Page 22 - North Korea

Japanese, US, and South Korean officials condemn North's weapons plans

Senior officials from Japan, the US and South Korea condemned North Korea over its recent ICBM-class ballistic missile launches and vowed to step up their trilateral cooperation to strengthen deterrence and sanctions against the North, while stressing the need for dialogue with Pyongyang. Their meeting Thursday in the central Japanese city of Karuizawa comes days after North Korea's solid-fuel ICBM launch last week, which landed in the water off the western coast of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido and one day after the launch of two missiles on Wednesday. The US special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, also said that the United States was working hard to gather information about an American soldier who fled to the North earlier this month. The US was seeking to ensure his safety and return him home, Kim said. Pvt Travis King, 23, had been held in South Korea on assault charges and was released on July 10 after serving his time. He was taken to the airport Monday bu

No word from North Korea on US soldier who dashed across military border

US officials said Pyongyang has not responded to communication from the American military about the soldier, Private Travis T. King

N Korea silent on apparent detention of US soldier who crossed border

North Korea was silent about the highly unusual entry of an American soldier across the Koreas' heavily fortified border although it test-fired short-range missiles Wednesday in its latest weapons display. Nearly a day after the soldier bolted into North Korea during a tour in the border village of Panmunjom, there was no word on the fate of Private 2nd Class Travis King, the first known American detained in the North in nearly five years. The North's missile launches Wednesday morning were seen as a protest of the deployment of a US nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea the previous day and weren't likely related to King's border crossing. It's likely that North Korea will use the soldier for propaganda purposes in the short term and then as a bargaining chip in the mid-to-long term, said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in South Korea. King, 23, was a cavalry scout with the 1st Armoured Division who had served nearly two months in a South Korean

US soldier flees into North Korea in new crisis over nuclear-armed state

The U.S. Army identified the soldier as Private Travis T. King who joined up in 2021 and was facing disciplinary action

N Korea fires 2 missiles into sea as US docks nuclear submarine in S Korea

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea early Wednesday in what appeared to be a statement of defiance as the United States deploys a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in decades. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that from 3.30 to 3.46 am North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from an area near capital Pyongyang that flew about 550 kilometers before landing in waters east of the Korean Peninsula. Those flight details were similar to the assessment of the Japanese military, which said the missiles landed outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone and that there were no immediate reports of damage from ships or aircraft in affected areas. The flight distance of the North Korean missiles roughly matched the distance between Pyongyang and the South Korean port city of Busan, where the USS Kentucky arrived Tuesday afternoon in the first visit by a US nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea since the ...

US national detained in North Korea after accidentally crossing border

The national detained is thought to be an American soldier who was on an orientation tour of the joint security area between North and South Korea

S Korea-US consulting group meets in response to North Korea's threats

A bilateral consulting group of South Korean and US officials met Tuesday in Seoul to discuss strengthening their nations' deterrence capabilities against North Korea's evolving nuclear threats. The Nuclear Consultative Group was established as part of agreements Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol made when they met in April. Seoul officials say the body is tasked with sharing information on nuclear and strategic weapons operation plans and discussing joint operations. The US would retain operational control of US nuclear weapons, and Washington officials say the group's establishment and other steps announced in April were meant to ease South Korean worries about North Korean provocations while keeping Seoul from pursuing its own nuclear program. The group's inaugural meeting will serve as an important starting point to establish powerful, effective Korea-US extended deterrence, Yoon said during a televised Cabinet Council meeting, referring to a US security commitment to use .

Kim Jong Un vows to boost nuke capability after observing new ICBM launch

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further bolster his country's nuclear fighting capabilities as he supervised the country's second test-flight of a new intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the mainland U.S., state media reported Thursday. Kim's statement suggests North Korea would ramp up weapons testing activities to expand its arsenals in response to recent U.S. steps to enhance its security commitment to ally South Korea. "The present unstable situation in which the security environment on the Korean peninsula is being seriously threatened by the hostile forces every moment," Kim said, according to state media. "(That) requires more intense efforts to implement the line of bolstering nuclear war deterrent." The Korean Central News Agency disclosed Kim's comments, after confirming the North conducted a successful launch of the Hwasong-18 ICBM on Wednesday. The launch was first reported by its neighbours soon after its liftoff. The Hwasong-18 is a ...

