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☆ Kim Jong Un tested a new rocket that could hit Seoul — and may aid Russia against Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kim Jong Un oversaw tests for a rocket capable of hitting Seoul in South Korea, Bloomberg reported. Russia and North Korea have previously denied reports of an arms deal between the two nations. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok on April 25, 2019. Russia and North Korea have previously denied an arms deal exists between the two countries. Business Insider reported in October that North Korea was on track to become "one of Russia's most significant foreign arms suppliers."

Persons: Kim Jong Un, —, Yang, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Simon Miles, Miles, Kelly Grieco, it's Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Ukraine, Korean People's Army, Korean Central News Agency, Asan Institute, Policy Studies, NK News, North Korean, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Kremlin, Soviet Union, AP News, Business, pushback, US, Stimson Center Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, Korea, Russian, Vladivostok, Soviet

☆ North Korea claims it tested new command-and-control system in simulated nuclear counterstrike
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea claims it tested a new nuclear weapons command-and-control system Monday, with the firing of projectiles carrying simulated nuclear warheads from multiple rocket launcher units. North Korea has tested both the rocket launcher system and a simulated nuclear counterstrike before, according to analysts, but KCNA said Monday’s exercise was the first time the “Haekbangashoe” – or nuclear trigger – command-and-control system was used, demonstrating what it claimed was an ability to switch rocket launchers from conventional to nuclear weapons. Though the regime’s true capabilities have not been independently verified, a 2017 report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency concluded North Korea had likely achieved its key goal of miniaturization. Images supplied by North Korea Monday showed four rockets being launched, with KCNA saying they hit targets on an island 352 kilometers (218 miles) away. The US-South Korea exercise has “incited extreme war fever” and cannot be classified as defense or deterrence, the KCNA report said.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, KCNA, Kim, ”, Jeffrey Lewis, James Martin, Joseph Dempsey, ” Dempsey, Kim ramped Organizations: South Korea CNN, Korean Central News Agency, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, International Institute for Strategic Studies, US Defense Intelligence Agency, miniaturization, North Korea, Korea’s, Chiefs, Staff, Korea, US Air Force Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, United States, North Korea, denuclearization, Washington, U.S

☆ North Korea tests missile, Seoul says, ahead of vote seen as gauge of support for hardline South Korean leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea test-fired a presumed intermediate-range ballistic missile on Tuesday, South Korean officials said, its latest military maneuver since leader Kim Jong Un’s New Year declaration that he was ending a policy seeking reconciliation with the South. Pyongyang’s shows of power included long-range artillery and multiple rocket launchers, which pose a threat to the South Korean capital Seoul and other key areas near the border. But Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said Tuesday’s suspected missile test by North Korea won’t have much effect on the vote. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui last week quashed recent speculation that Kishida could meet with North Korea’s Kim. North Korea “will not allow any attempt of Japan to contact” Pyongyang, he said, according to KCNA.

Persons: Kim Jong, Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim, Yoon’s, Democratic Party –, Yoon, Leif, Eric Easley, ” Easley, Easley, Tuesday’s, Fumio Kishida, Joe Biden, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Choe Son Hui, North Korea’s Kim, CNN’s Yoonjung Seo Organizations: South Korea CNN, North, South, Korean Central News Agency, CNN, Yoon’s People Power Party, Democratic Party, Ewha Womans University, Assembly, Korean, Philippine, North Korean Foreign, North Korea “ Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Pyongyang, United States, North, Japan, Washington, China

☆ North Korean TV censors British gardening show host’s jeans
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —North Korea’s state broadcaster, KCTV, has blurred out a pair of jeans worn by veteran British TV host Alan Titchmarsh as part of the country’s censorship of foreign fashion and culture. Nam Sung-wook, a professor of North Korean Studies at Korea University in Seoul, told CNN that the censorship shows North Korea is strictly implementing the newly adopted Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act. “The act aims to prohibit North Korean residents from imitating foreign countries in various aspects, including how they’re dressed and speak,” he said. “They have had campaigns against anti-socialist culture since at least the early 1990s,” said Ward. Foreign materials like books and movies are banned, often with severe punishments for those caught with black market contraband.

