Page 7 - Kim Jong-un

North Korea says Japan PM Kishida offered to meet Kim Jong Un soon

North Korea said Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida offered to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as soon as possible, but stressed that prospects for their countries' first summit in about 20 years would depend on Tokyo tolerating its weapons programme and ignoring its past abductions of Japanese nationals. Kishida said later Monday that a meeting with Kim is crucial to resolve the abduction issue, a major sticking point in bilateral ties, and that his government has been using various channels to discuss the possible summit. Observers say Kim wants improved ties with Japan as a way to drive a wedge between the US and its allies, while Kishida wants to use possible progress in the abduction issue to boost his declining approval rating at home. But they say it would be highly unlikely for a Kim-Kishida summit to happen anytime soon because North Korea has set preconditions that Japan can't accept. Kim's sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, said in a stateme

Kim visits tank unit, touts war preparations amid tensions with Seoul

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a tank exercise and encouraged his armoured forces to sharpen war preparations in the face of growing tensions with South Korea, the North's state media said Monday. Kim made those comments Sunday while visiting his top tank group, the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th Tank Division. The unit's name marks how it was the first North Korean military unit to reach the South Korean capital in 1950 when a North Korean surprise attack triggered a war that dragged on for almost four years. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have heightened after Kim in past months dialled up his military demonstrations, including tests of nuclear-capable missiles designed to target South Korea, the United States and Japan, while issuing threats of nuclear conflict against its rivals. Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have responded by strengthening their combined military exercises and updating their deterrence plans built around strategic US assets. Photos published by No

Kim Jong Un supervised tests of artillery systems targeting Seoul: N Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live-fire drill of nuclear-capable "super-large" multiple rocket launchers designed to target South Korea's capital as he vowed to boost his war deterrent in the face of deepening confrontations with rivals, state media said Tuesday. The report came a day after the South Korean and Japanese militaries said they detected North Korea firing multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward waters off its eastern coast, adding to a streak of weapons displays that have raised regional tensions. Experts say North Korea's large-sized artillery rockets blur the boundaries between artillery systems and ballistic missiles because they can create their own thrust and are guided during delivery. The North has described some of these systems, including the 600 mm multiple rocket launchers that were tested Monday, as capable of delivering tactical nuclear warheads. Photos published by the North's official Korean Central News Agency showed at least six ..

N Korea conducts short-range ballistic missile tests, raises tensions

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Monday morning, its neighbours said, days after the end of the South Korean-US military drills that the North views as an invasion rehearsal. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a parliamentary session that North Korea fired "a number of" ballistic missiles into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. He said the missiles fell outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone and no damage or injuries has been reported. Kishida denounced North Korea's repeated ballistic missile tests as acts "that threaten the peace and safety of Japan, the region and the international society". He said Japan strongly protested against North Korea over its testing activities, saying they violated UN Security Council resolutions that ban the North from engaging in any ballistic activities. South Korea's military said it also detected "several" suspected short-range ballistic launches by North Korea on ..

Kim Jong Un enjoys limousine gifted by Putin as two countries move closer

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used a Russian luxury limousine gifted by President Vladimir Putin recently, Kim's sister said on Saturday, praising the car's special function and the two countries' deepening bilateral ties. In February, Putin sent Kim a high-end Aurus Senat limousine, which he had shown to the North Korean leader when they met for a summit in Russia in September. Observers said the shipment violated a United Nations resolution aimed at pressuring the North to give up its nuclear weapons program by banning the supply of luxury items to North Korea. In a statement carried on Saturday by state media, Kim's sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, said that her brother used that limousine for the first time during an open event the previous day. The special function of the private car is perfect and can be thoroughly trusted, Kim Yo Jong said. Kim Jong Un's using of the private car sent by the president of the Russian Federation as a gift is a clear proof of (North ..

Kim Jong Un drives new-type tank during drills, calls for efforts for war

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un joined his troops in training to operate newly developed battle tanks as he called for bigger efforts to prepare for war, state media reported on Thursday. The North's tank training was seen as a response to the annual 11-day South Korean-US military drills that are to end later Thursday. The North views its rivals' exercises a rehearsal for invasion. The North's training on Wednesday was designed to inspect tankmen's combat capabilities and involved the new-type main battle tank that Kim called the world's most powerful, the official Korean Central News Agency. During the training, heavy tanks moved around various simulated harsh combat circumstances and fired rounds at targets. Kim mounted one of the new-type tanks and drove it himself, adding to the high militant spirit of the tankmen of our army, KCNA said. North Korea's Defense Ministry earlier vowed to carry out responsible military activities in reaction to the ongoing South Korea-US military

Kim Jong Un calls for greater fighting power against the US, South Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for greater war fighting capabilities against the United States and South Korea, state media reported Thursday, after his defense ministry vowed to respond to ongoing military drills it views as an invasion rehearsal by its rivals. During a visit to a western operational training base on Wednesday, Kim said the military must steadily intensify the actual war drills aimed at rapidly improving its combat capabilities for perfect war preparedness, the official Korean Central News Agency said. Kim said the heightened readiness is required to contain the constant threat of the enemies with overwhelming force, KCNA said. It said Kim guided maneuvers of military units at the site but didn't elaborate. Kim has previously made similar calls for a stronger military numerous times. But his latest demand came two days after North Korea's Defense Ministry threatened to conduct unspecified responsible military activities because South Korean-U.S. militar

