North Korea

[Khafee]

North Korea claims new ICBM, completion of nuclear development
By Lee Chi-dong, Kim Soo-yeon and Lee Haye-ah,
Yonhap News Agency
Nov. 29, 2017

This image released by the North Korean official news service (KCNA) shows the launch of the Hwasong-14 ICBM during its test-fire on August 8. The missile fired Tuesday is believed to be a new version. File Photo courtesy of KCNA/UPI | License Photo


SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- North Korea said Wednesday it has successfully test-fired a new long-range ballistic missile with the whole U.S. mainland in range, rekindling sharp military tensions in the region.

It announced the Hwasong-15, an upgrade of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile, can carry a super-size nuclear warhead, a feat the North's leader described as the final touches on the country's nuclear weapons development.

"It is the most powerful ICBM which meets the goal of the completion of the rocket weaponry system development set by the DPRK," the Korean Central News Agency said in its English-language report, using the acronym for the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The announcement came hours after the firing of a projectile from the outskirts of Pyongyang was detected.

During its 53-minute flight, it traveled 950 kilometers at an apogee of 4,475 km to splash into the East Sea, an assertion confirmed by the defense authorities of South Korea, the United States and Japan.

The data suggest that the North has succeeded in extending the range of its ICBM enough to threaten the Eastern United States, while it remains a question whether it has mastered atmospheric re-entry and warhead miniaturization technologies for a reliable ICBM.

But Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said the test might not have been a full success as it lost contact with the control center on the ground in the middle of the flight.

"Radio communication exists between the launch pad and the missile. In this case, our understanding is that the communication was cut off in the middle [of flight]. In this sense, there is a point where it's hard to say it's a success," Lee said during a discussion hosted by the Kwanhun Club, an association of senior journalists.

The provocation threw cold water on hopes of a shift to the dialogue phase amid a pause in the North's missile launches for 2 1/2 months.

It showed that the Kim regime remains eager to be recognized as a nuclear state, not interested in denuclearization talks for now.
The missile was apparently fired at a lofted angle. If done at a standard one, it could have gone far over 10,000 km, given its maximum altitude, experts said.

"If these numbers are correct, then if flown on a standard trajectory rather than this lofted trajectory, this missile would have a range of more than 13,000 kilometers" (8,100 miles)," David Wright, a co-director of the Union of Concerned Scientists, wrote on his organization's blog.

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis took note of the height as well.
"It went higher, frankly, than any previous shot they've taken," he told reporters at the White House. "It's a research and development effort on their part to continue building ballistic missiles that can threaten everywhere in the world."

South Korean President Moon Jae-in strongly denounced the North for its "military brinkmanship."

Once the North completes its ICBM development, he warned, the security situation will become exacerbated to an "uncontrollable" level.
South Korea and the United States said they need more time and materials to see if the North has actually reached the point.
"Our government has emphasized repeatedly on major occasions that we will offer a bright future if [North Korea] comes to the dialogue table. Despite our sincere efforts and appeals, it fired a ballistic missile today," Moon said, presiding over a National Security Council meeting.

He said his administration would not "sit and watch" the North's belligerence.

Moon later had 20-minute phone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, in which they "underscored the grave threat that North Korea's latest provocation poses not only to the United States and the Republic of Korea but to the entire world."

Moon told Trump that the North's missile technology is deemed to have improved. They agreed to keep putting "pressure and sanctions" on the regime in close coordination with each other, said Moon's office Cheong Wa Dae.

South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her American counterpart Rex Tillerson talked about the issue as well by phone and vowed to make all diplomatic efforts for the denuclearization of Korea.

Speaking in New York, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence reaffirmed that "all options" are on the table, with his administration considering "additional measures."

He warned the North not to test the resolve of Trump and U.S. military power.

In a separate statement, Seoul's foreign ministry urged Pyongyang to halt such "reckless" provocations that only escalate tensions on the peninsula and deepen the North's isolation and economic hardship.

The U.N. Security Council will soon hold an emergency session in New York to discuss how to punish the North for the launch, which constituted a clear violation of several resolutions.

The South's military described the North's move as a "serious threat" to Seoul and its alliance with Washington.

The allies are "maintaining the ability and posture to strike the origin of provocation and command and support facilities with precision anytime, on the ground, at sea and in the air," the JCS said.

In a show of force, the South's armed forces conducted a live-fire missile exercise near the Northern Limit Line in the East Sea, minutes after the North's missile firing.

It involved an Army missile unit, a Navy Aegis ship and an Air Force KF-16 fighter jet, each firing a missile at a simulated target set in consideration of the distance to the site where the North launched the missile.

The North's missile launch marked its first since Sept. 15, when it fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan. That projectile flew about 3,700 km at a maximum altitude of 770 km.

The newest launch is the 11th missile provocation by the communist nation since the South's president took office in May with the stated policy goal of improving inter-Korean ties and bringing lasting peace to the peninsula.

