| Welcome to The-Christians-Forum.com. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
| North/South Korea Watch | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Dec 19 2010, 05:51 AM (386 Views) | |
| Davies | Dec 19 2010, 05:51 AM Post #1 |
|
Member
  ![]](http://z3.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)
|
N. Korea beefs up military preparedness on west coast before S. Korea's firing drill: source SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has beefed up its military forces on the west coast ahead of South Korea's planned live-fire drill in the area, a South Korean government source said Sunday. "The North Korean artillery unit along the Yellow Sea has raised its preparedness level," the source said. http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2010/12/19/0200000000AEN20101219002900315.HTML?source=rss |
 |
 
|
| Davies | Dec 19 2010, 06:00 AM Post #2 |
|
Member
|
Seoul to go ahead with live-fire exercise 2010-12-19 18:37 President Lee seeks support for S.Korea-Malaysia ties on nuclear energy Art houses stand out in Hannam-dong Korea pledges full support for PyeongChang Winter Olympic bid First female reserve officers program opens at Sookmyung Students, police clash as U.K. approves tuition hike Korea, Malaysia to push for FTA BOK stays positive on 2011 outlook DP steps up struggle against ruling camp Doctors try to calm ‘superbug’ fears Charges filed as legal battle over Hyundai E&C acquisition grows The South Korean military will conduct a live-fire exercise on Yeonpyeong Island as planned Monday or Tuesday, officials here said Sunday, despite opposition from China and Russia, and North Korean threats of further provocations. Diplomatic factors and North Korean threats will not be taken into account in staging the exercise on the island near the tense western sea border, they said. The North bombarded the island on Nov. 23, killing four South Koreans including two civilians. A South Korean Marine soldier stands guard at a sentry post on Yeonpyeong Island on Sunday. (Joint Press Corps) “We have prepared for the exercise with this basic stance that we will definitely stage the exercise, which is our military’s legitimate one. Some say it could be put on hold or called off due to outside influence, but that is not true,” a senior government official said on condition of anonymity. “Considering the weather, we are reviewing when the conditions for the exercise will be better. North Korean threats or diplomatic variables are not under consideration.” Another government official underscored that there was nothing for the North to take issue with regarding the planned exercise as it is purely defensive in nature and a routine exercise that the military has conducted for decades. The military announced Thursday last week that the one-day exercise would occur between Dec. 18 and 21. It has not yet been held due to inclement weather, which would make it difficult for the South to monitor movements of the North Korean military. South Korea is poised to use the right of self-defense to take a strong counterstrike, including air strike, rather than being bound to the rules of engagement should the North launch another provocation. The North on Nov. 23 fired a barrage of artillery at Yeonpyeong after denouncing the live-fire drills on the island earlier in the day in a move that experts here said is aimed at neutralizing the Northern Limit Line, the inter-Korean sea border. The North contended that the drills were conducted in its territorial waters as it does not recognize the NLL, which was drawn at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War by the U.S.-led U.N. Command. Pyongyang claims the border should be redrawn further south. The South Korean military will mobilize K-9 self-propelled howitzers, 105mm towed artillery guns, Vulcan guns and 81mm mortars for the exercise, officials said. It has put its F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets on emergency standby. Some 20 U.S. troops have already been deployed on Yeonpyeong Island to carry out medical, communications and intelligence missions during the exercise. Nine representatives from the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission and UNC member states are also set to observe the exercise. On Friday, the North’s military warned of military retaliation should the South go ahead with its planned drills. “Second and third self-defensive blows that cannot be predicted will be dealt,” it said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. On Saturday, North Korea’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said in a statement, “There is no guarantee that the reckless warfare exercise will not lead to an actual war.” The Seoul government has notified China, Japan, the U.S. and Russia of the exercise plan. The planned drill appears to have sparked a diplomatic battle among regional powers. While the U.S. and Japan extended support for the exercise, China and Russia called in South Korean envoys stationed in their countries to express their concern over it. