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☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ Putin Showed Intention to Visit Pyongyang Soon, North Korea Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin showed his intention to visit Pyongyang soon, North Korea's state media KCNA reported on Sunday. Putin also thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for his invitation to visit as he met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui who visited Russia last week, KCNA said citing a foreign ministry official. Russia thanked North Korea for its support and solidarity in the Ukraine war, and the two also expressed serious concerns over provocative acts by the United States and its allies against Pyongyang's sovereign rights while agreeing to cooperate in regional affairs, the report said. The cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow will be in line with the U.N. Charter and other international laws, it added. (Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Kim Jong Un, Choe Son Hui, KCNA, Hyunsu Yim, Chizu Nomiyama Organizations: North, North Korean Foreign Locations: SEOUL, Pyongyang, North, Russia, North Korea, Ukraine, United States, Moscow

☆ Russia to Build on Putin-Kim Agreements as North Korean Minister Visits Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Monday said Russia was developing relations with "our partner" North Korea in all areas and would build on agreements reached between their leaders when they met at a Russian space launch centre last year. In September, President Vladimir Putin welcomed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the Vostochny space launch facility in Russia's far east and promised to help North Korea build satellites. "North Korea is our closest neighbour and partner, with whom we are developing and intend to further develop partnerships in all areas," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said as North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui began a visit to Moscow. The United States and Ukraine this month accused Russia of firing North Korean-supplied short-range ballistic missiles at Ukraine, something Russia declined to confirm or deny. Peskov said Russia hoped a Putin visit to North Korea, at Kim's invitation, would take place "in the foreseeable future", but he said no date had yet been agreed.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Dmitry Peskov, Choe Son Hui, Kim, Putin, Peskov, Mark Trevelyan, Angus MacSwan Organizations: North, North Korean Foreign, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Korea, Russia's, North Korea, Moscow, United States, Iran, Ukraine

☆ US, South Korean warplanes kick off joint air drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A U.S. Air Force B-52 strategic bomber, C-17 aircraft along with South Korea's Air Force F-35As take part in a joint drill, South Korea, December 20, 2022. The annual drills, called Vigilant Defense, will run until Friday, featuring variants of the F-35 stealth fighter from both the United States and South Korea, among other aircraft, South Korea's Air Force said. The drills are aimed at improving interoperability between the two militaries by performing major air missions such as air-to-surface live fire drills, defensive counter air operation and other emergency training. "We will maintain the best combat readiness to immediately respond to and strongly punish any provocation by the enemy through an intense training simulating an actual situation," South Korea's military said in a statement. North Korea has long condemned joint drills between the United States and South Korea as a rehearsal for invasion and proof of hostile policies by Washington and Seoul.

Persons: Choe Son Hui, Soo, hyang Choi, Lincoln Organizations: U.S . Air Force, South Korea's Air Force, The Defence Ministry, Rights, South Korea, Vigilant Defense, Korea's Air Force, North Korean Foreign, Thomson Locations: South Korea, Rights SEOUL, United States, South, North Korea, Russia, Moscow, Pyongyang, Korea, Washington, Seoul

☆ North Korea's Kim vows to 'faithfully' fulfil agreements made with Russia's Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny ?osmodrome in the Amur Oblast of the Far East Region, Russia, September 13, 2023 in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. Kim took a rare trip to Russia last month during which he invited Putin to Pyongyang and discussed military cooperation, including over North Korea's satellite programme, and the war in Ukraine. He was referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 'FIRST TARGET OF DESTRUCTION'Russia and North Korea have been seeking to forge closer ties in the face of what they see as a hostile and aggressive U.S.-led Western camp. Those assets would be "the first targets of destruction" if signs of any attack on North Korea were detected, it said, adding the country has already enacted "the policy of nuclear force which allowed the necessary procedures of action."

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Kim, Putin, Lavrov, KCNA, Choe Son Hui, Pyongyang's, Hyonhee Shin, Diane Craft, Sandra Maler Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS, Rights, Russian, DPRK, Democratic People's, North Korean Foreign, U.S, Thomson Locations: Amur Oblast, East Region, Russia, Rights SEOUL, Pyongyang, Ukraine, North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North, Northeast Asian, Seoul, Washington, Moscow, Japan, U.S, ' Republic of Korea, DPRK, South Korea

☆ North Korea denounces US arms aid to Taiwan as 'dangerous' provocation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File PhotoSEOUL, Aug 4 (Reuters) - North Korea on Friday criticised a U.S. weapons aid package to Taiwan, state media reported on Friday, accusing the United States of driving tensions in the region to "another ignition point of war". The United States unveiled an aid package for Taiwan worth up to $345 million on Friday as Congress authorised up to $1 billion worth of weapons for the island as a part of the 2023 budget. Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only Taiwan's people can decide their future. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met a Chinese delegation in Pyongyang last week and vowed to develop the two countries' relations to a "new high".

