News Story: S.Korean presidents stresses need for early transfer of wartime operational control from U.S.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in

SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday stressed a need for early transfer of wartime operational control of its forces from the United States to better tackle the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile threats.

Moon said in a speech to celebrate the 69th anniversary of Armed Forces Day that the government aimed to regain the wartime command of South Korean forces early from Washington, and that the transfer will make the military's capability leap forward.

The president said the DPRK will be scared of the South Korean military when it has the wartime control of its own troops.

South Korea handed over its operational command to the U.S. forces after the three-year Korean War broke out in 1950. The country won back its peacetime operational control in 1994.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: South Korea shows off massive weapons to celebrate Armed Forces Day

M-SAM part of the KAMD system (File Photo)

SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's military on Thursday showed off massive strategic weapons at an event to celebrate the 69th anniversary of Armed Forces Day amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Key strategic weapons, including homegrown ballistic missiles, were displayed at the celebration function that was broadcast live and held at the headquarters of the Navy's Second Fleet in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul.

President Moon Jae-in and Defense Minister Song Young-moo inspected core military assets of the so-called "three-axis" defense platform, including the Kill Chain, the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR).

The country's indigenous Hyunmoo ballistic missiles were on display. Among them, the Hyunmoo-2C missiles were made public for the first time at the ceremony.

A Hyunmoo ballistic missile launcher vehicle (File Photo)

Hyunmoo ballistic missiles involve Hyunmoo-2A and Hyunmoo-2B which have a range of 300 km and 500 km each as well as Hyunmoo-2C that can fly as far as 800 km and hit the entire territory of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Also on display was Hyunmoo-3 cruise missiles that can travel as far as 1,000 km and has a high striking precision, though it has less destructive power than Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missiles.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Moon, party leaders condemn N.K. nuke, missile provocations

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in and the leaders of major parties issued a joint statement Wednesday condemning North Korea's provocations and calling for a peaceful resolution of the nuclear standoff.

In a show of bipartisanship, they announced a five-point agreement after their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, also reaffirming they would not let another armed conflict occur on the Korean Peninsula.

The talks, the third of their kind, came amid heightened tensions caused by Pyongyang's sixth and most powerful nuke test on Sept. 3 and a series of ballistic missile launches.

"(We) strongly condemn North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations that threaten peace and stability," reads the joint statement adopted after the dinner gathering that lasted two hours and 15 minutes.

"We urge the North to immediately halt provocations and come forward onto a path towards peace and denuclearization," it added. The statement was announced by their spokespersons.

The meeting was attended by Choo Mi-ae, Ahn Cheol-soo, Joo Ho-young and Lee Jung-mi, who represented the ruling Democratic Party, People's Party, Bareun Party and Justice Party, respectively. The leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party refused to attend, saying he does not want to serve as "background for a political show."

During the talks, the leaders also agreed to work together to faithfully implement U.N. Security Council sanctions against the North, strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance and bolster deterrence capabilities by enhancing the credibility of America's extended deterrence.

Extended deterrence refers to the stated U.S. commitment to defend its ally by mobilizing all military capabilities, nuclear and conventional, against the North's aggression and provocations.

Such a commitment was called into question amid Pyongyang's beefed-up push to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. Some argue Washington may dither on defending its Asian ally under attack as its military action could put its own territory at risk.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Report: Latest US Sanctions on North Korea Will Result in Full Trade Embargo

Eunjung Cho, Jenny Lee

WASHINGTON — The latest executive order signed by President Donald Trump would, in effect, amount to a full trade and financial embargo, squeezing all the revenue channels North Korea maintains to finance its weapons programs, a former senior counterterrorism official said.

On Sept. 21, less than two weeks after the U.N. Security Council approved new sanctions, Trump turned up the heat on the Kim Jong Un regime with an executive order that widens U.S. authority to sanction any bank and company that finance or facilitate trade with the communist country or any individual involved in the North Korean industries, ports and trade.

“To prevent sanctions evasion, the order also includes measures designed to disrupt critical North Korean shipping and trade networks,” said Trump, in reference to a 180-day ban on ships that have visited North Korea or have been involved in a ship-to-ship transfer with a vessel that has visited North Korea from entering the United States. “For much too long, North Korea has been allowed to abuse the international financial system to facilitate funding for its nuclear weapons and missile programs.”

News Report: War of Words Impedes Complex North Korea Diplomatic Challenge

Brian Padden

SEOUL — The provocative rhetoric between U.S. President Donald Trump and the North Korean leadership is adding to an already growing sense of pessimism that peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is possible.

