Page 17 - South Korea

South Korea, EU worry about Russia's technology transfer to North Korea

South Korea and the European Union on Monday strongly condemned North Korea's reported dispatch of troops to aid Russia's war against Ukraine and expressed concerns that Russia could reward North Korea with transfers of sensitive technology to enhance its nuclear and missile programs. North Korea's troop deployment, confirmed by the US and NATO, threatens to expand the almost 3-year-long war and is causing security jitters in South Korea and elsewhere about what Russia could give North Korea in return. After a meeting in Seoul, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell issued a joint statement condemning in the strongest possible terms North Korea's deployment and voicing worries about Russia's possible provision of materials and technology to North Korea in support of its military objectives. We are also deeply concerned about the possibility for any transfer of nuclear- or ballistic missile-related technology to the DPRK, which would ...

South Korea, EU condemn North Korea's reported troop dispatch to Russia

Top South Korean and European Union officials on Monday strongly condemned North Korea's reported troop dispatch to aid Russia's war against Ukraine and agreed to work together to try to block deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. North Korea's alleged troop deployment threatens to expand the almost 3-year-long war and is causing security jitters in South Korea, where many worry Russia might reward the North by giving it sophisticated weapons technology or offering a defense commitment in the event of a conflict on the Korean Peninsula. In a meeting in Seoul, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun and the EU's visiting foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, expressed serious concerns about North Korea's reported troop dispatch and strongly condemned it, according to a statement from the South Korean Defense Ministry. The two agreed to work together with the international community to try to obstruct Russian-North Korean security cooperation, the statement .

US, Japan, South Korea hold drills after N Korea's ballistic missile launch

"Amid gradually increasing security cooperation between the three countries, (we) will strengthen coordination to deter and jointly respond to North Korea's threats," it said in the statement cited

US and South Korea condemn China's military exercises around Taiwan

The report further indicates that sources from the U.S. and Japan indicate that approximately 10,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and may collaborate with Russian forces in actions aga

France credit rating outlook cut to negative by Moody's on deficit woes

Moody's put the negative outlook on its Aa2 assessment, a rating France shares with South Korea and United Arab Emirates

US, Japan and, South Korea join hands to support digital infra in India

The United States, Japan and S Korea on Friday announced the launch of a new framework that furthers their collaboration with the Indian private sector to support digital infrastructure in India. An announcement in this regard was made by the US International Development Finance Corporation, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank). DFC CEO Scott Nathan, JBIC Governor Nobumitsu Hayashi, and Korea Eximbank Chairman and CEO Hee-sung Yoon signed the Digital Infrastructure Growth Initiative for India Framework (DiGi Framework) to support projects in the information and communications technology sector such as 5G, Open RAN, submarine cables, optical fiber networks, telecom towers, data centres, smart city, e-commerce, AI, and quantum technology, a media release said. The DiGi Framework creates a streamlined process where DFC, JBIC, and Korea Eximbank, in partnership with the Indian private sector, can provide support to mee

South Korean prez vows response as North Korean troops head to Ukraine

South Korea's president said Thursday his government won't sit idle as North Korea allegedly sends troops to support Russia's war on Ukraine, as he met with the leader of Poland to discuss expanding defence cooperation amid the ongoing conflict. The meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Polish President Andrzej Duda came a day after US and South Korean officials said they believe around 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are training at several locations. South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers that North Korea likely aims to send a total of 10,000 troops to Russia by the end of the year. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the presence of North Korean troops. We agreed that North Korea's troop deployment to Russia, which is in direct violation of the UN charter and U.N. Security Council resolutions, is a provocation that threatens global security, Yoon said after the summit. Yoon said South Korea will work with allies and partners to .

Lonely deaths rise in South Korea: Can a $327 mn plan end the isolation?

Seoul's new initiative offers 24x7 access to loneliness counsellors via hotline, online platform, and follow-up visits for those needing extra support

North Korea sent troops to Russia, what it means for war with Ukraine?

