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The US has sent a submarine to South Korea, amid worries of another North Korean missile or nuclear test.

The missile-armed USS Michigan is set to join an incoming group of warships led by aircraft carrier Carl Vinson.

North Korea is celebrating its army’s 85th founding anniversary on April 25. It marked the event with a large-scale firing drill, South Korea said.

Tensions have risen in the Korean Peninsula in recent weeks, with the US and North Korea exchanging heated rhetoric.

Experts fear North Korea could be planning more tests – it has marked some key anniversaries in the past with nuclear tests or missile launches.

However, South Korea’s defense ministry said “no unusual development had been detected”.

Image source Wikimedia

Instead, Pyongyang conducted a large live-fire drill around the city of Wonsan, South Korea said.

“Our military is closely monitoring the North Korean military’s movement,” the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

North Korea conducted a failed ballistic missile test on April 16, prompting VP Mike Pence to warn it not to “test” President Donald Trump.

In an unusual move, the entire Senate has been asked to attend a briefing on North Korea on April 26 at the White House.

The USS Michigan docked at South Korea’s Busan port on April 25, in what it called a routine visit. It is a nuclear-powered submarine carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and 60 special operations troops and mini-subs, reported the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.

The submarine is expected to take part in military exercises with the Carl Vinson warship group, which the US said it was dispatching to North Korea earlier this month to “maintain readiness” in the region.

At the time, President Trump said that he was sending an “armada” to the region and that the US had submarines which were “very powerful, far more powerful than the aircraft carrier”.

North Korea reacted angrily to the aircraft carrier deployment, threatening to sink it and launch a “super-mighty pre-emptive strike” against what it called US aggression.

However, the US warships caused some confusion and attracted mockery when it emerged that they actually sailed in the opposite direction, away from North Korea, after the announcement. However, US Navy officials said they are now proceeding to the region as ordered.

China is North Korea’s only ally and main trading partner – and the US has been urging Beijing to help put pressure on Pyongyang.

China’s President Xi Jinping spoke to President Donald Trump on April 24, urging all sides to “maintain restraint and avoid actions that would increase tensions”.

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North Korea has to the US deployment of a Navy strike group to the Korean peninsula by saying it will defend itself “by powerful force of arms”.

The North Korean foreign ministry, quoted by state news agency KCNA, said the deployment showed “reckless moves for invading” had “reached a serious phase”.

The US Pacific Command says it is aimed at maintaining readiness in the region.

President Donald Trump has said the US is prepared to act alone to deal with the nuclear threat from North Korea.

Meanwhile South Korea and China – North Korea’s closest ally – have warned of more stringent sanctions if Pyongyang conducts more missile tests.

Image source Wikimedia

The Carl Vinson Strike Group comprises an aircraft carrier and other warships. The warship was due to make port calls in Australia but instead has been diverted from Singapore to the west Pacific, where it recently conducted exercises with the South Korean Navy.

“We will hold the US wholly accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by its outrageous actions,” said the foreign ministry statement quoted by KCNA.

“The DPRK is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the US,” it said.

The US naval deployment showed North Korea had been right to develop nuclear weapons capability for use in self defense or in a pre-emptive strike, the statement added.

On April 10, China’s envoy for the Korean peninsula, Wu Dawei met with South Korea’s foreign minister and top nuclear envoy.

Korean officials told reporters that the two countries had agreed to enact “strong additional measures” if North Korea conducts further nuclear or missile tests.

China, which is North Korea’s economic lifeline, has already imposed economic sanctions including a ban of all imports of North Korean coal since February.

Meanwhile South Korea, the US and Japan are arranging a meeting later this month to coordinate a joint response to North Korea, reported South Korean news agency Yonhap.

North Korea has carried out several nuclear tests and experts predict more could be in the offing as it moves closer towards developing a nuclear warhead that could reach the US.

There have been indications from Pyonyang that it may test an intercontinental missile, even though it is banned from any tests under UN resolutions.

North Korea says it is provoked by military exercises between the US and South Korea, which it sees as preparation for an invasion.

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South Korean defense officials say that a North Korean missile launch has failed, but it is unclear how many were fired or what exactly was being tested.

The US military said it detected a missile which appeared to explode within seconds of being launched.

North Korea is banned from any missile or nuclear tests by the UN.

However, North Korea has conducted such tests with increasing frequency and experts say this could lead to advances in its missile technology.

Earlier this month, it fired four missiles that flew about 600 miles, landing in Japanese waters.

This test came from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan and will be seen as a response to annual military drills under way between the US and South Korea, which North Korea sees as preparation for an attack on it.

North Korea is believed to be developing an intercontinental ballistic missile that could strike the US, and has previously claimed it had successfully miniaturized nuclear warheads so they can fit on missiles.

However, most experts believe the North is still some time away from being able to realize such a goal.

Last weekend, North Korea conducted a rocket engine test that its leader Kim Jong-un claimed was a breakthrough in its rocket technology. This has not been confirmed by independent experts.

The move came as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Japan, South Korea and China for talks on North Korea’s recent actions, including its two most recent nuclear tests.

Rex Tillerson had said a military option was on the table if North Korea threatened South Korean or US forces.

South Korea’s opposition seeks the impeachment of acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn over his decisions on the country’s corruption scandal.

The interim leader decided not to extend a special prosecutor’s investigation which involves his predecessor, President Park Geun-hye.

Prosecutors want more time to question her over the scandal.

Park Geun-hye is awaiting a separate ruling on her December impeachment from the  constitutional court.