The North previously launched an ICBM on July 4 and another on July 28.

On the Kim Jong Un regime's intentions, the JCS official said it seems to be protesting diplomatic and economic pressure from the world, including the U.S. decision to put Pyongyang back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Kim may be also seeking to strengthen the unity of his regime, which is facing economic troubles and potential political unrest from the purge of some senior officials and a local soldier's defection to the South via the truce village of Panmunjom, he said.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-...ion-of-nuclear-development/3031511960805/ph3/

 

[I.R.A]

U.S. decision to put Pyongyang back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

How can that be established? Apparently DPRK is not operating any insurgencies, is not involved in financing any terror outfit and they are not fighting an active war ....... so?

 

[Khafee]

What We’ve Learned About North Korea’s New Hwasong-15 Long Range ICBM
Nov 30 2017
By Tom Demerly

This Week’s DPRK Launch Test Opens New Tensions with Sophisticated Missile.

On Nov. 29, 2017, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) tested a new, claimed-longer range ICBM called the Hwasong-15. It was launched from a ballistic missile test facility in South Pyongan Province, North Korea.

The launch test was significant for two reasons.

This Wednesday’s test followed over two months without any North Korean ICBM launch tests and was punctuated by a U.S. Presidential visit to neighboring China and Asia. Some analysts suggested the two events may have signaled the beginning of moderation in the ongoing North Korean crisis.

In opposition to the theory of impending détente, this week’s North Korean missile test proved to be a continued escalation of tensions. The missile launched for the first time this week was an ICBM not previously reported by the U.S. The new missile, the Hwasong-15, has longer claimed range than any prior North Korean ICBM. Hours after the test North Korea’s official news agency claimed the Hwasong-15, “could strike anywhere in the U.S.”

Official North Korean news sources claimed the Hwasong-15 reached an altitude of approximately 2,700 miles – well above the orbital altitude for the International Space Station – and covered nearly 600 miles in horizontal distance moving east toward Japan during its 53-minute flight. This launch test was predominantly vertical in trajectory. North Korea claimed the missile, “hit its intended target” in the Pacific near Japan. If the trajectory of the Hwasong-15 were altered to a more horizontal geometry the missile could theoretically cover substantial distance. In a statement following the launch test the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit think tank headquartered in Massachusetts, voiced concern that the missile’s range was, “more than enough to reach Washington D.C., albeit with a reduced payload.”

In typically theatric tone, a North Korean newscaster proclaimed, “After watching the successful launch of the new type ICBM Hwasong-15, Kim Jong Un declared with pride that now we have finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power!”

In what appears to be a staged photo (there is no missile track on the monitors) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reacts to eat Hwasong-15 missile test. (Photo: North Korean Media)

This Wednesday’s North Korean missile launch test of the new Hwasong-15 was first detected by one of only four South Korean Air Force 737 AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning & Control) aircraft, called “Peace Eye”. The surveillance aircraft (based on the Boeing 737 airliner) were delivered to South Korea between May and October of 2012. They are based at Gimhae Air Base. South Korea claims the missile was detected, “within one minute of launch”. The missile was soon also observed on radar by at least one South Korean Navy Sejong-the-Great class destroyer at sea using their AN/SPY-1D antennae and Aegis Combat System.

A South Korean Air Force 737 AEWC “Peace Eye” surveillance aircraft detected the missile launch. (Photo: Boeing)

Along with the E7, several other aircraft were monitoring the launch, including a U.S. Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft from Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, deployed to Kadena, Okinawa, Japan, able to track ballistic missiles reentry vehicles and warheads during the final phase of flight; and a USAF E-8C JSTARS.


According to media reports in Asia, “Two minutes after the North Korean missile launch at 3:17 AM local time Wednesday morning, South Korean President Moon Jae-in was briefed about the provocation by his top security adviser. Six minutes after the launch, the South Korean military staged a live-fire missile exercise, in an apparent display of its response capabilities to strike the North Korean origin of provocations. At 6 a.m., the South Korean president held a meeting with the National Security Council at the Blue House bunker.”

Noteworthy observations about the newly observed Hwasong-15 include a new mobile launch platform. The wheeled platform shown in a photo released by North Korean media is larger than previously observed versions. Launching the missile from a mobile platform makes locating it prior to launch more difficult, a problem that was underscored during the first U.S./Iraq war when a significant amount of resources were devoted to finding the mobile Scud missile launchers in the Iraqi desert that were targeting Israel and Saudi Arabia.