American and South Korean officials said Wednesday that there's evidence North Korea has dispatched troops to Russia in a potential escalation of the nearly 3-year-old war with Ukraine. If the soldiers' goal is fighting with Russia in Ukraine, it would be the first time a third country puts boots on the ground in the war. Other countries on both sides of the divide have sent military aid, including weapons and training: Iran has supplied Russia with drones, and Western nations have provided Ukraine with modern weapons and financial and humanitarian assistance. South Korea's spy chief told lawmakers that 3,000 North Korean troops were being trained to use equipment including drones before being sent to fight in Ukraine. United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters during a visit to Rome that we are seeing evidence that there are North Korean troops who have gone to Russia. What exactly they're doing - left to be seen," Austin said. Neither Austin nor South Korean ...

South Korea hints at arming Kyiv after reports of North's troops in Russia

South Korea warned Tuesday it could consider supplying weapons to Ukraine in response to North Korea allegedly dispatching troops to Russia, as both North Korea and Russia denied the movements. The South Korean statement is apparently meant to pressure Russia not to bring in North Korean troops in its war against Ukraine. South Korean officials worry that Russia may reward North Korea by giving it sophisticated weapons technologies that can boost the North's nuclear and missile programs that target South Korea. In an emergency National Security Council meeting, top South Korean officials condemned North Korea's alleged dispatch of troops as a grave security threat to South Korea and the international community. They described North Korea as a criminal group that forces its youths to serve as Russian mercenaries for an unjustifiable war, the South Korean presidential office said in a statement. The officials agreed to take phased countermeasures, linking the level of their responses

South Korea calls for withdrawal of alleged North Korean troops in Russia

South Korea on Monday demanded the immediate pullout of North Korean troops allegedly deployed in Russia as it summoned the Russian ambassador to protest deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. South Korea's spy agency said Friday it had confirmed that North Korea sent 1,500 special operation forces to Russia this month to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korea soldiers were being prepared to join invading Russian forces. During a meeting with Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev, Vice South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun condemned in the strongest terms North Korea's troop dispatch that he said poses a grave security threat" to South Korea and the international community, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Kim said that South Korea in collaboration with the international community will mobilize all available means to deal with an

S Korea calls for immediate withdrawal of N Korean troops in Russia

South Korea on Monday demanded the immediate pullout of North Korean troops allegedly deployed in Russia as it summoned the Russian ambassador to protest deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. South Korea's spy agency said Friday it had confirmed that North Korea sent 1,500 special operation forces to Russia earlier this month to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korea soldiers were being prepared to join invading Russian forces. During a meeting with Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev, Vice South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun condemned in the strongest terms North Korea's troop dispatch that he said poses a grave security threat" to South Korea and the international community, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Kim said that South Korea in collaboration with the international community will mobilise all available means to deal

North Korea claims finding remains of South Korean drone in its capital

North Korea said Saturday it found the remains of a South Korean drone during a search in its capital, Pyongyang, claiming the drone proved the South's military was behind the alleged drone infiltrations over the city's skies earlier in the month. The North's official Korean Central News Agency released photos showing a seemingly damaged aircraft with wide, V-shaped wings and winglets. It said a joint investigation by North Korea's military and state security agencies concluded that the aircraft, which it said was found on Oct. 13, was the same type of drone that appeared in a South Korean military parade earlier in October. North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over the night skies of Pyongyang three different times this month to drop anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets. It threatened to respond with force if such flights occur again. The aircraft allegedly found in Pyongyang was likely one of the drones that were used to drop leaflets, North Korea's Defense Ministry .

Kim Jong stresses troops to treat South Korea as hostile foreign enemy

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reminded his troops to treat South Korea as a hostile foreign enemy and insisted that the North wouldn't hesitate to attack its rival if the South infringes upon its sovereignty, state media said Friday. Kim's comments at an army headquarters came after North Korea this week confirmed that it revised its constitution to define South Korea as a hostile state and blew up front-line road and rail links that were once connected to the South. The steps punctuated Kim's calls for North Korea to abandon its longstanding goals of reconciling with the South and reflect his intent to escalate tensions and increase leverage amid a deepening stalemate in diplomacy. Analysts see increasing risks of possible clashes along the rivals' tense border areas, although it would be highly unlikely for the North to contemplate full-scale attacks in the face of superior U.S. and South Korean forces. During a visit to the headquarters of the North Korean People's Army's 2nd .

