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☆ Beijing Calls for 'Positive, Objective, Friendly' China Policy From South Korea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - China hopes South Korea will pursue a "positive, objective and friendly" policy towards Beijing, foreign minister Wang Yi said in a phone call with his South Korean counterpart on Tuesday. China and South Korea have close economic ties, and should work together to maintain the stability and smooth flow of industrial and supply chains, China's foreign ministry quoted Wang as saying in a statement. During the phone call, South Korean foreign minister Cho Tae-yul asked China to play a "constructive role" in curbing North Korea's military threats, and to help North Korean defectors not to be sent back home against their will, South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement. Wang has invited Cho to China and both countries would continue to discuss Cho's visit, the ministry said. (Reporting by Ethan Wang, Ella Cao, Ryan Woo and Ju-min Park; Editing by Alison Williams and Stephen Coates)

Persons: Wang Yi, Wang, Cho Tae, yul, Cho, Ethan Wang, Ella Cao, Ryan Woo, Alison Williams, Stephen Coates Organizations: South Korean Locations: BEIJING, China, South Korea, Beijing, North

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

☆ North Korea's Kim Jong Un Inspects Shipyard -KCNA
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a shipyard and underscored the importance of a strong naval force in "war preparations", state media KCNA said on Friday. "Strengthening naval force is the most important issue in pushing ahead with war preparations", KCNA cited Kim as saying during his visit to Nampho dockyard, a military shipbuilding base also referred to as Nampo. Kim was briefed on various warship constructions for a new "huge plan" decided by the North Korean leadership, KCNA said, without elaborating. KCNA said on Monday that Kim had inspected the construction of a nuclear submarine and discussed issues related to the manufacturing of other types of new warships, but gave no details. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Persons: Kim Jong Un, KCNA, Kim's, Kim, Joyce Lee, Sandra Maler Organizations: North Korean Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Nampho

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) — South Korea’s military detected North Korea firing multiple cruise missiles into the sea off its western coast Tuesday in its third round of tests of such weapons this month. The launches came amid heighted tensions in the region, where the pace of both North Korea's weapons demonstrations and the United States' combined military exercises with allies South Korea and Japan have intensified in a tit-for-tat. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the South Korean and U.S. militaries were analyzing the launches. It didn’t immediately provide specific flight details, including the number of missiles fired and how far they flew. The launches follow tests on Jan. 24 and Jan. 28 of what North Korea has described as a new cruise missile developed for submarine launches.

Organizations: South, Korea’s, Chiefs, Staff, Korean Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, Korea, United States, Japan, U.S, Guam

☆ North Korean missiles won't defeat Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

An expert believes that North Korean short-range ballistic missiles could hit pinpoint targets. North Korean arms are known for being cheap rather than good, as Moscow discovered when it recently began importing shoddy North Korean ammunition . But these North Korean ballistic missiles are not some knockoff of the notorious 1950s Soviet Scud, a liquid-fueled rocket that takes more than an hour to launch. "They may have some design heritage with Russian systems, but they borrow heavily from North Korean expertise." This suggests that Russia will need a lot of North Korean missiles, which in turn raises the question of North Korea's rocket manufacturing capacity.

Persons: —, Russia's, Masao Dahlgren, Dahlgren, Ukraine –, Kim Jong Organizations: Service, White House, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Korean, International Institute for Strategic Studies Locations: Russia, Korean, Ukraine, Korea, Moscow, Zaporizhia, Washington ,, United States, Iran, Nazi, Iranian, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Japan, South Korea, Pyongyang, Russian, Korea's

☆ North Korea Tests Submarine-Launched Cruise Missiles, KCNA Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Jack KimSEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea tested its new strategic cruise missiles for the second time in a week on Sunday, calling it a newly developed submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM), accelerating its navy's nuclear armament, state news agency KCNA reported on Monday. Leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test of the missile, called "Pulhwasal-3-31," which is identical to the strategic cruise missiles that the North said last week were under development. South Korea's military said on Sunday that the North fired multiple cruise missiles off its coast but did not provide details. North Korea's ballistic missiles are typically more controversial and are explicitly banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions. But analysts have said intermediate-range cruise missiles were no less a threat than ballistic missiles and are a serious capability for North Korea.