President Trump said Tuesday the use of military force would be “devastating for North Korea,” though it is not his “preferred option” to stop the Kim Jong Un government’s rapidly advancing nuclear and missile program.

The leaders of the U.S. and North Korea have exchanged not only threats of military retribution, but also derisive personal insults, with Trump calling the North Korean leader “little rocket man” and Kim calling the U.S. president a “dotard,” an archaic English word meaning old and senile.

News Story: Trump ignores pleas to calm North Korea tensions

By Andrew BEATTY, with Thomas Watkins in New Delhi and Kelly MacNamara in Seoul

Donald Trump on Tuesday accused North Korea of torturing a captive US student "beyond belief," spurning pleas from allies and foes in east Asia to tone down his warlike rhetoric.

Trump urged nations to "isolate the North Korean menace" as his administration introduced new sanctions and warned that its "nuclear weapons and missile development threaten the entire word with unthinkable loss of life."

The comments, in the White House Rose Garden, came after the US Treasury announced sanctions on eight North Korean banks and 26 executives.

Earlier, for the first time, Trump also publicly accused Pyongyang of abusing the late 22-year-old Otto Warmbier, an allegation likely to heighten tensions between the two nuclear powers.

Last June the Ohio native was sent home in a coma after more than a year in prison in North Korea. He died a few days later.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Story: FM emphasizes importance of alliance with U.S., asks for full parliamentary support

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top diplomat has emphasized the importance of alliance with the United States in dealing with the evolving threat from North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and called for full support from the U.S. parliament, the foreign ministry here said Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held discussions with bipartisan groups of lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives in back-to-back meetings in Washington on Tuesday, according to the ministry.

Kang had talks separately with a group of congresswomen, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and lawmakers of the foreign affairs committee of the Representatives of House. She also met with Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate armed services committee, the ministry said.

During the meetings, Kang explained in detail about the Seoul government's approach to the North and underlined the importance of South Korea-U.S. alliance in easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, according to the ministry.

Kang asked for their full support for efforts to intensify sanctions and pressure on the North in order to use it a "diplomatic means" to bring the North to the negotiating table, the ministry said.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Report: Trump - US 'Totally Prepared' for Military Option on North Korea

Steve Herman, Carla Babb

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States was totally prepared for a military option in dealing with North Korea, while his administration announced new sanctions in response to the country's nuclear and missile activity.

"We are totally prepared for the second option, not a preferred option, but if we take that option it will be devastating, I will tell you that — devastating for North Korea. That's called the military option. If we have to take it, we will," he said.

During a joint news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy at the White House, Trump said North Korea must no longer be allowed to "threaten the entire world with unthinkable loss of life."

He thanked countries like Spain and China for taking steps to isolate the North Korean regime.

"All nations must act now to ensure the regime's complete denuclearization," Trump said in the White House Rose Garden.

Amid the escalating tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear program, the Trump administration on Tuesday imposed sanctions on eight North Korean banks and 26 bank executives.

"I have recently issued tough new sanctions against those who do business with this outlaw regime, and I applaud China's recent actions to restrict its trade with North Korea," Trump said.

The new restrictions came as the top U.S. general said that "in terms of a sense of urgency today," North Korea posed "the greatest threat" to the United States because of its rapidly developing ballistic missile and nuclear program.

News Sory: Pyongyang parades for Kim; Lavrov says US will not strike NKorea

Tens of thousands of Pyongyang residents were gathered in the capital's Kim Il-Sung Square Saturday to laud leader Kim Jong-Un's denunciation of US President Donald Trump.

Such set-piece rallies, organised by the authorities, are a regular feature of political life in Pyongyang, and are intended as a physical demonstration of popular support for the leadership.

Students in white shirts and red ties held up the red flag of the ruling Workers' Party, with a yellow ink brush representing intellectuals, a hammer for the workers, and a sickle for the peasantry.

Ranks of workers and residents listened, their fists clenched, as speakers repeated Kim's denigration of Trump as "mentally deranged" and a "dotard".

The US president dubbed Kim "Rocket Man" in a speech at the United Nations last week in which he threatened to "totally destroy" the North if it attacked the US or its allies.

In a statement on Friday Kim responded by saying that "a frightened dog barks louder" and Trump would "pay dearly" for his comments -- triggering the US head of state to describe him as a "madman".

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Story: Conservative parties renew speculation over 'Korea passing'

B-1B Lancer bomber (Image: Wiki Commons)

SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Yonhap) -- Conservative parties on Monday raised speculation that South Korea was bypassed by the United States in the latter's decision to fly a fleet of bombers and fighters near North Korea's east coast in the latest show of force against the wayward regime.