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North Korea launches ballistic missile toward its eastern waters: S Korea

North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters Wednesday, its neighbors said, two days after the North threatened "shocking" consequences to protest what it called a provocative U.S. reconnaissance activity near its territory. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says the launch was made on Wednesday morning but gave no further details such as how far the weapon flew. Japan's Defense Ministry said it also detected a possible ballistic missile launch by North Korea. The launch, the North's first weapons firing in about a month, came after North Korea earlier this week released a series of statements accusing the United States of flying a military plane close to North Korea to spy on the North. The United States and South Korea dismissed the North's accusations and urged it to refrain from any acts or rhetoric that raises animosities. In a statement Monday night, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean sister Kim Jong Un, claimed that the U.S. spy plan

S Korea pushes for action against North's nuclear ambitions at Nato summit

South Korea's president says it's time to clearly demonstrate strong international resolve to deter North Korea's nuclear ambitions, and plans to discuss how to cope with the North's expanding weapons arsenal with NATO leaders this week. Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the annual NATO summit being held this year in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a two-nation trip that includes a stop in Poland. "Now is the time to clearly demonstrate that the international community's determination to deter North Korea's nuclear weapons program is stronger than North Korea's desire to develop nuclear weapons," he said. It's the second consecutive year that Yoon will take part in the summit, underscoring his push to deepen ties with the world's biggest military alliance. South Korea faces a mix of security challenges, including North Korea's nuclear program and the U.S.-China strategic rivalry. Last year, he became the first South Korean leader to attend a NATO summit when he took

US flies nuclear-capable bombers in a fresh show of force against N Korea

The United States flew nuclear-capable bombers to the Korean Peninsula on Friday in its latest show of force against North Korea, days after the North staged massive anti-US rallies in its capital. The long-range B-52 bombers took part in joint aerial drills with other US and South Korean fighter jets over the peninsula, South Korea's Defence Ministry said in a statement. The bombers' flyover is the latest in a series of temporary US deployments of strategic assets in South Korea in response to North Korea's push to expand its nuclear arsenal. Two weeks ago, the US deployed a nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying about 150 Tomahawk missiles to South Korean waters for the first time in six years. The USS Michigan's arrival came a day after North Korea resumed missile tests to protest previous US-South Korean drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. The South Korean Defence Ministry said the B-52 bombers' deployment boosted the visibility of US strategic assets to the

North Korea holds rallies against US "imperialism," warns of nuclear war

North Korea organises mass rallies in Pyongyang condemning US imperialism. People shouted slogans like the "war of revenge" to destroy the United States

N Korea calls failed spy satellite launch 'serious' shortcoming, vows a 2nd

Top North Korean officials vowed to push for a second attempt to launch a spy satellite as they called their country's first, and failed, launch last month the most serious shortcoming this year and harshly criticized those responsible, state media reported Monday. In late May, a North Korean rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite crashed soon after liftoff, posing a setback to leader Kim Jong Un's push to acquire a space-based surveillance system to better monitor the United States and South Korea. The failed launch and North Korean efforts to modernize its weapons arsenals were discussed heavily at a three-day ruling party meeting that ended Sunday, with the presence of Kim and other top officials. A lengthy Korean Central News Agency dispatch on the meeting didn't clearly say who spoke, but said a report to the meeting bitterly criticized the officials who irresponsibly conducted the preparations for (the) satellite launch. The report set forth tasks for officials a

S Korea to carry out 1st in-depth inquiry into forced labour in North Korea

South Korea plans to carry out its first in-depth inquiry into forced labour practices in North Korea through interviews with defectors who have arrived in South Korea over the past five years

N Korea opens key party meeting to discuss its economy, defense strategies

With leader Kim Jong Un in attendance, North Korea opened a key political conference to discuss improving its struggling economy and reviewing defense strategies in the face of growing tensions with rivals, according to state media reports Saturday. The enlarged plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee came as the United States sent a nuclear-powered submarine to South Korea in the allies' latest show of force against the North, which has ramped up its testing of nuclear-capable missiles to a record pace in recent months. During the first day of meetings Friday, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said, party officials reviewed the country's economic campaigns for the first half of 2023, and discussed foreign policy and defense strategies to cope with the changed international situation. The agency didn't specify what was discussed or mention any comments made by Kim. It said the meeting will continue for at least another day. The arrival Frida

Chandrababu Naidu calls Jagan the brother of North Korea's Kim Jong Un

Jagan has till now ruled the State by simply threatening the people and the public is no longer ready to bear it, Chandrababu alleged

US nuke-powered submarine arrives in South Korea after Pyongyang's launch

A US nuclear-powered guided missile submarine arrived in South Korea for the first time in six years, amid heightened tensions after North Korea's launch of two ballistic missiles

US, South Korea, Japan condemn North Korea's latest missile provocation

The top national security advisers of the US, South Korea, and Japan condemned North Korea's missile launches on Thursday, calling them clear violations of multiple resolutions

South Korea says North Korea has launched ballistic missile toward sea

North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile off its east coast on Thursday, hours after South Korean and US troops ended a fifth round of large-scale live-fire drills near the Koreas' heavily fortified border. The North Korean launch is its first since it failed in an attempt to put its first spy satellite into orbit in late May. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launch occurred on Thursday evening but gave no further details. Japan's Defense Ministry also said it detected a possible ballistic missile fired by North Korea. The launch came after North Korea's military vowed an unspecified response to South Korean-US drills at a front-line South Korean firing range earlier on Thursday. The exercises were the fifth and last round of South Korean-US firing drills that began last month. This year's drills were the biggest of their kind since they began in 1977. Our response to (the South Korean-US drills) is inevitable, an unidentified spokesperson of the North Korean Defen