NORTH KOREA

Concordia Language Villages celebrates opening of Sup sogui Hosu

Daltyn Lofstrom — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 22:08:13 GMT

BEMIDJI — Just a short trek from Turtle River Lake lies the newest addition to the Concordia Language Villages: a dedicated space for Sup sogui Hosu, which means “Lakeside Village” in Korean.

Though the Korean Language Village has operated since 1999, the program has split the summer season with other language village sites for its youth camps.

Following a $5 million donation by Korean philanthropist and luxury handbag producer Kenny Park in 2018, the village’s first phase of construction could commence and was commemorated with a day of activities and recognition on Saturday.

“Everyone in this room has played a significant role in establishing our Korean Language Village on the shores of Turtle River Lake,” CLV Executive Director Mary Maus Kosir said during the site’s dedication ceremony. “We take special note of the parents who entrusted the care of their children in our hands to ensure that they have a first-rate experience here in this immersion camp.”

The Korean Language Village opened earlier this month for its first campers who were able to showcase their skills by performing Korean songs and immersing themselves through other activities of the day.

Upon arrival, the village provided guests with several opportunities to experience authentic Korean culture. Attendees could sign up for various classes to learn calligraphy, Tae Kwon Do, K-pop dance, drumming and paper-folding among others.

Korean cuisine was spotted throughout the village including a chicken dish prepared by actor Ryu Soo-young, a dish he prepared while filming a television episode of his camp experience that will air on the Korean Broadcasting System.

Hormel chef Amy Forbis cooked up SPAM rice balls, making note of South Korea being the second largest consumer of SPAM products after the United States.

Attendees also embarked on tours of the village that currently includes a dining hall, commercial kitchen, two residence halls, a soccer field and waterfront development. The second phase of development will add a cultural activities center, additional villager residences, a sports center with a traditional archery range and a Hanok-style pavilion.

“You’re seeing fewer villagers than we’re used to enrolling — even though we have long wait lists — because our village is now half-built,” Village Dean Dafna Zur said. “We are very much hoping that this moment will give us a boost to our capital project so that we can complete our village and teach Korean to all of the students who want to learn. That is our hope and our wish for the future.”

Creating global citizens

Founding dean Ross King noted his initial reasons for pursuing Korean language and cultural education prior to the program’s launch in 1999: a combination of frustrations and realizations.

“The realization came when I started learning Korean at age 19, and realized it was too little, too late. We need more instruction for K-12 students,” King said. “The frustration came when I became a teacher, and I realized how desperately weak the infrastructure for Korean language education was compared to Chinese and Japanese. We’re decades behind in what we have available to you.”

In line with King’s concerns, Park noted an opportunity to partner with the Concordia Language Villages to immerse others in the culture while they were young.

“One of the best things we can provide for young people is the access, motivation and opportunity for them to learn the other parts of world culture and language,” Park mentioned, “and I consider Concordia Language Villages to be the perfect model of how to create global citizens.”

B.A. You, principal architect for a Seoul-based architectural firm, paid close attention to detail when planning the village’s design. He noted the other villages’ authenticity to their respective countries and sought to represent Korea just the same.

“Korean traditional architecture never meant to conquer nature. It has always coexisted with nature,” You said. “The existing lakes, trees and hills are part of our garden in this village. Each functional space is an individual building, so if you want to move to another space, you have to go through nature.”

Another theme threaded throughout Saturday’s celebration was U.S.-South Korean relationships.

Presenting via video, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar noted close economic and military ties between the two nations. Around 95,000 Minnesotans served in the Korean War and the U.S. clocks in as South Korea’s seventh-largest trading partner in the world — placing an even greater emphasis on the importance of learning the language.

“In the 21st century, nations don’t rise and fall on their own,” Klobuchar said. “Three words are often used to describe the tight bond between America and South Korea: ‘We go together.’”

‘Teachers are places’

Prior to the ceremony’s conclusion, senior program director Martin Graefe presented Zur with a key to the village, which officially recognized the Korean Language Village’s opening.

“Keys obviously open physical doors, cabinets and facilities, but they also symbolically open doors to people’s minds, to prosperity for the language village and to understanding for the future of the culture,” Graefe mentioned.

Among other exchanges, Maus Kosir presented Park with a hand-beaded bag created alongside Red Lake Nation.