Persons: Jack Kim SEOUL, KCNA, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Jack Kim, Andrew Cawthorne, Lisa Shumaker, Leslie Adler Organizations: . Locations: North Korea

☆ North Korea Fired Multiple Cruise Missiles off East Coast
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Hyonhee ShinSEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles off its east coast on Sunday, its second such launch in less than a week, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. "While strengthening surveillance and vigilance, our military is cooperating closely with the United States and monitoring additional signs and activities from North Korea," it said in a statement. The latest launches came days after North Korea fired what it called a new strategic cruise missile called "Pulhwasal-3-31", suggesting it is nuclear capable. North Korea is stepping up confrontation with the United States and its allies, but officials in Washington and Seoul say they have spotted no signs Pyongyang intends to take imminent military action. North Korea carried out its first test of a cruise missile with possible nuclear strike capabilities in September 2021.

Persons: Shin, Kim Jong, KCNA, Hyonhee Shin, Kim Coghill Organizations: Korea's, Chiefs of Staff, South Korean, North, South Locations: Shin SEOUL, North Korea, United States, Washington, Seoul, Pyongyang, Russia, South Korea, North

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia’s top diplomat accused the United States, South Korea and Japan on Wednesday of preparing for war with North Korea. The Russian minister said the U.S., South Korea and Japan have also been talking about developing their cooperation. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesLast week, the three countries conducted combined naval exercises involving an American aircraft carrier in their latest show of strength against nuclear-armed North Korea. Lavrov compared Kim’s recent announcement that North Korea would not reunify with South Korea to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement saying there will be no Palestinian state after the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. “It’s terrible when, instead of unity, we have trends which divide us,” the Russian minister said.

Persons: — Russia’s, Sergey Lavrov, “, ”, Lavrov, North Korea's Kim, Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin’s, Kim, Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, DPRK, Democratic People’s, Kremlin, Israeli, West, United Arab Locations: United States, South Korea, Japan, North Korea, Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, U.S, North, Seoul, Ukraine, Russia, Washington, Tokyo, Russia’s Far, Korea, Israel, Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia

☆ North Korea's Kim Warns Failure to Provide Food a 'Serious Political Issue'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Hyunsu YimSEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for ways to be found to improve economic development after saying that a failure to provide people with basic living necessities including food is a "serious political issue", state media reported on Thursday. Kim made the remarks while discussing regional development in a speech at the 19th Enlarged Meeting of the Political Bureau of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the country's ruling party, held between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to KCNA. North Korea has over recent decades suffered serious food shortages, including famine in the 1990s, often exacerbated by natural disasters such as floods damaging harvests. The food situation in North Korea was "still bad" despite an uptick in trade with China, South Korea's unification minister, who is charged with handling relations with its neighbour, said last year. Kim announced the policy at a Supreme People's Assembly meeting held earlier this month.

Persons: Hyunsu Yim, Kim Jong, Kim, Ed Davies, Michael Perry Organizations: Political, 8th Central Committee of, Workers ' Party of Korea, North, Assembly Locations: Hyunsu Yim SEOUL, KCNA, North Korea, China, South, COVID

☆ Ukraine's military spy chief says Russia would have struggled without North Korea's arms
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's military spymaster Kyrylo Budanov says Russia is reliant on North Korean weapons. Budanov said that for the Russians, using North Korean arms is an "indignity" to them. AdvertisementRussia would have been in a tough spot without North Korea's arms, says Ukraine's military spymaster. A shortage of arms meant the Russians had to turn to allies like Iran and North Korea for supplies. On January 5, the UK's defense secretary claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had to beg North Korea for their weapons.

