Violence and atrocities : korean peninsula

Showing posts with label korean peninsula. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Canine diplomacy between North and South Korea

There was a period in 2018 when the relation between the two Koreas had improved. It was during the tenure of US President Donald Trump. At that time, there were hopes of a peaceful settlement to the denuclearization of the Peninsula. Kim Jong-un, leader of North Korea had gifted a pair of dogs to Moon Jae-in, the then President of South Korea. These were a pair of white Pungsan dogs - Gomi and Songgang. The canines carried the legal categorization as state property and belonged to the presidential archives. Accordingly, they continued to remain under the care of Moon Jae-in even after he left office in May. However, it has to now go back to the state and South Korea's former President Moon Jae-in says he plans to give them up. It seems his decision is a fallout of differences between him and the current government over funds for looking after the dogs. South Korea's Moon Jae-in to give up dogs gifted by Kim Jong-un.

In an unprecedented move, Mr. Moon's office indicated that he was able to continue as their caretaker even after he left his post. An agreement with the interior ministry reportedly stated that there could be a state budgetary provision for payment towards supplies and expenses for looking after the pets. The local media puts the expenses at about $1,800; £1,560 every month.

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Missiles fired by North Korea leads to evacuation warning in parts of Japan

North Korea has fired a number of missiles, among these one was an intercontinental ballistic missile. It prompted Japan to issue an evacuation warning for parts of Japan. One of these missiles reached an altitude of 1,200 miles and travelled about 460 miles. Japan's defence minister Yasukazu Hamada said the flight pattern was "lofted trajectory." It means the missile flew high into space to avoid flying over neighboring countries. The Japanese military lost track of the suspected ICBM over the water between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The minister corrected an earlier report that mentioned it had flown over Japan. In the opinion of South Korea, it might have failed mid-flight. According to officials in Seoul, the launching of the first missile was from some location near Pyongyang. Subsequent ones were from Kaechon, north of Pyongyang. Evacuation alert in parts of Japan and bullet trains halted after North Korea fires missiles. After the first launch, the office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida broadcast alerts through different devices to residents in three prefectures. These were Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata. The alerts were for people to get inside strong buildings or to head underground. Simultaneously, there was suspension of bullet train services in these regions.

Prime Minister Kishida described the repeated missile launches of North Korea as an “outrage and absolutely cannot be forgiven." South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman described these as "deplorable, immoral." The action of the North came a day after it fired at least 23 missiles. One of these landed just 40 miles off the coast of South Korea. It prompted the South to issue its own air raid warnings and launch its own missiles. Pyongyang has also been calling for the U.S. and South Korea to stop large military exercises. It says - "military rashness and provocation (which) can be no longer tolerated." Incidentally, nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea remain in a limbo since early 2019.

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Tensions increase between North and South Korea with exchange of warning shots off their western coast

North and South Korea accused each other of breaching their maritime border. They exchanged warning shots off their western coast and led to heightened tensions because of the weapons tests conducted by Pyongyang. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea explained that it broadcast warnings and did fire warning shots. The purpose was to repel a merchant vessel of North Korea that crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL). This is a de facto sea boundary. The North, on its part, said its military fired 10 rounds of artillery warning shots towards its territorial waters. It was because it had detected “naval enemy movement.” It also accused a naval ship of South Korea of intruding into the waters of North Korea on the pretext of cracking down on an unidentified ship. the North Korean People’s Army said - “We ordered initial countermeasures to strongly expel the enemy warship by firing 10 shells of multiple rocket launchers near the waters where the enemy movement occurred.” This was as per the official KCNA news agency. Two Koreas exchange warning shots near sea border amid tensions.

JCS said the actions by North Korea breached a 2018 inter-Korean accord on reducing military animosities and undermined stability on the Korean Peninsula. It also said the shells fired by the North did not land in the waters of South Korea but did boost its military readiness. In this case, there were no reports of clashes. However, the poorly marked sea boundary off the Korean Peninsula’s west coast has always been a source of long-running animosities between the two Koreas. It witnessed a number of bloody inter-Korean naval skirmishes and violence in recent years. These included the shelling of a South Korean navy ship that killed 50 people in 2010. In recent weeks, Pyongyang has launched short-range ballistic missiles and hundreds of artillery rounds off its east and west coasts on a number of occasions to protest over the military activities of its southern neighbor. A professor at Ewha University in Seoul cautioned, “Pyongyang’s politics of blaming external threats and projecting confidence in military capabilities can motivate greater risk taking. Actions of this nature could give rise to a serious exchange of fire and unintended escalation.

Friday, October 21, 2022

North Korea fires hundreds of artillery shells in retaliation to annual defense drills of the South

South Korea conducted its annual defense drills. The aim of such drills is to boost its ability to respond to nuclear and missile threats of Pyongyang. This has not gone down well with the North. It retaliated by firing hundreds of artillery shells off its eastern and western coasts and said the shells did not land in South Korean territorial waters. They instead fell inside maritime buffer zones the two Koreas established under a 2018 inter-Korean agreement aimed at reducing front-line animosities. This is the second such incident. North Korea carried out a similar exercise recently in direct violation of the 2018 agreement. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) confirmed this. He said that North Korea fired some 250 shells of its eastern and western coasts late on Tuesday and launched an additional 100 rounds, starting at around midday on Wednesday. In a statement he said - “We strongly urge North Korea to immediately halt its actions. North Korea’s continued provocations are actions that undermine peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the international community.” N Korea fires artillery shells in ‘grave warning’ to Seoul.

