Speculation soared Thursday that North Korea may be counting down to a fresh test of a long-range missiles, prompting Seoul and its partners to tighten monitoring activities and warning of a surprise provocation in light of the recent fourth nuclear test. Quoting a Japanese government official, Kyodo News reported early in the day that the liftoff could take place in the North’s northwest town of Dongchang as soon as in a week, given satellite imagery analyzed over the “past several days.”The So

 In the aftermath of Pyongyang’s fourth nuclear test, Seoul is expected to toughen its cross-border policy this year, focusing on sanctions diplomacy and mounting across-the-board pressure on the communist state. The foreign, defense and unification ministries set “solid diplomacy and security” and “steady unification preparation” as the theme of their joint annual New Year policy briefing for President Park Geun-hye on Friday, with the resolution of North Korea’s nuclear issue being the No.1 pr

The vice ministers of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan plan to meet in Tokyo on Saturday as the three countries are seeking to bring about a fresh bout of stifling sanctions in response to North Korea’s fourth nuclear test. Seoul’s Vice Minister Lim Sung-nam will join U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki. The trip would mark the three nations’ second vice-ministerial talks following the first round in Washington last April and Lim’s first pa

An unidentified number of Koreans were injured during an explosion Tuesday in Istanbul, local media reported. The consulate general in the Eurasian country’s ancient city is examining the incident in the popular tourist hotspot of Sultanahmet, close to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, but the precise extent of damage remains unknown. A local tour guide told Yonhap news agency that two Koreans including himself suffered “slight wounds” such as on their fingers and “several” travelers from other

South Korea and the U.S. are spurring global efforts to slap a fresh batch of crippling sanctions on North Korea following the communist nation’s fourth atomic experiment, ratcheting up pressure to extract China’s endorsement while crafting separate punishments at home and with close partners.  Vehicles wait to cross the border to enter the Gaeseong industrial park in North Korea on Monday. (Yonhap)Seoul and Washington pledged to have Pyongyang face “consequences” for breaching international ban

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin on Monday warned that North Korea could stage an additional provocation and urged solid joint defense readiness with the U.S. in the aftermath of the communist state’s fourth nuclear test last week. Lee visited the Osan air base in Gyeonggi Province with U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti who also called for the personnel there to maintain “top-level readiness with a long-term view,” according to military officials here.  Joint Chi

The Defense Ministry on Friday refuted U.S. media reports that Washington was aware of Pyongyang’s preparations in the run up to Wednesday’s fourth nuclear test. NBC News reported Wednesday, Washington time, that the U.S. had perceived the movement for two weeks and launched drones to collect air samples near the site, citing a senior military official. “The report appears to be based on assumptions,” a ministry official told reporters on customary condition of anonymity. “Normally a U.S. drone

YEONCHEON/SEOUL ― Tension prevailed across the Demilitarized Zone after South Korea reactivated sets of loudspeakers for anti-Pyongyang broadcasts on Friday in a first punitive step against the North’s fourth nuclear test two days ago. At noon, the “Voice of Freedom” show began with the host calling for soldiers to quit smoking as a New Year’s resolution, followed by the 1980s rock band Gun Son’s popular song “No Smoking” and Rimi and Potato’s “Baby I’m Cold.”Unfolding at 11 locations along the

South Korea, the U.S., Japan and other countries and organizations are spurring efforts to discover traces of radioactive materials released during North Korea’s recent nuclear test to better decipher the event and ratchet up pressure on the wayward regime.  Officials work at Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety in Daejeon. (Yonhap)Seoul’s Nuclear Safety and Security Commission has launched an emergency operation team with the Korea Meteorological Administration and Korea Institute of Nuclear Safet

YEONCHEON/SEOUL -- Tension prevailed across the Demilitarized Zone after South Korea reactivated sets of loudspeakers for anti-Pyongyang broadcasts on Friday in a first punitive step against the North’s fourth nuclear test two days ago.  South Korean military resumed propaganda broadcasts via loudspeakers at the border on Friday. (Yonhap)At noon, the “Voice of Freedom” show began with the host’s comment expressing his resolve to quit smoking this year, followed by the 1980s rock band Gun Son’s p