Persons: Edgar Su, Kim Jong Un, Soo, hyang Choi, Gerry Doyle Organizations: North, REUTERS, United, U.S, Thomson Locations: Korea, North Korean, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, Taiwan, United States, Yong, China, Beijing, Washington, Taipei, Asia, Pacific, Pyongyang

☆ North Korea condemns US plan to send cluster munitions to Ukraine as 'criminal'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, July 11 (Reuters) - North Korea on Tuesday condemned U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine as a "criminal act" and demanded an immediate withdrawal of the plan. Reclusive North Korea has forged closer ties with the Kremlin and backed Moscow after it invaded Ukraine in February last year. The United States announced last week it would send Ukraine the weapons controversial for the danger they pose to civilians long after fighting ends as part of an $800 million security package. Many U.S. allies and partners helping aid Ukraine are among the 111 state parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitions and came into force in 2010. North Korea is not a party to the convention.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, Choe Son Hui, Choe, Jack Kim, Ed Osmond, Nick Macfie Organizations: Korean Foreign, DPRK, Democratic People's, Kremlin, United States, U.S, Cluster Munitions, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Ukraine, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Moscow, Russia, United States, U.S

☆ Blinken called S.Korea to discuss China visit; N.Korea warns of stronger response
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, June 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called key ally South Korea to discuss results of his visit to China this month, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. Blinken told South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin he had an honest, practical and constructive dialogue with the Chinese side, and wanted to explain the results of his visit in as much detail as possible, a ministry statement said. Blinken's "threats" for China to pressure Pyongyang expresses a "dangerous hegemonic mentality", KCNA said, citing a North Korean foreign ministry official. North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its east coast last week, less than an hour after Pyongyang warned of a response to military drills by South Korean and U.S. troops. Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by William Mallard and Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Park Jin, Xi Jinping, KCNA, Joyce Lee, William Mallard, Tom Hogue Organizations: Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, South Korean Foreign, North, South Korean, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, China, Korea's, Beijing, North Korea, Pyongyang, United States, North Korean, Korea, U.S

☆ North Korean bank official charged in crypto laundering conspiracies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

On Monday, a Washington, D.C., district court unsealed two federal indictments charging a North Korean bank official for his alleged role in cryptocurrency laundering conspiracies. The alleged actions are in violation of current sanctions against North Korea by both the U.S. and United Nations. The recently unsealed indictments represent a broader pattern in recent years of North Korean workers using virtual private networks (VPNs) and other tools to illegally gain remote employment and redirect revenue to North Korea. Nearly every month so far this year, North Korea has run tests of its intercontinental ballistic missiles, the latest taking place in mid-April. "We will continue to work to disrupt and deter North Korean actors and those who aid them by following the money on the blockchain and shining a light on their conduct."

☆ North Korea criticises G7 over call for denuclearisation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The quoted remarks by North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui came in a statement criticising the United States and other Group of Seven countries. Tension has flared in recent weeks as North Korea has ramped up military activities, and threatened "more practical and offensive" action as U.S. and South Korean forces conduct annual springtime military exercises. North Korea has been reacting furiously to those exercises, calling them a rehearsal for "an all-out, nuclear war." Choe accused the G7 countries of illegally interfering in North Korea's internal affairs by demanding denuclearisation, saying Pyongyang would respond if they attempt to violate its sovereignty and fundamental interests. "North Korea will never get what it wants through nuclear and missile development, and it will only become more isolated from the international community," ministry deputy spokesperson Lee Hyo-jung told a briefing.

☆ US and South Korea will wargame a nuclear crisis just days after North Korea issued its latest threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The US and South Korea will simulate a nuclear crisis for a tabletop exercise next week. The exercise will come just days after North Korea's government issues its latest threats. North Korea threatened "unprecedentedly" strong action Friday as the US and South Korea plan large field exercises. The Pentagon-based exercise will involve possible scenarios where North Korea has used nuclear weapons, prompting personnel to react, manage, and resolve situations. North Korea warned that the US and South Korea's activities could plunge the Korean Peninsula into a "grave vortex of escalating tension," per AP.

☆ North Korea calls for strengthened war readiness posture, expanded drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The meeting comes as North Korea is widely expected to stage a military parade to mark the founding anniversary of its armed forces on Wednesday. Commercial satellite imagery has shown North Korean troops practicing in formation in Pyongyang, and South Korea has also said it was monitoring increased related activities. The military meeting also follows North Korea on Thursday condemning drills by the United States and its allies, saying they have reached an "extreme red-line" and threaten to turn the peninsula into a "huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone." In Thursday's statement, the North Korean foreign ministry condemned a visit to South Korea by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and said Pyongyang was not interested in dialogue as long as Washington pursues hostile policies. When asked about the tensions with North Korea during a stop in the Philippines, Austin said that the U.S. goal was to promote greater security and stability and that it remained committed to defending South Korea.

