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Tag: North Korea

  • Ukraine accuses N’Korea of sending troops to Russia

    Ukraine accuses N’Korea of sending troops to Russia

    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused North Korea of sending troops to Russia’s army.

    He was speaking days after visiting several European capitals to press his case for more military and financial help in the war against invading Russian forces.

    “We see an increasing alliance between Russia and regimes like in North Korea,” Zelensky said in his evening address.

    “It is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about the transfer of people from North Korea to the occupier’s military forces.

    “Obviously, in such circumstances, our relations with our partners need to be developed. The frontline needs more support,” he said.

    Zelensky completed a whirlwind two-day tour of European capitals last week including Berlin, London and Paris to ask for sustained military aid as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grinds on through its third year.

    “When we talk about more long-range capability for Ukraine and more decisive supplies for our forces, it is not just a list of military equipment,” Zelensky said.

    “It is about increasing the pressure on the aggressor, which will be stronger for Russia than they can withstand. And it is about preventing a bigger war.”

    AFP.

  • S/Korea suspends military agreement with N/Korea

    S/Korea suspends military agreement with N/Korea

    South Korea’s government has approved suspending an agreement with North Korea on détente measures, clearing the way for resuming all military activities along the heavily fortified border between the two countries.

    Vice Defence Minister Cho Chang Rae said that all activities of its armed forces along the military demarcation line and on the north-western islands, which were restricted by the 2018 military agreement, would resume in Seoul on Tuesday.

    The Cabinet and President Yoon Suk Yeol approved a temporary motion to lift the agreement.

    In September 2018, the two sides agreed to a series of measures as part of a temporary rapprochement to avoid incidents along the heavily defended border.

    There have been increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula over the past few months.

    South Korea recently warned North Korea of harsh counter-measures after balloons carrying refuse were sent over the border.

    South Korea’s military also accused its neighbour of jamming the GPS satellite navigation system in the border region.

    Pyongyang described its balloons as a response to propaganda flyers sent over the border by South Korean organisations.

    It said on Sunday that it planned to halt the balloon campaign temporarily.

    The 2018 agreement provided for no-fly zones in the border area and a ban on naval manoeuvres in a buffer zone in the Yellow Sea.

    South Korea suspended parts of the agreement in November due to the launch of a spy satellite by North Korea.

    Pyongyang then announced that it would no longer honour any parts of the agreement.

    Cho did not give any details about planned military activities on the border.

    However, the suspension of the agreement means that South Korea can, again, hold military exercises close to the border line.

  • North Korea says it has tested nuclear-capable underwater system

    North Korea says it has tested nuclear-capable underwater system

    North Korea on Friday claimed to have tested an underwater system capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

    The system, known as Haeil-5-23, is currently under development, state media said.

    North Korea used the term “Haeil’’ to describe underwater attack drones, which it claimed, can also be equipped with nuclear warheads.

    Pyongyang didn’t say when the test took place.

    The rogue state is subject to tough international sanctions due to its nuclear weapons programme.

    The test was reportedly carried out in response to a joint naval exercise involving South Korea.

    The U.S. and Japan took place from Monday to Wednesday in international waters south of the South Korean island of Jeju.

    North Korea had accused the three countries of provocation.

    Pyongyang said it would continue to develop its underwater systems until they were complete.

    Last year, the country reported tests with nuclear-capable underwater drones.

    It also spoke of secret weapons.

    North Korea has significantly increased the scale of its missile tests over the past two years and stepped up its rhetoric against the U.S. and South Korea.

    The two countries have expanded their military cooperation in response to Pyongyang’s rhetoric.

  • Kim Jong Un oversees N Korea cruise missiles tests

    Kim Jong Un oversees N Korea cruise missiles tests

    North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un has overseen the launch of strategic cruise missiles as part of a drill, state-controlled media reported on Monday.

    Kim watched seamen staging the drill during a visit to a naval unit of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

    The launches from patrol ship were successful and were carried out without even an error, according to the report.

    The test aimed at making “the seamen skilled at carrying out the attack mission in actual war’’.

    South Korean Yonhap news agency said that South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff suggested many parts of the North’s announcement were exaggerated and different from facts.

    Observers saw the test as a response to joint military exercises by South Korea and the United States, that were scheduled to kick off a major 11-day summer manoeuvre Monday.

    The purpose of the exercises was to strengthen the alliance’s defence and response capabilities.

    North Korea regularly accused the two countries of using their exercises to prepare for an attack something Seoul and Washington deny.

    UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles of any range, some of which were capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

    Tests of cruise missiles were not subjected to sanctions against Pyongyang.

    Such weapons, however, can also be used to deliver nuclear warheads.