North Korean Hwasong-15 in launch position of mobile launcher. (Photo: North Korean Media)

Military intelligence source Global Security.org reported that South Korean military officials said the maximum range projections for the Hwasong-15 could only be achieved if two key technologies of a nuclear-armed ICBM have been secured: the technology for the warhead and guidance system to survive an atmospheric re-entry and the technology to miniaturize the warhead and guidance payload. It has not been confirmed if North Korea has achieved those technological milestones.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace fellow Zhao Tong, an expert in the Nuclear Policy Program at Carnegie’s Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing, China, told Global Security.org that this latest successful launch test of North Korea’s Hwasong-15, “could mean that the DPRK thinks it has achieved all the basic technical capabilities of a credible nuclear force and therefore no major missile tests are needed anymore. If this is the case, this could potentially open a window to de-escalate tension in the near-term future and may increase the chances of diplomatic engagement with North Korea.”

https://theaviationist.com/2017/11/...-north-koreas-new-hwasong-15-long-range-icbm/

 

[Khafee]

Report: North Korea's next provocation could involve SLBM
By Elizabeth Shim
Nov. 30, 2017

North Korea may soon engage in its next provocation and test a submarine-launched ballistic missile, according to a Japanese press report.

The Tokyo Shimbun reported Thursday the Kim Jong Un regime could soon launch the Pukguksong-3, a SLBM that is nearing completion.

Quoting a source familiar with the North Korean military, the newspaper's China-based correspondent reported North Korea may be placing finishing touches on the missile, and could test the weapon soon.

The fuselage of the Pukuguksong-3 is slimmer than the Pukguksong-1, and up to two of the missiles can be deployed to a newly built submarine, the source said.

North Korea successfully tested the Pukuguksong-1 in August 2016. In February 2017, the regime tested the Pukguksong-2, an upgraded SLBM.

North Korea launched what it claimed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-15, and released images of the launch on Wednesday.

Images of Kim included the leader by the gigantic rocket.

Michael Duistman, an analyst with the Center for Nonproliferation Studies said the size of the Hwasong-15 signifies a new stage in North Korea's nuclear development.

"Only a few countries can produce missiles of this size, and North Korea just joined the club," the analyst said, according to the BBC.

The size of the missile's nose cone indicates it could carry a "super-large heavy" nuclear warhead, according to the report.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-...ould-involve-SLBM/7101512068221/?spt=slh&or=2

 

[Khafee]

Cathay-Pacific says airline crew saw North Korean missile launch
by ASC Staff on Dec 5, 2017

The crew of a Cathay Pacific flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong reported what they believed was a North Korean ballistic missile re-entering the Earth's atmosphere last Wednesday, the airline has said.

According to CNN, the flight crew reported the incident to Japan ATC (Air Traffic Control) and the airline’s head office, following set procedures.

Cathay-Pacific said in a statement that it has been in contact with relevant authorities, industry bodies and other airlines about the incident, and has no plans at present to change its flight routes.
"Though the flight was far from the event location, the crew advised Japan ATC (Air Traffic Control) according to procedures. Operation remained normal and was not affected," the statement said. "We remain alert and review the situation as it evolves."
North Korea last Wednesday test-fired what is believed to be its biggest and most powerful missile, the Hwasong-15, which is thought to be capable of striking anywhere in the continental United States.

It was the re-entry of this missile into the atmosphere that the Cathay-Pacific crew reportedly witnessed.

It's not the first time this year a North Korean missile has had a close call with a passenger plane.

An Air France plane in June passed near the splashdown site of a North Korean missile.

At the time, US Defense Department spokesman Jeff Davis warned the intercontinental ballistic missile North Korea tested in July "flew through busy airspace used by commercial airliners."

However, industry experts have pointed out that the chances of a ballistic missile from North Korea hitting a commercial airliner are in the billions to one.

Nonetheless, the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN agency tasked with governing air safety and other matters, considers a missile test to be a threat to the safety of civilian aircraft and its guidelines state that nations have the "responsibility to issue risk advisories regarding any threats to the safety of civilian aircraft operating in their airspace."

North Korea regularly fails to issue such notices to airmen (NOTAM) when conducting missile launches, according to South Korean officials.

http://www.arabiansupplychain.com/a...airline-crew-saw-north-korean-missile-launch/

 

[Khafee]

South Korea, U.S., Japan launch anti-missile drill
By Jennie Oh
Dec. 11, 2017

SEOUL, South Korea, -- South Korea began a joint anti-missile drill with the United States and Japan on Monday, as a show of force against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

The South Korean military's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the two-day drill would be held in waters off the Korean Peninsula and Japan, Yonhap reported.

The allied forces will focus on detecting and tracking ballistic missiles fired from the North through computer-simulated training, involving South Korea's Seoae Ryu Seong Ryong Aegis destroyer, the U.S. Aegis destroyers and Japan's Chokai Aegis ship.

The combined drill is the sixth of its kind since 2016, and is being held amid speculation that North Korea may soon test a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

Earlier this month, North Korea monitoring website 38 North published a report that suggested the regime is be nearing the completion of a platform to test a SLBM.
According to its satellite imagery taken throughout November, a second submersible ballistic missile test stand barge was moved to a fitting-out dock at the western Nampo Navy Shipyard.

Vessels usually receive the finishing touches on their structures at the dock before they become operational, according to the report.

