U.S. Signals Possible Military Force Against North Korea
President Trump said in a news conference in Poland on July 6 that “something will have to be done” about the North Korean weapons crisis and that he has “some pretty severe” options available to him (CNN)
North Korea Launches Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
The United States confirmed that North Korea successfully fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reportedly reach Alaska (New York Times)
North Korea Announces It Will Keep Building Up Nuclear Arsenal
North Korea’s ambassador to the UN announced it will keep building nuclear weapons regardless of pressure, sanctions, or military attacks (Washington Post)
North Korea Calls for Execution of Former South Korean Leader
North Korea issued an order for the execution of South Korea’s former president Park Geun-hye and her spy chief. North Korea claims that Park and the spy chief plotted to assassinate Kim Jong Un, a claim which South Korea denies (Reuters)
U.S. Student Freed From North Korea Dies
President Trump called North Korea a “brutal regime” after a U.S. college student who had been imprisoned in North Korea and returned to the United States in a coma last week died in a Cincinnati hospital (BBC)
U.S. Student in North Korea Suffered Brain Damage
Doctors examining a U.S. student freed from North Korea said he had suffered “extensive loss of brain tissue in all regions of his brain”and that he is in a state of “unresponsive wakefulness.” Doctors said they saw no signs of botulism, which North Korean officials claimed the man suffered (New York Times)
North Korean Drone Spied on U.S. Missile Shield in South Korea
The South Korean military said a drone suspected to be from North Korea spied on the U.S. missile defense shield in Seongju before crashing in Gangwon Province. The drone contained photos of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) components that arrived on April 26, 2017 (Korea Times)
South Korea Warns North After Missile Launches
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he would not “make any compromise” on national security following North Korea’s launch of short-range missiles that landed between the Korean Peninsula and Japan (Associated Press)
South Korea’s Moon Not Informed of U.S. Launchers
A spokesperson for President Moon Jae-in said the defense ministry made a “deliberate” omission by not informing the president of the arrival of four additional launchers for a U.S. missile shield in South Korea (Korea Times)
U.S. to Test Defense System After North Korean Launch
The United States plans to test a newly upgraded system for intercepting long-range missiles after North Korea fired a missile into Japanese waters (CNN)
South Korea Shoots Suspected Drone Near North Korean Border
According to Yonhap news agency, South Korea fired warning shots at a suspected North Korean drone near the border (Reuters)
Moon’s Government May Reopen Inter-Korean Hotline
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s administration will seek to reopen an inter-Korean hotline that was closed by North Korea in February 2016 after Moon’s predecessor, Park Geun-hye, closed an inter-Korean joint industrial complex (Korea Times)
North Korean Missile Launch Prompts Emergency UN Meeting
North Korea said a missile it tested, which traveled 490 miles before falling into the Sea of Japan, is a new type of rocket that can carry a nuclear warhead. The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting this week to discuss the launch (Associated Press)
New South Korean President Open to Visiting Pyongyang
Newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in, taking the oath of office, said that he would visit Pyongyang “if conditions are met,” as well as Washington, Tokyo, and Beijing, to promote “peace on the peninsula” (Korea Times)
North Korea Detains Fourth U.S. Citizen
North Korean authorities detained a fourth U.S. citizen, Kim Hak-song of the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, for alleged “hostile acts” against North Korea (WaPo)
UN Energy Chief Warns Over North Korean Nuclear Efforts
The head of the UN’s atomic energy agency said that North Korea’s nuclear program is progressing “just as North Korea is publicly stating.” North Korean state media accused the United States and South Korea on Friday of attempting to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Al Jazeera)
ASEAN Ministers Will Discuss North Korea in Washington
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will host foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Washington on May 4 to urge the bloc’s members to cut diplomatic ties with North Korea (VOA)
U.S. Missile Shield Goes Live in South Korea
A U.S. missile shield in South Korea is now operational and able to intercept North Korean missiles, according to a U.S. military spokesman in Seoul. The system, known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), is not expected to be fully operational for several months (New York Times)
North Korea Holds Firing Drills
A missile-armed U.S. submarine is joining a group of U.S. warships led by an aircraft carrier off South Korea after North Korea carried out live fire drills to celebrate the eighty-fifth anniversary of its military (Associated Press)
China’s President Calls Trump Over North Korea
Chinese state media reported that President Xi Jinping called President Donald J. Trump to urge restraint regarding North Korea. Xi also told Trump that China opposes the country’s nuclear weapons program (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Aircraft Carrier Was Not Heading Toward North Korea
A U.S. flotilla was sailing not toward North Korea but in the opposite direction when President Donald J. Trump said last week that the United States was “sending an armada” in reference to North Korean threats. A Pentagon spokeswoman said that the aircraft carrier is now moving north toward the Korean peninsula (New York Times)
North Korea Promises Military Strikes Against Any U.S. Aggression
The deputy foreign minister said North Korea will launch military strikes against U.S. aggressors if the country sees any signs of “assault on our sovereignty” (Al Jazeera)
United States Says Strategic Patience for North Korea ‘Over’
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, citing recent strikes in Syria and Afghanistan authorized by President Trump, said North Korea “would do well not to test his resolve” (Reuters)
North Korea Threatens Nuclear Test When ‘Necessary’
North Korea’s vice foreign minister said the country will carry out its next nuclear test when it decides the move is “necessary,” adding, “we certainly will not keep our arms crossed in the face of a U.S. preemptive strike” (Associated Press)
Trump Offers China Better Trade for North Korea Action
President Trump said in an interview that he offered Chinese President Xi Jinping more favorable trade policies in exchange for Xi’s solving “the problem in North Korea” Trump also said that he will not label China a currency manipulator in an upcoming report, despite promises on the campaign trail to do so (Wall Street Journal)