    After an unprecedented series of missile tests last year, North Korea had again tested nuclear-capable missiles several times this year.

    The U.S., President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed to significantly strengthen cooperation in the field of defence.

    They all agreed to the cooperation at a tripartite summit on Friday at Camp David.

    At a cabinet meeting in Seoul on Monday, President Yoon expressed his hope that trilateral cooperation would reduce “the risk of North Korean provocations’’.

  • Kim Jong Un tells North Korea arms factories to boost capacity

    Kim Jong Un tells North Korea arms factories to boost capacity

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has instructed factories making missile engines, artillery and other weapons to boost capacity as an important part of bolstering the country’s defense capabilities, state media said on Sunday.

    Kim’s inspections from Thursday to Saturday included the production of engines for strategic cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as shells for super large-caliber multiple-rocket launchers and transporter-erector-launchers, said state news agency KCNA.

    His unusual visits to multiple arms production facilities over several days come as Pyongyang pushes to develop various strategic and conventional weapons and holds prominent displays of a range of arms.

    The launchers Kim inspected are normally used to fire ballistic missiles.

    North Korea has tested rocket launchers for larger caliber shells, advanced cruise missiles and last month its newest ballistic missiles, including a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile.

    Kim cited improved precision processing and modernised automation in the production of large-caliber multiple-rocket launcher shells, KCNA said.

    He called for the mass production of “various kinds of cutting-edge strategic weapon engines… and thus make a great contribution to bringing about a revolution in developing new strategic weapons of our style,” the agency said.

    Photos showed Kim firing different types of assault rifles, with fiery blasts coming off the muzzle as he took aim at a target that was out of frame.

    Cheong Seong-chang, an expert on North Korea’s political strategy at the Sejong Institute near Seoul, said Kim is likely focused on modernization and technical innovation of weapons that will help with the export of arms to Russia.

    Marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War on July 27, Pyongyang held a major military parade displaying its newest nuclear-capable missiles and attack and spy drones, with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and a senior Chinese official joining Kim in the reviewing stand.

    At a large defense exhibition, Kim gave Shoigu a tour of the display of ballistic missiles and what appeared to be a new drone.

    The United States has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine, including a “significant” number of artillery shells, as well as a shipment of infantry rockets and missiles to Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group.

    Russia and North Korea have denied those claims.

  • North Korea’s Kim gives Russia defense minister tour of arms expo

    North Korea’s Kim gives Russia defense minister tour of arms expo

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday, state media KCNA reported, giving him a tour of a defense expo featuring Pyongyang’s banned ballistic missiles as both sides pledged to boost ties.

    Shoigu handed Kim a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the report said. Kim in turn thanked Putin for sending a military delegation led by Shoigu, adding the meeting deepened the “strategic and traditional” relations between North Korea and Russia.

    The Russian delegation and a Chinese delegation including Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong arrived in North Korea this week for the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War celebrated in North Korea as “Victory Day.”

    The groups are the first such prominent public visitors to North Korea since the start of the pandemic, and arrive as Pyongyang looks to deepen its ties with Beijing and Moscow, finding common ground in their rivalries with Washington.

    Kim led Shoigu on a tour of a defense exhibition being held to mark the war anniversary displaying newly developed weapons and military equipment, KCNA said.

    “Kim Jong Un shared with Sergei Shoigu comments on the worldwide trend of weaponry development and its strategy,” KCNA said.

    Pictures from KCNA showed Kim and his guests touring a large exhibition hall displaying some of the North’s ballistic missiles lying on multi-axle transporter launchers. Another image showed what analysts said appeared to be a new drone.

    North Korea is banned from developing weapons that use ballistic missile technology by United Nations Security Council resolutions, backed in previous years by the council’s permanent members including Russia and China.

    “(Kim) expressed his views on the issues of mutual concern in the struggle to safeguard the sovereignty, development and interests of the two countries from the high-handed and arbitrary practices of the imperialists and to realize international justice and peace,” it said.

    “He repeatedly expressed belief that the Russian army and people would achieve big successes in the struggle for building a powerful country,” it said.

    While KCNA did not directly mention the war in Ukraine, North Korea’s defense minister Kang Sun Nam said Pyongyang fully supported Russia’s “battle for justice” and to protect its sovereignty, the report said.

    Shoigu praised the North Korean military as the “most powerful” in the world during a banquet in Pyongyang, KCNA reported.

    North Korea has backed the Kremlin over its war with Ukraine and has shipped weapons including infantry rockets and missiles in support of Russia’s war, the White House has said.

    North Korea denies it has conducted arms transactions with Russia.

    Separately Kim hosted China’s Li Hongzhong who handed Kim a personal letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping, KCNA said.