North Korea installed its first SLBM test barge at Sinpo South Shipyard.

The regime successfully tested the Pukgusong-1 SLBM in August 2016 and six months later fired the upgraded land-based variant Pukgusong-2 into the East Sea.
After the North's Hwasong-15 ICBM launch last month, there are growing speculations that the North may soon test the Pukgusong-3 SLBM, Tokyo Shimbun reported last month.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-...aunch-anti-missile-drill/3841512983723/?nll=1

 

[Khafee]

Report: U.S. Navy deployed spy plane near North Korea
By Elizabeth Shim
Dec. 12, 2017

Concerns North Korea may be preparing a launch of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile are growing in the United States and South Korea. File Photo by KCNA

The United States deployed a reconnaissance plane that swept across waters near the eastern coast of North Korea, according to a South Korean news network on Tuesday.

Channel A reported the U.S. Navy dispatched the aircraft as signs indicated North Korea may be preparing for its next provocation.
The deployment is a warning, according to the report.

The EP-3 spy plane stationed in Japan flew in close proximity to North Korea because the military has been tracking signs of a pending SLBM launch from a North Korean submarine.

A Pentagon spokesman said the United States is "well postured" to deal with a North Korea launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, according to Yonhap on Tuesday.

"I can't comment on any matters of specific intelligence regarding North Korea, but I will tell you that within the deep arsenal that we have of capabilities, we're well postured to deal with that," Army Col. Robert Manning said.

North Korea has been touting its most recent test of a long-range missile, the Hwasong-15, on state television.
"A state-of-the-art core technology, once the exclusive property of major military powers, has been completed in our style," North Korea said in a televised statement.

Manning said the situation is being watched closely.
"We'll remain vigilant along with our partners from the Republic of Korea and Japan, our alliance partners there, to make sure that we can counter any North Korean threat," Manning said.

Pyongyang has completed a prototype of its latest SLBM, the Pukguksong-3, and could be making preparations as leaders of South Korea and China get ready to meet in Beijing, according to Channel A.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-...y-plane-near-North-Korea/5821513099834/?nll=1

 

[Khafee]

North Korea says it is a 'matchless nuclear weapons state'
By Jennie Oh
Dec. 12, 2017

North Korea held a conference of defense industry workers on Monday to review its arms development over the years, according to its state-media report. File Photo by KCNA/UPI | License Photo


SEOUL, South Korea-- North Korea says it has become "a matchless nuclear weapons state" headed for a victory over the United States, according to its state-run media on Tuesday.

The Korea Central News Agency released an English report on the Eighth Conference of Munitions Industry held Monday in Pyongyang, where officials reviewed the progress and achievements of the state's arms development.

It is the first time that the North has revealed details of its military arms conference, an official from Seoul's Unification Ministry told reporters on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party's central committee Thae Jong Su,
along with those who contributed to the recent launch of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile, according to the KCNA report.

Thae delivered a presentation, lauding what he called a breakthrough in the "development of strategic weapons, having researched and completed the production of cutting-edge technologies and materials which had been the exclusive property of countries claiming to be military powers in the rocket sector."

Thae claimed that Pukgusong missiles could deliver strategic nuclear strikes on land and in water, while the Hwasong-12 could target the entire Pacific region and that the Hwasong-14 missile could fire a hydrogen bomb at the heart of the United States. He described the recently launched Hwasong-15 ICBM's capability to target the entire U.S. mainland by attaching a massive nuclear warhead.

He said Kim's leadership had enabled the expansion of nuclear capacity, and the "historic turning point in putting the DPRK [North Korea] on the position of a matchless nuclear weapons state and hastening the final victory in the showdown with the U.S."
The KCNA report didn't specify whether the North Korean leader had spoken at the assembly. However, it stated the "conference continues," leading to speculation that Kim's remarks could soon be published if the conference resumes.

Seoul's unification ministry said the North's arms conference appears to be an attempt to muster up unity within the regime, while flaunting the progress of its nuclear and missile development over the years.

The ministry believes the convention may date back to the years of Kim Il Sung, the founding leader of North Korea.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-...ss-nuclear-weapons-state/6861513052866/?nll=1

 

[Khafee]

Regional defense is US national defense [Commentary]
By: Cmdr. Kirk Lippold (ret.)
13 Dec 2017

During exercise Stellar Avenger, the U.S. Navy Aegis-class destroyer Hopper launches a Standard Missile-3 Block IA. (Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)

Recognizing the seriousness of the growing threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the United States, it was a welcome sign that President Donald Trump recently reclassified North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. This designation puts North Korea under increasingly harsher sanctions to reinforce the nonnegotiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Upping the ante, China and some of its banking and industrial institutions are finally being precisely targeted in an effort to apply much-needed diplomatic and economic pressure to the one country responsible for allowing North Korea to grow into this threat. The region is on edge and is looking to the United States to take a leadership role to help build up their defenses, especially with ballistic missile technology and systems.

