Page 12 - North Korea

Russia discusses deployment of long-range weapons with closest partners

Russia's President Vladimir Putin arrived in North Korea on Wednesday, with the United States and its allies saying they fear Moscow could provide aid for Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programmes

Vladimir Putin visits North Korea for first time in 24 years; key details

Putin's visit to North Korea has angered US as South Korea called the Western nation to discuss potential implications

Putin vows to build trade, security with North Korea that West can't touch

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea for supporting his actions in Ukraine and said their countries will cooperate closely to overcome US-led sanctions as he headed to Pyongyang on Tuesday for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Putin's comments appeared in an op-ed piece in North Korean state media hours before he was expected to arrive in the North for a two-day visit as the countries deepen their alignment in the face of separate, intensifying confrontations with Washington. Putin, who will be making his first visit to North Korea in 24 years, said he highly appreciates its firm support of his invasion of Ukraine. He said the countries would continue to "resolutely oppose" what he described as Western ambitions to "to hinder the establishment of a multipolarized world order based on mutual respect for justice". Putin also said Russia and North Korea will develop unspecified trade and payment systems "that are not controlled by the West" and jointly oppo

S Korean soldiers fire warning shots after N Korean troops' intrusion

South Korean soldiers on Tuesday fired warning shots to repel North Korean soldiers who temporarily crossed the rivals' land border for the second time this month, South Korea's military said. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said around 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers, while engaging in unspecified construction work on the northern side of the border, briefly crossed the military demarcation line that bisects the countries as of 8:30 a.m. It said the North Korean soldiers retreated after the South broadcasts warnings and fired warning shots and the South's military didn't spot any suspicious activities after that. The South also fired warning shots on June 11 after another group of North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the MDL. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that Tuesday's incident occurred in a different area along the central frontline region. It said it doesn't believe the North Korean soldiers intruded the border intentionally and that the North did not return fire. The South

Putin vows trade, security deals with North Korea beyond reach of West

Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said Russia and North Korea may sign a partnership agreement during the visit that would include security issues

Russian Prez Putin to visit North Korea, Vietnam; US embassy reacts sternly

No country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalise his atrocities, said US embassy in Hanoi

Why Russia's bonhomie with North Korea is potential danger to the world

Russia's forces have been able to blast thousands of artillery shells a day at Ukraine thanks to supplies sent by Kim Jong Un

South Korea, US sound alarm over North Korea-Russia ties before Putin visit

Security Council resolutions, officials of South Korea and the United States warned on Friday

S Korea oppn leader Lee indicted over funds transfer to North Korea

"I am not that foolish," Lee said last year, calling the charges against him "fiction" as a court denied a warrant for his arrest

North & South Korea turn up loudspeakers to blare propaganda at each other

What began as South Korea's response to over 1,000 balloons filled with trash and manure sent by the North Korea has evolved into a battle of loudspeakers

S Korean troops fire warning shots after N Korean soldiers crossed border

South Korean soldiers fired warning shots after North Korean troops violated the land border earlier this week, South Korea's military said Tuesday. Some North Korean soldiers who were engaged in unspecified work on the northern side of the border briefly crossed the military demarcation line on Sunday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Those North Korean soldiers returned to their territory after South Korea's military fired warning shots and issued warning broadcasts, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It said North Korea had not conducted any other suspicious activities. The Koreas' mine-strewn land border is the world's most heavily armed border, with hundreds of thousands of combat troops facing each other. It's a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The border-crossing incident came amid rising tensions over North Korea's recent launches of trash-carrying balloons.

Seoul activists develop 'smart balloons' to send messages into North Korea

Built using 3D printers and components sourced online and sometimes equipped with GPS-tracking, these so-called "smart balloons" can cost up to $1,000 each

N Korea installing its own loudspeakers along the border, says S Korea

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff didn't immediately comment on the number of suspected North Korean speakers

Putin to visit North Korea, Vietnam soon to strengthen diplomatic ties

The Kremlin has said Russia wants to build a partnership with North Korea "in all areas" but has yet to confirm the date of the visit

Balloon war escalates: North and South Korea exchange trash and propaganda

The two Korean nations are engaged in a fierce exchange of trash-filled balloons, carrying propaganda as military tensions rise

