"Evacuate To Bunkers": Seoul Issues Warning As N. Korea Launches Missiles

[daytrader]

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called a meeting of the National Security Council over the launch, which analysts said was one of the most "aggressive and threatening" in many years.

Seoul: North Korea fired more than 10 missiles Wednesday, including one that landed close to South Korea's waters that President Yoon Suk-yeol said was 'effectively a territorial invasion'.
An air raid warning was issued for Ulleungdo that was flashed on national television and told residents to "evacuate to the nearest underground shelter".

One short range ballistic missile crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border between the two countries, prompting a rare warning for residents on the island of Ulleungdo to seek shelter in bunkers.

The military said it was the "first time since the peninsula was divided" at the end of the of Korean War hostilities in 1953 that a North Korean missile had landed so close to the South's territorial waters.

"(Yoon) pointed out today that North Korea's provocation is an effective territorial invasion by a missile that crossed the Northern Limit Line for the first time since the division," his office said in a statement.

The missile that was closest to South Korea landed in waters just 57 kilometers (35 miles) east of the South Korean mainland, the military said.

The military released a statement describing the missile launch near South Korean territorial waters as "very rare and intolerable".

"Our military vowed to respond firmly to this (provocation)," it added.

The South Korean military's Joint Chiefs of Staff initially said it detected the launch of three short range ballistic missiles.

But it later announced North Korea had fired "at least 10 missiles of various types today towards the east and west".

Yoon Suk-yeol called a meeting of the National Security Council over the launches, ordering "swift and stern measures so that North Korea's provocations pay a clear price."

Japan also confirmed North Korean missile launches, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida telling reporters he planned to call a "national security meeting as soon as possible."

Vigilant Storm

Pyongyang's latest launch comes as Seoul and Washington stage their largest-ever joint air drills, dubbed "Vigilant Storm", which involve hundreds of warplanes from both sides.

Pak Jong Chon, a high-ranking official in North Korea, said the drills were aggressive and provocative, according to a report in state media Wednesday.

Pak said the name of the exercises harks back to Operation Desert Storm, the US-led military assault on Iraq in 1990-1991 after it invaded Kuwait.

"If the US and South Korea attempt to use armed forces against the (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) without any fear, the special means of the DPRK's armed forces will carry out their strategic mission without delay," he said.

"The US and South Korea will have to face a terrible case and pay the most horrible price in history."

Close to S Korea

One of the missiles on Wednesday landed in waters just 57 kilometers (35 miles) east of the South Korean mainland, the military said.

"In protest of the joint US-South Korea drill, Pyongyang seems to have staged the most aggressive and threatening armed demonstration against the South since 2010," Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute told AFP.

In March 2010, a North Korean submarine torpedoed the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan, killing 46 sailors including 16 who were on their mandatory military service.

In November the same year, the North shelled a South Korean border island, killing two marines -- both of them young conscripts.

"It is now a dangerous and unstable situation that could lead to armed conflicts," he added.

The test follows a recent blitz of launches, including what the North said were tactical nuke drills, that Washington and Seoul have repeatedly warned could culminate in another nuclear test -- which would be Pyongyang's seventh.

The Vigilant Storm air drills were preceded by 12 days of amphibious naval exercises.

"As far as I can remember, North Korea has never made such a provocation when South Korea and the US were holding their joint drills," Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha University, told AFP.

"Pyongyang seems to have completed its most powerful deterrent. This is a serious threat. The North also seems confident in their nuclear capabilities."

NDTV

 

[PakLFC]

At least the west can't moan that Muslim countries are the only ones involved in war like activities. The big war currently going on is between orthodox Christian Russia and Ukraine. Now with the situation in Korea most likely to explode you won't see the west mention Buddhist wars or crap like that. We are looking at world war 3 now as many seers have predicted.

 

[mazkhan]

N Korea is smashing it

Their missile programme is advancing they can launch sattelites and they are now developing drones which is a game changer

 

[sweep_shot]

N Korea is smashing it

Their missile programme is advancing they can launch sattelites and they are now developing drones which is a game changer

Yup.

It shows that the so-called sanctions don't really work. North Korea is doing quite well.

 

[SalimBhai]

Please compare quality of life of north vs South Koreans. They are not doing so well

 

[sweep_shot]

Please compare quality of life of north vs South Koreans. They are not doing so well

Is there any famine going on in North Korea? Don't just watch CNN. Research by yourself.

 

[SalimBhai]

Is there any famine going on in North Korea? Don't just watch CNN. Research by yourself.

Boys and girls in the North have life expectancies of 67 and 75 years, respectively, as opposed to 79 and 85 in the South,

 

[SalimBhai]

Is there any famine going on in North Korea? Don't just watch CNN. Research by yourself.

With the Ukrainian breadbasket’s link to global markets disrupted by the ongoing Russian invasion, global food security has been unusually prominent in the news cycle. Shortly after the invasion began, some analysts were quick to warn against ‘beggar thy neighbour’ food trade restrictions, and the UN World Food Programme recently stated that the war is driving a ‘global food crisis’. Famine looms in a range of countries, including Somalia and Afghanistan, but the growing food insecurity risk in North Korea has attracted surprisingly little renewed coverage.

There has been sporadic reporting since mid-2021 suggesting that serious food shortages were once again emerging in North Korea. State media reporting of a June 2021 Worker’s Party Central Committee meeting quoted the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, saying, ‘The people’s food situation is now getting tense.’ In November, the BBC, citing reports from defectors in South Korea and assessments by Seoul’s National Intelligence Service, commented, ‘There is a concern as winter approaches that the most vulnerable will starve.’

By early this year, based on official statements from the ruling party’s January plenum, the International Crisis Group wrote: ‘Given the concern expressed in the plenum report about farming, we can assume a degree of difficulty for many North Koreans in getting food—either because it is in short supply or because market prices are out of reach for people who have seen their incomes fall.’

It’s difficult to believe that the situation will have improved much in the year to date, but making any assessment at all is difficult. The Covid-19-driven closure of the border between North Korea and China has both contributed to severe food insecurity and made reliable information about the North scarcer than ever. While the bilateral nature of China’s food aid to the North means international observers have difficulty grasping its exact scale, China is widely acknowledged as the most significant source of food imports and food aid for the country.

In May, after North Korea officially reported its first case of the Omicron variant, Foreign Policy observed that the country ‘may be trapped between famine and plague’. The dual challenge of food shortages and pandemic response will have been tough enough for Kim’s regime, but the import ban the regime is reported to have imposed on crucial trade with China can’t have helped matters.

North Korea is heavily sanctioned and therefore in many ways not affected by fluctuations in global markets like the turmoil precipitated by the war in Ukraine, but imports still matter. It has continued to rely on oil imports for a range of agricultural inputs, including fertilisers and diesel, for example. Sanctions have severely restricted the availability of crude oil to the North for some time.

Natural disasters have also played a part in food shortage concerns over the past several years, and recent conditions are cause for concern. The Economist and World Food Programme have noted that snow coverage, a critical factor in North Korea’s agricultural rhythms, was markedly below average in both 2021 and 2022. ‘By the regime’s own admission, this year’s drought is the second-worst since records began in 1981.’

The US national intelligence estimate on climate change, which identifies North Korea as one of the states most vulnerable to climate impacts, suggests its effects should be considered the new normal: ‘North Korea’s poor infrastructure and resource management probably will weaken its ability to cope with increased flooding and droughts, exacerbating the country’s chronic food shortages.’