The previous administration’s phased, adaptive approach to regional ballistic missile defense was designed to phase in additional capability as it became available and adapt to changes in the threat. This effort on land and at sea in Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region includes a focus on getting allies and partners to deploy their own missile defense capabilities and working to integrate them with U.S. systems to improve regional protection. Although President Trump stated that “[North Korea] must end its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile development,” this approach must also be met with even further credible and capable actions that serve to bolster the regional defenses of our allies.

The current Ballistic Missile Defense Review, being conducted by the Department of Defense, will examine the administration’s policies for protecting U.S.-deployed forces, allies and partners around the globe. Key steps in this effort include the expansion of the missile defense toolkit available to combatant commanders and national-level decision-makers, to include cyber, drones and directed energy. Even with these rapidly improving programs, it is critical that we continue to apply pressure quietly but directly on China while simultaneously investing in proven missile defenses that exist today.

North Korea continues to improve the success rate of its ballistic missile programs, along with maintaining an active nuclear weapons program. Coupled with this development, Russia, China and Iran have large stockpiles of both ballistic and cruise missiles, and they are increasing their arsenals with a proven propensity to proliferate these weapons. Of particular concern is Russia, which has demonstrated a willingness to develop a cruise missile with a range that violates the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, intimidate and threaten Europe, and gain valuable operational experience in the deployment and operational use of cruise missiles in Syria. The conflux of these threats drives the need for a credible response.

First, the U.S. Navy should increase the number of destroyers that are equipped with missile defense capability. Currently, there are 33 ships capable of performing the missile defense mission, but providing this capability for all 62 currently operating Aegis destroyers should be a top priority. As with any program of this magnitude and scope, Congress must adapt to the evolving order of the threat to our nation and adopt a multiyear procurement system for the purchase of SM-3 and SM-6 interceptors to strengthen missile defense at the lowest cost to taxpayers.

Second, the administration should deploy additional land-based anti-ballistic missile systems for the protection of deployed forces and allies, while reducing the burden on the naval fleet. The full range of land-based missile defense interceptors — Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, Patriot and Aegis Ashore — remain high-demand, low-density assets. With only six operational THAAD batteries, this is an unacceptably low number that constrains combatant commanders because they are not available in sufficient numbers to counter emerging worldwide threats.

Third, the president should direct the modernization and integration of all regional sensors and weapons systems — to include those allied systems that are compatible with U.S. capabilities — to ensure a broader and more effective missile shield. A cornerstone of this enhanced capability is a cost-effective architecture that will provide the clearest picture of the ballistic missile battlefield and increase the chances of a successful intercept.
In short, the sum is greater than the parts.

The U.S. must continue to exercise every instrument of national power to deter further development of North Korean nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. China knows it is key to this process. The continued deployment of ballistic missile capabilities coupled with regional weapons-system integration will make China realize the futility of supporting a government and regime that has no future as either an economic partner or buffer state. The threat can and must be addressed head-on and ultimately result in a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

Retired Cmdr. Kirk Lippold was the commanding officer of the U.S. Navy destroyer Cole when it survived an attack by al-Qaida. He is a national security expert who currently serves as the president of Lippold Strategies. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.

https://www.defensenews.com/opinion...12.17&utm_term=Editorial - Daily News Roundup

 

[AleksBudka17]

During the Cold War military strategists often questioned the limits of the necessary defense: how much nuclear weapon is needed for the country to achieve a guaranteed destruction of a potential enemy? Perhaps the same question is being asked now in Pyongyang.

In the statements made by North Korean officials it is often emphasized how important it is not to look weak in the face of external provocation, especially from its historical opponents such as South Korea or United States. In this sense, military equipment and weapons tests regularly conducted by North Korea may pursue other purposes in addition to nuclear and any other weapons frightening. Thus, the North Korean leadership demonstrates the strength and ability to withstand external pressure.

Unfortunately, there are no signs that Pyongyang wants to start a meaningful dialogue with the U.S.: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has shown no interest in the initiative for mutual hostile actions rejection.

Today a huge machine of state propaganda in the North is fully mobilized to prepare the population for war with the South. In addition, Washington's interference only pushes Pyongyang to accelerate its nuclear industry development. The most terrible thing is that each provocation only strengthens the North Korean determination and clearly demonstrates the desire and ability to resist the United States.

In addition to the nuclear threat from North Korea there is also a cyber threat. Authorities and mass-media of South Korea and the United States as well as numerous security experts from all over the world initiated giving Pyongyang the status of the main producer and supplier of cyber mass destruction weapons.

There are few proven facts about North Korean hackers. Experts attribute cyber-warfare to the military intelligence structures of Pyongyang where a special unit called Unit 121was supposedly created 20 years ago to fight external enemies.