She is still technically president, though she has been stripped of her powers while the constitutional court decides her fate. As long as she remains president, she is immune from prosecution.

However, the wider corruption investigation which emerged from the scandal will now end on February 28, before special prosecutors have the opportunity to question Park Geun-hye.

Any further investigation will fall to individual state prosecutors.

Image source Wikipedia

Hwang Kyo-ahn, who remains prime minister while he sits in for the president, said that continuing the investigation is not in the best interests of the nation.

His spokesman said: “After much deliberation [the acting president] has decided that it would be best for country’s stability to not extend the special investigation and for the prosecutors to take over.”

Choo Mi-ae, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, said Hwang Kyo-ahn’s decision indicated he was trying “to become Park’s shield to protect her and her associates”.

Park Geun-hye was impeached weeks after her old friend Choi Soon-sil was arrested.

In a written statement on February 27, Park Geun-hye maintained her innocence, but said she had “belated regret, that I should have been more cautious with my trust in her.”

Choi Soon-sil is accused of using her presidential connections to pressure companies for millions of dollars in donations to two non-profit foundations she controlled. President Park Geun-hye is alleged to have been personally involved.

On November 20, Choi Soon-sil was charged with various offences, including abuse of authority, coercion, attempted coercion and attempted fraud, leading to the wider investigation.

Samsung vice-president was also arrested in connection with the probe.

The company is accused of giving donations to non-profit foundations operated by Choi Soon-sil in exchange for government favors.

Park Geun-hye’s case at the constitutional court also heard the final arguments on February 27. It is not known when the final verdict will be delivered.

The court may reject Park Geun-hye’s impeachment, restoring her powers and returning the country to its status quo.

If, however they uphold the parliament’s decision, a presidential election must be held.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets calling on ousted President Park Geun-hye to step down immediately, rather than continue to fight her impeachment in the constitutional court.

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Defense Secretary James Mattis has said any use of nuclear weapons by North Korea would be met with an “effective and overwhelming” response.

He spoke in South Korea, where he had been reaffirming US support, before flying to Tokyo.

James Mattis also reconfirmed plans to deploy a US missile defense system in South Korea later this year.

North Korea’s repeated missile and nuclear tests and aggressive statements continue to alarm and anger the region.

Image source Wikimedia

The US has a considerable military presence in South Korea and Japan, as part of a post-war defense deal. There are just under 28,500 US troops in the country, for which Seoul pays about $900 million annually.

President Donald Trump has previously said he wants both South Korea and Japan to pay more towards maintaining that presence.

According to the Pentagon, James Mattis used his visit to reassure South Korea that the Trump administration “remains steadfast” in its “iron-clad” defense commitments to the region.

Speaking after talks at the defense ministry with his South Korean counterpart Han Min-koo, James Mattis told reporters that “any attack on the United States, or our allies, will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons would be met with a response that would be effective and overwhelming”.

North Korea conducted its fifth test of a nuclear device in 2016, and claims it is capable of carrying out a nuclear attack on the US, though experts are still unconvinced its technology has progressed that far.

After visiting South Korea, James Mattis flew to Japan, where there are a further 50,000 US soldiers plus their dependants and support staff in Japan. The US paid about $5.5 billion for its Japanese bases in 2016, with Japan paying a further $4 billion.

Defense secretary James Mattis is visiting South Korea on the first foreign trip by a senior official in the Trump administration.

James Mattis is expected to use the visit to reassure Seoul of continuing US commitment to security deals in the face of threats from North Korea.

While campaigning, Donald Trump accused South Korea and Japan of not paying enough for US military support.

Donald Trump also suggested they could be allowed to arm themselves with nuclear weapons.

Both Japan and South Korea rejected this idea.

Image source Wikimedia

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump also said he was willing to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, contradicting longstanding US, South Korean and Japanese policy.

James Mattis will be in South Korea until February 3, and will hold talks with his Korean counterpart, Han Min-koo, among other officials.

The Pentagon said the visit would “underscore the commitment of the United States to our enduring alliances with Japan and the Republic of Korea, and further strengthen US-Japan-Republic of Korea security cooperation”.

James Mattis told reporters he would discuss the planned deployment of a US missile defence system in South Korea, and North Korea’s nuclear program.

His visit comes amid increasing threats from North Korea that it is ready to test-fire a new intercontinental ballistic missile at any time.

Under the Obama administration, the US and South Korea agreed to the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to defend the South from North Korean missiles.

However, the move has angered China, which says it threatens its own security and goes “far beyond the defense needs of the Korean peninsula”.

There are just under 28,500 US military personnel based in South Korea, as part of a post-war arrangement. South Korea pays about $900 million annually towards the deployment.

On February 3, James Mattis will travel to Japan, for talks with Defense Minister Tomomi Inada.

There are a further 50,000 soldiers plus their dependents and support staff in Japan. The US pays about $5.5 billion for its Japanese bases in 2016, with Japan paying a further $4 billion.

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South Koreans protesters dressed as Santa Claus have marched through the streets of Seoul calling for the immediate removal of President Park Geun-hye.

The festive protest marks the ninth week of rallies against the South Korean president.

Earlier this month South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal, but that decision has to be confirmed by the country’s constitutional court.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators demand the president to resign at once.

Organizers say more than 550,000 people joined the ranks marching towards the presidential Blue House, the prime minister’s office and the constitutional court. Police figures were not available.

The crowd chanted “Arrest Park immediately!” and sang along to Christmas songs whose lyrics they had changed to mock the president.

