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re: NORTH KOREA: Missile Tests Photos From Space
Drugs, Arms, and TERROR: A High-Profile Defector on Kim's North Korea
The old habits of secrecy haven't left Kim Kuk-song. BBC News 11 OCT 2021. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...0987078_02.jpg In a 30-year career, Kim Kuk-song rose to the top ranks of North Korea's powerful spy agencies https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...f8486b7c90.jpg The former North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il with his son, Kim Jong-un, in the background It has taken weeks of discussions to get an interview with him, and he's still worried about who might be listening. He wears dark glasses for the camera, and only two of our team know what we think is his real name. Mr Kim spent 30 years working his way to the top ranks of North Korea's powerful spy agencies. The agencies were the "eyes, ears, and brains of the Supreme Leader", he says. He claims he kept their secrets, sent assassins to kill their critics, and even built an illegal drugs-lab to help raise "revolutionary" funds. Now, the former senior colonel has decided to tell his story to the BBC. It's the first time such a senior military officer from Pyongyang has given an interview to a major broadcaster. Mr Kim was the "reddest of the red", he says in an exclusive interview. A loyal communist servant. But rank and loyalty do not guarantee your safety in North Korea. He had to flee for his life in 2014, and since then he has been living in Seoul and working for South Korean intelligence. He depicts a North Korean leadership desperate to make cash by any means possible, from drug deals to weapons sales in the Middle East and Africa. He told us about the strategy behind decisions being made in Pyongyang, the regime's attacks on South Korea, and claims that the secretive country's spy and cyber networks can reach around the world. The BBC cannot independently verify his claims, but we have managed to verify his identity and, where possible, found corroborating evidence for his allegations. We contacted the North Korean embassy in London and the mission in New York for a statement, but have so far received no response. A 'Terror Task Force' Mr Kim's last few years in North Korea's top intelligence unit offer some insight into the early career of the current leader, Kim Jong-un. He paints a picture of a young man eager to prove himself as a "warrior". North Korea formed a new spy agency called the Reconnaissance General Bureau in 2009, just as Kim Jong-un was being groomed to succeed his father, who had suffered a stroke. Chief of the bureau was Kim Yong-chol, who remains one of the North Korean leader's most trusted aides. The colonel said that in May 2009, an order came down the chain of command to form a "terror task force" to kill a former North Korean official who had defected to the South. "For Kim Jong-un, it was an act to satisfy the supreme leader (his father)," Mr Kim says. "A 'Terror Force' was formed to assassinate Hwang Jang-yop in secret. I personally directed and carried out the work." Hwang Jang-yop was once one of the country's most powerful officials. He had been a key architect of North Korean policy. His defection to the South in 1997 had never been forgiven. Once in Seoul, he was extremely critical of the regime, and the Kim family wanted revenge. But the assassination attempt went wrong. Two North Korean army majors are still serving 10 year prison sentences in Seoul for the plot. Pyongyang always denied it was involved and claimed South Korea had staged the attempt. Mr Kim's testimony would suggest otherwise. "In North Korea, terrorism is a political tool that protects the highest dignity of Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un", he says. "It was a gift to demonstrate the successor's loyalty to his great leader." There was more to come. A year later, in 2010, a South Korean navy ship, the Cheonan, sank after being hit by a torpedo. Forty-six lives were lost. Pyongyang has always denied its involvement. Then, in November that year, dozens of North Korean artillery shells hit the South Korean island of Yeongpyeong. Two soldiers and two civilians were killed. There has been much debate over who gave the order for that attack. Mr Kim said he was "not directly involved in the operations on the Cheonan or Yeonpyeong Island", but they "were not a secret to RGB officers, it was treated with pride, something to boast about". And those operations would not have happened without orders from the top, he says. "In North Korea, even when a road is built, it cannot be done without the direct approval of the Supreme Leader. The sinking of the Cheonan and the shelling of Yeongpyeong Island are not a thing that could be carried out by subordinates. "This kind of military work is designed and implemented by Kim Jong-un's special orders. It's an achievement." 'Spy in the Blue House' Mr Kim says one of his responsibilities in the North was developing strategies to deal with South Korea. The aim was "political subordination". That involved having eyes and ears on the ground. "There are many cases where I directed spies to go to South Korea and performed operative missions through them. Many cases", he claims. He doesn't elaborate, but he does give us one intriguing example. "There was a case where a North Korean agent was dispatched and worked at the Presidential Office in South Korea and returned to North Korea safely. That was in the early 1990s. After working for the Blue House (South Korea's Presidential Office) for five to six years, he came back safely and worked at the 314 Liaison Office of the Labor Party. "I can tell you that North Korean operatives are playing an active role in various civil society organisations as well as important institutions in South Korea." The BBC has no way of verifying this claim. The North Korean supreme leader, Kim Jong-un. "All the money in North Korea belongs to the leader," said Kim Kuk-song. I have met several convicted North Korean spies in South Korea, and, as NK News founder Chad O'Carroll notes in a recent article, South Korean prisons were once filled with dozens of North Korean spies arrested over the decades for various types of espionage work. A handful of incidents have continued to occur and at least one involved a spy sent directly from the North. But NK News data suggests that far fewer people have been arrested in South Korea for spy-related offenses since 2017, as the North turns to new technologies, rather than old fashioned spies, for intelligence gathering. North Korea may be one of the world's poorest and most isolated countries, but previous high-profile defectors have warned that Pyongyang has created an army of 6,000 skilled hackers. According to Mr Kim, the previous North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, ordered the training of new personnel in the 1980s "to prepare for cyberwarfare". "The Moranbong University would pick the brightest students from all over the country and put them through six years of special education," he says. British security officials believe that a North Korean unit known as the Lazarus Group was behind a cyber-attack that crippled parts of the NHS and other organisations around the world in 2017. The same group is believed to have targeted Sony Pictures in a high-profile hack in 2014. Mr Kim says the office was known as the 414 Liaison Office. "Internally, we dubbed it "Kim Jong-il's Information Centre." He claims it had a direct telephone line to the North Korean leader. "People say these agents are in China, Russia, and Southeast Asian countries, but they also operate in North Korea itself. The office also safeguards communication between North Korean spy agents." Drugs for Dollars Kim Jong-un has recently announced the country is once again facing a "crisis" and in April he called on his people to prepare for another "arduous march" - a phrase that has come to describe a disastrous famine in the 1990s, under Kim Jong-il. Back then, Mr Kim was in the Operations Department and was ordered to raise "revolutionary funds" for the Supreme Leader. That, he says, meant dealing in illegal drugs. "The production of drugs in Kim Jong-il's North Korea peaked during the Arduous March," he says. "At that time, the Operational Department ran out of revolutionary funds for the Supreme Leader. "After being assigned to the task, I brought three foreigners from abroad into North Korea, built a production base in the training centre of the 715 liaison office of the Workers' Party, and produced drugs. "It was ICE (crystal meth). Then we could cash it to dollars to present to Kim Jong-il." His account of drug dealing at this time is plausible. North Korea has a long history of drug production - mostly heroin and opium. A former North Korean diplomat to the UK, Thae Yong-ho, who also defected, told the Oslo Freedom Forum in 2019 that the country had engaged in state-sponsored drug trafficking and was trying to fix a widespread domestic drug addiction epidemic. I ask Mr Kim where the drug money went. Was it converted into cash for the people? "To help you understand, all the money in North Korea belongs to the North Korean leader," he says. " With that money, he'd build villas, buy cars, buy food, get clothes and enjoy luxuries." Estimates of the death toll from North Korea's prolonged food shortages in the 1990s range from hundreds of thousands to up to a million people. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...