The main condition under which it became possible to form a myth about Korean cyber-forces is the DPRK isolation. At the same time, the authorities seem to be happy to strengthen country’s fierce image: they do not actively deny any accusations and monitor the situation in the world mass-media with great interest. In turn, all the noise around “powerful hackers” provides the North Korean leadership the opportunity to enjoy its own greatness switching public's attention from hackers to a nuclear confrontation.

Some of the large-scale attacks attributed to the DPRK have now become part of the history: cyber-attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment which was held just before the release of “The Interview” movie in 2014, and the devastating WannaCry cyber-attack that enslaved 200,000 devices running on the Windows OS in 150 countries. The feature of the last attack was a ransom demand in bitcoins. Financial damage was assessed as US $1 billion. The Microsoft CLO Brad Smith “with a high degree of confidence” announced that the North Korea’s cyber-troops (also known as the Lazarus Group) stand behind WannaCry. At the same time, “cyber-instruments or cyber-weapons” used for the attack were stolen from the U.S. National Security Agency.

Despite the inability to accurately determine whether the Lazarus Group or the government of the DPRK has an attitude to WannaCry, these two phenomena are now inextricably linked to public opinion.

Despite the fact that this type of attack represents a relatively small security risk at the national level, no one excludes that in case of war the important infrastructure objects might be also attacked. These objects’ malfunction will provoke a collapse of both the national economy and the governmental apparatus. Unfortunately, it seems that the United States and South Korea are two first states who will suffer from these possible attacks.

 

[Khafee]

North Korea vows to respond to any U.S. naval blockade
By Elizabeth Shim | Dec. 15, 2017

Pyongyang pledged to deal with a possible U.S. plan to place a naval blockade that would prevent ships from leaving or entering North Korea, weeks after the plan was raised as an issue on Dec. 1.

A spokesman for North Korea's foreign ministry told KCNA on Thursday any blockade would be a "reckless and dangerous measure," and that the move would be met with a response, South Korean news service News 1 reported Friday.

The spokesman claimed the United States will be holding a meeting at the United Nations Security Council on Friday, where it will "try to manipulate North Korea resolutions" and "scheme to bring the state of the Korean peninsula closer to war" by raising the issue of a naval blockade.

North Korea also stated the "Trump faction" is increasing the prospects of nuclear war.

Tensions on the peninsula ahead of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics could be altering plans for the U.S. military in South Korea.
Adm. John Richardson, chief of U.S. naval operations, told Yonhap on Thursday joint exercises Key Resolve and Foal Eagle are to be postponed until after February 2018, when the Winter Games are taking place.

Richardson said the situation must be dealt with flexibly, according to the Yonhap report.

North Korea also verbally attacked the South Korean government on Friday, after Seoul announced plans for unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang.

The sanctions announced on Monday is South Korea's response to North Korea's launch of the Hwasong-15, a long-range missile.
Twelve North Korean officials have been blacklisted as part of sanctions.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-...to-any-US-naval-blockade/8761513348846/?nll=1

 

[Khafee]

Tillerson: All Options on Table to Contain North Korea Threat
December 16, 2017
by Margaret Besheer

UNITED NATIONS —
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday that North Korea’s growing nuclear capabilities are a direct threat to the United States, and Washington “will use all necessary measures” to defend itself against such aggression.

“In the face of such a threat, inaction is unacceptable for any nation,” Tillerson said.

“We have been clear that all options remain on the table in the defense of our nation,” the secretary told a packed chamber of the U.N.

Security Council in New York. “But we do not seek, nor do we want, war with North Korea.”

Tillerson spoke at a meeting on North Korea’s proliferation convened by Japan, which holds the rotating Security Council presidency this
month.

“The United States will use all necessary measures to defend itself against North Korean aggression, but our hope remains that diplomacy will produce a resolution,” Tillerson added.

North Korea reacts
Saturday North Korean state media again targeted U.S. President Donald Trump, referring to him as “old lunatic Trump” and warning his administration’s officials to “be prudent if they don’t want to meet bitterer disgrace and destruction.”

The article went on to warn that if the Trump “regime resorts to military counteraction,” it will face tougher countermeasures from North Korea and “fall deeper into a quagmire.”

Calling Russia out
In Washington, Trump pointed to Russia to step up pressure against Pyongyang, a day after his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump said the primary focus of his conversation Thursday with Putin was North Korea, noting Washington needs help from Moscow on Pyongyang.

“China is helping. Russia is not helping. We’d like to have Russia’s help — very important,” Trump told reporters.

When asked if he supports talks with North Korea without precondition, Trump said, “We’re going to see what happens with North Korea. We have a lot of support. There are a lot of nations that agree with us — almost everybody.”

Prospects for talks
At the U.N. Security Council meeting, the top U.S. diplomat repeated his openness to talks with the North Koreans, but added the caveat that Pyongyang “must earn its way back to the table.”

“The pressure campaign must and will continue until denuclearization is achieved,” Tillerson said. “We will in the meantime, keep our channels of communication open.”

