Page 17 - North Korea

US flies long-range bomber for joint drills with South Korea, Japan

The United States flew a long-range bomber for joint drills with South Korea and Japan on Wednesday in a show of force against North Korea, days after the North performed its first interconnectional ballistic missile test in five months. The trilateral training off South Korea's southern island of Jeju was meant to strengthen the countries' joint response against North Korean nuclear threats, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The exercise involved a B-1B bomber and South Korean and Japanese fighter jets, the statement said. It said the B-1B's flyover is the 13th time that a US bomber has been temporarily deployed near and over the Korean Peninsula this year. A B-1B is capable of carrying a large conventional weapons payload. North Korean has previously called the bomber's deployment a proof of US hostility and had reacted with missile tests. North Korea on Monday launched a Hwasong-18 ICBM into the sea in a drill it said was meant as a warning over the US and

N Korea, Russia clash with US and S Korea over Pyongyang's missile launch

North Korea and Russia clashed with the United States, South Korea and their allies at an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday on Pyongyang's latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch, which it called a warning counter-measure to threats from the US and other hostile forces. North Korean Ambassador Kim Song said this is the most dangerous year in the military-security landscape on the Korean Peninsula, pointing to stepped up US-South Korean military exercises and the US deployment of nuclear-powered submarines and other nuclear assets to the area that have raised a nuclear war danger. The US and nine allies pointed to five North Korean ICBM launches, over 25 ballistic missiles launches and three satellite launches using ballistic missile technology this year, violating multiple Security Council resolutions and threatening the peace and stability of its neighbours and the international community. In a statement read just before the council meeting by US deputy ...

N Korea threatens 'more offensive actions' to repel US-led military threats

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened more offensive actions to repel what he called increasing US-led military threats after he supervised the third test of his country's most advanced missile designed to strike the mainland US, state media reported Tuesday. Kim's statement suggests he is confident in his growing missile arsenal and will likely continue weapons testing activities ahead of next year's presidential election in the United States. But many observers say North Korea still needs to perform more significant tests to prove it has functioning missiles targeting the U.S. mainland. After watching Monday's launch of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, Kim said the test showed how North Korea could respond if the United States were to make "a wrong decision against it, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. Kim stressed the need to never overlook all the reckless and irresponsible military threats of the enemies and to strongly counter them .

N Korea fires ballistic missile into sea amid S Korea, US' deterrence plans

North Korea on Sunday fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters, South Korea said, in a possible display of defiance against the latest steps by Washington and Seoul to tighten their nuclear deterrence plans against North Korean threats. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang at around 10:38 p.m. and that it presumes the weapon to be short-range. It said the South Korean military was sharing the launch information with the United States and Japan while maintaining readiness against the possibility of further North Korean military activities. Japan's coast guard, citing the Defence Ministry, said the weapon was believed to have already landed, but it didn't immediately provide more details. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest in years, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accelerating the expansion of his nuclear and missile programme, and flaunting an escalatory nuclear doctr

N Korea, Russia discuss economic ties as Seoul raises labour export issue

Senior North Korean economic officials met with the governor of a Russian region along the Pacific coast for discussions on boosting economic cooperation between the countries, North Korean state media said on Wednesday. The meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, came as concerns have grown in South Korea that the North may be attempting to expand its labour exports to Russia in violation of UN Security Council resolutions to generate revenue for its struggling economy and help fund leader Kim Jong Un's nuclear weapons programme. The official Korean Central News Agency said North Korean officials led by the country's external economic relations minister, Yun Jong Ho, met with the delegation led by Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of the Primorye region in the Russian Far East, and discussed elevating economic cooperation between the countries to higher levels. The report did not specify the types of cooperation that were discussed. Kozhemyako told Russian media ahead of his visit th

US, South Korea urge i'ntl push to curb North Korean nuclear programme

The national security advisers of the United States, South Korea and Japan called on Saturday for a stronger international push to suppress North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and missiles and its military cooperation with other countries amid concerns about its alleged arms transfers to Russia. The meeting in Seoul came as tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest in years, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accelerating the expansion of his nuclear and missile program and flaunting an escalatory nuclear doctrine that authorizes the preemptive use of nuclear weapons. The United States and its Asian allies have responded by increasing the visibility of their trilateral security cooperation in the region and strengthening their combined military exercises, which Kim condemns as invasion rehearsals. In a joint news conference after the meeting, Cho said the three security advisers reaffirmed North Korea's obligations under multiple U.N. Security Council ...