-922675650.jpg A North Korean woman collects grass to eat in a field in North Hamgyong Province, May 2010 Another source of income, according to Mr Kim, came from illegal weapons sales to Iran, managed by the Operations Department. "There were special midget-submarines, semi-submersibles. North Korea was very good at building cutting edge equipment like this," he says. This may be a bit of North Korean propaganda as the country's submarines have noisy, diesel engines. But Mr Kim claims that the deals were so successful that North Korea's deputy director in Iran would boast about summoning the Iranians to his swimming pool to do business. North Korean weapons deals with Iran have been an open secret since the 1980s and even included ballistic missiles, according to Professor Andrei Lankov, one of the world's leading authorities on North Korea. North Korea has continued to advance the development of weapons of mass destruction, despite being subject to strict international sanctions. In September, the country tested four new weapons systems including a new long-range cruise missile, a train-launch system for a ballistic missile, a hypersonic missile, and an anti-aircraft missile. The technology is growing ever more sophisticated. According to Mr Kim, Pyongyang also sold weapons and technology to countries fighting long civil wars. In recent years, the United Nations has accused North Korea of supplying arms to Syria, Myanmar, Libya and Sudan. The UN warns that weapons developed in Pyongyang could end up in many troubled corners of the world. 'A loyal Servant Betrayed' Mr Kim led a privileged life in North Korea. He claims he was given use of a Mercedes-Benz car by Kim Jong-un's aunt, and allowed to travel abroad freely to raise money for the North Korean leader. He says he sold rare metals and coal to raise millions in cash, which would be brought back into the country in a suitcase. In an impoverished country where millions of people are struggling with food shortages, this is a life few can imagine, let alone live. Mr Kim's powerful political connections through marriage allowed him to move between different intelligence agencies, he says. But those same connections also put him and his family in danger. Not long after ascending to the political throne in 2011, Kim Jong-un decided to purge those he perceived as a threat, including his own uncle, Jang Song-thaek. There had long been suggestions that Mr Jang was the de-facto leader of North Korea, as Kim Jong-il's health faded. According to Mr Kim, Jang Song-thaek's name had become more widespread than Kim Jong-un's. "That's when I felt Jang Song-thaek wouldn't last long. I felt he would be banished to the countryside," he says. People visit the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on the occasion of the 79th birth anniversary of Kim Jong Il, known as the 'Day of the Shining Star', at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on February 16, 2021. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...1231192668.jpg People bow at the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, February 2021 But then North Korean state media announced in December 2013 that Mr Jang had been executed. "I was more than surprised, it was a fatal blow and I was appalled," Mr Kim says. "I immediately felt a danger to my life. I knew I could no longer exist in North Korea." Mr Kim was abroad when he read about the execution in a newspaper. He decided to make a plan to flee with his family to South Korea. "To abandon my country, where my ancestor's grave and family is, and to escape to South Korea, which at the time for me was a foreign land, was the worst grief-stricken decision of emotional distress," he says. Even behind his dark glasses, I can see that the memory is difficult for him. The one question I keep asking during our many meetings, over many hours, was why he decided to speak now. "This is the only duty that I can do," he says. "I'll be more active from now on to free my Northern brethren from the grasps of dictatorship and for them to enjoy true freedom." There are more than 30,000 defectors in South Korea. Only a few decide to speak to the media. The more high profile you are, the higher the risk to you and your family. There are also many in South Korea who doubt defectors' accounts of their lives. After all, how can anyone truly verify their stories? Mr Kim lived a highly unusual life. His account should be read as part of North Korea's story - not the whole. But his story offers us a view inside a regime few are able to escape, and tells us something about what it takes for the regime to survive. "North Korea's political society, their judgement, their thought processes, they all follow the conviction of ultimate obedience to the Supreme Leader," he says. Over generations, it produces a "loyal heart". The timing of this interview is also interesting. Kim Jong-un has hinted he may be willing to talk to South Korea in the near future, if certain conditions are met. But here too, Mr Kim offers a warning. "It's been years since I came here, but North Korea hasn't changed at all," he says. "The strategy we set up continues. What you need to know is that North Korea hasn't changed 0.01%." |
re: NORTH KOREA: Missile Tests Photos From Space
North Korea Fires Second Suspected Missile in Six Days
North Korea has fired a suspected ballistic missile, less than a week after it launched what it claimed was a hypersonic missile. BBC News 11 JAN 2022. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...32530b9fd5.jpg Kim Jong-un vowed to bolster the North's defences during a key meeting of the ruling party in December last year South Korea said it detected the launch at 07:27 local time on Tuesday (22:27 GMT on Monday). Japan's coast guard also reported the launch, saying North Korea had fired a "ballistic missile-like object". It comes shortly after six countries issued a statement urging the North to cease its "destabilising actions". "Our military detected a suspected ballistic missile fired by North Korea from land towards the East Sea," South Korea's Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) said, adding that intelligence authorities from South Korea and the US were in the process of conducting a detailed analysis. The latest launch underscores North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's pledge to bolster the country's defences as part of its policy priorities for 2022, which were outlined during a key meeting in December. On Monday, the US mission to the United Nations, joined by France, the Irish Republic, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Albania, issued a joint statement condemning last week's apparent test. "These actions increase the risk of miscalculation and escalation and pose a significant threat to regional stability," said US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield. The group called for North Korea "to refrain from further destabilising actions... and engage in meaningful dialogue towards our shared goal of complete denuclearisation." Another Test - But Why Now? Analysis by Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, Japan Correspondent North Korea has welcomed in the new year with two missile tests in quick succession. Today's test could be timed to coincide with a UN Security Council meeting in New York - where the US and its allies condemned last week's launch. But it could also serve several other functions. One could be to divert public attention from an increasingly severe economic situation in the country, which has been worsened by the coronavirus pandemic. Another could be to get the attention of Washington, which has shown little interest in resuming negotiations with Pyongyang after the failed summit between former President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in 2019. There a third reason, which is less often reported. North and South Korea are engaged in what observers say is an increasingly intense arms race, with both sides working to perfect smaller, more accurate and more deadly missile systems with which they can threaten each other's leaderships. The latest tests come as Pyongyang struggles with food shortages due to a coronavirus blockade that has severely affected its economy. At the end-of-year meeting of the ruling party, Mr Kim said the country was facing a "great life-and-death struggle", adding that increasing development and improving people's living standards were among this year's goals. UN officials had earlier warned that vulnerable children and elderly people in North Korea were at risk of starvation. The US has been calling for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, and Pyongyang's relationship with President Joe Biden's administration has so far been fraught with tension. North Korea has also repeatedly accused South Korea of double standards over its military activities. South Korea recently tested its first submarine-launched ballistic missile, which it said was needed as deterrence against North Korea's "provocations". |
Re: NORTH KOREA: Missile Tests Photos From Space
North Korea Missile Tests: Photos From Space Released
