Biden makes little headway with Pyongyang, still willing to make progress: experts U.S. President Joe Biden / AP-YonhapPresident Joe Biden may have seen little or no progress with North Korea during his first year in office, but his government stands ready and well-equipped to make progress if and when North Korea returns to dialogue, U.S. experts said Thursday.They also argued the ongoing stalemate in U.S.-North Korea dialogue has largely been caused by North's intransigence and not U.S. inaction."I think the Biden administration has clearly messaged publicly and privately an interest in re-engaging," said Victor Cha, noting the administration has also vowed to build on the 2018 joint statement issued at the end of the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore.Under the Singapore agreement, the U.S. agreed to normalize relations with the North while Pyongyang reaffirmed its commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."It takes two to tango," Cha said, referring to North Korea's ongoing ignorance of U.S. overtures. "I think the North Koreans are not ready because of COVID and have been waiting to see if Biden would unilaterally lift soJan 14, 2022
Pyongyang warns of 'stronger' reaction after US imposes new sanctions North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, looks at monitors during the launch of a missile, Jan. 11, in this photo provided by the North Korean government. The North warned Friday it will have to take a "stronger and certain reaction" after the United States slapped new sanctions on individuals there after recent missile launches. AP-YonhapNorth Korea warned Friday it will have to take a "stronger and certain reaction" after the United States slapped new sanctions over Pyongyang's recent missile launches.In a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, a spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry said the recent launch of what it claims to be a hypersonic missile was an "exercise of right to self-defense.""If the U.S. adopts such a confrontational stance, the DPRK will be forced to take stronger and certain reaction to it," the statement said. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.On Wednesday, the Biden administration slapped sanctions on six North Koreans involved in the reclusive regime's weapons of mass destructionJan 14, 2022
No room left for Moon gov't in US-North Korea tit for tat In this photo captured from North Korea's Korean Central Television report, Wednesday, a missile which North Korea claims to be a hypersonic one is set for test launch a day earlier. The launch site was known as Jagang Province. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooThe U.S. has slapped its own sanctions on North Korea following the North's latest missile launches and encouraged other countries to join the move, showing that Washington is now veering toward an “action for action” approach. This shift is expected to leave no room for South Korea's outgoing Moon Jae-in government to arbitrate U.S.-North Korea relations.The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, tweeted, Wednesday, that the U.S. was “proposing U.N. sanctions following North Korea's six ballistic missile launches since September 2021, each of which were in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.”The proposal came hours after the U.S. Department of Treasury slapped its own sanctions on six North Koreans, one Russian and one entity, accusing them of procuring goods for the North's &lJan 13, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
Biden imposes first sanctions over North Korea weapons program after missile tests U.S. President Joe Biden / AP-YonhapThe Biden administration imposed its first sanctions over North Korea's weapons programs Wednesday following a series of missile launches by Pyongyang, including two in the past week.The sanctions targeted six North Koreans, one Russian and a Russian firm that Washington said were responsible for procuring goods for the programs from Russia and China.The U.S. Treasury said the steps were aimed to both prevent the advancement of North Korea's programs and to impede its attempts to proliferate weapons technologies.The United States also proposed that five of those individuals also be blacklisted by the United Nations Security Council, which would need consensus agreement among the body's 15-member North Korea sanctions committee.The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has sought unsuccessfully to engage Pyongyang in dialogue to persuade it to give up its nuclear weapons and missiles programs since taking office in January last year.U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States remained committed to pursuing diplomacy with NoJan 13, 2022
US demands additional UN sanctions on NK following missile tests North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / Reuters-YonhapThe United States is pushing for additional U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea following a series of recent missile launches, Washington's top envoy to the world body has said."On top of today's designations by @StateDept and @USTreasury, the U.S. is proposing @UN sanctions following North Korea's six ballistic missile launches since September 2021, each of which were in violation of UN Security Council resolutions," Linda Thomas-Greenfield wrote on Twitter.On Wednesday, the Joe Biden administration imposed sanctions on six North Koreans involved in the reclusive regime's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.The move came after the North claimed to have successfully conducted hypersonic missile launches on Wednesday last week and this Tuesday.Both Seoul and Washington officials called the weapons tests a violation of existing U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions, which ban any launches using ballistic missile technology. (Yonhap)Jan 13, 2022
