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☆ Taiwan to extend compulsory military service on China threat -government source
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TAIPEI, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Taiwan will announce on Tuesday a plan to extend compulsory military service to one year from the current four months, according to a senior government official, as the island deals with rising Chinese military pressure. "China's various unilateral behaviours have become a major concern for regional security," said the person, who took part in the high-level security discussion. The official Central News Agency, citing government and ruling party sources familiar with the matter, first reported late on Monday that her government would on Tuesday announce the plan to extend compulsory military service. read moreChina also staged war games near Taiwan in August following a visit to Taipei by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. China has stepped up its diplomatic, military and economic pressure in recent years on the self-governed island to accept Beijing's rule.

☆ 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.

☆ North Korea's weapons programme defies COVID outbreak, reaches 'uncharted territory'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The country acknowledged its first COVID-19 outbreak in May, prolonging already stringent border closures and other anti-pandemic measures, blocking international engagement and causing economic woes, but doing little to slow its weapons tests. "The possibility of denuclearising North Korea has all but disappeared." Pyongyang rolled out a series of increasingly capable short-range missiles as well, in what it says is a strategy to deploy tactical nuclear weapons. North Korea also made preparations to reopen its shuttered nuclear test site, raising the prospect of a new nuclear bomb test for the first time since 2017. "North Korea could at least pretended that it was open to dialogue, but this hasn't been the case," said Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a Korea expert at King's College London.

☆ North Korea's Kim kicks off key party meeting ahead of New Year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the sixth enlarged meeting of the eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released on December 26, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Dec 27 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has kicked off a key meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, state media reported on Tuesday, a venue he has often used to announce major policy decisions marking the New Year. The Sixth Enlarged Plenary Meeting of 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was convened on Monday, the official KCNA news agency said. Kim also faces mounting economic challenges amid international sanctions over its weapons programmes, the fallout from an anti-coronavirus lockdown and natural disasters. North Korean state media previously released its leader's speech on New Year Day, but in recent years, Kim has called party gatherings at the end of the year to make major policy announcements.

☆ Taiwan reports China's largest incursion yet to air defense zone
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

J-20 stealth fighter jets fly during training for the 14th Airshow China in Guangdong province on Nov. 5, 2022. Seventy-one Chinese air force aircraft including fighter jets and drones entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone in the past 24 hours, the island's government said on Monday, the largest reported incursion to date. Of the aircraft, 43 also crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line, an unofficial buffer between the two sides that lies within the defense zone, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said in a report, as Beijing continues military activities close to the Chinese-claimed island. Taiwan's official Central News Agency said it was the largest Chinese air force incursion to date, although there was no sense of alarm on the island, which has witnessed a steady increase in Chinese pressure in recent years. Taiwan, which strongly rejects China's sovereignty claims, said the drills showed Beijing was destroying regional peace and trying to intimidate Taiwan's people.

[1/3] North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un oversees a missile launch at an undisclosed location in North Korea, in this undated photo released on October 10, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Dec 20 (Reuters) - North Korea on Tuesday condemned Japan's planned military buildup outlined Tokyo's new security strategy, vowing to show with action how dangerous it is, state media said. Japan's news security strategy effectively formalised a "new aggression policy" and would bring a fundamental change in East Asia's security environment, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson slammed the United States for "exalting and instigating Japan's rearmament and re-invasion plan," saying Washington no right to raise issue with Pyongyang's efforts to bolster North Korea's defence. Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi and Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ North Korea says latest launches tested 1st spy satellite
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The rocket carrying the test satellite was launched Sunday to assess the satellite’s photography and data transmission systems, KCNA said. He said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were analyzing further details of the launches but declined to elaborate. A rocket carrying an experimental satellite is launched from Tongchang-ri, North Korea, in images released Monday. In February and March, North Korea said it conducted tests to check a camera and data transmission systems to be used on a spy satellite. Lee said North Korea may be able to covertly get a more advanced camera that enable it to monitor tanks and the deployment of U.S. strategic assets to South Korea.

☆ North Korea says its new spy satellite hit a major milestone, but it may be 'too crude' to be useful
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Park Chan-Kyong | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

North Korea launched a rocket carrying a test satellite was launched on Sunday. The rocket carrying the test satellite was launched on Sunday to assess its photography and data transmission systems, state media said. North Korea launched Hwasong-17 ICBMs in February and March, claiming they were spy satellite test launches. South Korea, Japan and US authorities on Sunday said they detected a pair of ballistic-missile launches by North Korea from its northwestern Tongchang-ri area, where the North's satellite launch pad is located. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter with what North Korean media called a Hwasong-17 ICBM in Pyongyang on November 18.

☆ North Korea says it tested 'high-thrust solid-fuel motor' for apparent ICBM development
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A view of a "high-thrust solid-fuel motor" test to develop a new strategic weapon, at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Tongchang-ri, North Korea, December 15, 2022, in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Dec 16 (Reuters) - North Korea has tested a "high-thrust solid-fuel motor", state media reported on Friday, as the isolated country seeks to develop a new strategic weapon and speeds up its nuclear and missile programmes. The static firing test proved the motor's reliability and stability, providing a "guarantee for the development of another new-type strategic weapon system", KCNA added. North Korea has been working to build more solid-fuel missiles, which are more stable and can be launched with almost no warning or preparation time. North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests this year, including an ICBM capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, despite international bans and sanctions.

