U.S., South Korea Review North Korean Satellite Launch
U.S. and South Korea analysts are investigating Pyongyang’s claim that it conducted a “very important test” at a satellite launch site. Pyongyang did not elaborate on the nature of the activity, which nuclear experts said appeared to be a rocket engine test (Yonhap)
North Korea Responds to Trump’s Comments
A North Korean foreign affairs minister warned that comments about military force made this week by U.S. President Donald J. Trump reflect “a very dangerous challenge.” The official warned that any U.S. military operations would prompt retaliatory actions by North Korea (Reuters)
North Korea Rejects ASEAN Summit Invitation
North Korea rebuffed an invitation extended to leader Kim Jong Un to join Southeast Asian countries at a summit in Busan next week. South Korean President Moon Jae-in extended the invitation to North Korea last month, but the North Korean news agency KCNA described North Korean participation as “pointless” (Reuters)
North Korea Again Shuns Nuclear Talks
Pyongyang said it remains uninterested in denuclearization talks with Washington, according to state media, even as the United States and South Korea called off joint military drills (Associated Press)
In a Sunday tweet, U.S. President Donald J. Trump appeared to urge North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to reach a deal quickly (Twitter)
North Korea Rejects U.S. Negotiation Proposition for December
North Korean nuclear negotiator Kim Myong Gil rejected the United States’ offer to resume talks in December, dismissing the U.S. offer as an attempt at “appeasing” North Korean negotiators (Reuters)
Separately, General Mark A. Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with his South Korean counterpart today in Seoul, where he pledged continued U.S. support and discussed an intelligence-sharing pact between South Korea and Japan that is set to expire this month (Yonhap)
North Korea Warns United States Over Military Exercises
North Korea’s centralized decision-making commission denounced upcoming U.S.-South Korean military exercises in a statement aired by state media. The spokesperson for the commission also threatened the United States if it ignores North Korea’s deadline for further nuclear negotiations, which is set for the end of 2019 (ABC News)
North Korea Fires Two Projectiles
The short-range projectiles were fired from the country’s west toward the East Sea, according to South Korea’s military. It was the first known weapons test since the latest round of nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington, earlier this month, concluded without progress (Yonhap)
North Korea Sanctions Linked to Civilian Deaths
A new report commissioned by a coalition of women’s organizations seeking an end to the Korean War found that international sanctions blocking humanitarian assistance to North Korea contributed to the deaths of close to four thousand people in 2018 (Wall Street Journal)
North Korea Orders Removal of South Korean Buildings
Leader Kim Jong-un ordered the removal of South Korean facilities at the North’s Mount Kumgang resort, a historic inter-Korean cooperation project (Yonhap)
North Korea’s Kim Hardens Stance Toward U.S.
Leader Kim Jong-un, in comments made atop North Korea’s tallest mountain, blamed U.S.-led hostility toward Pyongyang for his country’s economic hardships, according to state media. Kim said North Koreans’ pain has “turned into their anger” (Wall Street Journal)
North Korea Denounces U.S. Stance in Nuclear Talks
North Korea’s top nuclear envoy said U.S. denuclearization talks over the weekend broke down due to the United States’ “failure to abandon its outdated viewpoint and attitude,” and Pyongyang said Washington must change its approach by the end of the year if it wants to resume negotiations (Washington Post)
The U.S. State Department called the talks “good discussions” (U.S. State Department)
North Korea Touts New Type of Ballistic
Pyongyang said the ballistic missile it fired yesterday is designed to be launched from a submarine. A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the test was “very concerning” and urged progress in upcoming U.S.-North Korea denuclearization talks (Washington Post)
North Korea Launches Missile After Agreeing to Talks
Pyongyang fired at least one ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan early today, hours after the United States and North Korea confirmed that a new round of working-level nuclear negotiations is set to take place this weekend (New York Times)
Trump, Moon Signal Momentum for North Korea Talks
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said chances are high that talks between the United States and North Korea could resume in two to three weeks. The announcement comes after U.S. President Donald J. Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (Yonhap)
North Korea Open to Talks With U.S., Fires Missiles
North Korea is willing to continue nuclear talks with the United States in September if Washington provides new proposals, First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said. Shortly after, North Korea fired two projectiles into the waters off its east coast (Associated Press)
North Korea Calls for Some UN Staff to Leave
Pyongyang requested that the United Nations cut its international personnel in the country by the end of this year, citing “the politicization of UN assistance by hostile forces” (Reuters)
North Korea Reportedly Building Submarine Capable of Missile Launch
According to satellite imagery, North Korea may be building a submarine capable of launching nuclear missiles (NBC)
North Korea Rejects Peace Talks with South Korea, Tests Missiles
A North Korean spokesperson announced that North Korea has nothing to discuss with South Korea, a day after South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced he would pursue unification of the peninsula by 2045. Separately, North Korea fired two short-range projectiles (Reuters)
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will travel to Japan and South Korea this week (Reuters)
North Korea Warns Against U.S. Missile Deployment
North Korean state media warned today that any U.S. move to deploy intermediate-range missiles in South Korea would escalate tensions, including sparking an arms race in the region (Reuters)
United Nations Investigates North Korean Cyberattacks
The United Nations reported that its experts are investigating thirty-five North Korean cyberattacks in seventeen countries, which illegally funded North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction programs (Associated Press)
North Korea Threatens to Test Missiles
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un said he would carry out missile tests as long as the United States and South Korea hold joint military exercises, U.S. President Donald J. Trump tweeted, and a North Korean military official said the drills would also halt the possibility of talks between North and South Korea (Axios)
Separately, North Korea reported that it tested a new type of missile as the joint exercises were underway (New York Times)
United States Urges North Korean Restraint
Following North Korea’s four short-range missile tests in the last two weeks, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton reminded North Korea of its pledge to suspend launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (Reuters)
Separately, President Donald Trump claimed today that South Korea has agreed to increase spending on U.S. military cooperation to defend against North Korea (Politico)
North Korea Reportedly Fires Two More Missiles
South Korea’s military said the North has fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its southwest coast, the fourth such launch in less than two weeks. North Korean officials said ongoing joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises violate inter-Korean agreements and that North Korea may seek a “new road” instead of continued dialogue (Yonhap)
U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper responded today by saying that the United States will not overreact to North Korea’s launches (Reuters)
Separately, a UN report found that North Korean cyberattacks generated two billion dollars to fund its weapons of mass destruction programs (Reuters)
U.S.-South Korean Military Exercises To Proceed
South Korean military officials announced today that the United States and South Korea plan to proceed with annual joint military exercises despite threats from North Korea (Associated Press)
Separately, North Korea did not attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations conference, where U.S. officials had hoped to resume nuclear talks (Los Angeles Times)
North Korea Fires Ballistic Missiles
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast today, according to South Korean military officials. South Korea’s defense minister said the missiles appeared to be different from those fired last Thursday (Yonhap)
Separately, a North Korean official told a U.S. National Security Council official that working-level talks may resume soon (Reuters)
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced he is hopeful talks will resume (Associated Press)