party, as well as a member of the State Affairs Commission, North Korea's top decision-making authority. Little is known about her upbringing, other than the fact that she spent part of her youth in Bern, Switzerland, where she was educated alongside her brother. She later attended Kim Il Sung University in North Korea. Since making her first major public appearance at her father's funeral in 2011, Kim Yo Jong has quickly established herself as a key figure in her brother's circle - a feat that none of her other siblings or half-siblings have managed. Passed over for succession in favor of Kim Jong Un, her eldest brother Kim Jong Chul is now reportedly living a quiet life away from politics. Her half-brother Kim Jong Nam, a playboy once known for his fondness for Disneyland - and who some suggested was a CIA informant - was assassinated at an airport in Malaysia in 2017, on orders believed to have come from leader Kim. Kim Yo Jong, who is believed to be one of the North Korean leader's most trusted aides, with considerable influence over foreign policy, has routinely been spotted with her brother during important public events, such as those showcasing the nation's nuclear weapons, and high-profile international trips. She was part of the North Korean delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea in 2018. At her brother's summit with then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in that year, Kim Yo Jong attended as a special envoy. Since assuming her current position as vice director of the Workers' Party's Propaganda and Agitation Department in 2014, she has been at the front lines of North Korea's ideological messaging, writing much of Pyongyang's signature invective. She was blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2017. After moves by the U.S. and South Korea to bolster their military alliance in 2023, she called President Biden "an old man with no future" and former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol "a hungry dog barking with the joy of getting a bone." Last year, in response to North Korean defectors in South Korea sending balloons filled with propaganda over the border - which prompted North Korea to retaliate with trash-filled balloons of its own - she threatened a "gruesome and dear price" for what Pyongyang has long seen as hostile acts, denouncing the defectors as "scum." Kim Yo Jong's pedigree and political rise have fueled speculation that she might one day be an heir to her older brother. But with succession having been intergenerational, experts have said the more likely heir will be one of leader Kim's children. South Korean intelligence officials believe that Kim has three children, with the eldest and youngest being sons. Despite the fact that North Korea has always been led by men, the only child to have appeared in public is his young daughter, Kim Ju Ae, whose increasing presence at state events with her father has raised the possibility this tradition may one day be broken. Still, the North Korean leader is believed to suffer an array of health issues related to his weight, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Experts including Thae Young-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea in 2016, say this makes Kim Yo Jong's role all the more crucial. In an interview with South Korean media in 2023, Thae expressed his belief that the Kim family's grip on the country may not survive another generation, arguing that ordinary North Koreans were increasingly disillusioned by dynastic rule. Still, he said, "if Kim Jong Un suddenly dies, the system is such that interim leadership can only pass to the No. 2, Kim Yo Jong." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
UPI
33 minutes ago
- UPI
The real threat on Korean Peninsula: Chinese, North Korean political warfare
North Korea's Kim Jong-Un (L) and China's Xi Jinping are both engaging in political warfare with South Korea. File Photo by KNCA/EPA July 30 (UPI) -- Amid escalating tensions between conservatives and liberals in South Korea, and as the world fixates on North Korea's menacing nuclear arsenal, a more insidious threat is shaping the fate of the Korean Peninsula: sophisticated and largely covert political warfare orchestrated by the regimes in Beijing and Pyongyang. While missile launches and rhetoric grab international headlines, China's strategy of "unrestricted warfare" and the Kim family's brand of "political warfare with Juche characteristics" are quietly undermining the Republic of Korea from within, eroding its democracy and threatening the pillars of the ROK-U.S. alliance. Unrestricted warfare and "three warfares" in the Korean context China's concept of "unrestricted warfare" -- popularized by the People's Liberation Army and operationalized through the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department -- goes far beyond traditional battlefield engagement. It includes a coordinated, all-domain campaign of "three warfares," psychological operations, legal, or lawfare, maneuvers and media/public opinion warfare. The goal of these tactics is clear: to weaken adversaries without firing a shot, minimize attribution and gain strategic dominance by sowing confusion, division and dependency in targeted societies. In South Korea, the United Front Work Department plays a pivotal role in coordinating influence operations. The department actively seeks to suppress dissent against the Chinese Communist Party, monitor diaspora communities and foster loyalty among ethnic Chinese within South Korea. Organizations such as the All-Korean Nationals of Chinese Descent Council mirror similar work department-aligned groups worldwide, cultivating pro-Beijing sentiment and integrating the community under CCP-friendly leadership. Intelligence gathering, elite capture, economic coercion and technology transfer are just a few of the tactics employed to shape South Korean policy and public opinion in ways that align with Beijing's interests. Political warfare with Juche characteristics: North Korea's hand North Korea, under the Kim family regime, has long waged political warfare, guided by its own Juche ideology, as a core weapon against the South. Pro-North Korean elements within South Korea, spanning political figures, civic organizations and clandestine networks pursue active subversion. Their efforts, sometimes lead to legal intervention, fuel political controversies and polarization, further complicating South Korea's internal dynamics. These activities are not theoretical concerns; they are ongoing, with direct implications for key political events such as the snap presidential election held last June. Covert assistance from Pyongyang's United Front Department and the Reconnaissance General Bureau supports agents of influence in the South, aiming to delegitimize Seoul's democratic institutions and fracture the U.S.