“I was able to work with an Ojibwe woman from Red Lake … and it is in a traditional Ojibwe color — which is blue — in honor of our lakes in the state of Minnesota,” Maus Kosir said as attendees gave a round of applause.

Other speakers included U.S. Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, staff member Rebecca Spencer, and villagers Sarah Deal and Oren Kim — the latter three providing remarks in Korean.

Attendees then crowded outside of the dining hall to witness an official ribbon cutting ceremony followed by a reception and toasts. Energy remained ecstatic as villagers, staff and guests celebrated Sup sogui Hosu together.

“We often think of teachers as people, and generally they are,” Concordia College President Colin Irvine left off, “but sometimes, teachers are places. This village is the kind of teacher that makes us appreciate the value of being together, in and for the world.”

More than 2,000 youth from all 50 states and several countries have attended one-, two- or four-week sessions at the Korean Language Village. The four-week session is equivalent to one year of high school language instruction and attracts more than 40 students each summer.

More information can be found at concordialanguagevillages.org/languages/korean.

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Putin and North Korea's Kim discuss military matters, Ukraine war and satellites

Guy Faulconbridge and Soo-hyang Choi / Reuters — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 15:43:42 GMT

MOSCOW — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for a rare summit on Wednesday at which they discussed military matters, the war in Ukraine and possible Russian help for the secretive Communist state's satellite program.

Putin showed Kim around Russia's most advanced space rocket launch site in Russia's Far East and discussed the possibility of sending a North Korean cosmonaut into space. Kim, who arrived by train from North Korea, asked detailed questions about rockets as Putin showed him around the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

After the tour, Putin, 70, and Kim, 39, held talks for several hours with their ministers and then discussed world affairs and possible areas of cooperation one-on-one, followed by an opulent lunch of Russian "pelmeni" dumplings stuffed with Kamchatka crab and then sturgeon with mushrooms and potatoes.

Kim raised a toast with a glass of Russian wine to Putin's health, to the victory of "great Russia" and to Korean-Russian friendship, predicting victory for Moscow in its "sacred fight" with the West in the Ukraine war.

"I firmly believe that the heroic Russian army and people will brilliantly inherit their victories and traditions and vigorously demonstrate their noble dignity and honor on the two fronts of military operations and building a powerful nation," Kim told Putin.

"The Russian army and people will certainly win a great victory in the sacred struggle for the punishment of a great evil that claims hegemony and feeds an expansionist illusion," Kim added, raising his glass.

U.S. and South Korean officials have expressed concern that Kim could provide weapons and ammunition to Russia, which has expended vast stocks in more than 18 months of war in Ukraine. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied such intentions.

Putin gave numerous hints that military cooperation was discussed but disclosed few details. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attended the talks. The Kremlin said sensitive discussions between neighbors were a private matter.

When asked by Russian media, who were given significant access at the summit, if Russia would help Kim build satellites, Putin said: "That's why we came here."

For Russia, the summit was an opportunity to needle the United States, the big power supporter of Ukraine, though it was unclear just how far Putin was prepared to go in fulfilling any North Korean wish lists for technology.

Putin said Kim now planned to visit military and civilian aviation factories in the Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur and to inspect Russia's Pacific fleet in Vladivostok.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Pyongyang for more talks next month, the Kremlin said.

'Comrades'

Putin and Kim called each other "comrades" at lunch and Putin repeatedly reminded Kim that it was the Soviet Union that backed North Korea - and was first to recognize it just over 75 years to the day since it was established.

Amid the Ukraine war, which has become a grinding artillery war of attrition, the United States and Kyiv's other allies are watching to see if Kim's visit paves the way for a supply of artillery shells to Russia.

Britain on Wednesday urged North Korea to end arms talks with Russia and said Kim's visit showed how isolated Moscow has become on the world stage.

Russia has joined China in opposing new sanctions on North Korea, blocking a U.S.-led push and publicly splitting the U.N. Security Council for the first time since it started punishing Pyongyang in 2006.

Asked about military cooperation, Putin said Russia complied with international rules but that there were opportunities to explore.

The choice to meet at Vostochny Cosmodrome - a symbol of Russia's ambitions as a space power - was notable, as North Korea has twice failed to launch reconnaissance satellites in the past four months.

After showing Kim around a building where the Angara, Russia's new 42.7-meter space launch rocket, is assembled, Putin said Kim had shown a "great interest in rocket engineering" during the visit.