N Korea threatens to take action in response to US-S Korea military drills

North Korea called the ongoing South Korean-US military drills a plot to invade the country, as it threatened Tuesday to take unspecified "responsible" military steps in response. The North's warning came a day after the South Korean and U.S. forces kicked off their annual computer-simulated command post training and a variety of field exercises for an 11-day run. This year's drills were to involve 48 field exercises, twice the number conducted last year. In a statement carried by state media, the North's Defense Ministry said it "strongly denounces the reckless military drills of the US and (South Korea) for getting more undisguised in their military threat to a sovereign state and attempt for invading it." An unidentified ministry spokesperson said North Korea's military will "continue to watch the adventurist acts of the enemies and conduct responsible military activities to strongly control the unstable security environment on the Korean Peninsula." The spokesperson didn't say

Putin gifts Russian-made car to Kim Jong Un in a show of 'special ties'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has gifted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a Russian-made car for his personal use in a demonstration of their special relationship, North Korea's state media reported Tuesday. The report didn't say what kind of vehicle it was or how it was shipped. But observers said it could violate a UN resolution that bans supplying luxury items to North Korea in an attempt to pressure the country to abandon its nuclear weapons. Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, and another North Korean official accepted the gift Sunday and she conveyed her brother's thanks to Putin, the Korean Central News Agency said. Kim Yo Jong said the gift showed the special personal relationship between the leaders, the report said. North Korea and Russia have boosted their cooperation significantly since Kim travelled to Russia last September for a summit with Putin. During Kim's visit to Russia's main spaceport, Putin showed the North Korean leader his personal Anrus Senat limousine and Kim sat

North Korea's Kim Jong Un supervises missile test, warns South Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a test of new surface-to-sea missiles and warned that the country would take a more aggressive military posture in disputed sea boundaries with war-divided rival South Korea, the North's state media said Thursday. The report by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency came a day after South Korea's military said it detected the North firing multiple cruise missiles in waters off its eastern port of Wonsan. The test, the North's sixth missile launch event of 2024, added to a provocative run in weapons demonstrations since 2022 that escalated tensions to the highest point in years. Some experts say Kim may seek to further dial up pressure in an election year in South Korea and the United States. There are growing concerns in South Korea about a direct military provocation and a possible area of conflict could be the Koreas' poorly drawn western sea boundary, which has been the site of several bloody skirmishes in past years. Kim ...

N Korea fires cruise missiles, adds to provocative weapons tests: S Korea

North Korea on Wednesday fired multiple cruise missiles into the sea in its fifth test of such weapons since January, South Korea's military said, extending a streak in weapons demonstrations that's elevating tensions in the region. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the South Korean and US militaries were analysing the launches from an area in North Korea's northeastern coast. The South Korean military didn't immediately provide the exact numbers of missiles fired or how war they flew. Experts say North Korea is ramping up pressure on its rivals in an election year in South Korea and the US, with a long-term focus of forcing Washington to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power and extract security and economic concessions from a position of strength. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has also been issuing belligerent statements toward South Korea, including a declaration that he would abandon the North's long-term objective of reconciliation with its war-divided rival

No desire for talks, will destroy S Korea if provoked: Kim Jong Un

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un restated he has no desire for diplomacy with South Korea and that the North would annihilate its rival if provoked, state media said Friday, in the latest of his belligerent statements that are raising tensions in the region. During a visit to North Korea's Defence Ministry on Thursday, Kim said his recent moves to cut ties with South Korea allow his military to take on a more aggressive posture by securing lawfulness to strike and destroy (the South) whenever triggered." Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased in recent months, with Kim elevating his weapons demonstrations and threats and the United States, South Korea and Japan strengthening their combined military exercises in response. While most South Korean officials and experts have downplayed the possibility that Kim has real intent to engage in a war, concerns about a direct military provocation have grown as the North may try to ramp up pressure in an election year in South Korea and

Kim Jong Un calls for war readiness, inspects construction of warships

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reiterated his focus on strengthening his naval forces as he inspected the construction of new warships at an eastern shipyard, calling such projects crucial to the country's war preparations, state media said Friday. His visit to the shipyard in Nampho followed a series of weapons demonstrations in January that furthered increased tensions with rivals, including tests of new cruise missiles designed to be launched from submarines. Kim in recent months has been emphasizing his goals of building a nuclear-armed navy to counter what he portrays as growing external threats posed by the United States, South Korea and Japan, which have stepped up their military cooperation to cope with Kim's nuclear weapons and missile program. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency did not specify when Kim visited Nampho. It paraphrased Kim as saying that the strengthening of his naval force "presents itself as the most important issue in reliably defending the

Kim supervised tests of missiles to be fired from submarines: North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised test firings of new cruise missiles designed to be launched from submarines and also reviewed efforts to build a nuclear-powered submarine while reiterating his goal of building a nuclear-armed navy to counter what he portrays as growing external threats, state media said Monday. The report came a day after South Korea's military said it detected North Korea firing multiple cruise missiles over waters near the eastern port of Sinpo, where the North has a major shipyard developing submarines. It was the latest in a streak of weapons demonstrations by North Korea amid increasing tensions with the United States, South Korea and Japan. North Korea's official newspaper Rodong Sinmun published photos of what appeared to be at least two missiles fired separately. Both created grayish-white clouds as they broke the water surface and soared into the air at an angle of around 45 degrees, which possibly suggests they were fired from torpedo launch ...

