Page 28 - South Korea

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

North Korea scraps all economic cooperation with South Korea: Report

The project was suspended in 2008 after a South Korean tourist who strayed into a restricted zone was shot and killed by North Korean guards

IPO for India unit not decided yet, final decision in a month: Hyundai

'We constantly review various measures, including listing overseas subsidiaries, to increase corporate value, but nothing has been decided,' Hyundai Motor said in a regulatory filing

AFC Asian Cup: Korean coach Jurgen Klinsmann questioned about his reaction

Jurgen Klinsmann's broad smile is part of his charm. But on Tuesday in Qatar, the South Korea coach was left to explain why he was grinning after his team suffered a painful defeat in the semifinals of the Asian Cup. Klinsmann warmly congratulated Jordan coach Hussein Ammouta on the field after his team produced a big upset with a 2-0 win at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. Perhaps a little too warmly. For me it's normal to congratulate the other coach when his team was better in a game. I think this is a sign of respect, Klinsmann said when questioned about his post-game reaction. They deserved this win today. They were the better team, but this is for me totally normal. If you say I shouldn't smile, give somebody a smile that deserves a compliment in that moment, maybe we have different approaches. There has been criticism of Klinsmann and South Korea's performances in reaching the semifinals. His tactics were questioned and the general impression is that he should have done more with su

Samsung Chief Lee Jae-yong acquitted of financial crimes related to merger

A South Korean court on Monday acquitted Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong of financial crimes involving a contentious merger between Samsung affiliates in 2015 that tightened his grip over South Korea's biggest company. The ruling by the Seoul Central District Court could ease the legal troubles surrounding the Samsung heir less than two years after he was pardoned of a separate conviction of bribery in a corruption scandal that toppled a previous South Korean government. The court said the prosecution failed to sufficiently prove the merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries was unlawfully conducted with an aim to strengthen Lee's control over Samsung Electronics. Prosecutors had sought a five-year jail term for Lee, who was accused of stock price manipulation and accounting fraud. It wasn't immediately clear whether they would appeal. Lee had denied wrongdoing in the current case, describing the 2015 merger as normal business activity. Lee, 56, did not answer ...

South Korean court acquits Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong of financial crimes

A South Korean court acquitted Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong who was accused of stock price manipulation and accounting fraud in relation to a contentious merger between two Samsung affiliates in 2015 that tightened his grip over South Korea's biggest company. The ruling by the Seoul Central District Court on Monday could ease the legal troubles surrounding the Samsung heir less than two years after he was pardoned of a separate conviction of bribing a former president in a corruption scandal that toppled a previous South Korean government. The court said the prosecution failed to sufficiently prove that the merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries was unlawfully conducted with an aim to strengthen Lee's control over Samsung Electronics. Prosecutors had sought a five-year jail term for Lee. It wasn't immediately clear whether they would appeal. Lee had denied wrongdoing over the current case, saying that the 2015 merger was part of normal business activity. Lee .

India seeks greater market access for steel, rice, shrimp from S Korea

India has sought greater market access for certain products such as steel, rice, and shrimp from South Korea with a view to boost exports of these goods, an official said. These are part of the negotiations, which are underway, for the upgradation of the existing free trade agreement between the two countries, which is officially dubbed as comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA). The agreement was operationalised in January 2010. The 10th round of upgradation talks are underway here. "We are asking for greater market access for products such as steel, rice and shrimp," the official said. In the meeting, India has flagged issues over Korean firms not buying Indian steel. "Korean firms in India also place orders from their local firms in Korea, so this is a double whammy for Indian companies. The Korean side has asked for an increase in price competitiveness here," the official added. On rice, there is a tariff rate quota of five lakh tonnes in Korea. Under this, they h

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

US F-16 fighter jet crashes in South Korean sea, pilot ejects safety

A US Air Force pilot safely ejected from an F-16 fighter jet that crashed into waters off South Korea's southwestern coast on Wednesday, in the second crash of the aircraft in less than two months. The unidentified pilot was conscious and was transported to a medical facility for assessment, the US 8th Fighter Wing said in a statement. It said it closely worked with US and South Korean mission partners to recover the pilot, who experienced an unspecified in-flight emergency and ejected before the plane crashed into sea near the port city of Gunsan. The cause of the crash was being investigated. "We are very thankful to the Republic of Korea rescue forces and all of our teammates who made the swift recovery of our pilot possible," said Col. Matthew C. Gaetke, the commander's wing, referring to South Korea's formal name. "Now we will shift our focus to search and recovery of the aircraft." The 8th Fighter Wing, which is composed of two F-16 squadrons, previously experienced an F-16 ..