Between 200 and 300 young people in Santa outfits handed out books and Christmas cards to children at the demonstration, chanting: “Gifts to children and handcuffs to Park!”

The scandal which has engulfed President Park Geun-hye centers on her relationship with long-time friend Choi Soon-sil, who faces charges of coercion and abuse of power.

It is alleged that after Park Geun-hye became president in 2013, Choi Soon-sil, 60, used their friendship to pressure top companies into donating to foundations she controlled, and then siphoned off funds for her own gain.

Prosecutors are also investigating new allegations that Choi Soon-sil sent dubious assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars overseas.

Park Geun-hye’s one-time ally has been in custody since October, and was brought to a special prosecutors’ office to be questioned on December 24.

A spokesman for the special prosecutor told reporters: “We will question her to confirm her earlier statements and investigate other allegations.”

President Park Geun-hye has been suspended from her duties since the impeachment vote on December 9, but insists she will wait “calmly” until the constitutional court delivers its decision.

If the constitutional court confirms her impeachment, Park Geun-hye will be permanently removed from office, and elections will be held within 60 days.

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Eight of South Korea’s biggest businesses, including Samsung and Hyundai, are being questioned by parliament in a rare TV hearing as part of a huge corruption inquiry.

The companies admitted giving millions of dollars to funds linked to President Park Geun-hye, but denied seeking favors.

Samsung admitted to giving the daughter of Park Geun-hye’s friend an expensive horse.

Parliament is due to vote on December 9 on the president’s impeachment over her involvement in the scandal.

Massive protests have been held in recent weeks demanding the president’s resignation.

The executives are being questioned by a cross-party committee of lawmakers. The panel has no power to punish but its chairman has said the hearing is a place for apology.

One of the corporate bosses acknowledged that it was difficult for companies to say no to government requests.

Image source Wikimedia

Image source Wikimedia

“It’s a South Korean reality that if there is a government request, it is difficult for companies to decline,” said Huh Chang-soo, head of the GS Group and chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries lobby group.

The conglomerates all gave large donations to non-profit foundations operated by Choi Soon-sil, a close confidante of Park Geun-hye.

Choi Soon-sil has been charged with coercion and attempted fraud.

Lawmakers spent the most time grilling Samsung’s Lee Kun-hee. Samsung has been accused of giving donations in exchange for support of a controversial merger that effectively strengthened his position in the company.

Samsung gave a total of 20.4 billion won ($17.46 million) to the two foundations.

Like the other leaders, Lee Kun-hee denied the allegations, saying Samsung “never provided support or gave donations in return for something”.

However, he admitted that his company provided a one billion won ($855,000) horse to Choi Soon-sil’s daughter, a professional equestrian, and said he regretted it.

Lee Kun-hee apologized for Samsung’s involvement in the scandal and said his company would “take all responsibility” if there was any.

South Korea’s family-owned conglomerates, known as chaebols, have increasingly been perceived as a symbol of the out-of-touch elite, and have become a target of public fury in recent protests calling for Park Geun-hye’s resignation.

The president has apologized multiple times to the public for allowing Choi Soon-sil inappropriate access to government decisions but has stopped short of resigning.

Last week Parke Geun-hye said she would leave it to parliament to decide her fate, and on December 6 she was quoted by her party’s leader as saying she would accept the outcome of December 9 impeachment vote.

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According to South Korean prosecutors, President Park Geun-hye had a “considerable” role in a corruption scandal involving her close confidante Choi Soon-sil.

Speaking after Choi Soon-sil and two of Prak Geun-hye’s aides were charged, Chief Prosecutor Lee Young-ryeol said the president was “involved as a conspirator” but was immune from prosecution.

Park Geun-hye has faced huge protests and opponents have urged her to quit.

The prosecutor said she would be questioned soon.

Image source Wikimedia

Image source Wikimedia

Park Geun-hye, whose approval rating has dropped to 5%, has apologized twice on national TV but has so far resisted calls to resign.

Her office had no comment on November 20. She has previously pledged to cooperate in the investigation but resisted prosecutors’ plans to question her last week, Reuters reported.

South Korea’s parliament has approved a bill to appoint a special prosecutor, who will take over the case from state prosecutors.

South Koreans have reacted angrily to the revelations. The country has witnessed the largest protests since the pro-democracy demonstrations of the 1980s.

Organizers said as many as 500,000 people attended a candlelit rally in the capital this weekend, which brought streets to a standstill for the fourth consecutive Saturday. Police put the figure far lower.

Park Geun-hye is facing growing calls to resign over the scandal. Opposition figures may attempt to impeach her if she refuses to resign in order to protect her immunity.

Choi Soon-sil is accused of trying to extort huge sums of money from South Korean companies, and suspected of using her friendship with Park Geun-hye to solicit business donations for a non-profit fund she controlled.

Also indicted was Ahn Jong-beom, Park Geun-hye’s former senior secretary for policy coordination. Ahn Jong-beom was charged with abuse of authority, coercion and attempted coercion.

The second aide to be charged was Jung Ho-sung, accused of passing classified presidential documents to Choi Spoon-sil, including information on ministerial candidates.

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As part of an investigation into government corruption, South Korean prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for two former aides of President Park Geun-hye.

Her former senior secretary for policy Ahn Jong-beom, and private secretary Jung Ho-sung, are wanted in relation to charges of fraud and abuse of power.

President Park Geun-hye has so far refused to resign over the scandal. She apologized on TV on November 4.