Ahead of his meeting with Putin, Kim signed the visitor book in Korean: "The glory to Russia, which gave birth to the first space conquerors, will be immortal."

Ballistic missiles

As Kim was making his way through the forests of Russia by train, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from an area near the capital, Pyongyang, into the sea off its east coast.

It was the first such launch by the North while Kim was abroad, analysts said, demonstrating an increased level of delegation and more refined control systems for the country's nuclear and missile programs.

Kim had previously made just seven trips abroad in his 12 years in power, all in 2018 and 2019. He also briefly stepped across the inter-Korean border twice.

The make-up of Kim's delegation to Russia, with the notable presence of Munitions Industry Department Director Jo Chun Ryong, suggested an agenda heavy on defense industry cooperation, analysts said.

"In Korea, there is a proverb: good clothes are those that are new, but old friends are best friends. And our people say: an old friend is better than two new ones," Putin told Kim.

"This folk wisdom is fully applicable to modern relations between our countries."

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North Korea fires long-range missile after warning over military drills

Hyunsu Yim and Josh Smith / Reuters — Sat, 18 Feb 2023 17:44:17 GMT

SEOUL — North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile into the sea off Japan's west coast on Saturday after warning of a strong response to upcoming military drills by South Korea and the United States.

Japanese authorities said the missile plunged into waters inside Japan's exclusive economic zone more than an hour after it was launched, suggesting the weapon was one of Pyongyang's largest missiles.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kisihda said the missile appeared to have been ICBM-class, referring to an intercontinental ballistic missile. He told a briefing Japan strongly condemned the launch, calling it a threat to the international community.

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile appeared to have a range of more than 8,700 miles, sufficient to reach the U.S. mainland.

Tokyo said there were no immediate reports of damage to ships or aircraft.

In South Korea, which denounced the launch as a "clear breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions," the joint chiefs of staff said the missile had flown about 900 km (560 miles) before splashing into the sea.

North Korea's first missile firing since Jan. 1 came after Pyongyang threatened on Friday an "unprecedentedly persistent, strong" response as South Korea and the United States gear up for annual military exercises as part of efforts to fend off the North's growing nuclear and missile threats.

Following Saturday's launch, South Korea's National Security Council convened a meeting and agreed to increase cooperation on security with Washington and Japan.

Seeking to present a united front with South Korea and Japan, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the launch as a "provocative" act in remarks alongside his counterparts from the two countries on Saturday.

"The result of these actions by North Korea is simply to even further solidify the work that we do together, the alliance that we share, and our commitment to the defense of our partners and allies," Blinken said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The White House said it was taking necessary measures to protect the U.S. homeland and regional allies, but that the launch did not pose any immediate threat. The Group of Seven foreign ministers condemned the launch and called for a unified response from the international community.

Solid-fuel missile progress?

Nuclear-armed North Korea fired an unprecedented number of missiles last year, including ICBMs that are capable of striking anywhere in the United States, while resuming preparations for its first nuclear test since 2017.

Saturday's missile was launched from the Sunan area near Pyongyang, South Korea's military said. Sunan is the site of the Pyongyang International Airport, where North Korea has conducted most of its recent ICBM tests.

North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs are banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions, but Pyongyang says its weapons development is necessary to counter "hostile policies" by Washington and its allies.

Allied nuclear drills, called the Deterrence Strategy Committee Tabletop Exercise, are scheduled for Wednesday at the Pentagon and will involve senior defense policymakers from both sides, Seoul's Defence Ministry said.

The two countries are also planning a range of expanded field exercises, including live fire drills, in the coming weeks and months.

Some 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than a full peace treaty, leaving the parties technically at war.

Pyongyang may have created a military unit tasked with operating new ICBMs, in line with its recent restructuring of the military, state media video footage from a Feb. 9 parade suggested.

That parade displayed more ICBMs than ever before, including a possible new solid-fuel weapon, which could help the North deploy its missiles faster in the event of a war.

"North Korean missile firings are often tests of technologies under development, and it will be notable if Pyongyang claims progress with a long-range solid-fuel missile," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul.

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North Korea's Kim oversees ICBM test, vows more nuclear weapons

Hyonhee Shin / Reuters — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 16:01:13 GMT

SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to counter U.S. nuclear threats with nuclear weapons as he inspected a test of the country's new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), state media KCNA said on Saturday.

The isolated country tested the Hwasong-17 ICBM on Friday a day after warning of "fiercer military responses" to Washington beefing up its regional security presence including nuclear assets.