  • North Korea: Kim Jong Un bans suicide; vows to kill anyone who attempts and fails

    North Korea: Kim Jong Un bans suicide; vows to kill anyone who attempts and fails

    North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly passed a secret order to ban suicide in the country, labelling it as a “treason against socialism”. A report by Radio Free Asia claimed that Kim has ordered local governments to take preventative measures.

    A government official told the outlet that the decision was made after data showed an increase in people taking their lives this year.

    As mentioned in the report, the South Korean National Intelligence Service claimed that suicides were up by about 40% compared to last year at the end of May.

    However, there’s no confirmation of the data from North Korean authorities.

    As quoted, a spokesperson for South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said: “There are a lot of ­internal unrest factors in North Korea due to ­people’s hardships.”

    The spy agency apparently also mentioned that violent crimes are also on the rise in North Korea as people struggle to make ends meet.

    North Korea and its social system
    An official from the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA’s Korean Service that Kim’s secret order, the content of which was confidential, was delivered in emergency meetings in each province of the party committee leaders at the provincial, city and county levels.

    The official spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity because of security reasons.

    As quoted, he said, “Our meeting was held at the provincial party committee’s building located in Pohang district, in the city of Chongjin.”

    “The large number of suicide cases in the province was revealed and some officials … could not hide their anxious expressions,” the official added.

    The official mentioned that there were 35 suicide cases this year in Chongjin and nearby Kyongsong county alone, the staggering data was delivered at the North Hamgyong meeting.

    The official further added that most of the cases involved whole families ending their lives together. He said, “[The attendees] were shocked by the disclosure of suicide notes that criticised the country and the social system.”

    RFA reported that the attendees at the meeting in Ryanggang province were told that suicide has had a greater social impact than starvation, an official said while speaking on condition of anonymity.

    He said, “Despite the suicide prevention policy ratified by the General Secretary, the officials were not able to come up with an appropriate solution. Most of the suicides were caused by severe poverty and starvation, so no one can come up with a countermeasure right now.”

     

     

  • U.S., S/Korea fire missiles in response to North Korean launch

    U.S., S/Korea fire missiles in response to North Korean launch

    The United States and South Korea fired projectiles on Wednesday in response to North Korea’s latest missile test to deter any aggression from Pyongyang.

    The South Korean military said the U.S. and South Korea fired four surface-to-surface missiles toward the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, in response to North Korea’s provocation.

    The United States and South Korea fired projectiles on Wednesday in response to North Korea’s latest missile test to deter any aggression from Pyongyang.

    The South Korean military said the U.S. and South Korea fired four surface-to-surface missiles toward the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, in response to North Korea’s provocation.

    The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said each side fired two missiles which accurately hit mock targets and demonstrated the allies’ capability to deter further provocations.

    North Korea launched a medium-range ballistic missile that flew eastward over Japan’s archipelago on Tuesday, marking the latest in a series of tests by Pyongyang as tensions rise in the region.

    The U.S. and NATO strongly condemned the North Korean test.

    It was the first time in nearly five years that a North Korean missile had flown over the Japanese archipelago.

    Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the launch “outrageous.”

    According to Yonhap, South Korean forces immediately responded on Tuesday by dropping two precision bombs from a F-15K fighter jet over the uninhabited island of Jikdo to the west of the Korean Peninsula.

    The Yellow Sea is bordered by China and the Korean Peninsula.

    South Korea’s military also fired a Hyunmoo-2C short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea overnight, but the missile flew erratically right after take-off and ended up crashing on its own base in the east coast city of Gangneung.

    The crash sparked a fire to the missile’s fuel, but its warhead did not explode and no one was hurt.

    Still, residents in the area spent the night concerned due to the bright flashes and loud roar from the crash.

    The move was criticized by lawmakers from South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party (DP), which decried what it called a “security vacuum” in the government of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Yonhap news agency reported.

    Citing the joint chiefs, the South Korean agency also reported that the United States is once again sending an aircraft carrier to the waters east of the Korean peninsula in view of the tense situation.

    The “unusual” return of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan was intended to demonstrate the allies’ readiness for defense, it said.

    Most recently, the ship arrived there for a naval manouevre with South Korea in September for its first visit in almost four years.

    The South Korean military has been conducting joint flight drills with US F-16 fighter jets in the region, part of those naval exercises.

    The last time North Korea flew a missile over Japan, in 2017, Pyongyang conducted a nuclear weapons test just days later.

    According to North Korea expert Go Myong Hyun of the Seoul-based Asan Institute, the likelihood is also currently very high that North Korea could conduct a nuclear weapons test toward the end of the month.