In the TV address, she admitted that she made an error in allowing her friend Choi Soon-sil inappropriate access to government policy-making.

Image source Wikimedia

Image source Wikimedia

However, Park Geun-hye denied allowing cultish rituals to be performed in the presidential palace.

Choi Soon-sil, the daughter of a cult leader, is suspected of using her friendship with the president to solicit donations to a non-profit fund she controlled. She is in detention facing charges.

The corruption scandal, which threatens to engulf Park Geun-hye’s leadership, has left her with an approval rating of just 5%, the lowest ever for a sitting South Korean president.

Tens of thousands of South Koreans have been protesting in Seoul demanding her resignation.

The main opposition party, which said Park Geun-hye’s apology on November 4 lacked sincerity, also called on her to step back from state affairs.

Park Geun-hye became South Korea’s first female president when she was elected in a close-run contest in December 2012.

Choi Soon-sil is the daughter of Choi Tae-min, a shadowy quasi-religious leader who was closely linked to Park Geun-hye’s father, then-President Park Chung-hee.

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Prosecutors have requested an arrest warrant for Choi Soon-sil, a friend of South Korean President Park Geun-hye amid a scandal that threatens to bring down her administration.

Choi Soon-sil was detained on October 31, accused of influence peddling and interfering in state affairs.

Eight banks have also been raided in connection with the scandal, South Korean media reported.

The scandal has prompted widespread anger.

Image source Getty Images

Image source Getty Images

Critics say Choi Soon-sil used her closeness to the president to solicit corporate money for foundations she ran, as well as embezzling state funds and directing presidential decisions, despite a lack of office, expertise or security clearance.

Seoul Central District Court will review the request for an arrest warrant for Choi Soon-sil on November 3, a court spokesman said.

President Park Geun-hye has responded by reshuffling her government.

Kim Byong-joon, a senior presidential secretary under a previous administration, was named as prime minister to replace Hwang Kyo-ahn. The role of prime minister is largely symbolic in South Korea, where power is concentrated in the presidency.

Yim Jong-yong, currently Financial Services Commission chairman, was named as the new finance minister and deputy prime minister, replacing Yoo Il-ho.

A new minister of public safety and security has also been appointed.

However, the opposition says the reshuffle is an attempt to deflect attention from Choi Soon-sil.

Surveys show Park Geun-hye’s approval rating is about 10% and about half of respondents say she should resign or face impeachment.

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Thousands of South Koreans have rallied in Seoul on October 29, demanding the resignation of President Park Geun-hye.

The protest comes after Park Geun-hye ordered 10 of her senior advisers to quit after admitting she had allowed an old friend to edit political speeches.

Choi Soon-sil, who holds no government job, is also suspected of meddling in policy-making and exploiting her links with the president for financial gain.

Park Geun-hye’s televised apology over the scandal last week sparked widespread accusations of mismanagement.

President Park Geun-hye has issued an apology to the nation after three officials of the country’s intelligence agency were charged with fabricating evidence in a spying case

Image source AP

Police said about 8,000 protesters took to the streets of Seoul on October 29. Organizers said some 20,000 people turned out.

Many held posters reading “Step down, Park Geun-hye”.

“Park has lost her authority as president and showed she doesn’t have the basic qualities to govern a country,” opposition politician Jae-myung Lee was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

Park Geun-hye’s TV apology failed to defuse the situation.

The scandal has badly eroded the president’s popularity before next year’s elections, with some opposition parties calling on her to resign.

However, the row has not prevented Park Geun-hye from proposing that presidents be allowed to stand for a second consecutive term.

Park Geun-hye, 64, became the first woman to lead South Korea after winning presidential elections in 2012.

Choi Soon-sil is the daughter of shadowy religious cult leader Choi Tae-min, who was Park Geun-hye’s mentor until his death in 1994.

She left the country last month and is currently in Germany. She has denied in an interview with South Korean media benefiting financially from her government links.

Choi Soon-sil’s lawyer said she was well aware of the “gravity” of the situation and was willing to return to South Korea if summoned by prosecutors.

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The US, South Korea and Japan have agreed to work together to increase pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

The deputy foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan and the US made the announcement after meeting in Tokyo.

The move comes after top US intelligence official James Clapper said that North Korean denuclearization was “probably a lost cause”.

North Korea carried out its fifth and largest nuclear test in September.North Korea mass rally after congress

The North also claims to have made rapid progress developing long-range rockets, which could be used to strike the American mainland.

Speaking after the Tokyo talks, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “We will not accept North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons, period.”

On October 25, James Clapper told an audience in New York that North Korea’s “paranoid” leadership saw nuclear weapons as “their ticket to survival” and the best the US could hope for was a cap on their capabilities.

Following the comments, the US State Department said its policy had not changed and it still aimed for a resumption of the six-nation talks that North Korea pulled out of in 2009.

Also on October 27 South Korea said it would restart talks with Japan on direct sharing of military intelligence on North Korea – information that currently goes via Washington.

South Korea is also expected to begin hosting an advanced US missile defense system soon, despite opposition from North Korea and China.

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North Korea has carried out another failed missile launch, according to the South Korean military.

The launch of the intermediate-range missile is the second failed test in less than a week after North Korea’s recent launch of a Musudan missile, which has an estimated range of 2,500 miles.North Korea long range missile

The missile is said to be capable of hitting US bases as far away as Guam.

It has been tested eight times this year, with only one success.

However, experts fear it could become operational as early as next year.

The US condemned the launch, calling it a “further provocation”.