Although the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said the rare flight on Saturday night followed the allies' prior coordination, the parties demanded President Moon Jae-in explain the situation and craft measures to prevent what they term "Korea passing."

Escorted by F-15 fighters from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, U.S. B-1B Lancer bombers from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam carried out the mission, which Washington said underscored "the seriousness with which we take (the North's) reckless behavior."

The flight came after U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un traded barbs. During a U.N. speech last week, Trump called Kim a "Rocket Man on a suicide mission," threatening to "totally destroy" the North. Kim, in turn, cast Trump as "mentally deranged."

"The U.S. independently carried out an unprecedented military operation to fly its bombers and fighters north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) for the first time since the Korean War (1950-53)," Chung Woo-taik, the floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, said during a party meeting. The NLL is the de facto inter-Korean sea border.

"Cheong Wa Dae and the government have to explain to the National Assembly and citizens why such a military operation just short of a war came with South Korea being excluded from it, and what kind of cooperation there was on that matter between Seoul and Washington," he added.

Critics here noted that the flight of U.S. warplanes might signal that Washington could stage unilateral military operations without consulting Seoul first in the case of a major North Korean provocation.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Report: China Tightens Screws on DPRK With Oil Supply Cut, Textile Import Ban

China announced on Saturday that it will limit energy supplies to North Korea and stop buying its textiles, in compliance with UN sanctions on Kim Jong-un's regime over Pyongyang’s ongoing nuclear weapon and ballistic missile development.

The United Nations Security Council recently unanimously passed a US-drafted resolution mandating tougher new sanctions against the People's Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK).

China's Ministry of Commerce said that in line with the decision, Beijing is limiting exports of refined petroleum to the DPRK to 2 million barrels per year, beginning January 1, 2018.

China is also depriving Pyongyang of one of its last major sources of foreign revenue by banning textile imports from its troubled neighbor.

China accounts for some 90 percent of North Korea's trade, making its cooperation critical to any efforts to derail Pyongyang's development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

News Story: Most Americans oppose preemptive strike on DPRK, trust U.S. military leaders not Trump - poll

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- An overwhelming majority of Americans oppose a preemptive strike on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and most Americans trust U.S. military leaders instead of U.S. President Donald Trump to handle the nuclear crisis responsibly, said a new poll on Sunday.

According to the Washington Post-ABC News poll, 67 percent of Americans believe that the United States should launch a military strike on the DPRK only if the country first attacks the United States or its allies.

As to their confidence in Trump on solving the DPRK nuclear issue, 37 percent of Americans trust Trump either "a great deal" or "a good amount" to handle the issue in a responsible way, with 42 percent saying that they trust Trump "not at all."

In comparison, 72 percent of Americans trust U.S. military leaders on the DPRK issue, including 43 percent saying that they trust them "a great deal."

Trump on Tuesday threatened in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly that the United States "will have no choice than to totally destroy" the country if forced to defend itself or its allies.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Trump's "blunt talk" on DPRK surprises diplomats - U.S. State Department spokesperson

U.S. President Donald Trump

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert on Sunday defended U.S. President Donald Trump's "blunt talk" as helpful for solving the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) nuclear issue, but she also acknowledged that foreign diplomats were "surprised" by Trump's remarks.

"It's helping the world to now better understand exactly where we stand, and let folks know there will be consequences," said Nauert in an interview with AM 970 The Answer, a radio program. "We will hold them (DPRK) to account."

Trump on Tuesday threatened in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly that the United States "will have no choice than to totally destroy" the country if forced to defend itself or its allies.

Nauert acknowledged on Saturday that other world leaders were not necessarily used to the language used by Trump.

"I think some of the other nations are a little bit surprised by the president's plain-spokenness," said Nauert. "Here in the U.S., we think of that as a good thing... but these diplomats aren't necessarily used to that kind of blunt talk."

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: China bans supplies of petroleum products to N. Korea

BEIJING, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- China on Saturday imposed a limit on the supplies of petroleum products to North Korea and imports of textiles from the country under U.N. sanctions over its nuclear and missile development.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry said it would ban exports of condensate and liquefied natural gas to North Korea and limit textile imports from the North, starting 12 a.m. Saturday.

The ministry, however, made it clear that crude oil is not subject to the ban.

"We will not carry out export procedures of related products from 12 a.m. on the day of announcement and these products will be uniformly put on the list of prohibited export items in the future," it said.