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun has expressed his concern, saying his country considers the peninsular situation “extremely precarious, highly complicated and sensitive,” according to the official Xinhua news agency. On Friday, Zhang called in Ryu Woo-ik, South Korean ambassador to China, to express opposition to the exercise. The Russian foreign ministry also summoned South Korean and U.S. ambassadors ― Lee Youn-ho and John Beyrle ― to express its concern. In a statement online Saturday, the Russian foreign ministry expressed “extreme concern” and urged all countries involved to exercise “maximum restraint and moderation.” At the request of Russia, the U.N. Security Council was set to convene an emergency session Monday, Korean time, to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula. Russia initially wanted the session to be held Saturday. But the session was delayed as representatives from other U.N. Security Council members said they needed time to consult with their home countries. Ahead of the exercise, the Unification Ministry has checked security measures for South Koreans remaining in the Geumgang mountain resort and the Gaeseong Industrial Park in North Korea. Some 310 South Koreans are currently in the two locations. The ministry has instructed government officials in charge of the two areas in the North to strengthen measures to secure the safety of South Koreans there. Rival political parties were sharply split over the planned drills. The ruling Grand National Party called for “strict and strong” retaliation while the main opposition Democratic Party called for a delay in the exercise, saying that it was time for all to work toward peace rather than further ratcheting up tensions on the peninsula. By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldm.com) http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20101219000343 |
|
|
|
| Earendel | Dec 21 2010, 11:38 PM Post #3 |
Administrator
|
There sure has been a lot of posturing between the Korea's, and there has been much news about it lately too. This will not be good for Israel, as if there is a Korean conflict, this will surely draw the bulk of available U.S. forces into the Yellow Sea and possible war, possibly with China/Russia as well. This would create a convenient opportunity for Israel's enemies to attack while the U.S. forces are preoccupied in a Korean war. Better keep an eye on it. Praying for the saints... 
|
|
|
|
| Davies | Dec 22 2010, 04:43 AM Post #4 |
|
Member
|
Not done yet either. (LEAD) S. Korean Army to stage massive firing drill to deter N.K. provocations SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to conduct its largest-ever ground and air live-fire drill near the border with North Korea on Thursday, as the South's military remains on alert for the North's surprise provocations not only in the tense western border regions, but also in other unforeseen areas, officials said Wednesday. This file photo shows an Army live-fire drill held at a range in Pocheon in August. (Yonhap) The Army's combined live-fire exercises, set to occur at a range in Pocheon, north of Seoul, will feature K-9 self-propelled guns, multiple launch rocket systems, anti-aircraft guns, attack helicopters and six Air Force jets, including two F-15K jets, said the officials. "The firing drill for multiple launch rockets has so far been conducted individually. But this time they will be combined with other artillery," said an Army official. Multiple launch rocket launchers are capable of delivering almost 8,000 munitions in less than 60 seconds at ranges exceeding 32 kilometers. A one-star Army general involved in the drill said that the military will conduct a thorough counterstrike on North Korea's artillery positions in the case of any further provocations by the communist state. Separately, the Navy began maritime firing exercises in waters off the east coast on Wednesday that included six naval ships and Lynx anti-submarine helicopters. A Navy official said that the exercise will be held through Friday about 100 kilometers south of the eastern sea maritime border with the North. Nearby Army units will be on heightened vigilance during the drill, the official said. South Korean Marines remain in combat-ready posture on Yeonpyeong Island in this file photo taken on Dec. 21. (Yonhap) Tensions on the divided peninsula remain high after the North's deadly shelling of the South's Yeonpyeong Island in November, as well as the South's live-fire drill from the same island earlier this week that had been feared to lead to a fresh clash between the two sides. Though the North did not carry out its threat to strike back if the South pushes ahead with the exercise, there are still concerns that the communist nation could stage unforeseen attacks on the South. The defense ministry said that the military is maintaining readiness to strike immediately back at the North in case of provocations in the western land and sea border regions, including the front-line Aegibong hill where the South lit up a giant Christmas tree that Pyongyang sees as psychological warfare. The ministry also plans to keep military alertness at the highest level for the northernmost islands and other border regions for the time being, while continuing to put fighter jets on mid-air standby. Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told lawmakers Tuesday that the military will maintain such readiness until North Korean threats drop visibly. Kim also said that new provocations by the North would likely be surprise attacks, and the South is prepared for various scenarios. North Korea has also reportedly deployed more surface-to-ship and surface-to-air missiles along its west coast while keeping fighter jets ready to scramble. The two Koreas are still technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The western sea border has been a constant source of military tension between the two sides as the North refuses to recognize the boundary. (END) http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2010/12/22/23/0301000000AEN20101222007100315F.HTML |