North Korea’s last test was denounced by the UN, which has banned it from any use of ballistic or nuclear technology.

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According to the Pentagon, North Korea has recently conducted an unsuccessful test launch of an intermediate ballistic missile.

The Musudan missile has an estimated range of up to 2,500 miles, enough to hit South Korea, Japan and the US territory of Guam.

Pyongyang has not reacted to the news.

North Korea has made a number of missile-related tests this year, despite being banned by the UN from any use of ballistic or nuclear technology.North Korea missile launch 2015

The move comes amid concerns that North Korea may soon launch another long-range rocket or conduct a nuclear test.

The test took place near the north-western city of Kusong at 03:33 GMT on October 15, the Pentagon said in a statement.

US Navy Commander Gary Ross said the missile launch “did not pose a threat to North America”.

South Korea confirmed the failed launch, and said in a statement it strongly condemned the actions of North Korea.

The Yonhap news agency reported the missile was believed to have exploded soon after its launch, without citing a source for the information.

Pyongyang insists its space program is for peaceful purposes.

The US, South Korea and even China, the country’s main ally, say the recent rocket launches are aimed at developing inter-continental ballistic missiles.

North Korea regularly makes claims about the progress of its nuclear and missile programs, but analysts say most of them are impossible to independently verify.

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According to South Korean officials, North Korea could be ready to conduct another nuclear test at any time.

North Korea conducted its fifth underground nuclear test on September 9, thought to be its most powerful yet.

A South Korean defense ministry spokesman said there was still an unused tunnel at the Punggye-ri test site which could be used for a sixth explosion at any time.

Last week’s widely condemned test has ratcheted up tension and led to fierce rhetoric from South Korea.

On September 11, one South Korean military source told the Yonhap news agency that Pyongyang could be annihilated if it showed any signs of mounting a nuclear attack.

Photo KCNA

Photo KCNA

While doubts remain over North Korea’s claim that it can now mount nuclear warheads on ballistic rockets – meaning it can carry out a nuclear attack – experts say the recent progress is worrying.

On September 12, Yonhap cited an unnamed government source as saying reports indicated the North had finished preparations for a further test, in previously unused tunnel at the Punggye-ri site deep underneath mountains in the north-east.

“Intelligence authorities in Seoul and Washington are keeping close tabs,” the unnamed government official was quoted as saying.

Defense ministry spokesperson Moon Sang-gyun later gave a similar statement to reporters. He would not give further details citing security reasons.

The UN Security Council has already agreed to start drawing up new sanctions against North Korea, something the North called “laughable”.

Pyongyang has carried out two nuclear tests in 2016, as well as several tests of powerful missiles. Both are banned by existing sanctions.

On September 12, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported that North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho had arrived in Beijing.

China is North Korea’s main ally and trading partner, but has grown increasingly intolerant of its military actions and Kim Jong-un’s aggressive rhetoric.

China’s support for toughened sanctions is crucial if they are to have any impact.

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According to reports from Seoul, South Korea has a plan to annihilate Pyongyang if North Korea shows any signs of mounting a nuclear attack.

A military source told the Yonhap news agency every part of Pyongyang “will be completely destroyed by ballistic missiles and high-explosives shells”.

Yonhap has close ties to South Korea’s government and is publicly funded.

On September 9, North Korea carried out what it said was its fifth, and largest, nuclear test.

The international community is considering its response.

Photo KCNA

Photo KCNA

The US says it is considering its own sanctions, in addition to any imposed by the UN Security Council, Japan and South Korea.

Pyongyang responded on September 11 by calling the threats of “meaningless sanctions… highly laughable”.

The South Korean military official told Yonhap that Pyongyang districts thought to be hiding the North’s leadership would be particularly targeted in any attack. Pyongyang, the source said, “will be reduced to ashes and removed from the map”.

News of South Korea’s attack plan for North Korea is believed to have been revealed to parliament following September 9 nuclear test.

Meanwhile, the US’s special envoy for North Korea says Washington is considering taking unilateral action against Pyongyang.

Sung Kim said: “North Korea continues to present a growing threat to the region, to our allies, to ourselves, and we will do everything possible to defend against that growing threat.

“In addition to sanctions in the Security Council, both the US and Japan, together with [South Korea], will be looking at any unilateral measures as well as bilateral measures as well as possible trilateral cooperation.”

North Korea is banned by the UN from any tests of nuclear or missile technology and has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since its first test in 2006.

The secretive country said September 9 test had been of a “nuclear warhead that has been standardized to be able to be mounted on strategic ballistic rockets”.

Estimates of the explosive yield of the latest blast have varied. South Korea’s military said it was about 10 kilotonnes, enough to make it the North’s “strongest nuclear test ever”. Other experts say initial indications suggest 20 kilotonnes or more.

The nuclear bomb dropped by the US on Hiroshima in 1945 had a yield of about 15 kilotonnes.

 

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North Korea has successfully carried out its fifth nuclear test, Pyongyang has confirmed.

The government announcement on state media came hours after a seismic event was detected near North Korea’s nuclear test site.

According to South Korean officials, it is North Korea’s biggest ever test, raising fears the state has made real nuclear advances.

South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye called it an act of “self-destruction” showing the “maniacal recklessness” of leader Kim Jong-un. The US warned of “serious consequences”.

China’s foreign ministry said Beijing was resolutely opposed to the test and urged North Korea to avoid further action that would worsen the situation.

North Korea said the test had been of a “newly developed nuclear warhead” and that it was now capable of mounting a nuclear device on ballistic rockets.