There are links between famines and political instability, but they are complex, varied and context specific. North Korea has a well-known and tragic history of famines, most notably the deadly 1994–1998 event, which also highlighted the political nature of famines. These events are not simply a matter of crop failure, but of government choices, market access, aid and other factors. The catastrophic nature of the 1994–1998 famine, through which the regime endured, also signals that as much as famines are a challenge for the government, they don’t pose any clearcut threat to regime survival.

Just as it is difficult to make sense of what’s actually going on inside North Korea, it is also difficult to make sense of how food insecurity might influence its foreign policy and the internal political situation facing the regime. The International Crisis Group suggested that domestic and agricultural woes would likely mean the regime would be inwardly focused during 2022—yet we’ve seen a most active period of missile testing. The testing could well be targeting a domestic audience. More likely, the development of nuclear weapons serves multiple ends, including for deterrent purposes and as a source of leverage for the regime’s broader political and strategic interests.

The impact of this situation on the Korean People’s Army is another open, but potentially significant, question. There were reports last year of malnutrition concerns for military personnel, for example. It’s also worth noting that the KPA has historically played a role as an auxiliary agricultural labour force. The most recent UN reporting, which described ‘the strong possibility of starvation’ as alarming, also stated that ‘rice from the military reserve had been released to soldiers’.

Events in North Korea remain as opaque as ever, perhaps compounded by Kim’s need to disguise dire food insecurity, as well as the further shuttering of the country that has occurred over the Covid years. What reporting is available suggests that the prospect of devastating famine still looms. We’re unlikely to get an accurate read on events in North anytime soon, but it seems unlikely that the reality is a happy one.

 

[SalimBhai]

Is there any famine going on in North Korea? Don't just watch CNN. Research by yourself.

With corn and rice prices soaring, North Koreans are struggling to put food on the table, stoking fears of the country's worst famine in decades.

International sanctions, stalled trade with China and coronavirus cases within the country are squeezing the North Korean economy. While Pyongyang is expected to maintain a hard-line stance toward the West, it will likely seek assistance from Beijing and Moscow.

South Korea's government-backed Korea Development Institute warned in a June 30 report that North Korea could fall into a "famine in silence," citing a lack of information coming from inside the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The report predicted that any food shortage would disproportionately affect the poor. The price of corn, often consumed by low-income households, was two to four times as high in 2021 and 2022 as in early 2020. The price of rice began climbing in late 2021, roughly doubling from early 2020 in certain months.

Some have raised the possibility that North Korea is facing a worse famine than during the so-called Arduous March famine of the 1990s, given a lack of assistance from South Korea this time around.

Meanwhile, news reports from North Korea seem to be pushing the narrative that the country has overcome the coronavirus pandemic. The official Korean Central News Agency on July 29 published photos of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un embracing veterans at a 69th-anniversary event for the Korean Armistice. No one in the photo wore masks.

North Korea reported nearly 400,000 daily new cases of "fever" during the peak of the outbreak there in May. No new cases have been reported since July 30.



But the official numbers have drawn skepticism. Seventy-four of the 4.77 million fever patients in North Korea have died since late April, according to KCNA. KDI called this an "impossible" number in a July 29 report, predicting that actual deaths may have reached 50,000.

North Korean health officials continue to closely monitor the coronavirus's BA.5 and BA.2.75 subvariants, as well as monkeypox, KCNA reported last week. The authorities appear eager to prevent another lockdown.

Protracted lockdowns will disrupt economic activity at North Korea's local markets and devastate people's lives, KDI said in its June report. Many North Koreans now rely on local markets to make a living as Kim encourages an opening up and reform of the economy.

Markets in Pyongyang were temporarily closed in May, according to the Daily NK. They were back to opening two or three days a week later that month, but a significant number of people went hungry during the shutdown to the point where they could no longer work, the news website reported.

North Korea was already hurting economically before COVID-19. The United Nations Security Council imposed strict sanctions on the country over repeated nuclear and missile tests in 2016 and 2017, resulting in major shortages. Between 2017 and 2021, North Korea's real gross domestic product only grew in 2019, the South's Bank of Korea estimates.

The pandemic only exacerbated North Korea's isolation from the world. Freight train service between North Korea and China, the former's most important trade artery, was suspended in early 2020 in an effort to keep COVID-19 out. Service resumed in early 2022, only to be suspended once again this April in response to the virus's resurgence in China. Bilateral goods trade plunged 89% from 2019 to 2021.

Logistical challenges extend to international aid as well. The World Food Program suspended food assistance to North Korea in March 2021 over the coronavirus and shut down its office in Pyongyang. Representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross have been unable to enter North Korea for more than two years, and just 15,723 Swiss francs ($16,400 at current rates) made their way to the country in 2021.

Given U.N. and other sanctions, North Korea is expected to seek assistance from Russia and China. It has already asked to resume bilateral trade with China, though the response has been muted as Chinese President Xi Jinping pursues tough restrictions under his zero-COVID policy ahead of his ruling Communist Party's congress this fall. Russia, which itself has been targeted by Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, has been moving closer to North Korea.

Meanwhile, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday visited the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom, a truce village at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, the Yonhap News Agency reported. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol told Pelosi in an earlier phone call that her visit would serve as a show of deterrence by the U.S. and South Korea against North Korea.

 

[JaDed]

Is there any famine going on in North Korea? Don't just watch CNN. Research by yourself.

There is a big Nostalgia tourism from China to North Korea? Do you know why? Nostalgia from the Mao era, to experience that feeling many Chinese citizens visit North Korea, now please tell me do you think Mao’s era was a shining time of China?

You can google and research this if you want.

 

[JaDed]

If North Korea was so great compared to South they wouldn’t seal the entire country to blocking their citizens to escape.

 

[sweep_shot]

If North Korea was so great compared to South they wouldn’t seal the entire country to blocking their citizens to escape.

Why are you focusing on blocking?

Look at their infrastructures.

You make it sound like they are living in stone age.

 

[SalimBhai]

The general population is living in a Stone Age

 

[JaDed]

Why are you focusing on blocking?

Look at their infrastructures.

You make it sound like they are living in stone age.

My criticism is not on North Korean people who definitely are remarkable and trying their best, my criticism is on the conditions of their country due to a mad dictatorship that continues and doesn’t even allow the citizens to leave the country.

You have to be super brainwashed to not even consider what they go through, plz research non-western articles on this as well.

North Korean are capable of having economic might of South Koreans but currently are not even close.
They actually live on handouts from Chinese government.

 

[sweep_shot]

My criticism is not on North Korean people who definitely are remarkable and trying their best, my criticism is on the conditions of their country due to a mad dictatorship that continues and doesn’t even allow the citizens to leave the country.

You have to be super brainwashed to not even consider what they go through, plz research non-western articles on this as well.

North Korean are capable of having economic might of South Koreans but currently are not even close.
They actually live on handouts from Chinese government.

South Korea are also lapdogs of United States.

Without USA, North Korea can crush South Korea.

 

[SalimBhai]

South Korea's nominal GDP was around 57 times greater than that of North Korea.

 

[SalimBhai]

South Korea are also lapdogs of United States.

Without USA, North Korea can crush South Korea.

Could you please provide how would North Korea crush South Korea. Some concrete evidence please.

 

[sweep_shot]

Could you please provide how would North Korea crush South Korea. Some concrete evidence please.

Check strength of North Korean army. Check strength of South Korean army.

Google it.

 

[SalimBhai]

When the agreement to end the war was reached, it was agreed that South Korea will not militarize but will be protected by the US army. Now if the US leaves, the south will have to invest in the military own their own.With South Korea GDP 57 times of the North I am sure they will not have a problem buying the equipment in the short term and developing their own in the long run. They are so much more advanced than the North. So no North Korea will not be able to crush the South. Thats just your hatred for your adopted country speaking

 

[sweep_shot]

When the agreement to end the war was reached, it was agreed that South Korea will not militarize but will be protected by the US army. Now if the US leaves, the south will have to invest in the military own their own.With South Korea GDP 57 times of the North I am sure they will not have a problem buying the equipment in the short term and developing their own in the long run. They are so much more advanced than the North. So no North Korea will not be able to crush the South. Thats just your hatred for your adopted country speaking

LOL.