|
|
|
| Davies | Dec 22 2010, 07:07 AM Post #5 |
|
Member
|
South Korea army to hold huge drill, North silent The land drill, involving three dozen mobile artillery guns, six fighter jets, multiple launch rocket systems and 800 troops, the largest number of personnel in a single peace-time exercise, will take place on Thursday and is likely irritate the North. The scale of the drill and the timing, coming right after the tensely staged a live-fire exercise on Monday, indicate South Korea's conservative President Lee Myung-bak sees more political mileage in taking a tough military stance rather than reverting to dialogue, despite overtures from Pyongyang. Lee's government was heavily criticized at home for a perceived weak response to North Korea's shelling of the southern island of Yeonpyeong last month. "We'll be sure to deal a punishing blow if the North tries to repeat the kind of situation like the artillery shelling of Yeonpyeong," Brigadier General Ju Eun-shik said in a statement. There was no immediate reaction from North Korea. State news agency KCNA, which regularly denounces the South, United States and Japan, made no mention of the drills, although it carried an article lambasting a U.S. lawmaker critical of Pyongyang as "human scum" and a "political illiterate." South Korea is also holding three days of live-firing naval drills off the peninsula's east coast starting on Wednesday, a media official at the Defense Ministry said. He would not provide details. Yonhap news agency said the drills were taking place 100 km (60 miles) south of the maritime border with North Korea and involved at least six naval vessels. North Korea this week offered to re-admit U.N. inspectors concerned about its nuclear-weapon programme, leading to speculation of a resumption of six-party disarmament talks and a general sense of relief that the crisis had passed. "The drills are an indication that (the South) is aiming to keep tensions very high, partly because of the possibility of the North striking back," said Kim Yong-hyun of Dongguk University. "Dialogue is clearly not high on the agenda. It's still very much in the mode of how they can respond to incidents like the one on Yeonpyeong and to show that response in the future will be overwhelming." The South Korean Army is making no secret that the drill is aimed at displaying its firepower to its neighbor. "Yes, it will be a show of force against that," an army officer said, when asked if the shelling of Yeonpyeong last month was a factor in the land drill's planning. He said similar drills had been staged previously on more than 50 occasions, but the scale this time was unprecedented. "The scale of mechanized assets taking place is enormous. When we would normally have 6 K-9 mechanized artillery, we'll have 36. We'll have the F-15 jets firing. We'll have choppers. You can say most of the mechanized assets taking part will be firing live ammunition." It will take place in the Pocheon region, less than 50 km (30 miles) north of downtown Seoul. The latest crisis peaked when North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong, just south of the disputed maritime border, killing four people -- including two civilians -- in the worst attack on South Korean territory since the end of the civil war in 1953. The South carried out live-fire drills on Yeonpyeong on Monday, which provoked only a verbal reaction from the North. It had vowed to strike back if the South went ahead with the drills, prompting fears of all-out war. China, North Korea's only major ally, has urged dialogue to resolve the crisis and urged Pyongyang to follow through on its offer to allow U.N. inspectors into the country. The Chinese Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on the planned drill. FAMILY RULE Analysts say the North is unlikely to undertake another hostile act like this year's attack on South Korea's Cheonan warship, blamed on the North by the United States and the South, and the Yeonpyeong shelling, at least in the near term. Its most likely next move would be to conduct live-fire artillery drills or possibly a short-range missile test into its waters off the west coast. Analysts have said they believe its recent military acts were aimed at bolstering the ruling family as ailing leader Kim Jong-il grooms his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as his successor. "North Korea likes to step toward the brink and then away from it again," said Brian Myers, an expert on the North at South Korea's Dongseo University. "The news from Pyongyang in the past few days indicates that the Kim Jong-il regime is now in the backing-off part of its usual cycle." He said the North probably did not expect the South to go through with live-fire exercises on Monday. "If it had, it would not have made such loud threats of reprisal in its domestic media. After the exercises took place, the Kim regime had to tell its own people that the South's 'provocation' was not worth responding to, a flip-flop it cannot afford to repeat in just a few days. I don't expect the North to