KOREAN PEACE DIVIDENDS PAYOUT NOW

Harvesting Korean Peace Dividends

Vietnamese Lessons for the US and Korean Peninsula

Ever since the era of peace arrived at the Korean Peninsula in 2018, the world has waited patiently with abated breath ready to reap and harvest the expectant abundant windfall of the Korean peace dividends.  Economic growth and trade benefits are the best guarantee for a lasting and sustainable Korean peace.   The US in fact holds the major key to unlock and unleash unto the world the tremendous prosperity from the Korean Peninsula. 

The 2019 DPRK-USA Vietnam Summit will see US President Donald Trump meeting DPRK Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, Vietnam from 27-28 February 2019.  This is their 2^nd meeting.

The significance of Vietnam as the venue for the 2^nd Trump-Kim Summit has both symbolic and voluminous importance regarding President Trump’s indelible place in history for a major watershed landmark foreign policy achievement within less than 2 years of his Presidency.  

Historically, Vietnam shares much similarity and familiarity with Korea.  From traditional dynastic empires to occupation and involuntary colonisation by foreign powers and followed by a long war with the US over whom they had also prevailed.    

The Indochina Peninsula was forcibly colonised by the French in the mid-19^th century after centuries of flourishing imperial dynasties.  Japanese occupation came in 1940 following World War II.  After the Japanese defeat in 1945, Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh declared independence and a 9-years war ensued with the French colonial power that they finally defeated in 1954.  The country was divided into a communist North Vietnam (or Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam supported by the US.  The conflicts (called the “American War” by the Vietnamese and “Vietnam War” by the American) lasted from 1965-1973, ultimately ended decisively with the North Vietnamese victory in 1975.

Within a period of just 30 years from 1945-1975, Vietnam had defeated 2 global superpowers namely, France and the US, in her fight for independence and freedom.  Her aspirations for independence and freedom should be well-understood and appreciated by similar bloody struggles in US history. 

Arguably, Vietnam is the only country ever to defeat the might of the American military through sheer perseverance, courage, strategy and political will.  And as the US retreated in defeat from Vietnam in 1975, it also imposed such crippling sanctions and trade embargoes so as to hinder the legitimate aspirations and efforts of the Vietnamese people in economic growth and national development.

On 3 Feb 1994, President Bill Clinton partially lifted the 19-year-old trade embargo on the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.  He also announced the formal normalization of diplomatic relations between the US and Vietnam on 11 July 1995.

On 23 May 2016, President Obama officially lifted the historical 50-year US trade embargo on Vietnam in a major policy shift in global trade.  This removed all the long-standing US sanctions and trade embargoes imposed on Vietnam in 1975 in the aftermath of her defeat in the Vietnam War.

Quite obviously, the Vietnamese peace dividends, albeit delayed by 20-50 years are simply astounding and staggering.  US-Vietnam bilateral trade grew from just over US$200 million in 1994 to more than US$50 billion in 2019.  In 2018, Vietnam ranked as the 17^th US trading partner in total trade value by November 2018 of US$54.3 billion, with US$8.88 billion exports and imports of US$45.42 billion (a deficit of $36.55 billion).

Like Vietnam, the Korean Empire was forcibly annexed by Japan in 1910. Koreans were subjected to a period of brutal suppression and unimaginable atrocities until the Japanese defeat in 1945.  From 1945, Korea was partitioned at the 38^th Parallel with the Communist “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” (DPRK) in the North, supported by China and Russia, and the “Republic of Korea” (ROK) in the South supported by the US and Western European nations.

In 1950, DPRK Leader Kim Il-sung launched the Korean War in an attempt to reunify Korea, meeting fierce and vigorous resistance from the US and Western European nations supporting ROK.  The conflicts ended in a ceasefire “Armistice Treaty” in 1953.  In 1991, DPRK and ROK were accepted into the United Nations.

Both the Korean and Vietnam Wars were fought for the same reasons to secure independence and freedom, albeit under different political systems.  Their respective national leaders refused to accept the division and partition of their countries by foreign powers.

In 2018, 65 year later, DPRK and the US agreed to work towards a final settlement to formally end the Korean War between the US and DPRK.