North Korea can finish them off before they purchase everything. North Korea are ahead already.

My adopted country? I am not from United States.

 

[SalimBhai]

LOL.

North Korea can finish them off before they purchase everything. North Korea are ahead already.

My adopted country? I am not from United States.

Sorry correct you are Canadian. These are pipe dreams that you have. USA aint leaving and I have to correct myself. The original agreement was South will not invest in military but has been been for past few decades now.

 

[JaDed]

South Korea are also lapdogs of United States.

Without USA, North Korea can crush South Korea.

Not really South Korea actually dictates trade with USA and its soft power is beyond anything in asia, North Korean dictatorship are in everyway lapdog of China so much so that they are dependent upon food from China.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/food-shortage-10042022191420.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/...ecurity-a-perfect-storm-is-brewing-in-n-korea

They are not even able to feed their citizens right now..

 

[sweep_shot]

Not really South Korea actually dictates trade with USA and its soft power is beyond anything in asia, North Korean dictatorship are in everyway lapdog of China so much so that they are dependent upon food from China.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/food-shortage-10042022191420.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/...ecurity-a-perfect-storm-is-brewing-in-n-korea

They are not even able to feed their citizens right now..

I was referring to military strength.

North Korea can indeed crush South Korea if SK lose American protection. Compare the two militaries please.

 

[SalimBhai]

I was reading years ago. Pakistan and South Korea in the 1950s were exactly at the same stage of development. But look at them now. I have been to South Korea and found it even more advanced than Japan.

 

[SalimBhai]

The goal post have been shifted agin. The life span difference is 10 years between the two. The north can't even feed their people. But for some people North is more advanced.

 

[sweep_shot]

The goal post have been shifted agin. The life span difference is 10 years between the two. The north can't even feed their people. But for some people North is more advanced.

North Korea are better militarily. It is a fact. Check their strengths.

Other stuffs are subjective. I believe a lot of those are possible American propagandas.

 

[SalimBhai]

yes American propaganda is taking 10 years off North Koreans life. LOL

 

[KingKhanWC]

There should only be ONE Korea.

It was outsiders, Yanks and others which caused this nation to split. Now some fools thinks the US cares for South Korean but reality is western world is using the South , just like Taiwan and Japan as a base against China.

Poor South Koreans will likely end up in a huge war against a more powerful North while banking on help from the west which wont arrive.

 

[SalimBhai]

Hahahaha
South Korea GDP is 57 times that of North Korea. So " poor South Koreans " is laughable. The day that clown in North Korea dies, that will be the end of North Korea as a country. About using. Everyone uses everybody in world politics. China is using North Korea also.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Hahahaha
South Korea GDP is 57 times that of North Korea. So " poor South Koreans " is laughable. The day that clown in North Korea dies, that will be the end of North Korea as a country. About using. Everyone uses everybody in world politics. China is using North Korea also.

GDP wont help if North go to war with Korea or you think paper money stop missiles?

This is an issue of conflict/war not who can eat the most french fries.

China supports North Korea , try looking at the world map, they are joined by borders. Russia also borders NK and has a right to support it or look for peace. USA is miles away from Korea or Taiwan, its only there to cause trouble . Only an idiot would think they care.

 

[PakLFC]

North is naturally concerned about the South and America conducting so many military exercises in the region. North doesn't have too much support in the region. It rightfully feels threatened by America and it's so called allies who are picking fights with the entire world.

 

[MenInG]

North Korea has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) designed to hit targets on the other side of the world, say South Korean officials.

The ICBM launch is Pyongyang's seventh this year, and comes amid concerns that it will soon test a nuclear weapon.

It comes a day after both Koreas fired missiles in an escalation of tensions.

That exchange saw the most number of missiles launched by the North in a single day.

North Korea's multiple launches comes as the US and South Korea are staging their largest-ever joint air drills, which Pyongyang has strongly criticised as "aggressive and provocative".

On Thursday North Korea fired a long-range missile at around 07:40 local time (23:40 GMT), according to a statement from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. A source confirmed with the BBC that it was an ICBM.

It flew for about 760km (472 miles) and reached a height of around 1,920 km.

But it appeared to have failed mid-flight, according to Yonhap news agency citing sources.

Pyongyang also fired two short-range ballistic missiles.

The launches led the Japanese government to issue a rare emergency alert on Thursday morning to residents in some of its northern regions, telling them to stay indoors.

Tokyo initially said the missile had flown over Japan, but Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada later said it did "not cross the Japanese archipelago, but disappeared over the Sea of Japan".

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later condemned North Korea's "repeated missile launches", calling them an "outrage".

The US said the launch demonstrated the threat North Korea's missile programme poses to neighbours and international peace and security.

"Our commitments to the defence of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad," a State Department spokesman said.

Meanwhile South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said the launches were "deplorable, immoral" during a phone call on Thursday, according to South Korea.

Kim Jong-un wants America's attention
It comes just a month after North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan - the first time it had done so in five years.

The North has tested a record number of missiles this year as tensions have risen.

Despite crippling sanctions, Pyongyang conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017 and is believed to be planning a seventh.

It has continued to advance its military capability - in breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions - to threaten its neighbours and potentially even bring the US mainland within striking range.

Wednesday's launch saw one of Pyongyang's ballistic missiles cross the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a disputed maritime border between the Koreas.

It landed outside South Korea's territorial waters but was the closest a North Korean missile got to the border.

Seoul responded with warplanes firing three air-to-ground missiles that also crossed the disputed maritime demarcation line. It fired a total of 23 missiles on Wednesday.

And they were launched from various points across the country, according to Kim Jong-dae, a visiting scholar of Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies.

"South Korea and the US believe that if they find the starting point of the provocation, they can precisely strike it. But there are starting points all over North Korea, and North Korea is posing dimensional, systematic and simultaneous threats that they can fire (missiles) anywhere in their land. This is a situation which I've seen for the first time," he told local news channel YTN.

With accelerated activity from North Korea since late September, "the end of this is likely to be the seventh nuclear test, to prove their nuclear capabilities and determination," Park Won-gon, North Korean studies professor at Ewha Woman University, told the BBC.

"It's unrealistic to expect North Korea to denuclearise, as it wants de facto nuclear state status to sit on the negotiation table with the US."

BBC

 

[daytrader]

Xi tells Kim China willing to work with N Korea for 'world peace'
Message from China President Xi Jinping comes days after N Korea fired intercontinental ballistic missile in one of its most powerful tests yet

Chinese President Xi Jinping told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that Beijing was willing to work with Pyongyang for world peace, North Korean state media said Saturday.

The message from Xi came days after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile in one of its most powerful tests yet, declaring it would meet perceived US nuclear threats with nukes of its own.

North Korea has conducted a record-breaking blitz of missile launches in recent weeks and fears have grown that it is building up to a seventh nuclear test, its first since 2017.

In his message to Kim, Xi said Beijing was ready to work with the North for "peace, stability, development and prosperity of the region and the world," Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

Xi said he was willing to collaborate with Pyongyang as "changes in the world, times, and history are taking place in unprecedented ways," KCNA said, quoting from the message it said was received in response to congratulations from Kim after the Chinese Communist Party Congress last month handed Xi a third term.