NSAs of US, South Korea and Japan will meet to discuss North Korean threat

The national security advisers of the United States, South Korea and Japan will meet in Seoul this week to discuss North Korea's growing military threat and other regional security issues as they continue to promote trilateral cooperation in Asia. South Korea's presidential office said its national security office director, Cho Tae-yong, will host a three-way meeting in Seoul on Saturday with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Japanese National Security Secretariat Secretary General Takeo Akiba for in-depth discussions on North Korea and other matters related to security, technology, and trade. Cho will also hold bilateral meetings with Sullivan and Akiba on Friday. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the meetings will be driven by a robust agenda of discussions of regional issues of mutual concerns, particularly in the security environment as the countries continue to build on an August summit between their leaders in Camp David, where they

South Korea launches military spy satellite amid threats from North Korea

It reported that the satellite was launched with the help of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base

Kim's sister rejects US offer of dialogue, vows more satellite launches

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday dismissed US calls for a return to diplomacy and lambasted condemnations of the North's recent spy satellite launch, vowing more launches in violation of UN bans. During a UN Security Council meeting earlier this week, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, called the North's satellite launch a "reckless, unlawful" action that threatens its neighbours. But she reiterated the US offer for dialogue without any preconditions, saying North Korea "can choose the timing and topic". Kim's sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, rejected the US overture and threatened more satellite and other weapons launches. "The sovereignty of an independent state can never be an agenda item for negotiations, and therefore, (North Korea) will never sit face to face with the US for that purpose," Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media. "(North Korea) will continue to make efforts to develop ...

South Korea delays spy satellite liftoff, after North's satellite launch

South Korea has postponed the planned launch of its first military spy satellite set for this Thursday, officials said, days after rival North Korea claimed to put its own spy satellite into orbit for the first time. Under a contract with SpaceX, South Korea is to launch five spy satellites by 2025, and its first launch using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket had been scheduled to take place at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base in the United States. The South Korean Defence Ministry said in a brief statement on Tuesday the launch was delayed due to weather conditions. Ministry officials said the launch was tentatively rescheduled for this Saturday but it wasn't a fixed date. South Korea currently has no military reconnaissance satellites of its own and partially resorts to US spy satellites to monitor moves by North Korea. After two launch failures earlier this year, North Korea said it successfully placed its Malligyong-1 spy satellite into orbit on November 21. South Korea said it ha

North Korea restores border posts amid tensions over spy satellite: Seoul

South Korea said on Monday North Korea is restoring frontline guard posts that it had dismantled during a previous period of inter-Korean rapprochement, deepening tensions that spiked over the North's recent spy satellite launch. The two Koreas each earlier dismantled or disarmed 11 of their guard posts inside their heavily fortified border under a 2018 deal meant to ease frontline military confrontations. But the deal is now in danger of being scraped, as both Koreas openly threaten to breach it amid rising animosities over the North's satellite launch. After North Korea claimed to place its first military spy satellite into orbit last Tuesday, South Korea said it would partially suspend the deal and resume front aerial surveillance in response. South Korea called its step a minimum defensive measure to respond to the launch that it says involved the North's intentions of improving its missile technology as well as establishing a space-based surveillance system. North Korea ...

Kim Jong-un labels military spy satellite as 'deploying of a space guard'

Kim's remark came during his visit to the National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA), according to the official space agency of North Korea

North Korea launches missile after South Korea partially suspends pact

South Korea said North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea but the launch likely failed Wednesday night, hours after Seoul said it would resume front-line aerial surveillance in response to the North's spy satellite launch. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement early Thursday a missile was launched from the North's capital region toward the North's eastern waters but that the launch was believed to have ended in failure. It gave no further details such as what type of missile was fired and what happened to it. The launch was North Korea's first known weapons firing in more than two months. It followed South Korea's announcement earlier Wednesday that it decided to partially suspend an inter-Korean agreement and resume flying surveillance aircraft along the border in reaction to the North's satellite launch. North Korea Thursday lambasted the South Korean move, saying it'll deploy more powerful and new weapons at the border in a tit-for-tat ...