North Korea has released photographs which it said were taken from its most powerful missile launch in five years. BBC News 31 JAN 2022. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...m123058850.jpg Japan and South Korea say the missile reached a maximum altitude of 2,000km The unusual pictures taken from space show parts of the Korean peninsula and surrounding areas. Pyongyang confirmed on Monday it had tested a Hwasong-12 intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM). At its full power it can travel thousands of miles, putting areas like US territory Guam within striking distance. The latest test has raised alarm again among the international community. Pyongyang has conducted a record number of seven missile launches in the past month alone - an intense flurry of activity that has been strongly condemned by the US, South Korea, Japan, and other nations. The UN prohibits North Korea from ballistic and nuclear weapons tests, and has imposed strict sanctions. But the East Asian state regularly defies the ban. US officials on Monday said the recent step up in activity warranted renewed talks with Pyongyang. What happened at the Hwasong-12 launch? South Korea and Japan were both the first to report the launch on Sunday after detecting it in their anti-missile systems. They estimated it had flown a moderate distance for an IRBM, covering a distance of about 800km (497 miles) and reaching an altitude of 2,000km before it landed in waters off Japan. At full power and at a standard trajectory, the missile can travel as far as 4,000km. Two pictures of North Korea's missile launch and two of Earth taken from the missile in space https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...e62626eb6c.jpg Images released by the North Korean news agency show the missile launch, and pictures taken from the missile in space North Korea confirmed the missile launch on Monday through its state-run media reports. The country's rogue tests are typically disclosed by state media a day after their occurrence. State news agency KCNA said the missile test had been launched to "verify its accuracy". It had been deliberately angled to land away "in consideration of the security of the neighbouring countries". State media also printed rare imagery, some which they said were shots taken by a camera fitted to the missile's warhead. One of the images shows the moment of launch and another apparently shows the missile in mid-flight, taken from above. Leader Kim Jong-un was not present to observe Sunday's launch, compared to three weeks ago, when pictures showed his attendance at the launch of a hypersonic glide missile test - a more advanced type of missile technology designed to circumvent missile-detection systems. Those missiles have only been tested by North Korea three times in total. Why did North Korea fire the missile? North Korea analyst Ankit Panda said Mr Kim's absence, and the language used in the media to describe the launch, suggest that this test was intended to verify the missile system worked as it should, rather than to show off new technology. Still, it is the first time that the Hwasong-12, a nuclear-capable missile of a significant size, has been launched since North Korea held talks with the US under the former administration of US President Donald Trump - which led to a slowdown in missile activity. Advances in N Korea's Missile Technology Analysis by Sangmi Han, BBC Korean Service During the 8th Party Congress in January, Kim Jong-un said the development of military reconnaissance satellites and hypersonic missiles, along with unmanned attack drones, are the major goals for the next five-year plan. The country has already conducted two hypersonic missile tests in January this year and experts believe, given the fact that the North released pictures from outer space, they will soon launch a reconnaissance satellite. But that would be seen by the US and its allies as crossing a red line. A satellite rocket uses near-identical technology as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) - the difference is only in their payload. The images, reportedly taken from a camera fitted to the missile's test warhead, are rare and could mean that the country has made advances in its missile re-entry technology. To carry an explosive payload, a ballistic missile must withstand immense structural and temperature pressures during its descent through the earth's atmosphere to its intended target. Experts are still wary of saying that the North indeed has perfected re-entry capabilities. But at least the images, showing parts of the Korean peninsula and Japan from space, could be a wake-up call for its neighbours. The last time the Hwasong-12 was tested was in 2017, when Pyongyang launched it six times including sending it twice over the Japanese island of Hokkaido, which triggered alarms for residents there. In 2018 after Mr Kim met Mr Trump, North Korea announced a moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and its longest range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). But by the following year, as relations soured, Mr Kim said they were no longer bound by the declaration. On Sunday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that with the latest launch, North Korea has "come close to destroying the moratorium declaration". There are multiple reasons for the ramp up in North Korea's missile activity this year, which was first flagged by Kim in his New Year speech. Analysts say the tests reflect Kim's desire to pressure the US back into long-stalled nuclear talks, present a show of strength to regional and global powers, and could be borne out of a practical need to test out new engineering and military command systems. Why does North Korea keep launching missiles? The timing is also significant with Beijing's Winter Olympics kicking off later this week, and South Korea's presidential election in March. "This is consistent with their past behaviour to try and intimidate South Korea and the incoming president," said Dr Daniel Pinkston, an international relations professor from Troy University who lives in South Korea. There's also been a surge in tests as the North Korean economy struggles under US-led sanctions, pandemic difficulties and decades of mismanagement. Earlier this month, the US imposed more sanctions on North Korea. Graphic showing main longer-range missiles in North Korea https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/c...-2x-nc-002.png |
Re: US Crypto Expert Jailed For Helping NORTH KOREA Evade Sanctions
US Cryptocurrency Expert Jailed For Helping NORTH KOREA Evade Sanctions
US Crypto Expert Jailed For Helping A former US researcher at a cryptocurrency group has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for conspiring to help North Korea evade US sanctions using cryptocurrency. Evade Sanctions BBC UK 13 APR 2022 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...v039005387.jpg https://dailytimes.com.pk/assets/upl...hinese_twt.jpg Virgil Griffith had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate US law. He formerly worked for the Ethereum Foundation, a non-profit organisation focused on the technology behind the cryptocurrency ether. The sentence was the minimum amount of prison time sought by prosecutors. He was also fined $100,000 (£76,864). The 39-year-old had been facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1m fine. His lawyer said in a statement that while the sentence was disappointing, the judge "acknowledged Virgil's commitment to moving forward with his life productively, and that he is a talented person who has a lot to contribute." US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement that "justice has been served." In September, Griffith pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the US International Emergency Economic Powers Act by traveling to North Korea's capital Pyongyang to give a presentation on blockchain technology. Cryptocurrency expert admits aiding North Korea According to prosecutors, Griffith, who has a doctorate from the California Institute of Technology, travelled to North Korea via China in April 2019 to speak at the Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference, despite being denied permission by the US Department of State to go. Prosecutors said Griffith understood the information could be used to evade sanctions that Washington had imposed on North Korea over its development of nuclear weapons. "The most important feature of blockchains is that they are open. And the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] can't be kept out no matter what the USA or the UN says," Griffith said during the presentation according to prosecutors. In September, the US Department of Justice said he had "jeopardised the national security of the United States" by undermining sanctions. The Ethereum Foundation said at the time of Griffith's arrest that it had not approved or supported his travel to North Korea. |
Re: South Korea & US Fire Missiles in WARNING to NORTH KOREA
South Korea and US Fire Missiles in WARNING to NORTH KOREA
