The exercise, which will run through March 14, comes months after North Korea scrapped a 2018 military accord with South Korea meant to reduce tensions on the border; it features twice the number of field training drills as last year’s edition (Japan Times)
South Korea to Establish Diplomatic Relations With Cuba
Seoul will open ambassador-level relations with Havana, South Korea’s foreign ministry announced on Wednesday; South Korea’s presidential office said yesterday that the move would deal a “political and psychological blow” to North Korea, which depends on a small number of Cold War-era allies (AP)
South Korea: North Korean Hackers Breached Presidential Staffer’s Personal Email
South Korean President Yoon Sun Yeol’s office did not state what information was stolen but emphasized the overall safety of their security system (AP)
U.S. Supports Japan-North Korea Talks, Official Says
Japan’s prime minister told parliament last week that he wants to hold a summit with his North Korean counterpart; Washington hopes potential dialogue between the two countries could lead to progress on matters such as human rights and security, the U.S. special envoy on North Korean human rights issues said today (Reuters)
North Korea Develops New Controller for Multiple Rocket Launcher
According to state media, the new ballistic control system will amplify the quality of the army’s rocket launcher force (Nikkei)
Kim Jong Un Restates Threats to South Korea, No Desire for Diplomacy
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un emphasized Pyongyang’s readiness to “strike and destroy” its neighbor if provoked, exacerbating heightened tensions in the region (AP)
Reuters: UN Probes Suspected North Korean Cyberattacks That Yielded $3 Billion
UN sanctions experts are probing nearly sixty attacks on cryptocurrency-related companies that appear to have funneled money toward North Korea’s nuclear program between 2017 and 2023, according to an unpublished UN report seen by Reuters; it says that Pyongyang continues to flout UN Security Council sanctions (Reuters)
North Korea Legislature Strikes Down Laws Enabling Economic Cooperation With South Korea
Bilateral cooperation projects have been stalled for years, but the move demonstrates a further cooling of relations after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said peaceful reunification between the two countries would be impossible (Bloomberg)
Russia Likely Helping North Korea Access International Banking Networks
U.S. intelligence said Moscow released frozen North Korean assets in exchange for Pyongyang’s supply of armaments for use against Ukraine; a North Korean front company also opened an account at a Russian bank in South Ossetia, hinting at Russia’s role in helping North Korea avoid UN sanctions that isolate it from international financial networks (NYT)
North Korea Test Fires Missiles Off West Coast
The missiles fired today mark North Korea’s fourth such cruise missile launch this year and came three days after its previous launch, South Korea’s military said; Seoul did not specify how many missiles it detected (Yonhap)
North Korea Test Fires Missiles, Appears to Take Down Monument to Unification
North Korea fired several cruise missiles west toward the Yellow Sea today in its first cruise missile launch since last September, South Korea’s military said (Yonhap)
Separately, satellite images reveal that North Korea appears to have removed a large monument in Pyongyang devoted to the prospect of unification with South Korea, which North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered to be removed earlier this month (NK News)
Pyongyang Says It Tested Undersea Nuclear Weapons System
North Korea tested an underwater attack drone in response to naval exercises this week conducted by the United States, Japan, and South Korea, the North Korean military said; at a UN Security Council meeting yesterday, South Korea urged the body to “break the silence” on North Korea’s escalating missile tests, as China and Russia have blocked U.S.-led efforts to increase sanctions on North Korea (AP)
South Korea Announces Sanctions on Ships Supplying North Korea
Seoul imposed sanctions on eleven ships and five individuals it said were part of illegal efforts to fund North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs (Yonhap)
South Korean and Japanese nuclear envoys met in Seoul ahead of trilateral talks with the United States tomorrow; North Korea’s foreign minister, meanwhile, traveled to Moscow this week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin (Yonhap)
North Korea Fires Artillery Shells Into Waters Near South Korea
More than two hundred shells landed in disputed waters near two remote South Korean islands, where residents took cover in bomb shelters, South Korean officials said (Reuters)
Seoul conducted live-fire exercises in nearby waters in response, while a South Korean military spokesperson demanded that North Korea “immediately cease” actions that are increasing tensions; Pyongyang later said the drills were its response to recent military actions by Seoul (WaPo)
Today’s artillery volley and South Korean response prompted China to call for restraint and for both sides to resume dialogue (AFP)
South Korea, U.S. Conduct Joint Combat Fighting Drills Near North Korea Border
North Korea called the weeklong exercises that wrapped up today “reckless war maneuvers” that pushed the region closer to “an inferno of nuclear war;” the drills involved large and heavy weaponry and come as Seoul and Washington have increased their joint military exercises over the past year in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear threat (Reuters)
Satellite Imagery Suggests North Korean Weapons Transfers to Russia
Satellite imagery provided by the White House shows high levels of activity at a previously dormant North Korean port near the border with Russia in recent months; the United States and South Korea say that North Korea is delivering artillery shells to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine (Bloomberg)
North Korea Launches First Long-Range Ballistic Missile Since July
The test missile was fired off of North Korea’s eastern coast this morning and landed in waters west of Japan, according to Japanese and South Korean authorities; the launch coincided with U.S.-South Korea talks on nuclear deterrence against North Korea, which Pyongyang has criticized (Bloomberg)
North Korea has also ignored U.S. calls to return to nuclear disarmament talks (VoA)
U.S., South Korea, and Japan Step Up Cooperation Against North Korean Cyber Threats
The United States announced new trilateral initiatives aimed at countering North Korean threats ranging “from its cybercrime and cryptocurrency money laundering to its reckless space and ballistic missile tests” (Al Jazeera)
Activists Warn North Koreans Deported from China Face Torture
Nearly six hundred defectors, mostly women, have not been heard from since China deported them to North Korea, where advocates say they face torture, sexual violence, and execution (BBC)
U.S., Japanese, and South Korean Security Officials Discuss North Korea
National security advisers from the three countries covered topics including North Korea’s recent military reconnaissance satellite launch at a trilateral meeting in Seoul, the South Korean president’s office said (AP)
North Korea Dismisses U.S. Offer of Nuclear Talks
Senior official Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, rejected U.S. calls for a return to nuclear diplomacy and vowed to conduct more satellite and weapons launches (AP)
North Korea Announces Plan to Launch Spy Satellite By End of Month
The plan follows two failed launch attempts earlier this year; with the launch, Pyongyang could remotely monitor U.S., South Korean, and Japanese troops (Reuters)
Meanwhile, a South Korean spy satellite due to launch by the end of November would reduce Seoul’s dependence on U.S. intelligence systems (Reuters)
Defense Officials From U.S., China, Russia, Southeast Asia Gather at Indonesia Talks
Today’s dialogue, organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), covers military challenges within and beyond the region; yesterday, Indonesia’s defense minister named Myanmar, the Korean Peninsula, and the South China Sea as “hot spots that can destabilize the region” (Reuters)
U.S., South Korea Update Bilateral Defense Pact
The two countries formally updated their strategy for deterring North Korea for the first time since 2013 at a meeting of top defense officials in Seoul today (Nikkei)
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said the deal committed the United States to mobilizing its full military capabilities, including nuclear ones, to defend South Korea in the case of a North Korean nuclear attack (AP)
Blinken Visits South Korea as North Korea Threatens Response to Leaflets
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken begins a visit today to South Korea, which comes as the two countries have increasingly condemned North Korea’s military ties to Russia; South Korea aims to launch its first spy satellite later this month with U.S. support (Reuters)
Meanwhile, North Korea threatened to respond with a “shower of shells” if South Korea does not stop activists from flying anti-North Korea leaflets across the border in balloons (AP)