Tag: South Korea

Biden, Yoon signal expanded military drills due to N. Korea ‘threat’

  by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse US President Joe Biden and South Korea’s new President Yoon Suk-yeol signalled Saturday an expanded military presence in response to the “threat” from North Korea, while also offering to help the isolated regime face a Covid-19 outbreak. After meeting in Seoul on Biden’s first trip to Asia as president, the two leaders said in a statement that “considering the evolving threat posed by” North Korea, they “agree to […]

Biden offers aid, vaccines to Covid-stricken North Korea

No response from North Korea where 2.5 million have fallen sick with “fever”   SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — US President Joe Biden said Saturday that America had offered Covid-19 vaccines to Pyongyang but “got no response” despite a spiralling epidemic in North Korea, where nearly 2.5 million people have fallen sick with “fever”. Biden, who is in Seoul on his first trip to Asia president, said the United States and South Korea had also […]

US cites ‘possibility’ of N.Korea nuclear test during Biden’s Asia trip

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States believes there is a “genuine possibility” that North Korea could conduct a nuclear test or other saber rattling while Joe Biden is on his first trip as president to Asia, a top US official said Wednesday. “Our intelligence does reflect the genuine possibility” of nuclear-capable missile tests or a nuclear weapon test around the time of Biden’s trip, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said. Biden departs […]

N. Korea completes preparation for nuclear weapon test: Seoul lawmaker

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA (AFP) — North Korea has completed preparations for a nuclear test and is seeking the best moment to carry it out, a South Korean lawmaker said Thursday, a day before US President Joe Biden is due to arrive in Seoul. Despite North Korea’s recent Covid-19 outbreak, “preparations for a nuclear test have been completed and they are only looking for the right time”, lawmaker Ha Tae-keung told reporters after being briefed by […]

North Korean military ramps up Covid response as outbreak grows; number of “fever” cases close to 1.5 million

by Kang Jin-kyu Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean military medics ramped up the distribution of medicines to fight a growing coronavirus outbreak, state media said on Tuesday, with the number of reported cases of “fever” nearing 1.5 million. Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered nationwide lockdowns to try and slow the spread of the disease through the unvaccinated population, and deployed the military after what he has called a botched […]

South Korea’s Yoon calls on North to trade nukes for aid

  by Sunghee Hwang Agence France Presse South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol called on the North to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for massive economic aid at his swearing-in Tuesday, describing Pyongyang’s missiles as a threat to regional and global security. Yoon, 61, who started work in an underground bunker with a security briefing on North Korea, took office at a time of high tensions on the peninsula, with Pyongyang conducting a record […]

South Korea to swear in conservative new president

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea will swear in hawkish new president Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday in a ceremony overshadowed by a recent slew of weapons tests by its nuclear-armed neighbour. Yoon, 61, takes office at a time of high tensions on the Korean peninsula, with an increasingly belligerent North Korea conducting a record 15 weapons tests since January, including two launches last week. His conservative administration looks set to usher in a […]

North Korea fires submarine-launched missile after US nuclear warning

  SEOUL, North Korea (AFP) — North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile Saturday, Seoul said, its second missile launch in three days after the United States warned Pyongyang could be preparing for a nuclear test. North Korea has dramatically ramped up its sanctions-busting missile launches this year, conducting 15 weapons tests including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017. The Saturday launch comes two days before South […]

North Korea fires ballistic missile in latest show of force

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea fired a ballistic missile Wednesday, Seoul said, a week after Kim Jong Un vowed to boost Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal and just days before the South inaugurates a new, hawkish president. Pyongyang has conducted 14 weapons tests since January, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full-range for the first time since 2017. Last week Kim oversaw a huge military parade, vowed to rapidly expand and improve his […]

Samsung Electronics posts 58.57 percent jump in Q1 net profit

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics posted a 58.57 percent rise in first-quarter net profits on Thursday, largely driven by steady memory chip demand and brisk smartphone sales. The world’s biggest memory-chip maker is the flagship subsidiary of the giant Samsung group, by far the largest of the family-controlled empires known as chaebols that dominate business in South Korea, Asia’s fourth largest economy. The conglomerate is crucial to the South’s […]

At military parade, Kim vows to boost North Korea’s nuclear arsenal

by Sunghee Hwang / Claire LEE Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea will rapidly accelerate the development of its nuclear arsenal, leader Kim Jong Un said while overseeing a vast military parade showcasing his most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles, state media reported Tuesday. Despite biting sanctions, North Korea has doubled down on Kim’s military modernisation drive, test-firing a slew of banned weapons this year while ignoring US offers of talks — […]

Korean leaders exchange friendly letters despite rising tensions

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un thanked outgoing South Korean president Moon Jae-in for his efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, state media said, in an unexpected move following growing signs Pyongyang is resuming nuclear testing. North Korea has carried out more than a dozen weapons tests so far this year, and experts have warned of recent signs of new activity at a key nuclear testing site. Moon’s hawkish successor, […]