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Tillerson further distanced himself from comments he made Tuesday that the U.S. is ready to talk to North Korea “without precondition.”

“We are not going to accept preconditions,” he told U.N. reporters. “We do not accept a freeze-for-freeze as a precondition to talks; we do not accept any relaxing of the sanctions regime as a precondition to talks; we do not accept a resumption of humanitarian assistance as a precondition of talks.”

As to the communications channels, he repeated that they remain open.

“North Korea knows they are open,” he said, “they know where the door is, they know where to walk through that door, when they want to talk.”

Regional voices
“A peaceful solution is desirable, however, it’s North Korea that has consistently rejected such a solution,” said Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, who chaired the meeting.

Kono called on the international community to maximize pressure on Pyongyang to change course, and announced that Japan had just imposed asset freezes on 19 additional North Korean entities.

China Deputy U.N. Ambassador Wu Haitao echoed the concern of several council members that the situation risks spiraling out of control, an outcome that no one wants.

“The current situation on the Korean Peninsula is mired in a vicious circle of tough posturing and confrontation, which hardly makes one optimistic about its future,” Wu said. “However, the hope for peace is not totally obliterated; there is still a possibility for negotiation and the option of use of force is unacceptable.”

Both North and South Korea addressed the council.

“With a sense of urgency, we should make North Korea perceive without a doubt that it will pay heavily for its provocations; that it will never be accepted as a nuclear weapon state; and that dialogue for denuclearization is the only viable option,” South Korean Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun said.

In a rare appearance at the council, North Korean U.N. Ambassador Ja Song Nam defended Pyongyang’s action as a self-defense measure in the face of what he said is “the U.S. nuclear threat and blackmail.”

The envoy said his country would continue to “march forward” making great advancements as the “world’s most powerful nuclear and military state,” but would do so as a responsible nuclear power.

Secretary Tillerson responded, saying Pyongyang’s unlawful acts cannot be ignored or explained away, and he emphasized the international community’s united opposition to a nuclear North Korea.

“They alone are responsible for these tensions; they alone must take responsibility for these tensions; and they alone can solve these tensions,” he said of the regime of leader Kim Jong Un.

Growing capabilities
“In 2017, the DPRK conducted activities related to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs at an alarming and accelerated pace,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told council members. “Its actions show blatant disregard of the will and resolutions of the Security Council and undermines the international norm against nuclear testing.”

“The DPRK remains the only country to continue to break the norm against nuclear testing,” Guterres noted, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s formal name.

On September 3, Pyongyang carried out its sixth nuclear test, setting off an underground explosion that registered a magnitude 6.1 on the seismic scale.

On November 28, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and later claimed that it now possessed the capability to strike any location in the continental United States, a claim that was denied by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Friday.

Mattis told Pentagon reporters that Pyongyang has “not yet shown to be a capable threat against” Washington.

Throughout the year, the regime has also conducted 20 ballistic missile launches, including the first tests of two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), as well as new medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

No access to North Korea
International nuclear watchdog agency the IAEA has been unable to gain access to North Korea to verify the status of its nuclear program. It uses satellite imagery to help monitor developments.

The U.N. chief called on North Korea to comply with all Security Council resolutions and to allow space for the resumption of dialogue.
“While all concerned seek to avoid an accidental escalation leading to conflict, the risk is being multiplied by misplaced overconfidence,
dangerous narratives and rhetoric, and the lack of communications channels,” Guterres cautioned.

Last week, his top political official, Jeffrey Feltman, traveled to Pyongyang for the first in-depth political exchange of views between U.N. and North Korean officials to take place in that country in almost eight years.

Feltman, the highest-ranking American at the U.N., told reporters earlier this week that he engaged in more than 15 hours of talks over several days with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Pak Myong Guk. He did not request a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“The North Korean interlocutors agreed it was important to prevent war,” Feltman said, but added they made no commitments toward talks.

VOA's Nike Ching at the State Department and Carla Babb at the Pentagon contributed to this report.

https://www.voanews.com/a/rex-tille...ntain-north-korea-nuclear-threat/4165496.html

 

[Khafee]

Young North Korean soldier escapes to South, sparking gunshots
By Jennie Oh
Dec. 21, 2017

SEOUL, South Korea, (UPI) -- A young North Korean soldier escaped to South Korea through the inter-Korean border on Thursday, the South's military said.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a low-ranking soldier presumed to be 19 years of age appeared in front of a South Korean guard post at around 8:04 a.m.
North Korean border guards came looking for the escapee at around 9:24 a.m., nearing the military demarcation line.

The South fired 20 warning shots at the party with K-3 machine guns and sent warning messages.

After 40 minutes of silence, several gunshots were heard from the North's side at around 10:13 a.m. and, again, three minutes later.

A JCS official said there no bullets were found to have crossed the border and there was no detection of unusual movements after that.

The young soldier's defection comes 38 days after a North Korean soldier streaked across the Joint Security Area, receiving multiple bullets as he fled to the South.