As for DPRK and ROK, DPRK Leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea President Moon Jae-In also signed on 19 September 2018 the Pyongyang Declaration which affirmed their earlier April 2018 Historic Panmunjeom Declaration. Together, they declared to the world to abide thoroughly by and faithfully implement the 2 Agreements, essentially constituting the Korean North-South Peace Treaty, and to take practical measures to transform the Korean Peninsula into a land of permanent peace.  Before 80 million Korean people and the whole world, they solemnly renounced war on the Korean Peninsula to begin an era of peace.

The Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula was adopted between DPRK Leader Kim Jong-un and ROK President Moon Jae-in on 27 April 2018 during the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit on the South Korean side of the Peace House in the Joint Security Area.

According to the declaration, the governments of DPRK and ROK agreed to cooperate on officially ending the Korean War to begin a new era of peace and sharing commitments in ending divisions and confrontation by approaching a new era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity and improvements to inter-Korean communication and relations.

In a culturally significant symbolic act, they stood with their spouses on Mount Paektu, the spiritual ancestral mountains of the Koreans to pay homage to their common ancestors and to proclaim that the North-South brothers are no longer estranged and divided, and to vow “never again” to war with one another, and to develop mutual relations for national reconciliation and cooperation for real peace and co-prosperity so as to realise the common aspiration and hope of all Koreans for cultural, social and eventual political unity. 

As the sun rose that fine autumn day, the dawn of Korean peace had begun.  I was then in DPRK for a different reason.

The Korean North-South Peace treaty ended the Korean War. The 1853 Armistice signed on 27 July 1953 was designed to "ensure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved”. The Agreement implementing the Panmunjom Declaration in essence and fact represents that “final peace settlement”.  Following the Peace Treaty, military exercises were cancelled, border posts removed and the number of border guards substantially reduced, among other confidence building measures to enhance peace building efforts.

With their terms and conditions fulfilled, the United Nations Command (UNC) established by UN Security Council Resolutions 83 and 84 are therefore rendered obsolete.  The dissolution of the UNC also has widespread implications and consequences for many countries who benefited from the Korean conflict.  These include up to 7 UNC Bases in Japan, nearly 30,000 US soldiers in ROK as well as other US assets and resources deployed in the Far East.    

In their 1st Singapore Summit last year on 12 June 2018, US President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and DPRK Chairman Kim Jong-Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 

Even as they meet in Hanoi, Vietnam for their 2^nd meeting, much focus has been on the DPRK denuclearization process in progress.  The US has yet to unveil its framework proposal for DPRK security guarantees as promised.  US security guarantees for DPRK is the major key to fully unlock Korean denuclearization.  In the meantime, crippling trade and economic sanctions on the DPRK should be eased or lifted to turn on the flow of Korean peace dividends so as to embolden and empower the ongoing North-South peace process.  

As they embarked on their 2^nd meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, President Trump and DPRK Leader Kim should be mindful of the advice of President Clinton and President Obama:

“The history we leave behind is painful and hard. We must not forget it, but we must not be controlled by it” (President Clinton, 18 Nov 2000).

[… an opportunity to end a] “lingering vestige of the Cold War (and) to complete what has been a lengthy process of moving towards normalization with Vietnam” (President Obama, 23 May 2016).

The multiplier benefits to the global economy from immediate Korean peace dividends would be even more tremendously enriching when compared to Vietnam.  They must begin to be unlocked and turned on now, today.

  

Government looks beyond disinformation in targeting foreign influence in Singapore

SINGAPORE: Speaking in Parliament on Feb 12, Senior Minister of State for Law Edwin Tong opened a second front on Singapore’s war on foreign influence.

With legislation already on the cards for deliberate online falsehoods (DOFs), the Government’s attention has shifted in parallel to specific foreign and state actors, intent on interfering in Singapore’s domestic politics via other means.



Quite apart from dealing with lies and disinformation campaigns, which were well documented via hearings of the Select Committee on DOFs last year, Mr Tong stressed that “in the physical world, foreign actors may also interfere in our domestic politics through the use of proxies, by funding or donating to politically-involved individuals and organisations, or by taking on key leadership roles in their organisations”.