Attending the site with his daughter for the first time, Kim said threats from the United States and its allies pursing a hostile policy prompted his country to "substantially accelerate the bolstering of its overwhelming nuclear deterrence."

"Kim Jong Un solemnly declared that if the enemies continue to pose threats ... our party and government will resolutely react to nukes with nuclear weapons and to total confrontation with all-out confrontation," the official KCNA news agency said.

The launch of the Hwasong-17 was part of the North's "top-priority defense-building strategy" aimed at establishing "the most powerful and absolute nuclear deterrence," KCNA said, calling it "the strongest strategic weapon in the world."

The missile flew nearly 1,000 km (621 miles) for about 69 minutes and reached a maximum altitude of 6,041 km, KCNA said. Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the weapon could travel as far as 15,000 km (9,320 miles), enough to reach the continental United States.

South Korea's military said its F-35A fighters and U.S. F-16 jets escorted American B-1B bombers as they conducted joint drills on Saturday, designed to improve their ability to quickly deploy U.S. extended deterrence assets.

On Thursday, North Korea's foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, denounced a trilateral summit on Sunday of the United States, South Korea and Japan, during which the leaders criticized Pyongyang's ongoing weapons tests and pledged greater security cooperation.

Choe singled out a recent series of their joint military drills and efforts to reinforce American extended deterrence, including its nuclear forces to deter attacks on the two key Asian allies.

Kim said the test confirmed "another reliable and maximum capacity to contain any nuclear threat" at a time when he needed to warn Washington and its allies that military moves against Pyongyang would lead to their "self-destruction."

"Our party and government should clearly demonstrate their strongest will to retaliate the hysteric aggression war drills by the enemies," he said.

"The more the U.S. imperialists make a military bluffing ... while being engrossed in 'strengthened offer of extended deterrence' to their allies and war exercises, the more offensive the DPRK's military counteraction will be."

Kim referred to his country by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

He ordered swifter development of strategic weapons, and more intensive training for the ICBM and tactical nuclear weapons units to ensure they flawlessly perform their duty "in any situation and at any moment," KCNA said.

Unveiled at a military parade in October 2020 and first tested last March, the latest test of the Hwasong-17 demonstrated the capabilities of a weapon potentially able to deliver a nuclear warhead to anywhere in the United States.

Some analysts have speculated it would be designed to carry multiple warheads and decoys to better penetrate missile defenses.

The U.N. Security Council will gather on Monday discuss North Korea at the request of the United States, which together with South Korea and Japan strongly condemned the latest launch.

China and Russia had backed tighter sanctions following Pyongyang's last nuclear test in 2017, but in May both vetoed a U.S.-led push for more U.N. penalties over its renewed missile launches.

ICBMs are North Korea's longest-range weapon, and Friday's launch is its eighth ICBM test this year, based on a tally from the U.S. State Department.

South Korean and U.S. officials have reported a number of North Korean ICBM failures, including a Nov. 3 launch that appeared to have failed at high altitude.

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North Korea flies jets, fires artillery near border after U.S. and South extend drills

Soo-hyang Choi and Josh Smith / Reuters — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 19:00:00 GMT

SEOUL — South Korea said it scrambled warplanes in response to 180 North Korean military flights near the countries' shared border on Friday, and Pyongyang again demanded that the United States and South Korea halt "provocative" air exercises.

The North Korean maneuvers follow the firing of more than 80 rounds of artillery overnight and the launch of multiple missiles into the sea on Thursday, including a possible failed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

North Korean aircraft were detected in multiple areas north of the "tactical action line" north of the Military Demarcation Line between the two Koreas, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The flights occurred between 11 a.m. (0200 GMT) and 3 p.m. The virtual line is drawn north of the military border and is used as a basis for South Korean air defense operations, a South Korean official said.

He declined to give the virtual line's distance from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) but local news reports said it was 20 to 50 km (12 to 31 miles).

South Korea scrambled 80 aircraft, including F-35A stealth fighters, in response, while about 240 jets participating in the Vigilant Storm air exercises with the United States continued their drills, the military said.

North Korea fired at least 23 missiles on Wednesday - a record for a single day.

The series of launches this week prompted the United States and South Korea to extend the Vigilant Storm military drills, which have angered Pyongyang.

North Korea's foreign ministry issued a statement saying the United States should stop its "provocative" air drills and warned that "sustained provocation is bound to be followed by sustained counteraction."