A spokesperson for the North Korean People’s Army (KPA) explained that the purpose of firing the shots was designed to send a “grave warning” to South Korea in response to its own artillery training. These took place earlier in an eastern border region. Seoul did not immediately confirm this. The Hoguk drills of the South are due to end soon. These are the latest in a series of military exercises conducted in recent weeks and include joint activities with the United States and Japan. Incidentally, the artillery tests of the North attracts less outside attention than its missile launches. However, its forward-deployed long-range artillery guns pose a serious security threat to the populous metropolitan region of its neighbor. This is because its location is about 25 to 30 miles from the border with North Korea and a matter of concern.

Friday, September 9, 2022

North Korea declares itself as a nuclear weapons state

Kim Jong-un described the decision of declaring itself as a nuclear weapons state ‘irreversible.’ He also ruled out any possibility of reopening talks on denuclearization. The law emphasizes the country's right to go in for a pre-emptive nuclear strike to protect itself. During the tenure of Donald Trump as the president of the United States, there were talks on this subject but Donald and Kim could not arrive at an acceptable solution. Later, the Joe Biden administration tried to reopen the subject but there has not been much progress. In spite of facing crippling international sanctions, the North carried out six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017. North Korea declares itself a nuclear weapons state. Pyongyang has continued to increase its military capability. This was a breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions. It meant threat to its neighbors and possibilities of bringing the United States mainland within striking range.

Incidentally, Kim Jong-un conducted long-range launches and nuclear tests in 2019. There were summits with the then US president Donald Trump that grabbed headlines but provided no result. Talks between the countries have since stalled. The Biden administration indicated its willingness to talk. It has reviewed its North Korea policy last year and reiterated that "complete denuclearisation" of the Korean peninsula was the goal. President Biden indicated he would pursue it with a mix of diplomacy and "stern deterrence." To this, Kim Jong-un said his country must prepare for both "dialogue and confrontation."

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

North Korea reactivates its missile programs

After a brief lull, North Korea appears to have reactivated its missile program. It seems the North fired two cruise missiles towards the sea off its west coast recently. The country has been pursuing its missile programs in spite of sanctions against it by the global community. This had been imposed in order restrict the nuclear ambitions of the hermit kingdom and maintain peace in the Korean Peninsula. However, North Korea appears to be determined to pursue the testing of its missiles irrespective of consequences. The latest launch appears to be the first one by the secretive country since 8 June. At that time, it had conducted test of eight short-range ballistic missiles. North Korea fires two cruise missiles as South Korea leader calls for diplomacy. This comes even as South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed concern over the weapons program of its neighbor. The president of South Korea called for diplomatic procedures in an effort to create an atmosphere of sustainable peace.

During a news conference, President Yoon Suk-yeol made it clear that he was not in favor of bringing any political change in the North by force. Simultaneously, he urged North Korea to return to dialogue that would open the doors towards denuclearization. Such a step would result in economic benefits. Incidentally, Kim Jong-un, the leader of the North, has claimed about mobilizing his country’s nuclear war deterrent. He has also added that North Korea was prepared for any potential military conflicts with not only the United States but also South Korea. He went to the extent of criticizing the new president Yoon Suk-yeol for the first time and cautioned that Seoul was pushing towards the brink of war.

Saturday, August 6, 2022

Nancy Pelosi visits South Korea after Taiwan during her Asian tour

North Korea described US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as “the worst destroyer of international peace and stability.” This was during her visit to South Korea as a part of her Asian tour. The North accused her of inciting anti-North Korea sentiment earlier this week. Pelosi has arrived in South Korea after visiting Taiwan. This prompted China to launch military exercises. These included missile strike training in waters near the self-governed island. China looks at Taiwan as an integral part of its own territory and wants to annex it forcibly if necessary. North Korea calls Pelosi 'destroyer of international peace' During her visit to South Korea, Pelosi went to the border of the North and South and discussed the nuclear program of the North with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo. It seems the two of them agreed to extend support to their respective government’s plans for denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula. Such an exercise would act not only as a strong deterrent against the North but also help diplomacy.

Nancy Pelosi became the highest-profile American to go to the border since the then-President Donald Trump in 2019. He had met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inside the world's most heavily fortified border. The American-led United Nations Command and North Korea control it jointly. American presidents and other top officials have previously travelled to the area. The intention has been to reaffirm their security commitment to South Korea. Incidentally, during her visit, Pelosi did not make any strong public statements against the North. The Korean Peninsula remains tense because of the missile tests carried out earlier this year by North Korea. It seems it is preparing to conduct its first nuclear weapons test in five years. Its intention appears to be to move away from talks of denuclearization and instead focus on expanding its nuclear program. It wants the United States to drop its hostile policies. This apparently refers to US-led international sanctions on the North and its regular military drills with South Korea.

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Sunday, March 1, 2015

Prepare for war, Kim Jong-Un tells his Army as US and South Korea begin naval drill

#KimJongUn #militaryexercises #nuclearweapons Kim Jong-Un, the Supreme leader of North Korea, has asked his military to prepare for war against the United States. He made the comments against the backdrop of the start of joint military exercises between America and South Korea. The eight-week long operation is scheduled to begin from Monday as reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 28 February 2015.
He has expressed that he wants 'to tear to pieces the Stars and Stripes'. He has added that America does not have a 'monopoly' on nuclear weapons and that ‘the U.S. is seriously mistaken if it thinks its mainland is safe.' Kim hitting out at the US is probably the U.S. has moved a step closer to imposing fresh sanctions on North Korea's banks. Once that takes effect, it would block North Korea’s access to hard cash.
The joint US-South Korea exercise is codenamed Operation Foal Eagle and it would involve nearly 200,000 South Korean troops along with some 3,700 U.S. personnel and will be spread out over land, sea and air.
There are reports that North Korea has also recently stepped up its own ground, air and naval drills, as tensions continue to rise in the Korean peninsula.

Another interesting blog - Citizen Journalist

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