Days before North Korea's ICBM launch, Xi met on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Bali with US President Joe Biden, who voiced confidence that Beijing does not want to see a further escalation by Pyongyang.

Washington has said it wants China, Pyongyang's most important ally and economic benefactor, to use its influence to help rein in North Korea.

The November 18 missile launch appeared to be Pyongyang's newest ICBM with the potential range to hit the US mainland.

The UN Security Council convened an open meeting over the launch, with the United States, Britain, France and India among 14 nations to "strongly condemn" Pyongyang's actions.

But a Western diplomat told AFP that China and Russia had chosen not to put their names to Monday's statement.

Earlier this month, the United States accused Beijing and Moscow of protecting Pyongyang from further punishment.

In May, China and Russia vetoed a US-led effort to tighten sanctions on North Korea in response to earlier launches.

Pyongyang is already under multiple sets of international sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and China accounts for more than 90 percent of the impoverished country's bilateral trade.

The News PK

 

[daytrader]

N Korea aims to have ‘world’s strongest’ nuclear force, Kim says
Kim Jong Un has promoted the scientists and soldiers involved in the test launch of North Korea’s largest missile, the Hwasong-17.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said that his ultimate goal is to possess the world’s most powerful nuclear force, according to state media.

Kim made the announcement on Saturday as he promoted dozens of military officers involved in the recent launch of North Korea’s largest ballistic missile, the Hwasong-17, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

In his order, Kim said that North Korea was building a nuclear force to protect the dignity and sovereignty of the state and its people and said that his country’s “ultimate goal is to possess the world’s most powerful strategic force, the absolute force unprecedented in the century”.

He said the Hwasong-17 — an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the United States — was the “world’s strongest strategic weapon” and that it demonstrated North Korea’s resolve and ability to eventually build the world’s strongest army.

The ICBM launch on November 18 has been condemned by members of the United Nations Security Council, who called it “a serious escalation” and an “unequivocal threat to international peace and security”. The launch is part of an ongoing blitz of North Korean tests this year that have included the firing of cruise missiles as well as dozens of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.

Kim said on Saturday that North Korean scientists have also made a “wonderful leap forward in the development of the technology of mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles”.

He did not elaborate further.

That ability is critical if North Korea wants to achieve its goal of possessing a nuclear weapon that can strike its main foe, the US.

Outside observers say that while North Korea has nuclear bombs and missiles that can fly as far as the US, it is not clear if Pyongyang’s scientists can miniaturise the atomic weapons to fit inside the cramped space in the nose of the missiles.

Kim told the scientists, engineers, military officials and others involved in the Hwasong-17 test on Saturday that he expects them to continue to expand and strengthen the country’s nuclear deterrent at an extraordinarily rapid pace.

Al-Jazeera

 

[ex-q-zit]

South Korea’s Yoon warns of unprecedented response to North Korea nuclear test, calls on China to do more

SEOUL, Nov 29 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned of an unprecedented joint response with allies if North Korea goes ahead with a nuclear test, and urged China to help dissuade the North from pursuing banned development of nuclear weapons and missiles.

In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters on Monday, Yoon called on China, North Korea’s closest ally, to fulfil its responsibilities as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. He said not doing so would lead to an influx of military assets to the region.

"What is sure is that China has the capability to influence North Korea, and China has the responsibility to engage in the process," Yoon said in his office. It was up to Beijing to decide whether it would exert that influence for peace and stability, he added.

North Korea's actions were leading to increased defence spending in countries around the region, including Japan, and more deployment of U.S. warplanes and ships, Yoon noted.

It is in China's interest to make its "best efforts" to induce North Korea to denuclearise, he said.

When asked what South Korea and its allies, the United States and Japan, would do if North Korea conducts a new nuclear test, Yoon said the response "will be something that has not been seen before", but declined to elaborate what that would entail.

"It would be extremely unwise for North Korea to conduct a seventh nuclear test," he told Reuters.

Amid a record year for missile tests, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said this week his country intends to have the world's most powerful nuclear force. South Korean and U.S. officials say Pyongyang may be preparing to resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time since 2017.

North Korea's tests overshadowed multiple gatherings this month of international leaders, including the Group of 20 conference in Bali, where Yoon pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping to do more to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations. Xi urged Seoul to improve relations with Pyongyang.

5 minute readNovember 29, 20224:32 PM GMTLast Updated 4 hours ago
Exclusive: South Korea’s Yoon warns of unprecedented response to North Korea nuclear test, calls on China to do more
By Soyoung Kim
, Jack Kim and Josh Smith

SEOUL, Nov 29 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned of an unprecedented joint response with allies if North Korea goes ahead with a nuclear test, and urged China to help dissuade the North from pursuing banned development of nuclear weapons and missiles.

In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters on Monday, Yoon called on China, North Korea’s closest ally, to fulfil its responsibilities as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. He said not doing so would lead to an influx of military assets to the region.
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"What is sure is that China has the capability to influence North Korea, and China has the responsibility to engage in the process," Yoon said in his office. It was up to Beijing to decide whether it would exert that influence for peace and stability, he added.

North Korea's actions were leading to increased defence spending in countries around the region, including Japan, and more deployment of U.S. warplanes and ships, Yoon noted.

It is in China's interest to make its "best efforts" to induce North Korea to denuclearise, he said.

When asked what South Korea and its allies, the United States and Japan, would do if North Korea conducts a new nuclear test, Yoon said the response "will be something that has not been seen before", but declined to elaborate what that would entail.

"It would be extremely unwise for North Korea to conduct a seventh nuclear test," he told Reuters.
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Amid a record year for missile tests, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said this week his country intends to have the world's most powerful nuclear force. South Korean and U.S. officials say Pyongyang may be preparing to resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time since 2017.

North Korea's tests overshadowed multiple gatherings this month of international leaders, including the Group of 20 conference in Bali, where Yoon pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping to do more to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations. Xi urged Seoul to improve relations with Pyongyang.
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Ahead of the G20, U.S. President Joe Biden told Xi that Beijing had an obligation to attempt to talk North Korea out of a nuclear test, although he said it was unclear whether China could do so. Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said before the meeting that Biden would warn Xi that North Korea's continued weapons development would lead to an enhanced U.S. military presence in the region, something Beijing is not eager to see.

South Korea and the United States have agreed to deploy more U.S. "strategic assets" such as aircraft carriers and long-range bombers to the area, but Yoon said he did not expect changes to the 28,500 American ground forces stationed in South Korea.

"We must respond consistently, and in lockstep with each other," Yoon said, blaming a lack of consistency in the international response for the failure of three decades of North Korea policy.

China fought beside the North in the 1950-53 Korean War and has backed it economically and diplomatically since, but analysts say Beijing may have limited power, and perhaps little desire, to curb Pyongyang. China says it enforces the UNSC sanctions, which it voted for, but has since called for them to be eased and, along with Russia, blocked U.S.-led attempts to impose new sanctions.

OPPOSES CHANGE TO TAIWAN 'STATUS QUO'

Boosting ties and coordination with Washington is the core of Yoon's foreign policy, a focus highlighted by the main item on his desk: a sign saying "The Buck Stops Here", a gift from Biden.

Like his predecessor, Moon Jae-in, Yoon has treaded cautiously amid the rising U.S.-China rivalry. China is South Korea's largest trading partner, as well as a close partner of North Korea.

On rising tensions between China and Taiwan, Yoon said any conflict there should be resolved according to international norms and rules.

Democratic Taiwan, which China claims as its own, has come under increasing military and political pressure from Beijing, which has said it would never renounce the use of force against the island.

"I am firmly opposed to any attempt to change the status quo unilaterally," Yoon said.

