Though it came to a close just 15 days after breaking an 11-year hiatus, South Korea’s loudspeaker broadcast along the heavily fortified border proved to be formidable enough to rush a defiant Kim Jong-un regime to the negotiating table and extract concessions. The equipment became idle as of noon Tuesday in line with the two Koreas’ agreement earlier in the day. Pyongyang, for its part, expressed regret over a land mine explosion on Aug. 4 that nearly maimed the legs of two South Korean soldier

North Korea Aug. 25, 2015

South Korea and the U.S. are seeking to mobilize a B-52 strategic bomber and other strategic assets on the peninsula as part of efforts to deter attacks by North Korea, Seoul officials said Monday. Uncertainties were growing across the border as the North Korean military was seen sharply building up frontline artillery and sending out an unprecedented number of submarines for unidentified operations since leader Kim Jong-un declared a “quasi-state of war” on Friday. The North has forward-deploye

North Korea Aug. 24, 2015

The Koreas’ cross-border standoff showed more signs of flaring up on Sunday as the North Korean military sharply beefed up its frontline artillery forces and forward-deployed a majority of its submarines and other offensive assets despite the high-level talks over the weekend. With negotiations between top Seoul and Pyongyang officials stretching into the second day, the number of North Korean gunners spotted in ready position nearly doubled from Friday, according to military authorities here. T

North Korea Aug. 23, 2015

Watch Condition is an alert system operated by the joint forces of South Korea and the U.S. to measure reconnaissance posture for strategic and tactical warning of attack. The allies late Friday raised the Watchcon by one notch to level 2, which will allow them to strengthen stealth and reconnaissance countermeasures over North Korea with its RC-135 snooper aircraft, Aegis destroyers with radar surveillance systems and spy satellites. Watchcon 1 has not been issued since the end of the 1950-53 K

Defense Aug. 23, 2015

Military tensions between the two Koreas rocketed to fresh highs Friday as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared a “quasi-state of war” and put frontline troops in full combat readiness, while Seoul continued to snub Pyongyang’s calls for a retraction of loudspeaker broadcasts. The two sides traded fire Thursday after the North launched artillery shells apparently targeting the loudspeakers installed in the border areas. The communist state then threatened military action unless the South hal

North Korea Aug. 21, 2015

The two Koreas traded fire on Thursday after the North launched artillery shells apparently targeting propaganda loudspeakers installed across the border, threatening additional military action against the broadcasts and further heightening tension on the peninsula.The North fired a 14.5-milimeter anti-aircraft gun once at around 3:53 p.m. at a town in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, and then a 76.2-mm direct fire weapon “several times” at 4:15 p.m. within the Demilitarized Zone, military o

North Korea Aug. 20, 2015

Shortly after its liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, the peninsula faced yet another tragedy as North Korea invaded the South five years later, driving the territory into ruin and deepening the plight of people on both sides of the border. Neither the 35-year foreign occupation nor the three-year war, however, could thwart South Korea’s epic political and economic ascent from the ashes. More than 60 years on, the country stands as the world’s 13th-largest economy in terms of gross d

Foreign Affairs Aug. 16, 2015

Defense Minister Han Min-koo vowed Wednesday to scale up loudspeaker broadcasts in the Demilitarized Zone area and bolster psychological warfare against North Korea in retaliation for its suspected planting of land mines that inflicted serious injuries on South Korean troops last week. The South Korean military resumed its propaganda program after more than 11 years on Monday, after the Joint Chiefs of Staff determined that North Korean soldiers had crossed the border and buried the three land m

Defense Aug. 12, 2015

Defense Minister Han Min-koo on Tuesday pledged to step up efforts to seize the upper hand in the Demilitarized Zone and take other punitive steps against North Korea over its perceived breach of borders and mine-planting activities. His remarks came one day after the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korean troops had recently crossed the border and planted the three land mines that inflicted serious injuries on two South Korean soldiers last week. In retaliation, the South Korean mili

Defense Aug. 11, 2015

North Korean troops had recently crossed the border and deliberately planted the three land mines that inflicted serious injuries on two South Korean soldiers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday, condemning the provocation and warning of “severe punishment.”On Aug. 4 at around 7:40 a.m., two Army staff sergeants were critically wounded in a mine blast while patrolling the southern part of the heavily fortified demilitarized zone in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The explosion nearly severed the rig

North Korea Aug. 10, 2015

North Korean troops had recently crossed the border and deliberately planted the three land mines that inflicted serious injuries on two South Korean soldiers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday, condemning the provocation and warning of “severe punishment.”  (Yonhap)On Aug. 4 at around 7:40 a.m., two Army staff sergeants were critically wounded in a mine blast while patrolling the southern part of the heavily fortified demilitarized zone in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The explosion nearly sever

North Korea Aug. 10, 2015

Just as President Park Geun-hye struggles to improve the country’s relations with Japan, an unlikely figure has catapulted herself to the center of controversy by criticizing Seoul for dragging out the sex slavery rows: her younger sister, Geun-ryeong. In an interview with Japan’s video-sharing website Niconico, the 61-year-old Park Geun-ryeong said she was sorry that in most news reports South Korea blames Japan for the ongoing toil of the so-called comfort women “without itself taking greater

Politics Aug. 5, 2015