South Korea’s military has suggested that the explosive yield of this blast could be almost twice that of the previous nuclear test. Analysts have expressed fears this could mean North Korea is a step closer to having a useable nuclear weapon.

Park Geun-hye, who is cutting short an overseas visit, said the test was a “grave challenge” to the international community that would “only earn more sanctions and isolation” for North Korea.

North Korea has increased the activity at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to South Korea

“Such provocation will further accelerate its path to self-destruction,” she said.

Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe said his country “absolutely cannot condone” any such test and would “protest adamantly” to Pyongyang.

“North Korea’s nuclear development is becoming a graver threat to Japan’s safety and severely undermines the peace and safety of the region and the international community,” he said.

The White House said President Barack Obama had spoken to both Park Geun-hye and Shinzo Abe after the latest test.

A statement from press secretary Josh Earnest said Barack Obama had “reiterated the unbreakable US commitment to the security of our allies in Asia and around the world”.

“The president indicated he would continue to consult our allies and partners in the days ahead to ensure provocative actions from North Korea are met with serious consequences.”

China’s foreign ministry statement read: “Today, [North Korea] again conducted a nuclear test despite widespread international opposition – the Chinese government firmly opposes the test.”

The test was first detected as a 5.3 magnitude earthquake on September 9 in north-east North Korea, close to its Punggye-ri underground nuclear test site.

As with previous nuclear tests, the waveform generated indicated it had not been naturally occurring.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff later said the detonation had a yield of about 10 kilotonnes, making it North Korea’s “strongest nuclear test ever”.

That is almost twice the power of its last test in January, which Pyongyang said at the time had been a hydrogen bomb. Many analysts cast doubt on that claim. The bomb dropped by the US on Hiroshima in 1945 had a yield of about 15 kilotonnes.

A fifth test has long been expected. In recent weeks, satellite imagery has shown increased activity at Punggye-ri.

North Korea also often uses nationally important dates as an opportunity for a show of military strength. September 9 is its National Day, celebrating the founding of the current regime.

It is likely to be some time before the scale and manner of the test are independently confirmed.

Japan has dispatched military aircraft to collect air samples to monitor for radiation, while China said it was monitoring radiation levels close to its borders with North Korea.

North Korea is banned by UN sanctions from any tests of nuclear or missile technology.

In recent months it has conducted a series of ballistic missile launches – some of which reached Japanese waters – and has unleashed a rising tide of aggressive rhetoric, threatening nuclear attacks on its enemies.

North Korea has also been angered by a US and South Korean plan to install an anti-missile defense system in the South and by the allies’ massive annual joint military exercises, which are still taking place.

International sanctions on North Korea were considerably toughened in response to previous nuclear and missile tests but had little impact on Pyongyang’s nuclear arms program.

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According to South Korean officials, North Korea has test-fired three ballistic missiles into the waters off its east coast.

The ballistic missiles were launched from the Hwangju region, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on September 5, according to the Yonhap news agency.

There was no information on the types of missile fired or how far they flew.

North Korea is barred from testing nuclear or ballistic missile technology, but recent months have seen it carry out a string of missile tests.

Photo KCNA

Photo KCNA

The secretive country last fired a ballistic missile just two weeks ago from a submarine off its eastern coast, as South Korea and the US began annual military drills which routinely anger the North. On that occasion the KN-11 rocket that was fired flew for about 300 miles before falling into the Sea of Japan.

The latest test took place as world leaders meet at the annual G20 economic summit, being hosted for the first time in China.

Last month’s rocket launch was considered its most successful test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile. A test of mid-range missiles in June was also considered successful.

Tensions have soared since North Korea carried out its fourth nuclear test in January.

In July the US and South Korea said they would deploy an anti-missile system to counter North Korea’s threats, but this has been met with anger from Pyongyang and opposition from China.

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North Korea executed Vice Premier Kim Yong-jin last month, South Korea government officials have said.

According to Seoul’s unification ministry, Kim Yong-jin was one of Pyongyang’s vice premiers and in charge of education.

Officials did not explain how they got the information. Seoul’s record on reporting such developments is patchy.

In May, North Korean military chief Ri Yong-gil said to have been executed was found to be alive and attending official events.

Ri Yong-gil was widely reported to have been executed in February but when he made an appearance at North Korea’s party congress it highlighted just how difficult it is to get accurate information from the secretive country.

Seoul’s unification ministry, the government department which manages relations with North Korea is, along with the spy agency, South Korea’s primary source of information about Pyongyang.

Photo KCNA

Photo KCNA

The unification ministry also said a prominent minister responsible for intelligence and inter-Korean relations, Kim Yong-chol, had been sent for re-education along with another official, named as Choi Hwi, for a month in mid-July.

North Korea itself very rarely provides confirmation of such reports. The last execution Pyongyang released official information about is thought to be the purge of kim Jong-un’s uncle, Chang Song-thaek in 2013.

The strongest confirmation is usually that an executed official simply disappears from media reports.

If this report turns out to be untrue, Kim Yong-jin may well appear in public or be listed as in attendance at a major public event in Pyongyang.

Another clue to his fate might emerge if North Korea announces a replacement vice premier. Again, this does not necessarily mean he has been executed.

Ri Yong-gil was replaced as military chief but turned up months later, albeit with an apparent demotion.

Kim Yong-jin and Ri Yong-gil have held high office and were mentioned in official statements and dispatches from Pyongyang.

