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In recent years the 15-member body has been split on how to deal with North Korea. Although both Russia and China backed toughened sanctions after North Korea's last nuclear test, in May 2022 they vetoed a U.S.-led push to impose more U.N. sanctions over North Korea's renewed ballistic missile launches. North Korea fired several cruise missiles off its east coast on Wednesday, three days after firing a short-range ballistic missile into the sea. North Korea's last known firing of strategic cruise missiles was on March 12, when it said it fired two from a submarine. "But I think it is a much more dangerous North Korea than it has been in the past," Berrier said.

☆ North Korea fires multiple cruise missiles off its east coast, South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, March 22 (Reuters) - North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of tests of its weapons as its rivals, South Korea and the United States, conducted joint military exercises. North Korea fired the missiles at around 10:15 a.m. (0115 GMT) from its South Hamgyong province, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. Wednesday's North Korean missile launches come just three days after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast. The North has long bristled at exercises conducted by South Korean and U.S. forces, saying they are preparation for an invasion of the North. South Korea and the United States deny that, saying instead, they have to prepare to defend against North Korean aggression.

☆ North Korea claims almost 800,000 have signed up to fight against US
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, March 18 (Reuters) - North Korea claims that about 800,000 of its citizens volunteered to join or reenlist in the nation's military to fight against the United States, North Korea's state newspaper reported on Saturday. About 800,000 students and workers, on Friday alone, across the country expressed a desire to enlist or reenlist in the military to counter the United States, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported. The North's claim came after North Korea on Thursday launched its Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in response to ongoing U.S-South Korea military drills. North Korea fired the ICBM into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan on Thursday, hours before South Korea's president flew to Tokyo for a summit that discussed ways to counter the nuclear-armed North. Kim accused the United States and South Korea of increasing tensions with the military drills.

☆ North Korea claims almost 800,000 people have signed up for military to fight against US
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, March 18 (Reuters) - North Korea claims that about 800,000 of its citizens volunteered to join or reenlist in the nation's military to fight against the United States, North Korea's state newspaper reported on Saturday. About 800,000 students and workers, on Friday alone, across the country expressed a desire to enlist or reenlist in the military to counter the United States, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported. The North's claim came after North Korea on Thursday launched its Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in response to ongoin0g U.S-South Korea military drills. North Korea fired the ICBM into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan on Thursday, hours before South Korea's president flew to Tokyo for a summit that discussed ways to counter the nuclear-armed North. Kim accused the United States and South Korea of increasing tensions with the military drills.

☆ South Korea's Yoon arrives in Tokyo hours after North's missile launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee arrive at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) in Tokyo, Japan March 16, 2023. Before Yoon's flight, North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile, which landed in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan, emphasising both the urgency of regional security and the threat posed by North Korea. "There is an increasing need for (South) Korea and Japan to cooperate in this time," Yoon said in a written interview with international media on Wednesday, calling both North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and supply chain disruptions a "polycrisis". South Korea and Japan at the time agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Korea's missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats. Tokyo worries that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set a precedent that will encourage China to attack self-ruled Taiwan.

☆ North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, March 14 (Reuters) - North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of weapons tests as the South and the United States conduct their largest joint military drills in years. The missiles were fired at around 7:40 a.m. (2240 GMT on Monday) from the South Hwanghae province, near the country's west coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The South Korean military was on high alert and maintaining full readiness posture under close coordination with the United States, the JCS added in a statement. North Korea has long bristled at the allies' drills as a rehearsal for invasion. On Sunday, North Korean state media KCNA reported the country has decided to take "important practical" war deterrence measures, saying, "War provocations of the U.S. and South Korea are reaching the red-line."