The Pentagon on Friday said the drills with South Korea were currently only being extended till November 5.

"We remain in close coordination with our ROK ally on any additional changes and the security environment on the Korean Peninsula," a U.S. military spokesman told Reuters.

Earlier, Pak Jong Chon, secretary of the Central Committee of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, said Washington and Seoul had made a very dangerous decision by extending the exercises, and were "shoving" the situation out of control.

The United States called for a public U.N. Security Council meeting that is due to be held later on Friday to discuss North Korea, which has long been banned from conducting ballistic missile launches by U.N. resolutions.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said North Korea's "provocations" and "increasing aggressiveness" were creating unnecessary insecurity and instability and would be discussed in the Security Council meeting.

"We urge all countries on the Council and off the Council to condemn these violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions," he said.

"We also think it's important that our partners on the Security Council, including countries who actually helped put these resolutions in place, come on board and help us limit North Korea's ability to advance these unlawful weapons programs," he added.

A senior U.S. administration official said on Thursday that although the United States had said since May that North Korea was preparing to resume nuclear testing, it was not clear when it might conduct such a test.

The United States believes China and Russia have leverage to persuade North Korea not to resume nuclear bomb testing, the official told Reuters.

In recent years the U.N. Security Council has been split on how to deal with North Korea and in May, China and Russia vetoed a U.S.-led push to impose more U.N. sanctions in response to North Korean missile launches.

The North Korean foreign ministry statement referred to the U.N. meeting and said North Korea had been conducting "legitimate self-defensive" countermeasures.

A flight of 10 North Korean warplanes made similar maneuvers last month, prompting South Korea to scramble jets.

The high tensions on the Korean Peninsula come amid concerns that North Korea may be about to resume nuclear bomb testing for the first time since 2017.

In a joint statement on Friday, foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries said any nuclear test or other reckless action by North Korea must be met with a swift, united, and robust international response.

Meeting in Washington on Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup pledged to seek new measures to demonstrate the alliance's "determination and capabilities" following repeated North Korean provocations.

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North Korea fires suspected ICBM, warns U.S. against 'dangerous' choices

Kantaro Komiya, Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith / Reuters — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 13:53:09 GMT

TOKYO/SEOUL — North Korea fired multiple missiles into the sea on Thursday, including a possible failed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), prompting the United States and South Korea to extend air drills that have angered Pyongyang.

Despite an initial government warning that the apparent ICBM had flown over Japan, triggering warning alarms for some residents, Tokyo later said this was incorrect.

The launches came a day after the North fired a daily record 23 missiles, including one that landed off the coast of South Korea for the first time, and drew swift condemnation from Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.

Since Monday, South Korea and the United States have been conducting one of the largest air exercises ever, with hundreds of South Korean and U.S. warplanes, including F-35 fighters, staging around-the-clock simulated missions.

After Thursday's ICBM launch, the allies agreed to extend the drills past Friday, when they had been scheduled to end, South Korea's Air Force said in a statement.

"A strong combined defense posture of the ROK-U.S. alliance is necessary under the current security crisis that is escalating due to North Korean provocations," the statement said, using the initials of South Korea's official name.

Late on Thursday, Pak Jong Chon, secretary of the Central Committee of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, said the United States and South Korea had made a very dangerous decision by extending the drills, and were "shoving" the situation out of control.

"The United States and South Korea will find that they have made a terrible mistake that cannot be reversed," Pak said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA. He had previously issued statements demanding the drills be stopped.

South Korean and U.S. stealth aircraft simulating attacks during drills are most likely what led North Korea to test a record number of missiles this week, experts say, but Pyongyang may also be turning up the heat before a potential nuclear test.

ICBM launch

Officials in South Korea and Japan said one missile on Thursday may have been an ICBM, which are North Korea's longest-range weapons and are designed to carry a nuclear warhead to the other side of the planet.

North Korea also launched as many as five short-range ballistic missiles.

South Korean officials believe the ICBM failed in flight, Yonhap news agency reported, without elaborating. Spokespeople for the South Korean and Japanese ministries of defense declined to confirm the possible failure.

Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the government lost track of the ICBM over the Sea of Japan, prompting it to correct its announcement that it had flown over the country.

Retired Vice Admiral and former Japan Maritime Self Defense Force fleet commander Yoji Koda said the loss of radar tracking on the projectile pointed to a failed launch.