Substantiating his point, Mr Tong used the examples of foreign interference in the politics of Australia and New Zealand, channelled through political donations.

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/deliberate-online-falsehoods-legislation-singapore-fake-news-11263036

The obsession to control the media, main and social media, is likely the real reason to start a Singapore version of McCarthyism here.  The social media is so great a threat, main media is not as it is well controlled and regulated, so new laws are needed and the hype of foreign influence through social media must look like a real and present danger.

Now the next phase, threats from foreign actors trying to influence the country's policies. I can only see the USA as a country that continuously hyped on threats to its national interest as it needs to protect its empire and its dominance in the world. Now Singapore is like copying the American hype of threats and threats relentlessly, but for what? Singapore does not have an empire to protect, neither does it have to protect its dominance in the world?

The real threat to Singapore's security is the presence of millions of foreigners from one or two countries that would change the demographic pattern of the population where political power is based. The huge concentration of any particular nationality is a grave concern and this is not even talked about or taken so lightly. The foreigners are so nice, so peaceful, so obedient, would not even commit crimes. When the day the foreigners turn against us, it would be too late as too many are already here and many in high places, even in the govt holding key positions.

We have brought in a Trojan Horse with a few million foreigners inside and waiting to explode.

This is not a threat to our national security? We are afraid of a few individuals trying to influence our policies and not afraid of the millions of foreigners on our soil, inside our country? The quoting of foreign influence in Australia and New Zealand is uncalled for as it is an indirect interference and meddling the affairs of other countries and would only incur the wrath of affected countries.

When you do not want others to interfere in your internal affairs, it is best not to interfere with the affairs of others. Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you. Remember the South China Sea island dispute between China and the Philippines? Now the Philippines are an ally of China, not even bother to mention about the fake and scandalous court rulings.

With so many foreigners with dubious intention in the island, we are waiting for a major crisis of grave proportion to destroy the peace and stability in this island. Does anyone care?

The foreigners are taking over our island with our eyes wide open but not seeing.

DBS Vickers Securities - Restructuring or Retrenchment

'The equities trading business is critical to DBS and we have no plans to shut it down...exploring different models with a view to delivering a stronger customer proposition with minimal employee impact.' This is a quote from Business Times when DBS was asked about the rumour that it was closing down its equity business.

In the townhall meeting, DBS told the remisiers that they would not be doing equity business anymore and the Company would speak to everyone of them to try to fit them into another job in DBS according to their experience and qualifications subject to its policy on employing employees after retirement age and market practices.

The above two paragraphs when read superficially brought a little hope to the remisiers that all is not lost and maybe they could still be reemployed in some capacity in DBS. The devil is in the details, so they said and I would like to look into the statements and see how meaningful or how meaningless they are to the remisiers, told to look forward to a new journey. By the way, the person that crafted these clever replies would be highly sought after as a potential politician.

In the townhall meeting, DBS spokesman said DBS Vickers Securities would not be closed down. But all the remisiers will no longer be engaged in equity trading but redeployed into other areas if found suitable. The equity business would be taken over by the bank. This simply means that remisiers cannot trade in equities anymore despite their years of experience in this trade, ie made redundant.  And the business they built over several decades would be taken over by DBS.

There will be minimal impact on employees, remisiers are not. Most of the employees, ie support staff in equity trading are likely to be absorbed by the banks to continue what they were doing. The remisiers would be like a clean sheet of paper, newbies, as their wealth of experience would no longer be relevant as they would not be doing what they were doing in the last 20 or 30 years. What do you think they can do in DBS when their only experience is equity trading? Would there be comparable jobs that pay them the same as what they were as remisiers when they have no relevant experience? What would be the likely jobs for them, customer guides in the banking hall, security guards, cleaners?

Another critical factor is age. Remember, retirement age is 62 in DBS though MOM specifically said that this is only the Minimum Retirement Age. Many of the remisiers are in the 60s, 70s and even 80s. How many would be found useful enough to be offered reemployment in DBS and if found suitable, likely to be on a one year contract, maybe renewable. Without this restructuring, the remisiers are looking to a lifelong employment in equity trading as long as they could churn up enough business to justify their existence. Very likely the majority of those above 62 would face unemployment, unsuitable and too old to be working. Those in the late 50s or early 60s could see a similar fate as 62 is around the corner.