North Korea tests long-range cruise missiles to sharpen attack capabilities

North Korea said Wednesday it conducted a test-firing of long-range cruise missiles with an aim to sharpen its counterattack and strategic strike capabilities, in its latest display of weapons threatening South Korea and Japan. The report by North Korean state media came a day after South Korea's military detected the North firing multiple cruise missiles into waters off its western coast, the third launch of such weapons this month. The event extended a provocative streak in weapons testing as North Korea continues to raise pressure on the United States and its Asian allies amid a prolonged freeze in diplomacy. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said that the weapon tested on Tuesday was the Hwasal-2 and that the launch did not affect the security of neighbors. The report didn't specify the exact numbers of missiles fired or the specifics of their flight performance. The North has previously described the Hwasal-2 as nuclear-capable and that their range is up to 2,00

North Korea fired cruise missiles in 3rd launch of such weapons this month

South Korea's military detected North Korea firing multiple cruise missiles into the sea off its western coast Tuesday in its third round of tests of such weapons this month. The launches came amid heightened tensions in the region, where the pace of both North Korea's weapons demonstrations and the United States' combined military exercises with allies South Korea and Japan have intensified in a tit-for-tat. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the South Korean and US militaries were analyzing the launches. It didn't immediately provide specific flight details, including the number of missiles fired and how far they flew. The launches follow tests on January 24 and January 28 of what North Korea has described as a new cruise missile developed for submarine launches. The North also on January 14 tested a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile, which underscored its efforts to advance its lineup of weapons targeting remote US targets in the Pacific, including the military hub

Baidu, not Google, to power AI on Samsung Galaxy S24 series phones in China

Samsung is making a push to expand its small share in China, the world's largest smartphone market

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

Boeing to boost manufacturing in Vietnam as supplier builds plant

KP Aero will be formally granted later this week the authorisation to invest $20 million in Vietnam, authorities in the central city of Danang said in a media statement on Wednesday

North Korea has fired several cruise missiles into sea, says South Korea

South Korea's military said Wednesday that North Korea fired several cruise missiles into waters off its western coast, as an analysis of commercial satellite images suggested that the North has torn down a huge arch in its capital that symbolized reconciliation with war-divided rival South Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week described the Pyongyang monument as an eyesore and called for its removal while declaring that the North was abandoning long-standing goals of a peaceful unification with South Korea and ordered a rewriting of the North's constitution to define the South as its most hostile foreign adversary. The launches marked North Korea's second known launch event of the year, following a Jan 14 flight test-firing of the country's first solid-fuel intermediate range ballistic missile, which reflected its efforts to advance its lineup of weapons targeting US military bases in Japan and Guam. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday that the US and Sout

US-China tech rivalry keeps South Korean chipmakers in costly limbo

While China is still by far South Korea's biggest trading partner, monthly exports to the US surpassed those to China for the first time in more than two decades

Number of N Korean defectors to S Korea tripled in 2023, says Seoul

The number of North Korean defectors entering South Korea nearly tripled in 2023 compared to the previous two years, including a higher number of youth and elite, CNN reported

N Korea tests underwater nuclear attack drone in response to rivals' drills

North Korea said on Friday it had tested a purported underwater nuclear attack drone in response to a combined naval exercise between South Korea and the United States and Japan this week, as it continues to blame its rivals for raising tensions in the region. The alleged drone test came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared he would scrap his country's long-standing goal of a peaceful unification with South Korea and that his country would rewrite its constitution to define South Korea as its most hostile foreign adversary. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years with Kim accelerating weapons demonstrations and threatening nuclear conflict and the US and its Asian allies responding by strengthening their combined military exercises. North Korea's alleged nuclear attack drone, which the North first tested last year, is among a broad range of weapon systems demonstrated in recent years as Kim expands his arsenal of nuclear-capable weapons. .