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☆ 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.

☆ South Korea scrambles jets, fires warning shots as N.Korean drones intrude - Yonhap
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Dec 26 (Reuters) - South Korea scrambled fighter jets and attack helicopters and fired warning shots on Monday after North Korean drones violated its airspace, the South's Yonhap news agency reported. South Korea tracked the drones crossing from North Korea over what is known as the Military Demarcation Line between the two countries, Yonhap reported. South Korea's transport ministry said earlier flights departing from its Incheon and Gimpo airports were suspended following a request from the military. The suspension began at 1:08 p.m. (0408 GMT) at Gimpo and at 1:22 p.m. at Incheon and lasted for about an hour before flight departures resumed at around 2:10 p.m., a ministry official told Reuters. Reporting by Joyce Lee and Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korea, U.S. consider live-fire drills amid North Korea threats
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Dec 22 (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States are considering staging their first large-scale joint live-fire demonstration in six years in 2023 amid North Korea's growing military threats, Seoul's defence ministry said on Thursday. The drills have been floated as South Korea and the United States discuss preparations for the 70th anniversary of their alliance next year, ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-gyu said. "Marking that occasion, we are exploring various ways to showcase our military's presence and the alliance's overwhelming deterrence capabilities against North Korea," Jeon told a regular briefing. On Tuesday, the United States flew its F-22 Raptor stealth fighters for joint drills with South Korea for the first time since 2018, hours after North Korea criticised both countries and vowed more missile tests. North Korea has tested an unprecedented number of missiles this year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) designed to strike the U.S. mainland.

Dec 17 (Reuters) - L3Harris Technologies Inc (LHX.N) is nearing a $4.7 billion deal to acquire U.S. rocket maker Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc (AJRD.N), 10 months after the latter's $4.4 billion sale to Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) fell through, people familiar with the matter said on Saturday. L3Harris is a defense contractor that is mostly a competitor rather than a customer of Aerojet. Aerojet's solid fuel rocket motors and other propulsion systems would help L3Harris expand its space defense systems and precision munitions businesses. Spokespeople for Aerojet, L3Harris and General Electric did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Its customers include the Pentagon, Boeing (BA.N), Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies Corp (RTX.N).

☆ Senate passes bill to bar federal employees from using TikTok on government devices
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate late on Wednesday passed by voice vote a bill to bar federal employees from using Chinese-owned short video-sharing app TikTok on government-owned devices. Stanislav Kogiku / Sipa via AP fileDuring the last Congress, the Senate in August 2020 unanimously approved legislation to bar TikTok from government devices. Many federal agencies including the Defense, Homeland Security and State departments already ban TikTok from government-owned devices. “TikTok is a major security risk to the United States, and it has no place on government devices,” Hawley said previously. At a hearing last month, FBI Director Chris Wray said TikTok’s U.S. operations raise national security concerns.

☆ U.S. Senate passes bill to bar federal employees from using TikTok on government-owned devices
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate late on Wednesday passed by voice vote a bill to bar federal employees from using Chinese-owned short video-sharing app TikTok on government-owned devices. During the last Congress, the Senate in August 2020 unanimously approved legislation to bar TikTok from government devices. Many federal agencies including the Defense, Homeland Security and State departments already ban TikTok from government-owned devices. "TikTok is a major security risk to the United States, and it has no place on government devices," Hawley said previously. At a hearing last month, FBI Director Chris Wray said TikTok's U.S. operations raise national security concerns.

☆ Investigation finds women's professional soccer league plagued with 'widespread misconduct' dating back a decade
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

An investigation commissioned by the National Women’s Soccer League and its players union found “widespread misconduct” dating back a decade that included instances of sexual abuse, manipulation and mocking players’ bodies. Misconduct against players has occurred at the vast majority of NWSL clubs at various times, from the earliest years of the League to the present.”The league was founded in 2012 and is the longest-running professional women’s soccer league in U.S. history, the report said. Some of those steps include: strengthening the league-wide anti-harassment policy put in place in 2021; enhancing vetting procedures for new hires and establishing an anonymous league-wide hotline so players can report misconduct. “Our investigation over the past year has revealed a league in which abuse was systematic. Some coaches’ misconduct dates to prior professional leagues and some to youth soccer.”This is an ongoing story.

