Complete, verifiable denuclearization of North Korea must be achieved: Goldberg Philip Goldberg speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to be ambassador to the Republic of Korea, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, April 7. UPI-Yonhap The United States and its allies must resolutely pursue a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of North Korea, the nominee for U.S. ambassador to South Korea said Thursday.Philip Goldberg also said North Korea may stage additional provocations amid suspicions that Pyongyang may be preparing to conduct a nuclear test."Comprehensive, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization ― those are difficult goals, but they fit very well with our non-proliferation goals," he said in his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Services Committee."They fit with our policy of deterrence, building, broadening, deepening our alliances with the Republic of Korea, and doing all possible to defend against a rogue regime in North Korea that is violating at every opportuApr 8, 2022
North Korea feared to return to nuclear brinkmanship President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, second from right, talks to officials of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) during his visit to U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of USFKPresident-elect reiterates importance of extended US deterrence during visit to Camp HumphreysBy Jung Da-minConcerns are rising that North Korea may be returning to nuclear brinkmanship by conducting another nuclear test ahead of major political events, including the 10th anniversary of leader Kim Jong-un's inauguration on April 11, as well as the April 15 Day of the Sun, an annual holiday marking the birthday of Kim Il-sung, North Korea's founding leader.According to U.S. government officials and North Korea watchers, there is a high possibility of the country launching an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) or carrying out a nuclear weapons test in the coming days.Sung Kim, the special representative for North Korea policy at the U.S. state department, in particular, warned of Pyongyang's possible nuclear weapons test on the April 15 anniversary, which would bApr 7, 2022
New S. Korean gov't needs 'forward-looking' policy on N. Korea to prevent nuke testing: minister Unification Minister Lee In-young speaks during a press conference at the Office of the Inter-Korean Dialogue, April 6. Yonhap South Korea's outgoing point man on North Korea urged the country's incoming administration Wednesday to adopt a "forward-looking" approach toward North Korea, especially in order to prevent nuclear weapons testing amid heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.Unification Minister Lee In-young made the remarks during his last regular press conference in his capacity as the liberal Moon Jae-in government's top official on Pyongyang.Earlier this week, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement warning that her country could use nuclear forces against South Korea to "take initiative at the outset of war.""The North has broken its moratorium on intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and there are many signs regarding nuclear weapons tests as well. We must put an end to this right here," Lee saApr 6, 2022
Top nuclear envoys Noh Kyu-duk, left, South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, speaks after a meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C., Monday, local time. They agreed to push jointly for a new U.N. Security Council resolution against North Korea over its recent series of ballistic missile launches. YonhapApr 5, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
North Korea's harsh rhetoric seen as attempt to tame South Korea North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol / Korea Times photoKim Yo-jong warns of nuclear response in case of Seoul's preemptive strikesBy Kang Seung-wooScathing remarks made by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister in response to South Korea's defense minister touting the South's “pre-emptive strike” ability were aimed at taming Seoul's new administration, which is widely expected to take a tougher stance against Pyongyang, including the use of military options, according to experts.They also noted that North Korea's warning, the second of its kind in just three days, was largely propaganda aimed at bolstering internal solidarity amid economic woes triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement carried by state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong denounced Defense Minister Suk Wook's reference to possible pre-emptive strikes as a “fantastic daydream” and the “hysteria of a lunatic,” adding that it was a big mistake for the South Korean military to highlight its pre-emptive strike capabilities Apr 5, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Pyongyang says it will strike with nuclear weapons if South attacks North Korea's Korean Central TV broadcasts a statement from its leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong, April 3. YonhapNorth Korea opposes war but would use nuclear weapons if South Korea attacked, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un, said Tuesday, in a warning that analysts noted was probably aimed at the South's incoming conservative president.Kim Yo-jong, a senior official in the government and ruling party, said it was a "very big mistake" for South Korea's minister of defense to make recent remarks discussing attacks on the North, state-run KCNA reported.South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook had said Friday that the country's military has a variety of missiles with significantly improved range, accuracy and power, with "the ability to accurately and quickly hit any target in North Korea."Both Koreas have increased displays of military strength after North Korea test-fired a range of increasingly powerful missiles this year. Officials in Seoul and Washington also fear it may be preparing to resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time since 2017 amid staApr 5, 2022
South Korean, US nuclear envoys agree to push for new UNSC resolution on North Korea South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs Noh Kyu-duk, left, speaks after a meeting with Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea, in Washington, April 5. YonhapThe top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States agreed Monday to jointly push for a new U.N. Security Council resolution against North Korea over its recent series of ballistic missile launches.They also reaffirmed their condemnation of the missile launches as serious violations of existing UNSC resolutions."South Korea and the U.S. first shared our views on the current situation of the Korean Peninsula at today's meeting," Noh Kyu-duk said of his meeting with Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for the DPRK."In addition, we reaffirmed our joint position that it is important to sternly act against North Korea's provocations while maintaining a strong joint defense posture," added Noh.DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.Noh arrived in the U.S. Sunday to discuss North Korea's recent missile launches that includApr 5, 2022
North Korea has large arsenal of 'theater-class' missiles: US commander Adm. Charles Richard, head of the U.S. Strategic Command, speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, in this April 22, 2021, file photo. North Korea has a large number of "theater-class" missiles with a desire to develop a "credible" missile threat, he said. AP-YonhapNorth Korea has a large number of "theater-class" missiles with a desire to develop a "credible" missile threat, a U.S. commander has said, casting the recalcitrant regime as a strategic security challenge.Adm. Charles Richard, head of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), made the assessment in a written statement to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense prior to a closed-door hearing on Tuesday (local time)."The DPRK previously tested ICBM class missiles designed to reach the U.S., and they have a large arsenal of theater-class missiles," he said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "The recent missile launches demonstrate their ongoing desire to develop a credible missile threat."Theater-class missiles refer to those intended for use in speApr 5, 2022
Pyongyang will not fire 'single bullet' toward Seoul: Kim Yo-jong Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister / Yonhap The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said South Korea is no match for her nuclear-armed country, as she reiterated Pyongyang's position that Seoul is not its "principal enemy," according to state media Tuesday.She was again taking issue with South Korean defense chief's speaking in public last week of Seoul's "preemptive strike" capabilities.Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, described the minister's remarks as an "irretrievable very big mistake." "If anyone does not provoke us, we will never strike it before anything else," she said in her second press statement in a few days carried by the Korean Central News Agency."We will not fire even a single bullet or shell toward South Korea. It is because we do not regard it as match for our armed forces," she added, emphasizing once again that the North is a nuclear weapons state. "In other wApr 5, 2022
Jim Rogers to serve as inter-Korean cooperation project adviser for Paju city Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings and Beeland Interests / Korea Times fileU.S. investor Jim Rogers has been tapped to serve as an adviser on inter-Korean cooperation projects for Paju, a South Korean city near the border with North Korea, officials said Monday.Rogers plans to visit Paju, 30 kilometers north of Seoul, on Wednesday to sign an agreement to serve as an adviser for the municipal government for its potential projects with the North, officials said.Paju officials expect to receive policy advice from Rogers on a range of areas, including a potential railway project, the reopening of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, and a peace and ecological tourism project for the Demilitarized Zone. (Yonhap)Apr 4, 2022