S Korea partially suspends pact with North after it launches spy satellite

South Korea will partially suspend an inter-Korean agreement Wednesday to restart frontline aerial surveillance of North Korea, after the North said it launched a military spy satellite in violation of United Nations bans, Seoul officials said. The South Korean announcement which will likely infuriate North Korea came hours after the North claimed to have placed a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit in its third such launch attempt this year. The North's claim hasn't been independently verified; the Pentagon said it was still assessing the success of the launch, while Japan stated there has been no confirmation that the North Korean satellite entered orbit. But the United States and its allies still quickly condemned the North Korean launch, which they believe was meant to improve the country's missile technology as well as establish a space-based surveillance system. North Korea says it has sovereign, legitimate rights to launch spy satellites to cope with what it calls

North Korea says it put a military spy satellite into orbit on third try

North Korea said it placed a spy satellite into orbit with its third launch attempt this year, demonstrating the nation's determination to build a space-based surveillance system during protracted tensions with the United States. The North's claim Wednesday could not immediately independently be confirmed. Observers doubt whether the satellite is advanced enough to perform military reconnaissance. But the launch still invited strong condemnation from the United States and its partners because the U.N. bans North Korea from conducting satellite launches, calling them covers for tests of missile technology. The North's space agency said that its new Chollima-1 carrier rocket accurately placed the Malligyong-1 satellite into orbit on Tuesday night, about 12 minutes after liftoff from the country's main launch center. The National Aerospace Technology Administration called the launch a legitimate right of North Korea to bolster its self-defense capabilities. It said the spy satellite ..

North Korea tells Japan it will make 3rd attempt to launch spy satellite

North Korea told Japan that it will make a third attempt to launch a military spy satellite later this month, Japanese media reported Tuesday. Kyodo News, citing Japan's coast guard, said that North Korea notified Tokyo of its plan to launch the spy satellite sometime between Nov. 20 and Nov. 30. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told officials to try to talk Pyongyang into scrapping the plan in cooperation with the United States and South Korea, the Kyodo report said. In North Korea's two previous attempts earlier this year, the rockets carrying the satellites failed during the launch due to technical reasons. North Korea had vowed a third launch would take place sometime in October, but failed to follow through with the plan without giving any reason. North Korea says it needs a spy satellite to deal with what it calls increasing US-led military threats. South Korea retrieved debris from the first launch and called the satellite too crude to perform military reconnaissance.

South Korea military warns North Korea not to launch a spy satellite

South Korea's military warned North Korea not to go ahead with its planned spy satellite launch, suggesting on Monday that Seoul could suspend an inter-Korean peace deal and resume frontline aerial surveillance in retaliation for a launch. North Korea failed in its first two attempts to put a military spy satellite into orbit earlier this year and didn't follow through with a vow to make a third attempt in October. South Korean officials said the delay was likely because North Korea is receiving Russian technological assistance and that the North could conduct a launch in coming days. Senior South Korean military officer Kang Hopil urged North Korea to cancel its third launch attempt immediately. Our military will come up with necessary measures to protect the lives and safety of the people, if North Korea pushes ahead with a military spy satellite launch despite our warning, Kang said in a televised statement. South Korean Defence Minister Shin Wonsik said in an interview with pub

Tested new engines for intermediate-range ballistic missiles: North Korea

North Korea on Wednesday said it successfully tested new solid-fuel engines designed for intermediate-range ballistic missiles as it continues to work on developing nuclear-capable weapons targeting its rivals in the region. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said the country's military scientists tested the first-stage and second-stage missile engines on Saturday and Tuesday. The report did not say when the new missile system was expected to be completed. The North's existing intermediate-range missiles, including the Hwasong-12 that may be able to reach the US Pacific territory of Guam, are powered by liquid-fuel engines, which need to be fuelled before launch and cannot stay fuelled for long periods of time. Missiles with built-in solid propellants can be made ready to launch faster and are easier to move and conceal, which theoretically makes it harder for adversaries to detect and pre-empt the launch in advance. The recent tests were an essential process for ...

S Korea's prez will warn APEC leaders on risks of Russia-N Korea arms deal

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol slammed the purported illicit arms deal between North Korea and Russia, saying he'll emphasize its far-reaching security implications and discuss international response during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco this week. In written responses to questions from The Associated Press ahead of the APEC meeting, Yoon also said that North Korean provocations will invite immediate retaliation by South Korean and U.S. forces. There are concerns that North Korea might miscalculate and make a move against the South while the world is focused on the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. An effective way to prevent North Korea from miscalculating is to demonstrate our robust deterrence capabilities and determination towards North Korea based on the solid (South Korea) -US joint defense posture, Yoon said. North Korea's provocations will not only fail to achieve its intended goal but also result in immediate and strong retaliati

US, South Korea, Japan to share data on North Korean missile launches

The three sides had previously announced that they were negotiating an agreement on data sharing, but had not finalized a date to begin the project