North Korea Claims It Fired More Missiles Following U.S.-South Korea Drills
Seoul said its defense ministry is analyzing U.S. and South Korean surveillance data after North Korea claimed to have test-fired four cruise missiles yesterday; Seoul said its systems had detected something different (AFP)
South Korean FM: North Korea is a Danger
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin said that North Korea is a “clear and present danger,” and that U.S. deterrence is necessary to counter the aggression (CNN)
On the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA claimed that the United States and its allies were to blame (Reuters)
North Korea Test-Fires Two Short-Range Ballistic Missiles
The missiles flew toward the waters off the country’s eastern coast, South Korea’s military said; the launches came a day after the United States and South Korea held joint air drills (Yonhap)
At an emergency meeting, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged U.N. Security Council members to condemn North Korea’s unlawful ballistic missile launches; China and Russia countered, saying the U.S. needed dialogue to de-escalate tensions with North Korea and for sanctions to be eased (AP)
North Korea Threatens Unprecedented Retaliation Against Joint Military Drills
North Korea’s foreign ministry said the country would take “unprecedentedly constant, strong responses” if the United States and South Korea proceeded with planned military drills (Reuters)
Public Appearance of Kim Jong-un’s Daughter Raises Succession Speculation
North Korea held a nighttime military parade to showcase the country’s latest weapons and mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of its army’s founding; the parade included more intercontinental ballistic missiles than ever before and hinted at a new solid-fuel weapon (Reuters)
Kim Jong-un’s young daughter accompanied the leader at the military parade, her fifth public appearance in less than three months; some observers think the girl, ten-year-old Kim Ju-ae, could be his potential successor (BBC)
UN: North Korea Stole Record Amount of Crypto in 2022
North Korea targeted the networks of foreign aerospace and defense companies and stole more cryptocurrency assets in 2022 than in any other year, according to a United Nations report (Reuters)
Additionally, Kim Jong-un ordered his military to expand its combat exercises and strengthen war preparedness; in a meeting during the Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission, he called on the military to perform “ever-victorious feats” and display “matchless military strength” (AP)
North Korea Says US Military Drills are Hostile
A North Korean Foreign Ministry statement, carried by state news agency KCNA, said that military drills by the United States have “reached an extreme red line” (Reuters)
In response to the statement, the White House denied that the joint military exercises were provocative and said the United States has no hostile intent (Reuters)
White House Nominates First North Korea Human Rights Envoy in Six Years
The U.S. Senate would still need to confirm Julie Turner, a State Department official; in July, South Korea named its own human rights ambassador to North Korea for the first time since 2017 (WaPo)
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, Police Raid Labor Union
Police raided the headquarters of a major labor union in Seoul over suspicions that it provided illegal aid to North Korea (Korea Herald)
South Korean President Says He Would Consider Building Nuclear Weapons
President Yoon Suk-yeol said he would consider the option if the nuclear threat from North Korea grew; it was the first such comment from a South Korean president since the United States withdrew its own nuclear weapons from South Korea in 1991 (NYT)
North Korea Fires Two Short-Range Ballistic Missiles
The ballistic missiles landed off of the country’s east coast and follow North Korea’s launch of two medium-sized missiles earlier in the week (Reuters)
North Korea launched more than ninety ballistic and other missiles in 2022—an unprecedented escalation (NYT)
North Korea Says Latest Missile Test Was Prep for Spy Satellite
North Korea launched two medium-sized ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast; state media said Pyongyang had conducted a “final-stage test” in its effort to put a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit next year (Yonhap)
U.S. Launches New Space Force in South Korea
The establishment of U.S. Space Forces Korea is another effort by the U.S. and South Korea to strengthen their security cooperation amid North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threats; it is the second overseas space component of the U.S. Space Force and is focused on monitoring, detecting, and tracking incoming missiles (Reuters)
South Korea Calls On China To Support Dialogue With North Korea
In a bilateral meeting, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Chin told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi he expects China to actively support South Korea’s efforts at dialogue with North Korea; Wang Yi said China will play a constructive role (Reuters)
U.S., Japan, South Korea Unveil New Sanctions on North Korea
The countries announced new sanctions on individuals linked to North Korea’s nuclear program in the wake of Pyongyang’s test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last month; the United States extended sanctions to three people that the European Union put on a sanctions list in April, while South Korea announced sanctions on others already on a U.S. sanctions list (Reuters)
Japan’s new sanctions included the Lazarus Group, which is suspected of carrying out cyberattacks (Al Jazeera)
The three countries have said they will increase cooperation to respond to Pyongyang’s nuclear threat (Bloomberg)
While North Korea has launched a record number of missile tests this year, China and Russia have repeatedly blocked the possibility of new UN sanctions against it (Foreign Policy)
North Korean Missile Lands in Sea Off of Japan
Officials from the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea condemned the test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which came as they gathered for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Thailand (CNN)
South Korean Unification Minister Urges Further Efforts for Talks With North Korea
Unification Minister Kwon Youngse told Yonhap that “denuclearizing North Korea is not unattainable,” and that Seoul should continue to use “extended deterrence, sanctions, and pressure” to bring Pyongyang to the negotiating table (Yonhap)
Chinese, South Korean Leaders Talk North Korea’s Nuclear Program
At the first China-South Korea summit since 2019, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to take a stronger response to Pyongyang’s missile testing; the Chinese readout of the meeting stressed that Xi was most concerned with economic cooperation with South Korea (Korea Herald)
North Korea Test-Fires Another Ballistic Missile
South Korea and the United States condemned the launch, which comes as they carry out joint military exercises; Pyongyang has launched a record number of ballistic missiles this year (Yonhap)
North Korea Denies Sending Arms to Russia
A defense ministry official refuted U.S. allegations that North Korea is providing arms for Russia to use in Ukraine (Bloomberg)
North Korea: Recent Launches Were Simulated Attack
North Korea claimed its recent missile launches, the most ever launched in a single day, were simulated strikes on South Korea and the United States in response to the countries’ “dangerous war drill;” South Korea discovered a part of a North Korean missile near its coast (Reuters)
U.S. Says North Korea Is Sending Artillery Shells to Russia
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the shipments are disguised to appear bound for the Middle East or North Africa; declassified intelligence seen by CNN said the shipments show Russia’s conventional arsenals are dwindling amid the war in Ukraine (CNN)
Meanwhile, foreign ministers from Group of Seven (G7) countries are meeting in Germany to discuss food and energy strains related to the war in Ukraine (WaPo)
They will discuss the details of price caps on Russian oil that the G7 and European Union will implement on December 5 (Reuters)
U.S., South Korea Conduct Joint Air Drills
The countries began their first large-scale joint air drills in almost five years today; the training follows a series of missile tests by North Korea (Yonhap)
North Korea Fires Two Ballistic Missiles Off Coast
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the waters off its east coast, South Korea’s military said (Yonhap)
U.S., Japan, and South Korea Issue Warning if North Korea Conducts Another Nuclear Bomb Test
The U.S. and its allies stated that “an unparalleled scale of response” would be justified should North Korea conduct a seventh nuclear bomb test (NBC)