North Korea’s offer to reopen inter-Korean dialogue could be a test to see South Korea’s response and make it accountable for whatever actions Seoul takes in its dealings with Pyongyang later, experts said Sunday amid growing speculation for a thaw in ties. On Saturday, Kim Yo-jong, who handles propaganda affairs as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, said the regime would be open to talks on conditions, in response to President Moon Jae-in’s call at the UN la

North Korea Sept. 26, 2021

The recent missile tests President Moon Jae-in oversaw and praised marked a milestone that experts say shows a rapidly growing South Korean missile capability. Here are key takeaways on what it means for North Korea and foreign powers. Fending off North Korea South Korea is the first non-nuclear state to have tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile. SLBMs -- which have also been developed by China, France, India, Russia, the UK and the US -- are designed to deliver a fatal second strik

Defense Sept. 26, 2021

Rep. Song Young-gil, leader of the ruling Democratic Party, blamed a flare-up in inter-Korean tensions on the uncertainty of US policy on North Korea, in comments delivered Sunday US time. Song, who is visiting the US to discuss North Korea’s denuclearization with key White House officials and members of Congress, was referring to Pyongyang’s recent missile tests. The North revealed a new railway-borne missile system and launched ballistic missiles from a train in violation of UN re

North Korea Sept. 20, 2021

North Korea said Monday that the submarine-launched ballistic missile South Korea test-fired last week was primitive and not a threat. Pyongyang is seen as trying to discredit Seoul’s missile capabilities because South Korea is the first non-nuclear state to have tested an SLBM. Previously, SLBMs had been developed by only six countries: China, France, India, Russia, the UK and the US. “South Korea’s SLBM will not be effective in war. No strategic or tactical value there,&rdq

North Korea Sept. 20, 2021

A hit Netflix series exploring the culture of abuse among South Korea’s enlisted soldiers is fueling calls for the military to get tougher on rights violations, just as a military task force in charge of reform is set to wrap up its work. “D.P.,” short for Deserter Pursuit, aired Aug. 27 and is one of the top shows in Korea. It looks at the country’s mandatory conscription system, and physical and mental abuse in the military take center stage. Most of this abuse takes

Defense Sept. 18, 2021

President Moon Jae-in will attend a virtual meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate on Friday to discuss global warming ahead of the UN climate summit, known as COP26, to be held in Glasgow, Scotland in October. The MEF is a US-led initiative that aims to ramp up supplies of clean energy while reducing carbon emissions. US President Joe Biden will convene the Friday meeting to strengthen the climate ambitions of the 17 members, including Australia, Canada, China, the EU and

Politics Sept. 17, 2021

North Korea said Thursday that its ballistic missile test the previous day was carried out by its new railway-borne missile system, stoking concerns over stalled talks on inter-Korean peace. “For the first time, we tested the viability of our railway-borne missile system to check on the combat readiness and strike capability,” the official Korean Central News Agency said. According to the KCNA, the missiles hit targets 800 kilometers away in the East Sea after being fired from a tra

North Korea Sept. 16, 2021

South Korea and North Korea are locked in an expanding arms race to bolster their naval power through submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) with no end to tensions in sight. SLBMs are hard to intercept because they are fired from submarines deep in the sea. Seven countries that have nuclear weapons -- China, France, India, North Korea, Russia, the UK and the US – have developed them. South Korea is the only non-nuclear state to have tested them, recently. Nuclear warheads make No

Defense Sept. 13, 2021

Enlisted soldiers in South Korea still have to deal with abuse and violent crimes, North Korea’s propaganda outlet, Meari, said Saturday, referring to Netflix’s Korean thriller “D.P.” The Deserter Pursuit team, made up of rank and file soldiers, depicts some of the physical and psychological abuse that take place on the team and within the military in general. All able-bodied South Koreans serve active duty as conscripts for at least 18 months. The military runs a sepa

Defense Sept. 12, 2021

North Korea held a military parade Wednesday at midnight to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of its founding, the official Korean Central News Agency said. Similar midnight parades took place in January this year and in October last year. But this time, leader Kim Jong-un did not make a speech or reveal the latest missile, amid a nuclear standoff with the US. Pyongyang has refused to reopen dialogue with Washington. The parade, attended by Kim, saw a show of force by the regime’s paramili

North Korea Sept. 9, 2021

Calls are growing for increased civilian oversight of the military after a recent Navy suicide, with a military human rights group saying an independent commissioner is needed to look into recurring rights violations in the military. The Center for Military Human Rights Korea, an advocacy group, said Tuesday a seaman took his life after he had been bullied by soldiers senior to him, and accused the Navy of having done little to punish his abusers. The latest allegation comes as the military

Defense Sept. 8, 2021

South Korea has become the first non-nuclear state to develop a submarine-launched ballistic missile, having run a test-firing from a newly built submarine, sources said Tuesday. SLBMs have been developed by seven countries -- China, France, India, North Korea, Russia, the UK and the US -- all of which have nuclear weapons. A Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine, the country’s first 3,000-ton underwater vessel revealed last month, carried out the underwater ejection tests last week after similar

Defense Sept. 7, 2021

Being mayor of a city in Gyeonggi Province with a little over 110,000 residents means putting people first, says Yeoju Mayor Lee Hang-jin, and a universal basic income for farmers is one way to do that. Yeoju was the first city in the province to provide an annual allowance to farmers, who make up a third of the city’s population, beginning last year. This year, the city is partnering with the province to provide farmers with a universal basic income, and five other cities in the provinc

Politics Sept. 6, 2021

President Moon Jae-in on Friday asked the parliament to support the bill to determine next year’s budget, during a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae with the National Assembly’s leaders and the chairs of its standing committees.  The meeting was arranged to congratulate the new deputy speaker and seven committee chairs, who are all from the main opposition People Power Party. “With it, the government is looking for a full recovery and a leap forward. I hope the National Assembly

Politics Sept. 3, 2021

The military is resuming its search for the remains of Korean and UN soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, the Ministry of National Defense said Friday. The first search, from April 2019 to June 2021 near Arrowhead Hills inside the Demilitarized Zone, uncovered the remains of 424 people. It is expected that a similar number will be found at the second site to be searched, near White Horse Hills next to Arrowhead Hills. It is estimated that 1,000 soldiers died there in one of the war&rsqu

Defense Sept. 3, 2021