South Korea and the US launched eight missiles on Monday, in response to a volley of ballistic missiles fired by North Korea the previous day. BBC News 6 JUN 2022 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...f4a03409d9.jpg South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said his country would respond firmly and sternly to any provocation from the North It comes as Pyongyang continues to escalate its missile tests. South Korea's president Yoon Suk-yeol said his government would respond sternly to any provocation from its northern neighbour. "We will make sure there isn't a single crack in protecting the lives and property of our people," he said. Speaking at a war memorial event in Seoul, he added that North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes "are reaching the level of threatening not only peace on the Korean Peninsula but also in Northeast Asia and the world", according to Yonhap. The US and South Korea regularly hold joint military exercises, which often anger North Korea. Early on Monday, hours after North Korea had fired several missiles off its east coast, the two allies launched eight surface-to-surface Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) - one from the US and seven from South Korea. Analysts say the moves are South Korea showing off its muscle, with the aid of US weaponry. It is the second retaliatory display from the US and South Korea in as many weeks, with a similar move made last week after Pyongyang fired a series of missiles in the immediate aftermath of US President Joe Biden's visit to the region. Such displays had been rare under South Korea's previous administration. President Yoon, who was inaugurated last month, has pledged to take a more hardline approach on North Korea. The isolated Communist state has test-fired dozens of missiles in recent months, including an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in five years. The UN prohibits North Korea from ballistic and nuclear weapons tests, and has imposed strict sanctions after previous tests. Analysis by Jean Mackenzie, Seoul Correspondent Over the past months, North Korea has been testing weapons with increasing frequency. And in the past few weeks, South Korea and the United States have agreed to respond more strongly and bolster their defence. Now a cycle is starting to emerge. This weekend, a US aircraft carrier took part in a naval drill with South Korea. The day after, North Korea fired eight missiles. Now, another day on, South Korea and the US have fired eight missiles of their own in retaliation. The questions are over what these retaliatory drills achieve. Do they make South Korea any safer? And will they get North Korea to scale back its testing or change its behaviour in any way? Washington's real challenge is to convince North Korea to return to nuclear talks. The United States' nuclear envoy on North Korea said in Seoul on Friday that he had made very clear to the North they were ready to talk, but the North had shown no interest. Instead, North Korea appears to be preparing to conduct its first nuclear test in more than four years. Tensions between the two Koreas could be about to escalate further. North Korean state media did not mention Pyongyang's actions on Monday - a recent break with tradition that some analysts say is due to the country focusing on managing its Covid outbreak. Its firings came a day after South Korea and the US finished customary joint military drills which have been criticised by North Korea as evidence of the US' hostile behaviour towards it. "The allies have quickly responded to the recent missile firings with counter launches that demonstrate combined readiness for precision strikes against the origin of an attack," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul. But he warned that South Korea's current missile defences were "insufficient against the expanding North Korean threat." |
re: North & South Korea Fire Missiles Off Each Others' Coasts
Kim Jong-un Says North Korea Ready to Mobilise Nuclear Forces
North Korea is ready to mobilise its nuclear war deterrent, its leader Kim Jong-un has claimed. BBC 28 JUL 2022 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...0ff1f085a5.jpg Mr Kim says boosting North Korea's defence is an "urgent historical task" Speaking at a Korean War anniversary event, Mr Kim added that the country was "fully ready for any military confrontation" with the US, state news agency KCNA reported. The comments come amid concern that North Korea could be preparing a seventh nuclear test. The US warned last month that Pyongyang could conduct such a test at any time. North Korea's most recent nuclear test was in 2017. However, tensions have been rising on the Korean peninsula. The US special representative to North Korea Sung Kim says North Korea has tested an unprecedented number of missiles this year - 31 compared to 25 during the whole of its last record-breaking year, 2019. In June South Korea responded by launching eight missiles of its own. Although the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, North Korea claims it as a victory against the US. The annual "Victory Day" celebrations are marked by military parades, fireworks and dancing. In his speech to mark the event, Mr Kim said nuclear threats from the US required North Korea to achieve the "urgent historical task" of beefing up its self-defence. The US had misrepresented North Korea's regular military exercises as provocations, he added. Mr Kim also appeared to address reports that South Korea is moving to revive a plan to counter the North Korean nuclear threat by mounting precautionary strikes in the event of an imminent attack. The so-called "Kill Chain" strategy, first elaborated a decade ago, calls for pre-emptive strikes against Pyongyang's missiles and possibly its senior leadership. Some analysts have warned it carries its own risks and could fuel an arms race. At the Victory Day celebration Mr Kim said that South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol's government and military would be "obliterated" if he carried out pre-emptive strikes. Is North Korea 'On The Brink of WAR'? Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, BBC News Kim Jong-Un's warning that the Korean peninsula is "on the brink of war" sounds extremely scary. But North Korean rhetoric is often fiery, especially on significant anniversaries. What it indicates is just how angry the North Korean regime is about South Korea's new President Yoon Suk-yeol. Since taking office in May, President Yoon has laid out a new, more aggressive defence policy. It would allow South Korean forces to pre-emptively strike the North, if Seoul believes it is under imminent threat of a nuclear attack from Pyongyang. This so-called "Kill Chain" strategy would allow South Korea to launch pre-emptive ballistic missiles and air strikes on North Korean targets, including taking out the North Korean command and control structures. In other words, attempting to kill Kim Jong-Un himself. Pyongyang is also quite unhappy with the lack of engagement from Washington All of this could suggest we are headed towards some sort of deliberate escalation by the North. Everyone now expects that Pyongyang will carry out a seventh underground nuclear test. Preparations have been underway at the Punggye-ri test site since March. RELATED; |
re: North & South Korea Fire Missiles Off Each Others' Coasts
Crypto Geek's Trip to North Korea Lands Him on FBI's Most Wanted List
Cryptocurrency Expert Wanted by FBI After Trip to North Korea Brit Cryptocurrency Expert on FBI's Most Wanted List Pleads to be Allowed Home New York prosecutors say 30-year-old Christopher Emms conspired to violate the US International Emergency Economic Powers Act imposed by Washington to stop trade with North Korea 60 Minutes Australia 8 Aug 2022 https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incomin...orth-Korea.jpg British man on FBI's 'Most Wanted' list for allegedly helping North Korea Unassuming and easygoing, it's hard to believe how Chris Emms has managed to wedge himself into so much trouble. He's stuck in a no man's land, caught in the middle of a dangerous and frightening powerplay between enemies North Korea and the United States. https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incomin...orth-Korea.jpg It started innocently enough when he was invited to the rogue nation for a cryptocurrency conference. A bit of a geek, Chris thought it'd be fun, but the U.S. got wind of his visit and decided there was evil in the adventure. He's now wanted by the FBI, accused of involvement in circumventing international sanctions, and facing lengthy jail time.... A British cryptocurrency expert is on the FBI's most-wanted list for allegedly breaking US-imposed sanctions against North Korea. Christopher Emms, from Reigate, Surrey, was detained in February under an Interpol red notice when he tried to leave Saudi Arabia and faces a fine of £1million and a long prison term in the US. Mr Emms attended a cryptocurrency conference in North Korea's capital Pyongyang in 2019 and was subsequently added to the FBI's most-wanted list, as they accused him and a Spanish co-defendant, Alejandro Cao de Benos, of “planning and organising” the conference “for the benefit of the DPRK [North Korea]”. Speaking to Sky News, the 30-year-old pleaded to the British government to allow him to return to the United Kingdom to face extradition proceedings there. He said: "I really just want to come back home and deal with this through the British court system, which I don't think is a huge thing to ask, even of the Americans." New York prosecutors say Mr Emms conspired to violate the US International Emergency Economic Powers Act imposed by Washington to stop trade with North Korea. If found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in prison but Mr Emms denies any wrongdoing and says the British Foreign Office guidance at the time said it was safe to attend the conference. Upon receiving the invitation by his now co-defendant he says his initial thought was: "Look, is this legal? Am I going to be breaking any laws by doing it?" Mr Emms, who is a resident in the United Arab Emirates, told Sky News he did due diligence, checked the British government website on travelling to North Korea and looked up the UN resolutions on North Korea. https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incomin...orth-Korea.jpg