Persons: Alan Titchmarsh, KCTV, ”, Titchmarsh, “ I’ve, Nam Sung, Peter Ward, Kim Jong Il, “ Organizations: CNN, BBC, North Korean Studies, Korea University, Sejong Institute, “, Korean Central News Agency, United Nations Locations: Korea’s, British, Seoul, Korea, South Korea, Soviet Union, North Korea

☆ North Korea showcases artillery that poses a deadly threat to the South
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea on Thursday showed off its long-range artillery systems, thousands of weapons that it could use to strike the South with little warning while causing tens of thousands of casualties, according to experts. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed both drills and was seen in photos provided by state media. North Korean artillery fires during large-scales exercises on March 7. Even retaliatory strikes by South Korea and the US would be difficult to execute, the report said. In January, Kim called the South the North’s “primary foe and invariable principal enemy” and ordered a reunification monument in the North Korean capital to be demolished.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim Jong Un, Kim, “, KCNA Kim, ” Organizations: South Korea CNN, South Korean, Korea’s Defense, Monday, North, Korean Central News Agency, Korean People's Army, South Korean Defense Ministry, Peninsula . Artillery, RAND Corp, RAND, ROK, DPRK, U.S, South Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, United States, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Russia, Korean, Republic of Korea

☆ Putin gifts car to Kim Jong Un in sign of ‘special personal relations,’ North Korean state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Russian-made car for Kim’s personal use was delivered Sunday by a Russian delegation, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency TASS the car was an Aurus, the luxury automaker founded in 2018 to produce Russia’s official state cars. In January, high-ranking North Korean and Russian diplomats met in Moscow in advance of what North Korean state media says is a forthcoming visit to Pyongyang by Putin — his first in more than 20 years. The North Korean leader is often seen being chauffeured in what’s believed to be a Mercedes-Maybach Pullman Guard armored limousine, worth upwards of $1 million. During Kim’s visit to Russia last September, Putin showed his Aurus limousine to the North Korean leader.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Dmitry Peskov, –, Kim Yo Jong, Putin, Putin —, Kim, “, ”, what’s, Royce, Donald Trump Organizations: South Korea CNN —, Korean, Korean Central News Agency, TASS, Pyongyang, CNN, Putin, North, Maybach Pullman Guard, Maybach S600 Guard, Washington -, Advanced Defense Locations: Seoul, South Korea, United States, Russian, North Korea, Russia, Moscow, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Netherlands, Washington, Singapore

☆ Kim Jong Un has broken with decades of North Korean policy – does it mean he’s planning for war?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The two sides have been cut off from each other since 1953, when an armistice ended the Korean War, and remain technically at war. Yoon and Biden have sharpened their countries’ deterrence plans and coordination in the face of North Korea’s threats and weapons development. If anything, some analysts believe, North Korea’s public statements signal that North Korea is abandoning its reunification policy in pursuit of peace on the peninsula. Vladimir Smirnov/AFP/Getty ImagesAn ‘emboldened’ KimThe North Korean leader may also feel more confident about his arsenal and his options as he watches a shifting global landscape. “Kim Jong Un is wary of a full-scale provocation by the South Korean military disguised as a military exercise and has vowed to occupy South Korean territory without hesitation,” said Lim in Changwon.

Persons: Kim Jong, South Korea –, ” Kim, ”, Kim, ’, Robert Carlin, Siegfred Heckler, Chul Lim, “, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Edward Howell, Yoon Suk Yeol, Ayse, ” He’s, Yoon, Biden, Seoul . Kim, Trump, Lim, “ That’s, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Smirnov, ’ Kim, “ Kim Jong, …, Rachel Minyoung Lee, Howell, “ Kim Jong Un, Lee, Japan – Organizations: CNN, South, Korean Central News Agency, Reuters, North Korea Research Center, University’s Institute, Far Eastern, University of Oxford, Japan, Ewha Womans University, US, North, Russia's Vostochny, Getty, Stimson, –, White, United Nations Security Council, West, South Korean Defense Ministry, ”, Trump, North Korean Locations: Ukraine, Gaza, North Korea, South Korea, Korea, Republic of Korea, Kim, Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, United States, Korea’s, Changwon, Pyongyang, Russia, United Kingdom, Japan, Guam, Gon, Seoul ., Russian, Russia's, China, Iran, denuclearization, Western, North, Moscow, Beijing, Oxford, Jeju, South, “