Persons: Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Grant Shapps Organizations: Financial Times, Service, Business Insider Locations: Russia, North Korea, Ukraine, Iran

☆ Haley to air New Hampshire ad with mother of student who died after North Korea detention
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Nikki Haley’s campaign will begin airing a three-minute TV ad in New Hampshire on Monday featuring the mother of an American college student who died in 2017 after being detained by North Korea the previous year. “My son, Otto, was invited to North Korea on an organized tour. He was taken hostage, tortured, and murdered by the government of North Korea,” Warmbier’s mother says in the ad. Otto Warmbier is taken to North Korea's top court in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by Kyodo on March 16, 2016. Cindy and Fred Warmbier, parents of Otto Warmbier, in Washington, DC, on December 18, 2019.

Persons: Nikki Haley’s, Otto Warmbier’s, Cindy Warmbier, “, Otto, ”, Otto Warmbier, Reuters “, Haley, ” Warmbier, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Cindy, Fred Warmbier, Sarah Silbiger, Warmbier, Kim Jong Un, Kim, ” Trump Organizations: CNN, North, New, United Nations, Kyodo, Reuters, White, South Locations: New Hampshire, North Korea, Pyongyang, North Koreans, “, South Carolina, Washington ,

☆ A rare North Korean video shows teenagers sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for watching South Korean 'K-dramas'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A video shows two North Korean teenage boys being sentenced to hard labor for watching K-dramas. AdvertisementRare video footage shows two teenage boys being sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for watching K-dramas, which are South Korean TV shows. In North Korea, viewing or distributing foreign media, especially from South Korea, is considered a serious offense. 🚨🇰🇵RARE FOOTAGE FROM NORTH KOREA: TEENS PUNISHED FOR WATCHING SOUTH KOREAN TVChilling footage from North Korea allegedly shows two teenage boys handcuffed in front of hundreds of students and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for watching South Korean 'K-dramas.' One North Korean defector told the BBC that punishment is harsher for watching South Korean media compared with other foreign media.

Persons: —, 🚨🇰, CnEO6HL —, sy Organizations: Service, South, BBC Locations: Korean, North Korea, South Korean, South Korea

☆ 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's use of North Korean missiles in Ukraine could be a 'cash cow' for Kim Jong Un, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewRussia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine could boost missile sales for Kim Jong Un's government, a military analyst told The Wall Street Journal. Last week, South Korea's ambassador to the UN accused North Korea of using Ukraine as a "test site" for its nuclear-capable missiles. "This is the cash cow," Dalton said, adding that now "North Korea will be able to command a premium for these systems in ways it wasn't before." Fragments of what may be North Korean missiles used by Russia in an attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine, on January 6, 2024. "If Ukraine, for example, proves more successful in shooting down North Korean missiles compared to Russian ones, then we can assume that North Korean technology is not as advanced," he said.

Persons: —, Kim Jong, Joonkook Hwang, John Kirby, Toby Dalton, Dalton, Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Pardo, Bruce Bechtol, Bechtol, Yoo Sang, Andriy Kostin Organizations: Service, Wall Street, Business, UN, National Security, Nuclear, Carnegie Endowment, Getty, King's College London, Federation of American Scientists, Angelo State University in, country's Intelligence Service, CNN, Suspilne, Meduza Locations: Korean, Ukraine, South, Korea, Russia, North Korea, Kharkiv, Iran, Angelo State University in Texas, South Korea, Japan

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — South Korea called on the divided U.N. Security Council on Thursday “to break the silence” over North Korea’s escalating missile tests and threats. South Korea is serving a two-year term on the council. In a message clearly aimed at the United States and South Korea, Zhang expressed hope that while attention is mainly on North Korea, “other countries are also responsible to avoid further escalation.”France’s U.N. And he called it “a shame” that Russia is violating Security Council resolutions by “buying military stuff that they use in Ukraine" from North Korea. South Korea’s Hwang said all 15 members of the Council are worried that North Korea’s rhetoric and actions are “getting more and more serious.”But how to break the council’s silence and inaction?