be quite as vocal about the next round of exercises." South Korean Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun, speaking before the announcement of the drill, said domestic financial markets had weathered the crisis and the South Korean economy, Asia's fourth-largest, stayed on a growth track. But he warned that the tension could still dent consumer spending with a key sentiment measure due on Friday. South Korean markets were unaffected by the tensions with foreign investors buying into stocks and bond futures. Traders said earlier that the won currency was generally being affected more by concern over the euro zone. Consumers and businesses in South Korea say they have lived with tension on the divided peninsula for years and markets do not always react, although the recent crisis had rattled global markets and remained an underlying risk. (Additional reporting by Yoo Choonsik; Editing by Nick Macfie and Alex Richardson) http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101222/wl_nm/us_korea_north |
|
|
|
| Davies | Dec 23 2010, 11:07 AM Post #6 |
|
Member
|
North Korea warns of "sacred war" in standoff with South By Jack Kim and Sylvia Westall, Reuters 1 hour ago SEOUL — North Korea threatened a nuclear "sacred war" on Thursday and South Korea vowed a "merciless counterattack" if it was attacked again as both sides raised the rhetoric on a day of more military exercises in the South. South Korea's land and sea exercises prompted North Korea, which has threatened to reduce the South to ashes on many occasions, to denounce its richer neighbor as a warmonger. "To counter the enemy's intentional drive to push the situation to the brink of war, our revolutionary forces are making preparations to begin a sacred war at any moment necessary based on nuclear deterrent," North Korea's KCNA news agency quoted Minister of Armed Forces Kim Yong-chun as saying. North Korea has wielded its nuclear capability threat before but analysts say it has no way to launch a nuclear device. Tension reached a peak last month when North Korea shelled a southern island, Yeonpyeong, killing four people, in response to a South Korean live-fire drill in what the North said were its waters. The North has since made a conciliatory gesture, offering to re-admit U.N. nuclear inspectors worried about its nuclear weapons programme. "We've seen North Korea flip-flop from threatening the South with nuclear war before the military exercises, then a day later ignore that the exercises took place, launch a peace initiative, and now, just days later, once again threaten with nuclear war," said Mark Hibbs of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. South Korean President Issues Stern Warning to North "The flip-flopping is part of North Korea's tactic to keep everyone guessing and off balance." South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said on a tour of a forward army base overlooking North Korea that the South would not relax its readiness to counter any further aggression. "We had believed patience would ensure peace on this land, but that was not the case," Lee, criticized for a perceived weak earlier response to North Korean attacks, told troops. South Korea held a big land drill in the Pocheon region between Seoul and the heavily armed demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. It also continued naval live-fire exercises 100 km (60 miles) south of the maritime border. The drill involved a larger scale of firepower and personnel than usual for an exercise at the army training ground, a further indication that Lee wants to show the public his government can stand up to the North. A large contingent of mechanized units operating tanks, three dozen self-propelled artillery, fighter jets and multiple rocket launchers took part in the live-fire drill just miles from the border. It lasted just less than an hour. A British Foreign Office spokesman defended South Korea's decision to hold the exercises. "South Korea has every right to conduct defensive military exercises in its territory," he said. "We urge North Korea to cease its aggressive rhetoric and refrain from provocative actions. North Korea must accept that engagement with the international community is better than isolation." Lee has replaced his top defense officials with more hawkish military men, a response to criticism of his response to hostile acts, including an attack on a ship in March blamed on the North and the shelling of Yeonpyeong. "We are facing a crisis because of North Korea, so I came to see this air and ground operation. I want to feel and see the level of South Korea's armed forces," said Kim Tae-dong, a 70-year-old internet businessman, in Pocheon. "Another North Korean provocation will happen. We should prepare our military perfectly for that." Seoul's financial markets closed flat before the KCNA threats. Pyongyang's remarks have failed in the past to have a lasting market effect and South Korean credit-default swaps, a measure of credit risk, were unchanged. DISPUTED WATERS Analysts say the North is unlikely to launch a further attack against the South, in the near-term at least. For now, the North is likely to wait and see if its latest actions, including the offer to readmit international nuclear inspectors, yield results such as a return to international talks on its nuclear programme or economic aid. China, the impoverished North's only major ally, has urged dialogue to resolve the crisis and has been reluctant to lay blame, frustrating Washington and its allies who want Beijing to do more to rein in Pyongyang. President Barack Obama is expected to press this point when Chinese President Hu Jintao visits the United States on January 19. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu, when asked about the South Korean drills, repeated China's call for a resumption of the so-called six-party talks. "The current situation on the Korean peninsula remains highly complex," she told a regular news briefing. "We urge parties concerned to exercise calm and restraint." (Additional reporting by Yoo Choonsik and Danbee Moon in Seoul, Brian Love in Paris and Fredrik Dahl in Vienna; Writing by Nick Macfie and Sonya Hepinstall) (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20100111/NEWS-US-KOREA-NORTH/ |
|
|
|
| Earendel | Jan 1 2011, 07:16 PM Post #7 |
|
Administrator
|
North Korea may be setting up a nuclear test on Iran's behalf A large group of Iranian nuclear scientists and technicians has been spotted in the last few days at North Korea's nuclear center at Yongbyon, according to DEBKAfile's intelligence sources. American and South Korean watchers assumed at first they were examining the new, extra-fast centrifuges for enriching uranium North Korea had showed off to America visitors in November. But they thought again when a small group broke away from the Iranian delegation for a secret side-trip to visit North Korea's Punggye-ri testing site near the Chinese border and appeared to be receiving detailed briefing on the next nuclear test planned soon by Pyongyang. US and South Korean intelligence experts now strongly suspect now that they were putting their heads together for making it a joint North Korea-Iranian test. Read more: http://www.debka.com/article/20512/ |
|
|
|
| LoisFaith2000 | Jan 7 2011, 02:26 AM Post #8 |
|
Senior Member
|
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40921882 NKorea calls for unconditional talks with South 01/05/2011 SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea called for "unconditional and early" talks with rival South Korea to put an end to months of tensions. Seoul quickly dismissed the offer as insincere and said it's waiting for an apology for two deadly attacks blamed on Pyongyang. It's rare for North Korea to issue such a statement addressed to South Korea and it came as the U.S. envoy on the North was in the region to discuss the standoff. Earlier Wednesday, Stephen Bosworth sought to calm fears of conflict on the peninsula. Tensions between the two Koreas have been at their highest level in years since North Korea showered artillery on a South Korean-held island near their disputed maritime border in November, killing four South Koreans. The attack was the first on a civilian area since the 1950-53 Korean War, and occurred in waters not far from the spot where a torpedo sank a South Korean warship eight months early, killing 46 sailors. That attack was also blamed on the North — and allegation the country vehemently denies. But the North has made some conciliatory moves recently. On New Year's Day, the government issued a lengthy statement calling for warmer ties and the resumption of joint projects with South Korea. Pyongyang, eager for food and fuel assistance, has said it wants stalled international aid-for-nuclear-disarmament talks to restart. Washington and Seoul have said the North must first fulfill past nuclear disarmament commitments. On Monday, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak vowed to increase his country's defenses but made clear the door was open for talks with Pyongyang and was willing to enhance economic cooperation between the rivals. On Wednesday, North Korean officials responded with their own call for negotiations. "We are ready to meet anyone anytime and anywhere, letting bygones be bygones, if he or she is willing to go hands in hands with us," said a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. It added that history has shown that such confrontations can only lead to an "armed clash and war." Read More |
|
|
|
| Earendel | Jun 17 2011, 12:04 AM Post #9 |
|
Administrator
|
North Korea Tests 'Super-EMP' Nuke Thursday, 16 Jun 2011 09:05 AM By Ken Timmerman Gary Samore, a top Obama administration national security official, warned of new sanctions if North Korea conducted a third round of nuclear tests on Monday, as reports surfaced that North Korea has miniaturized its nuclear warheads so they can be delivered by ballistic missile... ...Such a weapon - equal to a massive solar flare such as the "solar maxima' predicted by NASA to occur in 2012 - poses "substantial risk to equipment and operation of the nation’s power grid and under extreme conditions could result in major long term electrical outages," said Joseph McClelland of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Senate testimony last month.... Read more: http://www.newsmax.com/KenTimmerman/super-emp-emp-northkorea-nuke/2011/06/16/id/400260 |
|
|
|
| Earendel | Jun 19 2011, 10:18 PM Post #10 |
|
Administrator
|
North Korean ICBMs Could Reach US in 2012 Read: http://www.worldthreats.com/?p=8730 |
|
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
|
|
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Current Events · Next Topic » |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
1:11 AM May 21