The FBI is analyzing shell casings found near power facilities in North Carolina and South Carolina, a law enforcement memo revealed Friday, after North Carolina gunfire led to nearly 96 hours of darkness in one county. The "target attacks" at two Duke Energy substations in Moore County, North Carolina on Saturday night knocked out power to 45,000 homes and businesses before local electricity was restored Wednesday night. No one lost power in the South Carolina shootings. So far there's no indication whether the North Carolina attacks have any connection to Wednesday night's gunfire in South Carolina, according to a law enforcement memo reviewed by NBC News. Authorities haven't publicly disclosed any possible motive for the North Carolina shooting.

☆ North Korea fires more artillery shells into sea in response to South Korea drills
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said on Tuesday it had ordered military units to fire more artillery shells into the sea, the North’s official KCNA news agency reported, in response to South Korea’s ongoing drills across the border. The firing comes a day after North Korea said it fired more than 130 shells into the sea off its east and west coasts, some of which landed in a buffer zone near the sea border between the two Koreas. South Korean and U.S. troops have been conducting live-fire drills near the border since Monday. “The enemy must immediately cease provocative military actions in the zone near the front lines,” a spokesperson for the North Korean army said, according to KCNA. In addition to the artillery fire, the North Korean army issued a combat emergency alert to units at all levels and troops were ordered to step up surveillance, the spokesperson said.

SummarySummary Companies Coal miners struggling to fund expansion plansThermal coal costs more than coking coal after price surgeMost Western bankers pulling back from coal industryLONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - It's the best of times, it's the worst of times. At least when it comes to mining coal. With funding hard to come by from Western banks, coal miners outside China have turned more to equity markets this year. "With regard to thermal coal mining, any transaction in coal mining requires an enhanced environmental risk review," a Deutsche spokesperson said, adding that the bank was updating its coal policy. Bens Creek listed shares partly because of the lack of appetite from banks to support any expansion of coal mining, chief executive Wilson said.

☆ South Korea seeks cooperation from China, Russia as U.N. meets on North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Nov 21 (Reuters) - South Korea on Monday asked for the "active cooperation" of China and Russia to prevent North Korea from conducting further missile tests, hours ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting on the North's test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. The Security Council meeting was scheduled at the request of the United States after North Korea last week launched a missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. "Kim asked for active cooperation from China and Russia, permanent members of the Security Council, and for them to play constructive roles to restrain North Korea from further provocations and to make it return to dialogue," the ministry said. U.S. President Joe Biden met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last week and said Beijing has an obligation to try to talk North Korea out of resuming nuclear testing. A senior U.S. administration official said earlier this month that Washington believed China and Russia have leverage to persuade North Korea not to resume nuclear bomb testing.

Separately, police fired rubber bullets to disperse anti-government protesters in Bangkok as the host of the Asia-Paciﬁc Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, opened the conference. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called an emergency gathering of leaders from Australia, Japan, South Korea, Canada and New Zealand on the sidelines of the summit after North Korea carried out the missile test. "This conduct by North Korea most recently is a brazen violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," she said. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is in Bangkok for the APEC meeting, told reporters North Korea had "repeated its provocations with unprecedented frequency". First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov is representing him at APEC.

☆ Russia 'concerned' by situation on Korean peninsula - foreign ministry
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 18 (Reuters) - Russia is "concerned" by the situation on the Korean peninsula and has called for the parties involved to move away from confrontation, Russian news agencies quoted the deputy foreign minister as saying, after North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday. Japanese officials said the missile had sufficient range to reach the mainland of the United States and landed just 200 kilometres (130 miles) off Japan. Reporting by Reuters Editing by Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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