Persons: “, Hwang Joonkook, —, Kim Jong, Kim, Robert Wood, ”, U.N, Zhang Jun, Zhang, France’s U.N, Nicolas De Riviere, ” De Riviere, Korea’s Hwang, Hwang Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Security, U.N, North, South Locations: South Korea, Korea, China, Russia, U.S, North Korea, South, America, “, United States, Ukraine

☆ North Korea Says Tests Underwater Nuclear Drone, Criticises US-Led Joint Drills
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Hyonhee ShinSEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea has conducted a test of its underwater nuclear weapons system in a protest against this week's joint military drills by South Korea, the United States and Japan, state media KCNA said on Friday. The test of the "Haeil-5-23" system, a name North Korea has given to its nuclear-capable underwater attack drones, was carried out by the defence ministry's think tank in the waters off its east coast, the report said, without specifying a date. The ministry's unnamed spokesman accused the United States, South Korea and Japan of "getting frantic" with military exercises, warning of "catastrophic consequences." North Korean state television has aired previous atmospheric explosion tests, which have been monitored by U.S. and South Korean authorities, but the reported underwater weapon has not been independently verified. The latest reported underwater test came days after North Korea fired a new intermediate-range, solid-fuel hypersonic missile, which Washington, Seoul and Tokyo condemned as a serious violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Persons: Shin, KCNA, Carl Vinson, Vladimir Putin, Hyonhee ShinEditing, Ed Davies, Michael Perry Organizations: U.S, Korean, North Locations: Shin SEOUL, North Korea, South Korea, United States, Japan, KCNA, North Korean, Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, Russia, Moscow

☆ S.Korea, US and Japan Nuclear Envoys Condemn North Korea Over Arms Trade With Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL (Reuters) - The nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States, and Japan condemned North Korea for its recent missile tests, arms trade with Russia and increasingly hostile rhetoric at a meeting in Seoul on Thursday. "The United States is also deeply concerned by the recent uptick in hostile rhetoric particularly toward the Republic of Korea from the DPRK (North Korean) regime," Pak said. The three countries have increased joint efforts to deter North Korea in recent years including trilateral meetings and launching a missile warning data sharing system in December. South Korea on Wednesday announced sanctions on two individuals, three entities and 11 ships linked to North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes, days after North Korea fired a new intermediate-range, solid-fuel hypersonic missile. Japan's envoy, Hiroyuki Namazu, condemning Pyongyang's ballistic missile launch and said there must be close monitoring of what Russia might be providing to North Korea in return for armaments.

Persons: Jung Pak, Pak, Kim Jong, Kim Gunn, Hiroyuki Namazu, Hyunsu Yim, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Ukraine, North, DPRK, Wednesday, Korean, Peace, Security Affairs, South Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, United States, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Seoul, North Koreans, U.S, Republic of Korea, Korea, Pyongyang

☆ South Korea Imposes Sanctions Linked to North Korea Weapon Development
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has sanctioned two individuals, three entities and 11 ships linked to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The sanctions announcement comes days after North Korea fired a new intermediate range, solid-fuel hypersonic missile, which South Korea and the United States strongly condemned as a serious violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The newly blacklisted targets have chiefly been involved in illegal energy smuggling at sea, the ministry said. Faced with a drawn-out gridlock at the United Nations, Seoul has turned to slapping sanctions on Pyongyang independently or together with Washington and Tokyo, seeking to squeeze its funding sources. The nuclear envoys of Japan, the United States and South Korea are scheduled to hold talks in Seoul on Thursday.

Persons: Hyonhee Shin, Leslie Adler, Ed Davies Organizations: North, South, United Nations Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, North Korea, United States, Seoul, Pyongyang, Washington, Tokyo, Japan

