NK train enters China for the first time since pandemic

Cargo trains between North Korea and China have resumed operation for the first time in nearly two years since the border closure due to the pandemic, in a sign that the two countries may be readying to fully resume land trade soon. 　 The first train, which arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong on Sunday, returned home to the North’s Sinuiju at around 7 a.m., according to Yonhap News Agency. 　 The first train was empty when it arrived in China, but its return trip was likely loa

Jan. 17, 2022

NSC expresses strong regret over N. Korea's latest projectile launch

The presidential National Security Council (NSC) expressed strong regret Monday after North Korea fired two suspected short-range ballistic missiles eastward that marked the North's 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 firi

Jan. 17, 2022

N.Korea launches two apparent ballistic missiles eastward from Pyongyang

North Korea launched two apparent short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from an airfield in Pyongyang on Monday morning, in its fourth weapons test this year. “We are aware of the ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners,” a US Indo-Pacific Command spokesperson said in a statement, adding the event “does not pose an immediate threat” to US personnel or territory, or to US allies. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs o

Jan. 17, 2022

Pyongyang missiles hint at long-term standoff with US

Pyongyang’s recent missile launches serve a dual purpose, and may hint at its long-term strategy in dealing with the US, experts say. Pyongyang test-fired four ballistic missiles in three discrete launches, which were conducted over 10 days in short intervals. Experts affiliated with US think tanks view the missile tests show Pyongyang’s long-term strategy to bolster military power to negotiate from a position of strength and gain the upper hand on the US.  For the Kim Jong-u

Jan. 16, 2022

N. Korea announces firing of 2 train-borne guided missiles into East Sea

North Korea said Saturday its railway-based missile regiment conducted a firing drill a day earlier, with two tactical guided missiles hitting a set 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. It marks the North's second known launches using a railway platform since the last one in September. On Friday, the South Korean military announc

Jan. 15, 2022

NK fires two suspected ballistic missiles after US sanctions

North Korea test-fired what appeared to be two ballistic missiles from an inland area toward the East Sea on Friday in its third weapons launch this month, just hours after it warned of “stronger and certain reaction” toward Washington for imposing new sanctions against the regime’s recent back-to-back missile tests. 　 The Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired two projectiles, believed to be short-range ballistic missiles, from a site in North Pyongan Province toward i

Jan. 14, 2022

N. Korea fires unidentified projectile eastward: S. Korea's military

North Korea fired an unidentified projectile eastward Friday, South Korea's military said, hours after it warned of a "stronger and certain" response following the United States' imposition of new sanctions. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced the launch, the third in a little over a week, without elaborating further. Earlier in the day, Pyongyang issued the warning after Washington slapped the sanctions on six North Koreans involved in the regime's weapons of mass destruction

Jan. 14, 2022

Seoul vows to continue efforts for humanitarian aid to N. Korea amid fresh US sanctions

South Korea's unification ministry on Friday vowed to continue efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to North Korea after the United States imposed new sanctions over the reclusive regime's recent missile launches. On Wednesday, the Biden administration slapped sanctions on six North Koreans, a Russian national and a Russian company involved in Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. Asked to comment on the move, Cha Duck-chul, deputy spokesman for the unif

Jan. 14, 2022

US urges N. Korea to refrain from provocations following N. Korean warning

The United States on Thursday urged North Korea to refrain from further provocations and instead engage in dialogue. A spokesperson for the Department of State also renewed the US condemnation of North Korea's recent missile tests. "We condemn the DPRK's ballistic missile launches. These launches are in violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and pose a threat to the DPRK's neighbors and the international community," the spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency in an email,

Jan. 14, 2022

N. Korea warns of 'stronger' reaction after US imposes new sanctions

North Korea warned Friday it will have to take a "stronger and certain reaction" after the United States implemented new sanctions over the North'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 US adopts such a confrontational stance, the DPRK will be forced

Jan. 14, 2022

Biden imposes first N.Korea-specific sanctions after missile tests

The Biden administration on Wednesday imposed their first sanctions specifically targeting North Korea’s act of developing weapons programs and proposed additional UN sanctions, in response to a series of purportedly “hypersonic” missile tests by Pyongyang. Washington announced that it designated six North Koreans, one Russian national and a Russian entity responsible for procuring goods particularly for Pyongyang’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic-missile prog

Jan. 13, 2022

S. Korea's military capable of intercepting N.Korea's new missile: defense ministry

South Korea's military is capable of both detecting and intercepting what North Korea claims to be a hypersonic missile, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday. Boo Seung-chan, the ministry's spokesperson, highlighted the military's readiness posture amid concerns the North's latest missile could dodge the combined missile defense system of South Korea and the United States. The North has claimed to have successfully conducted hypersonic missiles on Wednesday last week and Tuesday in an indica

Jan. 13, 2022

US designates six N. Koreans over WMD, ballistic missile programs

The 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. The Department of Treasury said it is 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 reas

Jan. 13, 2022

After ‘hypersonic’ missile test, Kim eyes more ‘strategic military muscle’

North Korea successfully conducted the second consecutive test-firing of a “hypersonic missile” in less than a week for “final verification” on Tuesday, while the country’s leader Kim Jong-un urged bolstering “strategic military muscle” according to state media reports the following day. The North Korean state media suggested that the country successively test-fired an identical maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV) to the one launched on Jan. 5, although

Jan. 12, 2022

WFP says its food aid to N. Korea remains halted since last March

The World Food Programme (WFP) has not provided North Korea with any food assistance for nearly a year, its monthly report showed Wednesday, amid the country's strict border controls against COVID-19. The UN food agency last delivered 891.5 tons of fortified food and 4,970 tons of raw food commodities to North Korea from January to March last year, assisting 566,886 people, according to its December brief on activities for the impoverished nation. "After the introduction of COVID-19 prev

Jan. 12, 2022

N. Korea says it successfully conducted final test-firing of hypersonic missile

North Korea said Wednesday it has successfully conducted the final test-firing of a new hypersonic missile a day earlier, as it continues to develop new weapons systems amid stalled nuclear negotiations with the United States. On Tuesday, South Korea's defense ministry said the North fired 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, or 10 times the speed of sound. "The test-fire was aim

Jan. 12, 2022

North Korea’s provocations have little effect on presidential race: experts

North Korea’s recent missile launch, which would previously have been a variable in a South Korean presidential election, will have little effect on the upcoming election, as provocations become routine and receive less attention from the public and candidates, experts say. “North Korea’s missile launch is unlikely to have a direct impact on the presidential election,” said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification’s North Korea

Jan. 11, 2022

S. Korean, US nuclear envoys discuss N. Korea's latest missile launch

Top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States held phone talks Tuesday over North Korea's latest launch of a ballistic missile and stressed the importance of maintaining the allies' combined defense posture, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his American counterpart, Sung Kim, discussed the matter, hours after the North test-fired the missile toward the East Sea in its second show of force th

Jan. 11, 2022

NSC expresses 'strong regret' over NK projectile launch

The presidential National Security Council expressed "strong regret" Tuesday after North Korea launched a second missile in less than a week and urged the communist nation to return to dialogue. The council held an emergency meeting shortly after South Korea's military announced the North 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 expr

Jan. 11, 2022

N. Korea tests second ‘advanced’ missile in less than a week: Seoul

North Korea on Tuesday test-fired an apparent ballistic missile from an inland area toward its east coast in its second weapons test in less than a week, while the South Korean military said the missile has “advanced” capabilities compared to the previous one. The United States Forces Korea said it was “aware of the DPRK’s most recent ballistic missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners” in a statement. DPRK refers to North Korea’s

Jan. 11, 2022