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☆ 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

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attends a welcome ceremony before an annual security meeting with South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik at the Defence Ministry in Seoul, South Korea on November 13, 2023. Washington has accused North Korea of supplying military equipment to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine, and Moscow of providing technical military support to help the North. "If the countries that backed North Korea during the Korean War ever try to help again, then those countries will also receive grave punishment from the international community along with North Korea." China and North Korea are parties to the armistice with the UNC. The defence chiefs also agreed to step up joint drills and cooperate with Japan to deter and better prepare for any North Korean attack.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won, sik, JUNG YEON, Lloyd Austin, Austin, We're, Shin Won, Shin, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Defense, South Korean Defence Minister, Defence Ministry, Rights, . Defense, . Command, UNC, Security, Democratic People's, DPRK, ., Defence, Korean, United Nations, Command, Soviet Union, U.N, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, China, Russia, North Korea, Pyongyang, People's Republic of China, North, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Washington, Ukraine, Moscow, . North Korea, Russia's, North Korea's, Soviet, United States, Britain, Australia, Turkey, U.S, Austin, Japan

[1/2] US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik attend a welcome ceremony before their annual security meeting at the Defence Ministry in Seoul, South Korea on November 13, 2023. JUNG YEON-JE/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 13 (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States have revised a bilateral security agreement aimed at deterring North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats during talks on Monday, South Korea's defence ministry said. The Tailored Deterrence Strategy (TDS) is aimed at countering the threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons and other armaments, according to an announcement on the agreement by the two countries 10 years ago. The revision was considered necessary because the existing strategy did not adequately address the rapid advancements in North Korea's missile and nuclear threats, it said. Earlier, South Korea's defence ministry said Shin and Austin would discuss jointly countering threats by North Korea, including through executing an "extended deterrence" strategy.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won, sik, JUNG YEON, Shin Won, Lloyd Austin, Shin, Austin, Phil Stewart, Hyunsu Yim, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Defense, South Korean Defence Minister, Defence Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Korea's Defence, U.S ., The Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, United States, North Korea, United, Korea

JUNG YEON-JE/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday left open the possibility of more strikes against Iran-linked groups if attacks against American forces in Iraq and Syria don't stop, hours after overnight U.S. air strikes in Syria. "These attacks must stop, and if they don't stop, then we won't hesitate to do what's necessary, again, to protect the troops," Austin told reporters at a news conference in Seoul. Austin said the latest air strikes in eastern Syria targeted facilities used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and related groups. "These strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the freedom of action of these groups, which are directly responsible for attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria," Austin said. It was still unclear whether anyone was killed in the latest U.S. strikes in Syria.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won, sik, JUNG YEON, Lloyd Austin, Albu Kamal, Austin, Phil Stewart, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Defense, South Korean Defence Minister, Defence Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, . Defense, American, U.S, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, United, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Iran, Iraq, Syria, The U.S, Albu, Mayadeen, Israel, U.S, United States, State, East

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

☆ North Korea media urges stronger nuclear force after U.S. missile test
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A North Korean military commentator said despite the failure of the test, the presence of South Korean "puppet military gangsters" showed that U.S. nuclear weapons were targeted at North Korea. The commentary also criticised the U.S. and South Korea for various recent military steps including the deployment of U.S. nuclear strategic bombers to South Korea. The U.S. and South Korea also held air exercises involving 130 warplanes from both countries to simulate 24-hour wartime operations last month. South Korea and the United States say their exercises are aimed at maintaining combat readiness to respond to North Korea. North Korea denounces the exercises as preparations by the United States and its South Korean ally to invade it.

Persons: Kim, Hyunsu Yim, Hyonhee Shin, Robert Birsel Organizations: Minuteman, Daylight, Vandenberg Air Force Base, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S, U.S . Air Force, South, North, Democratic People's, DPRK, Korea's Unification Ministry, Thomson Locations: California, U.S, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, United States, Korean, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, South Korea, North, Korea, Japan

☆ Militaries of S.Korea, Japan and US to Hold First Joint Aerial Drill
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold a joint aerial exercise near the Korean peninsula, which would be the first time the three countries are conducting such a drill, media reports said on Wednesday. A South Korean defence ministry official declined to confirm or comment on the details of the aerial exercise. But the three countries are "expanding" three-way joint military exercises on the basis of an agreement by their leaders in August at the Camp David summit to bolster cooperation against North Korea's threats, the official said. General Kim Seung-kyum, who chairs the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a parliamentary hearing last week that the three countries were planning to stage joint aerial drills, local media reported. The U.S. nuclear-capable B-52 bomber, which is currently deployed in South Korea, made a rare flyover at a South Korean defence exhibition on Tuesday.

