The Korea Times

Seoul may opt for psychological warfare in response to NK threats

By Kang Seung-wooSouth Korea is considering resuming psychological warfare operations, such as propaganda broadcasts or propaganda leaflets, against North Korea in the wake of the North's drone infiltration into South Korean airspace, according to a government official, Thursday.This photo shows one of the balloons containing 1 million anti-Pyongyang leaflets that Fighters for a Free North Korea, a Seoul-based organization of North Korean defectors, claimed it sent toward North Korea from the South Korean city of Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, April 25 and 26, 2022. YonhapThe idea came to light one day after President Yoon Suk-yeol threatened, Wednesday, to suspend a 2018 military pact if North Korea violates the inter-Korean border again. Last year, North Korea flew five drones across the border for the first time in five years and one of them returned to the North after entering a no-fly zone near the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul.South and North Korea held a summit on April 27, 2018, where they agreed to stop all hostile acts, including loudspeaker broadcasts and the

Jan 5, 2023By Kang Seung-woo

Seoul may opt for psychological warfare in response to NK threats

North Korea

Debate reopens over loudspeaker broadcasts in DMZ

South Korean soldiers dismantle stacked loudspeakers in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in this May 2018 photo. Joint Press CorpsExperts divided over effectiveness of loudspeaker use By Kang Seung-wooThe resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts has been emerging as a possible counter-measure in response to North Korea's security threats as South Korea has limited options to take in response to the North's recent use of drones to cross the inter-Korean border, infiltrating the South for the first time in five years. The South Korean military used to operate propaganda broadcast posts along the border as a key part of its psychological warfare tactics against North Korea. The broadcast messages were mainly critical of the North Korean regime, leading Pyongyang to express strong opposition to such tactics, apparently concerned about the possible effects they might have on its military and people. The use of the loudspeakers has been suspended since the inter-Korean summit in April 2018.“What Kim Jong-un fears the most are loudspeaker broadcasts targeting North Korean soldiers deployed on the

Jan 4, 2023By Kang Seung-woo

Debate reopens over loudspeaker broadcasts in DMZ

North Korea

Inter-Korean tensions in 2023 expected to worsen: think tank

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un poses with representatives of the Korean Children's Union under North Korea's ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, Sunday, in this photo released by the North's official state news agency, Korean Central News Agency. YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooThe security situation on the Korean Peninsula is likely to return to the 2017 days of “fire and fury” when the United States and North Korea came closer to war or get even worse as Pyongyang is set to take aggressive actions against South Korea by expanding its nuclear arsenal, according to a Seoul-based think tank.During a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, Dec. 31, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un identified South Korea as its “undoubted enemy” and vowed to mass-produce tactical nuclear weapons and exponentially increase its nuclear warheads. “From the beginning of the New Year, North Korea is highly anticipated to show off a mass production of tactical nuclear weapons and their deployment, meaning that it is likely to show a customized response to South Korea in an offensiv

Jan 3, 2023By Kang Seung-woo

Inter-Korean tensions in 2023 expected to worsen: think tank

North Korea

Seoul, Washington urged to cut North Korea's purse strings through cryptocurrency regulations

gettyimagesbankCrypto crash unlikely to discourage Pyongyang's illegal cyber activities: expertsBy Kang Seung-wooNorth Korea made headlines in 2022 by firing more ballistic missiles than any other year ― 38 launches. But besides its ceaseless saber-rattling, the isolated country was also in the spotlight for its illegal cyber activities that allegedly raked in billions of dollars.Crippled by international sanctions, the Kim Jong-un regime, which has refused to abandon its nuclear ambitions, has turned to digital crimes, or stealing cryptocurrencies ― an act feared to help fund the development of its weapons of mass destruction (WMD). “The threat posed by North Korea's cyber activities, especially its cryptocurrency thefts, is very real and very serious. The money North Korea has stolen, which is now in the billions of dollars, is a pure revenue stream that can finance North Korea's most destabilizing activities,” said Nick Carlsen, a blockchain analyst at TRM Labs and a former FBI analyst.“Their nuclear, missile and even intelligence operations now benefit from the

Jan 2, 2023By Kang Seung-woo

Seoul, Washington urged to cut North Korea's purse strings through cryptocurrency regulations

Defense

KAI expands presence in helicopter sector

A KAI light armed helicopter conducts flight tests in cold weather conditions. Courtesy of Korea Aerospace Industries By Kang Seung-wooKorea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the player behind the nation's locally developed fighter jet, is earning its stripes in the helicopter sector as the company is set to mass-produce light armed helicopters (LAHs), while embarking on a project to locally develop a minesweeping chopper. According to KAI, it signed a contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), Thursday, for producing 10 LAHs along with integrated product support, worth 302 billion won ($235 million), the delivery of which will begin in December 2024. The contract came after the DAPA approved a 5.75 trillion won plan to begin mass production of the LAH through 2031. The KAI's LAH is aimed at replacing the aging fleet of 500MD Defender and AH-1S Cobra attack helicopters and assuming multiple mission roles such as light attack, close air support, escort and troop transportation.The helicopter features an integrated full-glass cockpit, equipped with smart multi-funct