N Korea fired several cruise missiles in provocative weapons tests: S Korea

South Korea's military said Sunday that North Korea fired several cruise missiles from waters off an eastern military port, in the country's latest weapons demonstration in the face of deepening tensions with the United States, South Korea and Japan. The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff didn't immediately say how many missiles were fired or how far they flew. It wasn't immediately clear how the launches were conducted, although the North has previously tested cruise missiles from sea assets. The launches were the North Korea's third-known launch event of 2024, following a previous round of cruise missile tests on Jan. 24 and a Jan. 14 test-firing of the country's first solid-fuel intermediate range ballistic missile. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased in recent months as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to accelerate his weapons development and issue provocative threats of nuclear conflict with the US and its Asian allies. The US, South Korea and Japan in respons

N Korea scraps agencies managing ties with South as Kim cites hostility

North Korea has abolished key government organisations tasked with managing relations with South Korea, state media said on Tuesday, as authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un said he would no longer pursue reconciliation with his rival. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said the decision to abolish the agencies handling dialogue and cooperation with the South was made during a meeting of the country's rubber-stamp parliament on Monday. During a speech at the assembly, Kim blamed South Korea and the US for raising tensions in the region. He said it has become impossible for the North to pursue reconciliation and a peaceful reunification with the South. He called for the assembly to rewrite the North's Constitution in its next meeting to define South Korea as the North's "No 1 hostile country". Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years after Kim in recent months ramped up his weapons demonstrations. The US and its allies Seoul and Tokyo responded

Tested solid-fuel missile tipped with hypersonic weapon, says North Korea

North Korea on Monday claimed it flight-tested a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead as it pursues more powerful, harder-to-detect weapons designed to strike remote US targets in the region. The report by North Korea's state media came a day after the South Korean and the Japanese militaries detected the launch from a site near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, in what was the North's first ballistic test of 2024. The launch came two months after North Korea said it successfully tested engines for a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile, which reflected a push to advance its lineup of weapons targeting US military bases in Guam and Japan. The North's official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday's launch was aimed at verifying the reliability of the missile's solid-fuel engines and the maneuverable flight capabilities of the hypersonic warhead. It described the test as a success. KCNA did not mention whether North Korean leader Kim

North Korea fires intermediate-range ballistic missile, can reach US bases

North Korea fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday, South Korea's military said, two months after the North claimed to have tested engines for a new harder-to-detect missile capable of striking distant US targets in the region. The launch was the North's first this year. Experts say North Korea could ramp up its provocative missile tests as a way to influence the results of South Korea's parliamentary elections in April and the US presidential election in November. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it detected the launch of a ballistic missile of an intermediate-range class from the North's capital region on Sunday afternoon. It said the missile flew about 1,000 kilometres before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The Joint Chiefs of Staff called the launch a provocation that poses a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula. It said South Korea's military will maintain its readiness t

Kim calls South Korea 'principal enemy' amid heightened tensions with US

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called South Korea our principal enemy and threatened to annihilate it if provoked, as he escalates his inflammatory, belligerent rhetoric against Seoul and the United States before their elections this year. Experts say Kim will likely further raise animosities with weapons tests to try to influence the results of South Korea's parliamentary elections in April and the U.S. presidential election in November. Kim made the remarks during inspection tours of munitions factories in North Korea this week, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday. He said North Korea's priority in its relations with Seoul "is to bolster up the military capabilities for self-defense and the nuclear war deterrent first of all, KCNA said. If South Korea dares to use his military force against North Korea and threaten its sovereignty, Kim said We will have no hesitation in annihilating (South Korea) by mobilizing all means and forces in our hands, ...

N Korea to push production of mobile launch vehicles amid tensions with US

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered authorities to increase production of mobile launch vehicles for missiles because the country faces a looming military showdown with its enemies, state media reported Friday, as it pushes to make its launches harder to detect. The report on Kim's order came hours after the White House said US intelligence has determined that North Korea has supplied ballistic missile launchers to Russia for its war in Ukraine. The US and its allies have previously accused North Korea of sending artillery and ammunition to Russia in return for Russian technologies to enhance its own military programmes. The official Korean Central News Agency said Kim visited a factory that produces transport erector launchers, or TELs, without saying when he went or where the factory is. TELs are mobile launch vehicles which give North Korea the ability to move missiles around its territory, making it more difficult for its adversaries to detect launches in advance. Some South