Tag: North Korea

I am wondering if the Japanese effort to start talks with North Korea was nothing more than political theater? The Japanese spokesman had to have known that his statements about discussing the abduction issue would lead to North Korea ending any possibility of bilateral talks which is what Kim Yo-jong did:

North Korea will refuse “any contact and negotiations” with Japan in the future, the powerful sister of the nuclear-armed country’s leader said Tuesday, just a day after she said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had requested a summit with her brother, Kim Jong Un.

In a statement carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, Kim Yo Jong pointed to the comments by the Japanese government’s top spokesman on Monday that Tokyo would never accept Pyongyang’s claim that the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s had already been resolved.

“Japan has no courage to change history, promote regional peace and stability and take the first step for the fresh DPRK-Japan relations,” she said, adding that a summit meeting between the two countries’ leaders was therefore “not a matter of concern” to Pyongyang.

“The DPRK government has clearly understood once again the attitude of Japan and, accordingly, the DPRK side will pay no attention to and reject any contact and negotiations with the Japanese side,” KCNA quoted her as saying, using the acronym for the country’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Japan Times

You can read more at the link.

I wonder if the Russians are helping the North Koreans to develop hypersonic weapons or if this is all just for show to raise tensions?:

North Korea conducts a ground jet test of a solid-fuel engine for a new type of intermediate-range hypersonic missile at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on March 19, 2024, in this photo carried by the Korean Central News Agency the next day. (Yonhap)

North Korea said Wednesday it has successfully conducted a ground jet test of a solid-fuel engine for a new type of intermediate hypersonic missile amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Hypersonic missiles are on the list of sophisticated weapons North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to develop during a key party congress in 2021, along with nuclear-powered submarines, spy satellites and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

Hypersonic missiles travel at a speed of at least Mach 5 — five times the speed of sound — and are designed to be maneuverable on unpredictable flight paths and fly at low altitudes. At Mach 5 or higher, such a missile would be able to traverse the 195 kilometers between Pyongyang and Seoul in just one to two minutes.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

North Korea’s war on the fish of the East Sea continues:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has guided firing drills involving super-large multiple rocket launchers and called for perfecting readiness to collapse the capital of the enemy with the “core striking means,” state media said Tuesday.

On the previous day, Kim oversaw the “salvo” drills of artillery units in the country’s western region using the 600mm multiple launch rocket system, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The South Korean military said Monday it detected the firing of multiple short-range ballistic missiles from areas near Pyongyang and they flew about 300 kilometers toward the East Sea. Experts said they might be the KN-25 super-large multiple rocket launcher.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that North Korea is likely to ramp up their provocations this year during Korea’s parliamentary elections and the U.S. Presidential election periods:

Yang Uk, a research fellow at Asan Institute of Policy Studies in Seoul, said North Korea had probably been refraining from aggression for the past month in light of political events in China and Russia, like annual plenary sessions and Moscow’s presidential election.

“North Korea is probably going to start to ramp up provocations from now,” he told The Korea Herald. “Pyongyang probably opted for a short-range, rather than a long-range ballistic missile, with its possible summit with Tokyo in mind,” he said, referring to recent news that North Korea is seeking to meet with Japan.

The ruling People Power Party believes North Korea may escalate aggressions ahead of South Korea’s general election and the US presidential election.

Rep. Park Jeong-ha, the People Power Party chief spokesperson, said in a statement Monday that as the risks of “military and cyber provocations” from North Korea were “very high” over the year, greater political fluidity is expected internationally.

“North Korea’s provocations are anticipated to get more frequent and aggressive as the year progresses,” he said.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

The only thing surprising about this missile firing is that they did not do this earlier for the start of the Freedom Shield exercise:

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Monday, the South Korean military said, just hours before talks between the top diplomats of South Korea and the United States.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the missile launches in the area of Pyongyang between 7:44 a.m. and 8:22 a.m., which flew around 300 kilometers and landed in the East Sea. 

“North Korea fired at least three missiles, and their trajectories were similar to those of KN-24,” a senior military official said.

The KN-24 is a solid-fuel ballistic missile with a range of up to 410 km and a payload of 400-500 kg.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Hopefully this outgoing North Korean ambassador to Cuba doesn’t have a date with an anti-aircraft gun waiting for him when he returns to Pyongyang:

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel (R) meets with North Korean Ambassador to Cuba Ma Chol-su at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana on March 16, 2024, in this photo captured from the president’s X.

North Korea’s ambassador to Cuba has paid a visit to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel before concluding his mission, the Cuban presidential office said, as Pyongyang is preparing to replace the envoy after Cuba’s surprising establishment of diplomatic ties with South Korea.

Diaz-Canel shared a brief video of Friday’s meeting with Ambassador Ma Chol-su on X, the former Twitter platform, saying he reassured the ambassador that Pyongyang could always rely on Cuba’s support, solidarity and friendship in all aspects. 

The president, who visited North Korea twice, also emphasized the brotherhood between the countries.

Ma is reported to have received the Friendship Medal from the president that day in recognition of his diplomatic service in Cuba for the past five years.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the timing of the change is making it look like he is being blamed for Cuba establishing formal diplomatic relations with South Korea.

Fortunately the designers of this tank made the hatch wide enough for Kim Jong-un to be able to get into it:

This photo, carried by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency on March 14, 2024, shows the North’s leader Kim Jong-un guiding “training matches” involving tank troops the previous day, as the country unveiled a new main battle tank. (Yonhap)

North Korea has unveiled a new battle tank during training exercises, state media reported Thursday, amid ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the United States.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un drove a new tank himself during the “training match” between tank units Wednesday in a bid to inspect tank troops’ actual combat capabilities, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Calling them “the most powerful tanks in the world,” Kim expressed satisfaction over their striking power and maneuverability, it said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Considering all the bunkers and tunnels in North Korea trying to quickly eliminate Kim Jong-un and his inner circle would likely be extremely difficult:

This photo, provided by the defense ministry on March 7, 2024, shows Defense Minister Shin Won-sik (2nd from R) making an on-site inspection of a command bunker in Seoul.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik called on special operations troops Wednesday to equip themselves with capabilities to “swiftly eliminate” the North Korean leadership if it starts a war against the South.

Shin made the call at the Army Special Warfare Command in Icheon, 56 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as South Korea has been conducting the Freedom Shield joint military exercise with the United States since last week to boost deterrence against the North’s threats.

“If Kim Jong-un starts a war, as a key unit of Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR), you must become the world’s strongest special operations unit to swiftly eliminate the enemy leadership,” Shin said, according to his office.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.