National Security Council expresses strong regret over North Korea's latest provocation A man watches a TV screen at a train station in Seoul, Jan. 17, showing a news program reporting about North Korea's missile launch with a file image. AP-YonhapThe presidential National Security Council (NSC) expressed strong regret Monday after North Korea fired two suspected short-range ballistic missiles eastward that marked its fourth show of force this month.The council held an emergency meeting after South Korea's military announced that the North fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the East Sea."The standing members of the NSC had an in-depth discussion as the strongly regretful situation continues, with North Korea firing missiles four times in a row this year," Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement.President Moon Jae-in, who is on a three-nation visit to the Middle East, was briefed about the North's latest launch and instructed his aides to make utmost efforts to ensure stability of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a separate statement.The NSC members noted that they will redouble their efforts to resume dialogue wiJan 17, 2022
North Korea fires 2 more suspected ballistic missiles eastward from Pyongyang airfield A missile is test-fired from a railway car in North Pyongan Province, Jan. 14, in this photo provided Jan. 15 by the North Korean government. North Korea fired unidentified projectiles toward the East Sea, Jan. 17, South Korea's military said. AP-YonhapNorth Korea fired two more suspected short-range ballistic missiles eastward from an airfield in Pyongyang, Monday, South Korea's military said, in the recalcitrant regime's fourth show of force this year. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that it detected the projectiles fired from Sunan Airport in the capital in the morning, in a text message sent to reporters, without elaborating further."Currently, our military is tracking and monitoring related (North Korean) movements and maintaining a readiness posture," the JCS said.The latest launches came just three days after the North launched two suspected short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea that it later claimed to be guided missiles fired by a railway-borne regiment during a firing exercise.Monday's launches from Pyongyang appear to underscore the North's evolving capabilJan 17, 2022
North Korea's missile launches aimed at diversifying arsenal: experts This photo, provided by the North Korean government, Saturday, shows a missile test from a railway in North Pyongan Province, North Korea, Friday. AP-Yonhap US expected to remain committed to diplomacy with Pyongyang By Kang Seung-wooThe recent series of North Korean missile tests ― three times in two weeks ― indicate that its leader is doubling down on his country's nuclear arms buildup, rather than seeking more concessions before re-engaging in nuclear negotiations, according to diplomatic observers.Despite the increasing frequency of missile tests, the U.S. government, already preoccupied with a difficult domestic situation as well as other diplomatic issues, is expected to maintain its commitment to diplomacy with Pyongyang, they added. The Kim Jong-un regime fired hypersonic missiles on Jan. 5 and 11, followed by two short-range ballistic missiles launched from a train, Friday ― something unusual for the country, which had not conducted missile tests in JanuaryJan 16, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
North Korean cargo train arrives in Chinese city of Dandong: sources A tourist holding Chinese national flags walks on the Broken Bridge next to the Friendship Bridge over the Yalu River, which separates North Korea's Sinuiju from China, in Dandong, Liaoning province, China, in this April 21, 2021, file photo. Reuters-YonhapA North Korean freight train crossed the Yalu River railroad bridge into China, Sunday, multiple sources said, raising the prospect of the two sides resuming land transactions in earnest following them being suspended for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The train from Sinuiju arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong at around 9:10 a.m., they said, while it was not immediately confirmed whether it carried cargo or was empty, they said.It is likely to return to North Korea, Monday, with "emergency materials" loaded, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.It marks the first time that the secretive North has formally opened its land border with China in one-and-a-half years. It closed borders, with all tour programs for foreigners and the operation of cross-border passenger trains halted, since theJan 16, 2022
Ruling party's presidential candidate eyes 'de facto' unification with North Korea Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung greets citizens in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Jan. 15. YonhapRuling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Sunday he would seek a "de facto state" of inter-Korean unification if he gains power, based on coexistence and mutual prosperity in a “short-term and realistic goal.”Lee of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea made the remark during a visit to the border county of Goseong, 466 kilometers northeast of Seoul, after a reporter pointed out he had made no mention of unification in his campaign pledges in Gangwon Province, where Goseong is located."For lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, of course it is right to aim for unification as stipulated in the Constitution," he said at an observatory overlooking North Korea.However, he added, "In the current state, the possibility of directly pursuing unification as a short-term task is realistically very weak."Lee continued that the "correct" way to go about the issue would be to set a short-term goal of reaching a "state that is practicaJan 16, 2022
