Page 2 - North Korea

North Korea confirms firing of 2 ground-to-ground ballistic missiles

The North said the missiles hit a pre-set target on an islet off its east coast after travelling some 611 km

Japan, South Korea summit must overcome history to renew ties amid tensions

South Korean and Japanese leaders will meet in Tokyo this week, hoping to resume regular visits after a gap of over a decade and overcome resentments that date back more than 100 years. The two major Asian economies and U.S. allies have long hoped to cooperate on shared security concerns about China and North Korea, but previous rounds of diplomacy have foundered on unresolved issues from Japan's 35-year occupation of the Korean Peninsula. Seoul has offered Tokyo concessions on South Korean demands for compensation over wartime forced labor, but it remains to be seen whether the South Korean public will accept reconciliation. The AP explains what's kept the two neighbors apart, what they're expected to talk about, and why it matters for the region. WHAT ARE THE ISSUES? Japan effectively colonized the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945, in a regime that imposed Japanese names and language on Koreans and conscripted many into forced labor or forced prostitution in military brothe

North Korea launches ballistic missile toward eastern waters: Seoul

North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters Tuesday, the South Korean military said, in the country's second weapons launch this week. The launch came a day after the U.S. and South Korean militaries began their largest joint field exercises in years on Monday. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the latest launch was made in the morning but did not offer further details, such as how far the missile flew. A day earlier North Korea said it had test-fired two cruise missiles from a submarine, the first time the country is known to have conducted a launch of that type. Its previous underwater launches all involved ballistic missiles. It was also the first time North Korea fired multiple missiles from a submarine on a single launch event, observers say. Pyongyang had vowed a strong response to the U.S.-South Korean drills because it views such military exercises by its rivals as a rehearsal for invasion.

North Korea tests submarine-launched cruise missile, Seoul confirms

North Korea said Monday it has conducted submarine-launched cruise missile tests, days after its leader Kim Jong Un ordered his troops to be ready to repel its rivals' frantic war preparation moves. The test on Sunday came a day before the U.S. and South Korean militaries begin large-scale joint military drills that North Korea views as a rehearsal for invasion. North Korea's official news outlet, the Korean Central News Agency, said Monday that the missile launches showed the North's resolve to respond with overwhelming powerful forces to the intensifying military maneuvers by the the U.S. imperialists and the South Korean puppet forces. KCNA also implied that the North aims to arm the cruise missiles tested with nuclear warheads. It said the missiles flew for more than two hours, drawing figure-eight-shaped patterns in waters off the country's eastern coast, and hit targets 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away. The missiles were fired from the 8.24 Yongung ship, KCNA said, referenci

Kim Jong Un supervises N Korean artillery drill planning attack on S Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a frontline artillery drill simulating an attack on an unspecified South Korean airfield as he called for his troops to sharpen their combat readiness in the face of his rivals' "frantic war preparation moves," state media said Friday. The North Korean report came a day after South Korea's military detected the North firing at least one short-range ballistic missile toward the sea from a site near the western coastal city of Nampo and raised the possibility that more missiles may have been launched from the area simultaneously. The launch came as South Korea and the United States prepare to kick off their biggest combined military training exercise in years to counter the growing threat of Kim's nuclear arsenal, which he has aggressively expanded in recent years despite the North's deepening economic isolation and pandemic-related difficulties. Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said that Kim urged his troops during Thursday's

UN should demand end to South Korea-US military drills: North Korea

The statement comes after the 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

South Korean, US militaries to go ahead with drills despite N Korea threat

The South Korean and US militaries said Friday they'll go ahead with large-scale annual military drills later this month despite North Korea's threats to take unprecedently strong action against such training. It's likely that North Korea will respond to the upcoming South Korean-U.S. exercises with provocative missile tests and belligerent rhetoric because it views them as an invasion rehearsal. In a joint press conference, the South Korean and US militaries said they will conduct the Freedom Shield exercise, a computer-simulated command post training, from March 13-23 to strengthen their defense and response capabilities. They said the training would focus on North Korean aggression, lessons learned from recent conflicts and the changing security environment. The Korea-U.S. alliance will prepare for the FS (Freedom Shield) training while maintaining a firm readiness against potential provocations by the North Korean military, said Col. Lee Sung Jun, a spokesperson at the South ..

North Korea's food shortage worsens amid Covid-19, but no famine yet

There's little doubt that North Korea's chronic food shortages worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and speculation about the country's chronic food insecurity has flared as its top leaders prepare to discuss the "very important and urgent task" of formulating a correct agricultural policy. Unconfirmed reports say an unspecified number of North Koreans have been dying of hunger. But experts say there is no sign of mass deaths or famine. They say the upcoming ruling Workers' Party meeting is likely intended to shore up support for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he pushes ahead with his nuclear weapons program in defiance of intense US-led pressure and sanctions. "Kim Jong Un can't advance his nuclear program stably if he fails to resolve the food problem fundamentally because public support would be shaken," said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul. "The meeting is being convened to solidify internal unity while pulling

Why the war may be heading for a cease-fire

If we have learned anything from the Korean War, it is that a frozen conflict is better than either an outright defeat or an exhausting war of attrition

N Korea test-fires long-range cruise missiles in waters off eastern coast

North Korea on Friday said it test-fired long-range cruise missiles in waters off its eastern coast a day earlier, adding to a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations as its rivals step up military training. The launches came as the United States and South Korea held a simulated military exercise in Washington, DC, aimed at sharpening their response to North Korean nuclear threats. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said that Thursday's launches were aimed at verifying the reliability of the missiles and the rapid-response capabilities of the unit that operates those weapons. The agency said the exercise involved four missiles, which flew for nearly three hours, drawing oval and figure-eight shaped patterns above the sea, and showed that they can hit targets 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) away. North Korea first tested a long-range cruise missile system in September 2021 and has since described those weapons as strategic, wording that implies they are being ...