Some experts say Kim may seek to further dial up pressure in an election year in South Korea and the United States. He also accused South Korea of frequently violating what he decried as North Korean territorial waters with its maritime patrols and interdiction of third-party ships. He ordered his navy to strengthen its defense posture in waters near the South Korean border islands of Baekryeong and Yeonpyeong, where a North Korean artillery bombardment killed four people in 2010. North Korea insists upon a boundary that encroaches deeply into waters currently controlled by South Korea. Following a separate, year-end political conference at which Kim accused South Korea of hostility, North Korea in early January fired hundreds of artillery rounds on three consecutive days near the western sea boundary with South Korea.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim, KCNA Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, Command, Supreme People’s Assembly, Washington Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, Wonsan, United States, Korea, Baekryeong, Korean, U.S, North Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Beijing

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said it tested cruise missiles outfitted with new “super-large” warheads as well as a new type of anti-aircraft missile, extending a streak in weapons demonstrations that has rival South Korea worried. The report Saturday by North Korean state media came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected the North launching multiple cruise missiles into waters off its western coast. North Korean photos of the test showed a low-flying cruise missile striking a target built on a coastal shore, and another projectile soaring into the air after being launched from ground. In announcing the development of larger warheads for cruise missiles, North Korea could be trying to emphasize that these missiles are intended to be armed with nuclear weapons. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesCruise missiles are among a growing collection of North Korean weapons designed to overwhelm regional missile defenses.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, Analysts, Friday's Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, North Korea, North Korean, Korean, United States, Russia, Japan, Guam, Nampho, U.S

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Wednesday it conducted a test-firing of long-range cruise missiles with an aim to sharpen its counterattack and strategic strike capabilities, in its latest display of weapons threatening South Korea and Japan. The event extended a provocative streak in weapons testing as North Korea continues to raise pressure on the United States and its Asian allies amid a prolonged freeze in diplomacy. North Korea in recent years has been expanding its lineup of cruise missiles, which are designed to be fired from both land and naval assets. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesSince 2021, North Korea has conducted at least 11 rounds of tests of what it described as long-range cruise missiles fired from both land and sea. The North’s two previous tests of cruise missiles on Jan. 24 and Jan. 28 were of a new weapon called Pulhwasal-3-31, which is designed to be fired from submarines.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, North Korea, Korea, Japan, North Korean, United States, Guam, Russia

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Thursday it conducted its first flight test of a new cruise missile, as it expands its military capabilities in the face of deepening tensions with the United States and neighbors. North Korea’s cruise missiles are among its growing arsenal of weapons aimed at overwhelming missile defenses in South Korea and Japan. Since 2021, North Korea has conducted at least 10 rounds of tests of what it described as long-range cruise missiles fired from both land and sea. There are concerns that Kim could dial up pressure in an election year in the United States and South Korea. He accused South Korea of acting as “top-class stooges” of the Americans and repeated a threat that he would use his nukes to annihilate the South if provoked.

Persons: Kim, KCNA Organizations: Chiefs, Staff, Korean Central News Agency, The Associated Press, South, Analysts Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, North Korea, United States, Japan, Guam, North, South, Pyongyang, Korea, Washington, Asia, asia

☆ Russia’s Putin to visit North Korea soon, state media says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit Kim Jong Un soon, North Korean state media reported Sunday, the latest sign of increasing cooperation between the two authoritarian leaders as war rages in Ukraine and military tensions increase in East Asia. Putin thanked Kim for an invitation to visit Pyongyang and pledged to go there “at an early date,” the report from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the dates for Putin’s visit to North Korea were still being discussed through diplomatic channels and would be announced later, Russian state-run news agency TASS reported. During that visit, Kim praised Russia for standing up to “hegemonic forces” with its war in Ukraine, while Putin signaled a willingness to assist North Korea in developing its space and satellite programs. According to the US Defense Department, Russia has twice in the past month fired North Korean-made missiles at targets in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Putin, Kim, Dmitry Peskov, Choe Son Hui, Sergey Lavrov, ” KCNA, Kim Jong, ” Organizations: South Korea CNN —, Korean Central News Agency, North Korean Foreign, Russian, TASS, CNN, North Korean, US Defense Department, South, US, People’s Assembly Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korean, Ukraine, East Asia, Pyongyang, North Korea, Russian, Moscow, Northeast Asia, Russia, Korea, United States