    United Nations resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles of any range, some of which are capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

  • North Korea denies exporting weapons to Russia

    North Korea denies exporting weapons to Russia

    North Korea has denied providing weapons and ammunition to Russia.

    The Defence Ministry in Pyongyang said this earlier in a statement issued on Wednesday that Washington and “hostile forces’’ had spread a rumour of arms dealings’’ aimed at tarnishing North Korea’s image.

    “We have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before and we will not plan to export them,’’ a senior official at the ministry’s equipment bureau said in a statement published on Thursday by state news agency KCNA.

    Earlier this month, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby spoke of millions of rockets and artillery shells that Moscow could potentially purchase from Pyongyang.

    He though said that the U.S. had no evidence that any sales had actually taken place.

    Military experts believe that the Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine, probably as a result of sanctions and export controls.

    Meanwhile, an assessment by British intelligence analysts last week said that Russia was “almost certainly increasingly sourcing weaponry’’ from fellow sanctioned nations such as Iran and North Korea.

    Largely isolated North Korea has pledged its support for Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February, a move that has largely triggered outrage in the West.

    Pyongyang is subject to tough international sanctions because of its nuclear weapons programme.

  • U.S. accuses Russia of buying ‘millions of rockets and artillery’ from North Korea for Ukraine invasion

    U.S. accuses Russia of buying ‘millions of rockets and artillery’ from North Korea for Ukraine invasion

    The American government has accused Russia of buying ‘millions of rockets and artillery’ from North Korea for its Ukraine invasion.

     

    According to a recently declassified U.S. intelligence report, with few trade partners and an empty armory, the Kremlin is being forced to turn to North Korea to stock up on vital supplies to fuel its ongoing war in Ukraine,

     

    A U.S. official pointed out that Russia’s Ministry of Defense was “in the process” of buying “millions of rockets and artillery shells” from the so-called Hermit Kingdom and that the purchases were an indication Moscow’s military “continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine, due in part to export controls and sanctions.”

     

    The official added that the intelligence community assessed it would likely become part of a pattern, with Russia seeking “to purchase additional North Korean military equipment going forward.”

     

    Experts have asserted that some adverse ripple effects in the U.S.- were proving successful even as the White House resisted Kyiv’s calls to impose additional penalties against Russia by branding it a state sponsor of terrorism.

    U.S. officials are watching carefully to see if a much more significant power comes to Russia’s aid

     

    “Our sanctions, export controls and efforts to further isolate Russia from the global economy are having a significant impact, We are choking off Russia’s military supply chains,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

     

    While North Korea wouldn’t be providing Moscow with the most cutting-edge military technology, its Soviet-era stockpiles could fill a pressing niche by restocking Russian forces with artillery shells compatible with its weapon systems developed during the same timeframe — ammunition it is struggling to supply.

     

    “The fact that they’re reaching out to North Korea is a sign that that they’re having some challenges on the sustainment front,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday.

     

    Ryder added that the intelligence on the weapons sale was declassified so the international community and the American public could better “understand the situation that Russia finds itself as they again continue to wage their campaign in Ukraine.”

     

    So far, American officials have released little information about what – if any -action they intend to take to hinder or penalize Russia’s purchases from North Korea.

     

    The State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson, Vedant Patel, said that the sale was a clear violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit the procurement of arms from North Korea, but he declined to say whether the U.S. planned to raise the issue to the intergovernmental organization or take other steps.

     

    “While all U.N. sanctions are a serious violation, I think particularly concerning here is that a permanent member of the Security Council is floating these measures,” Patel said, referring to Russia’s powerful status within the body.

     

    National Security Council spokesman John Kirby added the caveat that there was no indication that the purchase had been completed or that any arms from North Korea were currently being used on battlefields in Ukraine.

     

    Pyongyang isn’t the only pariah Russia has sought to broker an arms deal with in recent weeks. Last month, Moscow acquired drones from Iran. A Department of Defense official told ABC News that while the Kremlin will likely seek to import several hundred more, the initial shipment performed poorly, experiencing “numerous failures.”

     

    Weapons from North Korea and Iran might not significantly move the needle in Ukraine, but U.S. officials are watching carefully to see if a much more significant power comes to Russia’s aid.

     

    Beijing and Moscow retain close trade and defense ties, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked concern that the two could forge a military alliance. (China officially remains neutral on the conflict.) The U.S. has warned of intense consequences for China should it sell Moscow military supplies, but so far, there’s no evidence it has violated export controls.

     

    “In terms of what Russia may be asking of China or not, I don’t have any information to provide from the podium on that,” Pentagon spokesman Ryder said, “other than to say that, in an era of strategic competition, we’ll continue to keep a very close eye on Russia and China.”