In reality, this restructuring exercise would see many remisiers being jobless, not only the oldies but also those below 60s, if they could not find a job that fit their experience and qualifications unless they are willing to take anything that DBS is offering.

There will be minimal impact on employees of DBS Vickers Securities but maximum impact on the pool of remisiers. This is a retrenchment exercise in a different guise. Many of the remisiers will join the statistics of the unemployed PMETs. DBS could look very generous by offering a one year contract to a few remisiers to show how caring DBS is as an employer, but for how long and what kind of jobs and what kind of remuneration?

Let me summarise. DBS is telling the remisiers that they cannot practise their trade and all their clients and business would be taken over by the bank. Period. Many remisiers would be made jobless and a few could be offered jobs that are not comparable to what they were doing and not paying what they were getting as remisiers. They too would lose their jobs in a matter of time.

See the small prints or what is in between the lines? With the GE around the corner, this could be an issue for the opposition to kick around and DBS would be on the lips of everyone.

Another insensitive and stupidity has no cure event in NTU

The Nanyang Technological University‘s (NTU) Japanese Appreciation Club has drawn flak for hosting a Japanese Cultural Festival, which was touted to be the student club’s biggest event, on 18 Feb – the same date that saw the horrific Sook Ching massacre unfold, 77 years ago.

The Sook Ching massacre was a systematic purge of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore by the Japanese military during the Japanese occupation of Singapore and Malaya. The operation was overseen by the Imperial Japanese Army’s Kempeitai secret police.

The devastating genocide, which took place from 18 February to 4 March 1942 at various places in the region, occurred a mere three days after the British colony surrendered on 15 February 1942 following the Battle of Singapore.

Thousands of Singaporeans died in the purge. While Japan officially said that fewer than 5,000 deaths occurred, Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew has said that “verifiable numbers would be about 70,000”.

In 1966, Japan agreed to pay US$50 million in compensation, half of which was a grant and the rest as a loan. They did not make an official apology....

The above is posted in theindependent.sg. Shaking my head. What is the root of NTU? Singaporeans must know their history, the good and the bad, to know how far they have come. Do not forget your past.

Life after 60 - Chan Meng Hui ran 101 marathons passed away at 89.

https://youtu.be/dwTMlQy8Ihc

The above is a clip produced by Channel News Asia on Chan Meng Hui. He did his 100th marathon at 85. He started running in his 50s. He is an inspiration for the seniors not to give up on your physical body. Keep running and keep it healthy and functioning.

The South East Asia Masters is coming to Singapore on 3-5 May. This is the first time it is being held together with Singapore Open Masters. Venue is likely to be Bishan Stadium. Start training and join the fun. It has all the events like a school sports day, track and field events. It is not about winning but about getting down on the track, in the stadium with all the seniors reliving a time when we were young, like school boys and girls again.

If your timing beats the qualifying time for the Asian Masters in December in Kuching, Malaysia, you would be eligible for a fully paid air ticket and 50% subsidy for accommodation to represent Singapore in the Meet.

If you want to peep at the qualifying times, send me an email. It is in Excel and I am unable to post it here. Below are a few samples of the qualifying times.

Men Age/Time in seconds

100m   55/14.08   60/15.02   65/16.05   70/17.02   75/18.58
200m   55/28.76   60/30.25   65/32.28   70/38.27   75/40.25
400m   55/84        60/95        65/104      70/110      75/140

Women Age/Time

100m   55/17.34   60/18.24   65/18.95   70/19.28   75/20.15
200m   55/28.25   60/29.31   65/30.15   70/31.03   75/31.95
400m   55/95   60/102     65/120      70/170      75/179

PS. I will be running in the 100m for age group 65-69 in the SE Asia Meet and will be in the 70-74 age group in the Asian Masters in Dec. I am doing about 15 sec and hoping to go below 15 sec.