Tag: Pyongyang

South Korea, US launch military drills, North threatens nuclear strikes

  by Giles Hewitt SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea and the United States kicked off their largest-ever joint military drills on Monday, prompting fresh warnings from North Korea of “indiscriminate” nuclear strikes against Seoul and the US mainland. The annual exercises always raise tensions on the divided Korean peninsula and the situation is particularly volatile this year, given the North’s recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch and its fury over the tough UN […]

South Korean president says door not shut on dialog with the North

SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — Seoul will not shut the door to dialogue with North Korea, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on Tuesday (March 1), but warned that Pyongyang, facing new U.N. sanctions, would be subject to even greater pressure as long as it stuck to its nuclear programme. The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote soon on a resolution drafted by the United States and backed by China, the North’s main ally, […]

North Koreans hold mass rally to affirm party loyalty

PYONGYANG, North Korea (Reuters) — North Korea held a mass rally on Thursday (February 25) in Pyongyang, to affirm party loyalty ahead of a rare ruling party conference. Video provided by North Korea’s official news agency KCNA, which Reuters cannot independently verify, showed thousands of people including senior officials gathering at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. During the rally, people marched down a street, chanting and holding banners, one of them saying “Let’s safeguard […]

North Korea halts search for Japanese abductees

  (Reuters) — North Korea has declared void an agreement to reopen an investigation into the fate of abducted Japanese citizens after Japan imposed sanctions in the wake of Pyongyang’s rocket launch, North Korea’s state media said on Friday (February 12). “As of February 12, 2016, the comprehensive investigation into Japanese citizens which had been underway by inter-governmental agreement in Stockholm will be totally stopped, and the special investigation committee will be dissolved,” North Korea’s […]

Japan announces fresh N. Korea sanctions after rocket launch

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan announced fresh sanctions against North Korea on Wednesday for its latest rocket launch, including a total ban on shipping from the country and barring Pyongyang’s nationals from entering. Japan’s announcement comes after the UN Security Council strongly condemned Sunday’s rocket launch and agreed to move quickly to impose new sanctions of its own. “We have decided to take firm sanction steps,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters of the […]

N. Korea launches space rocket in defiance of sanctions threats

by Jung Ha-Won Agence France Press   NORTH Korea launched a long-range rocket on Sunday, violating UN resolutions and doubling down against an international community already determined to punish Pyongyang for a nuclear test last month. North Korea had labelled the launch part of a purely scientific space programme, but most of the world viewed it as a disguised ballistic missile test and the nuclear-armed state’s latest step towards a weapons delivery system capable of […]

China’s nuclear envoy arrives in North Korea

  (Reuters) — China’s nuclear envoy arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday (February 2), the North’s KCNA news agency reported, amid a push by the United States and South Korea for tougher sanctions on the North after its fourth nuclear test. China’s Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei was expected to hold discussions with the North Koreans on the nuclear issue after his arrival, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported from the North Korean capital. […]

North Korea detains U.S. student for ‘hostile act’

North Korea said on Friday (January 22) it had detained a U.S. university student for committing a “hostile act” and wanting to “destroy the country’s unity”, the third western citizen known to be held in the isolated state. The North’s state-run television KRT said the student, Otto Frederick Warmbier, entered North Korea as a tourist and “was caught committing a hostile act against the state”, which it said was “tolerated and manipulated by the U.S. […]

Palace announces ready protocol for evacuation in South Korea in case tensions escalate

(Eagle News) — Malacanang said the Philippine government has a ready protocol for evacuation of Filipinos in South Korea in case tensions escalate in the Korean peninsula. The announcement came about as North Korea declared a quasi-state of war at its border with South Korea. Malacanang continues to call for the deescalation of tension in the Korean peninsula to prevent any incident that may threaten regional stability. A senior Palace official hoped for restraint on both North […]

North Korea suffers Internet outage, hacking may be to blame, says U.S. expert

(Reuters) – North Korea experienced Internet outages on Monday, a U.S. company that monitors Internet infrastructure said, adding that the reason for the problems was not known. “For the past 24 hours North Korea’s connectivity to the outside world has been progressively getting degraded to the point now that they are totally offline,” said Doug Madory, director of Internet analysis at New Hampshire-based Dyn Research. “There’s either a benign explanation – their routers are perhaps […]

Obama arrives in South Korea

United States President Barack Obama arrives in South Korea, as part of his tour in Asia with talks about Pyongyang a major topic in the talk. President Obama expressed his condolences regarding the South Korean ferry accident.

Japan ready to intercept any N Korea missile deemed a threat

(Reuters) – Japan will strike any North Korean ballistic missile that threatens to hit Japan in the coming weeks after Pyongyang recently fired medium-range missiles, a government source said on Saturday. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera issued the order, which took effect on Thursday and runs through April 25, the day that marks the founding of North Korea’s army, the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Following the order, meant “to prepare for any additional missile launches,” […]