With North Korea’s nominal head of state Kim Yong-nam planning to attend the opening of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the focus is on what his participation means and who will be joining him during the scheduled visit.　In a message sent Sunday night via a cross-border communication channel, North Korea told South Korea that it would send a high-level delegation from Feb. 9-11, the South’s Unification Ministry said. It said the North’s delegation includes Kim and three other officials but gav

North Korea Feb. 5, 2018

 With the United States ratcheting up pressure against North Korea despite an Olympic detente between the two Koreas, Pyongyang’s top diplomat has asked the UN chief to stop the US from “provoking a nuclear war” on the Korean Peninsula. In a letter sent to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres circulated Thursday, North Korea’s Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho urged Guterres to exert efforts to halt the US’ deployment of military equipment and upcoming military maneuvers.“I express my exp

North Korea Feb. 2, 2018

With the White House abandoning its plan to nominate Victor Cha as US ambassador to Seoul allegedly over his objection to the “bloody nose” strategy, speculation is rising on whether the Trump administration is seeking to conduct a limited military strike against North Korea. In an email interview with The Korea Herald, US security and military experts said Cha’s removal indicates that Washington is giving “serious consideration” to the option of demonstrating its seriousness about preventing No

North Korea Feb. 1, 2018

 A massive crowd has gathered at a public square in Pyongyang to mark a military parade to be held on the eve of the opening of the PyeongChang Olympics, a US broadcaster reported Tuesday, suggesting North Korea will push ahead with the event despite an Olympic detente and international condemnation. According to Voice of America Korean Service, satellite images captured Sunday morning by Planet Labs showed a massive crowd had flocked to Kim Il-sung Square in central Pyongyang—an image that has

North Korea Jan. 30, 2018

 　South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo on Monday delivered a stern warning against North Korea’s nuclear and missile program, saying its use of nuclear weapons would cause the reclusive state to be “wiped out off the map.” 　However, the minister expressed skepticism over the prospect of North Korea attacking the US or South Korea with a nuclear-tipped missile, describing Pyongyang’s nuclear threat as more of a propaganda strategy than a viable option. 　During a Q&A session with his offic

Defense Jan. 29, 2018

　With South and North Korean delegates wrapping up inspections of venues for the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the governments of the two Koreas are putting the final touches on holding joint cultural and sporting events in the run-up to the Olympics. 　North Korean officials visiting South Korea returned home Saturday after a three-day visit to check out accommodations and facilities for their delegates and athletes attending the Olympics, which take place from Feb. 9-25. 　The focus is n

North Korea Jan. 28, 2018

　South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump deserve credit for fostering a thaw between the two Koreas, a Seoul-based security scholar said, suggesting the allies’ pressure campaign against North Korea proved effective in changing Pyongyang’s attitude. 　Go Myong-Hyun, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the thaw in inter-Korean relations could put Trump in a better position in pressuring North Korea, as South Korea also takes a role in staging t

North Korea Jan. 28, 2018

　Despite an Olympic detente between the two Koreas, the South Korean government should stay committed to the goal of denuclearizing North Korea and translate the thaw in inter-Korean relations into direct talks between Pyongyang and Washington, a Seoul-based scholar said. 　Shin Beom-chul, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, said the Moon Jae-in administration should create momentum for the opening of US-North Korea dialogue before the US resumes joint military exercises with So

North Korea Jan. 28, 2018

　Expectations are growing over the upcoming meeting between the defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States, with the allies seeking to use an Olympic detente to foster a thaw in inter-Korean relations and North Korea’s denuclearization. 　But the challenge looms large, as a standoff appears to persist between Washington and Pyongyang. While the North is preparing for a military parade a day before the opening of the PyeongChang Olympics on Feb. 9, reports have emerged that US strategic b

Defense Jan. 25, 2018

With North Korea gearing up to hold a military parade just a day before the opening of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Feb. 9, speculations are rising over the intent of the North Korean regime amid mounting calls to suspend the military event from Seoul’s main opposition party. Signs of a military parade have been spotted by commercial satellites at Mirim Parade Ground in Pyongyang -- troops marching in formation and vehicles being mobilized -- as the North vowed to hold “diverse events” to

North Korea Jan. 24, 2018

　Speculation has emerged that a North Korean solder who defected to the South through the JSA near the border under a hail of bullets from his former comrades may have been involved in a murder back home. 　According to a local daily Donga Ilbo on Monday, Oh Chung-sung, 25, confessed to the South Korean investigators that he had “committed crime in North Korea that led to the killing of people.”　The government Tuesday declined to confirm the report, saying an investigation is underway. Following

North Korea Jan. 23, 2018

 　One day before the opening of the PyeongChang Olympics in South Korea on Feb. 9, a large military parade is likely to be held in Pyongyang, as the communist state has decided to celebrate the founding day of its armed forces on Feb. 8.　The Political Bureau of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea’s Central Committee announced Monday the decision to mark Feb. 8 as the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army, according to the state media outlet Korean Central News Agency.　“Feb. 8 is a hist

North Korea Jan. 23, 2018

The Moon Jae-in administration’s plans to reduce the number of standing troops and period of mandatory service have sparked controversy over whether South Korea can afford to push the initiative amid North Korea’s growing military threat. 　In its 2018 policy briefing Friday, the Defense Ministry announced a five-year plan to scale back the mandatory military service period to 18 months from the current 21, along with a separate scheme to reduce the number of armed forces to about 500,000 from 62

North Korea Jan. 22, 2018

　With the two Koreas taking steps toward an Olympics detente through inter-Korean talks for North Korea’s participation into the PyeongChang Olympics, expectations are high over when they will sit down and discuss specific measures to ease cross-border tensions. 　In a rare inter-Korean talk held for the first time in about two years on Jan. 9, South and North Korea agreed to hold military dialogue and additional high-level meetings, with Pyongyang agreeing to send its delegates of athletes and a

North Korea Jan. 21, 2018

 　South Korea and the United States have agreed to continue US deployment of strategic assets to and around the Korean Peninsula, Seoul’s government said Thursday, in a bid to maintain military pressure on North Korea despite signs of an Olympic detente between the two Koreas. 　During Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group meetings held Wednesday in Washington, the US reaffirmed its commitment to provide extended deterrence for South Korea using a full range of its military capabili

Defense Jan. 18, 2018