Emms, who is on FBI's 'Most Wanted' list, has pleaded to 'come home' amid North Korea allegations The former head of business development at bitcoin.com says he has had in-depth conversations with officials and legal counsel in the US, Saudi and the UK and is confident he is not guilty. His bank accounts have been blocked, and while he is not in prison, he is unable to leave while he awaits an extradition hearing. The conference is extensively being investigated by the US and has already led to the conviction of American Virgil Griffith. Spanish Cao de Beno has been an open propagandist of North Korea for many years and is head of the international Korean Friendship Association which honours the country's leader Kim Jong Un. Mr Emms claims that he does not know Cao de Beno and said they had spoken at the conference but did not keep in touch after https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incomin...A-POLITICS.jpg North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un attending a meeting According to the FBI, Mr Emms opened the conference by declaring: "I'm sure a lot of people in this room [who] work within the banking system, will understand how predominantly the United States controls the way in which money moves around the world and this can be very, very unfair." The indictment claims that Mr Emms said cryptocurrency made it "possible to transfer money across any country in the world regardless of... sanctions". In defence, he said that the "last thing" he was going to do is turn up to the conference and start denouncing the authoritarian state, as that would have put him in "very real" danger. https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incomin...CY-BITCOIN.jpg Physical banknote and coin imitations of the Bitcoin crypto currency He was detained at Riyadh airport in February when he tried to return from Saudi Arabia's LEAP, a tech exhibition, conference. Mr Emms strongly told Sky News: "I'm not a supporter of North Korea, or their government or their nuclear weapons programme." He has applied to the United Nations court against arbitrary detention and is in regular conversation with the British embassy However, the UK feels they cannot actively get involved in the case. |
re: North & South Korea Fire Missiles Off Each Others' Coasts
Russia Vows to Expand Relations With North Korea
Russia has vowed to "expand [its] comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations" with North Korea, said its President Vladimir Putin. BBC News 15 AUG 2022. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...1139196800.jpg North Korea leader Kim Jong Un (L) attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) in Vladivostok, Russia in 2019 In a letter sent to his counterpart Kim Jong un on Pyongyang's liberation day, Mr Putin said the move would be in both countries' interests. In turn, Mr Kim said friendship between both nations had been forged in World War II with victory over Japan. He added that their "comradely friendship" would grow stronger. According to a report by North Korean state media outlet KCNA, Mr Putin said the expanded bilateral relations would "conform with the interests of the two countries". In his letter, Mr Kim said the Russia-North Korea friendship "forged in the anti-Japanese war" had been "consolidated and developed century after century". It added "strategic and tactical cooperation, support and solidarity" between the two countries "had been put on a new high stage, in the common front for frustrating the hostile forces' military threat and provocation". Pyongyang did not identify the hostile forces by name, but the term has been used repeatedly by North Korea to refer to the US and its allies. The Soviet Union was once a major ally of North Korea, offering economic co-operation, cultural exchanges and aid. But the relationship suffered since the collapse of the Iron Curtain, only gradually picking up somewhat after Russia's gradual estrangement from the West since the early 2000s. In July, North Korea was one of the few countries to officially recognise two Russian-backed separatist states in eastern Ukraine, after Russia signed a decree declaring them as independent. In retaliation, Ukraine, which is fighting off a Russian invasion of its territory, cut off all diplomatic ties with Pyongyang. |
re: North Korea Has Ballistic Missiles With Range to Hit US Mainland
North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Over Japan
North Korea has fired a suspected missile over Japan, in what appears to be a deliberate escalation to get the attention of Tokyo and Washington. BBC 4 OCT 2022. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...1243710089.jpg Japanese TV stations on Tuesday carried breaking news reports about the early morning North Korean missile launch The ballistic missile travelled about 4,500km (2,800 miles) before falling into the Pacific Ocean - far enough to hit the US island of Guam if it took another trajectory. It is the first North Korean missile launch over Japan since 2017. The launch saw Japan issue a rare alert to some citizens to take cover. The UN prohibits North Korea from testing ballistic and nuclear weapons. Flying missiles towards or over other countries without any pre-warning or consultation also contravenes international norms. Most countries avoid doing it completely as it can easily be mistaken for an attack. While it is not as big as a nuclear test - which could be next - it can be considered hugely provocative. People in the north of Japan, including Hokkaido island and Aomori city, reportedly woke up to the noise of sirens and text alerts which read: "North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please evacuate into buildings or underground." As the missile flew overhead, they were warned to look out for falling debris. Many appeared to remain calm according to reports, with one video showing Tokyo commuters walking calmly as loudspeakers blared out warnings. But others were more shaken. "If a missile hit, I was worried it would be a big problem not only here but also nationwide," Aomori resident Kazuko Ebina told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. Officials later said the intermediate-range ballistic missile fell into the Pacific Ocean far from Japan, and there were no reported injuries. It had covered the longest distance ever travelled by a North Korean missile, and reached a height of around 1000km - higher than the International Space Station. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described the launch as "violent behaviour", while defence minister Yasukazu Hamada said Japan would not rule out any options to strengthen its defences including "counterattack capabilities". The US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson called it a "dangerous and reckless decision" that was "destabilising" to the region. The launch comes as Japan, the US and South Korea have been working together to strengthen their defences, in response to the growing threat posed by the North. Last week, the three countries conducted naval exercises together for the first time since 2017. Such drills have long antagonised Pyongyang leader Kim Jong-un, who views them as proof that his enemies are preparing for war. Following the combined exercises in 2017, North Korea fired two missiles over Japan in response. A week later, it conducted a nuclear test. Recent intelligence has suggested that North Korea is getting ready to test another nuclear weapon. It is expected that North Korea would wait till after China - its main ally - holds its Communist party congress later this month. But some experts are now asking if it could come sooner than expected - they believe Tuesday's launch shows that North Korea is preparing the ground for a nuclear test. The missile launch is the fifth carried out by Pyongyang in a week. On Saturday, two rockets came down in waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. Many of North Korea's missile tests are conducted on a high, lofted flight path - reaching a high altitude, avoiding flights over its neighbours. But firing over or past Japan allows North Korean scientists to test missiles under circumstances "that are more representative of the conditions they'd endure in real-world use", analyst Ankit Panda told news agency Reuters. These actions have contributed to enduring tensions between North Korea and Japan, rooted in Japan's previous colonisation of Korea from 1910 to 1945 and the North's abduction of Japanese citizens in the past. Earlier this month, North Korea passed a law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state, with leader Kim Jong-un ruling out the possibility of talks on denuclearisation. Pyongyang conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017, incurring widespread sanctions. The East Asian state regularly defies the ban on nuclear and missile tests, saying it needs to bolster its defences. List of missiles held by North Korea and their range https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/c..._640-2x-nc.png |
re: North Korea Has Ballistic Missiles With Range to Hit US Mainland
North and South Korea Fire Missiles Off Each Others' Coasts For First Time