"It means at some point in the flight path there was some problem for the missile and it actually came apart," he said.

North Korea has had several failed ICBM tests this year, according to South Korean and U.S. officials.

The United States condemned North Korea's ICBM launch, State Department spokesman Ned Price said, adding that it demonstrated the threat from Pyongyang's unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.

Emergency warnings

South Korea issued rare air raid warnings and launched its own missiles in response after Wednesday's barrage. On Thursday, the South's transportation ministry announced that air routes had reopened in the area where the missile had fallen, having been closed for around 24 hours.

After the first launch on Thursday, residents of Japan's Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures were warned to seek shelter indoors, the J-Alert Emergency Broadcasting System said, though it was later confirmed the ICBM had not overflown Japan.

"It's fortunate that at the very least it didn't fly over Japan, but it's unthinkable how many times they (North Korea) can breach U.N. resolutions and keep repeating these illegal acts," said Toshio Sumie, 74, a Tokyo technician.

The first missile flew to an altitude of about 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) and a range of 750 km, he said. Such a flight pattern is called a "lofted trajectory," in which a missile is fired high into space to avoid flying over neighboring countries.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the long-range missile was launched from near the North Korean capital Pyongyang.

About an hour after the first launch, South Korea's military and the Japanese coast guard reported a second and third launch from North Korea. South Korea said both of those were short-range missiles fired from Kaechon, north of Pyongyang.

Regional reaction

South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman condemned North Korea's series of missile launches as "deplorable and immoral" during a phone call on Thursday, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

In brief comments to reporters a few minutes later, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said North Korea's "repeated missile launches are an outrage and absolutely cannot be forgiven."

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, at a regular news briefing on Thursday avoided commenting directly on the missile launches or potential sanctions on North Korea, instead repeating the standard line from Beijing that it hoped all parties could peacefully resolve issues through dialog.

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White House says North Korea supplying Russia with artillery shells

David Brunnstrom, Idrees Ali and Susan Heavey / Reuters — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 16:24:16 GMT

WASHINGTON — The United States has information that indicates North Korea is covertly supplying Russia with a "significant" number of artillery shells for its war in Ukraine, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday.

Kirby told a virtual briefing that North Korea was attempting to obscure the shipments by funneling them through countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

"Our indications are that the DPRK is covertly supplying and we are going to monitor to see whether the shipments are received," Kirby said, adding that Washington would consult with the United Nations on accountability issues over the shipments.

"We do have a sense on where they are going to transfer these shells," Kirby said, but declined to give any more details as the U.S. weighs its possible options.

Kirby said the amount of shells was not insignificant, but was unlikely to change the momentum or outcome of the war. However, they could still be deadly for Ukrainians, he said.

"And it's certainly not going to change our calculus ... or with so many of our allies and partners about the kinds of capabilities we're going to continue to provide the Ukrainians," he said.

Kirby said the North Korean shipments were a sign not only of Pyongyang's willingness to support Russia but of Moscow's munitions shortages brought on by U.S.-led sanctions and export controls.

North Korea said in September it had never supplied weapons or ammunition to Russia and has no plans to do so, while warning the United States to "keep its mouth shut" and stop circulating rumors aimed at "tarnishing" the country's image.

Referring to North Korea missile launches on Wednesday, Kirby said they did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel in the region, and added that the United States would make sure it had the capabilities there to defend its allies.

North Korea fired at least 23 missiles into the sea on Wednesday, including one that landed less than 60 km (40 miles) off South Korea's coast, which the South's President Yoon Suk-yeol described as "territorial encroachment."

It was the first time a ballistic missile had landed near the South's waters since the peninsula was divided in 1945, and the most missiles fired by the North in a single day. South Korea issued rare air raid warnings and launched its own missiles in response.

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U.S., Japan, S. Korea warn of 'unparalleled' response if N. Korea holds nuclear test

Kiyoshi Takenaka / Reuters — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 13:18:15 GMT

TOKYO — The United States, Japan and South Korea warned on Wednesday that an "unparalleled" scale of response would be warranted if North Korea conducts a seventh nuclear bomb test.

Washington and its allies believe North Korea could be about to resume nuclear bomb testing for the first time since 2017.

"We agreed that an unparalleled scale of response would be necessary if North Korea pushes ahead with a seventh nuclear test," South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong told a news conference in Tokyo.