Persons: David, Kim Seung, Hyunsu Yim, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Ilbo, Chiefs of Staff, Seoul Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, United States, Japan, U.S, Korean, North Korea

☆ Militaries of S.Korea, Japan and US to hold first joint aerial drill
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The three countries are likely to conduct the exercise on Sunday and are coordinating the locations, South Korea's Dong-a Ilbo newspaper reported, citing a government source. A South Korean defence ministry official declined to confirm or comment on the details of the aerial exercise. General Kim Seung-kyum, who chairs the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a parliamentary hearing last week that the three countries were planning to stage joint aerial drills, local media reported. The U.S. nuclear-capable B-52 bomber, which is currently deployed in South Korea, made a rare flyover at a South Korean defence exhibition on Tuesday. In a further sign of growing trilateral security cooperation, South Korea, the United States and Japan have completed work on a three-way communications hotline, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a senior Seoul official.

Persons: Se Jong, Yul Gog Yi, Navy's Arleigh Burke, John Finn, David, Kim Seung, Hyunsu Yim, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Republic of Korea Navy, Self, Defense Force, U.S, Navy's, Ilbo, Chiefs of Staff, Seoul, Thomson Locations: Republic, SEOUL, South Korea, United States, Japan, U.S, Korean, North Korea

☆ US deploys B-1B bombers for separate drills with South Korea, Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

US Air Force B-1B bombers, F-16 fighter jets and South Korean Air Force F-35A take part in a joint air drill, South Korea, March 19, 2023. South Korean Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The United States separately deployed B-1B bombers for joint drills with South Korea and Japan on Wednesday, as the three allies have stepped up responses to threats from North Korea. A U.S. B-1B flew alongside South Korean FA-50 jets and U.S. Air Force F-16 fighters as part of ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, South Korea's defence ministry said. The U.S.-led bomber drills came days after North Korea attempted a satellite launch that ended in failure. Japan also participated in a trilateral naval missile defence exercise with the U.S. and South Korea on Tuesday.

Persons: 1Bs, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Hyunsu Yim, Kantaro Komiya, Gerry Doyle Organizations: US Air Force, South Korean Air Force, South Korean Defence Ministry, Rights, United, South, South Korean FA, . Air Force, North, U.S . Air Force, South Korea, U.S ., Wednesday, U.S, Thomson Locations: South Korea, Rights SEOUL, United States, Japan, North Korea, U.S, American, Camp, Seoul, Tokyo

☆ South Korea to hold first nationwide defence drills in 6 years amid North threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Korean soldiers with 20mm vulcan cannon take part in an anti-drone drill in Yangju, South Korea, in this handout picture provided by the South Korean Defence Ministry on December 29, 2022. The South Korean Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 23 (Reuters) - South Korea is set to hold its first nationwide air defence drills in six years on Wednesday amid North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, with pedestrians required to take shelter and drivers asked to pull over in some areas. The drills are a key element of the annual Ulchi civil defence exercises, held alongside the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, which South Korean and U.S. troops began on Monday, to improve responses to a North Korean attack or other contingencies. The Ulchi civil defence exercises were launched in 1969 in the wake of a raid by North Korean commandos into the presidential compound in Seoul. But the air defence training has not taken place since 2017.

Persons: Hyonhee Shin, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korean Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Rights, South Korean, North Korean, Thomson Locations: Yangju, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, U.S, Korean, Seoul, North Korea

☆ Highest-level Chinese delegation to visit North Korea since Covid restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —A high-level Chinese government delegation is headed to North Korea this week, believed to be the highest-level representatives from Beijing to visit Pyongyang since the isolated country closed its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic. Li’s visit comes after an invitation from North Korea, the statement said. On Tuesday, North Korean state media said a Russian military delegation would also be visiting this week. North Korea silent on US soldierRelations have been further complicated by the decision of a US soldier to cross the border between North and South Korea last week in the demilitarized zone separating the two nations. King has not been publicly seen or heard from since he crossed into North Korea last Tuesday, and North Korea has also not said anything about the status or condition of the missing soldier.

Persons: Li Hongzhong, Hu Zhaoming, Li’s, “, ”, Leif, Eric Easley, Easley, Jang, Kang Sun Nam, Travis King, Andrew Harrison, Matt Miller, Miller, “ I’m, ” Miller, King, Travis King’s, Kim, ” Easley Organizations: South Korea CNN, Communist Party, International, Department of, Central Committee, Ewha Womans University, United Nations Command, Beijing, Aid, Jeju Naval, South, South Korean Defence Ministry New, United Nations, South Korea’s, Chiefs of Staff, US Navy, Naval Base, South Korean Defence, Jeju Naval Base, South Korean, North Korean Defense, UNC, King, CNN, US State Department, King , State, North Korean, State Department, Womans University Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Beijing, Pyongyang, Seoul . North Korea, China, United States, Aid Korea, North Korean, Russian, Soviet Union, Korea, Annapolis, South Korean, South, Jeju, Kentucky, Busan, ” an Ohio, DPRK, North, Washington, King ,

☆ South Korea's Yoon heads to NATO summit amid North Korea, China tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, July 10 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was set to depart on Monday for a summit with NATO leaders, seeking deeper international security cooperation amid rising North Korean threats and tension over China. Last year, he attended the NATO summit for the first time as a South Korean leader, saying new conflicts and competition posed threats to universal values. There had also been speculation in media that Yoon might visit Ukraine as part of the trip. Last year, two South Korean companies signed a $5.76 billion contract with Poland to export tanks and howitzers, as part of South Korea's biggest ever arms deal. "The NATO summit would be a chance to reinforce cooperation with the countries that share values and norms," Park said.