☆ North Korea denies media report it supplied munitions to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Dec 23 (Reuters) - North Korea's foreign ministry denied a media report it supplied munitions to Russia, calling it "groundless," and denounced the United States for providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, the North's official KCNA news agency reported on Friday. Japan's Tokyo Shimbun reported earlier that North Korea had shipped munitions, including artillery shells, to Russia via train through their border last month and that additional shipments were expected in the coming weeks. The North Korean foreign ministry statement did not make any mention of Wagner. South Korea's foreign ministry said on Thursday they have been monitoring North Korea's activities amid concerns over possible arms transactions with Russia. In a separate statement, the North Korean foreign ministry also slammed the United States' attempt to issue a U.N. Security Council presidential statement on its latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

☆ North Korea slams Japan's new security strategy, warns of military measures
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Dec 20 (Reuters) - North Korea on Tuesday denounced Japan's new security strategy as fundamentally changing the regional security environment and warned it will show how "wrong" and "dangerous" Japan's choice is with unspecified actions, official news agency KCNA reported. "Japan is bringing a serious security crisis on the Korean Peninsula and in the East Asia region by adopting a new security strategy that effectively acknowledges its pre-emptive strike capabilities against other countries," the official said in the statement. The security environment in the region has "fundamentally changed" due to Japan's new policy, the official said, denouncing the move as a violation of the U.N. Charter and a "serious challenge" to international peace. "We make it clear once again that we have the right to take bold and decisive military measures to protect our fundamental rights ... in response to the complicated regional security environment," the official said. Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Tom Hogue and Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile Friday, the South Korean and Japanese governments said, a day after it resumed weapons tests as it vowed “fiercer” military responses to the U.S.’s strengthening its alliances with South Korea and Japan. It would be the second ICBM North Korea has fired this month and the third this year, after it refrained from conducting such tests since 2017. Japan’s Defense Ministry also said it appeared to be an ICBM-class ballistic missile. In a statement Thursday, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said the summit would lead to a “more unpredictable phase” in the situation on the Korean Peninsula. U.S. and South Korean officials say North Korea is also preparing to conduct its seventh nuclear test, which would be its first since 2017.

☆ North Korea Fires Suspected Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Dasl Yoon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said the U.S. ‘will certainly regret’ its ties with South Korea and Japan. SEOUL—North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile off its east coast on Friday, Seoul’s military said, a day after threatening to take military counteraction against bolstered defense ties between the U.S., South Korea and Japan. The location, time and distance flown by the missile weren’t immediately released by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

☆ North Korea fires ballistic missile as it vows ‘fiercer’ military response to U.S. and allies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward its eastern waters on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, hours after the North threatened to launch “fiercer” military responses to the U.S. bolstering its security commitment to its allies South Korea and Japan. It said South Korea has strengthened its surveillance of North Korea while maintaining military readiness in close coordination with the United States. It was North Korea’s first ballistic missile firing in eight days and the latest in its barrage of tests in recent months. North Korea previously said some of the tests were simulations of nuclear attacks on South Korean and U.S. targets. Many experts say North Korea would eventually want to enhance its nuclear capability to wrest bigger concessions from its rivals.

☆ North Korea fires four ballistic missiles as U.S., Seoul end drills
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Cynthia Kim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Nov 5 (Reuters) - North Korea fired four short-range ballistic missiles into the western sea on Saturday, South Korea's military said, as Seoul and Washington ended a high-profile six-day military exercise. South Korea said it scrambled warplanes in response to 180 North Korean military flights near the countries' shared border on Friday. On Wednesday, North Korea fired a daily record 23 missiles, with one landing off the coast of South Korea for the first time, after Pyongyang threatened to take powerful measures unless Washington halts allied air exercises with South Korea. In recent years the Security Council has been split on how to deal with North Korea. In May China and Russia vetoed a U.S. attempt to impose more U.N. sanctions in response to North Korean missile launches.

☆ North Korea warns U.S. of ‘powerful’ response to allied drills
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea’s Foreign Ministry criticized the United States for expanding joint military exercises with South Korea that it claims are practice for a potential invasion, and it warned Tuesday of “more powerful follow-up measures” in response. North Korea has ramped up its weapons demonstrations to a record pace this year, launching more than 40 ballistic missiles, including developmental intercontinental ballistic missiles and an intermediate-range missile fired over Japan. Some of those launches have been described by the North as simulated nuclear attacks on South Korean and U.S. targets. North Korea has said its testing activities are meant as a warning amid the joint military drills. North Korea has said that firing was in reaction to South Korean live-fire exercises at land border areas.

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