When asked about a role in a Taiwan conflict for South Korea or the U.S. troops stationed there, Yoon said that the country's forces would "consider the overall security situation" but that their most imminent concern would be North Korean military attempts to take advantage of the situation.

"What is important is responding to the imminent threat surrounding us and controlling the possible threat," he said.

REGIONAL COOPERATION

Yoon has also made increasing cooperation with Japan a core goal, despite lingering legal and political disputes dating to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean peninsula.

South Korea, Japan, and the United States have agreed to share real-time information for tracking North Korean ballistic missile tests.

As part of its biggest military expansion since World War Two, Japan is expected to procure fresh munitions, including longer-range missiles, spend on cyber defences and create a combined air, sea and land command headquarters that will work more closely with U.S. forces in Japan.

Japan's military ambitions have long been a sensitive issue in neighbouring countries, many of which were invaded before or during World War II.

Yoon's predecessor stopped many of the trilateral exercises and nearly left an intelligence sharing deal with Tokyo as relations soured.

Now Japan faces more and more threats from North Korea’s missile programme, including tests that overfly Japanese islands, Yoon said.

"I believe the Japanese government cannot be asleep at the wheel with the North Korean missile flights over their territory," he said.

Reuters

 

[ex-q-zit]

North Korea Fires Over 100 Artillery Rounds In Military Drill: South Korea

Seoul: North Korea fired around 130 artillery shells into the sea off its east and west coasts on Monday, South Korea's military said, in the latest apparent military drill near their shared border. Some of the shells landed in a buffer zone near the sea border in what Seoul said was a violation of a 2018 inter-Korean agreement designed to reduce tensions.

The South Korean military sent several warning communications to the North over the firing, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

North Korea did not immediately report on the artillery fire, but it has been carrying out an increasing number of military activities, including missile launches and drills by warplanes and artillery units.

South Korea and the US have also stepped up military drills this year, saying they are necessary to deter the nuclear-armed North.

The 2018 Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA) was the most substantive deal to come from the months of meetings between leader Kim Jong Un and then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

With those talks long stalled, however, recent drills and shows of force along the fortified border between the Koreas have cast doubts on the future of the measures. South Korea has accused the North of repeatedly violating the agreement with artillery drills this year.

This year, North Korea resumed testing its long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time since 2017, and South Korea and the United States say it has made preparations to resume nuclear testing as well.

NDTV

 

[ex-q-zit]

US Forces Launch Space Unit In South Korea Amid North Korea Threats

US Forces Korea launched a new space forces unit on Wednesday as the allies ramp up efforts to better counter North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats. The US Space Forces Korea is the second overseas space component of the Space Force and is tasked with monitoring, detecting, and tracking incoming missiles, as well as bolstering the military's overall space capability.

US Forces Korea commander Gen Paul LaCamera hosted a ceremony at Osan Air Base in the South Korean city of Pyeongtaek to mark the creation of the unit, which will be led by Lt Col Joshua McCullion.

The launch came as Seoul and Washington seek to boost security cooperation to deter North Korea, which has tested intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US mainland this year.

South Korea's air force also set up its own space unit this month to bolster its space power and operation capability together with the US Space Force.

Around 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea under a mutual defence treaty forged after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

The US Indo-Pacific Command and Central Command set up their space units last month in Hawaii and Florida.

NDTV

 

[ex-q-zit]

North Korea Tests "High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Motor" To Develop Strategic Weapon

North Korea said it has tested a "high-thrust solid-fuel motor" to develop a new strategic weapon under leader Kim Jong Un's guidance, state media reported on Friday.

The test conducted on Thursday at its Sohae Satellite Launching Ground proved the motor's reliability and stability, providing a "guarantee for the development of another new-type strategic weapon system," the official KCNA agency said.

Kim expressed "expectation that another new-type strategic weapon would be made in the shortest span of time," according to KCNA.

The test comes as International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi is in Seoul for talks with South Korean officials during which he vowed an all-out effort to stop North Korea's nuclear programme.

North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests this year, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.

NDTV

 

[daytrader]

North Korea fires ballistic missiles towards sea off east coast
The latest launches come three days after Pyongyang said it tested a ‘high-thrust solid-fuel motor’ engine for ballistic missiles.

North Korea has fired two medium-range ballistic missiles towards the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, according to South Korean and Japanese officials.

South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff said the launches, fired about 50 minutes apart, took place from North Korea’s Tongchang-ri area on Sunday morning but gave no further details.

The Japanese defence ministry said the missiles flew to an altitude of 550km (342 miles) and covered a range of 250km (155 miles).

Japan’s Vice Defence Minister Toshiro Ino said the missiles appeared to have landed outside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and there had been no reports of damage so far.

The latest launches come three days after Pyongyang said it tested a “high-thrust solid-fuel motor” engine, which experts said would allow quicker and more mobile launches of its ballistic missile arsenals.

The test of the new missile engine was overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and conducted at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Tongchang-ri, which has been used to test missile technologies, including rocket engines and space launch vehicles, according to state media.

In recent months, North Korea has test-fired a barrage of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, including last month’s launch of its developmental, longest-range liquid-fuelled Hwasong-17 ICBM, which is designed to carry multiple warheads and has been dubbed the “monster missile”.

The exact status of North Korea’s nuclear attack capability remains in secrecy as all its intercontinental ballistic missile tests in recent years have been carried out at a steep angle to avoid neighbouring countries.

Some experts speculate North Korea already has functioning nuclear-tipped missiles that can hit the entire territory of the United States, given the number of years it has spent on its nuclear programme.

But others say the country is still years away from acquiring such weapons and has yet to publicly prove it has the technology to protect warheads from the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry.

The US and South Korea have expanded their regular military drills and pushed to further bolster their combined defence capability in the face of Pyongyang’s advancing nuclear programme.

North Korea has threatened to use nuclear weapons pre-emptively in potential conflicts with the US and South Korea, while the Pentagon has warned Pyongyang that nuclear weapons use “will result in the end of that regime”.

Al-Jazeera

 

[ex-q-zit]

North Korea Fires 2 Ballistic Missiles: South Korea

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles Sunday, Seoul's military said, days after Pyongyang announced a successful test of a solid-fuel motor for a new weapons system.

Military tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen sharply this year as Pyongyang has carried out an unprecedented blitz of weapons tests, including the launch of its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile ever last month.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected two ballistic missiles that had been fired from the Tongchang-ri area in North Pyongan province.

The missiles were fired from 11:13 am (0213 GMT) to 12:05 pm into the East Sea, it said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.

"Our military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance while closely cooperating with the United States and maintaining a full readiness posture," the JCS added in a statement.

The missiles flew about 500 kilometres and reached a maximum altitude of around 550 kilometres, according to Japan's defence ministry.

"It threatens the peace and security of our country, this region, and the international community, and it is absolutely unacceptable," said senior vice defence minister Toshiro Ino.

Sunday's launch came days after North Korea tested a "high-thrust solid-fuel motor", with state media describing it as an important test "for the development of another new-type strategic weapon system".

Despite heavy international sanctions over its weapons programmes, Pyongyang has built up an arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

All its known ICBMs are liquid-fuelled, however, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has placed strategic priority on developing solid-fuel engines for more advanced missiles.

Kim said this year that he wants North Korea to have the world's most powerful nuclear force, and declared his country an "irreversible" nuclear state.

The wishlist he revealed last year included solid-fuel ICBMs that could be launched from land or submarines.

The latest motor test was a step towards that goal, but it is not clear how far North Korea has come in the development of such a missile, analysts said.

Key party meeting

The isolated country's policy direction for next year will be laid out at a key party meeting later this month, and the official Korean Central News Agency earlier reported Kim saying that 2023 would be a "historic year".