North and South Korea have both fired missiles landing in waters off each other's coasts for the first time. BBC 2 NOV 2022. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...northkorea.jpg Seoul retaliated on Wednesday three hours after Pyongyang launched a missile that landed less than 60km (37mi) off the South's city of Sokcho. The South's military said this was an "unacceptable" breach of its territory. It fired three air-to-ground missiles in response, which officials said landed a similar distance past the Northern Limit Line (NLL). The demarcation line marks the rough midway-point in the sea between North and South Korea, but the North has never accepted the boundary. On Tuesday North Korea warned that South Korea and the US would pay "the most horrible price in history" if they continued joint military drills, seen as a veiled threat to use nuclear weapons. The North is expected to resume nuclear weapons testing soon after a five-year break, with US and South Korean intelligence saying Pyongyang has completed all the necessary preparations. The tit-for-tat missile launches come during a period of national mourning in South Korea, following the crowd crush in Seoul at the weekend which killed more than 150 people. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cp...0map_v3-nc.png North Korea fired at least 10 missiles in both east and west directions on Wednesday, South Korean officials say. At least one of the North Korean missiles - launched before 09:00 (00:00 GMT) on Wednesday - landed about 26km south of the border, 57km east of Sokcho and 167km north-west of Ulleung island. It triggered air-raid sirens on Ulleung, where residents were told to evacuate to underground shelters. The launch was picked up immediately by South Korean and Japanese authorities who swiftly condemned the escalation from Pyongyang. South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol labelled it an "effective territorial invasion", although the missile landed outside South Korean territorial waters, and vowed a "swift and firm response". Under international law, countries can only establish territorial claim to 12 nautical miles of sea bordering their land. Mr Yoon has made it his policy to take a tough line on North Korea. Around three hours later, the South fired three precision air-to-ground missiles from warplanes into waters off North Korea's east coast. The firings are a marked escalation in hostilities across the peninsula this year, which has already witnessed over 50 missile launches from North Korea - including one ballistic missile that passed over Japan. On Monday a US nuclear-powered submarine arrived off the coast of South Korea as part of the joint US-South Korean drills, which began in August. |
Re: North Korea Has Ballistic Missiles With Range to Hit US Mainland
North Korea ICBM Had Range to Hit US Mainland - Japan
North Korea has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile with enough range to hit the US mainland, Japan's defence minister says. BBC News 18 NOV 2022. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...52000x1333.jpg The missile landed in the sea roughly 210km (130 miles) west of Hokkaido. The US has condemned the launch, while South Korea has ordered stronger deterrence measures against the North. On Thursday North Korean FM Choe Son Hui warned of a "fiercer" response to any increased US military presence in the region. It also launched a short range ballistic missile the same day. That followed Sunday's meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, US President Joe Biden and Japan's PM Fumio Kishida in Cambodia, in which the three countries agreed to increase their military co-operation. On Friday US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said Mr Biden had been briefed and the US would consult with partners. North Korea has fired more than 50 missiles over the past two months, most of them short-range. These long-range launches are rarer, and pose a direct threat to the US, as the missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads to anywhere on the US mainland. The latest intercontinential ballistic missile (ICBM) was fired at 10:15 local time (02:15 GMT) from near the North Korean capital Pyongyang, military chiefs in Seoul said. It reached an altitude of 6,100km on a lofted trajectory and travelled 1,000km (621 miles), reaching a speed of Mach 22, South Korea's military said. A lofted trajectory means the missile flies much higher into space but across a shorter distance than it would if fired on a normal trajectory. But Japan's defence minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile had sufficient range to reach the US. "Based on calculations taking the trajectory into account, the ballistic missile this time around could have had a range capability of 15,000km, depending on the weight of its warhead, and if that's the case, it means the US mainland was within its range," he said. "We have told (Pyongyang) that we absolutely cannot tolerate such actions," Mr Kishida told reporters in Thailand. North Korea's pattern over the past months has been to launch missiles in response to US military activity around the Korean Peninsula. In October, North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan - the first time it had done so in five years. The North is currently developing a new type of long-range missile, the Hwasong-17. It is larger than the ICBMs it has successfully tested in the past, and experts believe could be capable of carrying multiple warheads, which would make it harder to defend against. Several attempts to launch the Hwasong-17 are thought to have failed. Earlier this month the North launched an ICBM but it failed mid-flight, according to the South Korean military. "Even if the North does successfully launch the Hwasong-17, the threat will not have significantly increased", said Yang Uk, a military expert from the Asan Institute. "It must prove it has mastered the technology to be able to mount enough small nuclear warheads onto the ICBM", he said. Pyongyang has conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017, and it has completed preparations for a seventh test. Experts believe it may use the opportunity to test a compact nuclear device. It is also working to improve its short-range missiles and conventional military capabilities. |
re: North Korea WARNS Military Could Thoroughly Annihilate US & is Prepared For WAR
North Korea: Kim Jong Un Shows Off Missiles to Russia Defence Chief Shoigu
Grinning Kim Jong-un and Putins’ Defence Chief Salute MASSIVE Nuke as It Rolls By BBC 30 JULY 2023 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...794bbfa4f8.jpg Kim Jong Un showed off North Korea's latest weapons to Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday. Pyongyang invited the Russian delegation led by Mr Shoigu, as well as Chinese officials. They will attend Pyongyang's celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, marked typically by massive military parades. The weapons on display included the Hwasong intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Successfully tested in April, it is believed to be the country's first ICBM to use solid propellants, which makes it quicker to launch than liquid-fuel ones. Also on show were two new drone designs, including one resembling the primary offensive strike drone used by the US Air Force, according to NK News, a specialist site focusing on North Korea. Mr Shoigu's visit comes amid accusations that Pyongyang is supplying Russia with arms for use in its war in Ukraine - a claim that both Pyongyang and Moscow deny. North Korea's KCNA news agency said Mr Kim and Mr Shoigu discussed "matters of mutual concern" in the fields of national defence and on the international security environment. The delegations' visit for North Korea's Victory Day - as the 1953 end of hostilities is called in the North - is expected to finish on Thursday with an extensive military parade. The Koreans are technically still at war because no peace agreement was reached when the conflict ended. Both Russia and China are long time allies of North Korea. Their visit marks the first time Mr Kim has thrown open the doors to foreign guests since the Covid pandemic. The last time Pyongyang invited foreign government delegates for a military parade was in February 2018. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...908fb48b2b.jpg North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, 26 July 2023 Mr Shoigu praised the North Korean military as the "most powerful in the world", according to state media Mr Kim had a "friendly talk" with Mr Shoigu, who handed him an autographed letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin, KCNA said, adding that he had later called North Korea's military "the most powerful" in the world. The visiting Chinese delegation, led by politburo member Li Hongzhong, also handed a personal letter from Mr Xi to Mr Kim. Mr Kim reportedly told Mr Li that "the Korean people will never forget the fact that the brave soldiers of the Chinese People's Volunteers shed blood to bring about the war victory". Beijing had sent troops in the autumn of 1950 to support North Korea in the war against South Korea. The then Soviet Union also supported North Korea in the war. Since the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Russia has remained a natural ally for North Korea because of their mutual dislike for the US. Some analysts say the inclusion of Chinese and Russian envoys in this year's Victory Day parade hints at a possible loosening of Covid restrictions. This comes weeks after images of North Koreans walking around without masks were shown on state media. The reclusive country had sealed itself off from all trade and diplomatic ties in early 2020, even with Russia and China, its main economic and political partners. |
