Page 3 - South Korea

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 ...

South Korea to invest $172 mn in nurturing semiconductor talents

South Korean govt and the country's major chipmakers agreed to jointly nurture more than 2,300 top-level talents in semiconductor field over next decade in an effort to maintain global tech prowess

South Korean President Yoon's approval rating rises to 40.4% after 6 weeks

In the poll of 2,504 adults conducted by Realmeter from February 13-17, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance rose 3.5 percentage points from a week earlier to 40.4 per cent

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 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 ...

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

S Korean lawmakers impeach interior and safety minister over crowd crush

South Korea's opposition-controlled parliament on Wednesday voted to impeach the country's interior and safety minister, Lee Sang-min, holding him responsible for government failures in disaster planning and the response that likely contributed to the high death toll in a crowd crush that killed nearly 160 people in October. The impeachment suspends Lee from his duties and the country's Constitutional Court has 180 days to rule on whether to unseat him for good or give him back the job. Lee is seen as a key ally of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose office issued an irritated response to his impeachment, accusing opposition lawmakers of abandoning legislative principles and creating shameful history. Lee issued a statement expressing regret after lawmakers voted 179-109 in favor of impeaching him and said he would defend his case in the Constitutional Court.

South Korea and Australia renew currency swap deal for five years

The central banks of South Korea and Australia have agreed to renew their bilateral currency swap deal for five more years.

International flights in South Korea back to 60% of pre-Covid levels in Jan

The number of international flights in South Korea has returned to 60% of pre-Covid levels in January, helped by increased travel to Japan and Asian countries, the Transport Ministry said on Monday

US committed to using full range of capabilities to defend S Korea: Blinken

"We are committed to defending the Republic of Korea using the full range of our capabilities -- nuclear, conventional missile defense capabilities," said Blinken

N Korea warns of 'toughest reaction' to allies' drills with Seoul

North Korea on Thursday threatened the toughest reaction to the United States' expanding joint military exercises with South Korea to counter the North's growing nuclear weapons ambitions, claiming that the allies were pushing tensions to an extreme red line. The statement by Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry came in response to comments by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who during a visit to Seoul on Tuesday said the United States would increase its deployment of advanced military assets to the Korean Peninsula, including fighter jets and aircraft carriers, as it strengthens joint training with South Korea. South Korea's Defense Ministry said the United States flew B-1B bombers and F-22 and F-35 fighter jets in a joint aerial exercise with South Korean fighters on Wednesday, which it said was aimed at demonstrating the United States' commitment to defend its ally with the full range of its military capabilities. The United States and South Korea are also planning to hold a simulate

China imposes mandatory Covid-19 tests for arrivals from South Korea

China resumed mandatory Covid-19 tests for arrivals from South Korea, in its latest tit-for-tat response over Seoul's strengthened anti-virus curbs against travellers from the neighbouring nation

India undeniably a global powerhouse, says South Korea at G20 meet

South Korea on Monday said India is undeniably a global powerhouse and that the Indian presidency of G20 will unleash its potential and pay heed to insights and feedback from members and contribute to the international community. The statement came from a representative of South Korea who was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the two-day G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group meeting here. The discussions during the meeting will be jointly steered by Ministry of Finance and Reserve Bank of India along with France and South Korea who are co-chairs of the International Financial Architecture Working Group. The impression of this country is that India is undeniably a global powerhouse that not only is a hard power evidenced by economic scales and population but also a soft power equipped with well-known films, cuisines, history and renowned figures, Byungsik Jung, the representative of South Korea said at the inauguration. He also exuded confidence about the succe

N Korea slams Nato chief's Seoul visit as 'prelude' to war in Asia-Pacific

North Korea on Monday denounced a visit to Seoul by Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, as a "prelude" to war, saying the move could bring a "new Cold War" to the Asia-Pacific region

Bad weather disrupts operation of S Korean airport again after 3 days

According to the Jeju branch of the Korea Airports Corp., 50 flights to and from the airport -- 18 departures and 32 arrivals -- had been cancelled, while nine other flights were delayed

Snowstorm sweeps through South Korean capital Seoul, nearby regions

Cars slowed and stopped on icy roads and bundled-up commuters gingerly navigated snow-covered sidewalks as a snowstorm swept through the South Korean capital of Seoul and nearby regions on Thursday, extending a frigid cold spell that has the country in its grip. There were no immediate reports of major disruptions or damage caused by the snow, ice and subzero temperatures as of Thursday afternoon, as officials lifted their heavy snow warnings for the area after the snowfall weakened following morning commuting hours. Traffic on the country's major roads was normal, although 110 hiking trails across three national parks remained closed. More than 5 centimeters (2 inches) of snow fell in Seoul in the 24 hours through 11 a.m. Thursday, while neighbouring Gyeonggi province and Incheon saw 6 to 8 centimeters (2.3 to 3 inches) of snow. Morning temperatures in the region fell to around minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit). The country's weather agency forecasted similar weathe