To many, for the past 10 days the Korean Peninsula appeared to have been edging toward the brink of war. Soon after bombarding Syria and Afghanistan with missiles and a gigantic bomb, the US said it had ordered its flagship aircraft carrier strike group, which was already here last month for a joint drill with the South Korean military, to head back toward the peninsula. The announcement triggered a frenzied chain reaction throughout the region. As President Donald Trump and other top Washington

Shortly after the US’ stringent warning, North Korea responded with shrill rhetoric, with its envoys at home and at the UN relaying fresh threats of far more frequent weapons tests, a pre-emptive strike and even nuclear war. US Vice President Mike Pence on Monday in Seoul warned Pyongyang “not to test” the US, singling out its recent strike in Syria and Afghanistan that showed the “strength and resolve” of President Donald Trump and the US military forces. Several hours later, North Korea’s depu

US Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday the Donald Trump administration is to “review and reform” the free trade pact with South Korea, citing growing trade deficits and “too many barriers” for American firms. At a meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Seoul, Pence said since the two countries’ trade agreement took effect five years ago, the US’ deficit has more than doubled, calling it the “most concerning fact.”US Vice President Mike Pence (Yonhap)“We have to be honest about where o

US Vice President Mike Pence on Monday warned North Korea against “testing” the US’ military power and resolve to denuclearize the peninsula, saying “all options are on the table.”At a joint news conference with acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn, Pence declared the end of the “strategic patience” policy, under which Washington has for more than 20 years been making overtures, only to be met with Pyongyang’s “willful deceptions, broken promises and nuclear and missile tests.”US Vice President Mike P

The US dropping its largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan is being interpreted as the latest warning sign, as Washington has been ratcheting up pressure over Pyongyang’s nuclear threats, especially since the US’ recent summit with China.  The US Air Force released the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, armed with 11 tons of explosives, in the eastern part of Afghanistan on Thursday on a cave complex that housed fighters of the Islamic State extremist group. An undated handout photo made

The following is the second and last of a two-part series on major presidential candidates’ stances on security and diplomatic issues confronting South Korea. -- Ed.With persistent controversy over the shutdown of an inter-Korean factory complex, most of the top five presidential candidates remain resistant to its immediate reopening without tackling North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. The Kaesong industrial park was closed in February 2016 as part of the Park Geun-hye government’s respo

Propelled by North Korea’s rising threats and heightened military tension, foreign and security policy is rapidly ascending the agenda for next month’s presidential election. While the economy and welfare remain atop the agenda, all five major contenders are striving to flaunt their credentials to be a strong commander-in-chief, lambasting North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and warning against unilateral US military action.Presidential candidates and National Assembly officials head to a

For Seoul, this week’s visit by Wu Dawei, special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs at Beijing’s Foreign Ministry, is timely and weighty, coming amid spiraling concerns over North Korean provocations and shortly after a US-China summit. Yet as soon as he wrapped up his first day with business-as-usual diplomatic consultations, Wu embarked on a mission that may possibly serve what critics say is the real purpose of the trip: meeting with South Korean presidential candidates to appeal ag

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday ruled out a regime change as its North Korea policy goal, in an apparent message to Pyongyang following a summit with China and military strike in Syria. “In terms of North Korea, we have been very clear that our objective is a denuclearized Korean Peninsula,” he said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week.” “We have no objective to change the regime in North Korea -- that is not our objective. And so the whole reasons underlying the development of a

The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned North Korea’s recent tests of ballistic missiles and a rocket engine, as the European Union and Japan tightened individual sanctions against the recalcitrant regime. The press statement was unanimously adopted at the UNSC, the fourth such action this year, calling the tests “highly destabilizing behavior and flagrant and provocative defiance” of its resolutions. (Yonhap)In the latest launch Wednesday, a missile flew about 60 kilometers before falling

North Korea held “research discussions” to laud leader Kim Jong-un’s political, military and socioeconomic achievements, Pyongyang’s state media said Friday. At the seminar, senior officials of the Workers’ Party and agencies in charge of administrative, labor, science, education, publishing and other affairs took part and introduced research papers on the feats Kim has accomplished since he took power in late 2011, the official Korean Central News Agency said.  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (

US Vice President Mike Pence plans to visit South Korea later this month as part of his Asia tour, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday, as the two countries are seeking to step up cooperation amid North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats. Pence will arrive on April 16 for a three-day stay, during which he will meet with acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn and other key Seoul officials. His detailed schedule is still in the making, ministry officials said. US Vice President Mike Pence spe

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that it is “my responsibility” to address North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, as he is set to start a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “We have a big problem,” Trump said during a joint news conference with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House, referring to North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-un. “We have somebody that is not doing the right thing. And that’s going to be my responsibility. But I’ll tell you, that responsibility co

With its latest missile test, North Korea appears to be seeking to overshadow a summit between the leaders of the US and China, putting their relationship to a first, crucial test.Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are set to meet in Florida from Thursday, and how to deal with the North’s nuclear and missile programs is expected to take center stage. The timing could be particularly troubling for Xi, who would not want to be seen as protecting mercurial young leader Kim Jong-un in the face o

In a fresh bout of pressure ahead of a US-China summit, the US Congress’ lower chamber on Monday approved a bill calling for North Korea to be relisted as a state sponsor of terrorism, and a resolution condemning its ongoing development of an intercontinental ballistic missile. The House of Representatives voted 394-1 and 398-3 to pass the legislation and the resolution on a fast track, respectively, only five days after its foreign relations committee endorsed them.(Yonhap)The bipartisan bill,

Japan said Monday it plans to return its ambassador to South Korea to Seoul on Tuesday amid lingering tension over a statue representing Korean women forced into wartime sex slavery. But Japan’s Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country was “at least at this point” not considering reopening negotiations on a currency swap deal intended to stabilize the Korean currency in the event of a financial crisis.Yasumasa Nagamine, the Japanese Ambassador to Korea (gettyimages)Yasumasa Nagamine was

Despite efforts to craft a fresh North Korea policy, the Donald Trump administration will continue to build on the existing sanctions network and call for China to play a greater role in line with former President Barack Obama’s approach, a former US official said. David Straub, a former longtime Korea expert at the State Department who now works as a visiting fellow at the Sejong Institute here, ditched criticism likening the Obama leadership’s “strategic patience” to “doing nothing,” saying it

Seoul on Friday condemned Tokyo’s reinforced claim to Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo through new educational guidelines, which further stoked the territorial and historical tensions between the two countries. The Japanese government approved updated guidelines for primary and middle schools, in which the islets are described for the first time as Japanese territory.Education Ministry spokesperson Ju Miung-hyun condemns Tokyo’s reinforced claim to Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo through

North Korea has newly added the illegal production of opium and other narcotics as subject to the death penalty in another step back for human rights, a state-run think tank in Seoul said Thursday.The Korea Institute for National Unification introduced the gist of its annual white paper on human rights in North Korea, which will be formally released next month. Based on interviews with 196 defectors and other surveys last year, the latest edition details the regime’s rights breaches on the right

Despite a series of unresolved mysteries surrounding his assassination, the remains of Kim Jong-nam appear to be set for a cremation and return to the homeland he had been unable to visit for years. Malaysian and Japanese news reports said Monday that the body of Kim, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was transferred to a crematorium outside Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, and the remains will be handed over to Pyongyang envoys who are visiting the country for secret talks w