Last Friday, the mood for cross-border ties appeared fairly upbeat as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed his resolve for dialogue instead of touching on his nuclear ambitions in his New Year’s address, which was duly noted by President Park Geun-hye who responded positively. Less than a week later, the situation has reversed. Pyongyang declared it successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test Wednesday, catching everyone off guard ― not just Seoul and Washington, but also Beijing, the com

Hit by North Korea’s unexpected fourth nuclear test, the Park Geun-hye government is facing mounting calls for an overhaul of its cross-border policy to induce the unruly regime to change course and better counter its unbridled threats. Though the president vowed to make Pyongyang “pay the price” for its latest provocation, Seoul appears to have few options on its own other than a possible closure or downsizing of a joint factory park in a North Korean border city, and a curb on already dwindled

U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter has condemned the North’s fourth nuclear test as an “unacceptable and irresponsible provocation,” reaffirming Washington’s commitment to the defense of the peninsula including through its extended deterrence, Seoul‘s Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Thursday.The two countries issued a statement after Han spoke with Carter late Wednesday on the phone, during which they said the latest experiment constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and threat

After 24 years of relentless squabbling, Seoul has managed to pull off a compromise to put an end to the issue of Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II ― with perhaps the most unlikely leadership of hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But the ongoing furor is showing little sign of abating, chiefly over Seoul’s failure to consult with the aging victims before last week’s surprise announcement. A string of protests have since begun in the capital and are poised to spill ov

In the aftermath of its fourth nuclear test on Wednesday, North Korea faces a fresh set of crippling international sanctions, with the U.N. Security Council set to gather in New York. The U.S., China, Japan and other countries swiftly joined in condemning Pyongyang after it claimed to have successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb experiment, “proudly joining the advanced ranks of nuclear weapons states possessing even H-bombs.” The council is scheduled to meet at 1 a.m. Thursday in line

North Korea’s latest nuclear test is darkening the outlook for cross-border relations, leaving little room for the Park Geun-hye administration to improve ties and cement its diplomatic and security legacy. The underground explosion caught Seoul off guard, as it came only days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed the significance of the Aug. 25 inter-Korean fence-mending agreement on Friday, vowing to continue talks and urging Seoul not to commit any “retrograde” behavior that could da

President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday called on her top aides to strengthen defense capabilities and maintain airtight readiness posture, saying this year marks a “turning point” in her diplomatic and security policy. Presiding over the first Cabinet meeting of the year, she also pledged to make constant efforts to put cross-border relations back on track, in an upbeat response to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s New Year address in which he said Pyongyang would strive to improve the ties and cont

(Hanwha Thales)Hanwha Thales clinched an agreement Tuesday to supply tactical information communication networks to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, as Seoul seeks to improve its battlefield command and control systems, the company said. Under the 166.3 billion won ($139.9 million) deal, the Seoul-based defense contractor will deliver network management, tactical mobile communications and low-capacity trunk radio systems by the end of this year. Hanwha and the Agency for Defense D

Amid the mushrooming public uproar over the compromise with Japan on the “comfort women,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has added fuel to the fire by expressing his support during a phone call with President Park Geun-hye on New Years’ Day. The two leaders spoke Friday to swap greetings for the New Year and discuss ways to deepen cooperation on development, climate change, human rights and other common challenges. Ban, for his part, commended last week’s agreement, saying that history would

Two days after the breakthrough on the sex slavery issue, Korea faces a double whammy of mounting Japanese efforts to dilute the agreement and eroding public and political support at home.  Participants hold up pictures of victims of Japan`s WWII sexual slavery during a weekly rally held near the statue of a girl representing comfort women adjacent to a construction site of the Japanese Embassy building in central Seoul, Wednesday. (Yonhap)Seoul’s ongoing effort to appease the victims is being b