Articles by Jo He-rim
Jo He-rim
herim@heraldcorp.com-
FOC assessment for OPCON transfer is most important task next year: defense minister
Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo called Monday for the military to thoroughly prepare for next year’s assessment for the transfer of wartime operational control from Washington. Presiding over the second meeting to assess the military’s preparedness for the envisioned OPCON transfer, Jeong highlighted the military should be aware that the most important task next year is to successfully complete the Full Operational Capability assessment. Seoul and Washington have been working
Defense Dec. 16, 2019
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[News Focus] Who should pay for cleanup of former US military bases?
Under a joint plan in 2003 to relocate most of the US military bases in South Korea to a sprawling military complex south of Seoul, dozens of sites around the country are being vacated after being occupied by US troops for decades. But the transfer process has been drawn out as a result of disputes over who should shoulder the costs of cleaning up the contaminated soil and other environmental pollution the US military left behind. When the US returned four bases to Korea last week, the envi
Defense Dec. 16, 2019
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Biegun arrives in Seoul amid deadlock in NK-US nuclear talks
US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a “close coordination” with allies amid the deadlock in the denuclearization talks with Pyongyang just weeks before the communist regime’s year-end deadline. A day before, North Korea issued statements to announce that it had carried out “another crucial test” at a satellite launching site, warning the United States to “hold off” any action to “rattle&
North Korea Dec. 15, 2019
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Activities resume on NK naval shipyard, SLBM demonstration should not be ruled out: think tank
Minor activity has resumed at a submersible test stand barge at Nampo Naval Shipyard in North Korea, and there is the possibility that Pyongyang might test a submarine-launched ballistic missile before its year-end deadline, a US-based think tank said Sunday.Satellite imagery collected in the last several months indicate that minor activity has resumed as of Dec. 2, after a two-month hiatus since September, said Joseph Bermudez and Victor Cha of Beyond Parallel, a team that specializes in North
North Korea Dec. 15, 2019
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South Korea, US finalize return of 4 military sites, kick off return of Yongsan base
South Korea and the US have finalized the return of four US military sites here and will start the return process for Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul, the government said Wednesday.In a joint ministry briefing, the government announced that the US handed over control of the four sites previously used by US Forces Korea: Camps Eagle and Long in Wonju, Gangwon Province; parcels of Camp Market in Bupyeong, Incheon; and the Shea Range parcel located at Camp Hovey in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province.
Defense Dec. 11, 2019
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Defense minister confirms North conducted rocket engine test
South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo confirmed Tuesday that the “very important test” North Korea claimed to have conducted at its satellite launch site over the weekend was a rocket engine test, and urged the communist regime to stop raising military tension. Jeong made the remarks during a joint meeting with his Australian counterpart, Linda Reynolds, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her counterpart, Marise Payne. North Korea said it performed a “very impor
Defense Dec. 10, 2019
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North Korea again designated as food-deficit nation by FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization has once again designated North Korea as a food-deficit country in need of external aid. The UN agency also announced a weak outlook for food security in North Korea. In its latest report released Wednesday, FAO included North Korea on its list of 42 countries that need external assistance in food resources, according to Voice of America, a US-based news outlet, on Friday. North Korea is expected to experience food shortages and an economic slump, said
North Korea Dec. 6, 2019
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[Newsmaker] 2 military intelligence officers investigated for alleged rape of N. Korean defector
Two Defense Intelligence Command officers are being investigated by the military prosecution for allegedly raping a North Korean defector multiple times, the Defense Ministry confirmed Thursday. The North Korean defector brought charges against a first sergeant surnamed Kim and a lieutenant colonel surnamed Sung, both working for the DIC, for repeated offences that took place over a period of more than a year. The Defense Ministry’s Criminal Investigation Command in late November ref
Defense Dec. 5, 2019
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Pyongyang to hold party meeting ahead of year-end deadline
North Korea will hold a plenary meeting around the end of December to decide on “crucial issues,” its state-run news agency said Wednesday.On the same day, the Korean Central News Agency reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rode up Paektusan on a white horse accompanied by military commanders, raising speculation that the communist regime may take more provocative military actions as the year-end deadline it set for denuclearization talks with the US quickly approaches.North
North Korea Dec. 4, 2019
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US cyber commander in Seoul for ‘important, timely’ discussion
Paul Nakasone, US director of the National Security Agency, has arrived in South Korea to discuss the two countries’ alliance and cyber cooperation, government officials here confirmed Tuesday. On Tuesday morning, Nakasone, who is also the commander of the US Cyber Command, met with Chun Jung-soo, commander for Korea’s Cyber Operations Command, to discuss reinforcing cooperation in the area of cybersecurity, a military official said. Earlier in the day, US Ambassador to South Korea H
Defense Dec. 3, 2019
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North Korea warns US year-end deadline is approaching
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry once again pressed the US for a decision on their denuclearization talks on Tuesday, ahead of the year-end deadline given by the regime. In a statement issued by Ri Thae-song, North Korea’s vice minister of foreign affairs in charge of US affairs, Pyongyang criticized the US for using their denuclearization negotiations to influence domestic politics.“The US is keen on earning time needed for it, talking about the ‘sustained and substantial
North Korea Dec. 3, 2019
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NK defectors caught in Vietnam face risk of deportation
Seoul’s Foreign Ministry has come under fire for its handling of a case involving North Korean defectors who were caught while attempting to flee to South Korea via Vietnam and who possibly face deportation to North Korea. A human rights group has accused the Foreign Ministry of lack of action, but the ministry said it has been working on the case since it was reported.On Friday, about 10 North Korean defectors were caught for the second time by Vietnamese guards in Lang Son at the border
North Korea Dec. 2, 2019
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[Herald Interview] ‘We will support conscientious objectors in fulfilling alternative service’
Ki Chan-soo, the commissioner for the Military Manpower Administration, vowed support for conscientious objectors, highlighting the MMA’s change of role with the upcoming introduction of an alternative form of service.The chief of the military recruitment agency also asserted that a corruption-free draft system must be maintained, touching on the controversies surrounding the enlistment of K-pop stars and celebrities, such as Big Bang’s Seungri and the members of boy group BTS.&ldquo
Defense Dec. 2, 2019
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Exiled uncle of Kim Jong-un back in N. Korea: NIS
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s exiled uncle has been recalled to his home country after having spent decades as an envoy in Europe, according to reports Sunday. Lawmakers of South Korea’s parliamentary intelligence committee and National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon reportedly confirmed that Kim Pyong-il, North Korea’s top envoy to the Czech Republic, has returned to Pyongyang. The NIS had said early last month that Pyong-il would be replaced and return to North Korea
North Korea Dec. 1, 2019
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Opposition floor leader takes flak over remarks on US-N. Korea summit made on US trip
The floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party came under fire Thursday after it was reported that she had expressed concerns to the US that holding a US-North Korea summit before South Korea’s general elections might have a negative impact. On Wednesday, a local broadcaster reported that Rep. Na Kyung-won had asked US officials not to hold a US-North Korea summit before April 15, when South Korea’s general elections will take place. The US officials reportedly included
Politics Nov. 28, 2019
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