Also on Thursday, Seoul's Unification Ministry said two North Korean men defected to South Korea via boat, crossing the inter-Korean maritime border in the East Sea.

The South Korean Coast guard discovered the small wooden vessel about 62 miles north of the Dokdo islets at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, according to a ministry official.

The official said background checks on the two men have begun.

15 North Koreans including four North Korean soldiers this year escaped directly to the South, according to the JCS.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-...-South-sparking-gunshots/7031513833122/?nll=1

 

[Khafee]

North Korea preparing to launch satellite, report says
Pyongyang is under multiple UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests and is prohibited from carrying out any launch using ballistic missile technology including satellites
Agence France-Presse
December 26, 2017

This photo taken on July 29, 2017 shows people watching as coverage of an ICBM missile test is displayed on a screen in a public square in Pyongyang. Kim Won-jin / AFP

North Korea is preparing to launch a satellite, a Seoul newspaper said on Tuesday, as outside observers warn that the nuclear-armed regime's space programme is a fig leaf for weapons tests.

Pyongyang is under multiple UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests and is prohibited from carrying out any launch using ballistic missile technology including satellites.

"Through various channels, we've recently learned that the North has completed a new satellite and named it Kwangmyongsong-5," the Joongang Ilbo daily reported, quoting a South Korean government source.

"Their plan is to put a satellite equipped with cameras and telecommunication devices into orbit," he said.

Pyongyang launched their Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite in February 2016, which most in the international community viewed as a disguised ballistic missile test.

A spokesman for the South Korean military joint chiefs of staff said there was "nothing out of ordinary at this moment" but added that Seoul was watching out for any provocative acts "including the test of a long-range missile disguised as a satellite launch".

The report came as the North's ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reasserted the regime's right to launch satellites and develop its space technology.

In a commentary published on Monday and titled "peaceful space programmes are sovereign countries' legitimate rights", the daily said Pyongyang's satellite launches "absolutely correspond" with international laws concerning space development.

At a UN General Assembly committee meeting in October, North Korea's deputy UN ambassador Kim In-ryong said his country has a 2016-2020 plan to develop "practical satellites that can contribute to the economic development and improvement of the people's living".

He stressed North Korea's right to produce and launch satellites "will not be changed just because the US denies it".

North Korea is believed to have successfully put a satellite into orbit in December 2012 after years of failures dating back to 1998 when it launched a pilot satellite and named it Kwangmyongsong-1.

Earlier this month, the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaia Gazeta quoted a Russian military expert, Vladimir Khrustalev, as saying that North Korea was expected to launch two satellites -- an Earth exploration satellite and a communications satellite -- in the near future.

Khrustalev made the remark after returning from his week-long trip to North Korea in mid-November when he met with representatives of the country's National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA), the Russian daily said.

Tensions have soared as the isolated regime has staged a series of atomic and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests -- most recently on November 29.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/asia/north-korea-preparing-to-launch-satellite-report-says-1.690613

 

[Khafee]

Report: North Korea soldier found to have anthrax antibodies
By Elizabeth Shim
Dec. 26, 2017

One of the North Korean soldiers who defected to the South in 2017 was found to have antibodies in his bloodstream, a sign Pyongyang possesses anthrax, the acute disease caused by bacteria.

South Korean authorities did not identify the soldier, who was either exposed to or vaccinated for anthrax, but did confirm he had developed immunity to the deadly disease before he defected, local news network Channel A reported Tuesday.

"Anthrax antibodies have been found in the North Korean soldier who defected this year," a South Korean intelligence official told the network on the condition of anonymity.

The discovery of the antibodies is causing concern in Seoul.

The disease can kill at least 80 percent of those who are exposed to the bacterium in 24 hours, unless antibiotics are taken or vaccination is available.

But South Korea's military has yet to secure an anthrax vaccine.

Defense Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo has said an anthrax "vaccine is expected to be developed by the end of 2019," but not sooner, for the South Korean military.

North Korea has been suspected of developing biological weapons after the regime publicized the works of the Pyongyang Biological Technology Research Institute in 2015, run by the Korean People's Army Unit 810.

Pyongyang claimed the facility specializes in pesticide research but analysts have said dual-use equipment on the site suggests biological weapons are being manufactured in North Korea.

The news of possible North Korea anthrax development comes at a time when South Korean newsmagazine Sisa Journal is reporting the U.S. military in the South has continued to test live bacteria at local bases.

The Joint United States Forces Korea Portal and Integrated Threat Recognition, or JUPITR, is budgeted to receive about $9 million, according to the report.

The program, aimed to shape biological detection capabilities, is ongoing, according to Sisa.

Concerns spiked in South Korea after Seoul's defense ministry confirmed the U.S. military in South Korea imported samples of anthrax 15 times since 2009, and a shipment in 2015 exposed as many as 22 people.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-...-have-anthrax-antibodies/7791514299323/?nll=1