Cho was speaking alongside his Japanese and U.S. counterparts, Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.

The United States and its allies have offered few details on what new measures they might take, and observers say they have few good options for preventing a new test.

For the first time since North Korea began testing nuclear weapons in 2006, China and Russia this year vetoed a U.S.-led push for additional United Nations Security Council sanctions, and stepped-up allied military drills have only been met by more North Korean tests and exercises.

"We urge (North Korea) to refrain from further provocations," Sherman said, calling them "reckless and deeply destabilizing for the region.

"Anything that happens here, such as a North Korean nuclear test ... has implications for the security of the entire world," she said, sending a thinly veiled message to Pyongyang's supporters, China and Russia, in the UN Security Council.

"We hope indeed that everyone on the Security Council would understand that any use of a nuclear weapon will change the world in incredible ways."

When asked about the comments out of Tokyo, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called on all the countries to acknowledge "the root causes of the long-standing impasse" and take steps to enhance mutual trust and address the concerns of all parties in a balanced manner.

North Korea has been carrying out weapons tests at an unprecedented pace this year, firing more than two dozen ballistic missiles, including one that flew over Japan.

Angered by South Korea's military activities, Pyongyang last week fired hundreds of artillery shells off its coasts in what it called a grave warning to its neighbor to the south.

In September, the USS Ronald Reagan and accompanying ships conducted joint military exercises with South Korean forces in response to a North Korean ballistic missile test in what was their first joint military training involving a US aircraft carrier since 2017.

In response, the United States, South Korea and Japan have committed to deepening cooperation, Mori said.

"We agreed to further strengthen deterrence and response capability of the Japan-U.S. alliance and the U.S.-South Korea alliance, and to promote further security cooperation among the three countries," Mori said.

On mounting tensions between China and Taiwan, Sherman reiterated the United States' stance that it does not support Taiwan's independence, but that it does not stop it from working with Japan and South Korea to help Taiwan protect itself.

"United States has repeated publicly that we do not support Taiwan's independence, but we want to ensure that there is peace, and so we will be doing whatever we can to support Taiwan and to work with Japan and with Republic of Korea to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself," Sherman said.

At a Communist Party meeting this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for accelerating China's plans to build a world-class military and said his country would never renounce the right to use force to resolve the Taiwan issue.

China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, while Taiwan's government strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's 23 million people can decide its future.

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U.S., S. Korean troops stage river-crossing drills as North Korea protests

Josh Smith / Reuters — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 13:12:51 GMT

YEOJU, South Korea — South Korean and American troops practiced building floating bridges to ferry tanks and other armored vehicles across rivers on Wednesday, part of a larger joint military exercise that has angered North Korea.

South Korean attack helicopters deployed flares and armored vehicles blew white smoke screens into the air as main battle tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other military vehicles crossed pontoon bridges over the Namhan River near Yeoju, south of Seoul.

The drill involved armored "attacking" forces of the South Korean army's 11th Mobile Division, which is participating in the 12-day Hoguk 22 field exercises, crossing bridges established by South Korean and U.S. engineering units.

North Korea has condemned the drills for raising tensions and has test-fired rockets and artillery in response. South Korea and the United States say the drills are defensive, and necessary for deterring the North.

About 1,000 South Korean and U.S. troops participated on Wednesday, with about 50 tanks and other armored vehicles, KF-16 fighter jets, Apache and Cobra attack helicopters, and more than 140 pieces of engineering equipment such as floating bridge units, according to South Korea's defense ministry.

Nearby, residents water skied on the river and rode by on riverside bicycle paths.

The drills simulated a so-called wet gap crossing, military jargon for any obstacle filled with water, such as a river, said Captain Sean Kasprisin, a company commander in the U.S. Army's 11th Engineer Battalion, calling it "tough and realistic training."

In a war, such operations might be required if bridges were knocked out by bombing, or if an army wanted to surprise its opponents by crossing away from established bridges or roads.

"Developing river-crossing capabilities is a key factor that can make or break wartime operations given the Korean peninsula's geography with many rivers," said Lieutenant Colonel Won Seong-hoon of the South Korean 7th Engineer Brigade.

South Korea uses an older version of U.S.-made bridging equipment, and one span was assembled using elements from each side, allowing troops to practice combining the different systems.

"A lot of rivers can vary in how far across they are, so we don't know where we need to deploy," Kasprisin said. "So if that length is too far, then we need to be able to work together."