☆ North Korea Wants Dollars. It’s a Sign of Trouble.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | Pablo Robles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

Media Korean Studies 2016 2008 New Finished New buildings Repainted TAEDONG RIVER TAEDONG RIVER Pyongyang in 2008. Media Korean Studies 2008 2016 New Finished New buildings Repainted TAEDONG RIVER TAEDONG RIVER Pyongyang in 2008. Under Mr. Kim, North Korea has opened a new terminal at the city’s international airport, renovated subway stations and opened new amusement parks. Missile tests this year alone cost North Korea hundreds of millions of dollars, according to estimates by South Korean and American researchers. An array of cell phones, assembled in North Korea with components imported from China, is on sale and advertised on state TV.

☆ U.S. preparing more sanctions on North Korea, Sullivan says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sullivan, who spoke via live video link, did not elaborate but said Washington was committed to using pressure and diplomacy to entice North Korea into giving up its nuclear arsenal. He pointed to increased cooperation between the United States, South Korea, and Japan, which have increased joint military drills. North Korea has said denuclearisation is off the table, and accused the United States and its allies of pursing "hostile" policies, including sanctions, that have left it no choice but to expand its military. Sullivan said Washington had no ill intent toward North Korea and is open to talks without preconditions. Sullivan said the administration has no illusions about the challenges, but that the United States remained committed to holding North Korea accountable.

☆ Kim Jong Un's daughter makes her second public appearance
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter made a public appearance again, this time with missile scientists and more honorific titles as her father’s “most beloved” or “precious” child. Others showed Kim’s daughter clapping her hands, exchanging handshakes with a soldier or talking to her father as people cheered in the background. “Kim Ju Ae is expected to appear occasionally at Kim Jong Un’s public events and take a succession training.”Revealing the young Ju Ae came as a huge surprise to foreign experts, as Kim Jong Un and his father Kim Jong Il were both first mentioned in state media dispatches after they became adults. Cheong, however, said Kim Jong Il had Kim Jong Un in mind as his heir when his son was 8 years old. Cheong cited his conversations with Kim Jong Un’s aunt and her husband, who defected to the United States.

☆ Analysis: In male-dominated North Korea, leadership prospects of Kim Jong Un's daughter are uncertain
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Chun Su-jin, the South Korean author of a book on North Korean women leaders, said the chance of North Korean elites welcoming Kim's daughter as ruler is close to zero. “That gives ample time for North Korea's political culture to change and create the conditions for a female successor,” Madden said. The increased participation of North Korean women in elite politics does not necessarily indicate change to the broader social or political systems, 38 North said in a 2020 report. North Korea is deeply isolated from world geopolitics and is under UN sanctions for its weapons programmes, which include nuclear bombs. "In North Korea, gender is still important to be a leader," said Hyun In-ae, a North Korean defector who now works at the Ewha Institute of Unification Studies in Seoul.

☆ North Korea says its nukes are about the children after photos dropped of Kim Jong Un bringing his daughter to a missile launch
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

After the test, North Korea reportedly said that nuclear weapons and missiles are about the country's children. State media outlet KCNA confirmed that the North Korean leader attended the launch "with his beloved daughter and wife." North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks away from an ICMB in this photo released on November 19, 2022 by North Korean state news. In September, the North Korean leader declared North Korea's nuclear-armed status irreversible. This photo provided on Nov. 19, 2022, by the North Korean government shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and his daughter inspects a missile at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022.

☆ North Korea's Kim reveals daughter at ballistic missile test
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

North Korea test-fired a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday, state news agency KCNA reported on Saturday. "This is the first observed occasion where we have seen Kim Jong Un's daughter at a public event," said Michael Madden, a North Korea leadership expert at the U.S.-based Stimson Center. "It is highly significant and represents a certain degree of comfort on Kim Jong Un's part that he would bring her out in public in such fashion." [1/9] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, along with his daughter, inspects an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in this undated photo released on November 19, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). After a trip to North Korea that year, Rodman told The Guardian newspaper he had spent time with Kim and his family, and held the baby.

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday, the second missile test by the Kim Jong Un regime in two days, in actions condemned as unacceptable by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. “North Korea is continuing to carry out provocative actions at frequency never seen before,” Kishida told reporters Friday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. Increased missile testsThe aggressive acceleration in weapons testing and rhetoric has sparked alarm in the region, with the US, South Korea and Japan responding with missile launches and joint military exercises. The tally includes both cruise and ballistic missiles, with the latter making up the majority of North Korean test this year. North Korea isn’t interested talking right now,” Lewis said.