US condemns North Korean missile launches, urges North Korea to engage in dialogue People watch news on a TV at Seoul Station in Seoul, Jan. 14, about North Korea's launch of two alleged short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea. Yonhap The United States condemned North Korea's latest missile launches Friday amid growing tension between the two countries following multiple missile tests by the North during the last week.North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles Friday afternoon (KST). These short-range missile tests follow on the heels of two separate launches of what Pyongyang claimed to be a new hypersonic missile, Jan. 5 and Tuesday."The United States condemns the DPRK's ballistic missile launch. This launch is in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council Resolutions and poses a threat to the DPRK's neighbors and the international community," a spokesperson for the Department of State said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."We remain committed to a dJan 15, 2022
North Korea announces firing of 2 train-borne guided missiles into East Sea A North Korean missile is fired from a railway-based platform in North Pyongan Province, a northwestern region of the country bordering China, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, Jan. 15. YonhapNorth Korea said Saturday its railway-based missile regiment conducted a firing exercise a day earlier, with two tactical guided missiles hitting a target in the East Sea.The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the drill was aimed at "checking and judging the proficiency in the action procedures" of the unit. The missile tests mark the North's second known launches using a railway platform since one last September.On Friday, the South Korean military announced the latest launches from Uiju in North Pyongan Province ― in Pyongyang's third show of force this year."The regiment received a firepower mission at short notice from the General Staff in the morning on Friday before swiftly moving to the firing ground, and precisely struck the set target in the East Sea of Korea with two tactical guided missiles," the KCNA said.The unitJan 15, 2022
North Korea responds to US sanctions with two more missiles This photo released by the North Korean government shows what it says was a test launch of a hypersonic missile on Jan. 11. AP-YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooNorth Korea launched projectiles assumed to be short-range ballistic missiles on Friday, just three days after it tested what it claimed was a hypersonic missile. The launch came hours after Pyongyang threatened “a stronger reaction” against a fresh set of sanctions imposed by the United States over its recent tests of hypersonic missiles, showing that North Korea is taking a stance of “action for action.”According to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the military observed two projectiles launched from North Pyongan Province to the eastern side of the North on Friday afternoon. The JCS added that the projectiles are assumed to be short-range ballistic missiles. Friday's launch marked the North's third missile test of this year. On Jan. 5, the regime launched what it claimed was a hypersonic missile capable of flying at five times the speed of sound, followed by the launch of a more advanced version six days lateJan 14, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
North Korea fires 2 suspected ballistic missiles eastward: South Korea's military North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / YonhapNorth Korea fired two suspected ballistic missiles eastward Friday, South Korea's military said, after Pyongyang publicly warned earlier in the day of a "stronger and certain" response to the United States' imposition of new sanctions.The North launched the projectiles from a site in North Pyongan Province, a northwestern region bordering China, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a text message sent to reporters. It did not elaborate.The North's latest saber-rattling marks its third show of force this year.South Korea's military is monitoring related North Korean movements and maintaining a firm readiness posture, the JCS said.Pyongyang issued the warning earlier in the day, after Washington slapped sanctions on six North Koreans, Wednesday, who it said were involved in the regime's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. "If the U.S. adopts such a confrontational stance, the DPRK will be forced to take stronger and certain reaction to it," a spokesperson of the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the North'Jan 14, 2022
North Korean hackers stole $400 million in cryptocurrency in 2021: report A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this May 13, 2017, illustration. North Korea launched at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms that extracted nearly $400 million worth of digital assets last year, one of its most successful years on record, according to a report. Reuters-YonhapNorth Korea launched at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms that extracted nearly $400 million worth of digital assets last year, one of its most successful years on record, blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis said in a new report.“From 2020 to 2021, the number of North Korean-linked hacks jumped from four to seven, and the value extracted from these hacks grew by 40 percent," said the report, which was released Thursday."Once North Korea gained custody of the funds, they began a careful laundering process to cover up and cash out," the report added.A United Nations panel of experts that monitors sanctions on North Korea has accused Pyongyang of using stolen funds to support its nuclear and ballistic missile programs to circumvent sanctions.North KJan 14, 2022
