North Korea criticizes Seoul; 'engages' US for talks This photo, provided by the North Korean government, shows what it says the launch of a short-range ballistic missile from the east coast of North Korea. North Korea on Saturday extended its recent streak of weapons displays by firing what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, according to South Korea's military. AP-YonhapTrump says he received 'beautiful' letter from North Korean leaderBy Park Ji-wonNorth Korea stepped up pressure on South Korea by firing a series of short-range missiles over weeks while trying to engage the United States for denuclearization talks. Its actions may pose a further security threat to Seoul, experts say.The North fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Saturday according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, marking the fifth such firing since July 25. The North also boasted of it as a “new weapon.”Such military moves appear to be in protest of the combined military drills between Seoul and Washington, while aiming to test the capabilities of the North's new alleged short-range ballistic missilesAug 11, 2019By Park Ji-won
N. Korea says inter-Korean contact difficult until Seoul gives 'plausible excuse' for military drill People watch a TV news program reporting about North Korea's projectiles with a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. APNorth Korea said Sunday it won't even hold contact with South Korea, let alone dialogue, unless Seoul gives a "plausible excuse" over its ongoing military exercise with the United States, calling it an "aggressive war exercise against" the North. Kwon Jong-gun, North Korean foreign ministry's director-general of the department of American affairs, made the remarks in a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), blasting South Korea over the allies' joint military drill that kicked off last week. The statement came a day after Pyongyang fired two projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, the fifth such launch since July 25, and as the allies were set to begin their exercise in full-scale later Sunday. "Given that the military exercise clearly puts us as an enemy in its concept, they should think that an inter-Korean contact itself Aug 11, 2019
North Korea says Kim supervised tests of weapons systems North Korea test fires a new weapon, in this undated photo released on Aug. 11, 2019, by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un guides the test firing of a new weapon, in this undated photo released on Aug. 11, 2019, by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. YonhapNorth Korea said Sunday leader Kim Jong Un supervised test-firings of an unspecified new weapons system, which extended a streak of weapons demonstrations that are seen as an attempt to build leverage ahead of negotiations with the United States. The report by North Korean state media came hours after President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has expressed a desire to meet again to start nuclear negotiations after joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises end and apologized for the flurry of recent short-range ballistic launches that rattled U.S. allies in the region. North Korea's Foreign Ministry in a separate statement on Sunday blasted South Korea for continuing its military drills with the United States, and it said that future dialogue will be held strictAug 11, 2019
Cheong Wa Dae calls NK missile firing 'show of force' against S. Korea-US military drill A man watches a TV news program reporting about North Korea's firing projectiles with a file image at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. North Korea on Saturday extended a recent streak of weapons display by firing projectiles twice into the sea. APCheong Wa Dae said Saturday that North Korea's latest firing of unidentified projectiles into the East Sea is an apparent show of force against the joint military exercise between Seoul and Washington slated for next week.Two short-range projectiles were fired from near its eastern coastal city of Hamhung in South Hamgyong Province earlier in the day.The South Korean military said the projectiles are presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles, which flew 400 kilometers with a peak altitude of 48 km.It is the regime's fifth launch in just over two weeks.Right after the firing, head of the presidential National Security Office Chung Eui-yong held a meeting with Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon."They believed that the moves are apparently a show of Aug 10, 2019
Trump says he received 'beautiful' letter from NK leader U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Aug. 9, 2019, in Washington, as he prepares to leave Washington for his annual August holiday at his New Jersey golf club. APU.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he received a "beautiful" letter from North Korea's leader this week in which Kim Jong-un expressed his displeasure with military exercises between South Korea and the U.S.Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he was never a fan of the exercises either but he let them happen this time because they allowed a "turnover of various areas" to South Korea, which he liked.The allied drills began Monday to test South Korea's capabilities to retake operational control from Washington during wartime.North Korea has condemned all exercises between Seoul and Washington as an invasion rehearsal and recently conducted four rounds of short-range ballistic missile tests as a "warning" to the allies."I got a very beautiful letter from Kim Jong-un yesterday," Trump said. "I think we'll have another meeting. He really wrote a beaAug 10, 2019