While less is known about Kim Yong-jin, Kim Yong-chol has often been seen alongside Kim Jong-un in photographs and is thought to be close to him. At the party congress in May he was named as head of national intelligence.

North Korean officials are frequently sent for re-education, a process that can sometimes be seen as “corporate training” with some emerging from re-education with higher office while others are demoted.

The statement from Seoul’s unification ministry comes a day after an unconfirmed report in a South Korean newspaper said two different high-ranking officials in the departments of education and agriculture had been executed.

If Kim Yong-jin’s execution is confirmed, it would be just the latest in a series of purges and executions of top officials that Kim Jong-un has enacted since he came to power in 2011.

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According to South Korean and US officials, North Korea has fired a ballistic missile from a submarine off its east coast.

The KN-11 missile was launched from waters near Sinpo and flew about 300 miles before falling into the Sea of Japan, a US official said.

Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe said it fell inside Japan’s Air Defense Identification Zone, calling it a “reckless act”.

The move comes as South Korea and the US begin annual military drills, which routinely anger Pyongyang.

Ulchi Freedom involves about 80,000 US and South Korean troops in a largely computer-simulated defense of South Korea from a fictional North Korean invasion.

Photo KCNA

Photo KCNA

North Korea, which sees these drills as a rehearsal for invasion, recently warned they were pushing the Korean peninsula towards the brink of war and threatened a “pre-emptive nuclear strike” in retaliation.

The communist country is banned by the UN from any use of ballistic or nuclear technology. But in recent months it has carried out repeated missile launches, and is believed to be close to conducting its fifth test of a nuclear device.

Today’s launch appears to have been its most successful test yet of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).

SLBMs are of particular concern because of the mobility of submarines and the ease with which launch preparation can remain undetected.

South Korea’s military said it “seemed to be aimed at raising military tension in response to the Seoul-Washington military drill”, the Yonhap news agency reports.

It said it would “sternly and strongly respond to any provocation by North Korea”.

Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe confirmed reports that the missile fell into Japan’s ADIZ, an area of airspace over which a country exercises security controls.

He said it was an “unforgivable, reckless act” which “poses a grave threat to Japan’s security”.

The US State Department said it “strongly condemned” this, and previous missile tests, and would raise concerns at the UN.

North Korea’s launch also coincided with a meeting of foreign ministers from Japan, China and South Korea in Tokyo.

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Top North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho, who disappeared from the country’s embassy in the UK, has defected to South Korea, officials in Seoul have confirmed.

Thae Yong-ho and his family are under the government’s protection, a South Korean official said.

He was the ambassador’s deputy and is thought to be the highest-ranking North Korean official ever to defect.

Thae Yong-ho’s main mission in London had been to spread positive perceptions of the North Korean leadership.Kim Jong un aunt plastic surgery

He had been due to return to Pyongyang with his wife and children.

Thae Yong-ho had come under pressure from his government to quash growing criticism of North Korea’s human rights record, sources say.

In the past, Thae Yong-ho had argued the British were brainwashed by their ruling class into believing “shocking, terrifying” lies about North Korea under its leader Kim Jong-un.

“If the people in this country, or in America, knew that there is a country in the world where there is a free education, free housing, free medical care, then they’d have second thoughts,” he had said in one speech.

South Korean Unification spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said: “On his reasons for defection, Minister Thae cited disgust with Kim Jong-Un’s regime, admiration for South Korea’s free, democratic system and the future of his family.”

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A group of 13 North Korean restaurant workers who defected from China to South Korea earlier this year have been released.

According to South Korean officials, twelve women and one man had now begun the formal process of resettlement in South Korea.

The group defected in April from a North Korean state-run restaurant in the Chinese city of Ningbo.

At the time Seoul said the size of the defection was “unprecedented” and held them for further investigation.North Korea restaurant workers defection

Most North Korean defectors are first held at an interrogation facility to screen for potential spies and then put through a state resettlement program for three months, the AFP news agency reports.

However, in this case the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it held the workers in “protective custody” because the case was very high profile. It added that North Korea was using the case for propaganda by claiming the female workers had been abducted by Seoul’s spy agency.

The thirteen defectors left a halfway house on August 11, local media reports said. Seoul’s Unification Ministry merely confirmed they had been released but did not give more details.

The release comes just one day after a diplomat at the North Korean embassy in London was reported to have defected and fled abroad with his family.

Thae Yong Ho had served as deputy to the ambassador and was responsible for promoting the image of his country to British audiences.

The group of restaurant workers all left China by legal means on April 6, a Chinese spokesman confirmed after the defection. Unlike many defectors, they all had valid travel documents.

The restaurant was reportedly in Ningbo, in China’s north-eastern province of Zhejiang.

North Korea runs some 130 restaurants in other countries which provide a much-needed source of income.

The North Korean staff is thought to be handpicked from families loyal to the state.

–Why does South Korea keep demanding apologies?–

There are only six months left of President Obama’s term in office. While Americans all across the country are caught up in the upcoming presidential elections, several research institutes and media outlets are starting an assessment of President Obama’s policies. He has received much criticism for his domestic policies, such as Obamacare. In terms of diplomacy, one of President Obama’s more important policies has been his “Pivot to Asia.” CSIS has examined this policy and put together a report containing specific proposals. CSIS evaluated the “Pivot to Asia” as “insufficient to guarantee the interests of the United States,” claiming that “a strategy that lacks military backing does not provide sufficient opposition to Chinese and North Korean provocations.” Although President Obama’s foreign policy has been derided as weak, it has nevertheless had some impact. After a 54-year breakup of diplomatic relations, President Obama restored diplomatic relations with Cuba and became the first American president in 88 years to visit the country. By completely lifting the ban on arms exports to Vietnam, President Obama also dealt with some open wounds left by the Vietnam War, wounds that the United States has been reluctant to even discuss up to now.

