N. Korea marks military anniversary with firing drill Seoul, South Korea | AFP | Nuclear-armed North Korea on Tuesday marked a military anniversary with a massive conventional firing drill, Seoul said, as a US guided-missile submarine docked in South Korea amid tensions over Pyongyang’s weapons ambitions. Speculation had mounted that …
Read More »China’s Xi Jinping urges ‘restraint’ on North Korea as US carrier nears
Beijing, China | AFP | Chinese President Xi Jinping urged “restraint” on North Korea in a phone call with Donald Trump Monday, as Japan joined drills with an American supercarrier heading to the Korean peninsula. The US leader has repeatedly called on China, the North’s sole major ally, to do …
Read More »North Korea: ‘Trump administration is spouting a load of rubbish’
US supercarrier due in Sea of Japan ‘in days’: Pence Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The US supercarrier Carl Vinson will arrive in the Sea of Japan in days, Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday, after days of mixed messages from Washington over the warship’s whereabouts. The strike group was …
Read More »Defiant North Korea goes ahead to test missile, but it fails
North Korea missile test fails after showcase parade Seoul, South Korea | AFP | A fresh North Korean missile test failed when it exploded after launch Sunday, the US military said, a day after Pyongyang defiantly showcased its ballistic arsenal at a giant military parade. The failure, which is likely …
Read More »South Korean expert warns about new Pyongyang ICBM
N.Korea puts ‘new ICBM’ on show, say analysts Pyongyang, North Korea | AFP | North Korea unveiled what could be a new intercontinental ballistic missile at a giant military parade in Pyongyang on Saturday, analysts said. Nearly 60 missiles rolled through Kim Il-Sung Square at an event to mark …
Read More »China seeks Russia’s help to ‘cool’ North Korea situation
Beijing, China | AFP | China is seeking Russia’s help to cool surging tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, the country’s foreign minister has told his Moscow counterpart, after Beijing warned of possible conflict over North Korea. Fears over the North’s rogue weapons programme have soared in recent days, with a …
Read More »North Korea displays its submarine-launched ballistic missile
Kim oversees North Korea display of military strength Pyongyang, North Korea | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un Saturday saluted as ranks of goose-stepping soldiers followed by tanks and other military hardware paraded in Pyongyang for a show of strength with tensions mounting over his nuclear ambitions. After inspecting …
Read More »China warns there will be no winner in North Korea war
North Korea army vows ‘merciless’ response to US provocation Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea’s army on Friday vowed a ‘merciless’ response to any US provocation, as tensions soar over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme and speculation mounts that it is preparing a fresh weapons test. Pyongyang’s rogue atomic ambitions …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Unpredictable Trump unsettles China as N. Korea policy wobbles
Beijing, China | AFP | From Twitter threats to Tomahawk missiles, US president Donald Trump’s unorthodox and seemingly impulsive approach to foreign policy has unsettled China, piling new pressure on its hands-off North Korea policy. As tensions rise on the Korean peninsula, Beijing appears alarmed by Trump’s strident pronouncements as …
Read More »US assessing ‘military options’ ahead of new North Korea nuke test
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States is assessing military options in response to North Korea’s weapons programs, a White House foreign policy advisor confirmed Friday, saying another provocative test was a question of “when” rather than “if.” As speculation mounted that Pyongyang is preparing to fire a …
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