Seoul to resume loudspeaker broadcasts as Pyongyang sends trash balloons

South Korea says it will restart anti-North Korean propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas in response to continuing North Korean campaigns to drop trash on the South with balloons. Following an emergency security meeting led by South Korean national security director Chang Ho-jin, the officials decided to install and begin the loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas on Sunday, Seoul's presidential office said in a statement. The move is certain to anger North Korea and potentially prompt it to take its own retaliatory military steps. Chang and other South Korean security officials berated Pyongyang for attempting to cause anxiety and disruption in South Korea and stressed that North Korea will be solely responsible for any future escalation of tensions between the Koreas. North Korea over the weekend flew hundreds of trash-carrying balloons to South Korea in its third such campaign since late May, the South's military said, just days after South Korean activists floated ..

North Korea resumes flying balloons in likely bid to drop trash, says Seoul

North Korea resumed flying balloons on Saturday in a likely attempt to drop trash on South Korea again, South Korea's military said, two days after Seoul activists floated their own balloons to scatter propaganda leaflets in the North. Animosities between the two Koreas have risen recently because North Korea launched hundreds of balloons carrying manure and trash toward South Korea in protest of previous South Korean civilian leafletting campaigns. In response, South Korea suspended a tension-easing agreement with North Korea to restore frontline military activities. Saturday's balloon launches by North Korea were the third of their kind since May 28. It wasn't immediately known if any of North Korean balloons has landed on South Korean territory yet across the rivals' tense border. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that North Korean balloons likely carrying balloons were moving in an eastward direction but they could eventually fly toward the south because the direction of

US conducts 1st precision bombing drill in 7 yrs amid tensions with N Korea

The United States flew a long-range B-1B bomber over the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday for its first precision-guided bombing drill with South Korea in seven years, the South said Wednesday. The US B-1B bomber conducted joint aerial drills with other US and South Korean fighter jets, South Korea's Defence Ministry said in a statement. It said the B-1B bomber dropped Joint Direct Attack Munitions during the training while being escorted by South Korean jets, the first such bombing drill since 2017. The JDAM bombs include bunker-busters. JDAM is a guidance system that converts unguided, conventional bombs into more precise, GPS-guided weapons. All US fighter jets, bombers and drones can use JDAMs, and the munitions are among the weapons systems the United States has been providing to Ukraine to help it fight Russia's invasion. The drill is seen as a show of force against North Korea amid rising tensions over its recent launches of trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea. North Ko

Trash balloons are deepening rift between North and South Korea; here's why

Animosities between North and South Korea are rising sharply again over an unusual cause: The North's rubbish-carrying balloons. In the past week, North Korea floated hundreds of huge balloons dumping manure, cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, waste batteries and even reportedly dirty diapers across South Korea. In response, South Korea vowed unbearable retaliatory steps and moved to suspend a fragile military deal meant to ease tensions with its northern neighbor. Experts say if South Korea resumes live-fire drills or anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts via loudspeakers in border areas, that's certain to infuriate North Korea and may prompt it to take its own provocative countermeasures along the border. Here's a look at North Korea's balloon launches: WHAT DID NORTH KOREA DO? Since May 28, North Korea has sent about 1,000 balloons carrying all kinds of trash across the border. No hazardous materials were found, but South Korean social media was still abuzz with worries that Nort

South Korea suspends military deal with North Korea over trash balloons

South Korea on Tuesday took steps to suspend a contentious military agreement with North Korea and resume frontline military activities, as tensions between the rivals are rising over the North's recent launch of trash-carrying balloons. North Korea didn't immediately respond, but South Korea's resumption of firing exercises or propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts will likely prompt North Korea to take similar or stronger steps along the rivals' tense border. In the past week, North Korea has used balloons to drop manure, cigarette butts, scraps of cloth and waste paper on South Korea, prompting Seoul to vow unbearable retaliation. On Sunday, North Korea said it would halt its balloon campaign. On Tuesday, South Korea's Cabinet Council and President Yoon Suk Yeol approved a proposal to suspend the 2018 inter-Korean agreement on lowering frontline military tensions. It will take effect once Seoul formally notifies the North. Cho Chang-rae, South Korea's deputy defense minister for poli