China also decided to limit exports of refined petroleum products to North Korea from Oct. 1 in line with the export ceiling imposed under the U.N. Security Council Resolution No. 2375.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Story: Trump will take 'appropriate' action in event of N.K. H-bomb test - Tillerson

SecState Rex Tillerson 

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump will take the "appropriate" action if North Korea tests a nuclear bomb over the Pacific Ocean as threatened, his top diplomat said Friday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday warned of the "highest level" action after Trump told the U.N. General Assembly the U.S. will have no choice but to "totally destroy" the North if forced to defend itself or its allies.

Kim's top diplomat, Ri Yong-ho, told reporters in New York such action could involve a powerful test of a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific.

"We will continue our efforts in the diplomatic arena, but all of our military options -- as the president has said -- is on the table," Tillerson said in an interview on ABC. "And once we can assess the nature of this threat, the president will make a decision regarding the appropriate actions."

Pressed to answer if there could be military action, he said: "That will be the president's decision. There will be assembled and there is assembled on a standing basis a National Security Council that meets on each of these issues to advise the president. Ultimately, it will be his decision."

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Report: US Supercarrier Starts New Drills With Japanese Navy South of Korean Peninsula

USS Ronald Reagan; A Nimitz class Aircraft Carrier

The 100,000-ton USS Ronald Reagan convened with one Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter carrier and two destroyers off the Korean Peninsula to conduct military exercises, the Japanese military said Friday.

The drills began September 11 in maritime areas to the south and west of the Japanese archipelago, according to a Friday JMSDF statement, and are slated to conclude September 28.

North Korea has carried out a flurry of ballistic missile and nuclear weapons tests in recent weeks in spite of new UN Security Council sanctions. On September 15, Japanese residents were urged to find cover as a North Korean ballistic missile soared by overhead. On September 3, Pyongyang conducted its most powerful nuclear test ever. Shortly before the nuke test, on August 29, a Hwasong-12 ballistic missile was launched from a site near Pyongyang, observed directly by leader Kim Jong-un as he puffed a cigarette and studied a map.

News Report: US to Shoot Down North Korea's Missile if It Flies Over Guam - State Dept

The US State Department stated that Washington will shoot down a North Korea's missile if it flies over the territory of Guam.

"If a missile targeted Guam or flew over it, we would have shot it down," US Assistant Secretary of State Susan Thornton said at a briefing for foreign journalists.

Reporters asked Thornton why the US does not respond (to) North Korea's missile launches, which violate the airspace and allies — Japan and South Korea.

Thornton recalled that this issue was previously cleared by US Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

She noted that now it is possible to determine exactly where the rocket will fly and where it will land. According to her, in Japan there are special alert systems for the civilian population.

News Report: Trump, Moon Agree to Enhanced Deployment of US Assets in South Korea

US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to deploy US strategic assets in and around South Korea on a rotational basis to tackle the North Korean threat.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, agreed to deploy US strategic assets in South Korea as a way to counter the North Korean threat, the White House said in a press release.

"They also agreed to the enhanced deployment of US strategic assets in and around South Korea on a rotational basis," the release stated on Friday.

News Report: North Korea Threatens Nuclear Test in Pacific

Brian Padden

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — North Korea indicated it may soon test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean after the country’s leader Kim Jong Un warned he would match U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatening words and new sanctions with equally provocative action.

The North Korean leader responded Friday to Trump’s United Nations address this week, when the U.S. leader referred to Kim as a “Rocket Man” on a suicide mission, called the government in Pyongyang a “depraved regime,” and said if forced to defend itself or its allies, the Untied States will “totally destroy North Korea.”

In a statement directly attributed to the North Korean leader, Kim on Friday said Trump displayed “mentally deranged behavior” with his threat to destroy a sovereign nation. He called the U.S. president a “rogue and a gangster,” and promised to answer Trump’s insults with the “highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history.”

“Action is the best option in treating the dotard who, hard of hearing, is uttering only what he wants to say,” said Kim in statement that was released by the North Korean state news agency KCNA. The agency released a photo of the North Korean leader reading the statement.

News Story: China urges restraint after DPRK declares H-bomb test possibility

BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday urged all relevant parties to avoid any action that may increase tension on the Korean Peninsula after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said it might test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean.

"The current situation on the peninsula is severe and complicated," Foreign Minister spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing. "Only if all sides bear their due responsibilities, can the peninsula nuclear issue be truly resolved and peace and stability restored to the region."

Read the full story at Xinhua