South Korea scored a blistering victory against arch rival the North in a rare ice hockey match Thursday, in a game that resonates beyond the sportsfield. Playing in the South just an hour’s drive from the heavily fortified demilitarised zone that divides them, the two Koreas faced off in the women’s world ice hockey championships … Read more
North Korea has test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile from its eastern port of Sinpo into the Sea of Japan. South Korea’s defence ministry said the missile flew about 60km (40 miles). It is the latest in a series of tests which the North has been conducting in pursuit of its goal of developing a nuclear … Read more
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet face-to-face for the first time Thursday, opening a new chapter in the world’s most consequential relationship amid growing crises over North Korea and trade. The presidents of the world’s two pre-eminent economic and military powers will rendezvous in the south Florida sun at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate for a summit … Read more
Nuclear-armed North Korea on Wednesday fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, South Korea and the US military said, days after Pyongyang warned of retaliation if the global community ramps up sanctions. South Korea’s defence ministry said the missile had flown some 60 kilometres (about 40 miles). “The military is keeping a close … Read more
Nuclear-armed North Korea on Wednesday fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s defence ministry said, days after Pyongyang warned of retaliation if the global community ramps up sanctions. “At 06:42 am (2142 GMT Tuesday) today, North Korea fired a ballistic missile from Sinpo area into the Sea of Japan,” the ministry … Read more
Civic and religious groups in South Korea are moving to oppose the deployment of the U. S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in their territory as they believe it hurts peace on the Korean Peninsula as well as the region and the world. Five elder leaders of advocacy and religious groups … Read more
North Korea has warned it will retaliate if the global community ramps up sanctions over its latest round of weapons tests. The warning comes as President Donald Trump threatened the United States was prepared to go it alone in bringing Pyongyang to heel if China did not step in. The isolated state has quickened its … Read more
South Korea, Japan and the US held a joint naval exercise Monday aimed at countering missile threats from North Korean submarines, Seoul’s defense ministry said, amid mounting concerns over the hermit state’s weapons programme. Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and … Read more
The US Treasury hit 11 North Korean business representatives and an industrial firm with sanctions Friday, seeking to further isolate the country’s economy for pursuing nuclear weapons. Most of the officials were based in China and Russia for companies the Treasury said acquire materials, technology and financial support for North Korea’s defense industry. The company … Read more
The UN Security Council on Thursday “strongly condemned” recent North Korean missile and ballistic missile engine tests, denouncing Pyongyang’s “increasingly destabilizing behavior.” The condemnation came as the US military said on Thursday that it has observed activity in North Korea that suggests Pyongyang may be gearing up for another nuclear test. “The launch and engine … Read more
U. S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in China on Saturday for what is likely to be a prickly visit, with Beijing angry at being told to rein in nuclear-armed North Korea and Washington repeatedly demanding it do more to control Pyongyang. China is also expected to voice its strong opposition to this month’s … Read more
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is meeting his Chinese counterpart Wang Li in Beijing in the final leg of his East Asia tour, which has been dominated by anxieties over North Korea. On Friday, Mr Tillerson warned Pyongyang that a military response would be on the table if it threatened South Korea or US … Read more
The United States and China are finalizing plans for a summit between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago this April, but diplomats are struggling to remove last-minute stumbling blocks. Officials in both countries told AFP that Trump has tentatively agreed to host Xi to his Florida resort in early April — significant outreach … Read more
U. S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday the escalating threat from North Korea’s nuclear program showed a clear need for a “new approach,” although he stopped short of detailing what steps the Trump administration would pursue. Tillerson was speaking at a news conference following talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in … Read more
China insisted on Thursday that its proposal for de-escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula was the “only feasible plan” and challenged the United States to come up with something better. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called last week for North Korea to suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for the US and South … Read more
A growing US presence off the Korean Peninsula is reportedly part of a plan aimed at ‘incapacitating’ Kim Jong Un’s despotic regime in Pyongyang should conflict break out. A nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for joint military exercises in the latest show of force against the North. The USS Carl … Read more
Washington’s top diplomat was to fly into Tokyo on Wednesday to begin a first tour of Asian capitals under the shadow of North Korea’s nuclear posturing. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has promised to take a tough line on Kim Jong-un’s isolated regime as he talks to allies Japan and South Korea and to rival … Read more
A nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for joint military exercises, the US Navy said, in the latest show of force against the North. The USS Carl Vinson berthed in the southern port of Busan as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson began a tour of the region, where tensions have … Read more
As the USS Carl Vinson plowed through seas off South Korea on Tuesday, rival North Korea warned the United States of “merciless” attacks if the carrier infringes on its sovereignty or dignity during U. S.-South Korean drills. F-18 fighter jets took off from the flight deck of the nuclear-powered carrier in a dramatic display of … Read more
The Japanese and US navies are conducting joint exercises in the East China Sea as tension intensifies in the region following North Korea’s missile tests, local media reported on Friday. The two sides launched the drill earlier this week, involving Japanese destroyers and a US Navy carrier strike group, the Sankei Shimbun daily and Kyodo … Read more