☆ UK's Sunak will invite Biden to Northern Ireland peace anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Elizabeth Piper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will invite U.S. President Joe Biden to Northern Ireland in April to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which largely brought an end to three decades of political violence. Sunak said on Sunday that he would issue a formal invite to the celebrations, which are due to take place in the middle of April. The Good Friday Agreement was a peace deal that largely ended the "Troubles", three decades of violence that had convulsed Northern Ireland since the late 1960s. It was signed on April 10, 1998, and partially brokered by the U.S. government of then President Bill Clinton. "What I'm concentrating on now is talking to everyone in Northern Ireland so we can find a positive way to move forward and get power-sharing up and running - that's my priority," Sunak said.

☆ EU restarts work on EU-UK regulatory forum after Northern Ireland deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 8 (Reuters) - The European Union's executive body said on Wednesday it will finalise a long-delayed discussion forum for EU and UK financial regulators, once the deal on Northern Ireland has been implemented by Britain. The forum, similar to what the EU already has with the United States, was due to have been created by March 2021, but was put on ice because of disagreements over trading relations with Northern Ireland. Those disagreements have been ironed out in last month's agreement, or Windsor Framework, which has yet to be formally implemented by Britain. "We are ready to start work on the finalisation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on financial services regulatory cooperation," a spokesman for the European Commission's financial services unit said on Wednesday. The forum has no mandate to decide on EU financial market access, but financial industry officials say it could improve strained cross-Channel relations in the sector, and help ease tension in areas, such as derivatives clearing.

☆ Brexit deal hailed as 'turning point' for Northern Ireland, but could still face opposition in Belfast
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WINDSOR, U.K., Feb. 27, 2023: Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (L) and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced a landmark post-Brexit trading arrangement seeking to rectify problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol. Dan Kitwood/AFP via Getty ImagesLONDON — The new Brexit deal signed by the U.K. and the European Union on Monday was heralded as a "turning point" for Northern Ireland, but must still pass muster in Belfast. The sticking point could come from across the Irish Sea in Stormont, near Belfast, where the devolved Northern Ireland Assembly has been suspended for a year after the pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) resigned in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol. "There can be no disguising the fact that, in some sectors of our economy, EU law remains applicable in Northern Ireland." BELFAST, U.K., Feb. 17, 2023: DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson speaks to reporters outside the Culloden Hotel in Belfast after Northern Irish leaders held talks with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

☆ Over a million North Koreans could be drinking water contaminated by underground nuclear weapons tests, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Over a million North Koreans may be drinking water contaminated by nuclear material, a report says. The groundwater was likely contaminated by underground nuclear weapons testing. The report also warned of the danger posed by produce sent from North Korea to Japan and China. Between 2006 and 2017, North Korea is believed to have carried out six nuclear tests at the underground site, which is located in the mountainous North Hamgyong Province. Punggye-ri was closed down in 2018 and partly destroyed after North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un pledged to halt nuclear weapons tests as part of a short-lived agreement with President Donald Trump.

☆ Indian shares set for muted start on U.S. rate hike worries, geopolitical concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Indian shares were set for a muted start on Monday, on worries that the U.S. Fed would go higher for longer with interest rates, while rising concerns after North Korea fired more ballistic missiles further dampened investor mood. India's NSE stock futures listed on the Singapore exchange were up 0.14% at 17,961.50 as of 7:58 a.m. IST. Investors await the minutes of the Fed's meeting, due on Wednesday, to gauge the U.S. central bank's future rate hiking path. Talks of Russia ramping-up attacks in Ukraine ahead of the one-year anniversary of its invasion also added to geopolitical concerns. read more($1 = 82.7310 Indian rupees)Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US says UN Security Council silence on North Korea is dangerous
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The United States proposed on Monday that the U.N. Security Council condemn North Korea's ballistic missile launches and encourage Pyongyang to engage in diplomacy, warning that the 15-member body's failure to respond had become dangerous. China and Russia oppose any further action by the Security Council, arguing that putting further pressure on North Korea would not be constructive. The pair vetoed a U.S.-led push to impose more U.N. sanctions on North Korea in May last year. It is dangerous," she told the Security Council, proposing that it adopt a formal presidential statement - one step below a resolution - to condemn North Korea's action and urge diplomacy. After the Security Council meeting, two-thirds of the body's members and South Korea issued a joint statement - read by Thomas-Greenfield - condemning North Korea's missile launches.