☆ After a rough run, North Korea could at last find itself 'sitting pretty' in the new year with both Russia and China courting it, Korea watcher says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The result could be a very fortunate 2024 for North Korea, one in which Russia and China are both chasing after its attention. In that case, North Korea could be "sitting pretty," a top Korea watcher said last week. North Korea leader Kim Jong Un observes artillery fire competition in North Korea. North Korean military cadets hold a North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's flag during a perform of the Arirang festival which is a part of commemorations marking the 60th anniversary of the Workers' Party of North Korea on October 6, 2005, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea, on the other hand, has criticized, sometimes openly, China's disapproval of its testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Victor Cha, Cha, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim, North, Kim Jong, SAUL LOEB, Chung Sung, there's, Xi Jinping, Xi, Donald Trump's, Trump, Putin, MIKHAIL METZEL Organizations: Service, Business, Democratic People's, Center for Strategic, International Studies, CSIS, The Capital, North, Trump, Asian Affairs, White, National Security Council, REUTERS, Metropole, Getty, White House, Putin, Korean, Workers ' Party of North, Vostochny Locations: Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, China, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, COVID, Asia, Hanoi, North, Korean, Workers ' Party of North Korea, Pyongyang, Beijing, Amur

☆ 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 Korean Hackers, Criminals Share Money Laundering Networks in Southeast Asia - UN
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Tom WilsonLONDON (Reuters) - North Korean hackers are sharing money-laundering and underground banking networks with fraudsters and drug traffickers in Southeast Asia, according to a United Nations report published on Monday, with casinos and crypto exchanges emerging as key venues for organised crime. Funds stolen by North Korean hackers are a key source of funding for Pyongyang and its weapons programmes. The junket sector has been infiltrated by organised crime for "industrial-scale money laundering and underground banking operations," with links to drug trafficking and cyberfraud, the report said. The proliferation of casinos and crypto have "supercharged" organised crime groups in Southeast Asia, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Jeremy Douglas told Reuters. "It's no surprise sophisticated threat actors would look to leverage the same underground banking systems and service providers," he said.

Persons: Tom Wilson LONDON, Lazarus, Pacific Jeremy Douglas, Tom Wilson, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Angus MacSwan Organizations: United, United Nations Office, Drugs, Korea's, United Nations, North, Casinos, Bangladesh's Central Bank, Lazarus, UNODC Regional Representative, Southeast, Pacific, Reuters Locations: Southeast Asia, United Nations, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, North, Geneva, United States, Pyongyang, Philippines

☆ Explainer-Why Is North Korea Testing Hypersonic Missiles and How Do They Work?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The United States, China, Russia and other countries have also been developing hypersonic weapons in recent years. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), by contrast, carry nuclear warheads on ballistic trajectories that travel into space but never reach orbit. During a rare trip to Russia last September, Kim inspected Moscow's hypersonic missiles, among other weapons. "North Korea appears to be trying to develop hypersonic missiles and intermediate range ballistic missiles based on solid propellant rocket boosters," said Chang Young-keun, a professor at Korea Aerospace University. "In particular, mid- to long-range hypersonic missiles would be useful for striking Guam while evading the U.S. missile defence system."

Persons: Shin, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Sunday's, Kim, Chang Young, Hyonhee Shin, Ed Davies, Jamie Freed Organizations: Korean, Intercontinental, WHO, THE, United, Workers, Party, Korea Aerospace University, U.S Locations: Shin SEOUL, North Korea, United States, China, Russia, Korean, Moscow, Seoul, 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's Kim Calls for South to Be Seen as 'Primary Foe', Warns of War
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

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. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, at a cabinet meeting, said Pyongyang was being "anti-national" for calling the South a hostile country. Analysts have said North Korea's foreign ministry could take over relations with Seoul, and potentially help justify the use of nuclear weapons against the South in a future war. Ruediger Frank, professor of East Asian Economy and Society at the University of Vienna, said Kim's new policies "will trigger a cascade of changes across inter-Korean relations and regional dynamics".

Persons: Hyunsu Yim, Kim Jong Un, Kim, KCNA, Yoon Suk, Ruediger Frank, Frank, Josh Smith, Lisa Shumaker, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Supreme, Assembly, North, East Asian, Society, University of Vienna, U.S Locations: Hyunsu Yim SEOUL, Korea, North, Seoul, North Koreans, South Korea, KCNA . North Korea, South, Pyongyang

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