-ROK security partnership. The subtle power of covert action One of the defining qualities of Chinese and North Korean influence operations is mastery of covert action. Their tradecraft is designed around deniability: admit nothing, deny everything, and make counteraccusations to undermine any allegations of illicit activities. The lack of overt evidence is not proof of innocence, but rather a hallmark of skillful subversion and effective tradecraft. When credible exposés or documentaries reveal such operations, well-coordinated attacks arise, not organically, but as orchestrated disinformation campaigns intended to discredit the truth and intimidate dissenters. The almost instantaneous, highly synchronized responses to critical media coverage of Chinese or North Korean influence operations in South Korea reveal the depth of planning and forethought -- not spontaneous public backlash, but a calculated attempt to manipulate perceptions and stifle legitimate concerns. Strategic objectives undermining democracy and the alliance The objectives of China and North Korea are inextricably linked. Beijing views a weak or politically fractured South Korea as a strategic advantage, undermining U.S. influence in the region and shifting the balance of power in favor of Chinese interests. Simultaneously, Pyongyang seeks to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington, undermine the legitimacy of South Korea's democracy and eventually end the U.S. nuclear umbrella, as well as the American military presence on the peninsula. Both regimes benefit from mutual reinforcement: Chinese support for North Korean provocations and Pyongyang's subversive leverage serves the broader aim of turning the Korean Peninsula into a fault line in U.S.-China strategic competition. This shared interest sustains a persistent campaign to destabilize the South, not just through conventional threats, but by eroding the very fabric of Korean society and politics from within. South Korea: battleground of strategic competition The Korean Peninsula is no longer just a flashpoint for North Korean military threats or domestic political struggles; it is ground zero in the broader clash between U.S.-led democratic alliances and authoritarian great power ambitions. Rather than simply preparing for open aggression, South Korea must recognize and counter the unseen campaigns waged daily by its northern neighbor and the world's most powerful authoritarian state. Ignoring or dismissing these operations as "fake news" or conspiracy theory only serves the interests of Beijing and Pyongyang. Their sophisticated political warfare is a direct assault on South Korea's independence, democratic institutions and its alliance with the United States. Recognizing and exposing these malign activities, however subtle, covert or denied, is the first step to ensuring South Korea's sovereignty, security and continued prosperity. South Korea must therefore invest in robust counterintelligence, civic education and information resilience to protect its democratic system. Only by acknowledging the true nature of the threat, one that operates invisibly but with strategic intent, can the Korean Peninsula avoid being reshaped according to the designs of those who seek its division and subjugation. David Maxwell is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces colonel who has spent more than 30 years in the Asia Pacific region. He specializes in Northeast Asian security affairs and irregular, unconventional and political warfare. He is vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy and a senior fellow at the Global Peace Foundation. After he retired, he became associate director of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. He is on the board of directors of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and the OSS Society and is the editor at large for the Small Wars Journal.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
US economy rebounds more than expected— with GDP growing 3% despite tariffs
The US economy expanded at a surprising 3% annual pace from April through June, bouncing back at least temporarily from a first-quarter drop that reflected disruptions from President Trump's trade wars. Still, details of the report suggested that US consumers and businesses are wary about the economic uncertainty arising from Trump's radical campaign to restructure the American economy by slapping big taxes — tariffs — on imports from around the world. 'Headline numbers are hiding the economy's true performance, which is slowing as tariffs take a bite out of activity,' Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic wrote. 3 America gross domestic product — the nation's output of goods and services — rebounded after falling at a 0.5% clip from January through March. AFP via Getty Images America gross domestic product — the nation's output of goods and services — rebounded after falling at a 0.5% clip from January through March, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The first-quarter drop, the first retreat of the US economy in three years, was mainly caused by a surge in imports — which are subtracted from GDP — as businesses scrambled to bring in foreign goods ahead of Trump's tariffs. The bounceback was expected but its strength was a surprise: Economists had forecast 2% growth from April through June. From April through June, a drop in imports — the biggest since the COVID-19 outbreak — added more than 5 percentage points to growth. Consumer spending registered lackluster growth of 1.4%, though it was an improvement over the first quarter's 0.5%. Private investment fell at a 15.6% annual pace, biggest drop since COVID-19 slammed the economy. A drop in inventories — as businesses worked down goods they'd stockpiled in the first quarter — shaved 3.2 percentage points off second-quarter growth. 3 From April through June, a drop in imports — the biggest since the COVID-19 outbreak — added more than 5 percentage points to growth. REUTERS A category within the GDP data that measures the economy's underlying strength weakened in the second quarter, expanding at a 1.2% annual pace, down from 1.9% from January through March and the weakest since the end of 2022. This category includes consumer spending and private investment but excludes volatile items like exports, inventories and government spending. Federal government spending and investment fell at a 3.7% annual rate on top of a 4.6% drop in the first quarter. Wednesday's GDP report showed inflationary pressure easing in the second quarter. The Federal Reserve's favored inflation gauge – the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, price index – rose at an annual rate of 2.1% in the second quarter, down from 3.7% in the first. Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PCE inflation rose 2.5%, down from 3.5% in the first quarter. 3 President Trump heralded the GDP gain on Wednesday. AFP via Getty Images On his Truth Social media platform, Trump heralded the GDP gain and stepped up his pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates: '2Q GDP JUST OUT: 3%, WAY BETTER THAN EXPECTED! 'Too Late' MUST NOW LOWER THE RATE. No Inflation! Let people buy, and refinance, their homes!'' Trump sees tariffs as a way to protect American industry, lure factories back to the United States and help pay for the massive tax cuts he signed into law July 4. But mainstream economists — viewed with disdain by Trump and his advisers — say that his tariffs will damage the economy, raising costs and making protected US companies less efficient. They note that tariffs are paid by importers in the United States, who try to pass along the cost to their customers via higher prices. Therefore, tariffs can be inflationary — though their impact so far has been modest.