re: North Korea WARNS Military Could Thoroughly Annihilate US & is Prepared For WAR
I Helped 1,000 People Defectors Escape From North Korea
BBC 5 NOV 2023 https://kims.pages.tcnj.edu/files/20...3-678x1024.jpg Pastor Seungem Kim claims to have rescued more than 1,000 defectors in the past ten years. He leads the Caleb Mission Church in South Korea. After their son was killed by North Koreans, his wife vowed that the couple would devote themselves to saving defectors. Pastor Kim has helped more than 1,000 North Korean defectors escape the country - and says more than 200 others have asked for his help. |
re: North Korea WARNS Military Could Thoroughly Annihilate US & is Prepared For WAR
North Korea Launches Spy Satellite Into Orbit
North Koreas’ Spy Satellite is a Big Deal, Regardless of How Advanced its Technology Is Rocket launch underlines Kim Jong-un’s ability to sidestep UN sanctions and suggests ballistic missile building abilities have reached a higher level BBC 22 NOV 2023 https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Gh...64ebc98af3e234 North Korea is already believed to be capable of striking the US mainland with a nuclear weapon; now it claims that it can spy on enemy troops, after state media reported the regimes’ first successful launch of a surveillance satellite, drawing an immediate response from South Korea. While Japan, South Korea and the US could not immediately confirm if the satellite’s payload had entered orbit late on Tuesday, a North Korean presence in space would add to military tensions on the peninsula and highlight the ineffectiveness of international sanctions. Hours after the North’s space agency claimed its Chollima-1 rocket had “accurately placed” the Malligyong-1 satellite into orbit, the South said it was partially suspending an agreement designed to lower cross-border tensions. The defence ministry in Seoul said it would also resume aerial surveillance activities near the countries’ heavily armed border. North Korea could use satellites to more effectively target South Korea and Japan or conduct damage assessments during a war, according to Ankit Panda at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. But even if, as some experts believe, the satellite is not technologically advanced enough to conduct military reconnaissance, it underlines Pyongyang’s ability to sidestep UN sanctions targeting its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes – possibly with help from another internationally isolated regime: the Kremlin. Malaysian embassy has closed. Kim Jong-un closed slate of North Korea’s embassies as sanctions bite While the launch differed from the volley of ballistic missile tests overseen by the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, in the past two years, it drew on the same technologies the regime uses to test its increasingly sophisticated intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). That will only generate further unease in Seoul, Tokyo and Washington, where officials quickly condemned North Korea’s latest provocation. The US national security council spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, said the launch “raises tensions and risks destabilising the security situation in the region and beyond”. Possessing a rocket that can place a satellite into orbit suggests that the North can also build a missile capable of carrying a warhead of a size comparable to the satellite – a worrying development acknowledged by the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, who said last week that the successful launch of a reconnaissance satellite “would signify that North Korea’s ICBM capabilities have been taken to a higher level”. The move has already soured already precarious ties between North and South Korea, whose hardline leader was informed of the launch during a state visit to Britain. Officials in Seoul said they would immediately suspend a 2018 agreement and resume “frontline aerial surveillance” of North Korea. The inter-Korean comprehensive military created buffer zones and no-fly zones near the heavily armed inter-Korean border and includes a ban on the use of artillery, naval drills and surveillance activities, as well as open lines of communication. In Japan, the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said the satellite launch posed a “serious threat that affects the safety of the people”. While some civilian experts believe the Malligyong-1 satellite can probably only identify large targets such as warships and planes, the use of multiple satellites promised by the North would vastly improve its ability to remotely monitor US, South Korean and Japanese troops. Irrespective of its practical applications, Kim will extract maximum propaganda value from the launch – which came after two embarrassing failures in May and August. Developing a working surveillance satellite is a key component of his mission to improve the North’s ability to counter what he sees as increasing threats from the US, whose aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson and its battle group arrived at the South Korean port of Busan this week in the latest demonstration of US firepower in the region. It will take time to gain a comprehensive understanding of the satellite’s technological strengths, but officials in South Korea believe it could have incorporated unspecified Russian expertise – “payment” for the North’s alleged shipment of munitions for the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. During his much-publicised trip to Russia in September, Kim discussed space technology with Vladimir Putin, who took his counterpart on a tour of Russia’s state-of-the-art Vostochny cosmodrome. Its practical usefulness aside, the satellite is another sign that the prospects for a resurrection of “nuclear diplomacy” with Washington are their dimmest since Kim’s failed summit with Donald Trump in 2019. “What is already clear is that this is not a one-off event but part of a North Korean strategy of prioritising military capabilities over economic development, threatening rather than reconciling with South Korea, and further aligning with Russia and China instead of pursuing diplomacy with the United States,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. Easley said there were “many reasons to be sceptical’ about the North’s claims about the satellite. “State-controlled media claims of a successful launch do not mean the satellite will actually perform meaningful reconnaissance functions,” he added. Chad O’Carroll, founder of the NK News website, said the regime could now claim to possess a military reconnaissance satellite, provided it could communicate with North Korean base stations. “South Korea’s government will attempt to suggest the satellite has little to no military reconnaissance value and try and reassure citizens its military capabilities remain hidden,” O’Carroll wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “But even if capabilities are relatively basic, the satellite will give real-time intelligence on military movements and installations throughout the region. This is a big shift.” |
Re: UN Sec.Council Discusses N.Korea Threat After Spy Satellites Nuclear Aircraft Ph
UN Security Council Meets to Discuss North Korea
North Korea Claims Spy Satellite Has Photographed White House and Pentagon on 21 November. Malligyong-1 Also Sent Detailed Pictures of US Nuclear Aircraft Carriers, Says Regime BBC 28 NOV 2023 https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/894d1...5&dpr=1&s=none An official from the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs briefs the council after North Korea claimed that it had successfully launched a military reconnaissance satellite on 21 November. North Korea has claimed its recently launched satellite has sent back “detailed” images of the White House, the Pentagon and US nuclear aircraft carriers that have been viewed by the regime leader, Kim Jong-un. The existence of the images has not been independently verified, and experts say it is too soon to determine if the Malligyong-1 spy satellite is functioning properly, a week after its launch. On Tuesday, the state-run KCNA news agency said Kim, who viewed the launch then hosted a banquet for scientists and space programme workers, had viewed photos of the two US government sites, which were taken late on Monday night. The satellite also took photographs of a US naval base, a shipyard and an airfield in Virginia, KCNA said, adding that the images contained four US nuclear aircraft carriers and a British aircraft carrier. The regime in Pyongyang will be eager to extract maximum propaganda value from last Tuesday’s launch, which drew immediate condemnation from Washington and raised tensions along the heavily armed inter-Korean border. The North has also claimed the satellite took photos of military installations in South Korea, as well as the US Pacific territory of Guam and the state of Hawaii. None of the images have been made public. Military officials in South Korea say they believe Malligyong-1 has entered orbit, but have so far been unable to tell if it is capable of taking and sending images from space. The spy satellite, which is thought to have been made possible with Russian technological help, sparked angry scenes at the UN security council on Monday. https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a7479...5&dpr=1&s=none The North Korean ruler, Kim Jong-un, sitting at left, meets with senior staff of the National Aerospace Technology Administration (Nata), during a party in celebration of the claimed launch of a spy satellite. |
