In a growing show of force against North Korea, the United States’ Carl Vinson Strike Group is expected to arrive at South Korea’s eastern waters on April 25, in time for the communist regime’s army foundation anniversary, said Seoul officials Monday.Led by the nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, the strike group will join the South Korean Navy in a massive maritime drill designed to counter provocation from the North, which on Sunday conducted a missile test that fail

North Korea April 17, 2017

US Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a three-day visit aimed at further enhancing bilateral alliance against the growing military threat from North Korea, which carried out a failed missile test just hours before the arrival. The vice president will meet with Seoul’s acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Monday afternoon to reinforce the US commitment to the alliance and to consult with South Korea over North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs.Th

North Korea April 16, 2017

With a US aircraft carrier group making its way to South Korean waters, rumors are surfacing in South Korea that a war is imminent. “April 27 is the most likely D-day as it is a nice day for US stealth fighters to fly,” read one of the messages spreading fast via the country’s No. 1 mobile messenger Kakao Talk. “The US will fire Tomahawk missiles and bunker buster bombs against Pyongyang,” another said. Although dismissed as “groundless” by the South Korean government, the messages reflect the m

North Korea April 11, 2017

 Liberal presidential candidate Moon Jae-in has vowed all-out efforts to resolve military tension on the Korean Peninsula, if elected, expressing confidence in dealing with both North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.  　In an interview with The Korea Herald on Monday, the leading candidate said South Korea has been reduced to a “spectator” in the issue of its own survival, pledging to step up diplomacy and take the lead in any talks for peace on the peninsula. 　“The issue

Politics April 10, 2017

Following the missile strike on a Syrian government air base, the US has sent a strike group toward the Korean Peninsula to bolster Washington’s presence in the region, as North Korea appears closer to conducting another nuclear and missile test. The Carl Vinson Strike Group is moving toward the peninsula after stopping in Singapore. The carrier strike group was originally scheduled to sail to Australia until the US Pacific Command changed its itinerary to the Western Pacific.The USS Carl Vinson

Defense April 9, 2017

With North Korea’s state media keeping mum, the country’s latest missile test was likely to have failed due to an in-flight malfunction, news reports said Thursday, citing US defense officials. The reports also disputed the South Korean and US militaries’ initial assessment, saying the tested missile was an extended-range Scud, not a KN-15 intermediate-range ballistic missile, also known as the Pukguksong-2, which the North launched for the first time in February.This photo unveiled by the commu

North Korea April 6, 2017

North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast Wednesday in an apparent show of force a day before the first summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, South Korea’s military said. The missile lifted off at 6:42 a.m. from a land-based facility near the eastern coastal city of Sinpo, home to the North’s submarine base. Having reached an altitude of 189 kilometers, the missile flew about 60 kilometers before falling into the East Sea, South Korea’s Joint Chie

North Korea April 5, 2017

Despite North Korea’s accelerating efforts, Pyongyang is still “years away” from mastering the submarine-based ballistic missile technology, a top US Navy official said Tuesday, calling for greater attention on the communist country‘s progress on land-based ballistic missiles and warhead miniaturization development.Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet also expressed skepticism toward additional deployment of US strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula, although he did not rule out

Defense April 4, 2017

South Korea, the US and Japan on Monday began an anti-submarine exercise designed to counter North Korea’s growing threats from submarine-based ballistic missiles, South Korea’s Navy said. The three-day exercise took place in waters between South Korea and Japan, near Jeju Island, where the three countries’ navies searched for and tracked a mock submarine, protected high-value units under a contingency scenario, and carried out anti-submarine defense maneuvers.South Korean warships stage an anti

North Korea April 3, 2017

South Korea and France need to consolidate security and economic ties amid uncertainty over future relations between the US and China under the Donald Trump administration, said the two countries’ senior officials and business leaders Thursday.With President Trump posing a challenge to the postwar liberal order by adopting a series of protectionist and isolationist policies, the panel urged the countries to present a unified front in navigating through looming challenges.Trade Minister Joo Hyung

Foreign Affairs March 30, 2017

  Overshadowed by the two establishment camps -- conservatives and moderate liberals -- progressive leftists have rarely been a major player in Korea’s history of presidential elections, with their approval ratings hovering around 5 percent. 　For the progressive left’s flag-bearer Rep. Sim Sang-jeung, however, the upcoming May 9 election is about more than just victory or a turnover of power. Despite a relatively low chance of winning, Sim is committed to freshening the political climate by embo

Politics March 29, 2017

North Korea might have dispatched a fresh batch of devices needed to initiate a nuclear test and analyze data from the explosion, a US think tank said Wednesday, fueling speculation that the communist regime has inched closer to conducting another nuclear test. Analysis of commercial satellite imagery at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site by 38 North, a blog run by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, showed three to four vehicles or trailers at the entrance to the North Portal, whe

Defense March 29, 2017

North Korea conducted another missile engine test Friday, a news report said Tuesday, in an apparent move to expedite its preparations to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile. Citing two unnamed US defense officials, CNN reported the latest experiment was the third such test in recent weeks using similar technology. But the officials added it was unclear whether the engine would require any adjustments to be used in an ICBM.A photo of North Korea's new rocket engine test (For Use Only in

North Korea March 28, 2017

North Korea appears to have completed preparation for another nuclear test and is ready to carry it out, South Korea’s military said Friday, as the United Nations adopted a statement condemning Pyongyang’s latest military provocations. 　“Our assessment is that North Korea is ready to conduct a nuclear test if they get the go ahead from Kim Jong-un,” said an official from Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff in a meeting with reporters. “We believe they have been preparing for a long period of time.” Fo

North Korea March 24, 2017

With the sunken Sewol ferry beginning to emerge from the water in a massive salvage operation that started Wednesday, focus has shifted to how to deal with missing bodies without hurting efforts to determine the cause of sinking.The government has asserted that cutting the ship into pieces is the best way to find the missing bodies, but the victims’ families and maritime experts have suggested the measure should be taken with caution, as it would be mechanically difficult and time consuming.Fami

Social Affairs March 23, 2017