In past years, Kim had delivered a speech every January 1, but has recently dropped the tradition in favour of making announcements at the year-end plenary meeting.

In his most recent address, which was released last New Year's Day, Kim focused on domestic affairs.

Experts say while Kim refrained from directly addressing the United States last year, he could change his tone this time around.

The United States and South Korea have warned for months that North Korea is preparing to conduct its seventh nuclear test.

North Korea is under multiple UN Security Council sanctions over its nuclear and missile activity since 2006.

NDTV

 

[ex-q-zit]

North Korea Fired 2 Ballistic Missiles Into East Sea, Says South Korea

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles Friday, Seoul's military said, the latest in a recent flurry of sanctions-busting weapons tests.

It has been a year of unprecedented tests by the North, including the launch of its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile last month, the test of what Pyongyang says was a new rocket engine last week, and claims this week it has developed new capabilities to take images from space.

"Our military spotted two short-range ballistic missiles launched by North Korea into the East Sea from the Sunan area of Pyongyang at around 16:32 (0732 GMT) today," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.

"Our military maintains a full readiness posture while closely cooperating with the US while strengthening surveillance and vigilance."

The United States and South Korea have warned for months that Pyongyang is preparing to conduct its seventh nuclear test.

The two countries held a joint air drill on Tuesday, and deployed a US B-52H strategic bomber to the Korean peninsula, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The long-range heavy bomber was part of an exercise that included the US and South Korea's most advanced jets -- including the F-22 and the F-35 stealth fighters.

Friday's launch came hours after the White House said Pyongyang had delivered arms to the Russian private military group Wagner.

Disclosing the delivery on Thursday US time, the White House called Wagner a "rival" for power to the defence and other ministries in the Kremlin.

'Putin's chef'

The Wagner group is controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman once called "Putin's chef" for his work catering dinners for the powerful leader before and after he became the Russian president.

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, the North Korean foreign ministry denied conducting any arms transaction with Russia, saying the story was "cooked up by some dishonest forces for different purposes".

Despite heavy international sanctions over its weapons programmes, Pyongyang has built up an arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

Last week, North Korea tested a "high-thrust solid-fuel motor", with state media describing it as an important test "for the development of another new-type strategic weapon system".

All its known ICBMs are liquid-fuelled, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has placed strategic priority on developing solid-fuel engines for more advanced missiles.

His powerful sister also insisted earlier this week that the North had developed advanced technologies to take images from space using a spy satellite.

Kim said this year that he wants North Korea to have the world's most powerful nuclear force, and declared his country an "irreversible" nuclear state.

The wishlist he revealed last year included solid-fuel ICBMs that could be launched from land or submarines.

The latest motor test was a step towards that goal, but it is not clear how far North Korea has come in the development of such a missile, analysts said.

NDTV

 

[ex-q-zit]

South Korea Fires Warning Shots After North Korean Drone Incursion

South Korea accused the North of flying several drones across their shared border on Monday, prompting Seoul's military to deploy warplanes to shoot them down -- with local media reporting one of the planes later crashed.

The incursion was the first time in years that North Korean drones have invaded the South's airspace and came hot on the heels of a recent flurry of sanctions-busting weapons tests by Pyongyang.

The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the military first detected a suspected North Korean unmanned aerial vehicle around the airspace of Gimpo at 10:25 am (0125 GMT) and "responded immediately".

"This is a clear act of provocation in which North Korea invaded our airspace," a JCS official told reporters.

The incursion prompted Seoul to fire warning shots and deploy fighter jets and attack helicopters to shoot down the five drones, one of which reached airspace near the capital.

One of the warplanes, a KA-1 light attack aircraft, later crashed in Hoengseong County, Yonhap news agency reported.

The military did not indicate whether the objects had been shot down or had gone back over the border, one of the most heavily-fortified locations in the world.

The South Korean military also deployed its own manned and unmanned reconnaissance assets to areas near and north of the Military Demarcation Line for "corresponding measures".

"We conducted reconnaissance and operational activities, including photographing major enemy military facilities," the JCS official said.

"Our military will continue to respond thoroughly and resolutely to such provocations by North Korea," he added.

Flights were temporarily suspended at Gimpo and Incheon international airports -- the country's two major hubs -- for about an hour at the request of the JCS, according to Yonhap, which cited an official from South Korea's transport ministry.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the incident marked the first time that South Korean flights were suspended over "the appearance of North Korean drones", adding they were likely for spying purposes.

"Considering North Korea's poor level of drone development, there is little possibility that they carry the drone attack capabilities used in modern warfare," he added.

"It is speculated that they came over to our area as part of reconnaissance training during the recent winter training."

- Drone operations -

It was the first time in five years that North Korean drones had invaded South Korean airspace, and the latest in a series of provocations from Pyongyang this year, including an unprecedented blitz of weapons tests -- among them, the launch of its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile yet.

Last week, Pyongyang also fired two short-range ballistic missiles and claimed to have developed new capabilities to take images from space, saying it would be ready to launch a reconnaissance satellite by April next year.

The North's drone operations are a growing security concern in Seoul, but Pyongyang has denied any involvement and accused South Korea of fabricating evidence.

In 2017, Seoul's military fired warning shots at a flying object that entered the country's airspace from North Korea across the Demilitarised Zone.

A year earlier, South Korean soldiers fired warning shots at a suspected North Korean drone that crossed the western part of the border, the most sensitive part of the Demilitarised Zone.

In September 2015, South Korea triggered an anti-aircraft warning and sent an attack helicopter and fighter jet to track down a drone that crossed the border, without success.

And in 2014, a South Korean fisherman found the wreckage of a North Korean drone in his net near a frontline island south of the rivals' disputed Yellow Sea border.

NDTV

 

[MenInG]

North Korea has fired three short range ballistic missiles towards the sea to the east of the Korean peninsula, South Korea's military says.

This latest volley comes five days after North Korea flew drones into South Korea's airspace for the first time since 2017.

North Korea has launched more missiles this year than ever before.

Washington said the latest missile launches do not pose an immediate threat to the US or its allies.

The three short-range ballistic missiles were fired from around 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT) from North Hwanghae Province, south of the capital Pyongyang, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

"North Korea's ballistic missile(s) launch is a grave provocation that undermines peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as the international community," they added.

The missiles flew about 350 km (217 miles), the South Korean military said.

Japan's coastguard earlier said one missile had fallen into the sea.

BBC

 

[daytrader]

North Korea fires more missiles amid ‘firing range’ warning
Banned launches come as Kim Yo Jong warns against any increased US presence on the Korean peninsula.
North Korea has fired a pair of short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, according to South Korea’s military, two days after Pyongyang resumed banned testing activities with an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

South Korea’s military said it “strongly” condemned the two launches as an act of “significant provocation”. They took place from a western coastal town just north of the North Korean capital on Monday morning, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

North Korea’s state media said two projectiles were fired from a multiple rocket launcher, aiming at targets 395km (245 miles) and 337km (209 miles) away, respectively.

“The 600mm multiple rocket launcher mobilised in the firing … is a means of tactical nuclear weapon,” capable of “paralysing” an enemy airfield, state news agency KCNA said.

Japan also detected the launches, saying two ballistic missiles were fired at about 7am local time on Monday (22:00 GMT Sunday). The missiles reached an altitude of approximately 100km (62 miles) and 50km (31 miles) and travelled between 350km (217 miles) and 400km (249 miles) before falling outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

There were no reports of damage to aircraft or vessels.