N Korea declares S Korea 'hostile state' after demolishing road connections

Earlier this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared South Korea its 'principal enemy' and cut off all communication, escalating tensions

N Korea blows up parts of inter roads as tensions with S Korea rise

South Korea said North Korea blew up the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use on Tuesday, as the rivals are locked in rising animosities over North Korea's claim that South Korea flew drones over its capital, Pyongyang. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement that North Korea blew up parts of the roads on Tuesday. It said South Korea's military is bolstering its readiness and surveillance posture but gave no further details. The explosions came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called a meeting with his top military and security officials. During the meeting, Kim described the alleged South Korean drone flights as the enemy's serious provocation and laid out unspecified tasks related to immediate military action and the operation of his war deterrent for defending the country's sovereignty, the North's state media reported earlier Tuesday. North Korea earlier put frontline artillery and other army units on standby to launch strikes o

N Korea prepares to destroy northern sides of roads no longer in use: Seoul

South Korea said Monday it has detected signs that North Korea is preparing to destroy the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use, as the rivals are embroiled in soaring tensions over North Korea's claim that South Korea flew drones over its territory. Destroying the roads would be in line with leader Kim Jong Un's push to cut off ties with South Korea and formally cement it as his country's principal enemy. South Korea's military said Monday that it was observing various activities in North Korea that appeared to be preparations for demolishing the roads, such as installing screens. They have installed screens on the road and are working behind those screens, preparing to blow up the roads, Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a briefing. He said the demolitions could be carried out as early as Monday. Lee said that the South Korean military believes that the North could also attempt to launch a space rocket, which is viewed by th

Front-line units ready to strike Seoul if more drones appear: North Korea

North Korea said on Sunday it put its front-line army units ready to launch strikes on South Korea, ramping up pressure on its rival that it said flew drones over the capital Pyongyang. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it sent drones but warned it would sternly punish North Korea if the safety of its citizens is threatened. North Korea on Friday accused South Korea of flying drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang and threatened to respond with force if a similar incident happened again. In a statement carried by state media on Sunday, the North's Defence Ministry said that the military had issued a preliminary operation order to artillery and other army units near the border with South Korea to get fully ready to open fire. An unidentified ministry spokesperson said the North Korea's military ordered relevant units to fully prepare for situations like launching immediate strikes on unspecified enemy targets when South Korea infiltrates drones across the border

Sister of North Korea's leader threatens South Korea over drone flights

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday accused South Korea of deliberately avoiding responsibility for the alleged flights of South Korean drones over the North's capital, and warned of a terrible calamity if they continue. The statement by Kim Yo Jong came a day after North Korea's Foreign Ministry claimed that South Korean drones carrying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets were detected in the night skies over Pyongyang on October 3, and Wednesday and Thursday this week. The ministry said North Korean forces will prepare all means of attack capable of destroying the southern side of the border and the South Korean military, and respond without warning if South Korean drones are detected in its territory again. South Korea's defence minister initially denied the accusation, but the South's military later adjusted its response, saying it couldn't confirm whether or not the North's claims were true. In comments published through state media, Kim, one o

South Korea's central bank raises interest rates to strengthen economy

South Korea's central bank on Friday cut its policy rate for the first time in more than four years as pressure to revive a sluggish economy outweighed concerns about the country's level of household debt. The Bank of Korea lowered its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 3.25% following a meeting of its monetary policy committee, in its first move to lower borrowing costs since May 2020, when the economy was weathering the COVID-19 pandemic. The bank raised the rate by a quarter percentage point in August 2021 over concerns about inflation and soaring household debt, driven in part by skyrocketing house prices, and then froze rates for over three years. The bank said in a statement that domestic demand is making a slow recovery, bogging down the pace of economic growth. It said there was room for a rate cut because inflation is showing signs of stabilizing and household debt is also increasing more slowly as the housing market in the greater Seoul area cools down. So