☆ North Korea fires ballistic missiles, warns of turning Pacific into 'firing range'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, Feb 20 (Reuters) - North Korea fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast, South Korea's military said on Monday, as the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un warned the isolated and nuclear-armed state could turn the Pacific into a "firing range". The launches come just two days after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the sea off Japan's west coast, prompting joint air exercises by the United States and South Korea on Sunday. "North Korea's series of actions, including its repeated ballistic missile launches, threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community," the ministry said. "Japan lodged a strong protest and forcefully condemned North Korea." "The frequency of using the Pacific as our firing range depends upon the U.S. forces' action character."

☆ 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.

☆ Column: South Asia's LNG import appetite on radar after price plunge
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LNG imports by regionA key factor that complicates the outlook for South Asian LNG demand is how cost-sensitive buyers are across the region. In 2022, South Asian imports of LNG dropped by their most on record in response to the steep climb in LNG prices to record highs, ship tracking data from Kpler shows. FUEL MISMATCHThe 16.5% drop in LNG imports in 2022 from 2021 was the first annual decline in South Asia's LNG imports since 2013, according to ship tracking data from Kpler. That reversed a declining trend in coal imports into South Asia since 2019, and pushed up coal purchases by more than any other region last year. South Asia LNG imports vs benchmark LNG pricesIndia relies on imports for roughly half of its natural gas supplies, mainly in the form of LNG, so higher LNG imports look likely at least until the coal ban is eased.

☆ North Korea shows off design for new, more dangerous missile while rolling out enough ICBMs to possibly overwhelm US defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

North Korea boasted its progress on a new and dangerous solid-fueled missile at a military parade. In recent years, North Korea has indicated that its missile program is pivoting toward the use of solid fuel, Ian Williams, deputy director of the Missile Defense Project at the CSIS, told Insider. North Korea has displayed large canisters before, but the ones displayed on Wednesday appear to be more legitimate than those in the past, Williams said. This is because the defense system's interceptors would not have the capacity to engage all credible threats. Furthermore, missile defense should be thought of as one part of a larger "missile defeat complex," he added.

☆ White House: U.S. has no hostile intent toward North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday rejected North Korean accusations that joint military exercises in the region are a provocation and said the United States has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang. "We have made clear we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK (North Korea) and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to address the full range of issues of concern to both countries and the region," said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council. The White House statement reiterated a U.S. willingness "to meet with DPRK representatives at a time and place convenient for them." "We reject the notion that our joint exercises with partners in the region serve as any sort of provocation. "The United States is continuing to work closely with allies and partners to ensure peace and stability in the region.

☆ U.S. says joint drills in the region do not serve to provoke North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The White House on Wednesday rejected North Korean accusations that joint military exercises in the region are a provocation and said the United States has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang. "We have made clear we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK (North Korea) and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to address the full range of issues of concern to both countries and the region," said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council. The White House comment came after North Korea's Foreign Ministry said that drills by the United States and its allies have pushed the situation to an "extreme red-line" and threaten to turn the peninsula into a "huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone." The statement, carried by state news agency KCNA, said Pyongyang was not interested in dialog as long as Washington pursues hostile policies.

[1/4] Portraits of Nobel Peace Prize laureates, including of Henry Kissinger, are seen in the meeting room where the Norwegian Nobel Committee holds its meetings at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway, January 3, 2023. Nominations to the Peace Prize remain secret for 50 years. Le Duc Tho refused the Peace Prize on the grounds peace had not yet been established. Two out of the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee - all now dead - resigned in protest. "The prize was given to Kissinger for having gotten the U.S. out of Vietnam ... without any peaceful solution in South Vietnam," he said.