US designates 6 North Koreans for sanctions over WMD, ballistic missile programs People watch a TV at a train station in Seoul, Jan. 12, showing a news program reporting on a North Korean missile test. AP-YonhapThe United States said Wednesday that it is designating six North Korean individuals related to North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs for sanctions.The Department of Treasury said it was designating five North Korean individuals ― one based in Russia and four in China ― for illegally procuring materials for the North's WMD and ballistic missile programs.The Department of State also designated an additional North Korean individual based in Russia for a similar reason."Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated five Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) individuals responsible for procuring goods for the DPRK's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile-related programs," the treasury department said in a press release, referring to North Korea by its official name."These actions are in line with U.S. efforts to prevent the advancement of the DPRJan 13, 2022
North Korea says it successfully conducted final test of hypersonic missile North Korea launches what it claims is a new hypersonic missile, Jan. 11, in this photo released by its official Korean Central News Agency the following day. YonhapNorth Korea said Wednesday it had successfully conducted the final test of a new hypersonic missile a day earlier, as it continues to develop new weapons systems amid stalled denuclearization negotiations with the United States.On Tuesday, South Korea's defense ministry said the North launched what appeared to be a ballistic missile into the East Sea which flew over 700 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 60 km and a top speed of Mach 10 (10 times the speed of sound)."The test-fire was aimed at the final verification of overall technical specifications of the developed hypersonic weapon system," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the launch.During Tuesday's test, the hypersonic glide vehicle demonstrated "glide jump flight," "corkscrew maneuvering," and hit "the set target in waters 1,000 km off," the KCNA noted."The superior maneuverability of the hypersonic glide vehicle Jan 12, 2022
North Korea escalates missile threats in New Year A citizen walks past a TV showing a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at Seoul Station in Seoul, Tuesday. North Korea on Tuesday fired a projectile assumed to be a ballistic missile, marking its second weapons launch in a week. YonhapContinuous missile launches decrease chance of resuming talksBy Nam Hyun-wooNorth Korea is stepping up its missile threats, firing what appears to be a ballistic missile just six days after it tested what it claims was a hypersonic missile.Experts said Pyongyang is expressing its intention to follow its own “missile program itinerary” regardless of political and diplomatic factors outside the reclusive regime, including the United Nations Security Council's closed-door session on the North's Jan. 5 missile launch and the Moon Jae-in administration's push to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War.South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from an inland area toward the East Sea at 7:27 a.m. The JCS added that the South Korean and U.S. militaries were analyzing the launch. The miJan 11, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo
NSC expresses 'strong regret' over North Korea missile launch Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul / Korea Times file The presidential National Security Council expressed "strong regret" Tuesday after North Korea launched a second missile in less than a week and urged the reclusive nation to return to dialogue.The council held an emergency meeting shortly after South Korea's military announced the North had fired a suspected ballistic missile into the East Sea."The standing members of the NSC analyzed North Korea's intentions in test-firing consecutive missiles from the start of the year and expressed strong regret over the latest launch that took place at a time when a stable political situation is very critical," Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement.The members also "urged North Korea to come forward for a resumption of dialogue and cooperation at an early date, in line with the international community's expectations for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," it said.During the 50-minute meeting, the NSC members were briefed by Joint Jan 11, 2022
US, 5 others urge NK to end missile tests, return to dialogue: statement North Korea launches what it claims to be a new hypersonic missile, Jan. 5, in this photo released by the country's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap The United States and five other countries called on North Korea to cease its missile tests and engage in denuclearization negotiations Monday.The joint call came shortly before the U.N. Security Council was set to hold a meeting behind closed doors on a North Korean missile test that Pyongyang claimed involved a newly developed hypersonic missile."We stand today unified in our condemnation of the DPRK's most recent missile launch, which the Security Council will discuss shortly," the countries said in a joint statement, delivered by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield."The DPRK's continued pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs is a threat to international peace and security," said the statement, referring to North Korea by its officiJan 11, 2022