☆ North Korea's Kim calls for South to be seen as 'primary foe,' warns of war
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un speaks at the 5th National Meeting of Mothers in Pyongyang in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency on December 5, 2023. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday called for the constitution to be changed to ensure that South Korea is seen as the "primary foe" and warned his country did not intend to avoid war should it happen, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday. In a speech to the Supreme People's Assembly, North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament, Kim said he had concluded that unification with the South was no longer possible, and accused Seoul of seeking regime collapse and unification by absorption. Kim said the constitution should be amended to educate North Koreans that South Korea is a "primary foe and invariable principal enemy" and define the North's territory as separate from the South. "We don't want war but we have no intention of avoiding it," Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim Jong Un, Kim, KCNA Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, Supreme, Assembly, North Locations: Pyongyang, Korea, North, Seoul, North Koreans, South Korea

☆ North Korea scraps agencies managing relations with South as Kim Jong Un cites hostility with rival
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits Korean People's Army Air Force headquarters on the occasion of Aviation Day in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on December 1, 2023. North Korea has abolished key government organizations tasked with managing relations with South Korea, state media said Tuesday, as authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un said he would no longer pursue reconciliation with his rival. During a speech at the assembly, Kim blamed South Korea and the United States for raising tensions in the region. He called for the assembly to rewrite the North's Constitution in its next meeting to define South Korea as the North's "No. The United States and its allies Seoul and Tokyo responded by strengthening their combined military exercises and sharpening their nuclear deterrence strategies.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim Organizations: Korean People's Army Air Force, Aviation, North, Korean Central News Agency Locations: North Korea, South Korea, United States, Seoul, Tokyo

☆ North Korea appears to have tested a missile tipped with a hypersonic weapon that could evade the air defenses of US bases
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

North Korea claimed Monday to have tested a hypersonic glide missile. North Korea is continuing to menace US allies in the region. AdvertisementNorth Korea claims to have successfully tested a solid-fuel missile tipped with a hypersonic weapon that could be used to target US bases and allies in the region. AdvertisementA previous round of North Korean hypersonic missile tests back in 2021 and 2022 prompted concerns that the weapons could be so sophisticated, they would be a potential game changer. The US and South Korea have increased joint military exercises in the region.

Persons: —, Lionel Fatton, Kim Jong Un Organizations: Service, Korean Central News Agency, Agence, France Presse, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Reuters, Japanese, Webster University, Meiji University, CNN Locations: Korea, North Korea, France, Guam, Japan, Russia, China, Switzerland, Korean, South Korea, Ukraine

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Monday claimed it flight-tested a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead as it pursues more powerful, harder-to-detect weapons designed to strike remote U.S. targets in the region. There are also concerns about an alleged arms cooperation between North Korea and Russia as they align in the face of separate, intensifying confrontations with Washington. The Biden administration said it has evidence that missiles provided by North Korea to Russia had been used in the war in Ukraine. In a joint statement last week, the U.S., South Korea and their partners said the missile transfer supports Russia’s war of aggression and provides North Korea with valuable technical and military insights. North Korea earlier this month fired a barrage of artillery shells near the disputed western sea boundary with South Korea, prompting the South to conduct similar firing exercises in the area.

Persons: KCNA, Kim Jong Un, ” KCNA, Kim, Choe Sun Hui, Sergey Lavrov, Biden, Yoon Suk Yeol, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: South, Korean Central News Agency, North, Korea’s, Chiefs, Staff, U.S, Russian Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, North Korea, North, Korean, Pyongyang, Guam, Japan, Pacific, United States, Seoul, Tokyo, Russia, Washington, North Korean, U.S, Korea, Ukraine

☆ US, partners target North Korea with sanctions following satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The list includes senior officials from the National Aerospace Technology Administration, which oversaw the satellite launch, and the munitions industry department. Since the launch of the satellite, North Korea said that its leader, Kim Jong Un, has reviewed spy satellite photos of the White House, Pentagon and U.S. aircraft carriers at the naval base of Norfolk. Kimsuky's hacking operation has been historically focused on South Korea, Japan and the United States. The RGB is a North Korean intelligence agency that is involved in cyber warfare activities, according to analysts, and is under U.S. sanctions. Two Russia-based representatives of North Korean banks and one China-based representative were also hit with sanctions, among others.