☆ South Korea, U.S. eye exercises using nuclear assets, Yoon says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Jan 2 (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States are discussing possible joint planning and exercises using U.S. nuclear assets in the face of North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said in a newspaper interview. The Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted Yoon as saying the joint planning and exercises would be aimed at a more effective implementation of the U.S. "extended deterrence." The term means the ability of the U.S. military, particularly its nuclear forces, to deter attacks on U.S. allies. "The nuclear weapons belong to the United States, but planning, information sharing, exercises and training should be jointed conducted by South Korea and the United States," Yoon said, adding Washington is also "quite positive" about the idea. Amid talk of South Korea's own nuclear armaments, Yoon said maintaining the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons remained important.

☆ North Korea to boost nuclear warhead production 'exponentially,' leader says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to increase the production of nuclear warheads “exponentially” and build a more powerful intercontinental ballistic missile, state media reported Sunday, signaling deepening animosities with the United States, South Korea and others. KCNA cited Kim as saying North Korea is compelled to boost the production “exponentially” to mass-produce tactical nuclear weapons. It said U.S. commitments to defend South Korea and Japan “remain ironclad.”North Korea test-fired more than 70 missiles last year. South Korea acknowledged it failed to shoot down any of the five North Korean drones it said were found south of the border. But South Korea has vowed to bolster its air defense network and get tough on future provocations by North Korea.

☆ North Korea fires missile on New Year's Day, Yonhap reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Jan 1 (Reuters) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile over the sea to the east of the Korean Peninsula in the early hours of Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported citing the South Korean military. The move comes not even 24 hours after North Korea launched three ballistic missiles on Saturday. The short-range ballistic missile was fired around 2:50 a.m. local time (0750 GMT) from around the capital Pyongyang, Yonhap said, citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The launch follows an unprecedented number of missile tests conducted by North Korea in 2022, as Pyongyang presses on with weapons development amid speculation it could test a nuclear weapon for a seventh time. North Korean state media KCNA said on Saturday that its central party had engaged in the fifth day of a plenary session on Friday to solidify strategy, with the session expected to continue, making it the longest ever according to Yonhap.

☆ South Korea Takes Hard Look at Strategy After Pyongyang’s Drone Incursion
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Dasl Yoon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has put pressure on his country’s military after North Korean drones flew into the South’s airspace earlier this week. SEOUL—An incursion of North Korean drones into South Korea this week was a taunt by Pyongyang that Seoul should be wary of overreacting to, security analysts said, as South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol pushed the military to respond more aggressively. South Korea’s military scrambled jet fighters, attack helicopters and other warplanes but failed to shoot down any of the five North Korean drones that flew into South Korean airspace Monday. Mr. Yoon berated his defense minister over the response, during which one South Korean light-attack aircraft crashed, and ordered the military to respond to future drone incursions by sending two or three drones across the border for every North Korean drone that invades South Korean airspace.

☆ South Korea to spend $440 mln until 2027 to counter North Korea drones
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Dec 28 (Reuters) - South Korea plans to spend 560 billion won ($441.26 million) over the next five years to beef up its ability to fend off North Korean drones, Seoul's defence ministry said on Wednesday. The plan was included in South Korea's midterm defence blueprint for 2023-27 after North Korean drones crossed into the South in the first such intrusion since 2017. Monday's incident triggered criticism over South Korea's air defences as it tries to curb the North's evolving nuclear and missile threats. As part of efforts to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the ministry seeks to procure more stealth jets, which it said would bolster real-time strike capabilities against moving targets. This year's budget stood at 54.6 trillion won.

☆ South Korea launches jets and fires shots after North flies drones
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The military responded by firing warning shots and launching fighter jets and attack helicopters to shoot down the North Korean drones. The attack helicopters fired a combined 100 rounds but it wasn’t immediately known if the North Korean drones were shot down. It’s the first time for North Korean drones to enter South Korean airspace since 2017, when a suspected North Korean drone was found crashed in South Korea. North Korea has previously touted its drone program, and South Korean officials said the North has about 300 drones. North Korea released low-resolution photos of South Korean cities as viewed from space, but some experts in South Korea said the images were too crude for surveillance purposes.

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