☆ North Korea denies arms dealings with Russia, says it has no plans to do so
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A general view shows a drill by North Korean Korean People's Army (KPA) artillery units on the front in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang December 2, 2016. KCNA/ via REUTERSSEOUL, Nov 8 (Reuters) - North Korea said on Tuesday it has never had arms dealings with Russia and has no plans to do so, its state media reported, after the United States said North Korea appears to be supplying Russia with artillery shells for its war in Ukraine. White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said last week the United States has information that indicates North Korea is covertly supplying Russia with a "significant" number of artillery shells. A North Korean defence ministry official called the allegations a rumour and said Pyongyang has "never had 'arms dealings' with Russia" and has "no plan to do so in the future." North Korea was one of the only countries to recognise the independence of breakaway Ukrainian regions, and it has expressed support for Russia's proclaimed annexation of parts of Ukraine.

North Korea accused the United States and South Korea of provoking tensions on the peninsula. “I think we should focus on the facts not on what North Korea claims.”North Korea didn't release information about the specific missile models test fired last week. North Korea missile launches, unknown location, North Korea, November 2022. “What if North Korea conducted tests to obtain certain data it wanted to verify during the missile development?” Kim asked. Shin said the multiple launches could be a sign that North Korea is racing to prove its capabilities.

☆ North Korea slams South Korea-U.S. drills, vows 'merciless' moves
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Recent North Korean missile tests are pictured in this undated combination photo taken at undisclosed locations and released on November 7, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Last week, North Korea test-fired multiple missiles including a possible failed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and hundreds of artillery shells into the sea, as South Korea and the United States carried out six-day air drills until Saturday. The North's military said the "Vigilant Storm" exercises were an "open provocation aimed at intentionally escalating the tension" and "a dangerous war drill of very high aggressive nature." The General Staff of the North's Korean People's Army (KPA) accused Seoul and Washington of eliciting a "more unstable confrontation," and vowed to counter their drills with "sustained, resolute and overwhelming practical military measures." Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Austin later condemned North Korea’s “irresponsible and reckless activities” during a joint press conference with Lee. The South Korean government source said officials suspect it was a Hwasong-17, North Korea’s most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile that was first successfully tested on March 24. That launch set a new standard for Pyongyang, recording the highest altitude and longest duration of any North Korean missile ever tested. North Korea followed the presumed ICBM test Thursday with two short-range ballistic missile launches, according to South Korea and Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to the media in Tokyo following North Korea's weapons tests.

☆ North Korea flies warplanes near border and tests another ballistic missile
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The 10 aircraft from the North flew as close as 7 miles from the inter-Korean border, according to South Korea's military. It marks the second time in the past week that North Korea flew military aircraft near the border. The Pentagon said it was aware of the latest North Korean ballistic missile launch and that it would continue monitoring the situation. The State Department condemned the latest ballistic missile launch and cited that any tests conducted by North Korea are in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions. So far this year, North Korea has fired more than 35 ballistic missile tests.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol told reporters that Pyongyang has been "indiscriminately carrying out provocations", vowing to devise "watertight countermeasures". North Korea's military issued a statement via state media KCNA early on Friday saying that it took "strong military countermeasures", over artillery fire by South Korea on Thursday. The unprecedented frequency of North Korea's missile launches has raised concerns it may be preparing to resume testing of nuclear bombs for the first time since 2017. It said the South Korean air force "conducted an emergency sortie with its superior air force, including the F-35A". "The KPA sends a stern warning to the South Korean military inciting military tension in the frontline area with reckless action," its spokesman said, according to KCNA.

SEOUL, Oct 13 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of two long-range strategic cruise missiles, state media reported on Thursday, calling it a test to confirm the reliability and operation of nuclear-capable weapons deployed to military units. It was not immediately clear if the launches were detected by authorities in South Korea, Japan, or the United States, which often monitor and release information on North Korean weapons activities. North Korea first tested a "strategic" cruise missile in September 2021, seen by analysts at the time as possibly the country's first such weapon with a nuclear capability. The cruise missiles are among a number of smaller weapons recently developed by North Korea seen as being able to fly low and maneuver in order to better evade missile defences. North Korea's cruise missiles usually generate less interest than ballistic missiles because they are not explicitly banned under U.N. Nations Security Council resolutions.

A North Korean missile launch is seen in a photo released by state media on Monday. Rodong SinmunAnalysts noted that with Monday’s reports, North Korea broke six months of silence on its testing program. Kim Jong Un watches a missile launch in a photo released by North Korean state media on Monday. Rodong SinmunIn the report, Kim called South Korea and the United States “the enemies” and said North Korea doesn’t need to hold talks with them. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observes a military drill on October 8 in photo from North Korean state media.

☆ North Korea's Kim touts new large greenhouse farm built on ex-missile test site
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

General view during the opening ceremony of the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm to mark the anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party, in North Korea, in this undated photo released on October 11, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Oct 11 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has attended the opening ceremony of a new massive greenhouse farm built on a former air base where the country had test-fired missiles until last year, state media said on Tuesday. The launch on Monday of the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm, located in the eastern county of Hamju, was to mark the anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party, a major holiday in North Korea. The party plans to "more dynamically and confidently push forward the overall rural development of the country with the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm as a model," Kim was quoted as saying at the ceremony. North Korea first introduced the similar but slightly smaller Jungphyong Greenhouse Farm in the northeast county of Kyongsong in late 2019 as it pushed for self-reliance amid tightening international sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes.

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