re: UK Intel Sends UN Photos of North Korean Arms Shipments to Russia
North Koreas’ Kim Jong Un Says Military Should Thoroughly Annihilate US, South Korea If Provoked
MADMAN Kim Jong Un WARNS US Policy is Making WAR Inevitable and Orders Military to Prepare For WAR North Korea has welcomed in the new year by issuing further military threats against its neighbours in the south and the United States, saying it is prepared for all-out war MailOnline 2 JAN 2024 https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-...fit=max&dpr=2& https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-...5&dpr=1&s=none SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Koreas' loopy leader Kim Jong Un said his military should "thoroughly annihilate" the United States and South Korea if provoked, state media reported Monday, after he vowed to boost national defense to cope with what he called an unprecedented U.S.-led confrontation. http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...-story-top.jpg North Korea has increased its warlike rhetoric in recent months in response to an expansion of U.S.-South Korean military drills. Experts expect Kim will continue to escalate his rhetoric and weapons tests because he likely believes he can use heightened tensions to wrest U.S. concessions if TRUMP wins the U.S. presidential election in November. In a five-day major ruling party meeting last week, Kim said he will launch three more military spy satellites, produce more nuclear materials and develop attack drones this year in what observers say is an attempt to increase his leverage in future diplomacy with the U.S. In a meeting Sunday with commanding army officers, Kim said it is urgent to sharpen "the treasured sword" to safeguard national security, an apparent reference to his country´s nuclear weapons program. He cited "the U.S. and other hostile forces´ military confrontation moves," according to the official Korean Central News Agency. Kim stressed that "our army should deal a deadly blow to thoroughly annihilate them by mobilizing all the toughest means and potentialities without moment´s hesitation" if they opt for military confrontation and provocations against North Korea, KCNA said. In his New Year´s Day address Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said he will strengthen his military's preemptive strike, missile defense and retaliatory capabilities in response to the North Korean nuclear threat. "The Republic of Korea is building genuine, lasting peace through strength, not a submissive peace that is dependent on the goodwill of the adversary," Yoon said, using South Korea's official name. At the party meeting, Kim called South Korea "a hemiplegic malformation and colonial subordinate state" whose society is "tainted by Yankee culture." He said his military must use all available means including nuclear weapons to "suppress the whole territory of South Korea" in the event of a conflict. South Korea´s Defense Ministry warned in response Sunday that if North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons, South Korean and U.S. forces will punish it overwhelmingly, resulting in the end of the Kim government. KCNA said North Korean officials held talks on Monday to implement an order by Kim to disband or reform organizations handling relations with South Korea to fundamentally change the principle and direction of the North's struggle against the South. There was no immediate explanation of how that might alter inter-Korean relations, which have been stalled for an extended period. Experts say small-scale military clashes between North and South Korea could happen this year along their heavily armed border. They say North Korea is also expected to test-launch intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the mainland U.S. and other major new weapons. North Koreas' Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un orders military to prepare for war |
Re: UK Intel Sends UN Photos of North Korean Arms Shipments to Russia
UK Intelligence Sends UN Experts Photographs of North Korean Arms Shipments to Russia
Report shows Russian ships loading at North Korean port, amid accusation that Pyongyang supplies missiles and shells The Guardian 22 JAN 2024 https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/76e4a...5&dpr=1&s=none The UK has provided satellite photographs of North Korean cargo shipments to Russia to a panel of UN experts as part of an attempt to trigger an official investigation into arms deals in violation of international sanctions. North Korea has been accused of supplying ballistic missiles and hundreds of thousands of artillery shells to the Russian government for its war in Ukraine since Vladimir Putin met with Kim Jong-un in Russia’s far east in September. Their bilateral relationship appears to be expanding. Putin met the North Korean foreign minister, Choe Son-hui, in the Kremlin this week during a rare, five-day trip by the senior Pyongyang official. The two discussed “further development of our relations in all areas, including sensitive ones”, according to a Kremlin spokesperson. An unpublished UK defence intelligence report seen by the Guardian shows imagery taken between September and December of three Russian ships, the Maia, Angara and Maria, loading containers at North Korea’s revived Najin port before transiting to Russian ports in the far east. While the agency said it could not identify what was in the containers, it followed a US announcement last week that ballistic missiles from North Korea had been used by Russia in Ukraine last week. https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/637de...5&dpr=1&s=none A map from the report providing an overview of the transport of materials between Russia and North Korea. “Russia’s use of North Korean weapons in Ukraine is a violation of multiple UN security council resolutions,” said a UN diplomat. “It undermines international efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and exposes just how desperate Russia has become in its failed invasion. This and other evidence submitted to the UN sanctions committee should trigger a full investigation into Russia and DPRK’s [North Korea’s] flagrant breaking of international sanctions.” The report, along with other evidence from the United States and other countries, was provided to the UN panel of experts on North Korean proliferation, which is expected next month to publish its first final report since suspected North Korean shipments of ammunition to Russia sharply increased this year. The ships in the report were all placed under sanctions by the US government in 2022 for their links to the Russian ministry of defence’s shipping company, Oboronlogistika OOO, which has “been involved in Russia’s illegal seizure and occupation of Crimea since 2014, as well as private Russian maritime shipping companies that transport weapons and other military equipment for the [government of Russia]”. Two of the three ships were also identified in a recent report by the Royal United Services Institute thinktank. It showed a growth in transshipments from North Korea to Russia that “reveal that Russia has likely begun shipping North Korean munitions at scale”. A third was identified by NK News, an independent news website focusing on North Korea, as “part of a group of commercial vessels that have completed multiple deliveries of military equipment and munitions provided by the DPRK to Russia”. The deliveries have been cited as enabling military strikes against Ukraine in December and January that “killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more”. Prosecutors in Kharkiv told the Guardian that suspected fragments of North Korean-made Iskander missiles had been sent to Kyiv for analysis and said the missiles had subtle differences: hand-drawn lettering for serial numbers, and a different nozzle exhaust cone and welding. A statement released by eight members of the security council, including the UK and US, said: “These heinous attacks were conducted, in part, using ballistic missiles and ballistic missile launchers procured from [North Korea].” The White House’s senior director for arms control, Pranay Vaddi, said this week that the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea was “unprecedented” and warned that Russian military assistance to North Korea could undermine the US nuclear deterrence policy in South Korea and Japan. “I think the nature of North Korea as a threat in the region could drastically change over the coming decade as a result of this cooperation,” he told the Center for Strategic and International Studies thinktank. Choe met Putin, the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and the deputy prime minister Alexander Novak during her visit to Russia. North Korea also signalled that it may be receiving Russian help for its space programme. Before the meeting with Putin, a member of the North Korean delegation was photographed with a document apparently titled Observation List in Space Technology Field, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. The list appeared to include the Progress Rocket Space Centre and the Voronezh mechanical plant, known to produce engines, although the writing was not completely clear, the news agency wrote. Putin had previously pledged to help North Korea build satellites, and North Korea managed to launch its first spy satellite in November. South Korea alleged that Russia had helped build the spy satellite. |
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