Dec 24, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

KAI expands presence in helicopter sector

North Korea

North Korea may propose 'surprise talks' to US next year: expert

This photo released on Nov. 19 by the North Korean government shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, inspecting what is identified as a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, Nov. 18. YonhapUS willingness to resolve nuclear issue in question By Kang Seung-wooNorth Korea may propose talks with the United States next year amid speculation that the Joe Biden administration or another Democratic Party candidate could win reelection, a researcher of a Seoul-based think tank said, Thursday.“North Korea has refused to sit down with the United States over nuclear negotiations, maintaining a confrontational mode with Washington until the 2024 U.S. presidential election,” Go Myong-hyun, a senior fellow of The Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said during a press conference on the prospects of the international situation for 2023, held at the institute in Seoul.“However, as the results of the recent U.S. midterm elections indicate that Biden or the Democratic Party may win the presidential election again, meaning

Dec 22, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

North Korea

North Korea takes aim at US

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un smiles while watching the ground test of a high-thrust solid-fuel motor at Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Cholsan, North Pyongan Province in this Dec. 15 photo released by the North's Korean Central News Agency. YonhapSeoul, Washington to revive suspended Foal Eagle field drill By Kang Seung-wooNorth Korea praised its achievements in its missile and nuclear programs this year, Wednesday, while strengthening its anti-American sentiment. According to an article in the Rodong Sinmun, the official media outlet of the ruling Workers' Party, North Korea got off to a strong start in 2022 with the test-firing of a hypersonic missile, followed by months of other shocking developments including the launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), its strongest strategic weapon. This year alone, North Korea conducted record-setting ballistic missile tests more than 30 times. In addition, it is believed to have fully prepared for a seventh nuclear test. In January, North Korea announced it had conducted a hypersonic missile test under the w

Dec 21, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Foreign Affairs

Korea needs preemptive measures against Japan's new security strategy

Protesters stage a protest against Japan's decision to acquire the capability to strike enemy bases in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap By Kang Seung-wooThe South Korean government is advised to explore ways with the United States to stop Japan from deciding on its own to carry out an attack against North Korea, an act that could infringe on the South's sovereignty.The Japanese government unveiled a new national security strategy last week, and the development of counterstrike capabilities ― one of three updates ― has emerged as a hot-button issue in South Korea as it allows Tokyo to strike at missile launch sites within North Korea in the event of an emergency.The South Korean government claims that the exercise of such an action definitely requires Seoul's consent, because North Korea is part of the Korean Peninsula, which the South Korean Constitution defines as part of South Korea's territory, while also having a significant impact on security on the peninsula and the South's national interests.However, a Japanese government official told reporters, Friday,

Dec 20, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Korea needs preemptive measures against Japan's new security strategy

Defense

Military buildup of Japan, Australia sparks regional arms race

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gets into the cockpit of a U.S. fighter jet during his visit to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier in Sagami Bay, southwest of Tokyo, Nov. 6. AP-YonhapNorth Korea expected to exploit military buildup By Kang Seung-wooEarlier this year, North Korea's growing provocations with the launches of upgraded weapons sparked concerns about a possible arms race in East Asia. The North Korean threat has caused a chain reaction leading to military buildups by Australia and Japan in the Asia-Pacific region. This has intensified speculation that a regional arms race is inevitable.Japan's recent pursuit of a military buildup is raising concerns about a regional arms race due to North Korea's nuclear ambitions, according to diplomatic observers, Monday. In addition, Australia's push to build nuclear-powered submarines with the United States and the United Kingdom under the AUKUS security agreement is deepening concerns over the growing competition among neighboring countries to get more or better weapons. AUKUS is a trilateral security pact between Australia

Dec 19, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Military buildup of Japan, Australia sparks regional arms race

Defense

US post office to be renamed after fallen Korean American soldier

By Kang Seung-wooA post office in Placentia, Calif. will be designated as the PFC Jang Ho Kim Post Office Building after a bill to honor a fallen Korean American service member was passed last week.PFC Jang Ho Kim / Courtesy of Rep. Young Kim's officeKim, who was born in Seoul and immigrated to the United States in 1990, was killed in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad on Nov. 13, 2006, while serving as a U.S. Army private first class. He graduated from Valencia High School in Placentia and enrolled in Fullerton College before joining the military in June 2005. “While PFC Jang Ho Kim left us too soon, his legacy of courage and service lives on through his loved ones, others he inspired to serve and all those who share his story,” said Rep. Young Kim, a Republican representative of California's 39th district who introduced the bill in February. “We can enjoy our American freedoms because of the sacrifice of those who have served. I'm grateful to the entire California delegation for backing this bill and thrilled we are one step closer to preserving PFC Kim's honorable

Dec 18, 2022By Kang Seung-woo

Kang Seung-woo

Read more

Seoul may opt for psychological warfare in response to NK threats

Debate reopens over loudspeaker broadcasts in DMZ

Inter-Korean tensions in 2023 expected to worsen: think tank

Seoul, Washington urged to cut North Korea's purse strings through cryptocurrency regulations

KAI expands presence in helicopter sector

North Korea may propose 'surprise talks' to US next year: expert

North Korea takes aim at US

Korea needs preemptive measures against Japan's new security strategy

Military buildup of Japan, Australia sparks regional arms race

US post office to be renamed after fallen Korean American soldier

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