Persons: Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Choi Sang, mok, Yoon's, Hyonhee Shin, Soo, hyang Choi, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: NATO, North, Asia Pacific, Associated Press, Ukraine, South Korea's, Ewha Womans University, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, China, Lithuania, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Europe, Ukraine, U.S, Korean, North Korea, South Korea, South, Seoul

[1/2] Ukrainian artillery fires towards the frontline during heavy fighting amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Bakhmut, Ukraine, April 13, 2023. Following Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's visit to Japan during the Hiroshima G7 leaders summit last month, Kishida agreed to donate jeeps and trucks. Japan is one of dozens of friends and allies that Washington is asking to help arm Ukraine as it wrestles with stretched military supply chains. Reuters contacted 22 explosives makers listed on the Japan Explosives Industry Association's website. The only one that said it made industrial TNT was Chugoku Kayaku, an Hiroshima-based firm that supplies Japan's military.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Lloyd Austin, Washington, Fumio Kishida, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Kishida, Tsuneo Watanabe, Austin, Akihisa Nagashima, Tim Kelly, Nobuhiro Kubo, Yukiko Toyoda, Kaori Kaneko, Idrees Ali, David Crawshaw Organizations: REUTERS, TNT, Russian, Reuters, Panasonic, Defense, U.S, Japan's Ministry of Trade, Industry, Technology, Logistics Agency, U.S . State Department, Ukraine, TNT Washington, Japan Explosives Industry, Liberal Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, TOKYO, United States, Japan, Washington, U.S, Tokyo, China, Taiwan, East Asia, Kyiv, Hiroshima, Sasakawa, South Korea, Chugoku, Japan's, Russia, Seoul

☆ Japan, South Korea to link radar systems to track N.Korea missiles -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - Japanese and South Korean defence authorities are set to agree early next month to link their radars via a U.S. system to share real-time information on North Korea's ballistic missiles, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday. With North Korea launching ballistic missiles at an unprecedented pace in the past year, the three countries in November agreed to speed up information-sharing. Japan and South Korea are independently linked to the United States' radar systems but not to each others'. Ties between the United States' Asian allies have warmed in recent months in the face of the North Korean threat. Resuming their "shuttle diplomacy", Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Sunday, where they confirmed progress in defence cooperation.

☆ Japan, South Korea to hold first security talks in 5 years, Tokyo says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, April 14 (Reuters) - Japan and South Korea will hold security talks in Seoul on April 17, the first such meeting since March 2018, Japanese foreign and defense ministries announced on Friday. The talks among Japanese and South Korean defence and diplomatic officials will discuss topics such as strategic environments surrounding the two countries, the ministries said. Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Austin in South Korea as Yoon seeks greater U.S. nuclear assurances
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is greeted by military officials upon his arrival at the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea January 30, 2023. Lee Jin-man/Pool via REUTERSSEOUL, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The defence chiefs of the United States and South Korea will hold talks on Tuesday in Seoul as Washington seeks to reassure a key Asian ally over its nuclear commitment amid growing threats from North Korea. The latest meeting comes as South Korea pushes to bolster confidence in American extended deterrence - its military capability, especially nuclear forces, to deter attacks on its allies. Nuclear-armed North Korea launched an unprecedented number of missiles last year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. The North's evolving threats had also revived calls from some politicians and experts in South Korea for bringing back U.S. tactical nuclear weapons or even developing its own nuclear programmes, though Seoul officials dismissed such a possibility.

☆ South Korea, U.S. plan February nuclear tabletop drills to deter North
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, Jan 11 (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States will hold tabletop exercises next month as the allies move to better counter the North's nuclear threats, South Korea's defence minister said on Wednesday. Nuclear-armed North Korea launched an unprecedented number of missiles last year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. "We're planning to hold tabletop exercises in February between defence officials on operating means of extended deterrence under the scenario of North Korea's nuclear attacks," South Korean defence minister Lee Jong-sup told a news conference. "There is a shared need for it between the two sides, given that North Korea's nuclear threat has become serious not only to South Korea but also to the United States," he said. As part of efforts to step up its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability, South Korea plans to launch its first spy satellite this year and four more by 2025, he added.

☆ After embarrassing incursion by North Korean drones, South Korea vows to speed up work on its own stealth drones
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Hyung-Jin Kim | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

North Korean drones flew into South Korean for the first time in five years on Monday. A local county office sent emergency text messages notifying residents of a new batch of North Korean drones. South Korean TV footage of a North Korean drone on December 26. It was the first time North Korean drones entered South Korean airspace since 2017. South Korean Defence Ministry/Getty ImagesOn Monday, South Korea sent its own surveillance assets, apparently unmanned drones, across the border as corresponding steps against the North Korean drone flights.

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