Persons: Kim Jong, Brian Nelson, Nelson, Kimsuky, Daphne Psaledakis, David Brunnstrom, Christopher Bing, Hyonhee Shin, Sandra Maler, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS, U.S . Treasury Department, North, Terrorism, Financial Intelligence, Democratic People's, National Aerospace Technology Administration, United Nations, White House, Pentagon, U.S, North Korea sparred, Security Council, Treasury, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Agency, Security, U.S . National Security Agency, Korea's, Bureau, UN, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, SEOUL, United States, Korea, U.S, Australia, Japan, North Korea, Korean, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, South, New York, Norfolk, South Korea, Guam, Italy, Washington, Europe, Russia, North Korean, Iran, China, North, Seoul

☆ North Korea's Kim calls for military readiness against any 'provocation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits Korean People's Army Air Force headquarters on the occasion of Aviation Day in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on December 1, 2023. On Thursday, the United States targeted North Korea with fresh sanctions over the satellite launch, designating foreign-based agents it accused of facilitating sanctions evasion. Local media reported that North Korean soldiers at the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the DMZ had started carrying firearms again after the North withdrew from the inter-Korean military deal. The DMZ tours had restarted last week; they had been halted after a U.S. soldier's unauthorised crossing into North Korea while on a tour in July. Private Travis King was later handed back by the North and returned to the United States, where he faces charges.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong, Kim, KCNA, Travis King, Soo, hyang Choi, Richard Chang, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Korean People's Army Air Force, Aviation, North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, United Nations, United, Local, Joint Security Area, Korean, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Rights SEOUL, Pyongyang, Seoul, United States, Korea, South Korea, U.S

☆ North Korea's Kim received photos taken by spy satellite of White House, Pentagon -KCNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un meets with members of the Non-Standing Satellite Launch Preparation Committee, in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency on November 24, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 28 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received photos of the White House, Pentagon and U.S. aircraft carriers in the naval base of Norfolk, taken by its recently launched spy satellite, state media KCNA said on Tuesday. North Korea last week successfully launched its first reconnaissance satellite, which it has said was designed to monitor U.S. and South Korean military movements. The photos were the latest in a series of images of what KCNA described as "major target regions" sent by the satellite, including the South Korean capital of Seoul and U.S. military bases. Seoul officials have said the North's satellite capabilities could not be verified as it has not released the photos.

Persons: Kim Jong, KCNA, Kim, Hyonhee Shin, Chris Reese, Sandra Maler Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, White House, Pentagon, U.S, ., Andersen Air Force Base, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Rights SEOUL, Norfolk, Korea, Korean, Seoul, U.S, U.S . Western, Guam, Newport, British, United States, South Korea

☆ North Korea's Kim says satellite launch was exercise of right to self-defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un meets with members of the Non-Standing Satellite Launch Preparation Committee, in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency on November 24, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 24 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country's recent launch of a spy satellite was an exercise of its right to self-defence, as Pyongyang celebrated the event as showing it could strike anywhere in the world, state media reported. North Korea hosted a reception to celebrate the launch on Thursday, where Premier Kim Tok Hun said the satellite would develop the North Korean military into "the world's best army possessed of capability for striking the whole world". Russia and North Korea have denied arms deals but have promised deeper cooperation. South Korea has said that the North Korean satellite was believed to have entered orbit, but that it would take time to assess whether it was operating normally.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim Jong Un, Kim, KCNA, Kim Tok Hun, Kim's, Vladimir Putin, Soo, hyang Choi, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, National Aerospace Technology Administration, DPRK, Democratic People's, Korean, Thomson Locations: Rights SEOUL, Pyongyang, North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Russia, Korea

☆ North Korea's Kim inspects spy satellite photos of 'target regions', US bases
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nuclear-armed North Korea launched the satellite on Tuesday, but South Korean defence officials and analysts said its capabilities have not been independently verified. Kim examined photos of Seoul and other cities of Mokpo, Kunsan, Pyeongtaek and Osan, where U.S. and South Korean military bases are located. The photos were taken as the satellite passed over the peninsula on Friday morning, state news agency KCNA said. On Saturday, Kim visited the control centre once again to examine more photos taken in the morning of different target regions in South Korea: Jinhae, Busan, Ulsan, Pohang, Daegu and Gangneung. On Thursday, South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said North Korea had "exaggerated" by saying Kim had already viewed images of Guam.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, KCNA, Carl Vinson, South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won, sik, Yonhap, Josh Smith, Jihoon Lee, Clarence Fernandez, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Korean, National Aerospace Technology Administration, Naval, Hickam Air Force, U.S . State Department, U.S, South Korean Defence Minister, Thomson Locations: Rights SEOUL, Seoul, North Korea, Mokpo, Pyeongtaek, Osan, Pyongyang, South Korea, Jinhae, Busan, Ulsan, Pohang, Daegu, Gangneung, Korean, Harbor, Hawaii, United States, Japan, Pacific, Guam, U.S

