Tag: Nuclear

N. Korea’s new nuclear reactor likely fully operational next summer: Seoul

SEOUL, Dec 29, 2023 (AFP) – A new reactor at North Korea’s main nuclear facility will likely be fully operational by next summer, Seoul’s defence minister said, a week after the UN atomic agency called it a “cause for concern”. Shin Won-sik told local media Thursday that the new reactor at North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex appears to be in a “trial operation” stage and that it is expected to be fully operational next summer. […]

N. Korea’s Kim calls for ‘accelerated’ war preparations

SEOUL, Dec 28, 2023 (AFP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged his party to “accelerate” war preparations including its nuclear programme, state media said Thursday. The comments came just a week after Kim warned Pyongyang would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if “provoked” with nukes. Kim made the comments at the North’s ongoing year-end party meeting, where he is expected to unveil key policy decisions for 2024. Kim asked the party […]

N. Korea’s Kim warns of ‘nuclear attack’ if ‘provoked’ with nukes

SEOUL, Dec 21, 2023 (AFP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned Pyongyang will not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if “provoked with nukes”, state media said Thursday, while Seoul and its allies called for “dialogue without preconditions”. Kim’s warning follows a meeting between South Korea and the United States last week in Washington, where they discussed nuclear deterrence in the event of conflict with the North. The meeting’s agenda included “nuclear and […]

Cruise missiles to nukes: North Korea’s arsenal

SEOUL, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – North Korea fired its most powerful and advanced solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile on Monday, extending a record-breaking run of weapons tests this year that have been condemned by the West. The move follows leader Kim Jong-un’s declaration last year that Pyongyang is an “irreversible” nuclear power. Here is a look at North Korea’s arsenal: – Intercontinental ballistic missiles – Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) have a minimum range of 5,500 […]

N. Korea tests most advanced ICBM, reaching US within range

By Sunghee Hwang SEOUL, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – North Korea on Monday test-fired its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile that has the potential to reach the United States, extending a record-breaking number of weapons tests this year and triggering further international condemnation. South Korea said the North fired an ICBM that used solid fuel, which makes missiles easier to transport and faster to fire than liquid-fuelled versions. Monday’s launch was the third time the […]

Back-to-back missile launches by North Korea spark concerns

By Sunghee Hwang SEOUL, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – North Korea fired another internationally banned “long-range ballistic missile” on Monday, the South’s military said, after Pyongyang voiced outrage over deeper nuclear cooperation between Seoul and Washington. The ballistic launch followed firing overnight Sunday by the North of a short-range missile, extending a record-breaking number of weapons tests this year that have been condemned by the West. The back-to-back launches also come after another bout of […]

N.Korea nuclear attack on US would spell end of Kim regime: White House

WASHINGTON  (AFP) – Washington on Saturday reiterated its warning to North Korea that any nuclear attack on the United States would result “in the end of the Kim regime.” A joint statement by the US-South Korean Nuclear Consultative Group also reaffirmed that any nuclear attack by Pyongyang on South Korea “will be met with a swift, overwhelming, and decisive response.” “The United States reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to provide extended deterrence to the ROK (Republic […]

China launches world’s first next-gen nuclear reactor

BEIJING, Dec 6, 2023 (AFP) – China began commercial operations of the world’s first next-generation, gas-cooled nuclear reactor power plant, state media reported Wednesday. The Shidao Bay plant in eastern Shandong province is powered by two high-temperature reactors cooled by gas rather than pressurised water, according to state news agency Xinhua, making it more efficient and cost-effective. Conventional reactors produce electricity from nuclear energy. However, these advanced models — known as small modular reactors, or […]

North Korea threatens to ‘destroy’ US spy satellites

SEOUL, Dec 2, 2023 (AFP) – North Korea warned Saturday it would “destroy” US spy satellites if Washington tries “any attack” on its space asset, after Pyongyang launched its first military eye in the sky last week. A spokesman for the North’s defence ministry said it would consider such a move a “declaration of war”, according to a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. The statement came after a US official’s remark […]

Japanese experimental nuclear fusion reactor inaugurated

TOKYO, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – The world’s biggest experimental nuclear fusion reactor in operation was inaugurated in Japan on Friday, a technology in its infancy but billed by some as the answer to humanity’s future energy needs. Fusion differs from fission, the technique currently used in nuclear power plants, by fusing two atomic nuclei instead of splitting one. The goal of the JT-60SA reactor is to investigate the feasibility of fusion as a safe, […]

North Korea to send new weapons to border after spy satellite launch

SEOUL, Nov 23, 2023 (AFP) – North Korea said Thursday it would deploy new weapons and stronger armed forces to the border with the South, as Seoul’s spy agency said Pyongyang had received Russian help to successfully put a military spy satellite into orbit. Tuesday’s launch of the “Malligyong-1” was Pyongyang’s third attempt at securing a military eye in the sky after two failures in May and August. North Korean state media claimed within hours […]

N. Korea says spy satellite launch successful

SEOUL, Nov 21, 2023 (AFP) – North Korea said Wednesday it had succeeded in putting a military spy satellite in orbit after two previous failures, as the US led its allies in condemning the launch as a “brazen violation” of UN sanctions. A rocket carrying the satellite blasted off Tuesday night from North Phyongan province, flew along its designated path and “accurately put the reconnaissance satellite ‘Malligyong-1’ on its orbit,” state-run news agency KCNA reported. […]