President Obama also grabbed headlines by becoming the first incumbent U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, the first city to be struck by an atomic bomb–although it is unclear whether he himself considers this moment the culmination of his foreign policy. President Obama, who launched his foreign policy with a speech in Prague, vowed to build “a world without nuclear weapons” and ends his term in office with a renewed appeal toward the abolition of nuclear weapons. Public opinion in the United States is still strongly supportive of the decision to drop the atomic bombs during World War II. Visiting Hiroshima was a difficult choice for President Obama and the White House, because the visit invited backlash from those who claim that the move was tantamount to an apology on the part of the United States. President Obama’s decision to visit was seen as very courageous in both countries, but especially in Japan. American public opinion was also appreciative of the fact that Japanese victims of the atomic bomb and their families did not demand any apologies from the United States.

However, South Korea–an ally of both the United States and Japan–did not consider this historical visit “justified.” Korean media were united in their furious opposition to Obama’s visit, insisting that “Japan should not be made into a victim” and that “Japan should continue to be seen as an aggressor in the war.” These same media also claimed that “the tragedy of the atomic bomb was a result of the war and atrocities caused by Japan’s imperialism.” Although President Obama referred to Korean victims of the atomic bombs during his visit, Korean media insisted that their country was somehow being victimized, lamenting that Obama “did not visit the cenotaph for Korean victims.” South Korea turned its back on the main theme of Obama’s visit, which was the total abolition of nuclear weapons, which is undoubtedly a global concern.

It did not stop there. Before President Obama arrived in Hiroshima, Korean victims of the atomic bombs visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park to offer flowers at the cenotaph for Korean victims. The group consisted of five Korean survivors of the atomic bombs and one second-generation survivor. They read aloud a letter in which they demanded an apology and reparations from President Obama, and finally thrust their fists into the air while chanting in Japanese and Korean, “We want apologies from President Obama! We want reparations!”

An American head of state visited Japan, once its greatest enemy, in order to achieve reconciliation once and for all, with an eye on the future. South Korea, an ally to both the United States and Japan, inserted itself into this historic occasion in a truly unseemly display, acting as though only South Korea was a victim in the war. Wars involve countries killing each other’s citizens. Countless precious lives were lost in all the countries that emerged victorious in World War II, including the United States. From that point of view, all countries who were involved in the war are “victims.” The United States and Japan spent the entirety of the war killing each other’s citizens, but today, they demand no apologies from each other. Korea was part of Japan during World War II, and the Korean soldiers who were part of the Japanese army stood side by side with Japanese soldiers as they killed Americans. But no matter how many soldiers the United States lost in the war, they do not demand apologies from South Korea. It defies comprehension that only South Korea is demanding apologies from the United States. South Korea’s insistent agitating for an apology becomes somewhat easier to understand if it is seen as an attempt by its rulers to ensure that domestic public opinion will not turn against the government.

As shown by the country’s demands that Japan apologize for the so-called comfort women, demanding apologies from other countries seems to be a part of South Korean identity in some way. When Japan and South Korea closed an agreement on the issue last year after mediation from the United States, American voices welcomed that agreement. The agreement includes an apology from the Japanese side. However, Japanese officials have already offered around ten different public apologies related to comfort women. Still, there are no indications that South Korea’s demands for apologies from Japan will be satisfied anytime soon. There is strong opposition to the agreement inside South Korea, led by citizen’s groups such as “The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan,” whose voice is highly influential in the debate around comfort women. Because one of the aims of these organizations is to force an investigation of the Japanese government’s legal responsibility, it should come as no surprise that the South Korean government is now a target for their criticism as well. In addition, South Koreans have thoughtlessly dragged American people into the debate about comfort women by complaining to them, even though they have nothing to do with an issue that is essentially a problem between South Korea and Japan only. Even completely unrelated countries such as Canada and Australia have been drawn into the discussion through activism by local Korean communities— the erection of statues memorializing comfort women are one such example.

South Korea is trying to make itself sound more important by involving other countries, like a child that deliberately gets into mischief in order to get attention from its parents. If South Korea wants itself to be recognized as a grown-up country in its own right, rather than the child of the United States or Japan, it would do well to cease these endless demands for apologies that are rooted in a persistent sense of victimization.

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A North Korean defector has entered the South Korean consulate in Hong Kong seeking asylum, the South China Morning Post reports.

The publication reported that the 18-year-old

Photo Reuters

Photo Reuters

defector participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad held in Hong Kong recently.

Police patrols around the area have been boosted and security stepped up.

China, which has authority over Hong Kong’s diplomatic issues, has reportedly been notified.

South Korea’s foreign ministry declined to comment, with an official saying the government’s position was not to make any comments related to defectors from Pyongyang.

Local media suggests the Hong Kong government is keen to avoid a similar outcome of a saga in 2013 where US whistle-blower Edward Snowden hid in a Hong Kong hotel before flying to Russia for temporary asylum.

Under Hong Kong’s Basic Law, the constitutional document of the territory, China has authority over diplomatic issues.

China usually sends back North Koreans found entering its territory illegally. South Korea usually takes in and rehabilitates North Koreans who escape.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry’s website says more than 29,000 North Koreans have defected to the South since the end of the Korean War.