...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/20/north-korea-fires-two-ballistic-missiles-as-launches-resume

 

[daytrader]

North Korea says UN should demand end to South Korea-US drills
Pyongyang statement comes after Seoul and Washington announced more than 10 days of large scale military exercises.

North Korea has called on the United Nations to demand an immediate halt to joint military drills by the United States and South Korea.

In a statement on state media on Sunday, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong said the drills and the rhetoric from the allies have pushed tensions to an “extremely dangerous level”.

He said the UN and the international community “will have to strongly urge the US and South Korea to immediately halt their provocative remarks and joint military exercises”.

The statement comes after officials from Seoul and Washington announced on Friday more than 10 days of large-scale military exercises, including amphibious landings, from March 13 to 23.

The allies have said the exercises are defensive and are necessary to counter the rising threats from North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes, which are banned by UN Security Council resolutions.

...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/5/n-korea-says-un-should-demand-end-to-us-s-korea-drills

 

[daytrader]

N Korea warns US against shooting down its missile tests
Kim Yo Jong says North Korea will take any US attempt to intercept its missile launches as a ‘declaration of war’.

North Korea has said that any move to intercept and shoot down its test missiles would be considered “a declaration of war”.

The statement on Tuesday by Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, cited a South Korean media report that said the United States planned to shoot down Pyongyang’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) if the weapons were test-launched towards the Pacific Ocean.

The US and its allies have never shot down North Korean ballistic missiles — typically launched at steep angles to avoid neighbouring countries — but the question has drawn new scrutiny since Pyongyang suggested it would fire more missiles over Japan.

Kim Yo Jong said Pyongyang would see any US military action against its strategic weapons tests as a “declaration of war”.

“The Pacific Ocean does not belong to the dominion of the US or Japan,” she said.

The fiery rhetoric from North Korea comes as the US and South Korea restore and scale up their joint military drills following a record number of missile tests by Pyongyang last year.

...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/7/n-korea-warns-us-against-shooting-down-its-missile-tests

 

[daytrader]

North Korea fires two missiles, second test in three days
Launches come as the US and S Korea carry out large-scale military exercises N Korea sees as rehearsals for invasion.

North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast, its second show of strength this week, as South Korea and the United States conduct their biggest military exercises in years.

The missiles were fired in a window of about 10 minutes from 7:41am local time on Tuesday morning (22:41 GMT Monday), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

“Our military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance in preparation for additional launches, while maintaining a full readiness posture through close cooperation between South Korea and the United States,” the JCS statement said.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan was collecting information on the missile.

Pyongyang’s latest test is the second in three days and comes as the US and South Korea hold the ‘Freedom Shield’ large-scale military exercises, due to continue until March 23. It is the first time they have held such drills, which North Korea sees as a rehearsal for invasion, since 2018.

...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/14/north-korea-fires-two-missiles-second-test-in-three-days

 

[Robert]

There should only be ONE Korea.

It was outsiders, Yanks and others which caused this nation to split. Now some fools thinks the US cares for South Korean but reality is western world is using the South , just like Taiwan and Japan as a base against China.

Korea was partitioned into North and South by USA and USSR in 1945, both setting up governments in their own image, after the Imperial Japanese were forced out. Radical communist and pro-democracy groups had appeared under the Japanese domination 1910-1945 and these various factions appealed to the superpowers which best suited their values.

Poor South Koreans will likely end up in a huge war against a more powerful North while banking on help from the west which wont arrive.

That recent four-carrier NATO exercise in the South China Sea, plus the AUKUS development would suggest that the West intends to support friendly democracies in the region.

 

[daytrader]

North Korea fires short-range ballistic missile towards sea
The latest launch comes days after North Korea test-fired a suspected ICBM into the Sea of Japan.

North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile towards the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, according to South Korea and Japan, the latest in a barrage of weapons tests from the state.

The missile, launched on Sunday from the Dongchang-ri site on the west coast at about 11:05am (02:05 GMT), flew some 800km (500 miles) before hitting a target, according to a South Korean military statement. Japan’s defence ministry said the missile flew as high as 50km (30 miles).

Seoul has condemned the recent ballistic missile launches by North Korea as a “clear violation” of a UN Security Council resolution.

Soon after the launch, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said the US deployed a B-1B strategic bomber to a joint air drill, which Seoul and Washington say they are holding to strengthen extended deterrence.

...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023...llistic-missile-towards-sea-say-s-korea-japan

 

[daytrader]

US flies nuclear-capable bombers as tensions soar with N Korea
The South Korean and US militaries expand joint exercises in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threats.

The United States has flown nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the Korean Peninsula in a show of strength against North Korea as concerns grow that Pyongyang might conduct a nuclear test.

The long-range bombers took part in joint aerial drills with US and South Korean fighter jets over the Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said. Wednesday’s deployment was the first of US B-52 bombers to the peninsula in a month.

The drills “show the strong resolve of the [South] Korea-US alliance and its perfect readiness to respond to any provocation by North Korea swiftly and overwhelmingly”, Lieutenant General Park Ha-sik, commander of the South Korean air force operation command, said in a statement.

The South Korean and US militaries have been expanding their combined military drills in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

Last month, the allies conducted their biggest field exercises in five years as well as computer simulations for command post training. The US also sent the nuclear-powered USS Nimitz aircraft carrier for naval training with South Korea last week and US-South Korea-Japan anti-submarine drills this week.

...
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023...capable-bombers-as-tensions-soar-with-n-korea

 

[MenInG]

A missile launch by North Korea sparked confusion in northern Japan, where an evacuation order was issued and then retracted within 30 minutes.

Sirens blared across Hokkaido and residents were told to "evacuate immediately" on Thursday morning.

Authorities said the missile did not land near the island and withdrew the alert.

Tensions have been growing in the region, as North Korea has already fired about 30 missiles this year.

The missile is believed to be of medium or longer range, but details on what weapon was tested on Thursday morning have not yet been made public.

Japan, South Korea and the US have condemned the latest test.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his government would hold a National Security Council meeting on the launch.

Meanwhile, Japanese coast guards said the missile had splashed into waters to the east of North Korea. Japan's Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said he could not confirm whether the missile flew over Japan's exclusive economic zone.

This latest launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his military to adopt a "more practical and offensive" manner in war deterrence, as reported by its state media agency KCNA.

For the past week, North Korea has not been answering twice-daily phone calls from South Korea, which has concerned the government in Seoul.

The two Koreas typically exchange calls at 09:00 and 15:00 local time (00:00 and 06:00 GMT) via a military hotline - these daily check-ins are intended to prevent clashes along the countries' border.

Earlier this week, South Korea's Unification Minister Kwon Young-se on Tuesday described the North's suspension of communication as "unilateral and irresponsible".

"Pyongyang's provocations continue past its protest of US-South Korea defence exercises because Kim Jong-un hasn't finished demonstrating his nuclear delivery capabilities yet," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul,

"However, with the North Koreans literally not answering the phone, the lack of hotlines and diplomacy increases the risk of unintended escalation," he said.

This is an important week for North Korea as it celebrates Mr Kim's 11th year in power - the country tends to mark these anniversaries with displays of military progress.

North Korea has already fired around 30 missiles this year as it works to increase its nuclear arsenal and build ever-more sophisticated weapons. It has also criticised joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, accusing them of escalating tensions.

The latest missile launch also comes two days before the birthday of North Korea's founding leader Kim Il Sung - the biggest annual holiday on the country's calendar.

BBC

 

[MenInG]

Kim Jong Un "guided" the test of a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, according to North Korean state media.

The new Hwasong-18 weapon will "radically promote" the country's nuclear counterattack capability, KCNA reports.

North Korea fired what appeared to be a new model ballistic missile on Thursday, South Korea said.

