North Korea fired two projectiles that appeared to be short-range missiles on Thursday, less than a week after it conducted what it claimed was a “regular military drill.” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said launches of what appeared to be short-range missiles took place at 4:29 p.m. and 4:49 p.m. in Kusong, North Pyongan Province. It had initially said they were launched at Sino-ri, some 40 kilometers below Kusong in the same province. (Yonhap)Both of the projectiles traveled east at the altitud

North Korea May 9, 2019

North Korea’s recent launch of projectiles could have been a move to pressure rival states and may not be a signal that it wants to break off negotiations, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers during a parliamentary briefing on Monday.Pyongyang also appears to be adjusting the intensity of the message it is sending to the US, Rep. Lee Hye-hoon, head of the intelligence committee, told reporters after a parliamentary session with the National Intelligence Service here. (Yonhap)North Korea fire

North Korea May 6, 2019

PANMUNJOM -- Chatter and the sound of camera clicks broke the stillness at the Joint Security Area in the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, as civilian tours at the southern side of the JSA resumed Wednesday. Some 81 visitors, consisting of the Unification Ministry’s civilian advisory committee and student reporters, entered the southern part of the JSA along with dozens of reporters from local and foreign news outlets.Visitors walk on a footbridge inside the Joint Security Area in the D

North Korea May 1, 2019

More than 200 people gathered at the Korean War Memorial in Seoul on Thursday to commemorate Anzac Day, marking the 104th anniversary of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps’ landing at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I.Anzac Day commemorates the service and sacrifice of men and women of the Australia and New Zealand defense forces and their allies, who have served in wars and peacekeeping operations.The Australian Embassy in Korea said the shared experience of the Australian and New Z

Diplomatic Circuit April 29, 2019

If World War III were to break out, the inter-Korean divide would likely be one of the major conflicts fought, and it could also trigger a nuclear war, a recent commentary suggests. That conclusion is based on the outcome of a war game recently conducted by a US Marine Corps school.In a commentary published on the website War on the Rocks, James Lacey, a professor of strategic studies at the Marine Corps War College in Quantico, Virginia, shared the results of a war game he recently conducted. I

Defense April 26, 2019

As North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia on Wednesday for his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, an expert on North Korea said the meeting would not be a “game changer.”Pak Jung, a senior fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies at the Brookings Institution, also said the second summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump was not a failure, but an opportunity for related parties to understand the limits to what each has been pursuing. Pak was a

North Korea April 24, 2019

Amid the ongoing standoff between the United States and North Korea over denuclearization, going through the right process is important, former US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said in Seoul on Tuesday.At a press conference held as part of the 2019 Asan Plenum, Steinberg said he does not think of the recent Hanoi summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a “failure,” stressing the complexity of the issue. Rather, the summit was part of the proces

North Korea April 23, 2019

As mysterious and closed off as is North Korea, the country is second to none when it comes to being vocal on domestic and world affairs. While it is a rare for the communist regime to deliver its stance on an issue directly, the North’s strictly controlled state media “communicate” with the outside world and propagate its ideology. They cover a wide range of topics -- from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sending birthday greetings to centenarians to the regime’s denouncing of parties with which

North Korea April 23, 2019

Why are Nordic countries ranked among the best countries to live? Seeking to answer this question, the embassies of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden are to hold the second NORDtalks on Thursday.Titled “Welfare, Gender Equality, and Quality of Life,” the event will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at Oil Tank Culture Park in Seoul.  Nordtalks (Embassy of Sweden in Korea)Participants will engage in dialogue about major societal topics, the Swedish Embassy in Korea said. In addition, the event aims to

Diplomatic Circuit April 22, 2019

Civic groups and Busan residents have taken to the street expressing fear of possible biological agent experiment, in the aftermath of renewed allegations that US troops stationed in South Korea are coducting such tests at the city’s port.Every morning, dozens of residents and activists gather to block the entrance to the Pier 8 military storage center for US Forces Korea in Busan’s Nam district, to stop the US soldiers from going to work.At night they hold candlelight vigils, carrying signs tha

Defense April 15, 2019

Following the recent crash of an F-35A in Japan, countries who also deploy the stealth fighter jet manufactured by US-based Lockheed Martin have raised concerns regarding its safety and functioning.According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, an F-35A fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean close to northern Japan on Tuesday evening. The wreckage from the warplane’s tail was found and recovered from the sea late Tuesday night.  Japan Coast Guard vessel and a US military aircraft conduct rescue

Defense April 11, 2019

Korea International Cooperation Agency said Monday it had hosted several events to raise awareness of land mines and unexploded bombs in Vietnam, marking the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, which fell on Thursday.A state-run aid group here, KOICA has been working to remove land mines and unexploded bombs still buried in parts of Vietnam, together with the Vietnam National Mine Action Center and United Nations Development Program since 2016.  Vietnamese people

Diplomatic Circuit April 8, 2019

A North Korean propaganda website denounced Seoul’s deployment of stealth fighter jets Sunday, calling it a breach of the inter-Korean military agreement that could lead to “catastrophic outcomes.” In a statement titled, “What the introduction of high-tech weapons show,” Pyongyang’s Uriminzokkiri said it was a betrayal for South Korea to deploy the two F-35A jets, which arrived at a key air base of the South’s Air Force on March 29. Stealth fighter jet F-35A lands on the Air Force base in Cheong

Defense April 8, 2019

South Korea replaced the chiefs of staff for its Army, Air Force and Marine Corps in a regular reshuffle on Monday, as the military seeks to maintain robust readiness and to support the peace efforts amid ongoing talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.Lt. Gen. Suh Wook, chief director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was tapped as the new Army chief of staff to replace Gen. Kim Yong-woo, who has led the Army since August 2017, the Defense Ministry said. Suh, a graduate of K

Defense April 8, 2019

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday (US time) that his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un remains “very good,” conveying his hopes of drawing Kim back to the negotiation table.His remarks come amid a stalemate between the two countries following the breakdown of the two leaders’ second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, in late February. The deal breakers concerned denuclearization and economic sanctions.“We’re getting along with North Korea. We’ll see how it works out, but we have

North Korea April 7, 2019