Here's what to watch as N Korea ratchets up nuclear threat against the West

North Korea's nuclear capabilities may have risen to a stage where the US may not be able to offer enough incentives to roll them back

North Korea fires ballistic missile 2 days after ICBM test, says Seoul

South Korea says North Korea has fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says the launch was made on Monday morning but gave no further details such as how far the weapon flew. Two days ago, North Korea resumed weapons testing activities with an intercontinental ballistic missile launch. North Korea's state media said Sunday its latest ICBM test was meant to further bolster its fatal nuclear attack capacity and threatened additional powerful steps over upcoming military drills between the United States and South Korea. The United States responded by flying long-range supersonic bombers in a show of force later Sunday for separate joint exercises with South Korean and Japanese warplanes.

North Korea confirms ICBM test, warns of more powerful steps against rivals

North Korea said Sunday its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test was meant to further bolster its fatal nuclear attack capacity against its rivals, as it threatened additional powerful steps in response to the planned military training between the United States and South Korea. Saturday's ICBM test, the North's first missile test since Jan. 1, signals its leader Kim Jong Un is using his rivals' drills as a chance to expand his country's nuclear capability to enhance its leverage in future dealings with the United States. An expert says North Korea may seek to hold regular operational exercises involving its ICBMs. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said its launch of the existing Hwasong-15 ICBM was organised suddenly without prior notice at the direct order of leader Kim Jong Un. KCNA said the launch was designed to verify the weapon's reliability and the combat readiness of the country's nuclear force. It said the missile was fired at a high angle and ...

North Korea fires one ballistic missile into the sea, says Seoul

South Korea's military said North Korea on Saturday fired at least one ballistic missile into the sea, a day it threatened to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S. over their joint military exercises. The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul didn't immediately say what type of missile was launched or how far it flew. The launch came a day after North Korea's Foreign Ministry threatened to take unprecedently" strong action against its rivals after South Korea announced a series of planned military exercises with the United States aimed at sharpening their response to the North's growing threats. North Korea is coming off a record year in weapons demonstrations with more than 70 ballistic missiles fired, including intercontinental ballistic missiles with potential range to reach the U.S. mainland. The North also conducted a slew of launches it described as simulated nuclear attacks against South Korean and U.S. targets in response to the allies' resumption of large-scale joi

N Korea warns of strong counteractions against South Korea-US drills

North Korea warned Friday it would take "unprecedentedly persistent and strong counteractions" should South Korea and the US press ahead with their planned combined military drills.

S Korea, US to hold simulated drill to prevent North Korea's use of nukes

South Korean and United States militaries will hold a tabletop exercise at the Pentagon next week to hone their joint response to a potential use of nuclear weapons by North Korea, Seoul officials said Friday. The one-day computer simulation set for Wednesday comes as the two countries push to strengthen their 70-year alliance in the face of North Korea's increasingly aggressive nuclear doctrine. The exercise is meant to focus on measures against North Korean nuclear threats and discuss how to boost a US extended deterrence America's ability to use its full capabilities, including nuclear, to deter attacks on its allies, South Korea's Defence Ministry said in a statement. It said the exercise would set up possible scenarios where North Korea uses nuclear weapons, explore how to cope with them militarily and formulate crisis management plans. Worries about North Korea's nuclear programme deepened in South Korea after the North conducted a record number of missile tests in 2022 and

S Korea defence report revives 'enemy' label for North, first time in 6 yrs

South Korea called North Korea our enemy in its biennial defence document published Thursday, reviving the label for its rival for the first time in six years, as tensions worsen between the two. North Korea conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests in 2022, including simulated nuclear attacks on South Korea. In response, South Korea's conservative government led by President Yoon Suk Yeol has been seeking a stronger U.S. security commitment and boosting its own military capabilities. Descriptions of North Korea in South Korea's defence white papers reflect the rocky ties between the two Koreas. Past South Korean documents called North Korea its main enemy, present enemy or enemy in times of animosities with the North. But they avoided such references when relations were improved. (North Korea) doesn't give up its nukes and is persistently posing military threats to us, so the North Korean government and military is our enemy, the 2022 South Korean defence white paper ...

Kim Jong breaks ground for housing, farm projects amid economic isolation

North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un attended groundbreaking ceremonies for new housing and farming projects, which are part of his push for domestic achievements as the country's economic isolation deepens amid his defiant pursuit of nuclear arms. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Kim broke ground Wednesday for the construction of a huge greenhouse farm in the outskirts of the capital, Pyongyang, where senior North Korean official Jo Yong Won in a speech said that providing Pyongyang residents with fresh vegetables in all seasons was a top priority. Kim also attended a ceremony marking the start of second-stage construction project to build 10,000 new homes in Pyongyang's Hwasong district. The project is part of broader plans to supply 50,000 new homes in the capital under a five-year national development plan that runs through 2025. Experts say North Korea has severe shortages in quality housing that deepened over decades of economic decay. But living condition

S Korea to take action against officials over N Korean drone infiltrations

The North's drone infiltrations have laid bare the South Korean military's lack of readiness against such small crafts that could potentially carry lethal weapons

US, S Korea, Japan to jointly deter N Korea's nuclear, missile threats

North Korea fired 69 ballistic missiles last year, marking a new record number of ballistic missile launched in a year. Its previous annual record was at 25