Neither South Korea, the United States nor Japan, all of which are experiencing increasing military tensions with North Korea, could confirm the satellite had made it into orbit. But South Korea called the launch a “clear violation” of a UN Security Council resolution that prohibits North Korea from using ballistic missile technology. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un celebrates Tuesday night's satellite launch with workers in an image provided by state-run media. Japanese Defense Minister Hiroyuki Miyazawa said his country was still trying to determine whether North Korea’s satellite had reached orbit. In that meeting, Putin signaled a willingness to assist North Korea in developing its space and satellite program.

Persons: “, ”, Kim Jong Un, Fumio Kishida, Hiroyuki Miyazawa, KCNA, Kim Song, ” KCNA, Carl Schuster, Ankit, “ They’re, Leif, Eric Easley, Shin Won, sik, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Panda, “ Let’s Organizations: South Korea CNN, Korean Central News Agency, UN, Korean, Japan’s, US, Pyongyang’s, Japanese, Council, North Korean, North, Korea’s National Aerospace Development, Analysts, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence, Carnegie Endowment, International, Ewha University, Korea’s Defense Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Korea, United States, Japan, Japan’s Okinawa, Japanese, Pyongyang, East China, KCNA . North Korea, Russian, Russia, Koreans

☆ Rival Koreas race to launch first spy satellites this month
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A still photograph shows what appears to be North Korea's new Chollima-1 rocket being launched in Cholsan County, North Korea, May 31, 2023 in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency and taken from video. KCNA via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Both South and North Korea aim to launch their first spy satellites into orbit by the end of the month, entering a race for military capabilities in space. North Korea has notified Japan it plans to launch a satellite between Wednesday and Dec. 1, after two failed attempts to launch spy satellites earlier this year. Seoul plans to use SpaceX to launch four more spy satellites by 2025, and has test launched its own liquid and solid fuel rockets to launch more civilian and military satellites in the future. South Korea's capabilities are more advanced, but it still has to make more progress to see results, Chun said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Kim Hyun, chong, Chun, Panda, Josh Smith, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, SpaceX, California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base, Carnegie Endowment, International, North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration, South Korean, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Cholsan County, North Korea, Rights SEOUL, Japan, South Korea, Seoul, Korea, South, U.S, Pyongyang, United States, Washington

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met his South Korean counterpart Shin Won-sik in Seoul on Sunday with Japanese defence minister Minoru Kihara joining the meeting online. U.S. President Joe Biden agreed with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at an Aug. 18 summit that by the end of this year the three countries would share North Korea missile warning data in real time. The ministers also condemned growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia as a violation of U.N. resolutions, the South Korean defence ministry said in a statement, and also stressed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Brown, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with his South Korean counterpart in Seoul on Sunday, the South Korean military said. In his first visit to South Korea since he took office in October, the top U.S. general discussed the "continuous provocations" of North Korea including missile launches, and reaffirmed the United States' commitment to the defence of South Korea, the South Korean joint chiefs of staff said in a statement.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Lloyd Austin, Shin Won, Minoru Kihara, Kihara, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Charles Q, Brown, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Miral Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, Korean, Sunday, . Defence, South Korean, Korea, U.S . Joint Chiefs of Staff, Thomson Locations: Rights TOKYO, SEOUL, South Korea, Japan, United States, South, Sunday ., Seoul, North Korea, Russia, Taiwan, TOKYO

☆ Hamas militants likely used North Korean RPGs and assault rifles in the October 7 attacks on Israel, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hamas militants who carried out the October 7 attacks on Israel may have used North Korean weapons. Israel captured a number of North Korean F-7 rocket-propelled grenades during the fighting. North Korea denied the claims, but it has long been linked with supporting Palestinian militant groups, experts say. AdvertisementAdvertisementHamas militants likely used some weapons from North Korea in the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, arms experts have said. "North Korea has long supported Palestinian militant groups, and North Korean arms have previously been documented amongst interdicted supplies," N.R.

Persons: —, Jones Organizations: Service, Associated Press, Korea's, Chiefs, Staff, The Washington Post, Armament Research Services, Korean Central News Agency Locations: Israel, Korean, Korea, North Korea, North, Iran, Russian, Pyongyang, United States, Russia, Ukraine

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