Despite the tensions with North Korea, U.S. soldiers said they rarely had time to ponder geopolitics during the drills.

"The only thing on our mind is the training and making it realistic and effective," Kasprisin said.

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North Korea conducts longest-range missile test yet over Japan

Hyonhee Shin, Josh Smith and Kantaro Komiya / Reuters — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 12:40:19 GMT

SEOUL/TOKYO — Nuclear-armed North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile farther than ever before on Tuesday, sending it soaring over Japan, for the first time in five years, and prompting a warning for residents there to take cover.

It was the first North Korean missile to follow such a trajectory since 2017, and its estimated 4,600 km (2,850 mile) range was the longest traveled by a North Korean test missile, which are usually "lofted" high into space to avoid flying over neighboring countries.

In response to the test, U.S. and South Korean warplanes practiced bombing a target in the Yellow Sea and Japan warned its citizens to take cover and suspended some train services while the missile passed over its north before falling into the Pacific Ocean.

It was the latest in an escalating cycle of muscle flexing in the region. A U.S. aircraft carrier made a port call in South Korea for the first time since 2018 on Sept. 23, and North Korea has conducted five launches in the last 10 days.

The period has also seen joint drills by the United States, South Korea and Japan, and a visit to the region by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who stood at the fortified border between the Koreas and accused the North of undermining security.

North Korea accuses the United States and its allies of threatening it with exercises and defense buildups.

Recent tests have drawn relatively muted responses from Washington, which is focused on the war in Ukraine as well as other domestic and foreign crises, but the U.S. military has stepped up displays of force in the region.

In the U.S. and South Korean response to the North's test on Tuesday, a South Korean air force F-15K jet dropped a pair of guided bombs on a target off its west coast, in what South Korea's military called a demonstration of precision strike capability against the source of North Korean provocations.

Japan said it took no steps to shoot the missile down but Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said it would not rule out any options, including counterattack capabilities, as it looks to strengthen its defenses in the face of repeated missile launches from North Korea.

South Korea also said it would boost its military and increase allied cooperation.

The United States condemned North Korea's "dangerous and reckless" launch.

"This action is destabilizing and shows the DPRK's blatant disregard for United Nations Security Council resolutions and international safety norms," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement, using the initials of North Korea's official name.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held phone calls with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts during which they "strongly condemned" the test. The launch violates U.N. Security Council resolutions, which have imposed sanctions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

"We're still doing some analysis on it so we can better understand what capabilities they put in the air yesterday," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said in a Fox News interview Tuesday morning.

'Real world' test

Officials in Tokyo and Seoul said the missile flew 4,500 to 4,600 km (2,850 miles) to a maximum altitude of about 1,000 km.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it appeared to have been an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) launched from North Korea's Jagang Province. North Korea has launched several recent tests from there, including multiple missiles that it said were "hypersonic."

The initial details suggested the missile may have been the Hwasong-12 IRBM, which North Korea unveiled in 2017 as part of what it said was a plan to strike U.S. military bases in Guam, said Kim Dong-yup, a former South Korea Navy officer who teaches at Kyungnam University.

The Hwasong-12 was used in 2017 tests that overflew Japan, and Kim noted it was also test fired from Jagang in January.

Flying a missile such a long distance allows North Korea's scientists to test under more realistic conditions, said Ankit Panda of the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"Compared to the usual highly lofted trajectory, this allows them to expose a long-range reentry vehicle to thermal loads and atmospheric reentry stresses that are more representative of the conditions they'd endure in real-world use," he said.

'Not productive'

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called the test "reckless" and said it would bring a decisive response from his country, its allies and the international community.

Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called North Korea's action "barbaric."

The launch over Japan was "not a productive path forward" but Washington remained open to talks, Daniel Kritenbrink, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, said during an online event hosted by the Institute for Corean-American Studies.

South Korea's defense minister, Lee Jong-sup, told parliament the North had completed preparations for a nuclear test and if there was a test, he said, it might use a smaller weapon meant for operational use, or a device with a higher yield than in previous tests.

Lee said it was difficult to predict when North Korea would conduct its seventh nuclear test, but lawmakers briefed by intelligence officials last week said a window could be between China's Communist Party Congress this month and U.S. mid-term elections in November.

Kritenbrink said a nuclear test was "likely awaiting a political decision," warning such a "dangerous" act would represent "a grave escalation that would seriously threaten regional and international stability and security."

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