US says it is aware of report of North Korea's missile launch North Korean leader Kim Jong-un smiles as he guides missile testing at an unidentified location in North Korea, in this undated image provided by KCNA on Aug. 7. ReutersThe United States is aware of reports of a missile launch from North Korea and is consulting closely with its allies, South Korea and Japan, a senior U.S. government official said Friday.North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles off its east coast Saturday (Seoul time), according to South Korea's military, the regime's fifth launch in just over two weeks."We are aware of reports of a missile launch from North Korea, and we continue to monitor the situation," the official told Yonhap News Agency. "We are consulting closely with our Japanese and South Korean allies."North Korea has said the series of launches sends a warning to South Korea and the U.S. over their joint military exercises that began this week.Seoul has described the projectiles involved in the four previous launches as short-range ballistic missiles, which the North is banned from testing under U.N. Security Council resolutions.U.S. President DonaldAug 10, 2019
North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles into East Sea: JCS North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches the test-fire of two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, in this undated picture released by North Korea's Central News Agency on July 26. Reuters North Korea launched two more projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, Saturday, according to the South Korean military, the latest in a series of saber-rattling moves protesting a joint exercise between Seoul and Washington. The projectiles were fired at 5:32 a.m. and 5:50 a.m. from the vicinity of the eastern coastal city of Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province, and flew around 400 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 48 km and a top speed of around Mach 6.1, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. "We see high chances of additional launches, as North Korea is now carrying out summertime drills and the combined exercise between South Korea and the U.S. is underway," the JCS said in a press release. "Accordingly, we have been closely monitoring the situation, while maintaining the appropriate military readiness," it added. This is the fifAug 10, 2019
Phone scams spread in North Korea with increased mobile phone users North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's younger sister Kim Yo-jong is seen with a mobile phone in this undated file photo. With over 600,000 mobile phone users, phone scams are spreading across the North. / YonhapBy Yi Whan-wooWith over 600,000 mobile phone users, phone scams are spreading in North Korea.The scammers, according to former North Korean defectors in Seoul, are targeting the new class of wealthy merchants who live in major cities or commercial districts.Their techniques are not as sophisticated as those used in the South, where many criminals pretend to be law enforcers or financial supervisors who request victims to wire cash immediately to avoid further losses from cyberattacks. The targets in the North are asked to hand over bulk cash after receiving calls from criminals who impersonate officials from powerful government organizations and threaten to arrest them if they don't pay up.Such classic scams still work because victims do not dare question the identity of the purported government officials, according to experts. Moreover, they have limited access to information andAug 9, 2019By Yi Whan-woo
North Korean leader says missile launches were 'warning' against allies' joint exercise North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, front, watched the regime's new tactical guided missile firing on Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency, Wednesday. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un said this week's missile launches were an "adequate warning" against the joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States that kicked off earlier this week, state media reported Wednesday.On Tuesday, North Korea fired two projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, the fourth such launch in less than two weeks. They flew about 450 kilometers across the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)."Two tactical guided missiles launched at the operational airfield in the western area of the country flew across the sky over the capital area and the central inland region of the country to precisely hit the targeted islet in the East Sea," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. After watching the launches, Kim said its "military action would be an occasion to send an adequate warning to the joint mAug 7, 2019
US expert agrees with South Korea's description of North Korean rockets as SRBMs The Korean Central News Agency released Wednesday photos of North Korea's new tactical guided missile being launched in a demonstration firing a day before. YonhapThe guided rockets that North Korea claimed to have fired in recent weeks are no different from missiles, a U.S. expert said Tuesday, endorsing South Korea's assessment that what the communist nation fired were short-range ballistic missiles.Vann H. Van Diepen, a former U.S. State Department and intelligence official with expertise on weapons of mass destruction issues, made the case on 38 North, a website providing analysis on North Korea.He said that the difference between a rocket and a missile is in part political because the South wants to highlight the North's violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions in its four rounds of launches since July 25. The North, he said, wants to underscore that the tests do not violate the resolutions and are not inconsistent with its pledge to refrain from long-range missile tests."From a technical standpoint, however, a 'guided' rocket is a 'missile' (the presence of guidance is whAug 7, 2019
