South Korea will suspend any further deployment of a controversial US missile defence system until an environmental impact assessment ordered by new President Moon Jae-In is finished, his office said Wednesday. Seoul agreed last year under Moon’s ousted predecessor Park Geun-Hye to deploy the powerful missile intercept system to guard against threats from nuclear-armed North … Read more
North Korea warned on Wednesday that it was prepared to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) at any time, as the US successfully tested a system designed to intercept them. The fresh sabre-rattling from Pyongyang appeared to up the stakes as the Pentagon announced on Tuesday that it had intercepted a mock-up of an ICMB in … Read more
South Korean military officials deliberately withheld information from the president about the arrival of new launchers for a controversial US anti-missile system, his office said Wednesday. Documents submitted to Moon Jae-In shortly after he came to office this month were redacted to remove mention of four new rocket launchers for the Terminal High Altitude Area … Read more
South Korea’s new President Moon Jae-In Tuesday ordered an investigation into why his office was kept in the dark about the arrival of four more launchers for a controversial US missile defence system, his spokesman said. The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system is being deployed in South Korea to counter threats from North Korea, … Read more
Washington has announced a bumper arms deal with Saudi Arabia, heralding the package as a major boost to long-standing security ties and a way to further isolate Iran. Administration officials claim the agreement — worth $110 billion over the next decade — is the biggest single arms deal in American history, and it will see … Read more
Sporting baseball caps, baggy pants and sneakers, a crew of young Chinese men strut down a long empty hallway toward an old-school television set bearing the words “NO THAAD” in bright red lettering. So opens the latest in a string of propaganda videos attempting to meld popular culture with China’s political message of the moment. … Read more
Thousands of men lined the streets of Pyongyang to give scientists and workers behind North Korea’s latest missile test a hero’s welcome. Pictures from the despotic state showed hundreds of developers wearing military garb and saluting giant statues of late leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il that dominate the centre of the capital. Others showed residents … Read more
Chinese President Xi Jinping told a South Korean envoy on Friday he was willing to put relations back on a “normal track” amid tensions over a US anti-missile system deployed on the Korean peninsula. In an apparent fence-mending move, South Korea’s new President Moon Jae-In dispatched his envoy Lee Hae-Chan to China after his election … Read more
China’s foreign minister urged South Korea’s new government on Thursday to remove “obstacles” to good relations amid Chinese anger at the US deployment of an anti-missile system on the Korean peninsula. Greeting South Korean presidential envoy Lee Hae-Chan in Beijing, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said bilateral relations have made immense progress over the years. “But … Read more
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and new South Korean president Moon Jae-In agreed on Thursday that denuclearising North Korea was a “common goal” between them, Moon’s office said. Ties between Seoul and Beijing have soured over the South’s deployment of a controversial US anti-missile system aimed at guarding against threats from the nuclear-armed North. China sees … Read more
Moon Jae-in, South Korea’s new president, has declared his willingness to visit the nuclear-armed North, moments after taking his oath of office. Moon, who was declared the winner on Tuesday of the presidential election, said he will “sincerely negotiate” with the United States, South Korea’s chief ally, and China, South Korea’s top trading partner, over … Read more
Chinese defense chiefs say the country’s military has successfully tested a new kind of guided missile near the Korean peninsula. The test in the Bohai Sea was to ‘raise the operational capability of the armed forces and effectively respond to threats to national security,’ the Defense Ministry said. An official statement did not say what … Read more
With their last president detained and awaiting trial for corruption, South Koreans go to the polls Tuesday to choose her successor, but the economic and social frustrations that fuelled anger against Park Geun-Hye remain. The May 9 vote comes after months of political turmoil in Asia’s fourth-largest economy, which saw millions taking to the streets … Read more
The US military says its controversial Thaad missile defence system is now operational in South Korea. The system can intercept North Korean missiles although full operational capability is still some months away. Tensions have been rising around the Korean peninsula, with repeated threats from North Korea and the presence of a group of US warships … Read more
China has demanded an ‘immediate’ halt to the deployment of a controversial US missile system in South Korea just hours after it became operational. Beijing threatened to ‘take necessary measures to uphold our interests’ after the THAAD missile battery came online on a golf course in the county of Seongju. Washington and Seoul believe the … Read more
China called Tuesday for the immediate suspension of a controversial missile defence system hours after Washington confirmed the shield was now operational in South Korea. “China’s position is clear-cut and firm. We oppose the deployment of the THAAD system in (South Korea) and urge relevant sides to immediately stop the deployment. We will firmly take … Read more
China demanded on Tuesday an immediate halt to a controversial US missile shield hours after Washington announced that the defence system was now operational in South Korea. Washington and Seoul agreed to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery deployment in July in the wake of a string of North Korean missile tests. But … Read more
The US military says its controversial Thaad missile defence system is now operational in South Korea. The system can intercept North Korean missiles although full operational capability is still some months away. Tensions have been rising around the Korean peninsula, with repeated threats from North Korea and the presence of a group of US warships … Read more
The Thaad system, seen here in a file photo, is designed to take out North Korean missiles The US military says its controversial Thaad missile defence system is “operational” in South Korea. A spokesman said the system was now able to intercept North Korean missiles and defend the South. But officials have told reporters that … Read more
A controversial missile defense system whose deployment has angered China is now operational in South Korea, a US defense official said Monday. Washington and Seoul agreed to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery deployment in July in the wake of a string of North Korean missile tests. “It has reached initial intercept capability,” … Read more