The launch triggered a scare in northern Japan where Hokkaido residents were told to take cover, though there turned out to be no danger.

"The development of the new-type ICBM Hwasongpho-18 will extensively reform the strategic deterrence components of the DPRK, radically promote the effectiveness of its nuclear counterattack posture and bring about a change in the practicality of its offensive military strategy," KCNA said.

Analysts say this would mark the North's first use of solid propellants in an intermediate-range or intercontinental ballistic missile.

Developing a solid-fuel ICBM has long been seen as a key goal for North Korea, as it could help Pyongyang deploy its missiles faster in the event of a war.

 

[daytrader]

US and South Korea agree key nuclear weapons deal

The US and South Korea have secured a landmark deal to counter the North Korean nuclear threat.

Washington has agreed to periodically deploy US nuclear-armed submarines to South Korea and involve Seoul in its nuclear planning operations.

In return, South Korea has agreed to not develop its own nuclear weapons.

The Washington Declaration will strengthen the allies' co-operation in deterring a North Korean attack, US President Joe Biden said.

Concern has been rising on both sides about the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. Pyongyang is developing tactical nuclear weapons that can target South Korea, and refining its long-range weapons that can reach the US mainland.

The US already has a treaty obligation to defend South Korea, and has previously pledged to use nuclear weapons if necessary. But some in South Korea have started to doubt that commitment and call for the country to pursue its own nuclear programme.

The South Korean President, Yoon Suk-yeol, who was at the White House for a state visit, said the Washington Declaration marked an "unprecedented" commitment by the US to enhance defence, deter attacks and protect US allies by using nuclear weapons.

The new agreement is a result of negotiations that took place over the course of several months, according to a senior administration official.

...
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65404805

 

[daytrader]

North Korea’s first spy satellite launch ends in failure and promise to send up another
State media say the projectile plunged into the sea, after briefly sparking emergency warnings in South Korea and Japan

North Korea’s first spy satellite launch has ended in failure after its second stage malfunctioned, sending the projectile plunging into the sea, the country’s state media has said, with the regime vowing to conduct another launch soon.

The launch sparked emergency warnings on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa and in the South Korean capital Seoul, where the city briefly issued an evacuation warning in error. Both alerts were later lifted.

The new Chollima-1 satellite launch rocket failed due to instability in the engine and fuel system, the official KCNA news agency said, adding that officials were working to verify the “grave defects” that caused the rocket to malfunction.

The launch was the nuclear-armed state’s sixth satellite launch attempt, and the first since 2016. It was supposed to launch North Korea’s first spy satellite into orbit.

The failed attempt is a setback to attempts by the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, to boost his military capabilities amid rising tensions with the US and South Korea.

But after an unusually quick admission of failure, North Korean officials vowed to conduct a second launch as soon as possible, suggesting that Kim remains determined to expand his weapons arsenal and apply more pressure on Washington and Seoul.

...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/30/north-korea-fires-space-launch-vehicle-towards-south

 

[Cricket Warrior]

N Korea stages ‘tactical nuclear attack drill’ in warning to enemies

Pyongyang says it carried out a simulated tactical nuclear attack drill with mock atomic warheads attached to two long-range cruise missiles.

North Korea has announced that it conducted a simulated “tactical nuclear attack” drill with two long-range missiles equipped with mock atomic warheads.

The KCNA news agency, in a report on Sunday, said the drill was carried out early on Saturday to “warn enemies” that the country would be prepared in case of nuclear war and pledged again to bolster military deterrence against South Korea and the United States.


ALJAZEERA

 

[FearlessRoar]

A small boat carrying suspected defectors from North Korea has been detained after it crossed into the South's waters, Seoul's military said.

It was detected on South Korea's side of the Northern Limit Line, the maritime boundary of the two Koreas.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the four people on board were "presumed to have defected" from North Korea.

Defections have become increasingly difficult since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took power in 2011.

Border controls were also tightened further since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

South Korean authorities did not release further details about the four North Koreans on board the wooden boat.

In May, a group of nine North Koreans crossed the western sea boundary aboard a fishing boat and were rescued by the coast guard.

Would-be defectors are typically detained and questioned for up to a month, in order to ascertain their motives for leaving the North.

They are then sent on to Hanawon, a resettlement centre where they are prepared for life in South Korea.

Earlier this month, Seoul said that Beijing forcibly repatriated a "large number" of North Korean defectors. Human rights groups said as many as 600 North Koreans had been sent back, and that they face imprisonment, sexual violence or even death once back in the North.

China does not recognise North Korean defectors as refugees. It claims they are "economic migrants" and has a policy of sending them back, despite requests from foreign governments and human rights organisations to reconsider its stance.

Source: BBC

 

[FearlessRoar]

South Korea’s top spy agency believes North Korea sent more than a million artillery shells to Russia since August to help fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, according to a lawmaker who attended a closed-door briefing Wednesday with intelligence officials.

North Korea and Russia have been actively boosting the visibility of their partnership in the face of separate, deepening confrontations with the United States.

Their diplomacy highlighted by a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Putin in September has triggered concerns about an arms arrangement in which North Korea supplies Russia with badly needed munitions in exchange for advanced Russian technologies that would strengthen Kim’s nuclear-armed military.

Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied U.S. and South Korean claims that the North has been transferring arms supplies to Russia.

According to lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, the South Korean National Intelligence Service believes the North shipped more than a million artillery shells to Russia through ships and other transport means since early August to help boost Russia’s warfighting capabilities in Ukraine.

Those shells would roughly amount to two months’ worth of supplies for the Russians, Yoo said.The agency believes North Korea has been operating its munitions factories at full capacity to meet Russian munition demands and has also been mobilizing residents to increase production, Yoo said.

There are also signs that North Korea dispatched weapons experts to Russia in October to counsel Russian officials on how to use the exported North Korean weapons.

NIS officials didn’t immediately respond to a request to confirm Yoo’s account of the meeting. The agency has a mixed record on tracking developments in North Korea, which is made difficult by Pyongyang’s stringent control of information.

There are concerns in South Korea that North Korea could receive sensitive Russian technologies that would enhance the threat of Kim’s nuclear weapons and missiles program. But the NIS believes it’s more likely that the Russian assistance would be limited to conventional capabilities, possibly including efforts to improve North Korea’s aging fighter aircraft fleets, Yoo said.

It’s also likely that North Korea is receiving Russian technological assistance as it pushes ahead with plans to launch its first military reconnaissance satellite, Yoo quoted the NIS as saying. Following consecutive launch failures in recent months, the North failed to follow through on its vow to attempt a third launch in October.

The NIS believes that the North is in the final phase of preparations for the third launch, which is more likely to be successful, Yoo said.

Kim has repeatedly described space-based reconnaissance capabilities as crucial for monitoring U.S. and South Korean military activities and enhancing the threat posed by his nuclear-capable missiles.

Experts say the decision to meet Putin at Vostochny Cosmodrome, a major satellite launch facility in the Russian Far East, hinted at Kim’s desire to seek Russian technology assistance over spy satellites.

United Nations Security Council resolutions ban North Korean satellite launches because it views them as cover for testing long-range ballistic missile technologies.

The United States, South Korea and Japan issued a joint statement on Oct. 26 that strongly condemned what they described as North Korea’s supply of munitions and military equipment to Russia, saying that such weapons shipments sharply increase the human toll of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

The statement issued by the countries’ top diplomats came days after Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denied U.S. claims that his country received munitions from North Korea as he returned from a two-day trip to Pyongyang.

The White House had earlier said that North Korea had delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia. The White House released images that it said showed the containers were loaded onto a Russian-flagged ship before being moved via train to southwestern Russia.

Source: AP